MXPA97002130A - System and method for generating an information presentation plan for an electron program guide - Google Patents

Abstract

An electronic program plan system that includes a receiver to receive the information of the television program plan and the broadcast information transmitted via satellite, a digital reproduction system for storing the promotion information and plan and preparing in format the pages of the information and a cable television channel modulator to modulate the information pages in a cable television system. A data processor in the reproduction system receives and stores a memory, the television program plan information with a plurality of television programs so that they appear in the plurality of television channels. A television receiver is used to present the television program plan and the promotion information by tuning the receiver or box of the cable converter to the designated channel after which the signals are modulated. A multi-media generator receives control commands from the data processor and the program plan information from the memory and presents a portion of the program plan information in either a full screen grid format or a grid format partial screen along with the promotion information, as controlled by a plan for presentation of the existing promotion information in the data processor. The data processor controls the multi-media generator with control commands, issued in response to a computer program that exists in the data processor, to present the program plan information and promotion information.

Description

"SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR GENERATING AN INFORMATION PRESENTATION PLAN FOR AN ELECTRONIC PROGRAM GUIDE" BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to an electronic program guide system that provides a user with plan information for broadcasting or cabled programs available to be viewed on a television receiver. More particularly, it relates to an improved electronic program guide channel that provides the viewer with a more versatile, readable and aesthetically pleasing presentation of program listings as well as promotional information. Electronic program guides for television systems are known in the art, particularly with respect to cable television systems. For example, a common implementation of an electronic program guide channel uses a dedicated cable television channel to continuously broadcast the program plan information. The advantage of this system is that it is relatively easy to deploy because it is implemented centrally at the end of the cable head. No additional electronics or software are required at the viewer's location because full control of the presentation is maintained at the end of the cable head. The presentation information is then broadcast continuously on a dedicated cable channel. The TV simply tunes the cable converter box or television tuner to the channel where the plan information is demodulated and the program lists are viewed. Typically, these program guides use a scrolling display of television lists. Some systems use a partial screen of lists with additional information on the rest of the screen, such as ads for movies on pay channels, pay-per-view event plans (PPV), weather and weather information and other commercial information. . These systems usually incorporate a grid or matrix to present the program plan information, with a different row for each channel and columns representing different time intervals. Together, the previous electronic program guide systems are frustrating for the viewer and do not incorporate features that make them especially useful. They also lack features that make them aesthetically pleasing to observe. These deficiencies contribute to its limited use by viewers and of general preference for printed television plans. For example, only a few rows or rows (channels) are typically presented at the same time and are moved either continuously or periodically so that a cable system with a large number of channels, the time to complete a cycle through the lists for all channels, may be several minutes, and the viewer may require you to wait a certain period of time to see the plan for a desired channel. In addition, many viewers may find a hard-to-read, continuous scrolling program guide, because their eyes must follow the lists as they move to the screen. Scrolling lists can also be used in guides that present program listings in a split-screen format, along with promotional information for other information. The split screen format is needed due to the need to include commercial advertisements on the screen as well as the plan information. However, it can be frustrating for viewers to be forced to continuously watch this information while they are waiting for plan information so that a desired channel appears in the presentation. Another possible reason why electronic program guides are underused is that they are simply annoying to observe. Even when a full screen of lists allows the presentation of more information of the plan in a single time and therefore a shorter cycle time through the whole plan of the program, the viewers could be annoyed by the monotony of continuously seeing a complete list screen. As indicated above, however, the split-screen program guides that simultaneously present additional information of possible interest to the viewer have the disadvantage of much longer cycle times. An additional problem with the previous program guides is that the program titles must be truncated to fit in the grid cells. The width of the cells in the grid varies with the duration of the program. Therefore, a 30-minute program is assigned only a small amount of space for the title and description of the program. Therefore, titles and / or descriptions for half-hour and even one-hour programs should often be truncated in order to fit within the allocated space. Some systems simply cut the description of a program without abbreviating it in any way in such a way that the user is unable to determine the subject matter of the program. For example, a recent television show presentation included the following text in a grid cell: "Baseball: Yankees v." Truncating program listings in this way greatly reduces the usefulness of the program guide and is frustrating for viewers. Even though some systems partially solve this problem by providing two lines of text in each grid cell, this solution is not ideal because the program descriptions can still be truncated. A similar problem arises with electronic program guides as the time intervals change. Typically, 90 minutes of plan information is presented only once, and every 90 minutes the 90-minute window moves forward through 30 minutes. In the case where the 30-minute shift causes a 30-minute grid to make a presentation, eg, a two-hour movie, there is a possibility that the full movie title does not fit in the cell . It is also required in this situation that the title be truncated. In this case, even though two lines of text may be desirable to adjust the title in the 30-minute cell, this may not be the case for cells of 60 to 90 minutes because there may be enough space in these cells to adjust the title in a single line. Therefore there is a need for considerable improvements in the existing electronic television program guide channels that make the guides more useful to the viewer and more enjoyable to observe, while still satisfying the needs of the cable operator in terms of including information commercial in addition to the program's plans. The electronic program guide channels represent a potentially useful tool for a viewer as well as a source of revenue for cable operators, but it is believed that the current program guides are being underutilized due to the aforementioned inconveniences with these systems . Accordingly, there is a need for an improved technique for presenting program information so that the grids of the program plan are more readable. There is also a need for an improved technique for presenting program information and associated business information in order to reduce the cycle time to present the complete plan of the program information. There is also a need to provide a more aesthetically pleasing presentation environment for the program plan information. There is also a need to provide more flexible presentation formats for the program plan information that can be altered and easily interchanged by the cable operator. There is also a specific need for an improved presentation of the text in the cells that comprise the grid of the program plan. Therefore, there is a need for an electronic program guide that can provide improved presentation of program listings and video promotions in a manner that does not diminish the usefulness of the program guide. For example, there is a specific need for a flexible program plan system that allows the cable operator to broadcast the full screen presentations of the program plan information as well as partial screens of program information along with the promotion information and other commercial information. These as well as other problems and inconveniences of the existing electronic program guides are solved by the improved electronic program guide channel system and method of the applicants. Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide an electronic television program plan system wherein the partial pages and pages of the program plan information gradually and completely disappears in the viewer's display device. Another object of the present invention is to provide a system that can interchangeably display a complete screen of program listings, a partial screen of program listings. A further object of the present invention is to provide a system that can be changed between a presentation of program listings and a presentation of the received text or video message. A further object of the present invention is to provide a system that can alter the portion of the presentation of the page occupied by the program lists, depending on the content of a received message. A further object of the present invention is to provide a system that can switch between a presentation of full page lists and partial page lists, along with a message. A further object of the present invention is to provide a system that can switch between a display of full page lists and partial page lists, together with a message, wherein the portion of the page used for the program lists is determined by the content of the message.

Another object of the invention is to provide an electronic television program guide with variable background views. Another object of the invention is to provide an electronic television program guide with variable background views that change according to the time of day. Another object of the invention is to provide an electronic television program guide with background views that are determined by current events or events that will be presented in the near future. Another object of the invention is to provide an electronic television program guide with background views that are determined by current holidays or holidays that will be presented in the near future. A further object of the invention is to provide an electronic television program guide wherein variable grid cell sizes are provided with associated variable length program titles. A further object of the invention is to combine an electronic television program guide channel with an interactive program guide system in order to provide user control through the display of the list information, in a channel environment. electronic program guide.

These and other objects of the invention are achieved by means of an electronic program plan system that includes a digital receiver and a demodulator to receive and demodulate the digital data transmitted, eg, via satellite, comprising a promotional and information material. of the plan of the television program, and a digital reproduction system to store the data, recover the data and form pages of television program lists and promotional material for transmission to the viewers through a cable television system. The reproduction system includes a data processor that stores the information of the television program plan in a disk storage memory device so that a plurality of television programs appear in the plurality of television channels. The data processor also stores in a disk storage memory device, promotional material to be presented in association with the plan information. A multi-media generator receives control commands from the data processor as well as program plan information and promotion information from the memory, and presents a portion of the program plane information in grid format. The data processor controls the multi-media generator with video control commands, supported in accordance with the software that exists in the data processor to present the program plan information either in full page format or in a format of partial page, along with the promotion information. In addition, the control commands cause the multi-media generator to fade the program lists gradually or completely, alter the background on which the program lists are placed, and present variable text descriptions of television programs in order to fit within a designated grid cell. The pages are modulated by a cable television channel modulator and transmitted to viewers on a dedicated cable channel. A television receiver is used to present the pages by tuning the box of the cable converter or the television tuner to the appropriate channel. In an alternative embodiment, the electronic program guide channel disclosed can be combined with an interactive program guide, implemented in the cable converter box.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Figure 1 is a functional diagram showing the various components of a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 2a is a flow chart showing a method of operating a master uplink facility. Figures 2b and 2c are flow graphs showing another method of operation of the master uplink installation. Figure 3 is a flow chart showing the process for forming a promotion presentation plan. Figure 4 is a functional diagram showing the various components of a preferred embodiment of the digital reproduction system of the present invention. Figure 5a shows the project for a full page display mode of an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 5b shows a simulated full-page presentation of one embodiment of the present invention. Figure 5c shows another simulated full page display of a preferred embodiment of the present invention. Figure 6 is a flow chart showing the operation of a preferred embodiment of the present invention, when it works in a full page display mode.

