`
`[191
`
`Youman et al.
`
`[11] Patent Number:
`
`5,629,733
`
`[45] Date of Patent:
`
`May 13, 1997
`
`USOOS629733A
`
`[54] ELECTRONIC TELEVISION PROGRAM
`GUIDE SCHEDULE SYSTEM AND METHOD
`WITH DISPLAY AND SEARCH OF
`PROGRAM LISTINGS BY TITLE
`
`[75]
`
`Inventors: Roger Youman, Wayne, Pa; Marney
`Morris, Palo Alto, Calif.
`
`['73] Assignees: News America Publications, Inc, New
`York. NY; Telecommlmications of
`Colorado, Inc, Englewood, C010.
`
`[21] Appl. No.: 346,603
`
`[22] Filed:
`
`Nov. 29, 1994
`
`Int. Cl.‘5 ............................................, H04N 7/173
`[51]
`[52] us. Cl. .............................. 348/7; 348/13; 455/42;
`345/146; 345/902; 395/327
`[58] Field ofSearch ............................... 348/6,7, 12,13,
`348/906; 455/31, 4.2. 5.1.6.1; 395/156;
`345/146, 902; H04N 7/16, 7/173
`
`[56]
`
`References Cited
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`U.S. PATENT Bowman‘s
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`8/1989 Weiner ............................ 364/521
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`10/1994 Young ...................... 348/563
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`5/1995 Hearty ..............
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`5/1995 Sakumaetal.
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`1/1996 Hoarty mm
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`5/1996 Itn' etal. ,........................... 395/159
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`
`
`UPI-IERPUBLICATIONS
`
`May 1993. Vito Brugliera, Digital Orr—Screen Display— A
`New Technology for the Consumer Interface, 18th Interna-
`tional Television Symposium, Montreux, Switzerland,
`10-15 Jun.
`
`Sep. 1991. Hirasawa Kazuo, Patent Abstracts ofJapan, vol.
`15, No. 480. “Information Reproducing Device.”
`
`Primary Examiner—John K. Peng
`Assistant Examiner—Chris Grant
`Attorney, Agent, or Firm—Wei], Gotshal & Manges LLP
`
`[57]
`
`ABSTRACT
`
`An electronic program schedule system which includes a
`receiver for receiving broadcast, satellite or cablecast tele-
`vision programs for a plurality of television channels and a
`tuner for tuning a television receiver to a selected one of the
`plurality of channels. A data processor receives and stores in
`a memory television program schedule information for a
`plurality of television programs to appear on the plurality of
`television channels. A user control apparatus, such as a
`remote controller, is utilized by a viewer to choose user
`control commands and transmit signals in response to the
`data processor which receives the signals in response to user
`control commands. A television receiver is used to display
`the television programs and television program schedule
`information. A video display generator receives video con—
`trol commands from the data processor and program sched-
`ule information from the memory and displays a portion of
`the program schedule information in overlaying relationship
`with a television program appearing on a television channel
`in at least one mode of operation of the television program-
`ming guide. The data processor controls the video display
`generator with video control commands, issued in response
`to the user control commands, to display program schedule
`information for any chosen one of the plurality of television
`programs in overlaying relationship with at least one tele-
`vision program then appearing on any chosen one of the
`plurality of channels on the television receiver.
`
`23 Claims, 57 Drawing Sheets
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`May 13, 1997
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`Sheet 9 of 57
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`5,629,733
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`Sheet 12 of 57
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`5,629,733
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`US. Patent
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`May 13, 1997
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`Sheet 15 of 57
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`5,629,733
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`May 13, 1997
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`Sheet 16 of 57
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`May 13, 1997
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`P. 24
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`Tune to Channel | Today at 9:00pm.
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`P. 27
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`US. Patent
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`May 13, 1997
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`US. Patent
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`May 13, 1997
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`US. Patent
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`May 13, 1997
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`Sheet 36 of 57
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`US. Patent
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`May 13, 1997
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`Sheet 37 of 57
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`STORIES
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`MESS
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`Jun 7
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`US World News
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`Cubans use Vitamins to combat epidemic
`Geneva - A costly wmpaign to provide vitamins to
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`P. 38
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`US. Patent
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`May 13, 1997
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`Sheet 33 of 57
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`P. 39
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`US. Patent
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`May 13,1997
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`May 13, 1997
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`May 13,1997
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`May 13, 1997
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`May 13, 1997
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`Sheet 44 of 57
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`US. Patent
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`May 13, 1997
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`Sheet 45 of 57
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`May 13, 1997
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`Sheet 51 of 57
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`5,629,733
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`TV
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`To be" OH? 0 program or series.see “Help"
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`FIG. 39
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`P. 52
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`P. 52
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`US. Patent
`
`May 13, 1997
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`Sheet 52 of 57
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`5,629,733
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`SETUP
`
`Top of Screen
`
`TV
`
`GUIDE
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`275
`
`/
`Text Location:
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`Lockout Code:
`9265
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`Purchase Code:
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`to select
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`This button sets the text location to the bottom of the
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`Screen.
