Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
CA 02444242 2003-10-16
TELEVISION SCHEDULE SYSTEM AND MET~E-iOD OF OPERATION
This application is divided from Canadian Patent Application Serial No.
2,256,691, filed June 13, 1997.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to the field of television schedule guides and
their method of operation. More specifically, i.n one embodiment the invention
provides a method and apparatus for identifying when a particular show is
being
broadcast in a television guide system.
As video entertainment becomes increasingly sophisticated, consumers are
provided with wider eeptions in video entertainment. In addition to
conventional
broadcast television programs, a television viewer may now have access to, for
example, cable television programming, digital satellite service programming,
cable
'15 stereo broadcast, and conventional satellite progra~nzning. Moreover, wiW
in each of
the various transmission media available to the consumer, the number and
variety of
programs is increasing dramatically.
While benefitting consumers through greater selection, the array of
programming available to consumers also presented a certain dilemma.
Specifically,
as the number of programs available to the consumer became large, the process
of
selecting which program to view became increasingly onerous. For example, a
consumer may have access to well over 100 cable television channels. If a
particular
consumer has access to not only cable programming, but also other programming
such as digital satellite service) the process of choosing a program would
have been
daunting.
Accordingly, neva and improved methods of providing program guide
information have been developed for display on the television screen of the
consumer's television. Of particular note, the StarSi.ghtTM onscreen guide
system has
proven to be pioneering in the field of onscreen guide systems. The StarSight
system
provides not only television listings, but also capabilities such as theme
searching,
VCR programming, detailed program information, and other functionality.
CA 02444242 2003-10-16
Recently, additional functionality is suggested in such systems. In one such
system, guide information from, for example, disparate sources such as
satellite
sources and cable sources is combined to form a unified guide. A system
according to
this invention may, for example, eliminate redundant information from such
sources
and provide other functionality.
Significant strides have been made via the StarSight guide system, and in fact
such guide systems are achieving widespread acceptance in the television
industry. As
the complexity of such systems increases, however, still further functionality
is
desired.
SUh~IMARY OF TIIE IN~IENTION
In accordance with one aspect of the invention, there is provided a method for
providing television program information for a viewer. The method involves
displaying a television schedule guide including a listing of a plurality of
television
programs telecast at particular times, receiving viewer selection of a
television
program listing associated with a particular television program, storing the
viewer
selection of the television program listing, and alerting the viewer when an
instance of
the particular television program is added to the television schedule guide.
The method may further involve switching an input of a television unit to a
television signal carrying the particular television program represented by
the instance
added to the television schedule guide.
The method may fiuther involve recording the particular television program
represented by the instance added to the television schedule guide.
Alerting may involve displaying information about the particular television
program represented by the instance added to the television schedule guide.
The
information displayed may include a time and television signal source
delivering the
particular television program represented by the instance added to the
television
schedule guide.
In accordance with another aspect of the invention, there is provided a
television guide system for providing television program information for a
viewer.
The system includes a memory storing viewer selection data and an electronic
program database comprising a listing of a plurality of television programs
telecast at
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particular times, a display, coupled to the memory, for displaying at least a
portion of
the listing in a guide format, an input for receiving viewer selection of a
television
program listing associated with a particular television program, and a
processor,
coupled to the memory, display, and input. The processor includes logic for
storing
the viewer selection of the television program listing in the memory, and
alerting the
viewer when an instance of the particular television program is added to the
electronic
program database.
The processor may further include logic for switching an input of a television
unit to a television signal carrying the particular television program
represented by the
'! 0 instance added to the television schedule guide.
The processor may further include logic for recording the particular
television
program represented by the instance added to the television schedule guide.
The logic for alerting may include logic for displaying information about the
particular television program represented by the instance added to the
television
schedule guide.
The information displayed may include a time and television signal source
delivering the particular television program represented by the instance added
to the
television schedule guide.
In accordance with another aspect of the invention, there is provided a
television guide system for providing television program information for a
viewer.
