Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
2190743 P~CTlUS 9~/05497
IPEA/~S I g DEC 1995
SYSTT~M AND MT~THOD FOR DISPLAYING PROGT~AM
S('llFnULF INFORMATION ON A TFT FVT.~ION ~ANNF3.
r ~ ~ of th.o ~nvf nti~n
Tnis invention relates to an electronic program guide system which provides a
user with schedule r " for broadcast or cablecast programs available for viewing on a
television receiver. More r~Li~,ul~uly, it relates to an irnproved electronic program guide
5 channel that provides the viewer with a more versatile, readable, and aestheticaUy pleasing
display of prograrn listings as weU as IJlullluLiù~al illrullllaLiull.
T~ectronic program guides for television systems are known in the art, 1 ' 'Y
with regard to cable television systems. For example, one common .' of a
electronic program guide channel utilizes a dedicated cable television channel for, Iy
0 IJII ' " 7 program schedule i-~rul-l-~Liùn. The advantage of such a system is that it is
relatively easy to deploy because it is centrally , ' ' at the cable head-end. No
additional electronics or software are required at the viewer location because full control of the
display is maintained at tne cable head-end. The display ;- ~ is then broadcast
'~, on a dedicated cable channel. The television viewer simply tunes the cable
15 converter box or television tuner to the channel on which the schedule ' is modulated
and views the program listings. Typically, these program guides utilize a scrolling display of
television listings. Some systems employ a partial screen of listings with additional r .~
in the remainder of the screen such as a,l~l i for movies on pay chamnels, pay-per-view
~fPPV) event schedules, time and weather ill~UlllldLi~lll, and other . .,ial; r " " . ~;, ... These
20 systems generaUy ;.,~ul~ a grid or matrix to display the program schedule i~rulllldLiùll~ with
a different row for each channel and columns It~ different time slots.
Collectively, the prior electronic program guide systems are frustrating for theviewer and do not I features that render them especially useful. They also lack
features that would make them aesthetically pleasing to watch. These ~ ;- f-~ contribute
25 to their limited use by viewers and general preference for printed television schedules. For
NYFSC3...~ // '7~USIDD1655.580
~,~AEN~0 S~E~l
, 1: .,~,
WO 95/32585 2 1 9 0 7 4 3 PCI/US9410~497
example, only a few rows (channels) are typically displayed at one time and scrolled either
'y or periodically, so that, in a cable system with a large number of channels, the
time for completing one cycle through the listings for all the channels may be several minutes,
and the viewer may be required to wait some time to view the schedule for a desired channel.
5 In addition, many viewers may find a '~1 scrolling program guide difficult to read
because their eyes must follow the listings as they move up the screen. Scrolling listings are
also used in guides that display program listings in a split screen format together with
~ iùll~l and other ;llru.lllaliol~ lrhe split screen format is, ' be~ause of the need
to include commercial advertising in the screen as well as the schedule ;l.ru,...d~iul-. However,
lO it may be frustrating for viewers to be forced to ~ ly view this ;"r.", -~;..., while they
are waiting for the schedule ' for a desired channel to appear on the display.
Another possible reason why electronic program guides are under-utilized is theysimply are boring to watch. While a full screen of listings allows for the display of more
schedule; r"" ~;~"~ at one time and thus a shorter cycle time through the entire program
lS schedule, viewers could be bored by the monotony of ly viewing a full screen of
listings. As indicated above, however, split screen program guides that ' ~ "/ display
additional ;11~1 of possible interest to the viewer have the d;~lv ~ of much longer
cycle times.
An additional problem with prior program guides is that program titles must be
20 truncated to fit into the cells of the grid. The width of the grid cells vary with the duration of
the program. Thus, a 30 minute program is allotted only a small amount of space for the
program title and Af ~r rjrtirm Therefore, titles and/or .1 . . ;l~l;. . for half and even full hour
programs must often be truncated in order to f~t into the allotted space. Some systems simply
cut off the description of a program without ~ Li..~ it in any way so the user is unable to
25 determine the subject matter of the program. For example, a recent television program display
included the following text in a grid cell: "Baseball: Yankees v." Truncation of program
listings in this manner greatly reduces the utility of the program guide and is frustrating for
viewers. Although some systems partially alleviate this problem by providing two lines of text
in each grid cell, this solution is not ideal because program rlf ~ ;rl.~ may still be truncated.
WO 95/32585 ' . ' ' 2 1 9 0 7 4 3 PCT/US94/05497
A similar problem arises with electronic program guides as the time slots change.
Typically, 90 minutes of schedule ;"r..,. -~;..,. is displayed at one time and at every half-hour,
the 90 minute window shifts ahead by 30 minutes. In the case where a 30 minute shift causes
a 30 minute size grid cell to display, e.g., a two-hour movie, it is likely that the full title of the
S movie will not flt into the cell. Truncation of the title is thus required in this situation as well.
In this case, while two lines of text may be desirable to fit the title in the 30 minute cell, this
may not be the case for the 60 or 90 minute cells because there may be sufficient space in these
cells to fit the title on a single line.
There thus exists a need for substantial i~ t~ in existing electronic
10 television program guide channels that will make the guides more useful for the viewer and
more pleasant to watch, while still meeting the needs of the cable operator in terms of including
crlmm~ sl ~ in addition to program schedules. Electronic program guide channels
represent a potentially useful tool for the viewer as well as a source of revenue for cable
operators, but it is believed that current program guides are being under-utilized because of the
5 ~r ~ ~;1 drawbacks with these systems.