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`Press
`
`FIG. 40
`
`P. 53
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`
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`US. Patent
`
`May 13, 1997
`
`Sheet 53 of 57
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`5,629,733
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`TV You do not have a
`Lockout Code set. ..
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`P. 54
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`
`
`US. Patent
`
`May 13, 1997
`
`Sheet 54 of 57
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`5,629,733
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`P urchose Code:
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`please re—em‘er your -
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`P. 55
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`
`
`US. Patent
`
`May 13, 1997
`
`Sheet 55 of 57
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`5,629,733
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`enter your current
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`P urchase Code:
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`four- digit
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`
`P. 56
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`
`
`US. Patent
`
`May 13, 1997
`
`Sheet 56 of 57
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`5,629,733
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`RESTRICTED!
`TO VIEW THIS PROGRAM,ENTER YOUR FOUR-DIGIT
`LOCKOUT coma NUMBERJ'HEN PRESS ox
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`FIG.4I
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`P. 57
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`
`
`US. Patent
`
`May 13,1997
`
`Sheet 57 0f 57
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`5,629,733
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`P. 58
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`
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`
`1
`ELECTRONIC TELEVISION PROGRAM
`
`
`
`GUIDE SCHEDULE SYSTEM AND METHOD
`
`
`
`
`
`WITH DISPLAY AND SEARCH OF
`
`
`
`
`
`PROGRAM LISTINGS BY TITLE
`
`
`
`
`BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
`
`
`
`
`This invention relates to an electronic program schedule
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`system, which provides a user with schedule information for
`
`
`
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`
`
`
`broadcast or cablecast programs viewed by the user on a
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`
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`television receiver. More particularly,
`it relates to an
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`
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`
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`improved electronic program guide that provides the user
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`with a more powerful and convenient operating
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`environment, while, at the same time, increasing the effi-
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`ciency of navigation by the user through the guide.
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`Electronic program guides for television systems are
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`
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`known in the art. For example, one prior system used an
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`electronic character generator to display textual schedule
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`information on the full screen of a television receiver. Other
`
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`prior systems presented electronically stored program
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`
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`
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`schedule information to a user for viewing while allowing
`
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`
`
`the user to select display formats. Still other systems
`
`
`
`
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`
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`employed a data processor to input user-selection criteria,
`
`
`
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`then stored only the program schedule information meeting
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`these criteria, and subsequently used the stored information
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`to automatically tune a programmable tuner or activate a
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`
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`recording device at the time of broadcast of the selected
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`television programs. Such prior systems are generally dis—
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`
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`
`
`
`cussed in “Stay Tuned for Smart TV,” published in the
`
`
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`
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`
`
`November 1990 issue of Popular Science.
`
`
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`
`
`Collectively, the prior electronic program systems may be
`
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`
`
`difficult to implement and cumbersome to use. They also fail
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`to provide viewing capabilities that address in a more
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`realistic manner the viewing habits of the users of these
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`
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`electronic program systems. Moreover, many of these sys-
`tems are complex in their design and are expensive to
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`implement. Ease of use and economy are primary concerns
`
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`of television program distributors and viewers as they con-
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`template dramatic increases in the number and nature of
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`program networks and other television-based services. And,
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`as the number of television channels available to a user
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`increases dramatically with the advent of new satellite and
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`cable-based technologies, the utility of these prior systems
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`substantially diminishes.
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`These prior—art systems also fail to provide the user with
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`suflicient information, for example pricing and the like,
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`about pay-per-view events, premium services or other pack-
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`aged programming to which the user does not subscribe, nor
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`do they provide the user with the capability to automatically
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`impulse.
`purchase such programming on demand or
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`Moreover, these prior-art systems are deficient in that they
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`fail to provide an efficient and automatic method of updating
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`or replacing the application software programs that imple-
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`ment the electronic guide at the user sites, relying instead on
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`manual or other cumbersome forms of revision or replace—
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`ment or hardware-based systems that can not be updated
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`without physical replacement of integrated circuits and/or
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`other parts.
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`Nor do these prior electronic guide systems have the
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`capability of linking the user to other applications or infor—
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`mation systems which are not part of the electronic program
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`guide application or data.