Figure 7a shows the project for a promotion page presentation, with small promotion windows. Figure 7b shows a simulated promotion page presentation with small promotion windows. Figure 7c shows another simulated promotion page presentation with small promotion windows. Figure 8 shows a typical sequence of presentation pages of a modality of the present invention. Figure 9 is a flow chart showing the sequence of operations of the present invention when operating under the control of a promotion plan. Figure 10a is a flow chart showing the operation of a preferred embodiment of the title editing portion of the text adjustment system of the present invention. Figure 10b is a flow chart showing the operation of a preferred embodiment of the editing portion of the supplemental information of the text adjustment system of the present invention. Figure B1 is an example of the operation of the text adjustment system.

Figure 11b is an example of the way in which current electronic program guide channel systems truncate program titles. Figure 12 is a functional diagram of the alternative embodiment of the present invention including an interactive electronic program guide. Figure 13 is a flow chart that shows the steps used in creating a plan for the presentation of promotion cuts.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED MODALITY System configuration Figure 1 is a functional diagram showing the various components of the electronic program plan system of the illustrated embodiment of the invention. The system includes a cable system equipment designated as 10 which is normally placed at the head end of a cable television system. Preferably there would be numerous installations of the cable system equipment 10 located at different ends of the head of the cable system. The satellite receiver 20 receives digital signals transmitted through the satellite 170. The master uplink facility 100 includes the satellite transmitter 160 for transmitting the digital data comprising the television program plan information and the promotional material. It will be understood that there are numerous ways to transfer the digital signals from the uplink 100 to the end 10 of the cable head including telephone lines and transferring the signals to a storage medium such as a computer disk or an optical storage device. A satellite uplink is a preferred mode because it easily allows transmission to any number of cable systems and updating this information on a frequent basis or as needed. All the data of the television program and promotion plan is collected in the installation 100 of the master uplink. The data processor 110 processes the various data including the program plan lists stored in the database 120, the channel map data stored in the database 130, and the promotion information stored in the database 140 The text adjustment data processor 115 provides a computer system to avoid descriptions of the program plan lists so that they can be adjusted in a different size display cell, and will be described later. Database 120 of the lists contains program listings for all cable networks, local stations (including their affiliated network programs), in addition to pay-per-view events. Because each cable system can carry a specific cable network in a different channel, the lists for the cable networks are compiled according to the name of the cable network since these designations are common to all cable systems . The -lists for local stations are compiled according to the call letters of the station include the local content problems such as new shows, indicated programs and affiliate network feeding programs. In addition, local cable programming channels such as community access channels must also have their plan information contained in the lists database. The database 130 of the channel map contains information specific to each cable system, such as the number of channels and the cable channel to which each cable network, local station or pay-per-view channel is modulated. In some cases, the networks or cable channels have multiple time zone feeds that must be properly followed. In addition, information related to shared channels, where the cable networks have been allocated broadcasting rights by the cable operator according to the time of day, are stored in the channel map database.

The promotion database 140 includes promotional material that will be presented to viewers in association with the program lists. The promotional material, which includes video / audio clippings as well as textual information, is stored digitally in a compressed format. This material has been provided by the owners of the program as part of the total cable consumer sales effort, and can be avoided by the electronic program guide provider to optimize the use of the system. The operation of the master uplink installation can occur in two ways in the following way. In the first, all the information is preselected for the cable system in the uplink 100 master and is sent as a complete information packet to the local cable system 10. In the second, and the preferred method, the local cable system is sent in formation of the channel map of the promotion plan only and then filtered (capture) locally and the lists and promotional material required of a continuous feeding of all the material from master uplink 100 through satellite 170. In the first method, data processor 110 stores a list of all participating cable systems. For a predetermined time, the processor 110 selects a specific cable system and retrieves the channel map information from the database 130. Using the channel map data, the processor 110 is extracted from the list database 120 the program plan information for all cable networks and local stations in the cable system, and match the data in the lists with the appropriate channel for the cable system. For example, the channel map data would indicate that in a specific cable system the Cable News Network is broadcast on channel 4. The processor 110 would then extract the program plan information for CNN and assign it to channel 4. The plans of the local television station or the pay-per-view channel for the same system would also be drawn in a similar way. Figure 2a is a flow chart showing the process for forming a complete database of plan information, including program listings, promotional material and channel map data for each cable system. After selecting a cable system, the data processor 110 retrieves the channel map for the system and then extracts the information from the program lists for cable networks, local channels and pay-per-view events. In addition, the promotional material is selected based on the pay-per-view lists. The data is then combined in a specific data file of the cable system to which the channel map and the promotion plan for the cable system are added. The processor 110 stores the plan for presentation of the promotional material for each cable system that includes information related to the date, period of time and frequency of presentation of the promotional material designated to be presented in a specific cable system. Based on this plan and the pay-per-view lists, the processor 110 extracts the promotional material from the database 140 for transmission to the end 10 of the cable head. Once the processor has collected all the data for a specific cable system, the data is packed and together with the address header for the designated cable system, it is linked up to the satellite 170 through the 150 installation of the link digital ascendant and 160 transmission antenna. The processor then repeats the above-mentioned extraction and collection procedure for each participating cable system so that the uplink installation 100 transmits in sequence the data for each cable system. The entire process is repeated periodically, as the program plan and promotion information is updated. The frequency of transmissions from the master installation may of course be different for each cable system. Updates and changes to program plan information are made at the installation of the master uplink and then transmitted to the participating cable system. Updates may occur weekly, daily or even every hour, depending on the specific cable system and the frequency of updates in the master uplink. In the second method of transmission to the ends of the cable head, only the promotion plan and channel map for each cable system is transmitted and received as described above. This process is shown in Figure 2b. The master uplink continuously transmits all the lists of cable systems and promotional information on a regular basis. The information of complete lists can be placed in cycle for example on a base of 12 hours. Updates of the program plan with the new promotion information could be transmitted more frequently, say on an hourly basis. This process is shown in Figure 2c. The digital receiver 30 then monitors the digital signals transmitted from the master uplink 100 observing only the cable networks, the local stations or the pay-per-view channels, which is required for its channel map. This information is then passed for storage, to the digital reproduction system 40. Real-time updates for last-minute changes such as a sports event that are longer than originally scheduled could be supported by this second method, where it would be impractical to send the same individually for each local cable system using the first method. The data processor 110 forms a plan for the presentation of the promotion material for each cable system in the following manner: Figure 3 is a flow chart illustrating the process by which the promotion plan is formed. First, the data processor 110 retrieves the channel map data, the national promotion information and the local promotion information (including the duration and frequency of promotions).

Based on the channel map data, the pay-per-view program lists are reviewed and the promotional material for these lists is retrieved. This data is combined with the plan to repeat the promotion cycles that include the delay between the promotions, whether a complete page of lists or promotion information is going to be presented, the priority of promotions, and the presentation time periods required. for promotions. The result is a complete promotion plan database. At the end 10 of the head of the cable system, the receiving antenna 20 receives the signals transmitted through satellite 170 and sends them to the digital receiver and demodulator. The digital receiver analyzes the input data to determine if its address matches the address for the cable system. When this equalization is detected, the data stream sends to the digital reproduction system 40, which is shown in the form of a block diagram in Figure 4. Once the plan, list and promotion information has been received by any method, the operation of the electronic program guide is the same. As shown in Figure 4, the digital reproduction system 40 comprises the data processor 41, the disk storage system 42, the digital decompression system 43, the multi-media generator 44, and the music system 49 of background. Program listings, channel maps and digitally compressed files containing the promotion material are stored in the disk storage system 42. The data processor 41 uses the received program plan information to build a database stored in the disk storage system 42. The stored plan information may be updated on a periodic basis such as every hour, daily or weekly, or at any time when changes in plans or other factors warrant an update. The updates are carried out by transmissions through the satellite since the installation of the master uplink. The data processor also includes a system clock 45, a DRAM memory 46, a ROM memory 47, and a microprocessor 48. Together these elements comprise a computer system that can be implemented as a commercially available personal computer. The operations at the end of the cable head are controlled by the software that exists in the data processor 41 and which have also been stored in the disk system 42 for backup purposes. The data processor 41 retrieves the program plan information from the disk storage system 42 just before the time it is to be presented, the data is stored in appropriately organized registers in a dynamic random access memory 46 (DRAM). The promotional material is removed or retrieved from the disk system 42, decompressed by the digital decompression system 43 and sent to the multi-media display generator 44, according to an existing plan in the data processor 41 which is the plan received from installation 100 of the master uplink. The data processor 41 also stores the data types such as bitmaps stored for the screen settings and the graphic symbol or logo that will be included in the lists and the promotion pages. The data processor 41 supplies the program plan information to a multi-media generator 44 including audio switching and video display generation capability, and in the present embodiment can be a VGA-type card, sound and graphics commercially. obtainable, such as the Rocgen card manufactured by Roctec. The multi-media generator includes a normal video generator that takes the plan information from the digital program sent by the data processor 41 and converts it into an NTSC video format signal in accordance with the bit map for the presentation of specific screen that is being presented. The specific multi-media generator used is not critical to the invention. Instead of this, using a VGA graphics card and converting the signal into the NTSC format, a multi-media generator can be used with the NTSC graph that generates an NTSC signal. The multi-media generator 44 is also capable of selecting an audio source, such as the background music system 49 which in the present embodiment can be a commercially available music system such as Digital Music Express (DMX). Alternatively, for cable systems that do not have a DMX system, the digital audio files are transmitted from the master uplink installation and received by the cable systems. Processor 41 controls which screen display is presented and how it is mixed with the output of digital decompression system 43 including both audio and video signals. The configuration of each type of screen presentation is shown and discussed in more detail below. The multi-media generator 44 controlled by commands of the data processor 41 composes the pages of the lists and the promotional material for presentation and sends the pages prepared in format to the cable television channel modulator 50. Subscribers wishing to see electronic program plan lists simply tune their cable television converter box to the appropriate channel which then demodulates the signal. The process of receiving and presenting the list information is not described in detail as it is well known to those skilled in the art.