Accordingly, there exists a need for an improved technique of displaying program; r~ in order to make program schedule grids more readable.
Tbere also exists a need for an improved technique of displaying program
c( amd associated ~ 1 ' in order to reduce the cycle time for
20 displaying the complete schedule of program '
There also exists a need for providing a more dc~th~ pleasing display
C.lv;l~ for the program schedule . r~...- -~'....
There also exists a need for providing more flexible display formats for the
program schedule il.ru. Illdli~m that can be readily altered and , ' ~ ' by the cable operator.
There is also a particular need for an improved display of text in the cells
comprising the program schedule grid.
Accordingly, there exists a need for a electronic program guide which can provide
improved display of program listings and video promotions in a manner that does not detract
from the utility of the program guide.
WO 95/32585 2 1 q 0 7 4 3 PCTIUS9~1/05497
For example, there is a particular need for a flexible program schedule system
that ailows ti~ie cable operator to broadcast full screen displays of program schedule r ~
as we'il as partiai screens of program ;"r~ ..,., together with ~JlU-liUl;U~ and other
commercia~
These as well as other problems and drawbac'lcs of existing electronic program
guides are solved by appliciints' improved electronic program guide channel system and method.
It is a~ an object of the present invention to provide a dectronic
television program schedule system wherein pages and partial pages of program schedule
',.r.... -~;.." fade in and out on the viewer's display.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a system which can
' ,, ' '~/ display a full screen of program liistings or a partial screen of program listings.
Itis a further object of the present invention to provide a system which can switch
between a display of program listings and display of a received video or text message.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a system which can alter
15 the portion of the page dispiay occupied by program listings depending upon the content of a
received message.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a system which can switch
between a full page listing display and partia'i page listing together with a message.
It is a further object of the present inYention to provide a system which can switch
20 between a full page listing display and partia'i page listing together with a message, wherein the
portion of the page used for program listings is determined by the content of the message.
It is another object of the invention to provide a electronic television programguide with variable 1,~1~-~ ' views.
It is another object of the invention to provide a electronic television program25 guide with variable l.i~l~.. ' views that change according to time of day.
It is another object of the invention to provide a electronic television programguide with background views that are determined by current events or events upcoming in the
near future. .
It is another object of the invention to provide a electronic television program
WO 95132585 2 1 9 0 7 4 3 PCT/IJ594/05497
S
guide with l,~ h~ ' views that are determined by current holidays or holidays upcoming in
the near future.
It is a further object of the invention to provide an electronic television program
guide wherein varying grid cell sizes are provided with associated, varying length program
S titles.
It is a further object of the invention to combine an electronic television program
guide channel with an interactive program guide system so as to provide user control over the
display of listings r ~ in an electronic program guide channel c .Iv;lu~
These and other objects of the invention are achieved by an electronic program
10 schedule system which includes a digital receiver amd 1' for receiving and
digital data ~ 1, e.g., via satellite, comprising television program schedule
and promotional material, and a digital playback system for storing the data,
retrieving the data, and forming pages of television program listings and 1 ~ material
for i to viewers via a cable television system. The playback system includes a data
15 processor that stores in a disk storage memory apparatus television program schedule
;"r.." -~;..,. for a plurality of television programs to appear on the plurality of television
channels. The data processor also stores in disk storage memory apparatus ~JIUIIIUIiUll~ material
for display in association with the schedule r " A multimedia generator receives
control commamds from the data processor as well as program schedule r " and
20 ,~JlUIIlULiUIIal i r.... ~ from the memory and displays a portion of the program schedule
r ~ in grid format. The data processor controls the multimedia generator with video
control commamds, issued in accordance with software resident in the data processor to display
program schedule;, ( ... -';.... either in full page format or in partial page format together with
,UlUlllUtiUllo~ In addition, the control commands cause the multimedia generator to
25 fade program listings in and out, alter the bc~ h~ 1~ ' upon which the program listings are
overlaid, and display varying te~tual .1. ~ of television programs so as to fit within a
designated grid cell. The pages are modulated by a cable television channel modulator and
transmitted on a dedicated cable channel to viewers. A television receiver is used to display the
pages by tuning the cable converter box or television tuner to the proper chamnel.
WO 95/32585 2 1 9 0 7 4 3 PCTIUS94105497
In an altemate ' ' t, the disclosed electronic program guide channel may
be combined with an interactive program guide, ,' ' in the cable converter box.
RriPf De~cr~i- n of ~hf~
Fig. 1 is a block diagram showing various . , of a preferred ' '
5 of the invention herein.
Fig. 2a is a flow chart showing one method of operation of master uplink facility.
Figs. 2b and 2c are flow charts showing another method of operation of master
uplink facility.
Fig. 3 is a flow chart showing the process for formation of a ~lUlllULiUll/~l display
lO schedule.
Fig. 4 is a block diagram showing the various ll of a preferred
of the digital playback system of the invention herein.
Fig. Sa shows the layout for the full page display mode of an C..l' ' of the
invention herein.
Fig. Sb shows a simulated full page display of an; b~ ' of the invention
herein.
Fig. Sc shows another simulated full page display of a preferred ~ " of
the invention herein.
Fig. 6 is a flow chart showing operation of a preferred c I " of the
20 inYention herein when operating in full page display mode.
Fig. 7a shows the layout for a ~ ' page display with small ~JlU.~.ULiU
windows.
