Patent Application
20050198668
This invention relates to a home entertainment system and a method for its operation and, more particularly, to facilitation of electronic program guide (EPG) functions with respect to the promotion of future television programs in a home entertainment system.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,977,455 which issued on Dec. 11, 1990 discloses a system and process for supplying supplemental information after a user responds to a cue. The cue is provided during a broadcast to indicate the availability of the supplemental information relating to the broadcast. The supplemental information is preferably sent at a later time, although schedule information for the supplemental information is sent with the broadcast. After the user responds to the cue, the schedule information is first stored and is then used to record the supplemental information. In one embodiment, supplemental data is sent in the VBI of the video signal.
According to one aspect of the invention, a current television program displayed on the screen of a home entertainment system includes an announcement or advertisement of a future television program. The availability of an electronic program guide function is signaled during, before, or after the announcement. A command is issued to invoke the EPG function. An EPG database for the home entertainment system includes files that contain information about television programs retrievable by time and channel. The files are linked to each other so information about a future television program can be obtained by accessing a file about a current television program. The information about the future television program is retrieved from the file about the current television program in the database. The EPG function is executed with the retrieved information. As a result, an EPG function can be performed with respect to a future television program without embedding information about the future television program in the television signal.
The invention can be used to perform various EPG functions, including, without limitation, record, watch, details, display time, display channel, display by theme, and Internet connection.
According to an optional feature of the invention, a menu of choices is displayed in response to a command after display of an icon signaling the availability of an EPG function during, before or after the announcement.
According to another optional feature of the invention, a plurality of icons are displayed on the screen to signal different EPG functions, which can be invoked by selecting the corresponding icon.
The features of specific embodiments of the best mode contemplated of carrying out the invention are illustrated in the drawings, in which:
In a specific embodiment of the invention, an icon is displayed on a television screen during a telecast of an announcement or advertisement of a later telecast program or some other type of visual or audio signal alerts the viewer that an electronic program guide (EPG) function can be performed without actually entering the EPG or at least not entering the EPG from the beginning.
For example, if the viewer wants to record on a VCR the program being advertised, the viewer issues an appropriate command from a remote controller, e.g., clicks on the icon with the select or enter key of the remote, and the time and channel of the advertised program are stored in the recording stack memory of the VCR. Preferably, a message is displayed momentarily in a box on the screen to confirm that the function will be performed. If desired a query could also be displayed whether the program should be displayed once or on more occasions, e.g., daily or weekly.
Or, for example, if the viewer wants to see more details about the advertised program, the viewer clicks on the icon and the details are retrieved from the RAM in which the EPG data is stored and either replace the advertisement on the screen or are displayed in an on-screen box. Alternatively, the advertisement could be displayed in a PIP window in accordance with the referenced PCT application.
Or, for example, if the viewer wishes to see what other programs are being telecast at the same time, on the same channel, or with the same theme as the advertised program, the viewer clicks on the icon and the EPG is displayed for the same day and time, the same channel, or the same theme as the advertised program.
If more than one function is available to the viewer, the choice of functions is first displayed in a menu when the viewer clicks on the icon and the function is executed when the viewer thereafter clicks on one of the displayed choices.
A home entertainment system is shown in
Tuner 11 is connected by an intermediate frequency amplifier (IF AMP) 12 to a picture detector (PICTURE DET) 13 and a sound detector (SOUND DET) 14, which produce base band video and audio signals, respectively. The audio signal is coupled by a sound amplifier (SOUND AMP) 15 to a loudspeaker 16. The video signal is coupled by a video amplifier not shown to one input of a switch 18. Sound detector 14 and picture detector 13 are connected to the audio and video inputs, respectively, of a video cassette recorder (VCR) 17. (Alternatively, television signal source 10 could be directly connected to the RF input of VCR 17 in well known fashion, if its internal tuner and demodulating circuitry are to be utilized.) The output of VCR 17 is connected to the other input of switch 18. The output of switch 18 is connected to one input of a conventional picture-in-picture (PIP) integrated circuit chip 19. The output of PIP chip 19 is connected to the video input of a television receiver or display monitor (TV) 20 having a screen (not shown).
