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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to controllers for cable television systems. More
particularly, the invention relates to programmable controllers for cable
television systems.
Cable television companies currently provide viewers 70 or more channels of
programming from which to choose. Current cable television provides an
hourly programming schedule over a pre-defined cable channel. This
programming schedule is a passive display that contains all possible
programming and allows no interaction or control by the viewer. In the
near future, cable companies are planning to implement technology that may
boost the number of available channels to 500 or more. As the number of
channels available on cable systems grows, viewers will be overloaded with
information on hundreds of possible programs to view. Additionally, as the
availability of programming choices increases, the amount of viewing time
expended by viewers will likely increase as well.
Recently, features have been provided in the cable controller to help
reduce the amount of viewing time of undesirable programming, particularly
by children. Such features are typically mechanical or electrical lockouts
that either entirely prevent viewing or permit viewing only upon providing
a password. However, such systems operate only by direct intervention and
do not operate automatically. Thus, they only limit viewing by
establishing an "on" or "off" display state for time cable channel.
Further, such features do not act to limit the amount of viewing time of a
particular channel.
In view of the foregoing, there is a need in the art for a cable controller
that assists the viewer in limiting the selection and viewing of cable
television programming.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In view of the foregoing it is an object of the invention to provide a
programmable cable controller that allows a viewer to limit the total
viewing time of a cable television channel during a given time period.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a programmable cable
controller adapted to edit total programming Listings in accordance with
viewer preferences.
The programmable cable controller in accordance with the invention is
adapted to accept a time limit and a time period which are input by a
viewer. A channel timer is provided to track the elapsed display time of
the cable television channel and, upon reaching the present time limit,
display of the cable channel is blocked. Upon a channel change, the time
remaining on the channel timer for that channel is displayed on the
television set. The channel timer is reset upon expiration of the preset
time period. Multiple channel timers may be set to limit the display time
of multiple channels and the channel timers may be password protected to
prevent any unauthorized changes.
The programmable cable controller is further adapted to receive cable
television programming listings and a viewer's programming preferences and
to store them in memory. The viewer's programming preferences may be
entered in the form of "like" and "dislike" lists which are displayed on
the television set. The viewer's programming preferences are applied to
the cable television programming listings to produce a redacted listing of
television programming which may be displayed on the television set.
Multiple viewer preferences may be applied to the television programming
listings to create multiple individual redacted listings. Further, several
redacted listings may be combined into an aggregate listing.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The accompanying drawings referred to herein and constituting a part
hereof, illustrate preferred embodiments of the invention and, together
with the description, serve to explain the principles of the invention,
wherein:
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a cable controller and a remote control
according to the invention;
FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of the cable controller of FIG. 1;
FIGS. 3A-3B are flowcharts illustrating operation of the channel timer
feature of the cable controller;
FIGS. 4A-4B are flowcharts illustrating operation of the timer limit
feature of the channel timer;
FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating operation of the timer decrement feature
of the channel timer;
FIGS. 6A-6H are display screens produced by the channel timer feature of
the cable controller;
FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating downloading of cable television
programming information to the cable controller;
FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating operation of the cable controller to
develop a personal programming guide;
FIG. 9 is a flowchart illustrating operation of the cable controller in
viewing a personal programming guide;
FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating operation of the cable controller in
updating a "like" list;
FIG. 11 is a flowchart illustrating operation of the cable controller in
updating a "dislike" list;
FIG. 12 is a flowchart illustrating operation of the cable controller in
deletion of a personal programming guide; and
FIGS. 13A-13M are display screens produced by operation the personal
programming guide feature of the cable controller.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
A cable controller according to the invention is shown in FIG. 1. The cable
controller 20 receives an input signal containing both programming and
control signals from a cable company. This input signal is usually
delivered over a coaxial cable that is connected to the back of the cable
controller via a standard connector jack. The output from the cable
controller is connected to a television set via a coaxial cable also
connected in the rear of the cable controller. The output signal from the
cable controller is thereby displayed on the television screen.
