The disclosed embodiments relate generally to the presentation of multimedia events scheduling information, and in particular, to a system and method of searching and presenting results related to multimedia events scheduling information.
Many web pages provide a schedule of upcoming programs of televisions shows, and many of those web pages display the schedule of upcoming shows on a grid having a horizontal axis and a vertical axis. Typically, the horizontal axis of the grid corresponds to time (e.g., time of the day, days of the week, etc.) and the vertical axis corresponds to television channels. A typical way to navigate through this grid is by scrolling horizontally in time to past or future shows and by scrolling up and down to view different channels.
Many times, if a user wants to search for a television show on some of these web pages, no search engine is provided, and therefore the search must be performed manually by scrolling the program grid until either a user-sought item is found or the user gives up in frustration. Furthermore, when a search engine is provided, the search results appear as a list of televisions shows that correspond to the search query.
In accordance with some embodiments a computer implemented method, performed by a computer system having one or more processors and memory storing one or more programs for execution by the one or more processors, is provided. The method comprises presenting information representing a plurality of time-bounded events in (i) a first grid and (ii) a second grid. The first grid has a first size and represents a first set of time-bounded events in the plurality of time-bounded events. The second grid has a second size smaller than the first size and represents a second set of time-bounded events in the plurality of time-bounded events. The second set of time-bounded events includes a greater number of time-bounded events than the first set of time-bounded events.
In some embodiments, the information representing a plurality of time-bound events is responsive to a search query, and the search results of the search query are presented in the second grid and a subset of the search results is presented in the first grid using a predefined scheme for visually identifying the search results and a subset of the search results. In some such embodiments, the predefined scheme is a color scheme for displaying different subsets of the search results using different colors. In some such embodiments, the predefined scheme is a highlighting scheme for displaying different subsets of the search results using highlighting methods.
In some embodiments, the information representing a plurality of time-bound events is responsive to a search query. In some such embodiments, the search results are presented in the second grid using a predefined scheme for visually distinguishing the search results in accordance with relevance to the search query and events presented in the first grid that correspond to the search results are visually distinguish in accordance with the predefined scheme. In some such embodiments, the predefined scheme includes visual distinctions between search results having different levels of relevance.
In some embodiments, the plurality of time-bounded events comprises scheduled presentations of multimedia content. In some embodiments the plurality of time-bounded events comprises television shows scheduled for broadcast in a predefined time period. In some embodiments, an axis of the first grid corresponds to television channels and an axis of the second grid corresponds to time.
In some embodiments, the plurality of time-bounded events comprises data resulting from a search of a database in accordance with a search query. In some such embodiments, the search query is a user specified search query. In some such embodiments, the search query comprises a predefined search query.
In some embodiments, the method further comprises responding to a user action of hovering a pointer over time-bounded event displayed in the second grid by displaying additional information corresponding to the time-bounded event. In some embodiments, the method further comprises acquiring additional data from a server corresponding to the displayed additional information.
Another aspect of the present disclosure provides a system for presenting information representing a plurality of time-bounded events, comprising memory, one or more processors, and one or more modules stored in memory and configured for execution by the one or more processors. The one or modules comprising instructions for presenting the information representing the plurality of time-bounded events in (i) a first grid and (ii) a second grid. The first grid has a first size and represents a first set of time-bounded events in the plurality of time-bounded events. The second grid has a second size smaller than the first size and represents a second set of time-bounded events in the plurality of time-bounded events. The second set of time-bounded events includes a greater number of time-bounded events than the first set of time-bounded events. In some embodiments, the information representing a plurality of time-bound events is responsive to a search query, where the search results of the search query are presented in the second grid and a subset of the search results is presented in the first grid using a predefined scheme for visually identifying the search results and a subset of the search results. In some embodiments, the predefined scheme includes visual distinctions between search results having different levels of relevance. In some embodiments, the plurality of time-bounded events comprises scheduled presentations of multimedia content. In some embodiments, the plurality of time-bounded events comprises television shows scheduled for broadcast in a predefined time period. In some embodiments, an axis of the first grid corresponds to television channels and an axis of the second grid corresponds to time. In some embodiments, the plurality of time-bounded events comprises data resulting from a search of a database in accordance with a search query. In some embodiments, the search query is a user specified search query. In some embodiments, the search query comprises a predefined search query. In some embodiments, the one or more modules further include instructions for responding to a user action of hovering a pointer over a search result of the second grid by displaying additional information corresponding to the time-bounded event. In some embodiments, the one or more modules further comprise instructions for acquiring additional data from a server corresponding to the displayed additional information.