Fig. 7b shows a simulated promotional page display with small
windows.
Fig. 7c shows another simulated ~IUI IlUI.iUllal page display with small ~IUIIIUtiUll
windows.
Fig. 8 shows a typical sequence of display pages of one ~ ù~ of the
invention herein.
Fig. 9 is a flow diagram showing the sequence of operations of the invention
WO 95132585 2 1 9 0 7 4 3 PCTIUS94/05497
- herein when operating under control of a ~ schedule.
Fig. 10a is a flow chart showing the operation of a preferred e..~ ' of the
title editing portion of the text fit system of the invention herein.
Fig. 10b is a flow chart showing the operation of a preferred ~....bo~' of the
S lr ' y ' r " editing portion of the text fit system of the invention herein.
Fig. lla is an example of the operation of the text fit system.
Fig. 1 Ib is an example of how current electronic program guide channel systems
truncate program titles.
Fig. 12 is a block diagram of an alternate, ~ ' of the invention herein
10 including an interactive electronic program guide.
DETATT-Fn ~E-~(~RTPTION OF T~TF pl~FFERRFn FMRODIMF.~T
S, n t`~ r~ ;nn
Fig. 1 is a block diagram showing various ~ . of the electronic program
schedule system of the illustrated i ' " of the invention. The system includes cable
15 system equipment designated as 10 that is normally located at the head-end of a cable television
system. Preferably there would be numerous llqfinnc of the cable system eiluipment 10
located at various cable system head-ends. Satellite receiver 20 receives digital signals
transmitted via satellite 170. The master uplink installation 100 includes satellite transmitter 160
for i ~ digital data comprising television program schedule ' and IJlU...~JLiUI10l
20 material. It will be understood that there are numerous ways to transfer the digital signals from
uplink 100 to cable head-end 10, including telephone lines and by i ' ~r. the signals to a
storage medium, such as a computer disk or optical storage device. A satellite uplink is a
preferred; ' " as it readily permits 1~ ll to any number of cable systems and
updating of such ' on a frequent or as-needed basis.
All television program schedule and ,UlUll~UI.iUllal data is compiled at the master
uplink installation 100. Data processor 110 processes the various data including the program
schedule listings stored in database 120, channel map data stored in database 130, and the
...",...~;.~,~ l ;"r,." ~ stored in database 140. Text fit data processor 115 provides a
computer system for editing the program schedule listings d ~ - SO that they may fit in
WO 95/32585 ' 2 1 9 0 7 4 3 PCI/t7S94/05497
different size display cells, and is described later. Listings database 120 contains the program
listings for all cable networks, local shtions (including their affiliated network programs), in
addition to pay-per-view events. Because each cable system may carry a particular cable
network on a different channel, listings for cable networks are compiled according to the name
5 of the cable network, as these ~ are common to all cable systems. Listings for local
stations are compiled according to the station call letters and include local content programs such
as news shows, syndicated programs and affiliated network feed programs. In addition, local
cable ~71U~;l~...ll. .~g channels, such as community access channels must also have their schedule
;"r.." ~;,." contained in the listings database. The channel map database 130 contains
10 ;1lru111lcLiùl~ specific to each cable system, such as the number of channels amd the cable channel
onto which each cable network, local station or pay-per-Yiew channel is modulated. In some
cases, networks or cable channels have multiple time wne feeds which must be properly
tracked. In addition, ' relating to shared channels, where cable networks have been
allocated broadcast rights by the cable operator according to the time of day, are stored in the
15 channel map database.
~ ' database 140 includes ~,., ' material to be displayed to
YiewerS in association with program listings. The promotional material, which includes
video/audio clips as well as textual ;11r~711llaLiull7 is digitally stored in compressed fûrmat. This
material has been provided by the program owners as part of the overall marketing effort to the
20 cable consumer, and may be edited by the electronic program guide provider to optimize use
in the system.
Operation of the master uplink facility may occur in two ways as follows. In thefirst, all jnfnrr ~ n is preselected for the cable system at the master uplink 100 and sent as a
complete package of r~ to the local cable system 10. In the second, and preferred
25 method, the local cable system is sent channel map and promotional schedule illru111l~iull only
and then locally filters (captures) the required listing and promotion material from a continuous
feed of all material from the master uplink 100 via satellite 170.
In the first method, data processor 110 stores a list of all participant cable
systems. At a ~71~ ' ' ' time, processor 110 selects a particular cable system and retrieves
wo ss/32sss 2 1 9 0 7 4 3 Pcrlus94los497
the channel map ill-Ullll~iUII from database 130. Using the channel map data, processor 110
extracts from listings database 120 the program schedule ;..r~ ;.... for all cable networks and
local stations in the cable system and matches the listings data with the ~ IU~ ' channel fûr
the cable system. For example, the channel map data would indicate that on a particular cable
5 system the Cable News Network is broadcast on channel 4. Processor 110 would than extract
the program schedule r '' for CNN and assign it to channel 4. Local television station
or pay-per-view channel schedules for the same system would also be extracted in a similar
fashion. Fig. 2a is a flow chart that shows the process of fomming a complete database of
schedule il.rl including program listings, IJlUlllUIiUII~ material, and channel map data
10 for each cable system. After selecting a cable system, data processor 110 retrieves the channel
map for the system and then extracts prograrn listings i r.., .~ for cable networks, local
channels, and pay-per-view events. In addition, pl~ : 1 material is selected based on the
pay-per-view listings. The data is then combined into a cable system specific data file to which
the channel map and promotional schedule for the cable system is added.