The cable controller 20 provides a channel selector buttons 22, 24, numeric
channel indicator 26, and power button 28. A remote control 30 is also
typically provided to operate the cable controller from a distance. Remote
control 30 contains push buttons 32 that perform functions such as channel
selection, volume mute (to turn off the sound), "flash" (to toggle between
two television programs), and power on/off. The remote control has a
numeric key pad 34 that can be used to directly select a specific
television channel.
A schematic view of the components of the cable controller is shown in FIG.
2. The cable controller includes a microprocessor 36 and a memory 38 which
stores software for execution by microprocessor 36. Decoder 40 receives
the signal sent from the cable company and distinguishes between control
signals and program signals. Decoder 40 is also responsible for
unscrambling scrambled channels. Display Driver 42 is responsible for
driving the LED (Light Emitting Diode) channel indicator 26 and is
controlled by the microprocessor 36. User input interface 46 monitors the
toggle switches 47, which include up and down channel selector buttons,
22, 24, and power button 28, as well as any incoming signals received by
the infrared sensor 48 from the remote control unit 30. User input
interface 46 sends any received signal to the microprocessor 36 so that
the microprocessor can take the appropriate action. Power unit 50 receives
power from a standard 110 volt AC power source and converts it to a low
voltage DC power supply to power the microprocessor and other circuitry.
In accordance with the channel timer feature of the invention, a channel
timer is provided which may be used to limit the amount of time that a
viewer is permitted to watch a particular channel or set of channels
within a give time period. A viewer-provided password is entered at the
time the channel timer is set so that the channel timer cannot be later
changed or turned off without authorization.
To set the channel timer, the viewer must enter the channel number(s) that
are to be subjected to the timer constraint, the channel time limit, the
overall frequency that the time limitation will occur, and a password.
Multiple channel timers may be set.
The channel time limit and the overall frequency interval can be any period
of time (e.g., minutes, hours, days, or weeks). Thus, the following
examples could be created:
(a) limit viewing time for channel 1 to 3 hours per day;
(b) limit viewing time for channels 4, 33, and 97 to 200 minutes per day;
(c) limit viewing time for channel 27 to 8 hours per week; or
(d) limit viewing time for channel 88 to 5 days per month.
Multiple instances of the above examples may also be set up within given
constraints. That is, multiple independent channel timers could be set
with independent channels, time intervals, and overall frequency
intervals. For the example discussed herein, a limit of 4 is assumed.
FIGS. 3A and 3B are flowcharts that illustrate operation of the cable
controller allowing a person to set a channel timer limit on a channel or
set of channels. Advantageously, if the channel timer is already set and
active, the cable control box prompts for a password. This prevents
against unauthorized changes to the channel timer. The user is then
prompted for information including the channel number(s), the time limit,
the unit of the time limit (hours, days, etc.), the overall time period
unit, the time to activate the timer, and a password.
In particular, upon pressing the channel timer button 51, the viewer enters
a valid channel timer number at step 52. At step 54, a decision is made as
to whether the channel timer is already set. If yes, the cable controller
proceeds to step 66. If no, the cable controller prompts for a password at
step 56. At step 58, a decision is made as to whether the password is
valid. If no, the cable controller returns to step 56. If yes, a decision
is made at step 60 as to whether the current timer information is to be
cleared or new timer information set. If new timer information is to be
set, the cable controller proceeds to step 66. If current timer
information is to be cleared, the cable controller clears the channel
timer at step 62. The cable controller then returns at step 64.