Another aspect of the present disclosure provides a non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing one or more programs for execution by one or more processors of a computer system for presenting information representing a plurality of time-bounded events. The one or more programs comprising instructions for presenting the information representing the plurality of time-bounded events in (i) a first grid and (ii) a second grid. The first grid has a first size and represents a first set of time-bounded events in the plurality of time-bounded events. The second grid has a second size smaller than the first size and represents a second set of time-bounded events in the plurality of time-bounded events. The second set of time-bounded events includes a greater number of time-bounded events than the first set of time-bounded events.
Like reference numerals refer to corresponding parts throughout the drawings.
The client 102 may be any of a number of devices (e.g. a computer, an internet kiosk, a personal digital assistant, a cell phone, a desktop computer, or a laptop computer) and can include a client application 112 that permits a user to view web pages 114 or other documents or information. The client application 112 may be a software application that permits a user to interact with the client 102 and/or network resources to perform one or more tasks. For example, the client application 112 may be a web browser (e.g., Firefox, Internet Explorer or Safari) or other type of application that permits a user to search for, browse, and/or use resources, such as one or more web pages 114, on the client 102 and/or accessible via the communication network 104.
The communication network 104 may be a local area network (LAN), a metropolitan area network, a wide area network (WAN), such as an intranet, an extranet, or the Internet, or any combination of such networks. It is sufficient that the communication network 104 provides communication capability between the clients 102 and the server 106. In some embodiments, the communication network 104 uses HyperText Transport Protocol (HTTP) to transport information using the Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP). The HTTP permits client computers to access various resources available via the communication network 104. The various embodiments of the invention, however, are not limited to the use of any particular protocol. The term “resource” as used throughout this specification refers to any document, object, information item, set of information, or service that is accessible via a Uniform Resource Locator (URL) and can be, for example, a web page, a text or word processing document, an email message, a transcribed voice message, a database, an image, a computational object, or other type of file.
The process 200 may comprise operations that occur simultaneously. One of these operations steps is to present a subset of a collection of data on a first grid having a first axis and a second axis 204. The first axis corresponds to units of time, and the collection of data includes data representing time-bounded events. Examples of time-bounded events are television programs, movies (e.g., movies broadcast by television signal, satellite or cable), and sporting events (e.g., sporting events broadcast by television signal, satellite or cable) that have a scheduled start time and duration. A second operation is to present a second grid having first and second axes that correspond to the first and second axes of the first grid 206. The second grid corresponds to a larger portion of the collection of data than the subset that is presented on the first grid. In other words, the second grid displays a larger portion of the collection of data. However, even the second grid may display a subset of the collection. A third operation is to present a user-movable window for selecting a portion of the second grid and for selecting the subset presented on the first grid in accordance with a current position of the window 208.
In some embodiments, if a landing page is already opened or if search results are already presented (e.g., in a search results page), the process 200 may begin by a user-initiated movement of the movable window in the second grid, or a new user-initiated search 210. The user-movable window is within the second grid and movable in any planar direction within the second grid. As the user-movable window is moved within the second grid, the events being displayed on the first grid change accordingly. In other words, the portion that is contained within the user-movable window of the second grid is displayed on the first grid in a larger view.
