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Claims  |
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What is claimed is:
1. In a multiple channel broadcasting system in which programs are
broadcast for display on a screen, a method for generating an on-screen
program list to inform the user of programs available through the
broadcasting system, said method comprising the steps of:
selecting a category of programs;
searching for selected programs occurring during a predetermined timeframe
that are categorized as the selected category;
extracting program information comprising a program title and start time of
selected programs; and
generating an electronic program list on a display of the broadcasting
system comprising the steps of;
identifying each selected program of the selected category by the program
title;
identifying each start time of each selected program;
displaying the program title, and
displaying each start time of the program adjacent to the program title;
wherein a user can easily view by program category and start times such
that multiple occurrences of the same program during the predetermined
timeframe are viewable in one program list.
2. The method as set forth in claim 1, wherein the step of selecting a
category of programs comprises the steps of providing a listing of
categories; and said user selects at least one category from the listing
of categories.
3. The method as set forth in claim 2, wherein the step of selecting a
category of programs further comprises the steps of providing a listing of
sub-catagories for the selected category; and said user selects at least
one sub-category from the listing of sub-catagories; wherein the program
list comprises programs that are categorized by the selected category and
sub-category.
4. The method as set forth in claim 1, wherein the step of searching for
programs comprises the steps of accessing program information regarding
programs provided on channels in the broadcasting system during the
predetermined timeframe, and comparing the program category of each
program to the selected category.
5. The method as set forth in claim 1, wherein the step of generating an
electronic program list further comprises the steps of:
if multiple broadcasts of the same program are scheduled during the
predetermined timeframe,
associating each start time of each of the broadcasts with a single
occurrence of the program title, and
eliminating multiple occurrences of the program title.
6. The method as set forth in claim 1, wherein the step of generating an
electronic program list further comprising the step of sorting
alphabetically the program titles such that the program titles are
displayed alphabetically.
7. The method as set forth in claim 1, wherein the step of generating an
electronic program list further comprises the steps of:
displaying a time bar along a horizontal axis identifying time increments
in the predetermined timeframe;
displaying each program title on a row along a vertical axis; and
said step of identifying each start time of the program comprises the step
of displaying a start marker in the same row as the program title and in a
column, identified by the time bar, corresponding to the start time of the
program.
8. The method as set forth in claim 7, wherein the step of generating an
electronic program list further comprises the steps of:
identifying each program that starts prior to the predetermined timeframe
but is broadcasted during the predetermined timeframe; and
displaying a broadcasting marker in the same row as the program title and
in a column identified by the time bar to be the beginning of the
timeframe.
9. The method as set forth in claim 1, further comprising the step of
modifying the predetermined timeframe to specify an alternate timeframe,
said system responding by updating the electronic program list to display
each program of the selected category that occurs during the modified
timeframe;
wherein the user can view program lists of selected categories of programs
that occur during different timeframes.
10. The method as set forth in claim 1, wherein the program information
extracted further comprises the channel on which each occurrence is
broadcasted, a description of the program, and an end time of the program.
11. The method as set forth in claim 10, further comprising the steps of:
supplying a system pointer;
said user moving the pointer using a control device to an area in the
electronic program guide associated with a start time of a program; and
said system providing on the screen the description of the program, the
start and end times and the channel on which the program is broadcasted at
the identified start time.
12. The method as set forth in claim 11, wherein each program is further
identified as by a sub-category, said system further providing on the
screen the sub-category of the program.
13. The method as set forth in claim 1, wherein if an occurrence of a
program is currently broadcasting, said method further comprises the steps
of:
supplying a system pointer;
said user moving the system pointer using a control device to an area in
the electronic program list associated with a broadcast marker adjacent to
the program title of a currently broadcasting program; and
said system tuning to a channel that the program is currently broadcasting
on.
14. The method as set forth in claim 1, further comprising the steps of:
tuning to a first channel;
providing a broadcast of the first channel of a program on the screen;
superimposing the program list over the broadcast on the screen, such that
only a portion of the video of the broadcast is covered by the electronic
program guide;
wherein the user can view the electronic program guide while still
receiving the audio and a portion of the video of the broadcast.