At step 66, the cable controller prompts for valid channel numbers. A
prompt is initiated for a time limit at step 68 and at step 70 a prompt is
initiated for a valid time limit unit code (hours, days, etc.). At step
74, a prompt is initiated for a time period unit code. A prompt is
initiated at step 76 for the time of activation and at step 78 for a
password. At step 80, the channel timer is loaded with the information
entered by the user. The channel timer is set as a memory location
containing the total display time for the cable timer (i.e., the time
limit). When the channel is viewed, the channel timer in memory may then
be decremented by the elapsed time on the system clock to track how much
of the allotted display time has passed. At step 82, the channel timer is
set to begin at the appropriate time. The cable controller returns at step
84.
FIGS. 4A and 4B are flowcharts illustrating operation of the cable
controller to monitor channel timer status. Briefly, the cable controller
is called upon once a minute to check if 1) any channel timers should be
activated, 2) any of the channel timers should be re-initialized to its
starting value, and 3) if any channel timers have reached a zero count
(and, therefore, a channel should be blocked).
In particular, an interrupt is generated by the system clock once per
minute. This interrupt causes the cable controller to initiate a check of
each of channel timers 1-4 at step 86. At step 88 the particular channel
timer is checked to see if the activation time has been reached. If no,
the next channel timer is checked per step 90. If yes, that channel timer
is activated at step 92 and the next channel timer is checked per step 90.
Once all of the channel timers have been checked for activation time, at
step 94 the system begins to check channel timers for time periods. At
step 96, the particular channel timer is checked to determine whether its
time period has been met or exceeded. If no, the next channel timer is
checked per step 98. If yes, the channel timer is reinitialized by
resetting the value in the appropriate memory location equal to the time
limit for that channel timer at step 100 and the next channel timer is
checked per step 98.
At step 102, the cable controller initiates a check of the channel timers
to see if channels need to be blocked. At step 104, the particular channel
timer is checked to see if its time limit has reached zero. If no, the
next channel timer is checked per step 106. If yes, the channel number of
that channel timer is added to the "blocked channel" list at step 108. At
step 110, a decision is made as to whether the particular channel is
currently in use. If no, the cable controller proceeds to check the next
timer per step 106. If yes, the channel is blocked and a message
indicating that the time limit was exceeded is displayed at step 112. The
cable controller then proceeds to check the next channel timer per step
106. When all of the channel timers have been checked, the cable
controller returns at step 114.
FIG. 5 is a flowchart that illustrates operation of the cable controller to
decrement the channel timers when a channel is viewed and to block any
channels for which the channel timer has expired.
In particular, upon a channel change a decision is made at step 116 as to
whether the channel has a channel timer set for it. If yes, at step 118
the channel timer associated with the channel is turned on. The channel
timer is automatically decremented every second until either the channel
is turned off or the channel timer reaches zero. The time remaining on the
channel timer is then displayed on a lower corner of the screen for three
seconds at step 120 and the cable controller proceeds to step 126. If no,
a decision is made as to whether any other channel timers are turned on at
step 122. If no, the cable controller proceeds to step 126. If yes,
channel timers not associated with the particular channel are turned off
at step 124. At step 126, a decision is made as to whether the current
channel is blocked. If yes, the television screen is blacked out and a
message is displayed at step 128. If no, the cable controller returns at
step 130.
To facilitate an understanding of the channel timer feature of the cable
controller, an example is provided of how the channel timer could be used
by a parent to control the amount of time that a child watches a certain
channel. In particular, a parent wants to limit a child's viewing of a
science fiction channel to 8 hours per week. The parent turns on the cable
controller and pushes the channel timer button 51 on the remote control 30
to set the channel timer. Upon receiving the input, the cable controller
displays the message shown in FIG. 6A on the television screen.
This display shows that channel timer #1 is set to limit channels 6 and 10
to 3 hours per day and has 2.3 hours of viewing time remaining. Channel
timer #2 is set to limit channel 33 to 5 days per month and has 3 days of
viewing time remaining. Channel timers #3 and #4 are not set. The parent
wants to set a new channel timer (and keep the current channel timers), so
the parent presses the "3" on the numeric key pad of the remote control to
select channel timer #3. The cable controller then requests the
information required to set up a new timer. First, the cable controller
requests the channels to be limited by displaying the message shown in
FIG. 6B on the television screen.
