HK1022069B - Television schedule system and method of operation - Google Patents

Description

Television schedule system and method of operation

Technical Field

The present invention relates to the field of television schedule guides and methods of operation thereof. More specifically, the present invention provides, in one embodiment, a method and apparatus for finding when a particular program is broadcast in a television guide system.

Background

As television entertainment becomes increasingly diverse, users are provided with a wide range of television entertainment options. In addition to conventional broadcast television programs, television viewers today can, for example, access cable television programs, digital satellite service programs, cable stereo broadcasts, and conventional satellite programs. Moreover, the number and variety of programs is increasing at an alarming rate in each of the different transmission media available to users.

Although advantageous to the user through a large number of choices, the large array of programs available to the user also presents a certain challenge. In particular, as the number of programs available to the user becomes larger, the process of selecting which program to view becomes increasingly cumbersome. For example, a user may have access to significantly more than 100 cable television channels. If a particular user has access not only to cable television programs but also to other programs such as digital satellite services, the process of selecting a program would be daunting.

Accordingly, a new and improved method of providing a display of program guide information on the television screen of a user's television has been developed. Note in particular that star sight^TMOn screen guidance systems have proven to be pioneering systems in the field of on screen guidance systems. The star sight system provides not only television program listings, but also the ability to perform title searches, VCR programs, detailed program information, and other functions.

More recently, additional functionality has also been proposed in such systems. See U.S. application serial No.08/423,411, which is incorporated herein by reference. In one such system, for example, guide information from different sources, such as satellite sources and cable television sources, is combined to form a unified guide. The system according to the invention can for example delete redundant information from such sources and provide other functions.

Significant progress has been made through the star sight tutorial system, which in fact is gaining wide acceptance in the television industry. However, as the complexity of such systems increases, further functionality is required.

Disclosure of Invention

An improved television guide system is provided by means of the present invention. According to one embodiment of the invention, multiple occurrences of a program may be identified for a user. For example, in many digital satellite systems today, a particular movie will be shown on multiple channels with staggered start times. The guide system of the present invention allows a user to identify a particular program and thereafter find out when the identified program will be played again. Thus, the user can more easily select a program for viewing or recording.

Accordingly, in one embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a method of generating television guide information for a viewer, comprising the steps of: inputting schedule guide information into a guide system; receiving user input identifying a particular program in the guide information schedule; and find out other times for the user to show the particular program.

According to the present invention, there is provided a method of generating television program guide information for a viewer, comprising the steps of: inputting schedule guide information into a guide system, said schedule guide information corresponding to a plurality of television signal sources; fusing the schedule guide information corresponding to the plurality of television signal sources; displaying a listing of programs from the fused schedule guide information in a television program guide; receiving viewer input of a particular program directly from the program listing; and displaying a respective list of other times at which the particular program is to be broadcast and television signal sources from which the particular program is to be broadcast at the other times.

According to the present invention there is provided a system for generating television program guide information for a viewer, comprising: means for inputting schedule guide information into a guide system, said schedule guide information corresponding to a plurality of television signal sources; means for fusing said schedule guide information corresponding to said plurality of television signal sources; means for displaying a listing of programs from said merged schedule guide information in a television program guide; means for receiving viewer input of a particular program directly from said program listing; and means for displaying a respective list of other times at which the particular program is to be broadcast and television signal sources from which the particular program is to be broadcast at the other times.

Drawings

A further understanding of the nature and advantages of the present invention may be realized by reference to the remaining portions of the specification and the attached drawings.

FIG. 1 is a general diagram illustrating a television system according to one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is an exemplary tabular guide used in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a display provided to a user with a "when other" feature; and

fig. 4 is a general flow chart illustrating the operation of the present invention.