15. The method as set forth in claim 14, further comprising the steps of:
supplying a system pointer;
said user moving the system pointer using a control device to an area in
the electronic program list associated with a broadcast marker adjacent to
the program title of a currently broadcasting program; and
said system tuning to a second channel that the program is currently
broadcasting on, said electronic program guide remaining superimposed over
the broadcast such that only a portion of the video of the broadcast is
covered by the electronic program list.
16. The method as set forth in claim 1, further comprising the steps of:
supplying a system pointer;
said user moving the system pointer using a control device to an are in the
electronic program list associated with the start time of an occurrence of
a program;
if said program is a pay-per-view program, said system displaying a program
purchase menu enabling the user to purchase the occurrence of the program
to view.
17. A multiple channel broadcasting system comprising:
a screen for displaying video of broadcasts of programs;
an input device for inputting a selected category of programs;
a processor for processing program information, said processor identifying
programs occurring during a predetermined timeframe which are categorized
as the selected category and extracting program information comprising a
title and start time of each identified program; and
an on-screen electronic program list identifying programs of the selected
category which are broadcasted during the predetermined timeframe
comprising:
a list of the program titles of the programs categorized as the selected
category; and
adjacent to each program title, each start time of the program;
wherein a user can easily view by program category and start times such
that multiple occurrences of the same program during the predetermined
timeframe are viewable in one program list.
18. The system as set forth in claim 17, wherein the input device comprises
a category menu comprising a list of categories displayed on the screen
and a system pointer;
said system further comprising a control device operated by the user to
move the pointer to point to areas associated with categories displayed in
order to select categories.
19. The system as set forth in claim 18, wherein each program is further
identified by a sub-category, said system further comprising a
sub-category menu comprising a list of sub-catagories displayed on the
screen, said user operating the control device to select sub-catagories,
wherein the program list comprises programs that are categorized by the
selected category and sub-category.
20. The system as set forth in claim 17, wherein the electronic program
list further comprises a time bar displayed along a horizontal axis
identifying time increments in the predetermined timeframe;
each program title being displayed on a row along a vertical axis; and
each start time of the program identified by a start marker displayed in
the same row as the program title and in a column, identified by the time
bar, corresponding to the start time of the program.
21. The system as set forth in claim 20, wherein the electronic program
list further comprises a broadcasting marker located in the same row as
the program title and in a column, identified by the time bar to be the
beginning of the timeframe for programs that start prior to the
predetermined timeframe but are broadcasted during the predetermined
timeframe.
22. The system as set forth in claim 17, wherein the program information
extracted further comprises the channel on which each occurrence is
broadcasted, a description of the program, and an end time of the program.
23. The system as set forth in claim 17, further comprising:
a receiver for receiving broadcasting data, said receiver comprising a
tuner for tuning a selected channel;
at least one speaker for outputting audio of broadcasts of programs; and
said on-screen electronic program list being superimposed over a portion of
video of a broadcast on a channel tuned to by the tuner such that the
audio is output through the speakers and only the portion of the video of
the broadcast is covered by the electronic program list;
wherein the user can view the electronic program list while still receiving
the audio and a portion of the video of the broadcast.
24. The system as set forth in claim 23, further comprising:
a system pointer which points to a location in the electronic program list;
and
a control device operated by the user to move the pointer to point to an
area associated with a start time of a program;
said system providing on the screen the description of the program, the
start and end times and the channel on which the program is broadcasted at
the pointed to start time;
if the program is currently broadcasting, said tuner automatically tuning
to the channel to provide a broadcast of the program.
25. The system as set forth in claim 24 wherein each program is further
identified as by a sub-category, said system further providing on the
screen the sub-category of the program.
26. The system as set forth in claim 24, further comprising:
a system pointer which points to a location in the electronic program list;
and
a control device operated by the user to move the pointer to point to an
area associated with a start time of a program;
said system providing on the screen the description of the program, the
start and end times and the channel on which the program is broadcasted at
the pointed to start time; and
if said program is a pay-per-view program, said system displaying a program
purchase menu enabling the user to purchase the occurrence of the program
to view. |
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Claims |
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Description |
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FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to the presentation of program oriented
station guide in a multiple station television system.