At this point, the parent reads the message and enters channel number
"077", the channel number of the science fiction channel that the parent
wants to limit his child's viewing of. The "*" on the screen is the cursor
that indicates where the information will be added. As the "077" is
entered, it appears on the screen on the channel timer #3 line. The parent
presses the "enter" key 131 to signal that no more channels are to be
limited. In this example, channels are entered using a fixed digit
sequence of 3 digits so that a delimiter is not needed. It will be
appreciated that the system could easily be modified to accept a delimiter
in order to distinguish between channel numbers.
The cable controller takes this information and then requests the time
limit as shown in FIG. 6C. The parent enters the number "08" to represent
8 hours. The cable controller then requests the time limit unit as shown
in FIG. 6D. The parent enters the number "2" to represent hours. Next the
cable controller requests the time period unit as shown in FIG. 6E. The
parent enters the number "5" to represent weeks.
Next the cable controller requests the time at which the channel timer
should be activated as shown in FIG. 6F. At this point the parent has the
option of 1) typing a specific time (within the next 24 hours) at which
the channel timer will begin, 2) begin the channel timer immediately, or
3) begin the channel timer at midnight. The parent wants the channel timer
to begin at midnight so that the child knows he has eight hours each week
to view the science fiction channel and that the eight hour period begins
new again once a week at midnight (on the day that the channel timer is
set). Therefore, the parent enters the number "4".
Finally, the cable controller requires that a password be entered so that
only the parent can make any changes in (or remove) the channel timer. The
cable controller requests the password as shown in FIG. 6G. The password
must be six digits long. The parent enters "987111." At this point, the
channel timer is set. Thereafter, any viewer can hit the channel timer
button 51 on the remote control 30 to see how much time is remaining on
each of the four channel timers.
When the cable controller is tuned to the science fiction channel, a brief
display in the lower right corner of the television screen indicates the
time remaining on the channel timer. When the time limit is reached on the
science fiction channel, the message shown in FIG. 6H is displayed when
anyone tunes the cable controller to the "expired" channel.
In accordance with the personal programming guide feature of the invention,
a personal programming guide is provided which allows a viewer to see a
display of specific television programming that might be of particular
interest. The personal programming guide is displayed on the television
screen and may be controlled by the viewer.
The personal programming guide selects and displays programming that the
viewer would be most interested in by comparing the entire spectrum of
available programming with the viewer's likes and dislikes which are
resident in a viewer profile. This viewer profile contains key words
(e.g., program names, subjects, actors/actresses, sport teams) that are
matched against the complete, daily television programming schedule in
order to create a personalized, filtered view of upcoming television
programming.
The personal programming guide can reflect changes in a viewer's likes and
dislikes over time and may be turned off, if desired, so that the entire
programming schedule can be viewed. Since most households contain more
than one viewer, multiple personal programming guides may be provided.
FIG. 7 illustrates operation of the cable controller to maintain current
programming information. The cable controller 20 downloads the full
program listing for a fixed period (e.g., one week) from a source of
programming information such as a cable company via control messages
within the cable input signal at step 132. A pre-processed subject list,
which is created by the cable company from the full program listing, is
also downloaded into the cable controller at step 134. The cable
controller then returns at step 136. The cable controller uses this
information and applies the user-defined keyword filters ("likes" and
"dislikes") to create the personal programming guide.
FIG. 8 illustrates operation of the cable controller in developing a
personal programming guide for a particular viewer. The personal
programming guide feature displays a main menu that allows the viewer to:
1) view his personal programming guide,
2) update his personal "like" list,
3) update his personal "dislike" list, or
4) delete his guide.
The operation of the cable controller in performing the functions of
options 1-4 above is shown in FIGS. 8-12.