The system includes a memory storing viewer selection data and an electronic
program database comprising a listing of a plurality of television programs
telecast at
particular times, a display coupled to the memory, for displaying at least a
portion of
the listing in a guide format, an input for receiving viewer selection of a
television
program listing associated with a particular television program, and a
processor,
coupled to the memory, display, and input. The processor includes logic for
storing
the viewer selection of the television program listing in the memory, and
alerting the
viewer when the particular television program becomes available from an
alternate
program source.
A further understanding of the nature and advantages of the inventions herein
may be realized by reference to the remaining portions of the specification
and the
attached drawings.
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CA 02444242 2003-10-16
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Fig. 1 is an overall diagram illustrating a television system in accordance
with
one embodiment of the invention;
Fig. 2 is a typical grid guide used according to one embodiment of the
invention;
Fig. 3 is a display provided to the user when the "when-else" feature is
utilized; and
Fig. 4 is an overall flowchart illustrating operation of the invention.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODI~.1~IENTS
The present invention utilizes television schedule guide information which
may be obtained frorr°~ one or several sources. These sources may
include an
incoming cable line (e.g., on a coax cable), satellite broadcasts, a dedicated
telephone
line (e.g., a twisted pair), and any other medium capable of transmitting a
signal, such
as a computer or modem line. Although the invention will fund wide use in
systems
with only a single source of television signals, such as a satellite system,
the invention
will be illustrated herein primarily in relation to a system where broadcasts
are
received from at least two separate sources such as (1) cable and a satellite
dish, or (2)
two different satellites, ar (3) local cable and digital broadcast sources
(DB~Ss), or (4)
a conventional antenna and a satellite dish such as a DBS source, or (5) one
of the
above sources and an ir~ternet or other computer saurce. The multisouree
schedule
information is sorted and displayed to the user in an organized fashion.
When a user selects a show within a displayed guide, the system reads a
source identifier associated with that show or channel. In the preferred
embodiment,
the system then carries out an automatic switching/tuning process that
switches the
input to the television (either RF or video) to a source device. Exemplary
source
devices include a DBS, a cable box, a television tuner, an Internet access,
etc. The
system then tunes to the required channel far the desired show. Additionally,
the
source identifier can be utilized to switch between various devices
automatically
when unattended VCR programming is desired. Furthermore, when program
information is received from multiple satellite sources and a desired channel
is
selected, the present invention can, in one embodiment, automatically move the
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CA 02444242 2003-10-16
customer's satellite dish such that the customer receives the desired program
from the
associated source. The present invention then tunes to the correct channel.
In creating a merged television guide, a channel map is created which
identifies the channels available on the multiple sources, and identifies
their source.
For example, in the case of DBS/Iocal channel implementations, a channel map
is
created with both local cable and DBS channels merged. The local channels and
the
DBS channels are tagged with a source identifier. This merged guide
information is
used by the system to identify when a particular show is 'to be played, even
when it is
not from the same source as another instance of the same show.
When the user; consumer selects a non-I>BS channel from the guide, the
integrated receiver decoder unit (I1ZD box) for the satellite switches the IRD
to couple
the local cable, for example, to the receiver. The system then tunes the
television
tuner or other tuning device to the required channel. If a DBS channel is
later
selected, the system switches the IRD to couple the satellite receiver/decoder
to the
receiver. The system then tunes the DBS tuner to the selected DBS channel. In
the
case of, far example, cable and antemza inputs, the system switches to the
correct
video input and then tunes the television tuner to the required channel for
receiving
the selected source. Thus, automatic access to mufti-source television
schedule guide
information is provided.
While the present invention is illustrated herein primarily in relation to a
system in which the merged guide is formed at the user's location, it will be
understood that this is only for the puzposes of illustration, and the merged
wide may
be formed at a remote location such as a cable head-end.
Fig. I illustrates in simplified form an example of a mufti-source television
schedule guide system I ~0 with multiple sources connected directly or
indirectly to a
television 12 and/or VCIZ 13. In the embodiment in Fig. 1, mufti-source
television
program and television schedule guide system 1 ~~ operates under the control
of
coordinator 14. Television I2 and VCR 13 are
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CA 02444242 2003-10-16
provided with inputs from cable box 16 and DBS source 18 either directly as
illustrated in Fig.