Processor 110 stores the schedule for display of ~ t; ' material for each
cable system which includes r ' conceming the date, time, and frequency of display of
the promotional material designated for display on a particular cable system. Based on this
schedule and the pay-per-view listings, processor 110 extracts ~1~ l material from
database 140 for i to cable head-end 10.
Once the processor has compiled all of the data for a particular cable system, the
data is packetized and, together with the address header for the designated cable system, is
uplinked to satellite 170 through digital uplink facility 150 and i antenna 160. The
processor then repeats the above extraction and cnmril~inn procedure for each ~li.,;~lill~`
cable system so that the uplink facility 100 --l "y transmits data for each cable system.
25 The entire process is repeated periodically, as the program schedule and ~ [UI~ iOII
is updated. The frequency of i from the master facility can of course be different
for each cable system. Updates and changes to the program schedule r Illd.liUn are made at
the master uplink facility and then transmitted to the participant cable system. Updates may
occur weekly, daily, or evenly hourly depending on the particular cable system and the
WO 95132585 : 2 1 9 0 7 4 3 PCTIUS94105497
frequency of updates at the master uplink.
In the second method of i to the cable head-ends, only the promotional
schedule and channel map for each cable system is transmitted and received as described above.
This process is shown in fig. 2b. The master uplink cu,,Li..~luL~.ly transmits all cable systems
5 listing and ~u",uLiu"~l ' on a regular basis. The complete listing r " would
be cycled on, for example, a 12 hour basis. Program schedule updates, or new promotional
~ r ~ could be transmitted more frequently, say on an hourly basis. This process is
shown in fig. 2c. The digital receiver 30 then monitors the transmitted digital signals from
master uplink 100 looking for only the cable networks, local stations or pay-per-view channels
10 which it requires for its channel map. This ' is then passed on to the digital playback
System 40 for storage. Real time updates for last minute changes, such as a sporting event
going longer than originally scheduled could be supported in this second method, where it would
be impractical to send them individually to each local cable system using the first method.
Data processor 110 forms a schedule for the display of the promotional material
15 for each cable system as follows: Fig. 3 is a flow chart illustrating the process by which a
~IUI~ULiU~ schedule is formed. First, data processor 110 retrieveS channel map data, national
ulullluLiundl ;~f~ , and local ~ (including the duration and
frequency of ,u,, ) Based on the channel map data, pay-per-view program listings are
reviewed and l ' material for these listings is retrieved. This data is combined with
20 the schedule for repeating promotion cycles, which includes the delay between promotions,
whether a full page of listings or ~,, l ' is to be displayed, the priority of
, and the required play times for promotions. The result is a complete promotionschedule database.
At the cable system head-end 10, reception antenna 20 receives the signals
25 transmitted via satellite 170 and routes them to digital receiver and ~ ' ' 30. Digital
receiver analyzes the incoming data to determine if its address matches the address for the cable
system. When a match is detected, the data stream is routed to digital playback system 40,
which is shown in block diagram form in fig. 4.
Once the schedule, listings and ~lull~uLiull~ll i"Ç has been received by
2190743 P~T/US 94/05497
11 IPEA/US 19 DEC t995
either method, the operation of the electronic program guide is the same.
As shown in fig. 4, digit~ playback system 40 comprises data processor 41, disk
storage system 42, digit~ system 43, r- ~im~A;q generator 44, and bal,~lu
music system 49. Program listings, channel maps and the digitally ~ ~1 files containing
S the plUl~l~iUIl~l material are stored in disk storage system 42. The dat~ processor 41 uses the
received program schedule il.r~ to build a datqbase stored in disk storage system 42.
The stored schedule, ~ ., can be updated on a periodic basis, such as hourly, daily or
weekly, or at any time when changes in scheduling or other factors warrant an upAate. UpAates
are made by i via s. tellite from the master uplink facility. The data processor also
lû includes a system clock 45, DRAM memory 46, ROM memory 47 and UIJIU,w~Ul 48.
Together these elements comprise a computer system which can be ,' ' as a
commercially available personal computer. Operations at the cable head-end are controlled by
software resident on data processor 41 and also stored on disk system 42 for backup purposes.
Data processor 41 retrieves program schedule ;, r-,., ~ from disk storage system 42 just
15 before the time it is to be displayed and stores the data in a~ r ' ly organized records in
dynamic random access memory (DRAM) 46. r~u~uliù~al material is retrieved from disk
system 42, ~' . ' by digital A/~ù,l~l .r~ -, system 43, and sent to the
display generator M according to a schedule resident on data processor 41, which is the
schedule received from master upiink facility 100. Data processor 41 also stores data types such
20 as stored bit maps for the screen ,.- r;r. ,~ ,c and the graphic symbol or logo to be included
on the listings and lJlUlllU~iUll.ld pages.
