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`08/29.97 flflvapfi
`
`7 5 7 6 4 3 3
`"Exr.9rr=.s.= Mall" mailing label number
`1 9 9 4
`Date of Deposit August 3 1 I
`I hereby csrtifv ma! this panel’ or fee ls twin? dsflfifiifcd with the
`""'“°-rd 313685 Pnsfaf Service “Express Mail Post office to Addressee"
`S&,"V1Cf'. under
`37/475°. 1.10 on the date indicafed above and Is
`findtggenssgfzéitrizofs -Commisslnner of Patents
`(1 Trademarks, Wash-
`
`
`
`_
`
`27154/LTR
`METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR FACILITATING CHANNEL GRAZING
`
`10
`
`Background of the Invention
`This invention relates to the field of television and
`
`more particularly to
`
`a method
`
`and
`
`apparatus
`
`for
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`15
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`facilitating channel grazing by television viewers.
`
`For a number of years television receivers have been
`equipped with picture—in—picture (PIP) capability:
`In PIP
`
`format,
`
`the moving,
`
`real
`
`time images of one television
`
`channel are displayed on the background of the screen and
`
`20
`
`the moving, real time images of another television channel
`
`are displayed in a PIP window overlaid on a small area of
`
`the background. Because two channels are simultaneously
`
`displayed. by the television receiver,
`
`two tuners are
`
`required.
`
`The viewer enters the PIP mode by pressing a
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`25
`
`PIP key of his or her controller.
`
`Then,
`
`the viewer can
`
`change either the channel of the background or the channel
`
`of the PIP by resetting the appropriate tuner. To reverse
`
`the background and PIP images,
`
`the viewer simply presses
`
`a SWAP key.
`
`To collapse the PIP window,
`
`the viewer again
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`30
`
`presses the PIP key.
`
`Television program guides help television viewers
`
`Such television program guides
`select programs to watch.
`list the available television programs by day of the week,
`
`time of day, channel, and program title.
`
`For many years
`
`35
`
`television program guides have been published in hard copy
`
`form.
`
`More
`
`recently’ as
`
`illustrated.
`
`by‘ Levine Patent
`
`4,908,713, television program guides have begun to take an
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`electronic form.
`
`In other words,
`
`the schedule of program
`
`listings is stored in an electronic memory connected to
`
`the
`
`television receiver.
`
`The program listings are
`
`recalled from memory by the viewer on command for display
`on the television screen.
`
`Despite the prevalence of television program guides,
`
`many viewers still make
`
`their program selections by
`
`switching the television tuner from channel to channel and
`
`observing on the screen what program is being received on
`
`l0
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`the respective channels. This process is sometimes called
`
`"grazing."
`
`Emanuel Patent 5,161,019 discloses an automated form
`
`of channel grazing.
`
`A preselected group of channels are
`
`l5
`
`the
`tuner of
`switching the
`sequentially scanned by
`television receiver from channel
`to channel.
`A still
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`30
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`35
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`image of the program received on each channel is stored in
`
`a memory. After all the channels have been scanned,
`
`the
`
`still images
`
`from all
`
`the channels are simultaneously
`
`displayed on the television screen.
`
`This process gives
`
`the viewer more information about the program choices in
`
`addition to that obtainable from a television program
`
`guide, namely,
`
`the displayed still images of the actual
`
`programs.
`
`Summary of the Invention
`
`According to the invention,
`
`to facilitate channel
`
`grazing, a television viewer uses a PIP format for display
`
`of current
`
`television program listings frmm a program
`
`schedule data base in the background and moving, real time
`
`images of a program selected from the displayed listings
`
`in the PIP window.
`
`Specifically, as the viewer selects
`
`a particular program from the displayed current television
`
`program listings by means of a cursor or a code number,
`
`the corresponding program automatically appears in the PIP
`
`window.
`
`In.
`
`this way,
`
`the user can channel graze by
`
`sequentially selecting the individual program listings in
`
`the background. When the user finds a program that the
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`-2-
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`

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`user wishes to watch,
`
`the user can reverse the background
`
`and PIP window and then-collapse the window,
`
`leaving the
`
`desired program on the screen.
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`Brief Description of the Drawings
`
`The features of a specific embodiment of
`
`the best
`
`mode contemplated of carrying out
`
`the invention are
`
`illustrated in the drawings,
`
`in which:
`
`FIG.