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`Nor do these prior electronic guide systems provide video
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`promotion of television programs and services that are
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`functionally linked and visually displayed in an integrated
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`fashion. Program promotion is an important element of the
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`effective marketing of television programming. The promo-
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`2
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`tion of pay—per—view pay (i.e., “a la carte”) programs and
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`other unregulated program services is particularly important
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`to cable television operators in the wake of re-regulation by
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`the federal government. The current method of promoting
`such programing using video is through dedicated “barker”
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`channels that use full screen continuous trailers (i.e.,
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`previews) which may or may not be accompanied by prices
`and ordering information. Recently, such promotional vid-
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`eos have been shown in split screens where part of the screen
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`shows general schedule information for a time period
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`roughly corresponding to the time period during which the
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`general program being promoted is shown. Accordingly,
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`there exists a need for an electronic program guide which
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`can provide improved display and linking of video promo-
`tions with program schedule information and order process-
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`ing functions.
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`
`The prior electronic program guides also fail to provide
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`the user with a simple and efiicient method of controlling
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`access to individual channels and individual programs. The
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`amount of adult situations involving sex and violence has
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`steadily increased during the last 40 years. The issue of how
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`this affects children or other viewers has gained national
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`attention. Providing a parent with the ability to lock-out a
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`channel is a well known and widespread feature of certain
`television receivers and cable converter boxes. Despite this
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`availability, the feature is seldom used by parents. The main
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`impediments to its eifective use are the cumbersome ways in
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`which it is generally implemented, as well as the require-
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`ment that entire channels be blocked in order to block access
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`to any objectional programming. A channel—oriented paren-
`
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`tal lock is unfair to other programmers on the blocked
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`channel—who, for example, offer adult-oriented program-
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`ming in the evening and youth—oriented programming the
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`following morning—and inconvenient for viewers who
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`want access to such programs. Thus, there is a particular
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`need for a system which provides password control
`to
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`individual programs and channels using a flexible and
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`uncomplicated on-screen user interface.
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`The prior electronic program guides are also deficient in
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`that they do not provide the user with the ability to view on
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`demand current billing status and, thus, a need exists for a
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`system which can provide the user with current billing
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`information on the user’s demand.
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`An additional problem with prior program guides is that
`
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`when displaying schedule information in grid format, i.e.,
`
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`columns representing time slots and rows representing
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`channels, program titles generally are width-wise truncated
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`to fit into the cells of the grid. The width of a grid cell varies
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`with the duration of the program. Since a 30 minute program
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`is allotted only a small amount of space for the program title
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`and description, titles and/or descriptions for half and even
`full hour programs often must be truncated in order to fit into
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`the allotted space. Some systems simply cut off the descrip-
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`tion of a program without abbreviating it in any way, such
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`that the user is unable to determine the subject matter of the
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`program For example, a recent television program display
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`included the following text in a grid cell: “Baseball: Yankees
`
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`v.” Although some systems partially alleviate this problem
`
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`by providing two lines of text in each grid cell, this solution
`
`
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`is not ideal because program descriptions may still be
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`truncated.
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`A similar problem arises as the time slots change, either
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`automatically or in response to a user control command.
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`Typically, 90 minutes of schedule information is displayed at
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`one time and the 90 minute window is shiftable in 30-minute
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`increments. In the case where a 30 minute shift causes a 30
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`minute size grid cell to display, e.g., a two-hour movie, it is
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`10
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`15
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`20
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`25
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`30
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`35
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`45
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`50
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`55
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`65
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`P. 59
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`P. 59
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`4
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`5,629,733
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`3
`likely that the full title of the movie will not fit into the cell.
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`Truncation of the title is thus required in this situation as
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`well. In this case. while two lines of text may be desirable
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`to fit the title in the 30 minute cell. the 60 and 90 minute cells
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`may require only one line of text to display the title.
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`The prior electronic program guides also lack a method
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`for creating a viewing itinerary electronically while still
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`viewing a program currently appearing on the television
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`receiver. Moreover, these prior program guides leave much
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`guess work for the user as he navigates through a sequence
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`of channels. When skimming through channels to ascertain
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`the program then being displayed on any channel, com-
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`monly known as “channel surfing,” the user needs to guess
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`which program is currently being aired from the video
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`encountered as the user surfs through the channels. Since
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`much—in some cases, up to 30%—of the programming
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`appearing on any given channel at any given time is adver-
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`tising or other commercial programming, the user is not
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`provided with any clues as to what program is appearing on
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`a selected channel at a given time and must therefore wait
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`until the advertisement or commercial is over before ascer-
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`taining the program then appearing on the selected channel.
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`Thus a need exists for a program guide which displays
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`current program schedule information for each channel as
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`the user surfs through the available channels.
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`Prior art program guides also lack a means for locating a
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`television program where only the title of the program,
`movie, or event is known.
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`Accordingly, there is a need in the art for a simplified
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`electronic program schedule system that may be more easily
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`implemented, and which is appealing and efficient in opera-
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`tion. There is also a need to provide the user with an
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`electronic program schedule system that displays both
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`broadcast programs and electronic schedule i