Data processor 41 supplies the program schedule; r~ to a
generator M including audio switching and video display generating capability, which in the
present e..l~ ' may be a ~ lly available VGA-type graphics and sound card, such
25 as a Rocgen card r ' cd by Roctec. The multimedia generator includes a standard video
generator, which takes the digital program schedule i~rullllaliull sent by data pro~essor 41 and
converts it to an NTSC video format signal in accordance with the bit map for the particular
screen display being presented. M~ im~iq generator 44 is also capable of selecting an audio
source, such as l~l~k~-uu..d music system 49 which in the present f ~'l'-YI'l~ may be a
4~EN~E0 Sl;E~
WO 95132585 2 1 9 0 7 4 3 PCT/US94/05497
12
commercially available music system such as Digital Music Express (DMX). Processor 41
controls which screen display is presented and how it is mixed with the output of the digital
system 43, including both audio amd video signals. The ~ '~ of e~ch
type of screen display is shown and discussed in greater detail below. The multimedia generator
5 44, controlled by commands from data processor 41, cojmposes the pages of listings and
- ' material for display and routes the formatted pages to cable television channel
modulator 50. Subscribers desiring to view the electronic program schedule listings simply tune
their cable television converter box to the proper channel which then ~' ' ' the signal.
The process of receiving and displaying the listings i rl " ", ~;. ,., is not described in detail as it
10 is well known to those of skill in the art.
Prnpr~m ,T ic~ pc p~l~C
One advantage of the present invention is the flexibility it provides in creating the
pages of program listings and ~ u~vI.iu~ r '- , heretofore unavailable in existing
systems. The various display pages generated by the electronic program guide channel system5 will now be described.
r P~EP Dicr1~y r~
When the system is operating in full page display mode, no ~ ' material
is displayed. Fig. 5a shows the layout of the full page display mode of the present system. In
tbe top left-hamd corner, space is provided for display of a product provider (such as TV Guide),
20 cable system or multi-system operator (MSO) logo. Current time is, 'y displayed on
the page. In addition, space is provided for the display of local or national messages. Such
messages may include program listings updates, news flashes, weather ' traffic r '- , local events and the like. Simulated display pages are shown in figs. 5b and 5c.
As is shown in Fig. 5a, program listings are displayed in matrix format, with columns
25 IC~ lg different time slots and rows different channels. Next to each row of channel
listings is the name and number of the channel. In a preferred c ..l~-l;, ..1 of the present
invention, four 30 minute time slots are displayed, the first being the current 30 minute slot, and
eight different channels. Of course, different numbers of chamnels and time slots may be used.
The length of the program determines the size of the cell available for the display of the
WO 9S/32585 2 1 9 ~ 7 4 3 PCTNS94105497
13
program title and other r " For example, a 30 minute program is provided with the
smallest cell and a 120 minute or longer program the largest. As shown in figs. 5b and 5c, if
a program began earlier but continues into a currently displayed time slot, the left side of the
grid box is formed into an arrow pointing toward t'ne left (past) to indicate that the program
5 began at a time not currently being displayed. Similarly, if a program continues into a time slot
in the future not currently being displayed, the right side of the box is formed into an arrow
pointing toward the right (future).
In a preferred; b~ ' of full page display mode, each page of listings shows
~ r ~ for eight channels and is displayed for 10 seconds. After 10 seconds, the page fades
10 out and a new page displaying the next eight channels fades in. In addition, 1~ ' music
system 49 provides 1,,1~1~., ' music during display of the listings pages. A fade-in/fade-out
means for display of the schedule r ~ is am i~ .. over existing systems utilizing
scrolling listings. With the disclosed fade-in/fade-out method, pages of listings remain constant
while they are displayed, eliminating the need for the user to follow a line of listings as it scrolls
15 up or down the screen.
The full page display mode permits rapid display of all program schedule
for the four time slots. For example, in a cable system with 80 channels, it would
take ~ , 1.5 minutes to provide the schedule; ~ for all eighty channels,
assuming the r " for each block of eight channels is displayed for 10 seconds. It will
20 be understood by those of skill in the art that the format of the display, as well as the number
of time slots, number of chamnels, and time of display for each page may readily be varied by
modifying the software that controls the data processor 41. Fig. 6 is a flow chart showing the
process by which the system operates in full page listing mode. Data processor 41 first retrieves
the channel map and initializes the playback system by creating the data structures and
25 initializing the multimedia generator. Next, eight channels are selected for display of listings
data, beginning with the lowest number channel. Data processor 41 then determines the proper
two-hour time window for which listings will be displayed based on the current time. The two-
- hour time window will shift every 30 minutes. The processor then issues commands to the
multimedia generator 44 to create the display based on the eight channels and two hour time
WO95r32s8s ~ ' 2 1 9 0743 PCTIIJS94/05497
14
window. The display is maintained for 10 seconds at which time the next set of eight channels
is selected in numerical order. When a cycle through all the channels has been completed, the
data processor checks the current time to determine if the two hour time window is to be
.
pr~m~i~n~l p~ 3y Mode
As discussed above, disk storage system 42 stores not only program schedule
listings but p-u~1-uliu~ liiUII as well. The promotional ;"r~ ;.)., is accessed by data
processor 41, and converted to audio and a video window by d~u~ c~;ù~l system 43, wbile
the system is in ,u-u---uLiu~31 page mode as described herein. A typical layout for a IJlUlllUtiOII.:I
10 page with small ~IIUIIIUIiUll.~d windows is shown in fig. 7a. The layout is similar to that for the
full page mode, with the exception that there are fewer channels displayed at one time because
the top portion of the display contains a video promotion window and an associated text
window. The video and text windows replace the messages furnished with the full page of
listings. For example, the video window may display a movie clip for an upcoming pay-per-
15 view movie, the text window may contain schedule, price, and ordering ~ for the
movie. Figs. 7b and 7c show simulated ~ n ~ --l page displays with small 1
w~ndows. The same display format may be used for the display of large ~.v.,.uLiu.,~l windows,
except that fewer charmel listings are displayed at the same time. Depending on the desired size
of the video window, data proccssor 41 determines how many channel listings to include on the
20 bottom portion of the screen as to be described in further detail below. In a preferred
t, the same fade-inlfade-out method for changing listings is used while the video and
text windows are . lS/ displayed in the top portion of the screen. The l~lUI~Liu~l video
has a c A ' ~ audio soundtrack which is substituted for the background music by the
multimedia generator during the video playback.
