EP0849954A2
Expired / Lapsed
EP
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Navigation among grouped television channels
Assignee: Arris Technology Inc
•
Filing: 1997-12-16
•
Granted: —
•
Expires: 2017-12-16
Abstract
Abstract A television viewer can easily navigate programs which are grouped according to a common service provider or other grouping criteria by depressing the "channel up" or "channel down" buttons on a hand-held remote control. Programming services which are provided via one or more transmission paths are integrated, thereby allowing a viewer to successively select the grouped channels regardless of the broadcast signal, transmission path, frequency spectrum, transport stream and/or PID in which the channel is carried. Data is provided with broadcast signals to indicate broadcast address information which corresponds to a primary channel and one or more secondary channels of a channel group. A viewer can successively view the channels of the group while bypassing intermediate non-group channels. Grouped channels can thus be designated by a common channel designator such as a channel number. Goodwill and brand loyalty which has been built up over time in a local station channel number can be used to define a family of programs to maintain continuity as channels are added or dropped, or channel assignments of programming services are rearranged.
Inventors
- 👤 Mark K. Eyer
- 👤 Robert Rast
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
EP
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-01 01:36
CPC Classifications
H; H04; H04N; H04N21/00; H04N21/40; H04N21/47; H04N21/482; H04N5/00; H04N5/04; H04N21/43; H04N21/434; H04N21/438; H04N21/4383; H04N5/44; H04N5/50
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 26
Claim 1
Independent Claim
74 words
A method for grouping a plurality of
broadcast programming services which are provided in
corresponding channels, comprising the steps of: grouping a first plurality of said channels in
a first channel group according to a desired first
grouping criteria; said first channel group including a primary
channel, and at least one secondary channel;
wherein: a user can successively select the programming
services corresponding to said first channel group
according to a user control signal.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
55 words
The method of claim 1, wherein: said primary channel is associated with a
programming service carried in a primary broadcast
signal; said at least one secondary channel is
associated with a programming service carried in at
least one secondary broadcast signal; and said primary and secondary broadcast signals
are provided over respective different transmission
paths.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
21 words
The method of claim 2, wherein: path select data is provided with said
broadcast programming services for identifying
transmission paths thereof.
Claim 4
Independent Claim
37 words
The method of one of the preceding claims,
wherein: said primary channel carries its associated
programming service as an analog signal, and said at
least one secondary channel carries its associated
programming service as a digital signal.
Claim 5
Independent Claim
38 words
The method of one of claims 1 to 3,
wherein: said primary channel carries its associated
programming service as a digital signal, and said at
least one secondary channel carries its associated
programming service as a digital signal.
Claim 6
Independent Claim
34 words
The method of one of the preceding claims,
comprising the further step of: providing a virtual channel record which
associates said primary channel with a broadcast
address of said at least one secondary channel.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
95 words
The method of claim 6, wherein: said primary channel is a currently selected
channel; and said user control signal is a channel increment
command; said method comprising the further steps of: using said virtual channel record to select a
broadcast address of the at least one secondary
channel, in response to said channel increment
command; and processing the selected secondary channel
programming service for communication to the user; thereby allowing the user to successively
select said primary channel and said selected
secondary channel without selecting channels which
are not part of said first channel group.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
44 words
The method of claim 7, wherein: in response to said channel increment command,
the user can successively select said primary
channel and all of the secondary channels of the
first channel group without selecting channels which
are not part of said first channel group.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
98 words
The method of claim 6, wherein: one of the secondary channels of the first
channel group is a currently selected channel; and said user control signal is a channel decrement
command; said method comprising the further steps of: using said virtual channel record to select a
broadcast address of said primary channel, in
response to said channel decrement command; and processing said primary channel programming
service for communication to the user; thereby allowing the user to successively
select said selected secondary channel and said
primary channel without selecting channels which are
not part of said first channel group.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
44 words
The method of claim 9, wherein: in response to said channel decrement command,
the user can successively select all of the
secondary channels of the first channel group and
said primary channel without selecting channels
which are not part of said first channel group.
Claim 11
Independent Claim
88 words
The method of one of the preceding claims,
comprising the further steps of: grouping a second plurality of said channels in
a second channel group according to a desired second
grouping criteria; said second channel group including a primary
channel and at least one secondary channel; wherein: said channels of said second channel group are
not all the same as said channels of said first
channel group; and a user can successively select the programming
services corresponding to said second channel group
according to a user control signal.