`
`1 is a schematic block diagram of a television
`
`receiver incorporating the principles of the invention;
`and
`
`FIG. 2 is a screen of a television receiver formatted
`
`in accordance with the principles of the invention.
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`Detailed Descri tion of a S ecific Embodiment
`
`In FIG.
`
`1 a source of television signals 10 such as
`
`a terrestrial antenna, a satellite antenna, or a cable is
`
`The output of tuner
`connected to a television tuner 12.
`12 is a video signal,
`i.e.,
`a base band or unmodulated
`
`signal, coupled to the video input of a video cassette
`
`recorder‘
`
`(VCR)
`
`60.
`
`(Alternativelyy television signal
`
`source 10 could be directly connected to the RF input of
`
`VCR 16,
`
`if its internal tuner is to be utilized.)
`
`Tuner
`
`12 is directly connected to one input of a switch 14 and
`
`is connected to the other input of switch 14 through VCR
`
`60.
`
`The output of switch 14 is connected to one input of
`
`a conventional.picture—in—picture (PIP) integrated circuit
`
`chip 18.
`
`The output of PIP chip 18 is connected to the
`
`video input of a television receiver or monitor 20 having
`a screen (not shown).
`
`A data base of the schedule of program listings of
`
`all
`
`the available channels for a prescribed period of
`
`time, e.g. one week are electronically stored in a program
`
`schedule memory 22.
`
`These program listings typically
`
`include for
`
`each. program the title,
`
`a brief program
`
`description,
`
`the day of the week,
`
`the time of the day, and
`
`the channel on which the program is transmitted and thus
`
`available for
`
`reception. at
`
`source 10.
`
`Memory
`
`22
`
`is
`
`connected to a microprocessor 24 that
`
`is programmed to
`
`control
`
`the operation of
`
`the described equipment.
`
`An
`
`operating program for microprocessor 24 is stored in a
`
`read only memory (ROM) 26.
`
`A viewer
`
`input device 28,
`
`preferably in the form of a remote IR controller,
`
`is
`
`coupled to microprocessor 24 to provide commands from the
`
`viewer. A video processor 30 is coupled to microprocessor
`
`24. When the viewer wishes to see television program
`
`listings,
`
`ndcroprocessor 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. Video processor 30 is connected to
`
`the other input of PIP chip 18. Preferably,
`
`input device
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`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 24 code numbers assigned
`
`to these items.) Microprocessor 24 is also coupled to
`
`tuner 12 for channel change,
`
`to VCR 16 for play/record
`
`selection and start/stop,
`
`to switch 14 for selection of
`
`one of its inputs, and to PIP chip 18 for selection of the
`
`mode of PIP operation.
`
`In FIG. 2,
`the screen format comprises a background
`area 40 and an overlaid PIP window 42 in the upper right
`hand corner of the screen. Background area 40 includes a
`
`program description area 44 in the upper left hand corner
`
`of
`
`the screen adjacent
`
`to PIP window 42 and a program
`
`schedule area 46 in the form of a time—channel grid below
`
`areas 42 and 44. Both of these areas of the background
`
`are formatted in video processor 22.
`
`The channel numbers
`
`or names are displayed in a column on the left side of
`
`area 46 and the time of day is displayed in a row at the
`
`top of area 46. By means of a key on input device 28 such
`
`as
`
`an arrow key,
`
`the viewer
`
`can move
`
`a cursor
`
`48
`
`Vertically to highlight the title of one of the currently
`
`playing television programs displayed on area 46. When
`
`the cursor reaches the top or bottom of the grid in area
`
`46, microprocessor 24 recalls further program listings
`
`from program schedule memory and video processor
`
`30
`
`formats these program listings so further channels either
`
`above "HBO" or below "Disc" in the program schedule layout
`
`can be displayed. Moving, real time images of the current
`
`television program highlighted by cursor 48 are displayed
`
`in PIP window 42
`
`highlighted program is displayed in area 44.
`
`the
`and the program description. of
`The PIP
`
`display and the program description in area 44 enable the
`viewer‘
`to assess better whether or not
`to watch the
`
`highlighted. program.
`
`As
`
`the viewer moves cursor 48
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`vertically from channel to channel, the current television
`
`program displayed in.window 42 and the program description
`
`displayed in area 44 automatically change accordingly to
`
`match the highlighted program in area 46. As the cursor
`
`moves from channel to channel, microprocessor 24 recalls
`
`the program description for the highlighted program from
`
`program schedule memory 22 and video processor 30 formats
`
`this program description so it can be displayed in area
`44.
