Data structure and methods for providing an interactive program guide

• US 9,674,586 B2
• Filed: 03/20/2013
• Issued: 06/06/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 07/23/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: TiVo Corporation (Adeia Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Comcast IP Holdings I LLC (Comcast Corporation)
• Inventors: Gordon, Donald F., Ludvig, Edward A., Edmonds, Jeremy S., Osborn, Nathan W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Kumar, Pankaj
• Assistant Examiner(s): BROWN, RUEBEN M
• Application Number:
  US13/847,751
• Publication Number:
  US 20140123189A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,539 Days
• Field of Search: 725 38, 725 37, 725 39, 725 44, 725 47, 725 60, 715768, 715823, 715866, 715861
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4314 for fitting data in a restricted space on the screen, e.g. EPG data in a rectangular grid
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4532 involving end-user characteristics, e.g. viewer profile, preferences monitoring of user activities for profile generation for accessing a video database G06F16/739; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306; processing of user preferences or user profiles in wireless networks H04W8/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47 End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/482 End-user interface for program selection broadcast systems using EPGs H04H60/72
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4821 using a grid, e.g. sorted out by channel and broadcast time
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6547 comprising parameters, e.g. for client setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8133 specifically related to the content, e.g. biography of the actors in a movie, detailed information about an article seen in a video program
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/84 Generation or processing of descriptive data, e.g. content descriptors systems specially adapted for using meta-information in broadcast systems H04H60/73
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/45 Picture in picture , e.g. displaying simultaneously another television channel in a region of the screen
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/163 by receiver means only
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/165 Centralised control of user terminal subsequent to an upstream request signal H04N7/17345; Registering at central by two-way working H04N7/17309

Abstract

A program guide in which a video layer includes a plurality of video objects including title objects, each title object having associated with it a channel and at least one time slot, the video layer being formed in response to a received video stream; and a graphics layer comprising a plurality of graphics objects including title overlay objects, each of the title overlay objects selectively imparting at least a visual de-emphasis to a respective title object in the video layer, the visual de-emphasis being imparted to title objects not being associated with a desired time slot.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

a processor; and

one or more memories storing software instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the apparatus to;

receive, from a network, a video comprising imagery identifying programming offered by each of a plurality of sources, the imagery comprising a plurality of video objects;

receive, from the network, a transmission comprising a plurality of graphic overlay objects;

merge the video with the transmission to generate a first modified video comprising the imagery overlayed with the plurality of graphic overlay objects;

output the first modified video for display;

modify a graphic overlay object of the plurality of graphic overlay objects to generate a modified graphic overlay object, in response to receiving a user command; and

merge the video with the modified graphic overlay object and the plurality of graphic overlay objects, to generate a second modified video comprising the imagery overlayed with the modified graphical overlay object and the plurality of graphic overlay objects, wherein the modifying the graphic overlay object and the merging the video with the modified graphical overlay object and the plurality of graphic overlay objects selectively emphasize or deemphasize a video object of the plurality of video objects.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the software instructions, when executed, further cause the apparatus to:

receive a second video comprising second imagery identifying programming offered by each of a second plurality of sources, the second imagery comprising a second video object;

further modify a second graphic overlay object of the plurality of graphic overlay objects; and

merge the second video with the plurality of graphic overlay objects to generate a third modified video comprising the second imagery overlayed with the plurality of graphic overlay objects, wherein the merging of the second video with the plurality of graphic overlay objects and the further modifying of the second graphic overlay object emphasize or deemphasize the second video object.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the video object of the plurality of video objects comprises a moving image within the video.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the software instructions, when executed, further cause the apparatus to:

output the first modified video for display with and without the emphasizing or the deemphasizing of the video object.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein, to modify the graphic overlay object, the software instructions, when executed, further cause the apparatus to:

adjust at least one of a chrominance and a luminance parameter of the graphic overlay object.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the one or more memories further store software instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the apparatus to output the second modified video for display.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of graphic overlay objects corresponds to a corresponding video object of the plurality of video objects, and user interaction with each of the graphic overlay objects selectively emphasizes or deemphasizes a corresponding video object.

8. A method comprising:

receiving, at a terminal from a network, a video comprising imagery identifying programming offered by each of a plurality of sources, the imagery comprising a plurality of video objects;

receiving, from the network, a transmission comprising a plurality of graphic overlay objects;

merging the video with the transmission to generate a first modified video comprising the imagery overlayed with the plurality of graphic overlay objects;

outputting the first modified video for display;

modifying a graphic overlay object of the plurality of graphic overlay objects in response to receiving a user command to generate a modified graphic overlay object; and

merging the video with the modified graphic overlay object and the plurality of graphic overlay objects, to generate a second modified video comprising the imagery overlayed with the modified graphic overlay object and the plurality of graphic overlay objects, wherein the modifying the graphic overlay object and the merging the video with the modified graphic overlay object and the plurality of graphic overlay objects selectively emphasize or deemphasize a video object of the plurality of video objects.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

receiving a second video comprising second imagery identifying programming offered by each of a second plurality of sources, the second imagery comprising a second video object;

further modifying a second graphic overlay object of the plurality of graphic overlay objects; and

merging the second video with the transmission to generate a third modified video comprising the second imagery overlayed with the plurality of graphic overlay objects, wherein the merging of the second video with the transmission and the further modifying of the second graphic overlay object emphasize or deemphasize a second video object of the plurality of video objects.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the video object comprises a moving image within the video.

11. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

outputting the first modified video for display with and without the emphasizing or the deemphasizing of the video object.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein the modifying includes adjusting at least one of a chrominance and a luminance parameter of the graphic overlay object.

13. The method of claim 8, further comprising outputting the second modified video for display.

14. The method of claim 8, wherein each of the plurality of graphic overlay objects corresponds to a corresponding video object of the plurality of video objects, and user interaction with each of the graphic overlay objects selectively emphasizes or deemphasizes a corresponding video object.

15. A method comprising:

receiving, from a network, at a terminal, a video transmission, the video transmission comprising images of a user interface screen identifying programming offered by each of a first plurality of channels, the video transmission further comprising a plurality of video objects corresponding to interactive elements of the user interface screen;

retrieving from the network, a graphic overlay comprising a plurality of graphic objects, each of the plurality of graphic objects having a predefined display position visually cooperative with a display position of a corresponding video object of the plurality of video objects in the video transmission, each of the graphic objects being user interactive to selectively emphasize or deemphasize the corresponding video object;

merge the video transmission with the graphic overlay to generate a first modified video comprising the images overlayed with the plurality of graphic objects;

outputting the first modified video for display;

in response to a user interaction with one of the plurality of video objects, modifying, by the terminal, a graphic object corresponding to the one of the video objects to generate a modified graphic object; and

merging the video transmission with the modified graphic object and the plurality of graphic objects to generate a second modified video transmission.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

receiving a second video transmission comprising second imagery identifying programming offered by each of a second plurality of sources, the second imagery comprising a second plurality of video objects;

further modifying a second graphic object of the plurality of graphic objects; and

merging the second video transmission with the graphic overlay to generate a third modified video transmission comprising the second imagery overlayed with the plurality of graphic objects, wherein the merging of the second video transmission with the graphic overlay and the further modifying of the second graphic object emphasize or deemphasize a corresponding video object.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the one of the plurality of video objects comprises a moving image within the video transmission.

18. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

displaying the first modified video with and without the emphasizing or the deemphasizing of the one of the plurality of video objects.

19. The method of claim 15, wherein the modifying includes adjusting at least one of a chrominance and a luminance parameter of the graphic object.

20. The method of claim 15, further comprising outputting the second modified video transmission for display.