1, or via coordinator 14. Other inputs 20 may also be supplied to the
televisian and/or VCR
directly or via the coordinator 14. A remote control 22 is used by a viewer to
tune the television
and conduct other operations. In alternative embodiments, a keyboard, such as
a computer
keyboard, is used for input. T'he keyboard may be hard-wire connected or
wireless.
In this embodiment, cable is provided via cable boat 16, and DBS is provided
via IRD box
18. Antennae 24 may be used as additional sources of television broadcasts
along 'with cable box
i 6, IRD box 18, and other inputs 20. In one typical embodiment, antenna 24
and cable box 16
would be considered "local" sources meaning that they lil<;ely contain local
television broadcasts
such as local news broadcasts. By contrast, DBS sources would :not be
considered local because
they would likely not contain such local content.
Other inputs 20 can include multiple satellite sources. When multiple
satellite sources are
I 5 present, coordinator 14 switches between the available satellite sources
by automatically moving
the user's satellite dish or switching between satellite dishes. In order to
automatically move the
satellite dish, a memory within IRD box 18 (or elsewhere) tracks the position
of the DBS satellite
dish in relation to satellite sources which are available via the DBS
satellite dish. The IRD box
18 then automatically positions the DBS satellite dish such that the desired
satellite source is
received by the IRD box 18.
Coordinator 14 includes processor (cPu) 26 and memory (typically RAhiI) 28
that serve
as the primary devices for operating the system. In the case where the various
television signal
sources are provided to the cGOrdinator, the coordinator may also contain
elements such as an
internal tuner, a switching device for switching between :>ources, and other
components. In the
embodiment shown in Fig. i the coordinator is connected to and controls
infrared (IR) emitter(s)
30.18 receiver 31 is connected to coordinator 14 and receives input from the
remote or keyboard
22 to provide the necessary user input to the system. IR emitter{s) 30 can be
replaced by, for
example, a hard wired interface, a bus interface, or an RF tra:nsmitter. The
IR emitter(s) 30 andlor
direct connections {e.g., 31 ) control one or more of IRD box 18., television
12, VCR 13, cable
box I6, and other inputs 20. IR emitter(s) 30 acts as a remote control device
by emulating remote
control signals of television 12, VCR 13, cable box 16, and/or other devices.
Coordinator 14
can, in some embodiments, be placed in, far example, the cable box 16, VCR 13,
television 12,
a satellite receiver or even the keyboard/ computer.
Remote control 22 is a hand-held remote controller for controlling coordinator
I 4. In the
preferred embodiment, remote control 22 is provided with an IR transmitter
which controls the
coordinator via IR receiver 31. Other remote controls, not shown in Fig. 1,
can be used for
manually controlling television 12, VCR 13, cable box 16, IRIS box 18, and
other inputs 20
although, in a preferred embodiment, coordinator 14 performs all the necessary
control functions
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CA 02444242 2003-10-16
of the system. For example, as the user adjusts the volume control on remote
22, coordinator 14
emits signals through IR emitter 30 to adjust the volume in television 12.
IRD box 18 receives television programs along with other information via, in
one
embodiment, satellite dish 32. IRD box I8 and the other sources of television
signals each
provide program schedule information to the system. This program schedule
information (or
guide) may also include a channel map that contains the channel information
indicating which
channels are available on that source. Information associated with the DBS
guide and others is
saved in the IRD box receiver's RAM or downloaded to the coordinator I4.
Similarly,,- program
guide information can be received through cable box I6, other inputs 20,
antennae 24, andlor
through any other transmission medium (e.g., dedicated twisted pair telephone
line). Each of
these sources may also be provided with television schedule data within the
signal transmitted
by the service provider.
I S Coordinator 14 finds and sorts the program guide information available in
system 10.
'Various formats can be used for the television schedule information. For
example, data packets
comprising a simple header section and an information section can be received
and sorted with
other, more complex data packet formats, or a header with source information
can be added. In
the preferred embodiment, coordinator I4 takes the television schedule
information from the
available sources) or a data input line and sorts/mixes it. For example,
coordinator I4 may
receive program schedule information via the vertical blanking interval in a
television channel
or via a transponder for the DBS, or the Internet, and then arrange the
information in an
organized fashion, or perform other c>perations. For example, the system may
eliminate duplicate
channels.
