Broadcasting and communication receiver apparatus

Claim 2

A broadcasting and communication receiver apparatus comprising: receiver means for receiving program-associated information including a title, a start time, and an end time of a broadcast program together with a video signal and an audio signal; decoder means for decoding the program-associated information from the received signal; display means for displaying the decoded program-associated information on a display screen; command receiver means for receiving an input signal from a remote controller or from a key or keys provided to a main body of the receiver apparatus; and display controller means for controlling the display screen based on the input signal; wherein a first display zone in which a plurality of character strings are displayed is provided in the display screen of the program-associated information; and wherein the display controller means includes data quantity comparator means for comparing a magnitude of the first display zone with a quantity of display data and, when the display data quantity is judged to be larger than the first display zone, a displayable part of the character string of the display data as well as a symbol indicative of omission and attached to a last tail part of the character string are displayed.

Claim 3

A broadcasting and communication receiver apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein, in addition to the first display zone, a second display zone larger in the number of displayable characters than the first display zone is provided; and wherein the display controller means allows all the display data to be displayed in the second display zone.

Claim 4

A broadcasting and communication receiver apparatus as set forth in claim 2, wherein information displayed in the second display zone is the same as information of a specific first display zone selected based on a user input.

Claim 5

A broadcasting and communication receiver apparatus comprising: receiver means for receiving program-associated information including a title, a start time, and an end time of a broadcast program together with a video signal and an audio signal; decoder means for decoding the program-associated information from the received signal; display means for displaying the decoded program-associated information on a display screen; command receiver means for receiving an input signal from a remote controller or from a key or keys provided to a main body of the receiver apparatus; and display controller means for controlling the display screen based on the input signal; wherein the program-associated information display screen having the program-associated information displayed thereon includes at least a first program name field indicative of a title of a program, a channel number field indicative of a channel number, and a time scale field indicative of a time being displayed; wherein each of the first program name field, the channel number field, and the time scale field has a display format that uses at least a character string and a background; wherein the first program name field, the channel number field, and the time scale field form a program chart indicative of program broadcast schedules; wherein one end of the first program name field indicates a program start time and another end of the first program name field indicates a program end time; and wherein the display controller means includes data amount comparator means for comparing a size of the first program name field with an amount of program name data and, when the data amount comparator means judges that the amount of program name data is larger than the size of the first program name field, the display controller means causes a displayable character string of display data as well as a symbol indicative of omission and attached to a last tail part of the character string to be displayed.

Claim 6

A broadcasting and communication receiver apparatus comprising: receiver means for receiving program-associated information including a title, a start time, and an end time of a broadcast program together with a video signal and an audio signal; decoder means for decoding the program-associated information from the received signal; display means for displaying the decoded program-associated information on a display screen; command receiver means for receiving an input signal from a remote controller or from a key or keys provided to a main body of the receiver apparatus; and display controller means for controlling the display screen based on the input signal; wherein the program-associated information display screen having the program-associated information displayed thereon includes at least a first program name field indicative of a title of a program, a channel number field indicative of a channel number, and a time scale field indicative of a time being displayed; wherein each of the first program name field, the channel number field, and the time scale field has a display format that uses at least a character string and a background; wherein the first program name field, the channel number field, and the time scale field form a program chart indicative of program broadcast schedules; wherein one end of the first program name field indicates a program start time and another end of the first program name field indicates a program end time; and wherein the display controller means includes data amount comparator means for comparing a size of the first program name field with an amount of program name data and, when the data amount comparator means judges that the amount of program name data is larger than the size of the first program name field, the display controller means causes a displayable character string of display data as well as a symbol indicative of omission and attached to a last tail part of the character string to be displayed.

Claim 7

A broadcasting and communication receiver apparatus as set forth in claim 4, wherein the program-associated information display screen further includes, in addition to the first program name field, a second program name field larger in the number of displayable characters than the first program name field; and wherein the display controller means causes all the program name data to be displayed in the second program name field.

Claim 8

A broadcasting and communication receiver apparatus as set forth in claim 5, wherein information displayed in the second program name field is the same as information of a specific first program name field.

Claim 9

A broadcasting and communication receiver apparatus as set forth in claim 4, wherein the display controller means further includes time comparator means for comparing a program broadcast start time and a program broadcast end time to be displayed in the first program name field with a time band to be displayed in the time scale field and, when the time comparator means judges that the program broadcast start time or the program broadcast end time is out of the time band to be displayed in the time scale field, the display controller means changes a shape of a left end or a right end of the background of the first program name field to a continuation display pattern.

Claim 10

A broadcasting and communication receiver apparatus as set forth in claim 5, wherein the program-associated information display screen further includes a time information field for displaying therein time information including a start time and an end time of a selected program.

Claim 11

A broadcasting and communication receiver apparatus as set forth in claim 7, wherein the program-associated information display screen further includes a time information field for displaying therein time information including a start time and an end time of a selected program.

Claim 12

A broadcasting and communication receiver apparatus as set forth in claim 8, wherein the time information field is provided in the second program name field.

Claim 13

A broadcasting and communication receiver apparatus as set forth in claim 9, wherein the time information field is provided as an independent field in the program-associated information display screen.