Pages of Program Lists An advantage of the present invention is the flexibility it provides to create the pages of the program lists, and the promotion information, not available up to now in the existing systems. The various presentation pages generated by the electronic program guide channel system will be described below.

Full Page Submission Mode When the system is running in the full page display mode, no promotional material is presented. Figure 5a shows the project form of presentation of full page of the present system. In the upper left hand corner, a space is provided to present a product provider (such as a TV Guide), a cable system operator or multiple system (MSO) logo, or both. The current time is presented continuously on the page. In addition, a space is provided for the presentation of local or national messages. These messages may include updates to program listings, news, weather information, traffic information, local events and the like. The simulated presentation pages are shown in Figures 5b and 5c. As shown in Figure 5a, the program lists are presented in a matrix format with columns representing different time intervals and rows or rows of different channels. Next to each row or row of channel lists is the name and number of the channel. In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, four time slots of 30 minutes are presented, the first being the current 30 minute interval, and eight different channels. Of course, different numbers of channels as well as time intervals may be used. It may be desirable to present only six channels at a time to increase the size of the text and therefore the ability to read the presentation. The length of the program determines the size of the cell available for the presentation of the program title and other information. For example, a 30-minute program with the smallest cell and a 120-minute or longer program with the largest is provided. Cells of 15 to 45 minutes can also be used for programs of these lengths. As shown in Figures 5b and 5c, if the program started earlier but continues towards the presently presented time interval, the left side of the grid box is formed into an arrow pointing left (beyond) to indicate that the program started during a period of time that was not currently being presented. Similarly, if a program continues into the future time slot that is not currently occurring, the right side of the box is formed into an arrow pointing to the right (future). In a preferred embodiment of the full page display mode, each list page displays information for eight channels and is displayed for 10 seconds. After 10 seconds, the page fades completely and a new page that presents the next eight channels fades gradually. In addition, the background music system 49 provides background music during the presentation of the list pages. A means of gradual fading / full fading to present plan information is an improvement over existing systems that use scroll lists. With the disclosed method of gradual fading / full fading, the pages of the lists remain constant while they are being presented and eliminating the need for the user to follow a line of the lists as they move up or down in the screen.

The full page display mode allows quick presentation of all the program plan information for the four time slots. For example, in a cable system, with 80 channels, it would take approximately 1.5 minutes to provide the plan information for all 80 channels, assuming that the information for each block of eight channels is presented for 10 seconds. It will be understood by those skilled in the art that the format of the presentation as well as the number of time slots, and number of channels and presentation time for each page can be easily varied by modifying the software that controls the data processor 41. Figure 6 is a flow chart showing the process by which the system operates in full-page list mode. The data processor 41 first retrieves the channel map and initiates the reproduction system by creating the data structures and starting at the multi-media generator. Then, eight channels are selected to display the list data, starting with the lowest number channel. The data processor 41 then determines the appropriate two hour time window for which the lists will be presented based on the current time. The specific order of the first four steps is not part of the invention and can be altered. For example, the data processor can first start the playback system, after the end of the time period. Then retrieve the channel map and then select the channels that will be presented. The two-hour time window will scroll every 30 minutes. The processor then issues commands to the multi-media generator 44 to create the presentation based on the eight channels and the two-hour time window. The presentation is held for 10 seconds at which time the next set of eight channels is flexed in numerical order. When a cycle has been completed through all channels, the data processor checks the current time to determine if the two-hour time window should be increased. Alternatively, the data processor can check the current time after the presentation of each page and increase the time window without waiting for the cycle to complete. If only six channels are presented at the same time, the total cycle time will of course be longer.

Promotion Page Presentation Mode As discussed above, the disk storage system 42 stores not only the schedules of the program plan but also the promotion information. The promotion information is accessed by the data processor 41 and converted into an audio window and a video window by the decompression system 43 while the system is in the promotion page mode as described herein. A typical project for a promotion page with small promotion windows is shown in Figure 7a. The project is similar to that for the full page mode, with the exception that there are fewer channels presented at the same time, because the upper portion of the presentation contains a video promotion window and an associated text window . Video and text windows replace the messages supplied with the complete list page. For example, the video window can present a movie clip for a next pay-per-view movie, the text window can contain the plan, the price and the order information for the movie. Figures 7b and 7c show mock promotion page displays with small promotion windows. The same presentation format can be used for the presentation of large promotion windows, except that a smaller number of channel lists are presented at the same time. Depending on the desired size of the video window, the data processor 41 determines how many channel lists should be printed in the lower portion of the screen as will be described in further detail below. In a preferred embodiment, the same method of full fade / fade is used to change the lists while the video and text windows are continuously displayed in the upper portion of the screen. The promotional video has a corresponding audio sound track that is replaced by the background music through the multi-media generator during video playback. In one embodiment of the present invention, the size of the video and text windows can be an entry in the promotion presentation plan so that the data processor 41 determines the size of the windows when it retrieves the promotion information. Alternatively, the size of the video and text windows can be determined by a header in the data file with the video and textual data. For example, the header may include a code that is seen by the data processor 41 and indicates that half a page should be used for the representation of the video and text windows. The computer then determines how many rows or rows of program listings are included within the promotion and selects the appropriate bitmap from the memory and issues appropriate commands with the multi-media generator 44 for the generation of the page presentations. It is evident that great flexibility is provided by this system. For example, advertisers can be loaded with different weights depending on the size of the video and text windows. There are many variations of the basic page format that can be implemented by those skilled in the art. For example, lists can be color coded to distinguish basic channels, premium channels, and PPV events. In this way, the viewer can quickly discern whether a program shown in the grid lists is at his disposal or if it is a PPV event. In addition, color coding can be used to identify different categories of programs such as movies and sporting events. Although two lines of text will typically be suitable for grid lists, for certain programs it may be desirable to provide an additional line of text in the grid box. An example is a cable system where viewers must telephone the system operator if they wish to access the PPV event. In this situation, a third line of text can be used to present the telephone number that must be called to receive the PPV event. In order to accommodate the grid boxes with three lines of text, the data processor must of course be programmed accordingly. Using three lines of text in a grid box will decrease the number of channels that can be presented in either full page or promotion modes. Based on experience to date, there is a minimum required page presentation time of 7 to 10 seconds for reading ability. Therefore, the total time required to complete a cycle through all the channel lists will certainly increase. Alternatively, the data processor can be programmed to decrease the display time of the pages with a reduced number of views. For example, the presentation time per page can be set with a multiple of the number of channels that are being presented.

System Operation A typical sequence of presentation pages as controlled by the data processor 41 as shown in Figure 8. In the figure, T represents time and dT represents an increase in time. As shown in Figure 8, at T = 0, the data processor 41 sends commands to the multi-media generator 44 to produce a complete page of lists (channels 1-8).

After an increase in time dT ^, the lists vanish at T = T ^, the lists for channels 9-16 fade gradually. Similarly, after two more intervals of dT] _, the presentation has been cycled through the program lists for channels 1-32. At T = 4T] _, the program lists vanish and instead of fade into a full page of program listings, a promotion page including a video window, a text window, and only four list channels vanishes of program. As indicated above, the proportion of the page used to display program listings can be determined by the data processor 41 based on the header of the file containing the video clip that controls the size of the video windows and of promotional text. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the sequence can be easily modified if only 6 channels are present at the same time. The promotion windows are treated by the data processor 41 as messages. When the stored promotion plan indicates that it is time to present the promotion windows, the processor 41 sends a message to the generator 44 by multiple means in the form of a command to display the designated promotion windows. The multi-media generator then forms a promotion page by combining the promotion windows with the program lists. The number of channels presented depends on the size of the promotion windows as discussed above. The duration of the presentation of the promotion page, dT2, may or may not be the same as dTi - In Figure 8, dT ^ is 10 seconds and dT2 is 5 seconds. The durations of time can be determined by the amount of list information that is presented on the screen. Four full pages are presented and then six pages of promotion so that full page lists are displayed for 40 seconds followed by 30 seconds of promotion pages and then another 30 seconds of full page lists and so on. In an 80 channel cable system, therefore, 100 seconds or approximately 1.5 minutes will be required to present all the lists. Of course it will be understood that any means of variations of this project are possible. For example, the video and text promotion windows can be changed after the first period of dT2 • The data processor can also be configured to display promotion windows more frequently during peak (maximum) viewing hours and present different promotion windows depending on the day of the week and the time of day.