The main map 308 may be a grid representing scheduled multimedia events being broadcast on a particular day. As illustrated in
As mentioned above, the main map 308 may be a grid representing scheduled multimedia events (also called time-bounded events), such as television shows, being broadcast on a particular day. The information shown on the grid includes basic information (sometimes called “low resolution data” or “low resolution information”) about the scheduled events, such as event names (e.g., show names and/or episode titles for television shows). In some embodiments, when a user hovers a pointer over an event name within the main map 308, additional information (sometimes called “medium resolution data” or “medium resolution information”) may be displayed. Such medium resolution data may include channel, time of broadcast, duration or end time, and a summary or short description of the event corresponding to the user selected event name. Furthermore, in some embodiments, when a user selects an event within the main map 308, another webpage with more detailed information (sometimes called “high resolution data” or “high resolution information”) about the event may open. Additionally, when a user selects an event from results 316 in the list of results in the results panel 310, the detailed high resolution information for the user-selected event may also be displayed. The user may select an event from results 316 by selecting (e.g., clicking on) an event name in the results 316, such as the title of a television show or the title of the television show episode.
A database structure for storing the low resolution data, medium resolution data and the high resolution data is described below with reference to
In the embodiment shown in
The MiniMap 318 includes a dynamic scrolling feature 320, also called a user-movable window. Unlike the scrolling features that are common to typical web browsers or web pages that only move up and down, the dynamic scrolling feature 320 is movable in any planar direction within the MiniMap 318. The dynamic scrolling feature 320 is used to select portions of the MiniMap 318 to be displayed in a larger view on the main map 308. As illustrated in
In some embodiments, a user may enter a search term in the search field 306. The search conducted is a search for multimedia events, such as television shows, occurring within a predefined time period. The search results are displayed as a list of results 316 in the results panel 310. The search results are also highlighted within both the main map 308 and the MiniMap 318. The term “highlight” is used here to mean displaying in a visually distinctive manner, such as changing one or more of the following: background color, changing background fill pattern, bolding, underlining, font color, font, etc. Furthermore, the term “highlight” means generating formatting information for displaying something (e.g., a specified portion of text) in a distinctive manner.
For example, if a user wants to perform a search for comedy shows, the user would enter “comedy” in the search field 306 and select search button 307. The results of that search are displayed in a grid, which shows the schedule of televisions shows being broadcast over a period of time. Additionally the shows that fall into the comedy category would be highlighted on the grid. Optionally, television shows that match the search query may also be listed in the results panel 310. The results of the search are also displayed in the main map 308 as highlighted cells (e.g., cell 322) and in the MiniMap 318 as mini highlighted cells 321. In some embodiments, when a user hovers a pointer over one of the mini highlighted cells 321, corresponding labels are displayed on the vertical and horizontal axes of the MiniMap 318.
In the embodiment depicted by
The embodiment depicted in
It is noted that the main map 308 may be considered to be a virtual window that is positioned over a portion of the collection of data available for viewing. When a user selects an item in the MiniMap 330, the user is effectively selecting a set of events that are then displayed in the main map 308. The time range and the channel or collection range for the main map 308 are updated to include the user selected item in the MiniMap 330. The main map 308 will also display “neighboring items,” that fall within the time range and channel or collection range for the main map 308. Another way to view this is that the virtual window represented by the main map 308 is repositioned over the collection data in response to user selection of an item (e.g., a search result 332 or a related event 334) in the MiniMap 330, even though the main map 308's display position in the web page 302 remains unchanged. In this way the MiniMap 330 is a tool that the user can use to dynamically change and reposition the display of the main map 308.
Additionally, in some embodiments, if a user hovers a pointer over one of the search results 332 or related events 334 in the MiniMap 330, additional information (e.g. medium resolution information), such as event title and time of broadcast, may be displayed.
As shown in
In some embodiments, the main map 308 may show all channels regardless of the search results. In other embodiments, the main map 308 may show predefined channels, such as channels that the user has previously identified or selected, which may be known as the user's “favorite channels.” In yet other embodiments, the main map 308 may show only those channels that contain at least one show that matches the search query.
In some embodiments, the browser extension for displaying multimedia information 424 includes a database manager 426, a display module 428 and a search module 430. The database manager 426 handles information being stored on the local database. The search module 430 is for conveying a search query entered by a user to search engine or other online service, such as the server 106 described elsewhere in this document.
The display module 428 facilitates the display of information on two grids, a main grid and a MiniMap grid, as described above. In some embodiments, the display module includes a main map display module 432, a MiniMap display module 434, a dynamic scrolling module 436, an event information display module 438, and a results panel display module 440.