An updatable data base of the schedule of program listings of all the available channels for a prescribed period of time, e.g., a day or a week, is electronically stored in a program schedule memory 22, preferably a RAM. Memory 22 is connected to a microprocessor 24 that is configured, i.e., programmed, to control the operation of the described equipment. An operating program for microprocessor 24 is stored in a read only memory (ROM) 26. These program listings typically include for each program the title, a program description (detail), the day of the week, the start time of the day, the program length, and the channel on which the program is transmitted and thus available for reception at source 10. These program listings are retrievable by time and channel. Further, to implement the invention these program listings are organized into files; the files are linked to each other so information about a future television program that is advertised in an earlier television program can be obtained by accessing a file about the earlier television program. The data base can be updated by a data transmission link in the vertical blanking interval (VBI) of a television channel broadcast to the television receiver in well known fashion. A VBI decoder 38 is connected between PICTURE DET 13 and microprocessor 24 for this purpose. Alternatively, the data base can be updated by unplugging memory 22 and replacing it with a memory having the updated data base or by another data transmission link such as an Internet connection or a pager in the 900 MHz band. A viewer input device 28, preferably in the form of a remote IR controller, is coupled to microprocessor 24 to issue commands from the viewer. A video processor 30 is coupled to microprocessor 24. When the viewer wishes to see television program listings, microprocessor 24 recalls a portion of the program schedule data base from memory 22 and couples it to video processor 30, where the program listings are formatted for display. Preferably, the information stored in video processor 30 is a bit map of what is displayed on the screen of television receiver 20. Video processor 30 is connected through a switch 40 to the other input of PIP chip 19. Preferably, viewer input device 28 controls microprocessor 24 by cursor movement on the screen of television receiver 20. To this end, microprocessor 24 and video processor 30 are coupled to a cursor position register 32. (Alternatively, the viewer can select items of information displayed on the screen by keying into viewer input device 28 code numbers assigned to these items.) Microprocessor 24 is also coupled to tuner 11 for channel change, to VCR 17 for play/record selection and start/stop, to switches 18 and 40 for selection of one of their inputs, and to PIP chip 19 for selection of the mode of PIP operation. An Internet connection 42 through a telephone line or bidirectional cable is controlled by microprocessor 24. Microprocessor 24 retrieves the address of the web site to which the viewer wants to connect. Internet connection 42 has the components required for implementing Web TV. The informatioin recovered from the addressed web site is coupled from Internet connection 42 through switch 40 to the one input of PIP chip 19 for display on the screen of TV 20.
In operation, tuner 11 is set to a viewer selected channel by microprocessor 24 responsive to input device 28. During a commercial break in the television program on the selected channel, an announcement or advertisement for another television program to be telecast at a later time is displayed on the screen of TV 20. Transmitted as part of the image of the advertisement is an icon that signals to the viewer that it is possible to link to an EPG function. Alternatively, the icon could be transmitted in the VBI during the advertisement, recovered by VBI decoder 38, transformed into graphic form in video processor 30, and overlayed on the image of the advertisement. (If desired the icon could be displayed immediately before or immediately after the advertisement.) The advertisement designated 50 and an icon 52 are illustrated in
When the viewer issues a command from input device 28, by either pushing a dedicated key or positioning a cursor over icon 52 with arrow keys and clicking an all purpose actuator (enter) key, a box 54 is overlayed over advertisement 50 as illustrated in
If the viewer wishes to extinguish box 50, the viewer selects “8”, the return function.
Other functions not listed in
With reference to the above PCT application, the EPG information about the television programs is retrievable by time and channel; for example a pre-established time list includes addresses that point to show information packages (SIP) for the television programs. Each television program that has an icon 52 includes in its SIP an address pointing to the schedule information, i.e., day, time, channel, and length, of the advertised program to be telecast at a later time, thereby linking the information of the two television programs. If the “record” or “watch” function is selected, the channel is read from tuner 11 and the time is read from a real time clock in microprocessor 24. From this information, the pointer of the SIP for the current television program is retrieved from the pre-established time list. The retrieved pointer permits microprocessor 24 to find the SIP for the current television program, which contains the address pointing to the schedule information for the advertised program. The schedule information is stored in a memory stack so microprocessor 23 can set tuner 11 to the proper channel and turn on the VCR for unattended future recording or turn on the television for automatic future watching at the appointed time in well known fashion.