Detailed Description

Television schedule guide information used by the present invention may be obtained from one or more sources. These sources may include an incoming cable television line (e.g., coaxial cable), satellite radio, dedicated telephone lines (e.g., twisted pair), and any other medium capable of transmitting signals such as a computer or modem line. Although the present invention will find broad application in systems having only one television signal source, such as satellite systems, the description herein will be primarily directed to receiving broadcast systems from at least two independent sources, such as (1) a cable television cable and a satellite dish, or (2) two different satellites, or (3) a local cable television cable and a digital broadcast source, DBS, or (4) a conventional antenna and a satellite dish (e.g., a DBS source), or (5) one of the above sources and the internet or other computer source. The multiple sources of schedule information are collated and displayed to the user in an arrangement such as that set forth in greater detail in U.S. application serial No.08/423,410, which is incorporated herein by reference.

When the user selects a program in the displayed guide information, the system reads a source identifier associated with the program or channel. In the preferred embodiment, the system then performs an automatic switching/tuning process that switches the input (radio or video) of the television to the source device. Typical source devices include DBS, cable boxes, television tuners, internet access, and so forth. The system is then tuned to the desired channel of the desired program. In addition, the source identifier may also be used to automatically switch between different devices when unattended VCR programming is required. Further, when receiving program information from multiple satellite sources and selecting a desired channel, in one embodiment of the invention the user's satellite dish can be automatically moved to allow the user to receive the desired program from the associated source. The invention then retunes to the correct channel.

In creating a merged television guide, a channel map is created that identifies available channels on multiple sources and identifies their sources. For example, in the case of a DBS/local channel facility, a channel map is created by merging both the local cable television cable and the DBS channel. Both the local channel and the DBS channel are marked with a source identifier. This fused guide information is used by the system to find the time a particular program is played, even when it is not from the same source, as another time for the same program.

When a user selects a non-DBS channel from the guide, an integrated receiver decoder unit (IRD box) for the satellite switches the IRD, say, to couple the local cable to the receiver. The system then tunes the television tuner or other tuning device to the desired channel. If the DBS channel is selected again after a while, the system then switches the IRD to couple the hygiene receiver/decoder to the receiver. The system then tunes the DBS tuner to the selected DBS channel. In the case of, for example, a cable television cable and antenna input, the system goes to the correct video input and then tunes the television tuner to the desired channel for receiving the selected source. In this manner, automatic access to multi-source television schedule guide information is provided.

Although the invention is described herein primarily in connection with a system that forms a fused guideline at a user location. It goes without saying that this is for illustrative purposes only and that the fused guide may be formed at a remote location, for example at the head end of a cable television cable.

Fig. 1 illustrates, in simplified form, an example of a multi-source television schedule guide system 10 having multiple sources connected directly or indirectly to a television 12 and/or VCR 13. In the embodiment of fig. 1, both the multi-source television programming and the television schedule guide system operate under the control of the coordinator 14. Television 12 and VCR13 have inputs directly from cable box 16 and DBS sources as shown in fig. 1 or through coordinator 14. Other inputs 20 may also be supplied to the television and/or VCR either directly or via the coordinator 14. The remote control 22 is used by the user to tune the television and perform other operations. In an alternative embodiment, a keyboard, such as a computer keyboard, is used for input. The keyboard may be hard wired or wireless.

In this embodiment, cable television is provided via cable box 16 and DBS is provided via IRD box 18. Antenna 24 may be used as an additional television broadcast source in addition to cable box 16, IRD box 18, and other inputs 20. In a typical embodiment, the antenna 24 and the cable box 16 are both considered local sources, meaning that they may contain local television broadcasts, such as local news broadcasts. DBS, on the other hand, are not considered local because they cannot contain such local content.

Other inputs 20 may include a plurality of satellite sources. When there are multiple satellite sources, the coordinator 14 switches between available satellite sources by automatically moving the user's satellite dish or by switching between satellite dishes. To automatically move the satellite dish, memory within IRD box 18 (or elsewhere) rotates the position of the DBS satellite dish relative to the satellite sources available through the DBS satellite dish. The IRD box 18 then automatically positions the DBS satellite dish so that the desired satellite source is received by the IRD box.

