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Claims  |
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We claim:
1. A method for retrieving and displaying information, comprising the steps
of:
providing a category display, a subcategory display and a program display,
each of the displays respectively containing an array of category tiles,
subcategory tiles, and program tiles,
providing a viewing panel extending along at least a portion of the
category display, the subcategory display, and the program display to
display one each of the category tiles, subcategory tiles, and program
tiles,
providing a focus frame operative to supply an indication of user control
of the display of the tiles when the focus frame is positioned along the
respective display,
selecting one of a plurality of categories represented by the category
tiles by moving the focus frame along the viewing panel to the category
display and scrolling the category tiles until a selected category tile
appears within the viewing panel,
selecting one of a plurality of subcategories represented by the
subcategory tiles by moving the focus frame along the viewing panel to the
subcategory display and scrolling the subcategory tiles until a selected
subcategory tile appears within the viewing panel, and
selecting one of a plurality of programs represented by the program tiles
by moving the focus frame along the viewing panel to the program display
and scrolling the program tiles until a selected program tile appears
within the viewing panel.
2. The method recited in claim 1, wherein each of said subcategories is
associated with said selected category, and each of said selected programs
is associated with said selected subcategory.
3. The method recited in claim 1, wherein selecting one of said categories
causes said subcategory display to show at least one of said subcategory
tiles representing one of said subcategories associated with said selected
category, and selecting one of said subcategories display causes said
program display to show to at least one of said program tiles representing
one of said programs associated with said selected subcategory.
4. The method recited in claim 3, wherein scrolling said program display
moves chronologically through said program tiles representing programs
that are associated with said selected subcategory.
5. The method recited in claim 1, wherein said array of category tiles and
said array of subcategory tiles are maintained in alphabetical order for
represented categories and subcategories.
6. The method recited in claim 1, wherein said array of program tiles is
maintained in time-sorted order for represented programs.
7. The method recited in claim 1, wherein each of said program tiles
comprises at least program name, program date and start time, and program
channel.
8. The method recited in claim 1, wherein said program tiles are ordered in
time-sorted order for represented programs, and said program display
includes a plurality of date tiles representing dates, each of said date
tiles separating said program tiles associated with one of said dates from
said program tiles associated with another one of said dates.
9. The method of claim 8, wherein said program display further comprises a
date status indicator operative to display one of said dates associated
with one of said program tiles appearing within said viewing panel.
10. The method of claim 1, wherein said category display, said subcategory
display, and said program display are operative to display at any
particular interval up to a predetermined number of said category tiles,
said subcategory tiles, and said program tiles.
11. A system for displaying information, comprising:
a category display for displaying an array of category tiles representing
categories of said information;
a subcategory display for displaying an array of subcategory tiles
representing subcategories, each of said subcategories associated with at
least one of said categories, said subcategory display located adjacent to
said category display;
a program display for displaying an array of program tiles, each of said
programs associated with at least one of said subcategories, said program
display located adjacent to said subcategory display;
a viewing panel extending along a portion of each of said category display,
said subcategory display, and said program display for displaying one each
of said category tiles, subcategory tiles, and program tiles; and
a focus frame, movable along said viewing panel, responsive to placement
proximate to one of said category display, said subcategory display, and
said program display, to enable control of the display one of said
category tiles, subcategory tiles, and program tiles,
wherein said subcategory display, responsive to one of said category tiles
representing a selected category appearing within said viewing panel,
displays at least one of said subcategory tiles representing one of said
subcategories associated with said selected category, and
said program display, responsive to one of said subcategory tiles
representing a selected subcategory appearing within said viewing panel,
displays at least one of said program tiles representing an available one
of said programs associated with said selected subcategory.
12. The system recited in claim 11, wherein said category tiles of said
category display are scrollable in response to moving said focus frame
proximate to said category display.
13. The system recited in claim 12, wherein said subcategory tiles of said
subcategory display are scrollable in response to moving said focus frame
proximate to said subcategory display.
14. The system recited in claim 13, wherein said program tiles of said
program display are scrollable in response to moving said focus frame
proximate to said category display.