The program listing files stored in memory 22 could be organized in any number of other ways so long as the information about the future programs being advertised is “linked” to a current program, i.e., can be retrieved when a current program is being displayed with an EPG function signaling icon. For example, the information about the future programs could be linked to the current programs including advertisements by being part of the same file as the current programs instead of being linked by a pointer.
When the record function is selected, a box 56 is overlaid on advertisement 50 as illustrated in
As an additional feature, if the series option is selected in
The menus shown in
If the detail function is selected, the detail (program description) information is retrieved from the SIP of the future program being advertised and displayed on the screen of TV 20.
If the time, channel, or theme function is selected, the channel is read from tuner 11 and the time is read from a real time clock in microprocessor 24. From this information, the pointer or pointers of the desired SIP or SIP's are retrieved from the preestablished time list. The retrieved pointer or pointers permit microprocessor 24 to find the desired SIP or SIP's, from which the program listings for the same time, channel, or theme as the advertised program are extracted and fed to video processor 30 for display on the screen of the monitor in the same manner as the data for an ordinary guide described in the referenced PCT application.
Alternatively, if the time or channel function is selected, the time and channel in a grid guide (reference U.S. application Ser. No. 09/120,488) could be displayed so the viewer can see the other programs available on the same channel or at the same time in a grid guide format. In this case, an advertised program or a program telecast at about the same time or on the same channel can be directly scheduled for recording or watching by using the scheduling capability of the guide itself. (See U.S. Pat. No. 5,353,121, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.)
If the Internet function is selected, the system sets up a connection to a web site where more information is available about the other television program to which the announcement or advertisement relates. The web site address (URL) could be embedded in the VBI of the television signal that carries the announcement, stored at the television receiver in the EPG data base as part of the SIP for the current television program, or retrieved from a central data base via a telephone connection. After the Internet connection is established, as illustrated in
Instead of appearing during an announcement or advertisement, icon 52 could appear during a television program itself. When the viewer issues the command in response to icon 52, a box 62 is displayed on the screen. An announcement or advertisement of the later telecast program appears in box 62. If the viewer is interested in the later telecast program, the viewer issues another command from input device 28 and box 54 (
Instead of an announcement or advertisement of a later telecast program, the announcement could relate to a current program on another channel. This is particularly applicable to a network that telecasts a plurality of programs concurrently on different channels, as is the case in the HDTV environment. The network can thus promote its other program offerings being telecast at the same time. The viewer can record the other program and continue to watch the program he or she had been watching. Thus, the term “future programs” in this specification is used for ease of comprehension of the inventive principles, but this term also refers to a current program on another channel.
Another alternative is to store one or more announcements of a later telecast program or programs while the television set is turned off. After the television set is turned on, icon 52 is displayed on the screen to alert the viewer that there are stored announcements. As the viewer issues a command from input device 28, the announcements appear on the screen, as illustrated in
Instead of a single icon 52 (
The described embodiments of the invention are only considered to be preferred and illustrative of the inventive concept; the scope of the invention is not to be restricted to such embodiment. Various and numerous other arrangements may be devised by one skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of this invention. For example, although a visual icon is preferred, an audible signal could be given to alert the viewer to the presence of an announcement or advertisement. Further, if only the record function is available, the menu of
This application claims priority of provisional application Ser. No. 60/072,396, filed on Jan. 23, 1998, the disclosure of which is incorporated fully herein by reference. The disclosures of the following patent applications are also incorporated fully herein by reference: published International Application WO96/07270 published Mar. 7, 1996; U.S. Application No. 60/053,330 filed Jul. 21, 1997; U.S. Application No. 60/061,119 filed Oct. 6, 1997; U.S. Application No. 60/055,237 filed Aug. 12, 1997, and U.S. application Ser. No. 09/120,488 filed Jul. 21, 1998.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | 09355860 | Aug 1999 | US |
| Child | 10963764 | Oct 2004 | US |