The coordinator 14 includes a processor (CPU)26 and memory (typically RAM)28 as the basic devices for operating the system. In the case where a variety of different television signal sources are provided to the coordinator, the coordinator may also contain components such as an internal tuner, switching devices for switching between sources, and other components. In the embodiment shown in fig. 1, the coordinator is connected to and controls an Infrared (IR) emitter 30. An IR receiver 31 is connected to the coordinator 14 and receives input from a remote control or keyboard 22 to provide the necessary user input to the system. The IR transmitter 30 may be replaced, for example, by a hard-wired interface, a bus interface, or an RF transmitter. IR emitters 30 and/or direct wiring such as 31 control one or more of IRD box 18, television 12, VCR13, cable box 16 and other inputs 20. IR transmitter 30 functions as a remote control device by simulating remote control signals for television 12, VCR13, cable box 16, and/or other devices. In some embodiments, the coordinator 14 may be located, for example, in the cable box 16, the VCR13, the television 12, the satellite receiver, or even the keyboard/computer.

The remote control 22 is a hand-held remote control for controlling the coordinator 14. In the preferred embodiment, the remote control 22 is provided with an IR transmitter for controlling the coordinator via an IR receiver 31. Other remote controls (not shown in fig. 1) may be used to manually control the television 12, VCR13, cable box 16, IRD box 18 and other inputs 20, although in a preferred embodiment all of the necessary control functions of the system are performed by the coordinator 14. For example, as the user adjusts the volume control on remote 22, coordinator 14 transmits a signal via IR transmitter 30 to adjust the volume of television 12.

In one embodiment, the IRD box 18 receives television programming and other information via a satellite dish 32. ERD box 18 and other television signal sources each provide program schedule information to the system. The program schedule information (or guide) may also include a channel map containing channel information indicating which channels are available on the source. Information related to the DBS guide and other information is stored in RAM of the IRD receiver or downloaded to the coordinator 14. Likewise, program guide information may be received via cable box 16, other input 20, antenna 24, and/or via any other transmission medium (e.g., dedicated twisted pair telephone lines). Each of these sources may also be provided with television schedule data in the signal transmitted by the service provider.

Coordinator 14 finds and collates program guide information available for use in system 10. Various different formats may be used for television schedule information. For example, a packet comprising a simple header portion and an information portion may be received and sorted with other more complex packet formats or a header with source information may be added. In the preferred embodiment, the coordinator 14 takes the television schedule information from the available sources or data input lines and sorts and mixes them. For example, the coordinator 14 may receive program schedule information via the vertical blanking interval in a television channel or via the repeater of a DBS or the Internet. The information is then arranged in an organic manner or otherwise manipulated. For example, the system may delete duplicate channels.

In an alternative arrangement, sorting/mixing of program schedule information is performed at separate locations and then provided to the system 10, for example, via a simple satellite channel. The program schedule information, sorted, mixed, organically scheduled, etc., is then received using a format that is easy to display. This format, which is easy to display immediately, can also be provided in separate data streams through different media or on a television channel.

Fig. 2 is a simplified example of an on-screen display of a tabular schedule guide assembled from television guide information. This display may appear on a television screen, a personal computer managing the overall program, or a readout display generated by the personal computer. In the preferred embodiment, after the coordinator 14 has assembled and collated all available program guide information, the coordinator 14 generates the tabular guide shown in FIG. 2 for display on the television 12, for example, by direct wiring (not shown) to the television 12 or by superimposition on one of the sources, such as the cable television source 16. In the preferred embodiment, the user displays the tabular guide 40 by pressing a guide button on the remote control 22. The mediator 14 responds to the initial press of the guide button by automatically tuning to the channel or device carrying the tabular guide 40 or superimposing the tabular guide on the current broadcast. When the user has finished disposing of the tabular guide 40, the user presses the guide button again (or exit button) and the coordinator 14 either (1) automatically returns to the channel or source that the user last viewed, or (2) removes the superimposed information.

A tabular guide, generally indicated by reference numeral 40, provides a sequence or channel selection 42 of all channels and a description 44 of the programs that those channels are available for use at certain times 46. For example, the USA network starts broadcasting BATMAN at 2 pm. SOAP (SOAP opera) is played on NBC from 2 pm to 4 pm, followed by news. The information may be sorted and/or filtered by title, for example, according to U.S. patent No.4,706,121 to YOUNG et al, which is incorporated herein by reference.