15. The system recited in claim 14, wherein scrolling said program display
moves chronologically through said program tiles representing programs
that are associated with said selected subcategory.
16. The system recited in claim 11, wherein said array of category tiles
and said array of subcategory tiles are maintained in alphabetical order
for represented categories and subcategories.
17. The system recited in claim 11, wherein said array of program tiles is
maintained in time-sorted order for represented programs.
18. The system recited in claim 11, wherein each of said program tiles
comprises at least program name, program date and start time, and program
channel.
19. The system recited in claim 11, wherein said program tiles are ordered
in time-sorted order for represented programs, and said program display
includes a plurality of date tiles representing dates, each of said date
tiles separating said program tiles associated with one of said dates from
said program tiles associated with another one of said dates.
20. The system of claim 19, wherein said program display further comprises
a date status indicator operative to display one of said dates associated
with said program tile appearing within said viewing panel.
21. The system of claim 11, wherein said category display, said subcategory
display, and said program display are operative to respectively display up
to a predetermined number of said category tiles, said subcategory tiles,
and said program tiles.
22. The system of claim 11, wherein said category tiles are stored within a
database and are retrievable to support the display of said category tiles
by said category display.
23. The system of claim 22, wherein said subcategory tiles are stored
within said database, and at least one of said subcategory tiles
representing one of said subcategories associated with said selected
category is retrieved from said database in response to one of said
category tiles representing said selected category appearing within said
viewing panel.
24. The system of claim 23, wherein said program tiles are stored within
said database, and at least one of said program tiles representing one of
said programs associated with said selected subcategory is retrieved from
said database in response to one of said subcategory tiles representing
said selected subcategory appearing within said viewing panel.
25. A method for selecting and displaying information, comprising the steps
of:
selecting one of a plurality of categories of said information by moving a
focus frame along said viewing panel to a category display displaying an
array of category tiles representing said categories and scrolling in a
selected vertical direction said category tiles until said category tile
representing said selected category appears within said viewing panel,
said focus frame operative to supply an indication of user control of the
display of said category tiles when said focus frame is positioned
proximate to said category display;
selecting one of a plurality of subcategories of said information, each of
said subcategories being associated with said selected category, by
scrolling a subcategory display displaying an array of subcategory tiles
representing said subcategories until one of said subcategory tiles
representing said selected subcategory appears within said viewing panel;
and
selecting one of a plurality of programs of said information, each of said
programs being associated with said selected subcategory, by scrolling a
program displaying an array of program tiles representing said programs
until one of said program tiles representing said selected program appears
within said viewing panel,
wherein said viewing panel extends along at least a portion of said
category display, subcategory display, and program display and supplies a
highlighted display one each of said category tiles, said subcategory
tiles, and said program tiles appearing within said viewing panel.
26. The method recited in claim 25, wherein said step of selecting one of
said subcategories comprises:
moving said focus frame along said viewing panel to said subcategory
display, said focus frame operative to supply an indication of user
control of the display of said subcategory tiles when said focus frame is
positioned proximate to said subcategory display;
scrolling in a selected vertical direction said subcategory tiles until
said subcategory tile representing said selected subcategory appears
within said viewing panel.
27. The method recited in claim 26, wherein said step of selecting one of
said programs comprises:
moving a focus frame along said viewing panel to said program display, said
focus frame operative to supply an indication of user control of the
display of said program tiles when said focus frame is positioned
proximate to said program display;
scrolling in a selected vertical direction said program tiles until said
program tile representing said selected program appears within said
viewing panel.
28. The method recited in claim 25, wherein said array of category tiles
and said array of subcategory tiles are maintained in alphabetical order
for represented categories and subcategories, and said array of program
tiles is maintained in time-sorted order for represented programs.
29. The method recited in claim 25, wherein said program tiles are ordered
in time-sorted order for represented programs, and said program display
includes a plurality of date tiles representing dates, each of said date
tiles separating said program tiles associated with one of said dates from
said program tiles associated with a another one of said dates.