Claim 12
Independent Claim
24 words
The method of one of the preceding claims,
wherein: said first grouping criteria is determined
according to data carried with said broadcast
programming services.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
79 words
A decoder for grouping a plurality of
broadcast programming services which are provided in
corresponding channels, comprising: grouping means for grouping a first plurality
of said channels in a first channel group according
to a desired first grouping criteria; said first channel group including a primary
channel and at least one secondary channel; and a user interface for allowing a user to
successively select the programming services
corresponding to said first channel group according
to a user control signal.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
55 words
The decoder of claim 13, wherein: said primary channel is associated with a
programming service carried in a primary broadcast
signal; said at least one secondary channel is
associated with a programming service carried in at
least one secondary broadcast signal; and said primary and secondary broadcast signals
are provided over respective different transmission
paths.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
21 words
The decoder of claim 14, wherein: path select data is provided with said
broadcast programming services for identifying
transmission paths thereof.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
38 words
The decoder of one of claims 13 to 15,
wherein: said primary channel carries its associated
programming service as an analog signal, and said at
least one secondary channel carries its associated
programming service as a digital signal.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
38 words
The decoder of one of claims 13 to 15,
wherein: said primary channel carries its associated
programming service as a digital signal, and said at
least one secondary channel carries its associated
programming service as a digital signal.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
35 words
The decoder of one of claims 13 to 17,
further comprising: a memory for storing a virtual channel record
which associates said primary channel with a
broadcast address of said at least one secondary
channel.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
103 words
The decoder of claim 18, wherein: said primary channel is a currently selected
channel; and said user control signal is a channel increment
command; said decoder further comprising: selecting means which uses said virtual channel
record to select a broadcast address of the at least
one secondary channel, in response to said channel
increment command; and a processor responsive to said selecting means
for processing the selected secondary channel
programming service for communication to the user; thereby allowing the user to successively
select said primary channel and the selected
secondary channel without selecting channels which
are not part of said first channel group.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
49 words
The decoder of claim 19, wherein: said selecting means is responsive to said
channel increment command for allowing the user to
successively select said primary channel and all of
the secondary channels of said first channel group
without selecting channels which are not part of
said first channel group.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
101 words
The decoder of claim 18, wherein: one of the secondary channels is a currently
selected channel; and said user control signal is a channel decrement
command; said decoder further comprising: selecting means which uses said virtual channel
record to select a broadcast address of said primary
channel, in response to said channel decrement
command; and a processor responsive to said selecting means
for processing said primary channel programming
service for communication to the user; thereby allowing the user to successively
select said selected secondary channel and said
primary channel without selecting channels which are
not part of said first channel group.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
50 words
The decoder of claim 21, wherein: said selecting means is responsive to said
channel decrement command for allowing the user to
successively select all of the secondary channels
part of said first channel group and said primary
channel without selecting channels which are not
part of said first channel group.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
92 words
The decoder of one of claims 13 to 22,
further comprising: means for grouping a second plurality of said
channels in a second channel group according to a
desired second grouping criteria; said second channel group including a primary
channel and at least one secondary channel; a user interface for allowing a user to
successively select the programming services
corresponding to said second channel group according
to a user control signal; wherein: said channels of said second channel group are
not all the same as said channels of said first
channel group.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
25 words
The decoder of one of claims 13 to 23,
wherein: said first grouping criteria is determined
according to data carried with said broadcast
programming services.
Claim 25
Independent Claim
74 words
The method of one of claims 1 to 12,
comprising the further step of: providing respective multi-part channel
designators for said primary channel and said at
least one secondary channel, said designators
including a first part which identifies said primary
channel and said at least one secondary channel as
being in said first channel group, and a second part
which distinguishes said primary channel and said at
least one secondary channel from one another.
Claim 26
Dependent Claim
73 words
The decoder of one of claims 13 to 24,
wherein: said user interface provides respective multipart
channel designators for said primary channel
and said at least one secondary channel, said
designators including a first part which identifies
said primary channel and said at least one secondary
channel as being in said first channel group, and a
second part which distinguishes said primary channel
and said at least one secondary channel from one
another.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
No citation records indexed.
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