An advantage of the present invention is that complete flexibility is provided - any number of combinations are possible and each cable system may select to configure the system differently. The total logic to determine the commands that should be sent to the video presentation generator by the data processor is shown in the flow chart in Figure 9. After the initiation, the data processor checks the clock and the plan promotion to determine if the video and promotional text windows have been planned for presentation. If a promotion is planned, the data processor 41 composes the promotion page presentation format and the information of the program lists. If the promotion plan indicates that it is time to finish a promotion, the data processor composes the full page format in the information of the program lists. The page then fades from the old presentation to the new presentation. The data processor then checks the clock to determine if it is time to present the next group of channel lists. Yes it is, new channel lists are composed for the same time intervals. If not, the data processor checks the clock to determine if it is time to present new time slots. If it is, then the lists are composed for the new times. Finally, the data processor determines how long to present the current page based on whether a complete page of lists or a promotion page is being presented. In one embodiment, the data processor at the location of the cable system or premises operator can be programmed to control the display pages so that the process of composing the pages, including the promotional material, is fully automated. In this way, instead of having the data processor receive a predetermined promotion plan from the master uplink facility as shown in Figure 3, you can simply receive a database of the promotion cuttings and generate your own plan for presentation of the cuts. For example, a rule-based planning algorithm may be used where each piece of promotional material to be presented in the guidance channel may be controlled using one or more weighting factors. These factors alter the date, time and frequency of presentation of each piece of promotional material. The data processor is then programmed to read each of the factors for each piece of promotional material and compile a plan for the presentation of the promotional material. Using multiple factors, the system operator is provided with great flexibility to control the generation of a plan for the presentation of promotional material. The video and audio clippings of the PPV movies are an example of the promotional material that can be planned to be presented by the data processor. The present invention, however, can be used to control the plan of any type of promotional material, including a premium channel and advertisements of the local operator. Because PPV-type films are presented on the air during predetermined dates and times, the planning of the cuts for these films can be critical for the satisfactory promotion of the film. One factor that can be used to control the presentation of the cuttings is a time-weight factor that alters the frequency of presentation of the cut-out for a PPV-type film so that clipping is displayed more often immediately before it is show the movie This factor is based on the assumption of a viewer watching the guide channel to determine the programs that are being presented to the air at present or that will be presented to the air in the very near future will want to be informed that a PPV-type movie It's going to start. As an example, it is desirable to present promotional clippings for a PPV type film during a high percentage of time through 10 minutes immediately preceding the film. Between 1 hour and 10 minutes, before the program, it may be desirable to present the cut at slightly lower frequency. More than an hour before the film, it may be desirable to present the cuts at an even lower frequency. This factor can be referred to as the proximity factor since it controls the frequency of presentation of the promotional material based on how long before this event is going to be on air. The specific points when the frequency changes and the magnitudes of the frequency changes can be easily controlled. The actual frequency with which cuts are presented will depend on the total number of cuts and other promotional material chosen for presentation at the same time, and any of the other factors used to control the promotion presentation plan. A second factor that can be used to control the presentation of promotional material is a time classification factor that depends on the content. For example, there is a possibility that the promoters of adult programming do not wish to be presented with promotional material for these programs during the afternoons of the days of the week assuming that the television audience during this period of time mainly consists of children. It may be desirable to present this type of promotional material only after 11:00 P.M. or at midnight. Therefore, it is beneficial to include a factor that restricts the presentation of certain promotional material during certain hours of the day and days of the week in order to reach a desired audience. Alternatively, instead of completely eliminating the presentation of the promotional material during the designated blocks of time, this factor can be used to adjust the frequency of presentation, correspondingly. In this way the proximity factor can work in the same way with the exception that the frequency adjustments are based on the content of the program / promotion material instead of promoting the proximity of the program. A third possible factor can be based on the type of promotional material. It may be desirable to present certain types of promotional material more frequently than others so that, in general, the highest priority promotional material always occurs more frequently and during periods of time when television audiences are larger compared to the material of lower priority. A possible priority plan, in the descending order is as follows: PPV events, award service announcements, commercial announcements in general, and multi-system or local cable operator announcements. Great flexibility is provided using a general priority plan. For example, instead of using the proximity factor to alter the frequency of cuts for films will be presented in the immediate future a different cut can be used during the 10 minute time period immediately before the start of a PPV type film . These cuts can be assigned a relatively high priority since they are only shown during this short period of time. Another factor can be used as the type of counter in order to "force" a specific presentation regardless of the specific promotional material that is being presented. For example, as discussed above, the data processor controls the guide channel so that it changes between the full-page display mode and the partial page display with the promotional material. During a period when, for example, it may be desirable to submit a large number of cut-outs of PPV events, there may be little or no time available for the presentation of the entire page. However, the system operator may decide that it is frustrating for users to see continuous promotion cuts, for extended periods of time. Therefore, it may be desirable to "force" the system to the full page display mode and counteract the current presentation of the promotional material. This factor can also be used to force other types of presentations, and it is useful where the system operator has contracted commitments to present certain promotional material during predetermined periods of time. Finally, a second type of time-weighting factor can be used to promote certain programs more frequently than others. For example, if market research shows that on Saturday nights at 8:00 P.M. is the time interval during which the greatest number of viewers watch PPV-type movies, it may be desirable to present the promotions to air PPV-type movies during this time more frequently than the other events that are being promoted . On the other hand, the operator of the system can decide that because the visuality of these PPV events is already high, it may be desirable to promote these films less frequently to free up promotional time for PPV events at other less popular time intervals. The advantage of using the different weighting factors described above to generate a plan to present the promotional material is that it provides the system operator with great flexibility to control the various promotional materials presented together with the program plan information. The following table summarizes each of the weighting factors and how they can be used to control the presentation plan of the promotional material.

FACTOR DESCRIPTION USES 1. Factor Controls the frequencyPromote the event of the cuts cough of PPV more inten Proximity of promotion based immediately on how soon before the event will be presented to attract air the program that viewers are promoting. of "wave of channels" looking for something to observe. 2. Conté- Controls the day of -Impedir the promonido / the week and the hour of material factor of the day for the pre for adults when Time material sitting the children have made promotion based on the possibility of being in the content being seen. of the program that -Direct the mate is promoting. promotional material according to the viewer's profiles based on the day of the week and the time of day 3. ConteControla the frequency Allows the priority of general presentation of the maFactor of proterial material of promode motion based on tion. Priority the type of promotional material 4. Force Factor presents it-Counters the Forcedness to the preplan mode of presentation of the full promotion page or the pre-after a presentation of the material amount of promotion time. Specific - Provides means for the system operator to meet contractual obligations for the presentation of promotional material.

. Time Controls the frequency to the operator of the presence of the control system Rate factor of the material the frequency Weight of promotion based on the presentation of the time in the material time to promote the planned air based on the event that the plan of the mate is promoting. which is being promoted.

The aforementioned factors can be used in any number of ways to control the plan to present the promotional material. It is not necessary to use all of these factors - any combination is possible depending on the way you want to control the plan. Some factors can be configured to allow the system operator to graduate or adjust the value. Others can simply connect or disconnect. In addition, the factors can be assigned zero values that can be counteracted by the operator. For example, the proximity factor can be programmed so that the operator of the system simply decides to use it or not to adjust the frequency of presentations of the promotional material based on how far the program is planned in the future. The data processor will then automatically determine when to change the frequency of presentation and how many times. The content / time and content / priority factors can be used together with the other since both are based on the content of the promotional material. The system operator (or the operator of the guidance channel) can assign a priority - such as a number - to each category of the promotion material. Based on the assigned priority number, the data processor can be programmed for both control when certain categories of material are presented and to prioritize different categories of material in order to control the frequency of presentation of the different categories.