30. The method of claim 25, wherein said program display further comprises
a date status indicator operative to display one of said dates associated
with said program file appearing within said viewing panel. |
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Claims |
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Description |
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TECHNICAL FIELD
The invention relates generally to schedules for programming information
and, more specifically, to a system for retrieving and displaying
programming information in response to selection of a category of
programming information.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
A national information infrastructure constructed from both wireless and
wired communications networks supports the communication of information in
homes and businesses throughout the country. Telephones, televisions,
radios, computers, and facsimile machines are used each day to receive,
store, process, perform, display, and transmit data, text, voice, sound,
and graphic images. These devices are typically connected via fiber optic
cables, coaxial cables, electronic switches and routers, microwave
networks, satellites, and other communications technologies. This national
information infrastructure, which may one day be expanded to a global
infrastructure, supports the electronic transfer of a wide variety of
programming to entertain, instruct, or inform receiving parties. In view
of both the variety and the substantial amount of available programming, a
user typically uses a programming schedule or guide to select a desired
program for reception (or transmission) on a certain date and time.
For example, a subscriber to cable network programming services, such as
premium cable television or audio services, typically uses a printed
schedule to select a program for viewing or listening to at a certain time
period. In addition, certain cable television services supply the viewer
with an on-screen programming schedule from the headend processor via the
able distribution network. For both printed and on-screen programming
schedules, the programming information is typically presented as a
function of the date and time for the scheduled programs. Thus, if the
subscriber is interested in viewing a sports-related program, it is
necessary for the subscriber to review the time periods for that date to
determine if a sports-related program is scheduled during the viewing
period. This time-based presentation of programming schedule information
is satisfactory only when the amount of available programming is
relatively limited. Furthermore, unlike the printed programming schedule,
the user typically cannot control the order of the programming information
supplied by an on-screen programming schedule because this information is
supplied from a remote location via a conventional one-way cable
distribution network.
In view of the advances in computing and broadband communications systems,
it is expected that the present information infrastructure will evolve
into an integrated communications network supported by advanced
high-speed, interactive, broadband, digital communications equipment.
Telephones, televisions, radios, computers, and facsimile machines will be
linked by this interactive broadband information intrastructure and will
be able to communicate and interact with other communication devices in a
digital signal format. This interactive broadband information
infrastructure, commonly referred to as the "information superhighway,"
has great potential to increase access to information and entertainment
resources that can be delivered quickly and economically anywhere in the
country. For example, it is feasible that hundreds of channels of
"television" programming, thousands of audio recordings, and literally
millions of "magazines" and "books" can be made available to homes and
businesses via this information superhighway. In view of this tremendous
expansion of available programming, the use of a programming schedule or
guide will be critical for a user to select a desired program. However, as
choices of programming increase, the prior time-based format of
programming schedules becomes a less manageable technique for choosing a
desired program because of the numerous programs available for any one
time period. Thus, there is a need for a category-based programming
schedule to clarify and to simplify for an audience the process of
selecting programs of interest to each audience member.
The present invention supplies a system of retrieving and displaying a
schedule for programming based primarily upon the classes of programs,
rather than the time period for each program. The programming information
displayed by this system is restricted to those programs matching
characteristics selected by the viewer. This permits the viewer to narrow
the scope of programming information supplied by the system to a more
manageable number of choices and enables the viewer to have personal
control over the displayed programming information. The present invention
also provides a highly intuitive user interface to support the easy and
convenient selection of desired programming information.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention fulfills the above-described needs by providing a
system for presenting programming information in an efficient and
user-friendly manner based upon the classes of scheduled programs. This
allows a user to view programming information by genre groupings rather
than by a time-based schedule, thereby affording the user the opportunity
to obtain information about a desired program from a substantial listing
of available programs. The programming schedule can be presented as a
display on a display device, such as a television or a computer monitor.
The user can control the displayed programming information by selecting
the category for the desired program, thereby updating the displayed
programming information to match the viewer's selection. The selection of
programming information can be controlled remotely via a remote control
unit or directly by another input device, such as a keypad or a
touch-sensitive screen.