In particular, as illustrated in FIG. 8, upon pressing the personal
programming guide button, the cable controller displays the available
personal programming guide numbers at step 138 and the particular personal
programming guide number is obtained from the viewer at step 140. A
decision is made at step 142 as to whether the particular personal
programming guide number is unused. If no, the cable controller proceeds
to step 144. If yes, cable controller prompts the viewer for a name for
the personal programming guide at step 146. At step 144, the main menu is
displayed and at step 148 a prompt is initiated for a selection from the
main menu. At step 150, a decision is made as to which selection was input
by the viewer and, based upon this selection, the cable controller
branches to execute the desired functions 1-4 or, having selected exit,
the cable controller returns at step 152.
FIG. 9 illustrates operation of the cable controller allowing a viewer to
see his personal programming guide. The viewer's personal programming
guide is displayed on the television screen and the viewer can page
through the information. The viewer can also toggle on and off both the
"like" and "dislike" filters if the viewer would like to see the
unredacted program listing.
In particular, having selected #1 "View Guide" from the main menu, the
"like filter" and "dislike filter" are set to on at step 154. At step 156,
a decision is made as to whether the "like" filter is on. If no, the cable
controller proceeds to step 158. If yes, the full programming guide is
filtered through the "like" filter at step 160. At step 158, a decision is
made as to whether the "dislike" filter is on. If no, the cable controller
proceeds to step 162. If yes, the full programming guide is filtered
through the "dislike" filter at step 164. At step 162, the personal
programming guide as filtered is displayed and a prompt is initiated. At
step 164, a branching decision is made based upon user input. Actions may
include toggling of the "like" or "dislike" filters at steps 166, 168,
after which the cable controller returns to step 156. Other options
include displaying the next page of programming (step 170), displaying the
previous page of programming (step 172) and displaying a particular day's
programming (step 174). Upon selection of exit, the cable controller
returns at step 176.
FIG. 10 illustrates operation of the cable controller allowing a viewer to
update his "like" list. This feature allows a viewer to add subjects,
program names, channel numbers, and keywords to the "like" list, as well
as delete items from the list. Upon the selection of #2 "Update Likes"
from the main menu, the cable controller displays an options menu at step
178. At step 180, a branching decision is made based upon user input. Upon
selection of option #1 "Add Subject", all subjects are displayed at step
182, with subjects currently on the "like" list identified with a marker
(such as an asterisk). Upon selection of #2 "Add Program" all program
names are displayed at step 184, with program names currently on the
"like" list identified with a marker. At step 186, the cable controller
again branches based upon viewer input to either display the next page of
information at step 188, display the previous page of information at step
190, display a particular page of information at step 192, or add an item
to the current list at step 194. Thereafter, depending upon whether the
cable controller is in subject mode (#1 selected) or program name mode (#2
selected), at step 196 the cable controller returns to either step 182 or
step 184. Upon selection of exit at step 186, the cable controller returns
to step 178.
If at step 180 #3 "Add Channel" is selected, a prompt is initiated and the
channel number obtained from the user at step 198. At step 200 the channel
number is added to the "like" list and the cable controller returns to
step 178.
If #4 "Add Special" is selected at step 180, a prompt is initiated and a
keyword obtained from the viewer at step 202. The keyword is added to the
"like" list at step 204 and the cable controller returns to step 178.
If #5 "Add Current program" is selected at step 180, a determination is
made at step 206 as to the current program and the program name is added
to the "like" list at step 208. The cable controller then returns to step
178.
If #6 "Delete Item" is selected at step 180, the entire "like" list is
displayed and the viewer is prompted at step 210 for the item to be
deleted. The item is deleted from the "like" list at step 212 and cable
controller returns to step 178. Upon selection of exit at step 180, the
cable controller returns at step 214.