When multiple sources are used to receive television channels, channel overlap sometimes occurs. For example, both cable and DBS carry NBC networks, but cable may have NBC on channel 6, while DBS may have NBC on channel 7. With the ability to delete and activate channels displayed in the tabular guide 40, the user is able to decide whether to display one of the NBC channels, both NBC channels, or neither NBC channel. In an alternative embodiment, coordinator 20 may automatically point to duplicate network names and delete a duplicate network.

A user may move a cursor or other indicator around in the tabular guide using a remote control device. For example, the cursor may be assigned a different color to the display of the designated program than the remaining programs. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 2, the cursor points to GONE WITH THE WIND ("fly") and is indicated by a cross-hatching. In this particular example, a double label towards the left of the display indicates that a GONE WITH THE WIND ("float") has been broadcast for some time. Thus, a user may wish to find out whether the movie GONE WITH THE WIND ("fly") will be played at other times, so that the user either automatically records the GONE WITH THEWIND ("fly"), automatically tunes to the GONE WITH THE WIND ("fly") to be played in the future, or simply knows that the GONE WITH THEWIND ("fly") will be played at a future time.

Thus, the user provides input to the system to indicate that the user would like to know "when another" will play the program. This input may be provided, for example, by pressing a special button on the remote control, or by identifying a program, highlighting a "when other" on-screen display button 48, and striking an "enter" button on the remote control. Of course, a complete keyboard would allow for more varied operation.

In either case, the controller 14 searches for stored schedule information for additional occurrences of the particular program. As used herein, the term "specific program" refers to a specialized movie or other unique program. In the case of a series of programs (e.g., cosby programs), the term "specific program" refers to a specific segment or episode of the program. In the example of fig. 2, the system searches for the additional occurrence of gon WITH THE WIND ("drift") and indicates to the user whether, when, and where to replay gon WITH THE WIND ("drift") a particular program may or may not be replayed at the same television source. Of course, "broadcast" may also refer to, for example, FM radio broadcasts as well as television broadcasts.

Fig. 3 illustrates one possible output after the "when else" button input. As shown, the movie GONE WITH THE WIND ("fly") will be played at a number of times in the future. Specifically, if the screen has entered the generated tabular guide applicable to the current time, it is currently being shown on HB01, as the user may already know. In addition, the same channel will show the movie at 11 pm on the same day. A different channel HB02 will show the movie half at 11 pm on the same day. In this particular illustrative example, HB01 and HB02 (in this case a cable service provider) are provided to the user within range of the same television signal source. Thus, it can be seen that the present invention is useful even when only one service signal source is used. The usefulness of the invention also extends to situations when multiple television signal sources are provided. In this example, GONE WITH THE WIND ("drift") would also be shown on the DSS channel at 4 PM on the next Wednesday and on the conventional antenna network signal NBC on the next Thursday. Thus, when a particular program is broadcast at a different time, the user can use this information even though the program is then broadcast on a different television signal source.

The source of (or information about) yet another particular program may be indicated. For example, in FIG. 4, the guide indicates an "Internet" source. Locking to this source may provide the user with a direct internet connection, which would, for example, provide information about the program or download the entire program itself. Alternatively, advertisements may be provided in a video repository (Blockbuster) regarding the availability of the program.

After finding when a program is to be played, the user may perform any of several operations. Typically, the user points the light at a particular play time and clicks a "record" button on the remote control. The system then tunes the VCR to the appropriate program at the specified time and keeps track of the program. In another embodiment, the user would mark the programs to be placed in the reminder list. When the time of play in the reminder list comes, the system will either automatically tune to the program or remind the user to decide whether the user wishes to tune the television to that particular channel. In other cases, the user may use this information to override his/her desire to tune back to the television set at that particular time.