Generally described, the system for retrieving and displaying programming
information, i.e., the programming guide system, presents scheduling
information for programs via a schedule display having three display
elements, a category display, a subcategory display, and a program
display. The category display displays an array of category tiles
representing categories of programming information. The subcategory
display displays an array of subcategory tiles representing subcategories
that are associated with the categories of the category display. The
program display displays an array of program tiles representing programs
that are associated with the subcategories of the subcategory display.
To allow the user to easily view the tiles of each of the displays, the
displays can be located adjacent to each other. A viewing panel can extend
along a portion of each of the displays for displaying one each of the
category, subcategory, and program tiles. In this manner, the viewer is
presented with selected programming information divided into three
separate classes, namely broad, mid, and narrow-scope classes of
programming information.
A category of programming information can be selected by moving a
corresponding category tile within the viewing panel. In response, the
subcategory display displays a subcategory tile representing the
subcategory associated with the selected category. This narrows the scope
of displayed programming information by supplying subcategory information
that is relevant to the selected category.
Likewise a subcategory of programming information can be selected by moving
the corresponding subcategory tile within the viewing panel. In response,
the program display displays one or more program tiles representing
programs associated with the selected subcategory. This further narrows
the scope of displayed scheduling information to the level of individual
programs. The program tiles representing these programs can be ordered
chronologically to supply the viewer with a time-based view of programs
associated with the selected subcategory and the selected category.
The programming information is stored within one or more databases and is
retrievable to support the display of selected programming information by
the display system. Specifically, the category tiles, subcategory tiles,
and program tiles are stored within a database structure on a memory
storage device and can be retrieved as required to support the display of
programming information represented by these tiles. Thus, at least one of
the subcategory tiles representing a subcategory associated with a
selected category is retrieved from the database in response to a selected
category tile appearing within the viewing panel. In response to a
selected subcategory tile appearing within the viewing panel, at least one
program tile representing a program associated with the selected
subcategory is retrieved from the database if a program is available that
is associated with the selected subcategory.
More particularly described, the user can peruse a selected class of
programming information by scrolling the tiles of one of the category,
subcategory, or program displays. To control the display of one of the
category, subcategory, or program tiles, the user can move a focus frame
along the viewing panel to a location proximate to the selected
corresponding display. The focus frame operates to highlight information
supplied by the tile selected by the user by "framing" the tile, and
supplies a visual cue to the user that the display associated with the
framed tile can be controlled. For example, to control the category
display, the user moves the focus frame along the viewing panel to a
position on the category display. Upon positioning the focus frame over
the category display, the category tile appearing within the viewing panel
also appears within the focus frame. Thus, the focus frame extends along
the boundary of the selected category tile. For this position of the focus
frame, the viewer can scroll in a selected direction the category tiles,
thereby supporting the selection of another category tile for viewing
within the viewing panel (and the focus frame). Similar to the
representative example of the category display, each of the subcategory
and program displays can be controlled by placing the focus frame
proximate to the respective display and thereafter scrolling through the
tiles representing the selected programming information.
A remote control unit, such as an infrared transmitting device, can be used
to transmit commands for controlling the programming information displayed
by the category, subcategory, and program displays. Specifically, the
position of the focus frame can be changed or the tiles of a selected
display can be scrolled by outputting appropriate directional instructions
via the remote control unit, thereby allowing the viewer to navigate the
sources of programming information. However, other types of input devices
also can be used to control the category, subcategory, and program
displays, including a direct-wired keypad or a touch-sensitive screen.
Each of the program tiles can include text-based and/or graphical
information regarding the represented program, including name, program
date and start-time, and program channel. In addition, a program tile can
list the network responsible for supplying the program, including the logo
or symbol for the responsible network. Another option for program tiles is
the use of graphic images, such as information icons, to represent
secondary program information, including the items of closed captioning,
audience rating, awards, star rating, or rerun status. The use of
information icons on a program tile reduces the amount of text displayed
on the screen, which, in turn, makes it easier to locate and read program
titles or names.