In one . . .~1~ of the present invention the size of the video and text windows
may be an entry in the l~1u...uLiu11~1 display schedule, so that data processor 41 determines the
size of the windows when retrieving the promotional ;"r~ ..,.. Alternatively, the size of the
video and text windows may 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 read by data processor 41 and
wo ssn2sss 2 1 9 a 7 4 3 PCT/US94/05497
indicates that one-half page should be used for display of the video and text windows. The
computer then determines how many rows of program listings to include with the promotion and
selects the proper bit map from memory and issues ~-ul commands to the multimedia
generator 44 for generation of the page displays. It is apparent that much flexibility is accorded
S by this system. For example, advertisers may be charged different prices depending on the size
of the video and text windows.
System OF~ hnn
A typical sequence of display pages as controlled by the data processor 41 is
shown in fig. 8. In the figure, T represents time and ~T represents an increment of time. As
10 shown in fig. 8, at T=0, data processor 41 sends commands to multimedia generator 44 to
produce a full page of listings (channels 1-8). After an increment of time ôT" the listings fade
and at T=T~, listings for channels 9-16 fade in. Similarly, after two more intervals of ~TI, the
display has cycled through the program listings for channels 1-32. At T=4TI, the program
listings fade and instead of fading in a full page of program listings, a ~ page is faded
15 in including a video window, text window, and only four channels of program listings. As
indicated above, the proporlion of the page used for display of program listings may be
determined by data processor 41 based on the header in the file containing the video clip which
controls the size of the promotional video and text windows.
The ul~ ' windows are treated by data processor 41 as messages. When
20 the stored ~lUIIIU~iUI~I schedule indicates it is time to display IJlUlllULiUllal windows, processor
41 sends a message to multimedia generator 44 in the form of a command to display tbe
designated ~ ' windows. The multimedia generator then forms a I ' page by
combining the ~ windows with program listings. The number of channds displayed
is dependent on the size of the ~ll ' windows, as discussed above. The duration of tbe
25 display of the ~l~ ' page, ~T2, may or may not be the same as ~T!. In fig. 8, ~TI is 10
seconds and ~T2 is 5 seconds. Time durations may be determined by the amount of listing
;,.r~ ., that is displayed on the screen. Four full pages are displayed and then six
' pages so that full page listings are shown for 4û seconds followed by 30 seconds
of ~ ' pages and then another 30 seconds of full page listings and so on. In an 80
wo ss/32sss 2 1 9 a 7 4 3 PCTN594/05497
16
channel cable system it thus will require 1vO seconds or d~ 1.5 minutes to display
all the listings. It of course will be understood that any number of variations of this scheme are
possible. For example, the ~ ' video and text windows can be changed after the first
~T2 period. The data processor may also be configured to display ~J~V~I~V~iU..lil windows more
S frequently during peak viewing hours and display different promotional windows depending on
day of the week and tdme of day.
An advantage of the present inven~ion is that full flexibility is provided -- any
number of ~ ' ~ are possible and each cable system may choose to configure the system
differently. The overall logic for .' ~ the commands to be sent to the video display
10 generator by the data processor is shown in the flow diagrdm in fig. 9. After in~ i7~ 1n, the
data processor checks the clock and ~JIv~lu~iolldl schedule to determine if plvlllvLiv~l video and
text windows are scheduled for display. If a promotion is scheduled, data processor 41
composes the p~v~lvLiv.~l page display format and program listings i"~(."- '-.,. If the
~JlVll.~JliV~dl schedule indicates it is time to end a promotion, the data processor composes the
15 full page format and program listings ' The page then fades from the old to the new
display. The data processor then checks the clock to determine if it is time to display the next
group of channel listings. If it is, new channel listings are composed for the same time slots.
If not, the data processor checks the clock to determine if it is time to display new time slots.
If it is, then listings are composed for the new times. Finally, the data processor determines
20 how long to display the current page based on whether a full page of listings or a l~v~lWLi
page is being displayed.
Mood ~ ~" ~
The software resident on data processor 41 may also include a schedule for the
display of varying l,~. h~.~ ' views upon which the program listings are overlaid. The purpose
25 of the IIG~hI;II ' views or "mood" 1~1~,LBIvu~d~ is to help ease the monotony of viewing
program listings. The 1,~,1. ' views are stored as bit maps in data processor 41. For
example, data processor 41 may be ~IIU~ J to issue a command to multimedia generator
44 every morning at 6:00 AM to display a sunrise in the background. The ~ '~, ' may
then be changed: " v'Y throughout the day to, for example, a blue sky or a nighttime view
wo ss/32sss 2 1 9 0 7 4 3 PCT/US94/05497
17
(as shown in figs. 5b and c). The 1,~-~ ' views may also vary by, e.g" day of the week,
month, season, or year. Altematively, the mood IJ,I~ ' may also be adapted to display
scenes that reflect the geographic location of the cable system, or standard scenes such as an
ocean or forest may be displayed. In addition, different 1,~4~.. ' views may be used for
5 holidays and special events, such as Christmas, Fourth of July, Superbowl Sunday, etc. It is
also possible to incorporate 1,..~ ' views that relate to a particular JJlUlllULiUlldl window that
is being displayed.