In an alternative arrangement, the sorting/mixing of program schedule
information is
done in a separate location and then provided to system 10, fc~r example, on a
simple satellite
channel. Thus, program schedule information, which has already been mixed,
sorted, organized,
etc., is received in a format which is ready for display. This ready-for-
immediate-display format
can also be provided in a separate data stream via a different medium or on a
television a~hannel.
Fig. 2 is a simplified example of an on-screen display of a schedule grid
guide that has
been assembled from the television guide information. This display may be
presented on a
. television screen, a personal computer that conducts the overall process, or
a television sensor
display generated by a personal computer. In the preferred embodiment, after
coordinator 14 has
collected and sorted all the available program guide information, coordinator
14 generates the
grid guide set forth in Fig. 2 for display on television I2 via, for example,
a direct connection
(not shown} to TV 12 or via an overlay on one of the sources such as cable
source 16. In the
preferred embodiment, the user displays grid guide 40 by pressing a guide
button on remote
control 22. Coordinator 14 responds co the initial pressing of the guide
button by automatically
CA 02444242 2003-10-16
tuning to the channel or device which carries grid guide 40, or overlaying a
grid guide
in a current broadcast. When the user is done with grid guide 40, the user
presses the
guide button again (or an exit button) and coordinator 14 (1) automatically
returns to
the channel or source last viewed by th.e user or (2) removes the overlay.
The grid guide, designated generally with the reference numeral 40, provides a
line up of all channels or a selection of channels 42 along with a description
of the
shows 44 available on those channels at certain times 46. For example, the USA
network is showing BATMAN beginning at 2:00 p.m. A SOAP is shown on NEC
from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m., followed by NEWS. The information may be sorted
and/or filtered by, for example, themes) according to 'Young et al, U.S.
Patent No.
4,706,121.
When multiple sources are used for receiving television channels, an overlap
of channels sometimes occurs. For example, bol:h cable and DBS may carry the
network NBC, but cable may have NBC on channel 6 and DBS may have NBC on
channel 7. By having the ability to delete and activate the channels displayed
in grid
guide 40, the user can determine whether to display one of the NBC channels,
both of
the NBC channels, or neither of the NBC channels. In an alternative
embodiment,
coordinator 14 may automatically note duplicate network names and delete one
of the
duplicates.
The user may utilize the remote control device to move a cursor or other
indicator from position to position in the grid guide:. The cursor may be
indicated by,
for example, coloring the display of the indicated show differently from the
rest of the
shows. In the embodiment shown in Fig. 2, the cursor is directed to GONE WITH
THE WIND and is indicated by cross hatching. In this particular instance the
double
marks to the left of the display indicate that GONE WITH THE WIND has been
playing for some period of time already. Accordingly, the User may wish to
.find out if
the movie GONE WITH THE WIND is showing at other times such that the user may
either automatically record the future presentation of GONE WITH THE WIND,
automatically tune to the future presentation of GONE WI TH THE WIND, or
simply
be aware that GONE WITH THE WIND will be showing at a future time.
Accordingly, the user provides input to the system to indicate that the user
would like to know °'when-else" the show will be presented. This input
may be, for
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CA 02444242 2003-10-16
example, provided by pressing a dedicated button on the remote control, or by
marking a show, toggling the cursor to a "when-else" screen display button 48,
and
striking an "enter" button on the remote control. C>f course a full keyboard
will allow
more versatile operation.
In either event the controller I4 searches the stored schedule information for
other occurrences of that particular show. As used herein, the term
'°particular show"
refers to a specific movie or other unique show. In. the case of a series of
shows (e.g.,
the COSBY SHOW) the term "particular show" will refer to a specific segment or
episode of that show. In the
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CA 02444242 2003-10-16
example in Fig. 2 the system searches for other occuarences~ of GONE WITH THE
WTND and
indicates to the user if, when, and where GONE WITH THE WIND will be played
again. The
particular show may or may not be shown again on the same source of video. Of
course, a
°'show" may also refer to, for example, an FM radio broadcast as well
as a television show.