For another aspect of the present invention, the program display can
include date tiles representing calendar dates to separate the time-sorted
program tiles, thereby eliminating any requirement of supplying
date-related information for each program tile. Each date tile can
separate program tiles associated with one date from program tiles
associated with another date. In this manner, the program tiles in the
corresponding programs are grouped by both date and time. The program
display also can include a date status indicator that displays the date
associated with the presently displayed program tiles.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a system
for retrieving and displaying programming information based upon the
categories of the programming information.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a system for
retrieving and displaying a schedule for programming in response to
program characteristics selected by the user.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a system for
retrieving and displaying programming information that allows the user to
narrow the scope of displayed programming information to a more manageable
number of program choices.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a highly
intuitive user interface for a programming guide system to support a
simple and convenient selection of desired programming information.
The attainment of the foregoing and related objects, advantages, and
features of the present invention will be more readily apparent after
review of the detailed description to follow and the appended drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a block diagram of the operating environment for the preferred
embodiment of the present invention.
FIGS. 2, 3, and 4 are representations of a programming schedule
incorporating the user interface for the preferred embodiment of the
present invention.
FIG. 5 is an illustration of the face of a remote control unit that
supports the user's control of programming information displayed by the
preferred embodiment of the present invention.
FIGS. 6, 7, and 8 are representations of an alternative programming
schedule incorporating the user interface for another embodiment of the
present invention.
FIG. 9 is a logical flow diagram illustrating the steps of the preferred
method for retrieving and displaying programming information.
FIG. 10 is a logical flow diagram illustrating the steps of operation for a
program schedule of the preferred embodiment of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
The present invention is directed to a system for retrieving and displaying
programming information, thereby providing a user with a schedule or guide
of available programs. Although the preferred embodiment of the present
invention will be described with respect to interactive and broadcast
television programming, those skilled in the art will recognize that the
present invention can be used with other forms of programming information,
including radio, broadcast print, audio, games, computer software, and
other combinations of audio/video or software information. Accordingly, it
will be understood that programming information generally includes
information for programs transmitted electronically to entertain,
instruct, or inform the recipient.
Turning now to the drawings, in which like numerals indicate like elements
throughout the several figures, FIG. 1 illustrates the operating
environment for the program schedule system 10. A memory storage device
12, such as a hard disk drive or an optical storage system, stores
programming information in a digital format. This programming information
can be supplied for the benefit of one or more subscribers to
communications services responsible for the origination or distribution of
programs associated with this programming information. One or more
databases for various classes of programming information are maintained on
the memory storage device 12.
For programming information related to television programs, the preferred
database structure includes at least four tables, namely (1) a table
containing records for each television episode, (2) a table containing
records for each television series, (3) a table containing records of
program categories, and (4) a table containing records of program
subcategories. Each television episode is linked to its parent television
series and each television series is associated with categories and
subcategories which define the characteristics of the series. These
categories and subcategories are respectively represented by the program
category table and the program subcategory table, which are linked to
records for the television series table by another table, the junction
table. The junction table allows a one-to-many relationship, thereby
supporting the classification of television programs under more than one
category or subcategory.
To support the distribution of the programming information to each of the
subscribers, the memory storage device 12 is connected to a headend
processor 14 via a server 16. A conductive path 18 supplies a two-way
communications link between the memory storage device 12 and the server
16. Likewise, a conductive path 20 supplies a two-way communications link
between the headend processor 14 and the server 16. For the preferred
embodiment, the server 16, in combination with the conductive paths 18 and
20, form a local area network that enables the headend processor 14 to
interact with any other device on this network, including the memory
storage device 12. The server 16 can be implemented by a computer running
administrative software that controls access to the devices connected to
the network.