ART BACKGROUND
Television broadcasting technology has improved tremendously since its
inception. Today, television signals are broadcasted on the airwaves
through cables and via satellite. The number of stations accessible today
has increased from one to hundreds of stations. To select a program to
view, many viewers simply "channel surf" until they find a channel that
has a desirable program. Channel surfing refers to the process of using
the channel "+" or "-" key to sequentially view each channel. Although
some viewers find channel surfing among hundreds of stations enjoyable,
most viewers prefer a more direct method for selecting a program to view.
Some systems, for example, the RCA Direct Satellite System.TM. or DSS.TM.
(Direct Satellite System and DSS are trademarks of Hughes Communications,
a division of General Motors Corp.), provides a television channel
selection guide which displays a listing of the channels typically in
numeric order and the titles of the programs broadcasted or to be
broadcasted on the channels. A simplified block diagram of such a guide is
illustrated in FIG. 1. The viewer or user of the system may then select
the channel by entering in the number or selecting the device. The system
responds by removing the guide displayed and tuning to the station
selected and displaying the broadcasting signals of the station.
This system has a number of drawbacks. The guide provides only the title of
the program. To get additional information, such as a written description
of the program, the user must select an information button which responds
by bringing up a second layer of the menu having the program description.
Thus, as the number of stations increase, the efficiency of reviewing
programs and program descriptions decreases. Furthermore, many viewers
prefer to view the actual broadcast before determining whether to select
that station to watch. Therefore, in the RCA system, the user has to
select each station to view, and subsequently go back to the channel guide
in order to view program titles on other channels. Of course, the user can
always channel surf by skipping from channel to channel in sequence using
the channel "+" or "-" buttons. In addition, television stations, such as
network stations, satellite TV, cable and Pay Per View stations will take
advantage of the hundreds of channels that will be available for
broadcast. A single source, e.g., a single station, may start broadcasting
the same program on different channels as often as every 15-20 minutes to
span its audience's viewing time preferences. For moves this is often
referred to as "Near Video on Demand", because it attempts to provide the
ability for a viewer to select a movie to view at any time.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a method and
apparatus for selection of programs on a multiple station television
system.
Furthermore, it is an object of the present invention to provide a program
oriented electronic programming guide.
In the method and apparatus of the present invention an innovative but easy
to use on-line guide is provided to provide the user of the system a
wealth of information in a simple format that is easy to understand.
Unlike prior art television guides, the present invention presents a guide
that is oriented according to the program instead of the channel. In
particular, the guide provides program information and broadcast time
information. The guide is organized in an XY grid with the X axis
displaying a certain block of time (e.g., two hours) and the Y axis
displaying program information organized independently of channel
information. For example, the Y axis may display program titles organized
in alphabetical order. The X axis displays the time or times each program
is displayed by highlighting the corresponding time slot. Other
embodiments provide the generation of the program guide according to the
category of programming the user is interested in.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will be
apparent to one skilled in the art from the following detailed description
in which:
FIG. 1 is a simplified illustration of a prior art direct digital satellite
system guide display.
FIG. 2 is a simple illustration of one embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 3 is a block diagram representation of the elements utilized in the
receiver of the television signals.
FIG. 4 is a representation of a remote control utilized to tune television
stations in accordance with the teachings of the present invention.
FIG. 5 is a simplified block diagram of the circuitry utilized in a remote
control device.
FIG. 6 illustrates the type of data utilized to present the program list in
accordance with the teachings of the present invention.
FIG. 7 illustrates the pointers to the data utilized to generate the
program listings in accordance with the teachings of the present
invention.
FIG. 8 is a simple block diagram of the components of the program list in
accordance with the teachings of the present invention.
FIG. 9 is an exemplary flow diagram illustrating the process for generating
the program list display.
FIG. 10 is an exemplary flow diagram illustrative of the process for using
the program list in accordance with the teachings of the present
invention.