Text Fit S
One of the novel features of the disclosed invention is the text fit system. A
lû preferred, ...l,s,l;" ~ of the te~t fit system includes an interactive computer program used to
edit the program listings data before it is stored in the program listings database 120 as well as
software resident in the data processor 41. The interactive portion of the text fit system operates
as follows: unedited (or partially edited) prûgram listings, ~ is loaded into text fit data
processor 115. The data includes program titles, program schedule times, duration, category,
15 as well as additional descriptive r ~ dependent on the type of program. For e~ample,
for movies the data includes the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) rating, the
reason for the rating -- violence, nudity, etc., year of the movie, whether it is in black and
white, story line & - and a list of starring actors and actresses.
Fig. 10a is a flow chart showing the operation of the interactive portion of the20 text fit system. Data processor 115 extracts only the program title data which includes
television program titles as well as movie titles, sporting event titles and titles for other special
events. Based on the duration of the program, data processor 115 first analyzes the listings data
to determine what grid size listings are needed for each title. Thus, a two hour movie could
require four different edited titles to fit into each of the four different size grid cells (3û, 60,
25 90, 120 minutes). Data processor 115 then determines how much space is required to display
the title based on its character length. If the title is to be displayed in the program schedule grid
using a LJlUpOI tiUII~II font and character to character kerning, the data processor may also account
- for these factors in ~' ~ the space required to display a title. The space ~ f l---' '~
would then be based on the number of pixels required for the particular ~..-- ', -- -';~ of
WO 95/32585 . ' 2 1 9 0 7 4 3 PCTIIJS94/05497
18
characters in the title. The amol~nt of space available for display of a title depends on the size
of the grid cell which in turn depends on the duration of the program and the present time.
If the data processor determines that a full title requires too much space to fit into
one or more grid cells, the title is then presented to the editor using a suitable display device
5 connected to the data processor, such as a CRT. The editor is then queried to alter the title so
that it will fit in the allotted space. If the title must be edited for more than one cell size, the
editor is queried to edit each of these separately. In a preferred; ' of the interactive
program, the editor is shown in real time, as the title is being edited, whether the edited title
will fit in the designated grid cell.
In a preferred . ~ ' of the disclosed electronic program guide, t vo lines
of text are displayed in each grid cell of the program listings. The title, as edited, appears on
the first line, and if necessary, continues onto the second line. The decision whether to wrap-
around to the second line is based on whether natural breaks exist in the title such as spaces
between words, commas, periods, hyphens, etc. These are standard techniques used in word
15 processing software routines. The editor may also be queried to edit a tide in the situation
where the full title will fit on the allotted two lines, but a hyphen is required because there are
no suitable natural breaks in the title.
Prior to querying the editor to shorten a title, the data processor compares the title
with a stored library of shortened titles to determine if the title had previously been shortened
20 while editing another listings database. Each time changes are made by the editor to a title, the
shortened title is added to the library. It is apparent that this process of building a library of
shortened titles greatly reduces the manual input required.
After all titles requiring editing have been edited, either ~I~rn~^~ lly by
consulting the library or manually by an editor, the listings are stored in program listings
25 database 120 for subsequent i to a cable head-end 10. Upon receipt by a cable head-
end 10, the portion of the text fit system resident on the data processor 41 operates as shown
in the fiow chart of fig. lOb. For many listings, additional space will be available on the second
line and possibly tbe first line as well. This space may be used for the display of rr ~ ~ Y
,,.~." -~ ". in addition to the title of the program. ~ y ~ is displayed
WO 95132585 . - - 2 1 9 0 7 4 3 PCI'IUS94105497
19
according to a fixed set of rules 1~ 0 ' into data processor 41. The rules are applied to
determine how available space in a grid cell is to be filled. For example, for a two hour movie,
there will typically be space available in addition to that required for display of the title,
~u Li~-uLuly when the 90 and 120 minute grid cells are activated. The data process determines
5 how much space is available and fills it according to the ~ 0 ' rules. For example, for
a movie, the data processor will first determine if there is space available to display the MPAA
rating of the movie. Next, the processor will determine if space is available for the year of the
movie and then the characters ~B&W" if the movie is in black and white (not shown in fig.
IOb), and finally, one or more starring actors/actresses in the movie. The --rr ' .Y
10 ' will only be displayed in those grid cells where full titles are also displayed. In this
manner, additional .r1 ~; ' .."~ " will be displayed for larger grid cells. The
process of .' ~ what A I ' y; . r " . - ~ ;. . is displayed is fully automated and thus
the requisite software may be , ' ' at the cable head-end 10. If space is available, the
data processor consults the appropriate data field as dictated by the rules and determines whether
, r.... -~;. ... may be displayed.
