Computer graphics processing and selective visual display system – Display driving control circuitry – Controlling the condition of display elements
Reexamination Certificate
1997-07-08
2001-07-17
Miller, John W. (Department: 2711)
Computer graphics processing and selective visual display system
Display driving control circuitry
Controlling the condition of display elements
C348S014160, C348S901000, C455S001000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06262722
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to video systems, and more particularly, to navigation in interactive television program guide systems.
Cable, satellite, and broadcast television systems provide viewers with a large number of television channels. Viewers have traditionally consulted printed television program schedules to determine the programs being broadcast at a particular time. More recently, interactive electronic television program guides have been developed that allow television program information to be displayed on a viewer's television.
Interactive program guides allow users to access television program listings in different display formats. For example, a user may desire to view a grid of program listings organized in a channel-ordered list. Alternatively, the user may desire to view program listings organized by time, by theme (movies, sports, etc.), or by title (i.e., alphabetically ordered). Other program guide options allow the user to set favorite channels, program a videocassette recorder, set an automatic timed reminder, or order pay-per-view movies. Numerous other program guide options are generally available in a typical interactive program guide.
Program guide options are presented to the user through a series of linked menus. The user makes menu selections by pressing an “enter” or “select” button on a remote control. However, because so many program guide options are typically available, interactive program guide menu structures have many nested layers and are quite complex. As a result, the user may have difficulty navigating through the menu structure of the guide without becoming confused.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an interactive television program guide with an improved logical structure that facilitates navigation through the guide.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
This and other objects of the invention are accomplished in accordance with the principles of the present invention by providing an interactive program guide system in which a logically flat navigator structure is used to provide access to program guide options. The navigator structure has a number of selectable program guide categories, each of which corresponds to a fairly broad range of program guide services. For example, one program guide category might relate to television program guide listings and another program guide category might relate to digital services. Because the program guide categories are broad, all of the available features of an interactive television program guide may be organized using only a few (e.g., five to ten) such program guide categories. Each program guide category has associated program guide options. For example, the program guide category “television program guide” might have selectable program guide options for “by time,” “by channel,” or “themes,” television program listings display options.
Only some of the available program guide categories are typically displayed at a single time to avoid visually cluttering the display screen. For example, three program guide categories may be displayed in a straight line across the top of the user's display screen. Similarly, there is a limit to the number of selectable program guide options that are typically displayed at a time. Although a given program guide category may have ten associated selectable program guide options, only six of those selectable program guide options are preferably displayed at the same time.
To avoid visual clutter, the system preferably displays only the selectable program guide options associated with a single centrally-displayed program guide category. The program guide options are arranged directly beneath the central program guide category in a horizontally-centered straight line that is perpendicular to the line of program guide categories.
Navigation may be controlled using a remote control with a pair of vertical cursor keys and a pair of horizontal cursor keys. A highlight region defines the user's current location within the selectable program guide options. Pressing a vertical cursor key moves the highlight region within the program guide options (e.g., by scrolling or paging the program guide options). Pressing a horizontal cursor key causes a new set of program guide options and a new associated program guide category to be displayed in the horizontally central position of the screen. Program guide categories and their associated selectable program guide options may be organized in the form of a logically continuous horizontally-linked loop, so that the user can shift continuously through all of the program guide categories and selectable program guide options with the horizontal cursor keys.
If desired, additional columns of selectable program guide options may be displayed adjacent to the single column of selectable program guide options displayed under the central program guide category. To avoid visual clutter and to focus the attention of the user on the currently available program guide options, the additional columns of selectable program guide options are preferably displayed with a diminished visibility relative to the centrally displayed program guide options.
Further features of the invention, its nature and various advantages will be more apparent from the accompanying drawings and the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments.
REFERENCES:
patent: 5523796 (1996-06-01), Marshall et al.
patent: 5585866 (1996-12-01), Miller et al.
patent: 5589892 (1996-12-01), Knee et al.
patent: 5623613 (1997-04-01), Rowe et al.
patent: 5686954 (1997-11-01), Yoshinobu et al.
patent: 5781246 (1998-07-01), Alten et al.
patent: 5822123 (1998-10-01), Davis et al.
patent: 5850218 (1998-12-01), LaJoie et al.
patent: 6122011 (2000-09-01), Dias et al.
patent: WO 95/32587 (1995-11-01), None
patent: WO 96/41478 (1996-12-01), None
patent: WO 97/13368 (1997-04-01), None
patent: WO 98/37694 (1998-08-01), None
VideoGuide Inc., VideoGuide User's Manual, p. 13, 1995.
Declaration of Donald W. Allison dated Feb. 9, 2000.
“Getting Started With Prevue Interactive—The On-Screen Program Guide for DCT 1000,” Prevue Interactive (Feb. 1997).
“Prevue Interactive—Reference Guide DCT 1000—Version 1.2,” Prevue Networks (1996).
“Prevue Interactive—Installer's Guide—DCT 1000,” Prevue Networks, Inc. (1996).
“Microsoft Windows 3.0 User's Guide,” Microsoft Corp., pp. 1-41, 1985-1990.
Video tape of VideoGuide product demonstration, VideoGuide Model VG-1701, VideoGuide, Inc., 6 mins, 1995.
Allison Donald Wayne
Herrington Walter Benjamin
Williamson Steven Carl
Byrne Matthew T.
Fish & Neave
Miller John W.
United Video Properties, Inc.
LandOfFree
Interactive program guide navigator menu system does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Interactive program guide navigator menu system, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Interactive program guide navigator menu system will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-2547306