FIG. 11 is an exemplary display of the main menu of one embodiment of the
present invention.
FIG. 12 is an example of a display used to select program categories in one
embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 13 is an illustrative display used to select sub-catagories in
accordance with the teachings of the present invention.
FIG. 14 is an illustrative display of a program list generated in
accordance with the teachings of the present invention.
FIGS. 15A AND 15B are illustrative displays to enable the user to purchase
pay-per-view programs.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
In the method and apparatus of the present invention the broadcast system
described is a direct broadcast satellite system. However, it is readily
apparent to one skilled in the art that other broadcast systems which have
the capability of receiving and displaying a multiplicity of stations may
utilize the method and apparatus of the present invention. Furthermore, in
the following description, for purposes of explanation, numerous details
are set forth, such as menus, flowcharts and system configurations, in
order to provide a thorough understanding of the present invention.
However, it will be apparent to one skilled in the art that these specific
details are not required in order to practice the present invention. In
other instances, well known electrical structures and circuits are shown
in block diagram form in order not to unnecessarily obscure the present
invention.
FIG. 2 is a simplified diagram illustrating a Direct Satellite System
(DSS). The system has an antenna 3, an integrated receiver/decoder 2
(IRD), a remote controller 5 and a monitor 4. The packets are transmitted
by a transponder on the satellite. Each transponder transmits data in a
time share manner at a predetermined frequency. A tuner 21 of a decoder is
tuned in to the frequency of the transponder corresponding to a channel,
which is designated by a viewer so that the packets of digital data are
received by the decoder.
The antenna 3 receives an encoded data signal sent from a satellite. The
received encoded signal is decoded by the IRD. The antenna 3 has a low
noise block down converter 3a (LNB). The LNB 3a converts a frequency of a
signal sent from the satellite to another frequency. The converted signal
is supplied to the IRD 3. The monitor 4 receives a signal from the IRD 3.
FIG. 3 is a block diagram of the IRD 3. A radio frequency (RF) signal
output from the LNB 3a of the antenna 3 is supplied to a tuner 21 of a
front end 20. The output from the tuner 21 is supplied to a QPSK
demodulation circuit 22 for demodulation. The output from the QPSK
demodulation circuit 22 is supplied to an error correcting circuit 23 for
error correction. The data is received in encrypted and encoded (i.e.,
compressed) form.
The transport IC 24 receives the data stream, consisting of packets of
data, from the error correcting circuit 23 and directs portions of the
data stream to the appropriate circuit for processing. The digital data
stream sent from a satellite includes headers for classifying the
different portions of the data in the digital data stream. The transport
IC stores the headers in registers and uses the headers to direct the
data. The data stream sent from the satellite, includes video data in the
format specified by the Motion Pictures Expert Group standard (MPEG), MPEG
audio data and electronic programming guide (EPG) data. Data that is
identified by its header to be video data is transferred to MPEG video
decoder 25. Data that is identified by its header to be audio data is
transferred to MPEG audio decoder 26. Similarly, data having a header that
identifies the data to be EPG data is transferred to a predetermined area
in the data buffer 51 designated to store the EPG.
A conditional access module 33, includes a CPU, a ROM and a RAM. The
conditional access module determines whether the user has the
authorization to receive certain data, e.g., audio/video for a pay TV
station, using the authorization information stored in its memory. Thus,
if the conditional access module determines that the user is authorized
access, a key to decrypt the incoming data is provided to the transport IC
24, which decrypts the data using the key provided. In the present
embodiment, a smart card is utilized. This card is inserted into the card
reader interface 32 for interface to the transport IC 24. It is readily
apparent to one skilled in the art that the conditional access module is
not limited to smart cards and may be configured in other kinds of
circuitry.
The MPEG video decoder 25 decodes the video signal received from the
transport IC. DRAM 25a, connected to the MPEG video decoder 25, is used
for buffering and storage of video data during processing by the MPEG
video decoder. The decoded digital video signal is supplied to an NTSC
encoder 27 and converted to a luminance signal (Y) and a chroma signal (C)
which are respectively output through a buffer amplifier 28Y or 28C as an
S video signal. A composite video signal is also output through a buffer
amplifier 28V.