Generation of the Promotion Plan There are numerous ways in which the abovementioned factors can be used to generate a plan for the presentation of promotion cuts. A fairly simple mode can be implemented in the Microsoft Windows using Visual C ++ as follows. In this mode, a single priority factor is used for each promotion cut. The different weighting factors are then used to alter this priority factor. First, a database of promotional material is received and each piece of promotional material is ordered according to the possible periods during which it can be presented. For each cut, the database includes an indication of the type of program, the type of clipping, the periods of time when the clipping may be shown and also possibly the planned air times of the program being promoted. Including the planned airtime of the programs being promoted facilitates the use of proximity and time weighting factors. The content / time and forced factors can be used to indicate in the database records for appropriate cut-off time periods when cut-outs should not be presented to the air or the periods of time when they should be presented on the air, respectively. For other cuts to which the time / content or forced factors do not apply, the record may simply indicate that all periods of time are valid periods during which the cut may occur. In this way, the list of one or more periods of time during which each promotion cut can occur can be generated automatically. Each promotion cut is listed in a separate file record and initially assigned a plurality according to the type of cut. Some higher priority categories can be assigned than others, thus incorporating a content / priority factor. For example, a cut that must be displayed in a specific time interval must be given the highest priority. Similarly, a cut that is restricted from being submitted during certain time intervals must also be provided with a high priority. The system operator can generate a promotion presentation plan by selecting a period of time during which you want to create a plan. The data processor forms the promotion presentation plan starting with the first block of time within the time period and determining which promotion cut must be presented. The length of the different promotion cuttings will vary, but for the first interval, the data processor can simply graduate to a failure value of, that is, 30 seconds. The clipping file is then inquired to determine the eligible cuttings for the selected time interval. The trimming selected by the data processor for a specific period of time is the one with the highest priority. When the eligible cut is selected, its priority is decreased by a predetermined amount. Similarly, if the eligible cut is not selected, its priority is increased by a predetermined amount. The increment decrease values may be different for different categories and therefore, they may also be used to prioritize different types of trimmings. In addition to being assigned a high initial priority value, high priority cuts can also be assigned to a high priority change "not selected" and a low priority change "selected". The data processor can also be programmed so that the same cut is not present in two consecutive time intervals. The ties between the candidate cuts can be resolved simply by selecting the first eligible cut in the file. Alternatively, ties can be resolved according to which cut category has the highest priority. A minimum time interval can be defined so that if a cut is shorter than the minimum time, the data processor overrides the full page mode and present, the entire page of the program lists through the duration of the interval of weather. After a time interval has been filled, the data processor checks the eligible candidates for the next time interval that begins immediately after the previous cut ends or, if the previous cut is too short to fill the minimum time, after the minimum time. Implementing the promotion plan control system in this way provides the operator of the system great control flexibility through the generation of the promotion plan. The database record for each cut can also include the planned air times of v.gr., the PPV movie that is being promoted. In this way it is possible to use the proximity factor in the following way. When a list of eligible candidates is compiled for a time interval, the data processor can check each cut and determine the planned time for the program being promoted and increase the priority factor if the time interval is close to the planned time for the program. This will have the effect of increasing the probability that the cut is selected for presentation in the interval or intervals for which the proximity factor is used. The inclusion of the planned air time of the program that is being promoted in the registry also allows the use of a time weighting factor. For example, if the system operator decides that all PPV problems planned for 8:00 PM: Saturdays should be promoted more intensively, the data processor can simply search for promotion cuts and increase the priority factor of all these cuts by a predetermined amount. Of course, it is also possible to promote specific programs more intensely by simply assigning the specific promotion type or individual promotion cut-off and a high initial priority, a decrease in low "selected" priority and an increase in high "unselected" priority. The generation of the promotion plan in this way also allows the use of the forced factor. For example, the data processor may be programmed to monitor how frequently and for how long the guide channel system is planned for the full page display mode. If the majority of promotion cuts are shorter than the length of the time interval, the plan generator will often be presenting a full page of program listings. However, if the trimmings tend to fill the entire time interval, the data processor can be programmed to actually counteract the plan generator and the full sheet display mode of the plan. Alternatively, the full page mode can be treated as another type of promotion cut that competes with the other cuts to be planned. The frequency of the full-page display mode can then be increased by assigning thereto a high initial priority, a lowering of the "selected" low priority and a high "unselected" priority increase. Figure 13 illustrates the process described above in the form of a flow chart. Upon receipt of the promotion database, the data processor assigns the null priorities and the "selected" and "unselected" priority changes for each clipping based on the type of clipping. The operator can then ask himself whether he should counteract any of the override graduations for either a trimming type or an individual trimming. The operator can then ask himself whether to use the proximity and / or time weighting factors. The user can then accept the changes in the initial priority and / or the priority changes "selected" and "not selected" for each factor. The base data is then used to create a file with the eligible submission periods for all the cuts. The data processor can now start generating a plan for a period of time specified by the operator. All eligible cuts for the first time interval are identified. Then, if the proximity factor is being used, the time interval is compared to the plan of the program being promoted by each cut. If any of the programs with eligible cuts are found to be within the predetermined proximity to the time of the interval, the priorities and / or priority changes "selected" and "not selected" for these cuts are adjusted by the quantities graded by the operator. In a similar way, if any of the programs is found to be within the predetermined time intervals, which the operator wishes to promote more intensively, the priorities and / or priority changes "selected" and "not selected" by these cuts are adjusted by means of the quantities graduated by the operator. Finally, the data processor determines which cut has the highest priority for the time interval and selects this cut. If there is a tie, the first cut is selected. The priority of the selected crop is then decreased by the pre-graduated quantity and the priorities of the unselected cuts are increased by the pre-graduated quantities. The data processor then repeats this process for the next time interval. It will be seen that forming the promotion plan in this way provides the operator with great flexibility and control through the resulting plan. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that there are many other ways to generate a promotion plan using the factors described above.

Mode backgrounds The existing software in the data processor 41 may also include a plan for the presentation of variable background views on which the program lists are placed. The object of background views or "mode" views is to help facilitate the monotony of viewing program listings. The background views are stored as bitmaps in the data processor 41. For example, the data processor 41 can be programmed to issue a knob to the multi-media generator 44 each morning at 6:00 A.M. to present a sunrise in the background. The background can then be changed correspondingly through the day to for example a blue sky or a night view (as shown in Figures 5b and c). Background views can also vary, eg, by a day of the week, month, season or year. Alternatively, the mode background can also be adapted to present scenes that reflect the geographic location of the cable system or normal scenes such as an ocean or forest may occur. In addition, different background views can be used for holidays and special events, such as Christmas, Fourth of July, Sunday on which the "Superbowl" is celebrated, etc. It is also possible to incorporate background views that relate to a specific promotion window that is being presented.

Text Adjustment System One of the novel features of the invention disclosed is the text adjustment system. A preferred embodiment of the text adjustment system includes an interactive computer program used to edit the program list data before it is stored in the program list database 120 as well as the software that exists in the processor 41 of the program. data. The interactive portion of the text adjustment system works as follows: the information of the non-edited (or partially edited) program lists is loaded into the next text adjustment data processor 115. The data includes the program titles, program plan times, duration, category as well as additional descriptive information that depends on the type of program. For example for data movies include the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) classification, the reason for the classification violence, nudity, etc., year of the film, if it is black and white, information from the story line and a list of actors and actresses who work in it. Figure 10a is a flow chart showing the operation of the integer portion of the text adjustment system. The data processor 115 extracts only the data from the program title that includes the television program titles as well as movie titles, sports event titles and titles for other special events. Based on the duration of the program, the data processor 115 first analyzes the data of the lists to determine which lists of the grid size it needs for each title. Therefore, a two-hour movie would require four different edited titles to fit in each of the four grid cells of different size (30, 60, 90, 120 minutes). The data processor 115 then determines how many steps are required to present the title based on this length of the character. If the title is to be presented in the program plan grid using a proportional type of printing and was character to character, the data processor can also account for these factors to determine the space required to present a title. The space determination would then be based on the number of pixels that are required for the specific combination of characters in the title. The amount of space available to present a title of the grid cell size which in turn depends on the duration of the program and the presentation time. If the data processor determines that a complete title requires too much space to fit into one or more of the grid cells, the title is then presented to the editor using an appropriate presentation device connected to the data processor such as a CRT. The editor then asks if he should alter the title so that it fits into the allocated space. If the title must be edited for more than one cell size, the editor asks if it should avoid each of these separately. In a preferred embodiment of the iteractive program, the editor is displayed in real time as the title is being edited, of whether the edited title will be adjusted in the designated grid cell.

In a preferred embodiment of the electronic program guide disclosed, two lines of text are presented in each grid cell of the program lists, three lines for the PPV type films. The title as it is avoided appears in the first line and if necessary it continues to the second line. The decision of whether to wrap in the second line is based on whether there are natural or title interruptions such as spaces between words, commas, periods, hyphens, etc. These are the normal techniques used in word processing software routines. The editor may wonder if he should edit a title in a situation where the full title will fit on the two assigned lines, but a script is required because there are no appropriate natural breaks in the title. Before the editor is asked to shorten a title, the data processor compares the title with a stored library of abbreviated titles to determine if the title has been abbreviated previously while avoiding another database of lists. Each time changes are made by the editor to a title, the abbreviated title is added to the library. It is evident that this process of building a library of abbreviated titles greatly reduces the manual entry required.