This automated portion of the text fit system may be ,' ' as follows:
each time a page is formatted, computer 41 retrieves the listings to be displayed 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 fit the entire title, the listings data will
20 include an edited title for that grid cell. Data processor 41 is ~1~ " ' to retrieve the
longest title that will fit in the designated grid cell. If the size of the cell is sufficiently large
to fit the full title as well as ., ' y ;..r.~ ; - " the text fit system determines what
.,' ~, ' is to be included as the pages of listings; r..., ";.. being
composed. Performing the automated steps at the head-end is a preferred e...l~ ' because
25 it simplifies the data that is transmitted to each head-end. It of course is also possible for data
processor 115 to perforrn tbese automated steps as well amd thus provide complete grid listings,
including r~ ' , for each required cell size to listings database 120, thereby
- eliminating the need for any text fit functions by processo} 41.
The benefits of the text fit system illustrated in fig.ll. Fig. lla shows an
WO95/32585 ~ ) 2 1 9 0743 PCI'/U594/OS497
example of a grid cell using the disclosed text fit system as compared with fig. I lb that shows
an example of current systems that merely truncate the listing if there is not adequate space for
display of the complete title.
Alt~ t~ F -'
S In an alternate ~.............. l,u,' of the present invention, the disclosed passive
electronic program guide may be combined with an interactive program guide as follows:
subscribers desiring the interactive features in the program guide would be provided a cable
converter box including additional processor and memory f~p~ ifiPC The hardw and
software utilized in such interactive converters can be identical to that disclosed in applicants'
10 two prior, co-pending ,~ ;., titled "Electronic Television Program Schedule Guide System
and Method," filed Sept. 9, 1993 and assigned serial no. 08/119,367, and "Improved Electronic
Television Program Schedule Guide System and Method," filed the sarne date as the present
~rF~ir~finn The disclosure of these two prior ,~ is , ' herein by reference.
Depending on the desired r ' - 1 ",y of the interactive portion of the guide, the processor and
15 memory ., . , of the converter box may be reduced accu~ . A block diagram of
one possible . ' of the interactive portion of the guide is shown in fig. 12.
Fig. 12 shows an interactive cable converter box 200 including memory 210.
Program schedule ' could then be .lu.. ' ' and stored in the converter box
memory 210 and displayed on the television receiver in overlaying l~laliu.~ J with the
20 electronic program guide channel display being broadcast on a dedicated cable channel. Thus,
the display ~..v;., of the disclosed guide charmel can be retained, but the listings portion
of the guide controlled locally by the subscriber's converter box. In this manner, the video-
dominant features of the guide channel are retained, such as the promotional video clips.
The same method for display of program listings disclosed in applicants' above
25 referenced co-pending application may be utilized for user control of the listings display in the
present invention. Referring again to fig. 12, a III_IU~ VI 220, operating according to
user-control commands, selects program schedule; r.... ~ for a plurality of television
channels from memory 210. The program schedule ' may be digitally transmitted
to the subscriber's converter box in any of a number of ways, such as in the vertical blanking
WO 9S/32S85 2 1 9 0 7 4 3 PCTIUS94/05497
21
interval of the broadcast signal of the program guide channel. The listings; . r ,. . " ~ ;. ,. " along
with cu,.. r ~' ~, display mode control; r ." ';.~., from the electronic program guide channel
is received by data receiver 215, and then processed by U~ /U~ Ul æo. In addition, the
application software for ,' or updating the interactive portion of the electronic
5 program guide may also be transmitted from the cable head-end to ~ ~ih~c The cable
converter box at the viewer location will not be described in detail as such apparatus are known.
For example, the, . shown ~- h~ y in fig. 12 may be ,' ' in a
commercially available converter box, such as the model 8600x r ' ~ by Scientific
A~anta, for example. It will be understood by those skilled in the art that any number of other
10 commercia~ly available cable converter boxes may be used as well.
Operation of the combined guide channel/ interactive electronic program guide
is as follows. The o~ Ol issues control commands to video display generator (VDG)
230 based on user inputs. The VDG includes a standard RGB video generator 235, which takes
the digital program schedule r ~ sent by ~ r~l 220 and converts it to an RGB
15 format in accordance with a bit map for the screen display. VDG 230 includes a Video Overlay
Device 240, which accepts the RGB video input, as well as the video (program guide channel)
signal from the tuner/ ~' ' ' 245 of cable converter box 200, which is supplied in
standard NTSC video format. The overlay device 240 converts and combines the RGB signal
with the signal from the tuner/ ' ' ' , and produces a composite NTSC output signal
20 containing both the original video signal from the program guide channel and the interactive
program schedule r ' as controlled by the user. This composite video signal is supplied
to a modulator 250, shown in fig. 12, and then to the television receiver 260, which the user
keeps tuned to the modulated channel, for example, channel 3 or 4.
The advantage of the above program guide channel/ interactive electronic program25 guides is that it combines the advantage of a guide channel system -- the video features including
' video clips -- with the benefit of user control over display of selected program
schedule illr, as opposed to waiting for the desired illru, Illdli~JII to appcar. This may be
achieved with only limited additional processor and memory IC-IU;II ' in the converter box.
In one such; ' ' of the combined program guide channel/ interactive program guide,
WO 9S/32585 2 1 ~ 0 7 4 3 PCTIUS94/05497 ~
22
the program listings may be displayed 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 manually scroll the grid so as to control the channels being
displayed. In addition, the viewer may also use the remote control to issue commands to shift
5 the grid to the right to view future time slots.
The form and content of a particular computer program to implement the
irlvention disclosed herein will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art of video system
,, g and graphic display based on the description contained herein and associated flow
diagrams. It will also be appreciated by those skilled in the art that there can be departure from
10 the specific r~ of the invention described herein without departing from the true scope
of the claims appended hereto.