To support the tasks of updating or revising the program information stored
on the memory storage device 12, a computer workstation 24 and a server 22
are connected to the server 16 via a communications link 26. This
communications link allows a program distributor or supplier, which
typically operates at a location remote from the databases stored within
the memory storage device 12, to transmit programming information for
storage by the memory storage device 12 and eventual distribution to
subscribers via the headend processor 14. The communications link 26 can
be implemented by either a wireless or wired communications system. For
example, the communications link 26 can be constructed as a microwave link
or as a conventional telephone link.
The headend processor 14 operates to control the distribution of
programming information stored on the memory storage device 12 and the
associated programs to one or more subscribers of associated programming
services. The headend processor 14 is connected to each of the subscribers
via a cable distribution network 28. The cable distribution network 28 is
preferably implemented as an interactive communications network. This
supports delivery of programming information and programs via the headend
processor 14 to the subscriber and the delivery of requests for
programming information and programs by the subscriber to the headend
processor 14. The cable distribution network 28 can be implemented by a
microwave distribution system, a telephone system, coaxial or optical
cables, or any combination of these delivery systems. The headend
processor 14 also can support the distribution of programs associated with
the programming information to the subscribers and support other services
via a separate distribution network 29.
Those persons skilled in the art will appreciate that the programs
delivered over the cable distribution network 28 typically comprise both
video and audio signals. Programs can be delivered in digital format,
analog format, or a combination of both analog and digital formats.
However, for the preferred embodiment, the programs are delivered as a
stream of digital video and audio signals. Likewise, programming
information supplied to subscribers and requests or instructions issued by
subscribers are preferably digital format signals.
Each subscriber is connected to the cable distribution network 28 via a
cable 30 supplied to a set-top converter 32. The cable 30 is preferably
implemented as either a coaxial cable or a fiber optic cable. In this
manner, the subscriber "taps" into the cable distribution network 28 to
(1) receive programs and programming information distributed by the
headend processor 14 and to (2) transmit requests or instructions to the
headend processor 14.
The set-top converter 32 accepts the programs and the programming
information from the cable 30 and converts these signals to a format
compatible for presentation by a receiving device 34, such as a television
or a computer system. The set-top converter 32 is connected to the
receiving device 34 via a conductive path 36. The receiving device 34
preferably includes a display 38 for displaying both programs and
programming information. In particular, the programming information is
supplied to the subscriber as a program schedule or guide via the display
38.
Selected operating functions of the set-top converter 32 can be remotely
controlled by a remote control unit 40. The subscriber can use the remote
control unit 40 to select for viewing certain characteristics of
alternative user interfaces supplied by the schedule display, as described
in more detail below with respect to FIGS. 2-4 and 6-8. The preferred
remote control unit 40 is more fully described with respect to FIG. 5.
Generally, the instructions transmitted by the remote control unit 40 are
received by the set-top converter 32 and, in response, one or more of the
characteristics of the program schedule can be controlled to display the
desired programming information to the subscriber. In particular, the
set-top converter 32 receives certain instructions from the remote control
unit 40 and, in turn, forwards these instructions to the headend processor
14 via the cable 30 and the cable distribution network 28. The headend
processor 14 responds by retrieving selected programming information from
the memory storage device 12 and transmitting the selected programming
information via the return path provided by the cable distribution network
28 and the cable 30. The set-top converter 32 then supplies this
programming information to update the schedule display presented by the
display 38.
FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating the preferred presentation of programming
information by a schedule display 50. Referring to FIG. 2, the schedule
display 50 includes three display elements, a category display 52, a
subcategory display 54, and a program display 56. Each of the displays 52,
54, and 56 display separate classes of programming information.
Specifically, the category display 52 displays various categories of
programming information, such as "Animated," "Children," "Game Show," and
so forth. Likewise, the subcategory display displays subcategories of
programming information that are associated with the categories offered by
the category display 52. For example, subcategories for the "Animated"
category can include "Adventure," "Children," or "Martial Arts." Thus, in
comparison to the category display 52, the subcategory display 54 displays
a more narrow scope of programming information.