After all the titles that need to be edited have been edited, either automatically by consulting the library or manually by an editor, the lists are stored in the database 120 of the program lists for subsequent transmission to an end 10 of head of cable. When received by a cable head end 10, the portion of the text adjustment system that exists in the data processor 41 functions as shown in the flow chart of Figure 10b. For many lists, additional space will be available on the second line and possibly on the first line as well. This space can be used for the presentation of supplementary information in addition to the title of the program. The supplementary information is presented according to a fixed set of rules programmed in the data processor 41. The rules are applied to determine how much space available in a grid cell should be filled. For example, for a two-hour movie, there will typically be space available in addition to that required for the presentation of the title, particularly when grid cells of 90 and 120 minutes are activated. The data process determines how much space is available and fills it according to the programmed rules. For example for a movie, the data processor will first determine if there is space available to present the MPAA rating of the movie. Then, the processor will determine if there is space available for the year of the movie and then the characters "B &W" if the movie is black and white (not shown in Figure 10b), and finally, one or more of the actors / actresses presented in the movie. The supplementary information will only be presented in those grid cells where the complete titles are also presented. In this way, additional supplementary information will be presented for larger grid cells. The process of determining which supplementary information should be presented is completely automated and therefore the required software can be implemented at the end 10 of the cable head. If there is space available, the data processor consults the appropriate data field as regulated by the rules and ends if supplementary information can be presented. For PPV type movies, a different set of rules can be implemented for the presentation of supplementary information. If an additional line is provided in the grid boxes for the PPV-type films, there may be space for presentation of the order information such as price, telephone number and window of time during which the program may be ordered or ordered. For these movies, the plurality to assign the available space in the grid box can be the following: telephone number, time window, price, classification, year and actors. This automated portion of the text adjustment system can be implemented in the following manner: each time a page formats are prepared, the computer 41 retrieves the lists that are to be presented and determines the sizes of the grid cells, based on the duration of the program and the current time. As indicated above, if the size of the grid cell is too small to adjust the full title, the data in the lists will include an edited title for that grid cell. The data processor 41 is programmed to retrieve the longest title that fits in the designated grid cell. The size of the cell is large enough to adjust the complete title as well as the supplementary information, the text adjustment system determines what supplementary information should be included as the pages of the list information being composed. Carrying out the automated steps at the head end is a preferred embodiment because it simplifies the data that is transmitted to each head end. Of course it is also possible that the data processor 115 carries out these automated steps as well as providing complete grid lists including the supplementary information for each required cell size to the list data base 120 thereby eliminating the need for any of the text adjustment functions by the processor 41. The benefits of the text adjustment system are illustrated in Figure 11. Figure IA shows an example of a grid cell using the text adjustment system disclosed in comparison with Figure 11b that shows an example of the current systems that only truncate the lists if there is not adequate space for the presentation of the complete title. The disclosed guide channel system and method provides the cable system operator with great flexibility in controlling what is present in the guide channel. As discussed above, because factual presentation pages are created in real time by the data processor that controls the multi-media generator as opposed to being composed by overlay data and video feeds on a fixed template . Each element of the guide channel presentation can therefore be controlled with respect to plan, position and size. This includes promotion windows, background views and any of the other graphs associated with the presentation. For example, as discussed above, it may be desirable to have windows of different size to present the promotion cuttings as opposed to a fixed format. In this way, the promotion window can still be expanded to a full screen to promote a pivotal event. Similarly, the data processor may vary the position of the promotion window in the presentation. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the disclosed channel guide system provides a platform on which many variations of the specific embodiments discussed herein are possible.

Alternative Modality In an alternative embodiment of the present invention, the passive electronic program guide disclosed can be combined with an interactive program guide in the following manner: subscribers desiring the interactive features in the program guide would be provided with a box of cable converter including additional processor and memory capabilities. The hardware and software used in these interactive converters may be identical to the one disclosed in the two previous co-pending applications of the applicants named "Electronic Television Program Schedule Guide System and Method", filed on September 9, 1993 and from which assigned the serial number 08 / 119,367, and "Improved Electronic Television Program Schedule Guide System and Method", presented on the same date as the present application. The disclosure of these two previous applications are incorporated herein by reference. Depending on the desired functionality of the interactive portion of the rim, the requirements of the processor and the memory of the converter box can be correspondingly reduced. A functional diagram of an implementation from the interactive portion of the guide is shown in Figure 12. Figure 12 shows a box 200 of the interactive cable converter including a memory 210. The program plan information could then be reduced and stored in the memory 210 of the converter box and presented in a television receiver in overlying relationship with the presentation of the electronic program guide channel that is broadcasting in the dedicated cable channel. In this manner, the presentation environment of the disclosed guidance channel can be retained but the portion of the guide lists is controlled locally by the subscriber's converter box. In this way, the dominant video features of the guide channel are retained such as promotional video clippings. The same method can be used to present the program holidays disclosed in the copending application referred to in the foregoing of the applicants for the control of the user of the presentation of lists in the present invention. Referring again to Figure 12, a microprocessor 220 operating in accordance with the user's control commands selects the program plan information for a plurality of television channels from the memory 210. The program plan information may be transmitted digitally to the subscriber converter box in any of a number of ways, such as in the vertical blanking interval of the broadcast signal of the program guide channel. The list information together with the corresponding presentation mode control information from the electronic program guide channel is received by the data receiver 215 and then processed by the microprocessor 220. In addition, the application software for implementing or updating the interactive portion of the electronic program guide may also be transmitted from the end of the cable head to the subscribers. The cable converter box at the location of the viewer will not be described in detail since these devices are known. For example, the components shown schematically in Figure 12 can be implemented in a commercially available converter box such as the 8600x model manufactured by Scientific Atlanta, for example. It will be understood by those skilled in the art that any number of other commercially available cable converter boxes may also be used. The operation of the combined interactive electronic program guide / guide channel is as follows: The microprocessor issues control commands to the video display generator (VDG) 230 based on the user inputs. The VDG includes a normal RGB video generator 235, which takes the information from the digital program plan sent by the microprocessor 220 and converts it into an RGB format in accordance with a bitmap for presentation on the screen. The VDG 230 includes an Overlay Video Device 240, which accepts the RGB video input, as well as the video signal (program guide channel) from the tuner / demodulator 245 of the cable converter box 200, which is supplied in a normal NTSC video format. The superimposed device 240 converts and combines the RGB signal with the tuner / demodulator signal, and produces a composite NTSC output signal that contains both the original video signal of the program guide channel and the interactive program plan information how it is controlled by the user. This composite video signal is supplied to a modulator 250, which is shown in Figure 12, and then to the television receiver 260, which the user keeps tuned to the modulated channel, for example, channel 3 or 4. The channel advantage of the program guide / interactive electronic program guides is that it combines the advantage of a guide channel system - video features including promotional video clippings - with the benefit of user control through the presentation of the information of the selected program plan as opposed to waiting for the desired information to appear. This can be achieved with only limited requirements of an additional processor and memory in the converter box. In this modality, of the program guide channel / interactive program guide combined, the program lists can be presented in the same grid format as in the passive guide. The viewer, however, could issue control commands to the cable converter box using, e.g., an infrared remote control device to control the movement of the grid in order to control the channels that are being presented. In addition, the viewer can also use a remote control to issue commands to move the grid to the right to see future time intervals. The form and content of the specific computer program for implementing the invention disclosed herein will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art of video system programming and graphic presentation based on the description contained herein and the diagrams of associated flow. It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that they can deviate from the specific embodiment of the invention described herein without departing from the true scope of the appended claims.

Claims (50)

CLAIMS;

1. In a system for providing an electronic program guide for transmission in a television channel, a method for generating a plan for presenting the information, the method comprises the steps of: providing a database of a plurality of pieces of information to a data processor, select a period of time for the generation of the plan, assign to each piece of information a priority factor based on the frequency of desired presentation of the piece of information. establishing a first time interval in the aforementioned period of time, the first time interval begins simultaneously with the beginning of the time period, selecting, for the first time interval, one of the pieces of information to be presented from the plurality of pieces based on the priority factor of the selected piece, plan the selected piece of information to be presented during the first time interval, decrease the priority factor of the piece of information selected in relation to the priority factors of the pieces of information not selected for the first time interval, and repeating the steps of establishing, selecting the information, planning and decreasing the plurality of time slots temporarily in sequence in that time period.

The method according to claim 1, wherein the pieces of information comprise clippings of promotional video.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the pieces of information are categorized and the priority factors are assigned based on the categories.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of time intervals are of equal duration.

The method according to claim 1, wherein the priority factor of the selected piece of information is decreased in response to the selection and planning of the selected piece of information.

The method according to claim 1, wherein the priority factors of the unselected pieces of information are increased in response to the selection and planning of the selected piece of information.

The method according to claim 1, wherein the step of selecting further comprises determining the eligibility for presentation during a time interval of one or more pieces of information before selecting a piece of information for presentation during the interval of time.

8. The method according to claim 3, the priority factors of each of the pieces of information not selected is increased depending on the category of each of the pieces of information not selected.