The MPEG audio decoder 26 decodes the digital audio signal. DRAM 26a,
connected to the MPEG audio decoder 26, is used for buffering of data and
information during processing by the MPEG audio decoder 26. The decoded
digital audio signal is converted into an analog audio signal by D/A
converter 30. The left audio signal is output through buffer amplifier 31L
and the right audio signal is output through buffer amplifier 31R.
An RF modulator 41 mixes a composite signal output from the NTSC encoder 27
with an analog audio signal output from the D/A converter 30. The RF
modulator 41 converts the mixed signal into an RF signal and outputs the
RF signal therefrom.
The CPU 29 is the central control mechanism and executes code stored in the
ROM 37 to perform certain functions of the system. For example, the CPU
processes certain data to control the generation of the program list in
accordance with the teachings of the present invention. In addition, the
CPU receives and processes the user input, received from the front panel
buttons or switches 40 and the photodetector circuit 39 to provide the
user functionality and access to the system described herein. In addition,
the CPU accesses user settings/preferences for processing of information
and configuration of the system. The user settings are stored in the
non-volatile memory, such as EEPROM 38. In addition, the CPU maintains a
list of pointers, stored in SRAM 36, to the channel information and
program information stored in the SRAM 51. Thus, when a user wishes to
display a form of the EPG on the screen, the CPU 29, accessing pointers
stored in the SRAM 36, communicates to the transport IC 34 to retrieve the
data from the data buffer (SRAM) 51 identified by the pointers. The CPU
then formulates the format and other digital data which forms the guide or
list on the screen and forwards the data representative of the guide/list
to the transport IC 34 which forwards data the DRAM 25a of the MPEG video
decoder 25 for subsequent output to the screen.
FIG. 4 shows an example of a remote controller utilized by a user to
transmit commands and make program selections in accordance with the
teachings of the present invention. FIG. 5 is simplified a block diagram
of the remote controller. The remote controller 400 has an infrared
originating device 405, a set of operation buttons 410, a CPU 415, a ROM
420 and a RAM 425. The CPU 415 receives a signal sent from an operation
button 410 through an input port 430. The signal is processed according to
a program stored in the ROM 420. The RAM 425 is used as a working space so
as to produce a transmitting code. The transmitting code is sent to the
infrared originating device 405 through an output port and converted into
an infrared signal. The infrared signal is transmitted to the IRD. The
operation buttons 410 include a direction key for designating a pointer
direction such as north, south, east and west, an "EPG" key, a "FAVORITE"
key, a "SELECT KEY", a "MENU" key, an "EXIT" key, a ten-key numeric keypad
and an "ENTER" key. The set of operation buttons 410 enable the user to
select programs through the electronic programming guide in accordance
with the teachings of the present invention.
FIG. 6 is a block diagram illustration the data stored in a portion of the
data buffer RAM 51. As noted above, the RAM 51 stores EPG data including
guide data, channel data and program data. General information is included
in the guide data, for example, the current data and time. The transponder
list identifies the number of the transponder transmitting a segment. The
channel list identifies the channel number of the first channel of a
portion of data. The channel data includes data relating to channels, such
as the channel number, channel name (i.e., the call sign of a broadcast
station), logo ID (i.e., an identification of the channel logo), data ID,
which is an identification of a channel number of MPEG video data or MPEG
audio data, number of programs, which identifies the number of programs to
be transmitted on a channel during a predetermined timeframe, first
program offset which identifies the offset from the header to the first
channel data in a segment.
The program data includes the program title, start time of the program,
time length of the program, program category such as movies, news, sports,
etc., program sub-category such as drama, horror, children's movies or
baseball, basketball, football for the sports category, the movie rating
and program description that provides a detailed description of the
program.