The program display 56 displays program items that are associated with the
subcategories offered by the subcategory display 54. Thus, the program
display 56 supplies programming information that is narrower in scope than
either the subcategories of the subcategory-display 54 or the categories
of category display 52. For example, the program display 56 presents
program-specific information, such as program title, program start-time,
and program channel. Each of these program items represents an actual
program that can be viewed by the subscriber at a certain date and time.
As shown in FIG. 2, the displays 52, 54, and 56 are located adjacent to
each other and the subcategory display 54 is sandwiched between the
category display 52 and the program display 56. A viewing panel 58 spans
the width of the schedule display 50 by extending along a portion of each
of the displays 52, 54, and 56. For the preferred embodiment, the viewing
panel 58 is mounted in a fixed location on the central portion of the
schedule display 50. In contrast, a focus frame 60, which moves along a
horizontal track of the viewing panel 58, can be positioned proximate to
any one of the displays 52, 54, and 56. The viewing panel 58 focuses the
subscriber's attention on a selected category, subcategory, and program.
In contrast, the focus frame 60 serves to focus the user's attention upon
a particular class of selected programming information and operates as an
indication that the subscriber can control the programming information
supplied by an associated display.
Programming information is presented by each of the displays 52, 54, and 56
via tiles, wherein each tile represents a specific item of programming
information. The category display 52 includes category tiles 62
representing categories; the subcategory display 54 includes subcategory
tiles 64 representing subcategories; and the program display 56 includes
program tiles 66 representing programs. The category tiles 62 and the
subcategory tiles 64 are preferably arranged in alphabetical order for the
represented categories and subcategories. In contrast, the program tiles
66 are preferably chronologically-ordered based upon both the dates and
start times of the represented programs.
The visible portion for each of the displays 52, 54, and 56, i.e., the
display panel, may reflect only a subset of the entire list of programming
items represented by tiles. Accordingly, tiles which are not immediately
visible to the subscriber can be accessed by scrolling the display in a
selected vertical direction. By moving the tiles of the selected display
in either an up or down direction, previously hidden tiles are revealed in
one direction and previously visible tiles are obscured in the other
direction. For example, the subcategory tiles 64 of the subcategory
display 54 will wrap from beginning to end unless there are less than four
items of programming information for the selected subcategory. Thus, each
of the displays 52, 54, and 56 can be viewed as a vertically spinning dial
of tiles that supply programming information.
To "spin" one of the displays 52, 54, or 56, the focus frame 60 is moved
along the viewing panel 58 to one of the displays. When the focus frame 60
is located proximate to the selected display, the subscriber has the
option of scrolling up or down to reveal additional tiles. For the
schedule display 50 shown in FIG. 2, the focus frame 60 is located
proximate to the category display 52, thereby allowing the subscriber to
scroll the category tiles 62 representing categories of programming
information. FIGS. 3 and 4 respectively show the focus frame 60 located
proximate to the subcategory display 54 and the program display 56,
thereby allowing the subscriber to control the items presented by these
displays. For the preferred schedule display 50, each of the displays 52,
54, and 56 uses three-dimensional shading to indicate that a tile is
scrolling off beyond the visible area of its display.
As shown in FIGS. 2-4, arrow tabs 67 can be appended to the sides of the
focus frame 60 to supply the subscriber with an indication of (1) the
direction(s) that the focus frame 60 can move along the viewing panel 58,
and (2) the directions that the subscriber can scroll the tiles of the
selected display. For the schedule display 50 illustrated in FIG. 2, an
arrow tab 67 is appended to the right hand side of the focus frame 60 to
supply the subscriber with an indication that the focus frame 60 can be
moved to either the subcategory display 54 or the program display 56. For
this position of the focus frame 60, arrow tabs 67 also can be appended to
the top and bottom sides of the focus frame 60 to alert the subscriber
that the category display 52 can be scrolled in the up direction or the
down direction.