The main map display module 432 and the MiniMap display module 434 determines how the main map and MiniMap are displayed on the web page. The dynamic scrolling module 436 controls the function of the dynamic scrolling feature 320 of the MiniMap 318. The event information display module 438 enables the display of information when a user selects an event that is displayed on the main map. The results panel display module 440 displays the results of a search query.
As described above, the web interface 108 facilitates communication between the server 106 and the communication network 104 and allows for the transfer of information from the server 106 to the communication network 104 to be displayed on a client application 112 of a client 102. The multimedia events database 110 stores information associated with multimedia events. The server 106 may also comprise a search module 514 for conducting searches of the multimedia events database 110.
In some embodiments, memory 506 includes a query server interface 516. The query server interface 516 receives queries from another server, such as a query server, and returns search results to that other server. For instance, a query server may direct a search query from a user to multiple databases, including the multimedia events database 110, and then send search results from one or more of those databases to the user.
Each of the above identified elements in
Although
Upon receiving a request, such as a search query, from a client, low resolution information corresponding to the request is acquired from the multimedia events database 110 and is sent to the client. The low resolution information is used to display basic information about multimedia events that correspond to the request. For example, the low resolution information sent to the client (or a portion of the low resolution information sent to the client) may be displayed in the main map 308 (
The medium resolution information is data that is displayed when a user hovers a pointer over a television show title that is being displayed on the main map. Therefore, if the medium resolution information for a particular event is prefetched, when the user hovers a pointer over the event title (e.g., a television show title), the medium resolution information is displayed without latency. Medium resolution information may include channel, duration, time of broadcast and other types of information about the television show.
The high resolution information is data that is displayed when a user selects an event title (e.g., a television show title) displayed on the main map 308. In some embodiments, the high resolution information is displayed in an iframe (also called an inline frame) that partially obscures the landing page or search results page, but leaves the landing page or search results page in place in the client application. See exemplary schematic screenshot in
The foregoing description, for purpose of explanation, has been described with reference to specific embodiments. However, the illustrative discussions above are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise forms disclosed. Many modifications and variations are possible in view of the above teachings. The embodiments were chosen and described in order to best explain the principles of the invention and its practical applications, to thereby enable others skilled in the art to best utilize the invention and various embodiments with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated.