9. In a system for providing an electronic program guide to be transmitted on a television channel, a method for generating a plan for presenting the information associated with the programs planned for transmission during predetermined periods of time in the future, the method comprises the steps of: providing a database of a plurality of pieces of information to the data processor, wherein each piece of information is associated with a program scheduled for transmission for a predetermined period of time in the future and falls within a category default of programs, select a period of time for the generation of the plan. assign to each piece of information a priority factor based on the category of the associated program, establish a first time interval in that period, the first time interval begins simultaneously with the beginning of the time period, select, for the first interval of time time, one of the pieces of information to be presented from the plurality of pieces of information based on the priority factor of the selected piece, plan the selected piece of information to be presented during the first time slot, decrease the priority factor of the piece of information selected in relation to the priority factors of the pieces of information not selected for the first time interval, and repeat the steps of establishing, selecting the information, planning and decreasing for a plurality of time intervals in sequence temporarily in that period of time.

The method according to claim 9, wherein the information comprises video clippings to the programs planned for transmission during predetermined periods of time in the future.

The method according to claim 9, wherein the priority factor of the selected piece of information is decreased in response to the selection and pleaneing of the selected piece of information.

The method according to claim 9, wherein the priority factors of the non-selected pieces of information are increased in response to the selection and planned "of the selected piece of information 13.

In a system to provide a guide of electronic program to be transmitted in a television channel, a method to generate a presentation plane of the information in which each piece of information is associated with a program planned for transmission in the future, the method comprises the steps of: providing a base data of a first plurality of pieces of information to a data processor, the database comprises, for each piece of information, a category multiplication, an indication of the eligible time periods for presentation, and an indication of the time of planned transmission of the program associated with the piece of information, assign to each of the pieces of information, a priority factor based on the category identifications, select a period of time for the generation of the plan, establish a first time interval in that period, and the first time interval begins simultaneously with the beginning of the time period, defining a second time interval plurality of pieces of information for presentation during the first time interval based on the eligible time periods indicated for the pieces of information, for each of the second plurality of pieces of information, adjust the priority factor if the first time slot is less than a predetermined amount of time before the planned transmission time of the program, associated with the piece of information. selecting a piece of information for presentation during the first time interval based on adjusted priorities of the second plurality of pieces of information, planning the piece of information selected for presentation during the first time slot, decreasing the priority factor of the piece of information. information selected in relation to the priority factors of the pieces of information not selected for the first time interval, and repeating the steps of defining, adjusting, selecting the information, planning and decreasing for a plurality of time slots temporarily in sequence in the aforementioned period of time.

The method according to claim 13, wherein the adjustment step comprises increasing the priority factor if the first time slot is less than a predetermined amount of time before the planned transmission time of the program associated with the work piece. information.

15. In a system for providing an electronic program guide to be transmitted on a television channel, a method for generating a plan for presenting the information wherein the piece of information is associated with a completed program to be transmitted in the future, the The method comprises the steps of: providing a database in a plurality of pieces of information to a data processor, the database comprises, for each piece of information, a category identification and an indication of the eligible time periods for presentation, assigned to each of the pieces of information a priority factor based on the category identifications, select a period of time for the generation of the plan, establish a first time interval in that period, the first time interval begins simultaneously with the beginning of the time period, defining a second plurality of information pieces for presentation during the first time interval based on the eligible time periods indicated for the pieces of information, selecting a piece of information for presentation during the first time interval from the second plurality of pieces of information based on the priorities of the second plurality of pieces of information, plan the selected piece of information for presentation during the first time slot, decrease the priority factor of the piece of information selected in relation to Prior factors the information pieces not selected for the first time interval, and repeating the steps of defining, selecting information, planning and decreasing for a plurality of time slots temporarily in sequence in that time period.

16. In a system for providing an electronic program guide to be transmitted on a television channel, the method for generating a plan for presenting information in which each piece of information is associated with a program planned for transmission in the future, the method it comprises the steps of: providing a database of a plurality of pieces of information to a data processor, the database comprises for each piece of information, a category identification, an indication of the time periods eligible for presentation and an indication of the planned transmission time of the program associated with the piece of information, assigned to each of the pieces of information a priority factor based on the category identifications, for each of the pieces of information, adjust the priority factor if the planned transmission time of the program associated with the piece of information is left After a predetermined time window, select a period of time for generation of the plan, establish a first time interval in that period, the first time interval starts simultaneously with the beginning of the time period, define a second plurality of time pieces. information for presentation during the first time interval based on the eligible time periods indicated for the pieces of information, selecting a piece of information for presentation during the first time interval from the second plurality of pieces of information based on the adjusted priorities of the second plurality of pieces of information, plan the piece of information selected for presentation during the first time interval, decrease the priority factor of the piece of information selected in relation to the priority factors of the pieces of information not selected for the first interv time, and repeat the steps of defining, selecting information, planning and decreasing, for a plurality of time intervals temporally in sequence in that period of time.

17. In a system for providing an electronic program guide for transmission in a television channel, a method for generating a plan for the presentation of information in which each piece of information is associated with a program planned for future transmission , the method comprises the steps of: providing a database of a plurality of information weights to a data processor, each piece of information being associated with a program scheduled for transmission for a predetermined time in the future, selecting a period of time for the generation of the plan, assign, for each of the pieces of information, a priority factor based on the desired presentation frequency of the piece of information, establish a first time interval in that period, the first time interval begins simultaneously with the beginning of the time period, adjust, for the first time interval, the priority factor of one or more pieces of information based on the temporal proximity of the first time slot to the predetermined transmission times of the programs associated with one or more pieces of information. information, select, for the first time interval, one of the pieces of information for presentation from a plurality of pieces based on the factors of priority of the pieces, plan the piece of information selected for presentation during the first time interval, decrease the priority factor of the piece of information selected in relation to the factors Priority of the pieces of information not selected for the first time interval, and repeat the steps of adjustment, selection of information plan and decrease, for a plurality of time intervals temporally in sequence with the aforementioned period of time.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the pieces of information comprise clippings of promotional video.

19. The method according to claim 17 wherein the pieces of information are categorized and the priority factors are assigned based on those categories.

20. The method according to claim 17, wherein the time intervals are of equal duration.

The method according to claim 17, wherein the priority factor of the selected piece of information is decreased in response to the selection and planned of the selected piece of information.

22. The method according to claim 17, wherein the priority factors of the non-selected pieces of information are increased in response to the selection and planned of the selected piece of information.

The method according to claim 17, wherein the selection step further comprises determining the eligibility for presentation over a time interval of one or more pieces of the quoted information before selecting a piece of information for presentation during the interval of time.

24. The method of compliance with claim 19, wherein the priority factors of each of the pieces of information not selected is increased depending on the category of each of the pieces of information not selected.

25. In a system for providing an electronic program guide for transmission in a television channel, an apparatus for generating a plan for the presentation of information comprising: a means for providing a database of a plurality of piece of information to a data processor, the data processor comprises: a means to select a period of time for the generation of the plan; a means for establishing a first time interval in the aforementioned period of time, the first time interval starts simultaneously with a period of time quoted; a means for assigning each piece of information a priority factor based on the desired display frequency of the piece of information piece; a means for selecting, for the first time interval, one of the pieces of information for presenting a plurality of pieces based on the priority factor of the selected piece; means for planning the piece of information selected for presentation during the first time interval; means for decreasing the priority factor of the selected piece of information with respect to the priority factors of the pieces of information not selected during the first time slot; and a means for repeatedly invoking the means of establishing, selecting information, planning and decreasing for a plurality of time slots temporarily in sequence in that time period.

26. The apparatus according to claim 25, wherein the pieces of information comprise clippings of promotional video.

27. The apparatus according to claim 25, wherein the pieces of information are categorized and the priority factors are assigned based on those categories.

28. The apparatus according to claim 25, wherein the time intervals are of equal duration.

29. The apparatus according to claim 25, wherein the priority factor of the selected pieces of information is decreased in selected and planned response of the selected piece of information.

30. The apparatus according to claim 25, wherein the priority factors of the non-selected pieces of information are increased in response to the selection and planning of the selected piece of information.

31. The apparatus according to claim 25, wherein the selecting means further comprises means for determining the eligibility for presentation over a time interval of one or more pieces of information before selecting a piece of information for presentation during said interval. of time.

32. The apparatus according to claim 27, wherein the priority factors of each of the pieces of information are increased depending on the category of each of the pieces of information not selected.

33. In a system for providing an electronic program guide for transmitting on a television channel the apparatus for generating a plan for presenting the information associated with the programs planned for transmission during predetermined periods of time in the future comprising: a means to provide a database and a plurality of pieces of information to a data processor wherein each piece of information is associated with a program scheduled for transmission during a predetermined period of time in the future, and falls within a category of programs predetermined, the data processor comprises: a means to select a period of time for the generation of the plan; means for assigning each piece of information a priority factor based on the category of the associated program; a means to establish a first time interval in that period, the first time interval begins simultaneously with the beginning of that time period; means for selecting, for the first time slot, one of the pieces of information for presentation from the plurality of pieces of information based on the priority factor of the selected piece; means for planning the piece of information selected for presentation during the first time interval; a means for decreasing the priority factor of the selected piece of information in relation to the priority factors of the pieces of information not selected for the first time slot; and a means for repeatedly invoking the steps of establishing, selecting information, planning and decreasing for a plurality of time slots temporarily in sequence in that time period.