FIG. 11 illustrates operation of the cable controller to allow a viewer to
update his "dislike" list. This procedure is similar to the procedure used
to update the "like" list. The "dislike" list, however, is maintained as a
separate and distinct list from the "like" list.
In particular, upon the selection of #3 "Update Dislikes" from the main
menu, the cable controller displays an options menu at step 216. At step
218, a branching decision is made based upon viewer input. Upon selection
of #1 "Add Subject", all subjects in the "dislike" list are displayed at
step 220, with subjects currently on the "dislike" list identified with a
marker Upon selection of #2 "Add Program" all program names in the
"dislike list" are displayed at step 222, with program names currently on
the "dislike" list identified with a marker. At step 224, the cable
controller again branches based upon viewer input to either display the
next page of information at step 226, display the previous page of
information at step 228, display a particular page of information at step
230, or add an item to the current list at step 232. Thereafter, depending
upon whether the cable controller is in subject mode (#1 selected) or
program name mode (#2 selected), at step 234 the cable controller returns
to either step 220 or step 222. Upon selection of exit at step 224, the
cable controller returns step 216.
If at step 218 #3 "Add Channel" is selected, a prompt is initiated and
channel number obtained from the viewer at step 236. At step 238 the
channel number is added to the "dislike" list and the cable controller
returns to step 216.
If #4 "Add Special" is selected at step 218, a prompt is initiated and
keyword obtained from the viewer at step 240. The keyword is added to the
"dislike" list at step 240 and the cable controller returns to step 216.
If #5 "Add Current Program" is selected at step 218, a determination is
made at step 224 as to the current program and the program name is added
to the "dislike" list at step 246. The cable controller then returns to
step 216.
If #6 "Delete Item" is selected at step 218, the entire "dislike" list is
displayed and the viewer is prompted at step 248 for the item to be
deleted. The item is deleted from the "dislike" list at step 250 and cable
controller returns to step 216. Upon selection of exit at step 218, the
cable controller returns at step 252.
FIG. 12 illustrates operation of the cable controller allowing a viewer to
delete his personal programming guide. As a precaution, the viewer is
given an "Are You Sure? " message before the indicated personal
programming guide is deleted by the cable controller.
In particular, if #4 "Delete Guide" is selected from the main menu, the
cable controller proceeds to step 254 where a prompt is initiated for
confirmation to delete the personal programming guide. A decision is made
at step 256 as to whether the personal programming guide is to be deleted.
If no, the cable controller returns to step 148. If yes, the personal
programming guide is deleted at step 258 and marked at step 260 to be
indicated as "not used" when displayed on the main menu. The cable
controller then returns to step 148.
The following example is provided to illustrate how the personal
programming guide feature can be set up and used. A particular viewer
wants to have a personal programming guide set reflect to his interests,
which include golf, the television show "ABC", old Judy Garland movies,
cooking, and the NY Raiders baseball team. The viewer also is not
interested in the programming on the "tele-shopping" network (channel 127)
and does not subscribe to the specialty pay channels 250 through 300.
To set a viewer profile up, the viewer presses the personal program guide
button 137 on the remote control 30. The information shown in FIG. 13A is
displayed on the television screen. The screen shows that personal
programming guide #1 is used by "Mom" and personal programming guide #2 is
used by "Dad". The remaining programming guides are not currently used. To
create a new personal programming guide, the viewer presses the "3" button
on the remote control.
To set up a new programming guide, the cable controller prompts for the
viewer's name. It will be appreciated that this information is only
required when a new personal programming guide is created. The message
shown in FIG. 13B is then displayed on the television screen.
To enter the viewer's name, the viewer uses the up button (" ") 262 on the
remote control to sequence through the alphabet to get to the desired
first letter (or the down button ("v") 264 to sequence in reverse order).
When the viewer reaches the desired first letter, he presses the right
button (">") 266 to move the next letter. This process is repeated until
the viewer has fully entered his name. In this example, the viewer enters
the name "Matthew." When all letters are entered, the viewer presses the
"enter" key 131 to continue. At this point, the main menu for the personal
programming guide is displayed as shown in FIG. 13C.