This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/496,000, filed Jun. 13, 2012, entitled “System and Method for Displaying and Searching Multimedia Events Scheduling Information” which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/618,653, filed Dec. 29, 2006, also entitled “System and Method for Displaying and Searching Multimedia Events Scheduling Information,” now U.S. Pat. No. 8,205,230, each of which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.
Number | Name | Date | Kind |
---|---|---|---|
5319452 | Funahashi | Jun 1994 | A |
5550576 | Klosterman | Aug 1996 | A |
5623613 | Rowe et al. | Apr 1997 | A |
5793888 | Delanoy | Aug 1998 | A |
6005565 | Legall et al. | Dec 1999 | A |
6025837 | Matthews, III et al. | Feb 2000 | A |
6034677 | Noguchi et al. | Mar 2000 | A |
6034683 | Mansour et al. | Mar 2000 | A |
6064062 | Bohn | May 2000 | A |
6128009 | Ohkura et al. | Oct 2000 | A |
6177931 | Alexander et al. | Jan 2001 | B1 |
6184878 | Alonso et al. | Feb 2001 | B1 |
6222540 | Sacerdoti | Apr 2001 | B1 |
6240555 | Shoff et al. | May 2001 | B1 |
6275229 | Weiner et al. | Aug 2001 | B1 |
6289170 | Nagano et al. | Sep 2001 | B1 |
6301579 | Becker | Oct 2001 | B1 |
6357043 | Ellis et al. | Mar 2002 | B1 |
6499138 | Swix et al. | Dec 2002 | B1 |
6600501 | Israel et al. | Jul 2003 | B1 |
6690391 | Proehl et al. | Feb 2004 | B1 |
6707454 | Barg et al. | Mar 2004 | B1 |
6742184 | Finseth et al. | May 2004 | B1 |
6756997 | Ward et al. | Jun 2004 | B1 |
6769128 | Knee et al. | Jul 2004 | B1 |
6839705 | Grooters | Jan 2005 | B1 |
6943793 | Bowser et al. | Sep 2005 | B2 |
6950989 | Rosenzweig et al. | Sep 2005 | B2 |
6983478 | Grauch et al. | Jan 2006 | B1 |
6996782 | Parker et al. | Feb 2006 | B2 |
7013478 | Hendricks et al. | Mar 2006 | B1 |
7079142 | Chiu et al. | Jul 2006 | B2 |
7188156 | Bertram et al. | Mar 2007 | B2 |
7325198 | Adcock et al. | Jan 2008 | B2 |
7373652 | Bayrakeri et al. | May 2008 | B1 |
7421421 | Newbold et al. | Sep 2008 | B2 |
7454777 | Nishikawa et al. | Nov 2008 | B1 |
7493303 | Newbold et al. | Feb 2009 | B2 |
7505038 | Bell et al. | Mar 2009 | B2 |
7552459 | Klosterman et al. | Jun 2009 | B2 |
7606819 | Audet et al. | Oct 2009 | B2 |
7694236 | Gusmorino et al. | Apr 2010 | B2 |
7698657 | Gemmell et al. | Apr 2010 | B2 |
7788080 | Graham et al. | Aug 2010 | B2 |
7788592 | Williams et al. | Aug 2010 | B2 |
7800615 | MacPherson | Sep 2010 | B2 |
7801784 | Bandman et al. | Sep 2010 | B2 |
7831601 | Oral et al. | Nov 2010 | B2 |
7835543 | Yoshinaga et al. | Nov 2010 | B2 |
7937309 | Bandman et al. | May 2011 | B2 |
7944445 | Schorr et al. | May 2011 | B1 |
8010579 | Metsatahti et al. | Aug 2011 | B2 |
8019155 | Hibino et al. | Sep 2011 | B2 |
20010011373 | Inoue | Aug 2001 | A1 |
20020042916 | Mineyama | Apr 2002 | A1 |
20020044144 | Inoue | Apr 2002 | A1 |
20020052864 | Yamamoto | May 2002 | A1 |
20020067379 | Kenyon et al. | Jun 2002 | A1 |
20020073424 | Ward, III et al. | Jun 2002 | A1 |
20020112237 | Kelts | Aug 2002 | A1 |
20020129368 | Schlack et al. | Sep 2002 | A1 |
20020129376 | Kitsukawa et al. | Sep 2002 | A1 |
20030033296 | Rothmuller et al. | Feb 2003 | A1 |
20030038831 | Engelfriet | Feb 2003 | A1 |
20030113040 | Nishiyama et al. | Jun 2003 | A1 |
20030120373 | Eames | Jun 2003 | A1 |
20030126600 | Heuvelman | Jul 2003 | A1 |
20030149988 | Ellis et al. | Aug 2003 | A1 |
20040002987 | Clancy et al. | Jan 2004 | A1 |
20040004617 | Street et al. | Jan 2004 | A1 |
20040031058 | Reisman | Feb 2004 | A1 |