`
`It should be noted that the display of future program
`
`listings in area 46
`
`is not necessary to practice the
`
`invention. Therefore,
`
`the program schedule displayed in
`
`area 46 could be limited to a list of current program
`titles and channels.
`
`In the program schedule memory,
`
`the program listings
`
`are coded by day of the week,
`
`time of day, and channel so
`
`that
`
`they can. be accessed by" microprocessor
`
`24 when
`
`necessary to supply program schedule data to video
`
`processor 30 to compose the time—channel grid and the
`
`program descriptions.
`
`The functional storage areas of
`
`cursor position register 32 are mapped to the storage
`
`areas of vector processor 30 where the program schedule is
`
`formatted for display on screen area 40 so cursor position
`
`register 32 points to the area of the screen, and thus the
`
`particular program,
`
`that is highlighted by cursor 48.
`
`By
`
`comparing the cursor position in register 32 with the
`
`channel corresponding to the highlighted area of video
`
`10
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`processor 30,
`
`the channel of the highlighted program is
`
`30
`
`derived and coupled to microprocessor 24. Microprocessor
`24 then sets tuner 12 to this channel.
`
`In operation the viewer first depresses a pictureein—
`
`guide (PIG) key on input device 28 to set up the format
`
`shown
`
`in FIG.
`
`2.
`
`Microprocessor
`
`24
`
`recalls
`
`the
`
`appropriate program listings from memory 22 and transmits
`
`35
`
`them to video processor 30 where the time—channel grid of
`
`area 46 and the program description of
`
`the highlighted
`
`progrant
`
`in area 44 are composed.
`
`At
`
`the same
`
`time,
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`-7-
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`microprocessor
`
`24
`
`sets
`
`tuner
`
`12
`
`to the highlighted
`
`channel, operates switch 14 so the output of tuner 12 is
`
`directly connected to the one input of PIP chip 18, and
`
`switches PIP chip 18 into a PIP mode such that the input
`
`from tuner 12
`
`is displayed in the PIP window and the
`
`program schedule from video processor 30 is displayed in
`
`the backgroundd As the viewer moves the up/down arrows of
`
`a cursor control key,
`
`tuner 12 is reset accordingly and
`
`new program schedule
`
`information
`
`is
`
`fed
`
`through
`
`microprocessor 24 to video processor 30 to recompose the
`
`time—channel guide so cursor 48 remains visible and the
`
`program description remains current.
`
`The described embodiment of
`
`the invention is 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
`invention.
`
`and scope of
`
`the
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`WHAT IS CLAIMED IS:
`
`1.
`
`An entertainment system comprising:
`
`a source of present television program schedule
`
`information including a list of channels and the titles of
`
`the programs presently being broadcast on such channels;
`
`a
`
`television receiver having a tuner‘ and a
`
`screen;
`
`means for coupling the source to the receiver to
`
`display at
`
`least
`
`the titles of
`
`the present program
`
`schedule on the screen;
`
`a user control device for selecting one of the‘
`
`displayed titles;
`
`a television tuner;
`
`means
`
`responsive to the control device for
`
`setting the tuner to the channel of the selected title;
`and
`
`means
`
`for coupling the tuner to the display
`
`device to display the video program in reduced size on
`
`part of the screen concurrently with the program schedule.
`
`2.
`
`The method of using the system of claim 1,
`
`comprising
`
`the
`
`step of
`
`sequentially selecting the
`
`displayed titles with the control device to sequentially
`
`change
`
`the displayed video program,
`
`thereby channel
`
`surfing by using the displayed titles as a guide.
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`
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`n_r""
`
`METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR FACILITATING CHANNEL GRAZING
`
`Abstract of the Invention
`
`A television viewer uses a PIP format for display of
`
`current
`
`television program listings
`
`from a
`
`program
`
`schedule data base in the background and moving, real time
`
`images of a program selected from the displayed listings
`
`in the PIP window.
`
`Specifically, as the viewer selects
`
`a.particular program from the displayed current television
`
`program listings by means of a cursor or a code number,
`
`the corresponding program automatically appears in the PIP
`
`window.
`
`In this way,
`
`the user can channel graze by
`
`sequentially selecting the individual program listings in
`
`the background. When the user finds a program that the
`
`user wishes to watch,
`
`the user can reverse the background
`
`and PIP window and then collapse the window,
`
`leaving the
`
`desired program on the screen.
`
`wp UPA-17.LTR\A:\27l54.APP
`cs/31/94 3:48pm
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