FIG. 7 illustrates how pointers to the EPG data is sorted for display of a
guide on the user's television screen. As noted above, EPG data includes
guide data, channel data and program data which are stored in the Data
Buffer (RAM) of IRD (as shown in FIG. 3). When a viewer selects a channel,
the CPU of the system determines the packet containing the channel
information and extracts the transponder number from the channel
information. The system front end starts tuning in the frequency of the
designated transponder so as to receive the data transmitting from that
transponder. If a viewer does not select any channel, the last channel is
designated.
As noted above, the CPU generates a table of pointers 736 to the EPG stored
in the memory. The table 736 is used for changing the order of channels or
programs according to the information to be presented in the guide to the
user. The table 736 includes an entry for the address pointer to the
corresponding channel data and an entry to the corresponding program data.
A table for generating display information is stored in the ROM 37. Certain
data from the table is read out from the ROM 37 and stored in DRAM 25a.
Preferably the data is stored in compressed form. Therefore, when a
character is displayed on a screen, the compressed character array is
decoded so as to generate the character to be displayed. The encoder
references a dictionary which includes a set of words and frequently used
portions of words and numbers corresponding to each word or portion of a
word. The encoder encodes each word to each number by using the
dictionary. The decoder references the same dictionary as the encoder to
perform the decode function. Once decoded, each character of the decoded
word includes a character code corresponding to an ASCII code. Nonvolatile
memory (e.g., EEPROM 38) has two tables. The first table contains
character bitmaps in the different fonts available for each character. The
second table identifies the address in the first table at which to extract
the character bitmap. The address is determined according to the character
code. The bit map image of the character is transmitted to DRAM 25a and
subsequently accessed to display the character on the screen.
In the present embodiment, the channel data is received from a
predetermined transponder and the channel number and channel name are
stored in DRAM 25a. Additional channel information such as the channel
logo is stored in the ROM 36. The ROM 36 preferably includes a table of
Logo IDs and the address of Logo Data stored in ROM 36. Therefore, once a
Logo ID is determined, the address of the Logo Data is determined,
retrieved and stored in DRAM 25a.
The channel data provides the beginning address of the program data for a
particular program. The actual location on the screen the program
information is displayed is dependent upon the format of the guide. For
example, in a time-based system, the location where the program title is
displayed is determined by the start time and time length stored in the
program data.
Using this information downloaded from the satellite transmission, program
information is provided to the viewer. In the system and method of the
present invention, the program information is provided to the user in an
innovative manner in order to enable the viewer to easily view and select
programs according to the category of programs. FIG. 8 illustrates the
format of a program list. Referring to FIG. 8, the program list will
identify programs of a selected category, for example, movies, and list
them according to title 825 in a determined order, for example, in
alphabetical order. Adjacent to each program title 825 are blocks 820,
that identify each time in the displayed time period identified by the
time line 810. This is quite advantageous for determining available
programming according to program content as opposed to channels the
program is broadcasted on. For example, a recent movie provided by a
pay-per-view service may be broadcasted upwards of 15 times a day on
multiple channels. Using the program list, the user is able to see in one
line of the easy to view display the start times of the movie for the
displayed time period. If more than one channel is to broadcast the same
program and the start times overlap the identified time period increments,
for example, 1/2 hour increments, the start time indicator will reflect
the time periods such as start time indicator 830.
FIG. 9 is a simple flow diagram illustrating an exemplary process for
displaying the program guide. At step 910, the category is selected. In
the present embodiment, a category selection menu is selected through the
main menu accessed by depressing the "menu" button on the remote
controller or front panel display. An example of the main menu is shown in
FIG. 11.
In the embodiment shown in FIG. 11, the main menu enables the user to
perform such functions on screen such as viewing different guides or
lists, setting system functions, viewing attractions, and purchasing
pay-per-view programs. The main menu has items which are arranged in the
3.times.3 matrix. The center item 1110 is used to exit the menu. Other
items include a system menu 1115 which includes certain system functions
as well as a submenu to access certain user specific settings. The main
menu further provides entry into submenus that provide programming in a
guide or channel oriented format, 1120, 1125, 1130 and 1135. Items 1140,
1145 provide access to program lists in accordance with the teachings of
the present invention. In particular, the present main menu includes a
"Movie List" 1145 as this type of program list is frequently requested by
a user. However, the user may select to view program lists of other
categories of programming. The user can select the categories through the
"Select Lists" item 1140 in the main menu.