20040125137 | Stata et al. | Jul 2004 | A1 |
20040154040 | Ellis | Aug 2004 | A1 |
20040255296 | Schmidt et al. | Dec 2004 | A1 |
20040267897 | Hill et al. | Dec 2004 | A1 |
20050057566 | Githens et al. | Mar 2005 | A1 |
20050071323 | Gabriel et al. | Mar 2005 | A1 |
20050076092 | Chang et al. | Apr 2005 | A1 |
20050076361 | Choi et al. | Apr 2005 | A1 |
20050086207 | Heuer et al. | Apr 2005 | A1 |
20050091596 | Anthony et al. | Apr 2005 | A1 |
20050102634 | Sloo | May 2005 | A1 |
20050134945 | Gallagher | Jun 2005 | A1 |
20050144190 | Wada | Jun 2005 | A1 |
20050172315 | Chen | Aug 2005 | A1 |
20050210145 | Kim et al. | Sep 2005 | A1 |
20050228735 | Duquette | Oct 2005 | A1 |
20050235321 | Ahmad-Taylor | Oct 2005 | A1 |
20050273833 | Soinio | Dec 2005 | A1 |
20050278737 | Ma et al. | Dec 2005 | A1 |
20050278741 | Robarts et al. | Dec 2005 | A1 |
20060020962 | Stark et al. | Jan 2006 | A1 |
20060031199 | Newbold et al. | Feb 2006 | A1 |
20060036639 | Bauerle et al. | Feb 2006 | A1 |
20060064716 | Sull et al. | Mar 2006 | A1 |
20060146436 | Goodwin et al. | Jul 2006 | A1 |
20060155757 | Williams et al. | Jul 2006 | A1 |
20060156237 | Williams et al. | Jul 2006 | A1 |
20060156246 | Williams et al. | Jul 2006 | A1 |
20060173824 | Bensky et al. | Aug 2006 | A1 |
20060174269 | Hansen-Turton | Aug 2006 | A1 |
20060195428 | Peckover | Aug 2006 | A1 |
20060253869 | Boyer et al. | Nov 2006 | A1 |
20070005563 | Aravamudan et al. | Jan 2007 | A1 |
20070073894 | Erickson et al. | Mar 2007 | A1 |
20070083522 | Nord et al. | Apr 2007 | A1 |
20070106693 | Houh et al. | May 2007 | A1 |
20070107019 | Romano et al. | May 2007 | A1 |
20070112578 | Randle et al. | May 2007 | A1 |
20070118852 | Calderwood | May 2007 | A1 |
20070157222 | Cordray et al. | Jul 2007 | A1 |
20070157232 | Dunton et al. | Jul 2007 | A1 |
20070250855 | Quinn-Jacobs et al. | Oct 2007 | A1 |
20080022310 | Poling et al. | Jan 2008 | A1 |
20080082578 | Hogue et al. | Apr 2008 | A1 |
20080104058 | Billmaier et al. | May 2008 | A1 |
20080104529 | Cravens et al. | May 2008 | A1 |
20080201740 | Boyer et al. | Aug 2008 | A1 |
20080240560 | Hibino et al. | Oct 2008 | A1 |
20080270449 | Gossweiler et al. | Oct 2008 | A1 |
20080282291 | Henty | Nov 2008 | A1 |
20090033664 | Hao et al. | Feb 2009 | A1 |
20100031193 | Stark et al. | Feb 2010 | A1 |
20100135643 | Fleming | Jun 2010 | A1 |
20100257561 | Maissel et al. | Oct 2010 | A1 |
Number | Date | Country |
---|---|---|
1126701 | Aug 2001 | EP |
1387583 | Feb 2004 | EP |
2003-032568 | Jan 2003 | JP |
WO 2005101842 | Oct 2005 | WO |
Entry |
---|
Google Inc., Communication pursuant to Article 94(3) EPC, EP 07865892.9, Oct. 14, 2009, 4 pgs. |
Google Inc., International Search Report / Written Opinion, PCT/US2007/088246, Apr. 3, 2008, 8 pgs. |
Google Inc., International Search Report / Written Opinion, PCT/US2008/061307, Sep. 4, 2008, 9 pgs. |
Google Inc., Office Action, CN 200780051900.7, Mar. 20, 2012, 4 pgs. |
Google Inc., Office Action, CN 200780051900.7, Oct. 23, 2012, 5 pgs. |
Google Inc., Office Action, CN 200780051900.7, Mar. 24, 2011, 6 pgs. |
Google Inc., Office Action, JP 2009-544203, Aug. 22, 2012, 3 pgs. |
Microsoft Computer Dictionary, Fifth Edition, Microsoft Press, 2002, 3 pgs. |
Number | Date | Country | |
---|---|---|---|
20140115629 A1 | Apr 2014 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
---|---|---|---|
Parent | 13496000 | Jun 2012 | US |
Child | 14136680 | US | |
Parent | 11618653 | Dec 2006 | US |
Child | 13496000 | US |