34. The apparatus according to claim 33, wherein the information comprises video clippings of the programs planned for transmission for predetermined periods of time in the future.

35. The apparatus according to claim 33, wherein the priority factor of the selected piece of information is decreased in response to the selection and planned of the selected pieces of information.

36. The apparatus according to claim 33, wherein the priority factors of the non-selected pieces of information are increased in response to the selection and planning of the selected piece of information.

37. In a system for providing an electronic program guide for transmission in a television channel, an apparatus for generating a plan for the presentation of information wherein each piece of information is associated with a program planned for transmission in the future comprising : a means for providing a database of a first plurality of pieces of information to a data processor, the database comprises, for each piece of information, a category identification, an indication of the eligible time periods for presentation , and an indication of the planned transmission time of the program associated with the piece of information; the data processor comprises: means for assigning to each of the pieces of information a priority receiver based on the category identifications; a means to select a period of time for the generation of the plan; a means for establishing a first time interval in the aforementioned period of time, the first time interval begins simultaneously at the beginning of the aforementioned period of time; means for defining a second plurality of pieces of information for presentation during the first time interval based on the eligible time periods indicated for the pieces of information; for each of the second plurality of pieces of information, a means for adjusting the priority factor if the first time interval is less than a predetermined amount of time before the planned transmission time of the program associated with the piece of information; means for selecting the piece of information for presentation during the first time interval based on the adjusted priorities of the second plurality of pieces of information; means for planning the piece of information selected for presentation during the first time interval; means for decreasing the priority factor of the selected piece of information in relation to the priority factors of the pieces of information not selected for the first time slot; and means for repeatedly invoking the means of defining, adjusting, selecting information, planning and decreasing for a plurality of time slots temporarily in that time period.

38. The method according to claim 37, wherein the adjustment means comprises means for increasing the priority factor if the first time interval is less than a predetermined amount of time before the planned transmission time of the program associated with the piece of information.

39. In a system for providing an electronic program guide for transmission in a television channel, the apparatus for generating a plan for presenting information in which each piece of information is associated with a program planned for transmission in the future that comprises: means for providing a database of a plurality of pieces of information to the data processor, and the database comprises, for each piece of information, a category identification and an indication of the time periods eligible for presentation; the data processor comprises: a means for assigning to each of the pieces of information a priority factor based on the category identifications; a means to select a period of time for the generation of the plan; a means to establish a first time interval in that period, the first time interval begins simultaneously with the beginning of the aforementioned period of time; means for defining a second plurality of pieces of information for presentation during the first time interval based on the indicated eligible time periods of the pieces of information; means for selecting a piece of information for presentation during a first time interval, based on the priorities of the second plurality of pieces of information; means for planning the piece of information selected for presentation during the first time interval; a means for decreasing the priority Eactor of the selected piece of information in relation to the priority factors of the pieces of information not selected for the first time slot; and a means for repeatedly invoking the means of defining, selecting information, planning and decreasing for a plurality of time slots temporarily in that time period.

40. In a system for providing an electronic program guide for transmission in a television channel, the apparatus for generating a plan for presenting information in which each piece of information is associated with a program planned for transmission in the future: a measured to provide a database of a plurality of pieces of information to a data processor, the database comprises, for each piece of information, a category identification, an indication of the time periods eligible for presentation, an indication of planned transmission time of the program associated with the piece of information; the data processor comprises: a means for assigning to each of the pieces of information a priority factor based on the category identifications; for each piece of information, a means for adjusting the priority factor if the planned program transmission time associated with the piece of information falls within a predetermined time window; a means to select a period of time for the generation of the plan; a means for establishing a first time interval in the aforementioned time period, the first time interval begins simultaneously with the beginning of the time period; means for defining a second plurality of pieces of information for presentation during the first time interval based on the eligible time periods indicated for the pieces of information; a means selecting a piece of information for presentation during the first time interval based on the adjusted priorities of the second plurality of pieces of information; means for planning the piece of information selected for presentation during the first time interval; means for decreasing a priority factor of the selected piece of information in relation to the priority factors of the pieces of information not selected for the first time slot; and a means for repeatedly invoking the means of defining, selecting information, planning and decreasing for a plurality of time slots temporarily in that time period.

41. In a system for providing an electronic program guide to be transmitted on a television channel, the apparatus for generating a plan for presenting information wherein each piece of information is associated with a program planned for future transmission comprising: a means for providing a database of a plurality of pieces of information to a data processor, each piece of information is associated with one or more programs planned for transmission at predetermined times in the future; the data processor comprises: a means for selecting a period of time for the generation of the plan; means for assigning, for each piece of information, a priority factor based on the desired display frequency of the piece of information, a means for establishing a first time slot in that period, the first time slot starts simultaneously with the beginning of the aforementioned period of time; means for adjusting, for the first time interval, the priority factor of one or more pieces of information based on the temporal proximity of the first time slot to the predetermined transmission times of the programs associated with one or more pieces of information; a means for selecting, for the first time interval, one of the pieces of information for presentation from the plurality of pieces based on the priority factors of the pieces; means for planning the piece of information selected for presentation during the first time interval; a means for decreasing the priority factor of the piece of information selected in relation to the priority factors of the pieces of information not selected for the first time interval; and a means for repeatedly invoking the adjustment, information selection, planned and decrementing means for a plurality of time slots temporarily in that time period.

42. The apparatus according to claim 41, wherein the pieces of information comprise clippings of promotional video.

43. The apparatus according to claim 41, wherein the pieces of information are categorized and the priority factors are assigned based on these categories.

44. The apparatus according to claim 41, wherein the time intervals are of equal duration.

45. The apparatus according to claim 41, wherein the priority factor of the selected piece of information is decreased in response to the selection and planning of the selected piece of information.

46. The apparatus according to claim 41, wherein the information factors of the non-selected pieces of information are increased in response to the selection and planned of the selected piece of information;

47. The apparatus according to claim 41, wherein the selecting means further comprises means for determining the eligibility for presentation over one time interval of one or more of the pieces of information before selecting a piece of information for presentation. during the time interval.

48. The apparatus according to claim 43, wherein the priority factors of each of the pieces of information not selected is increased depending on the category of each of the pieces of information not selected.

49. In a system for providing an electronic program guide for transmission in a television channel, a method for generating a plan for presenting information in which each piece of information is associated with a program planned for transmission in the future, the method it comprises the steps of: providing a database of a plurality of pieces of information to a data processor, each pieces of information being associated with a program scheduled for transmission for a predetermined time in the future, selecting a period of time for the generation of the plan, selecting, within the period of time, a first time interval, assigning, for each piece of information, a priority factor in which the priority factor assigned to each piece of information depends on the temporal proximity of the interval of time. time to the predetermined transmission time of the program associated with the piece of information, selection ar, for the first time interval, one of the pieces of information for presentation from the plurality of pieces based on the priority factors of the pieces; planning the selected piece of information for presentation during the first time interval, and repeating the steps of selecting the time slots, assigning, selecting the information and planning for a plurality of time slots within that time period.

50. In a system for providing an electronic program guide for transmission in a television channel, the apparatus for generating a plan for presenting information in which each piece of information is associated with a program planned for transmission in the future that comprises: a means for providing a database of a plurality of pieces of information to the data processor, each piece of information is associated with a program scheduled for transmission for a predetermined time in the future, a means for selecting a period of time for the generation of the plan; a means for selecting, within that period of time, a first time interval; means for assigning, for each of the pieces of information, a priority factor where the priority factor assigned to each piece of information depends on the temporal proximity of the time interval to the predetermined transmission time of the program associated with the piece of information; a means for selecting, for a first time interval, one of the pieces of information for presentation from the plurality of pieces based on the priority factors of the first pieces; a means for planning the piece of information is selected for presentation during the first time interval; a method for repeatedly invoking the means of time interval, selection, assignment, selection of information and planned, for the plurality of time intervals within the aforementioned period of time. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An electronic program plan system that includes a receiver to receive the information of the television program plan and the broadcast information transmitted via satellite, a digital reproduction system for storing the promotion information and plan and preparing in format the pages of the information and a cable television channel modulator to modulate the information pages in a cable television system. A data processor in the reproduction system receives and stores a memory, the television program plan information with a plurality of television programs so that they appear in the plurality of television channels. A television receiver is used to present the television program plan and the promotion information by tuning the receiver or box of the cable converter to the designated channel after which the signals are modulated. A multi-media generator receives control commands from the data processor and the program plan information from the memory and presents a portion of the program plan information in either a full screen grid format or a grid format partial screen along with the promotion information, as controlled by a plan for presentation of the existing promotion information in the data processor. The data processor controls the multiple media generator with control commands, issued in response to a computer program that exists in the data processor, to present the program plan information and the promotion information.