When the user initially enters the main menu, the pointer is currently
positioned at the center of the menu 1100 enabling the user to immediately
exit the main menu 1201 if inadvertently entered. Once in this menu the
user can select an item using the display cursor or highlight keys such as
the up arrow and down arrow and right and left arrow keys on the remote
controller, or by depressing one of the numeric keys which corresponds to
the numeric identifier. This physically corresponds with the arrangement
of the actual numeric keys on the remote controller. It should be noted
that when these menus are displayed, the menus are displayed superimposed
over the current broadcasted station enabling the user to navigate through
the menus to enable/disable certain functions or selection while still
keeping the broadcast active and displayed in part.
When the user wishes to view of program list of a particular category of
programming, the "Select Lists" 1140 item is selected bringing up the
category list as shown in FIG. 12. It is readily apparent that the
categories shown are illustrative and that other categories may be used.
In the present illustration the user has selected the category "Specials",
as denoted by the check mark 1210 shown. Although only one category is
shown here, it is apparent that multiple categories can be selected by
placing the pointer over the appropriate category box and indicating
selection (for example, by depressing the select key).
After the user has selected a category, a subcategory screen is displayed
to enable the user to further define the programs the user is interested
in. An example of a sub-category display for the "specials" category is
shown in FIG. 13. It is readily apparent that the sub-catagories are in
part category dependent. Therefore, depending upon the category selected,
the subcategories may change. The user can select all or some of the
subcategories. In the present illustration, the user has selected all the
subcategories.
Referring back to FIG. 9, once the user has selected the categories, the
system responds by searching the program data to find those programs that
are defined in that category, step 920. In the present broadcasting
system, the category information is provided by the service as part of the
programming information (see FIG. 6). However, it is readily apparent that
the category information may be provided by other means.
Once the programs meeting the category criteria have been identified, the
programs are sorted, step 930, to present the programs in a logical manner
to the user. Preferably, the programs are sorted alphabetically according
to program title. Duplicate titles, for example, entries representing a
pay-per-view special that starts every 1/2 hour on several different
channels, are condensed, step 940, into one entry which reflects multiple
start times. The system then generates the program list display and
displays the list generated, step 950, to the user.
Once the program list is displayed, the user can view in a clear
informative format program descriptions, categories/sub-catagories and
channels which broadcast a particular program at a particular time.
Furthermore, the user can purchase pay-per-view programming and select
currently broadcasted programming to view.
An example of a program list display is shown in FIG. 14. The program list
includes a list of programs 1405, sorted alphabetically, that meet the
category criteria and the times the programs occur. The times the programs
are to be broadcasted are identified by the time bars 1410, 1415, 1420.
Programs currently broadcasted are identified by the left arrows 1425,
1430.
The user can manipulate the system pointer to review information regarding
a particular program or occurrence of a particular program. In the present
embodiment, the pointer is reflected by a highlighted area of the 25
display. However, other types of pointers, such as an arrow superimposed
on the display at the location of the pointer, can be used. An exemplary
user interface process to the program list is illustrated by the flow
diagram of FIG. 10.
Referring to FIG. 10, once the program list is displayed, step 1010, the
system monitors the movement of the system pointer, step 1015, as is
indicated by depressing the menu up, down, right, left keys on the remote
or front panel, or by movement of a joystick or similar pointer control
device. When the pointer is moved to point to a different program, the
system responds by retrieving the program information and displaying the
program information, step 1020, in the program data area (1445, FIG. 14).
In addition, referring to FIG. 14, the system displays subcategory of the
program 1453, the channel the program will be broadcasted on 1450, channel
logo 1455, time of broadcast 1457 and program rating 1459.
In the present embodiment, movement of the pointer to the position of a
particular start time block, e.g., 1410, will provide the program
description 1445 of the corresponding program and the channel information
1450, 1455 | | |