For the focus frame 60 located proximate to the subcategory display 54 in
FIG. 3, an arrow tab 67 can be appended to each of the four sides of the
focus frame 60, thereby advising the subscriber that the focus frame 60
can be moved in a horizontal direction to either the category display 52
or the program display 56, and that the subcategory display 54 can be
scrolled in either the up direction or the down direction. Likewise, for
the focus frame 60 located proximate to the program display 56 shown in
FIG. 4, the focus frame 60 can include an arrow tab 67 located on the left
hand side of the frame and arrow tabs 67 located on the top and bottom
sides of the frame. The positioning of these arrow tabs 67 indicate that
the subscriber can move the focus frame 60 along the viewing panel 58 to
either the subcategory display 54 or the category display 52, or scroll
the program tiles in a selected vertical direction.
FIG. 5 is an illustration of the face of a remote control unit for
controlling selected features of the schedule display. Referring now to
FIGS. 1, 2 and 5, the remote control unit 40 can transmit instructions to
the set-top converter 32 to allow the subscriber to (1) move the focus
frame 60 to one of the displays 52, 54, or 56, and (2) scroll the tiles of
the selected display. The face of the remote control unit 40 includes a
control button 70 having navigation keys 70a-d for inputting commands to
control features of the schedule display 50. This control button 70 is
preferably implemented as a rocker-type switch which can operated in four
distinct positions represented by the navigation keys 70a-d. Navigation
keys 70b and 70d control the position of the focus frame 60 along the
viewing panel 58 and navigation keys 70a and 70c control the scrolling
operations of the displays 52, 54, and 56. Specifically, by pressing the
navigation key 70b, the remote control unit 40 transmits a command to move
the focus frame 60 to the right. In similar fashion, user selection of the
navigation key 70d initiates a transmission of a command to move the focus
frame 60 to the left. Navigation key 70a allows the subscriber to move the
tiles of the selected display in an up direction, whereas navigation key
70c moves the tiles of the selected display in a down direction. The
navigation keys 70a-d are preferably shaped in the form of an arrow to
define the directional control functions associated with these command
keys. The remote control unit 40 can include additional keys or buttons
for inputting commands to control other operations of the set-top
converter 32 or the receiving device 34.
In response to a command input by one of the navigation keys 70a-d, the
remote control unit 40 transmits an instruction to the set-top converter
32 via an infrared communications link. In turn, the set-top converter 32
decodes the instruction and responds by controlling the selected feature
of the schedule display 50. Specifically, the set-top converter 32, which
converts the programs' and programming information delivered by the cable
distribution network 28 for presentation via the display 38, can control
each of the displays 52, 54, and 56 and the position of the focus frame 60
on the viewing panel 58. In addition, the set-top converter 32 can update
the programming information presented by the schedule display 50 by
outputting a request to the headend processor 14 via the return path
supplied by the cable distribution network 28. This allows the retrieval
of desired programming information from the memory storage device 12
containing the database which maintains program guide data.
Returning now to FIGS. 1-4, the subscriber typically selects programming
information by first choosing the general category for the desired
programming information. By moving the focus frame 60 to the category
display 52, the subscriber can select a category of programming
information by scrolling the category display 52 until the category tile
62 representing the desired category appears within the viewing panel 58.
By scrolling the category tiles 62 in a selected vertical direction, each
category tile sequentially appears within the viewing panel 58. A category
is selected when its corresponding category tile 62 appears within the
frame of the viewing panel 58. In turn, this "resets" the subcategory
display 54 to display subcategory tiles 64 representing subcategories
associated with the selected category. The program display 56 responds to
the appearance of a selected subcategory tile 64 within the viewing panel
58 by displaying one or more program tiles 66 representing programs
associated with the selected subcategory if such programs are available
for the selected subcategory. Thus, the viewing panel 58 can display tiles
representing the selected category, subcategory, and program.
In response to the selection of a new category of programming information,
the set-top converter 32 outputs a request to the headend processor 14 for
programming information representing subcategories associated with the
selected category. The subcategory display 54 is reset by the setup
converter 32 in response to receiving the requested subcategory items over
the cable distribution network 28. Likewise, in response to the selection
of a subcategory item, the set-top converter 32 outputs a request for
programming information representing programs associated with the selected
subcategory. If a program is available which corresponds to the selected
subcategory a | | |