Fig. 4 is a general flow chart illustrating operation according to a particular embodiment of the present invention. In most cases, the operations illustrated in FIG. 4 will be performed under the management of software stored in RAM, ROM, or other computer-readable memory, such as memory 28. The data may be stored locally, externally, or in a combination of both. In step 401, the system receives input indicating other times at which the user wants to find a particular program. In step 402, the system searches for other times of the particular program that have started at the current time. It should be appreciated that when such input is provided, the user may or may not display the guide at the current time. For example, a user may scan a list of active movies generated from a title search and place a cursor over a particular movie for a week in the future. When the user activates the "when else" function, in most embodiments, the system will search all times for that particular program that have started at the current actual time, rather than the time of the next week. In this way, the user can say, for example, when a particular movie is to be found to be played in the next few hours, although the user may focus his/her interests on a particular program based on a forward list.

In some embodiments, the program sources are searched in the stored guide information for other times of the particular program. The search may be performed locally or locally and may be based on program identification fields or on proper noun searches or a combination of both. After finding other times for the particular program, step 404 generates a display that includes a listing of the other times for the particular program. If nothing is found, the display can either not contain any such listings, or indicate to the user in detail that no such listings are found.

Thereafter, at step 406, the user may perform any of a number of functions. Typically, the user may time the broadcast and hit a record button or select a recorded program in another way. In other cases, the user may simply restore the previous guide listing. In yet another scenario, the user may time the play and mark it for use in generating a future prompt, alerting the user when that play time has come. In yet another embodiment, the system may store the request and also ask the user to take care when the play time is added to the guide, i.e., at any other time in the guide at which a particular program is not currently present.

The foregoing description is intended to be illustrative and not limiting. Many variations of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon review of the specification. By way of example only, the present invention is primarily described with respect to a multi-source guidance system, but the invention is not so limited. The scope of the invention should, therefore, be determined not with reference to the above description, but instead should be determined with reference to the appended claims along with their full scope of equivalents.

Claims (19)

1. A method of generating television program guide information for a viewer, comprising the steps of:

inputting schedule guide information into a guide system, said schedule guide information corresponding to a plurality of television signal sources;

fusing the schedule guide information corresponding to the plurality of television signal sources;

displaying a listing of programs from the fused schedule guide information in a television program guide;

receiving viewer input of a particular program directly from the program listing; and

displaying a respective list of other times at which the particular program is to be broadcast and television signal sources from which the particular program is to be broadcast at the other times.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said particular program is a movie and said other times include repeated showings of said movie.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the specific program is a specific segment of a series program.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of recording said particular program at one of said other times.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein said plurality of television signal sources comprises sources selected from the group consisting of DBS sources, cable television sources, antenna sources, and computer network sources.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the fusing step is performed at a central broadcast location.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein said receiving step further comprises receiving viewer input of a particular program directly from said program listing via a remote control, said remote control controlling a system coordinator, said system coordinator controlling the television set via infrared signals.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of filtering said fused schedule guide information by title.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of providing information about said particular program to said viewer via the internet.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

alerting the viewer when one of the other times arrives.

11. A system for generating television program guide information for a viewer, comprising:

means for inputting schedule guide information into a guide system, said schedule guide information corresponding to a plurality of television signal sources;

means for fusing said schedule guide information corresponding to said plurality of television signal sources;

means for displaying a listing of programs from said merged schedule guide information in a television program guide;

means for receiving viewer input of a particular program directly from said program listing; and

means for displaying a respective list of other times at which the particular program is to be broadcast and television signal sources from which the particular program is to be broadcast at the other times.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein said particular program is a movie and said other times include repeated showings of said movie.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the particular program is a particular segment of a series.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein said plurality of television signal sources comprises sources selected from the group consisting of DBS sources, cable television sources, antenna sources, and computer network sources.

15. The system of claim 11, wherein said means for fusing fuses said schedule guide information corresponding to said plurality of television signal sources at a central broadcast location.

16. The system of claim 11, wherein said means for receiving further comprises receiving viewer input of a particular program directly from said program listing via a remote control, said remote control controlling a system coordinator, said system coordinator controlling the television via infrared signals.

17. The system of claim 11, further comprising means for filtering said fused schedule guide information by title.

18. The system of claim 11, further comprising means for alerting said viewer when one of said other times arrives.

19. The system of claim 11, further comprising means for providing information about said particular program to said viewer via the internet.