In order to have the personal programming guide filter through all existing
programming, a "like" list (and/or a "dislike" list) must be set up. The
viewer enters "2" to set up the "like" list. The display shown in FIG. 13D
then appears on the television screen.
The display shows that there are currently no entries in the "like" list.
The bottom of the display gives the viewer the following options:
1. Add subject--This option allows the viewer add a subject keyword (e.g.,
golf, cooking, football, news, drama, mystery) to the "like" list.
2. Add program name--This option allows the viewer enter a program name
(e.g., "ABC", "Good Morning Secaucus", "Arizona Yachting") to the "like"
list.
3. Add channel number--This option allows the viewer enter a particular
channel number (e.g., 17, 136, 292) to the "like" list.
4. Add special items--This option allows the viewer enter specific names
(e.g., NY Raiders, Judy Garland, John Wayne, Africa) to the "like" list.
This category may include items that can be entered under options 1 and 2
as well.
5. Add current program--This option allows the viewer to add the current
program to which the cable controller is tuned to the "like" list.
To set up the viewer's "like" list, the viewer presses the "1" button so
that he can enter the subjects "golf" and "cooking" into the "like" list.
To prompt the viewer for the desired subjects, the screen shown in FIG.
13E is displayed on the television.
To enter "golf", the viewer uses the up arrow key (" ") 262 to sequence
through the alphabetized list provided by the cable company to find the
world "golf." To accelerate this search, the viewer can enter a 4-digit
number to jump around in the list (e.g., entering "500" puts you half way
through a list that is 1000 items long). When the word "golf" is found,
the viewer presses the "enter" key 131 and the word is automatically
entered into the "like" list. An "*" appears after the subject name to
indicate that this subject is now on the "like" list. The keyword
"cooking" is found in the same manner. After both keywords are found and
entered, the viewer presses the "exit" key 268 to return to the "Updating
Like List" menu.
Since this arrangement allows a viewer to scan through many pre-defined
subjects, the user is able to enter as many subjects as desired. The
pre-defined subject list is created from the actual television programming
schedule by the cable company so that the subjects are relevant to
television programming. If the viewer wants to add a subject that is not
on this pre-defined list, then the view uses the option "Add Special
Items".
To add specific programs to the "like" list, the viewer presses "2" on the
remote control. The viewer is then prompted for the program name using the
same method as described for entering a subject. That is, the screen shown
in FIG. 13F is displayed on the television.
To enter "ABC", the viewer uses the up arrow key (" ") 262 to sequence
through the alphabetized list to find the program name. Again, to
accelerate this search, the viewer can enter a 4-digit number to jump
around in the list. When the program "ABC" is found, the viewer presses
the "enter" key 131 and the program name is automatically entered into the
"like" list. An "*" appears after the program name to indicate that this
program is now on the "like" list. The viewer presses the "exit" key 268
to return to the "Updating Like List" menu.
Again, since this feature allows a viewer to scan through many pre-defined
programs, the user is able to enter as many program names as desired. The
pre-defined program list is created by the cable company from the actual
television programming schedule. If the viewer wants to add a program name
that is not on this pre-defined list, then the user may use the option
"Add Special Items".
Since the viewer in this example does not have any channels to add to the
"like" list, option #3 "Add Channel Number" is not used.
To add special keywords to the "like" list, the viewer presses "5" on the
remote control. The viewer is then prompted for the keyword by the screen
shown in FIG. 13G which is displayed on the television.
To enter "NY Raiders" the viewer uses the up arrow (" ") 262 and down arrow
("v") 264 keys to sequence through the alphabet and create names as
previously described. The viewer uses the same method to enter the keyword
"Judy Garland." After both keywords are entered, the viewer presses the
"exit" key 268 and the "Updating Personal Programming Guide" menu is
displayed.
