Patent EP0725538A2 successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
EP0725538A2
Expired / Lapsed
EP
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Electrical program guide system and method
Assignee: Sony Corp
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Filing: 1996-02-05
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Granted: —
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Expires: 2016-02-05
Abstract
Abstract The invention provides an electrical program guide system and method by which a desired program can be selected rapidly with certainty, intuitively and directly from among a large number of programs. For example, nine reduced screens reduced from nine screens of different programs are arranged in a 3x3 matrix to construct one multi-screen as a screen for program selection. Six such screens for program selection are individually produced by multi-screen production circuits and encoded by MPEG video encoders, and then multiplexed by a multiplexer so that they may be transmitted via a single transmission channel. The multiplexed signal is subjected to error correction coding and QPSK modulation by a transmission line coding apparatus and then it is further subjected to frequency conversion by an up converter. The resultant signal is transmitted to an artificial satellite through a mixer and a parabola antenna. Each multi-screen received on the reception side from the satellite is displayed as 3x3 pieces of reduced screens of full motion, and a viewer will find out and directly select a desired program from a preview screen formed from the reduced screens.
Inventors
- 👤 Makoto Niijima
- 👤 Hiroaki Nakano
- 👤 Yumie Sonoda
- 👤 Yoshiaki Kumagai
- 👤 Junichi Nagahara
- 👤 Tatsushi Nashida
- 👤 Hirofumi Tamori
- 👤 Hiroyuki Hanaya
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
EP
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-02 10:32
CPC Classifications
H; H04; H04N; H04N7/00; H04N7/12; H04N21/00; H04N21/40; H04N21/43; H04N21/442; H04N21/44213; H04N21/44222; H04N21/47; H04N21/482; H04N7/16; H04N7/162; H04N7/165; H04N21/41; H04N21/422; H04N21/42204; H04N21/431; H04N21/4312; H04N21/4316
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 9
Claim 1
Independent Claim
98 words
A transmission apparatus for transmitting a plurality of programs of different broadcasting channels, comprising: production means for producing a plurality of broadcasting channels for screens for program selection each including a plurality of screens for program selection in each of which a plurality of reduced screens reduced from screens of different ones of the plurality of programs of different broadcasting channels are arranged in one multi-screen; and transmission means for multiplexing data of the screens for program selection of the plurality of channels produced by said production means and transmitting the multiplexed data via a single transmission channel.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
52 words
A transmission apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said transmission means is for multiplexing, together with the data of the screens for program selection, audio signals of the corresponding programs and for transmitting the multiplexed audio signals via the same single transmission channel as that for the multiplexed screens for program selection.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
42 words
A transmission apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein said production means is for arranging reduced screens of programs of a same category at positions of corresponding rows or columns of the screens for program selection of the plurality of channels.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
92 words
A transmission method for transmitting a plurality of programs of different broadcasting channels, comprising the steps of: producing a plurality of broadcasting channels for screens for program selection each including a plurality of screens for program selection in each of which a plurality of reduced screens reduced from screens of different ones of the plurality of programs of different broadcasting channels are arranged in one multi-screen; and multiplexing data of the screens for program selection of the plurality of channels thus produced and transmitting the multiplexed data via a single transmission channel.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
137 words
A reception apparatus for receiving a plurality of screens for program selection to be used to select one of a plurality of programs of different broadcasting channels, comprising: reception means for switchably receiving, via different transmission channels, the plurality of programs of different broadcasting channels and the plurality of screens for program selection in each of which different ones of the plurality of reduced screens reduced from screens of different ones of the plurality of programs of different broadcasting channels are arranged in one multi-screen; extraction means for extracting the plurality of screens for program selection from a reception output of a particular one of the transmission channels received by said reception means; and storage means for storing the plurality of screens for program selection extracted by said extraction means in a linked relationship with each other.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
40 words
A reception apparatus according to claim 5, wherein said storage means is for arranging reduced screens of programs of a same category at positions of corresponding rows or columns of the screens for program selection of the plurality of channels.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
124 words
A reception method for receiving a plurality of screens for program selection to be used to select one of a plurality of programs of different broadcasting channels, comprising the steps of: switchably receiving, via different transmission channels, the plurality of programs of different broadcasting channels and the plurality of screens for program selection in each of which different ones of the plurality of reduced screens reduced from screens of different ones of the plurality of programs of different broadcasting channels are arranged in one multi-screen; extracting the plurality of screens for program selection from a reception output of a particular one of the received transmission channels; and storing the plurality of screens for program selection thus extracted in a linked relationship with each other.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
197 words
A broadcasting system including a transmission apparatus and a reception apparatus, comprising: production means provided in said transmission apparatus for producing a plurality of broadcasting channels for screens for program selection each including a plurality of screens for program selection in each of which a plurality of reduced screens reduced from screens of different ones of the plurality of programs of different broadcasting channels are arranged in one multi-screen; transmission means provided in said transmission apparatus for multiplexing data of the screens for program selection of the plurality of channels produced by said production means and transmitting the multiplexed data via a single transmission channel; reception means provided in said reception apparatus for switchably receiving, via different transmission channels, the plurality of programs of different broadcasting channels and the plurality of screens for program selection; extraction means provided in said reception means for extracting the plurality of screens for program selection from a reception output of a particular one of the transmission channels received by said reception means; and storage means provided in said reception apparatus for storing the plurality of screens for program selection extracted by said extraction means in a linked relationship with each other.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
180 words
A broadcasting method wherein a signal transmitted from a transmission apparatus is received by a reception apparatus, comprising the steps of: producing, by said transmission apparatus, a plurality of broadcasting channels for screens for program selection each including a plurality of screens for program selection in each of which a plurality of reduced screens reduced from screens of different ones of the plurality of programs of different broadcasting channels are arranged in one multi-screen; multiplexing, by said transmission apparatus, data of the screens for program selection of the plurality of channels thus produced and transmitting the multiplexed data via a single transmission channel; switchably receiving, by said reception apparatus, via different transmission channels, the plurality of programs of different broadcasting channels and the plurality of screens for program selection; extracting, by said reception apparatus, the plurality of screens for program selection from a reception output of a particular one of the transmission channels thus received; and storing, by said reception apparatus, the plurality of screens for program selection extracted by said extraction means in a linked relationship with each other.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
No citation records indexed.
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