Fig. 3 illustrates one possible outcome after entering the "when-else'°
button. As shown,
the movie GONE WfITI THE WIND is being played at multiple times in the future.
Specifically,
it is currently being shown on HBOI as the user is probably already aware if
the screen has been
entered from a grid guide generated for the current time. In addition, the
same channel is
showing this movie at 11:00 p.m. on the same day. A different channel, HB02,
is showing this
movie at 11:30 p.m. on the same day. In this particular illustration, HBOl and
HB02 are
provided to the user over the same source of television si;~nals (in this case
a cable service
provider). Accordingly, it is seen that the invention is useful even when only
a single socarce of
service is utilized. The usefulness of the invention is further expanded when
multiple sources of
television signals are provided. In this example, CiONE WIT;~EI THE WIND is
also being shown
on the next Wednesday at 4:00 p.m. on a DSS channel, as well as on the next
Thursday on a
conventional antenna network signal, NBC. Accordingly, urhen a particular show
is played at
different times the user may make use of this information, even when the show
is broadcast over
different sources of television signals.
Still other sources of the particular show (or information about the show) may
be
indicated. For example, in Fig. 4, the guide indicates an "Intem.et°'
source. Toggling to this source
may provide the user with a direct intemet connection that will, for example,
provide information
about the show or download the full show itself. Alternatively, advertising
about the availability
of the show at a video store (Blockbuster) may be provided.
After identifying when a show is to be played the user may conduct any one of
several
operations. In a common case the user will toggle the cursor diown to a
particular instance of the
show, and strike a "record" button on the remote control. The: system will
then tune the VCR to
the proper program at the designated time and record the show. In other
embodiments, the user
will mark the show to be placed in a reminder list. When the time for the show
in the reminder
list arises the system will either tune automatically to that sho,~, or prompt
the user to determine
if the user wishes to have the television tuned to that particular channel. In
other cases, the user
may use the information for the purpose of recalling that he/she wishes to
return to the television
at that particular time.
Fig. 4 is an overall flowchart illustrating operation of the invention
according to one
particular embodiment. In most cases the operation shown in Fig. 4 will be
performed under the
direction of software stored on a RAM, ROM, or other computer-readable memory
such as
memory 28. The data may be stored locally, in an external database, or in a
combination of both.
CA 02444242 2003-10-16
In step 401 the system receives input indicating that the user wishes to
identify other instances
of a particular show. At step 402 the system searches for other instances of
the particular show
beginning at the present time.
It should be recognized that the user may or may not be in a current time
display in a
guide when such input is provided. For example, the user may be scanning a
listing of action
movies that have been generated based on a theme search, and have the cursor
on an instance of
a particular movie one week in tile future. When the user activates the
°'when-else" i~nnction the
system will, in most embodiments, search for all instances of that particular
show beginning at
the actual present time, not the time one week in the future. In this manner
the user may, for
example, identify when a particular movie is showing in the next few hours,
even though theuser
may have his/her interest peaked in a particular show based on a listing at a
distant date.
In some embodiments, sources are searched in the stored guide information to
identi fy
other instances of a particular show. The search may be performed locally or
externally, and
may be based on show identity fields, or on term-based. searching, or a
combination of the two.
After the other instances of that particular show have been identified, a
display is generated at
step 404 that includes a listing of the other instances of the particular
show. If none are
identified, the display can either contain no such listings, or indicate
specifically to the user that
no such listings have been identified.
Thereafter, at step 406 the user may perform any one of a wide variety of
functions.
Commonly the user may toggle down to an instance of the show, and strike a
record button, or
otherwise select the show for recordation. In other cases the user may simply
return to the
previous guide listing. In still other cases the user may toggle down to an
instance of the show,
and mark it for a future reminder to be generated for the user when that
instance of the show
arises. In still further embodiments, the system may store the request and,
even if no other
instances of the particular show are presently in the guide, provide alerts to
the user when
instances of the show are added to the guide.
The above description is illustrative and not restrictive. Many variations of
the invention
will become apparent to those of skill in the art upon review of this
disclosure. Merely by way
of example the invention has been illustrated primarily with regard to
multiple source guide
systems, 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.
.g_
