EP0735749A2
Expired / Lapsed
EP
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Method and apparatus for finding and selecting a desired data item from a large schedule of data items using a TV set and a controller similar to a TV-remote-control
Assignee: AT&T Inc
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Filing: 1996-03-20
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Granted: —
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Expires: 2016-03-20
Abstract
Abstract An apparatus and method for presenting a viewer with an overall representation of the present number of entertainment programs available for selection given one week of program schedule data for 300 or more channels and one or more filtering criteria to limit the number of items represented in the overall representation. Sequentially applied filters will filter the group of program schedule data items that has at least 100,000 half hour time slots offered by 300 channels each week into a smaller subgroup where individual consideration of each item of the subgroup can be made in a reasonable time. A set top box drives the display of overall representations or results of filtering criteria on a commercial TV set. Once a reasonable sized subgroup is obtained, other displays provide specific information of the program offerings of the subgroup. Selection of the filtering criteria and selection from within a subgroup is interactively made by a viewer through the use of a controller that looks and operates very much like a TV remote control. This makes the interaction familiar, easy and predictable.
Inventors
- 👤 Stephen Gregory Eick
- 👤 Rebecca Anne Walpole
- 👤 Peter Andrew Mataga
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
EP
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-27 04:11
CPC Classifications
H; H04; H04N; H04N21/00; H04N21/40; H04N21/47; H04N21/472; H04N21/47214; H04N21/43; H04N21/431; H04N21/4312; H04N21/433; H04N21/4334; H04N21/45; H04N21/454; H04N21/482; H04N21/4828; Y; Y10; Y10S; Y10S707/00; Y10S707/99931; Y10S707/99933; Y10S707/99937; Y10S707/99941; Y10S707/99944; Y10S707/99945; Y10S715/00; Y10S715/961; Y10S715/965; Y10S715/966; Y10S715/968
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 19
Claim 1
Independent Claim
118 words
Apparatus for selecting an item from a group thereof in a system having display means and interactive movable pointing means for specifying a location in the display means and making a selection at a specified location, the apparatus comprising: filtration means including subgroup specifiers in the display means and responsive to selection of a subgroup specifier by the pointing means for filtering the group to produce the subgroup specified by the selected subgroup specifier; means for displaying representations of group items belonging to at least a portion of the subgroup in the display means; and group item selection means for selecting a group item by selecting the representation thereof in the display in response to the pointing means.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
22 words
The apparatus set forth in claim 1 wherein: the pointing means need only be movable from one representation to an adjacent representation.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
35 words
The apparatus set forth in claim 1 wherein: the means for displaying the representations comprises: first means for displaying the representations in a single dimension; and second means for displaying the representations in two dimensions.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
39 words
The apparatus set forth in claim 1 further comprising: means for displaying a reduced representation of the entire subgroup and an indication in the reduced representation of the portion of the group being presently displayed by the display means.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
14 words
The apparatus set forth in claim 4 wherein said reduced representation is two dimensional.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
53 words
The apparatus set forth in claim 5, wherein said interactive movable pointing means includes a remote control having: a first pair of buttons to control changes in location in the display in a first direction; and a second pair of buttons to control changes in location in the display in a second direction.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
38 words
The apparatus set forth in claim 4 wherein said reduced representation is a two dimensional representation of a three dimensional representation, the third dimension being location within a logical stack of items having at least one common property.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
21 words
The apparatus set forth in claim 7 wherein each item of a logical stack have viewing timeslot as one common property.
Claim 9
Independent Claim
178 words
A method comprising the steps of: receiving program schedule data by a set top box via a same information conductor that conducts program information to the set top box; filtering said program schedule data in RAM within said set top box; said set top box showing a first interactive display on a TV connected thereto presenting a plurality of choices for filtering said program schedule data to a viewer; in response to an interactive selection by said viewer, filtering said program schedule data into a first subgroup of program schedule data; also in response to an interactive selection by said viewer, said set top box showing a second interactive display on said TV having a second plurality of choices for filtering said program schedule data; in response to a second interactive selection by said viewer, filtering said first subgroup into a second subgroup; and also in response to a second interactive selection by said viewer, said set top box showing a third interactive display on said TV having a representation of each program item of said second subgroup.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
46 words
The method of claim 9, wherein said receiving program schedule data step further comprises the steps of receiving a first portion of said program schedule data via said set top box; and receiving a second portion of said program schedule data at a later non-contiguous time.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
31 words
The method of claim 9, further comprising the step of: in response to an interactive highlighting of a representation of a program item of said second subgroup, displaying a title thereof.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
30 words
The method of claim 11, further comprising the step of: in response to an actuation of a select button of a remote control, displaying a preview of said highlighted program.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
39 words
The method of claim 12, further comprising the step of: in response to a second actuation of said select button of said remote control, switching said set top box to display a TV program corresponding to said highlighted representation.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
49 words
The method of claim 12, further comprising the step of: in response to a second actuation of said select button of said remote control, storing a command to switch said set top box to display a TV program corresponding to said highlighted representation in when that TV program begins.
Claim 15
Independent Claim
91 words
A method comprising the steps of: receiving program schedule data for at least 300 individual channels for a time period of at least a week; storing said program schedule data in local memory for rapid sorting and retrieval in a database format; filtering the program schedule data in response to interactive user inputs into a subgroup of the program schedule data; displaying the subgroup of the program schedule data for the user's review; and interactively selecting a program from the subgroup of program schedule data for viewing on a TV screen.
Claim 16
Independent Claim
184 words
A method for choosing a desired program from a large schedule of programs whose data is stored in a local memory, comprising the steps of: displaying a vertically cascaded group of cards with each card representing a program of a particular time and channel; displaying a selection window located around a subgroup of said group of cards; displaying a two-dimensional grid adjacent to said vertically cascaded group of cards in which said subgroup of the programs represented by said vertically cascaded group of cards are shown in greater detail; displaying a first active area within said selection window highlighting one of said subgroup of programs; displaying a second active area within said two-dimensional grid, said second active area being located around and highlighting greater details of the program highlighted in said first active area; moving said first active area in a vertical direction in response to vertical direction arrows to a viewer's input of a remote control; and selecting a desired program by moving said active area to said desired program and actuating a select button until said set top box makes said selection.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
44 words
The method according to claim 16, further comprising the steps of after said active area is moved one location outside of said selection window by inputs from said viewer, moving said selection window to a contiguous subgroup to which said active area has moved.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
175 words
Apparatus for selecting an item from a group thereof in a system having display means and interactive movable pointing means for specifying a location in the display means and making a selection at a specified location, the apparatus comprising: filtration means including subgroup specifiers in the display means and responsive to selection of a subgroup specifier by the pointing means for filtering the group to produce the subgroup specified by the selected subgroup specifier; means for displaying representations of group items belonging to the subgroup in the display means; group item selection means for selecting a group item by selecting the representation thereof in the display in response to the pointing means; and means for displaying a reduced representation of the entire subgroup and an indication in the reduced representation of the portion of the group being presently displayed by the display means; said reduced representation displaying means displaying a two dimensional representation of a three dimensional representation, a third dimension being represented as a logical stack of items having at least one common property.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
70 words
The apparatus set forth in claim 8 or 18, wherein said interactive movable pointing means includes a remote control having: a first pair of buttons to control changes in location in the display in a first direction; and a second pair of buttons to control changes in location in the display in a second direction; and a third pair of buttons to control changes in location within the logical stack.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
No citation records indexed.
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