At this point the "like" list contains the items stated in this example:
golf, the television show "ABC", Judy Garland, cooking and the NY Raiders.
The television displays this information as shown in FIG. 13H.
One option that was not used in this example is #5, "Add Current Program."
This option is a quick way for the viewer to add to the "like" list the
television program to which the cable controller is currently tuned.
To exit from the "Updating Like List" menu, the viewer presses the "exit"
key 268. The personal programming guide main menu appears as shown in FIG.
13I.
At this point, the viewer can create a "dislike" list using the same method
that was used to create the "like" list. Since the viewer wants to add
particular channels to the "dislike" list, the viewer presses "3" on the
remote control. The information is displayed on the television screen as
shown in FIG. 13J.
To add channels to the "dislike" list, the viewer presses "3" on the remote
control. The viewer is then prompted for the channel number with the
prompt shown in FIG. 13K. To add the "tele-shopping" channel to the
"dislike" list, the viewer enters the channel number "127," presses
"enter" and is returned to the "Updating Dislike List" menu. To add the
block of pay channels (250 through 300) to the "dislike" list, the viewer
presses "3" to add channel numbers to the "dislike" list and enters "250,"
"300" and "enter". The "Updating Dislike List" menu is redisplayed as as
shown in FIG. 13L.
To see the viewer's personal programming guide as edited, the viewer may
then press "1" and the screen shown in FIG. 13M is displayed on the
television screen. The screen of FIG. 13M displays the viewers personal
programming guide with the "like" and "dislike" filters applied for the
current day's programming. The viewer can use the up arrow (" ") 262 and
down arrow ("v") 264 keys to page through multiple information screens. In
the example shown, the entire day fits onto one screen. Using the up/down
arrow keys would then allow the viewer to page into the next/previous
day's programming view. To jump to a specific day, the viewer can enter
the day number (e.g., the viewer could hit "1" for Sunday, "2" for Monday,
etc.).
It will be appreciated that all of the programs displayed in the above
personal programming guide match the "like" list and do not match the
"dislike" list. However, some items in the "like" list may not generate
"hits" (i.e., they did not produce any matches in the current
programming). In this example, no matches were found matching the keyword
"Judy Garland."
The "like" and "dislike" filters can be toggled on and off. For example, if
the viewer is not interested in any of the programming derived using the
"like" filter, the viewer could press "8" and turn off the "like" filter.
At that point, the programming guide would display all television
programming except for any programs that are filtered out by the "dislike"
filter. In this example, all channels except for the "tele-shopping"
channel and pay channels 250 through 300 would be displayed. By pressing
"9" on the remote control, the viewer could also choose to turn off the
"dislike" filter so that all programming is displayed. Thus, both filters
can be toggled on and off by hitting the appropriate number (8 or 9).
Finally, the viewer exits from the personal programming guide by pressing
the "exit" button 268 on the remote control 30.
While the invention has been described in its preferred embodiments, it is
to be understood that the words which have been used are words of
description, rather than limitation, and that changes may be made within
the purview of the appended claims without departing from the true scope
and spirit of the invention in its broader aspects.
For example, the personal programming guide can be extended in several
directions. The cable controller may be linked to a more general personal
computer. The general personal computer could run software that performs
the personal programming guide procedures described herein and then
downloads the results to the cable controller. A general personal computer
could provide a smoother and more user-friendly interface using its
keyboard, mouse, and CRT (Cathode Ray Tube) interface. The cable
controller operations described herein could also be implemented within
the television set itself, particularly since newer television models are
already using microcontroller circuitry to perform various functions.
The personal programming guide may also extended to provide additional
features. For example, a "suggested related programming" feature could be
implemented. In this feature, the computer (cable controller or general
computer) would look for programming that does not exactly match the
"like" and "dislike" filters, but is closely related. For example, if a
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