US6538672B1
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US
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Method and apparatus for displaying an electronic program guide
Assignee: Koninklijke Philips NV
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Filing: 2000-02-07
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Granted: 2003-03-25
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Expires: 2020-02-07
Abstract
Abstract The invention relates to a method of and apparatus for displaying an electronic program guide. The method includes the step of displaying an axis ( 21 ) on the screen ( 20 ) which corresponds to a particular program attribute (e.g. channel name, broadcast time, program category, program title). The user may select a value from the axis, causing a pictogram ( 27 ) to be displayed, showing information about programs corresponding to the selected value. The pictogram's position corresponds to the position of the selected value. A new value may be selected by dragging the pictogram and/or shifting the axis.
Inventors
- 👤 Astrid M. F. Dobbelaar
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-09 13:42
CPC Classifications
H; H04; H04N; H04N21/00; H04N21/40; H04N21/47; H04N21/43; H04N21/443; H04N21/4438; H04N21/431; H04N21/4312; H04N21/45; H04N21/454; H04N21/462; H04N21/4622; H04N21/475; H04N21/482; H04N21/485; H04N21/4858; H04N21/80; H04N21/83; H04N21/84; H04N21/4508; H04N21/4532
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 19
Claim 1
Independent Claim
116 words
A method of displaying an electronic program guide, comprising the step of receiving attribute values relating to program attributes, wherein the method further comprises the steps of: displaying values relating to a selected program attribute on a display screen along a coordinate axis; user-operably selecting a value of said program attribute; and displaying a pictogram representative of a program which corresponds with the currently selected value, the pictogram's position having a coordinate along said coordinate axis which corresponds to the currently selected attribute value; wherein the step of selecting a value comprises dragging the pictogram to a new position on the display screen, the new position's coordinate along said coordinate axis determining a newly selected value.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
116 words
A method of displaying an electronic program guide, comprising the step of receiving attribute values relating to program attributes, wherein the method further comprises the steps of: displaying values relating to a selected program attribute on a display screen along a coordinate axis; user-operably selecting a value of said program attribute; and displaying a pictogram representative of a program which corresponds with the currently selected value, the pictogram's position having a coordinate along said coordinate axis which corresponds to the currently selected attribute value; wherein the step of selecting a value comprises dragging the pictogram to a new position on the display screen, the new position's coordinate along said coordinate axis determining a newly selected value.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
42 words
A method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein when the pictogram is dragged until its coordinate reaches an extremity of the coordinate axis, the step of shifting said coordinate axis is performed to obtain a subsequent adjustment of the selected value.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
28 words
A method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the method further comprises a step of user-operably assigning another one of the program attributes to the coordinate axis.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
51 words
A method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the method further comprises displaying values relating to a further one of the program attributes on the display screen along a further coordinate axis, the method proceeding similarly with respect to the combination of said coordinate axis and said further coordinate axis.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
24 words
A method as claimed in claim 1 , said program attribute is the channel number and said further program attribute is the broadcast time.
Claim 7
Independent Claim
104 words
A method of displaying an electronic program guide, comprising the step of receiving attribute values relating to program attributes, wherein the method further comprises the steps of: displaying values relating to a selected program attribute on a display screen along a coordinate axis; user-operably selecting a value of said program attribute; and displaying a pictogram representative of a program which corresponds with the currently selected value, the pictogram's position having a coordinate along said coordinate axis which corresponds to the currently selected attribute value; wherein the step of selecting a value comprises shifting said coordinate axis, the pictogram's coordinate determining a newly selected value.
Claim 8
Independent Claim
104 words
A method of displaying an electronic program guide, comprising the step of receiving attribute values relating to program attributes, wherein the method further comprises the steps of: displaying values relating to a selected program attribute on a display screen along a coordinate axis; user-operably selecting a value of said program attribute; and displaying a pictogram representative of a program which corresponds with the currently selected value, the pictogram's position having a coordinate along said coordinate axis which corresponds to the currently selected attribute value; wherein the step of selecting a value comprises shifting said coordinate axis, the pictogram's coordinate determining a newly selected value.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
34 words
A method as claimed in claim 6 , wherein that the speed of shifting said coordinate axis is proportional to the difference between the pictogram's coordinate and the coordinate of a user-adjustable cursor position.
Claim 10
Independent Claim
130 words
A method of displaying an electronic program guide, comprising the step of receiving attribute values relating to program attributes, wherein the method further comprises the steps of: displaying values relating to a selected program attribute on a display screen along a coordinate axis; user-operably selecting a value of said program attribute; and displaying a pictogram representative of a program which corresponds with the currently selected value, the pictogram's position having a coordinate along said coordinate axis which corresponds to the currently selected attribute value; wherein the method further comprises the step of receiving data to indicate a program of particular interest, and the step of displaying a symbol representing such a program at a position having a coordinate in accordance with the program's value relating to the selected program attribute.
Claim 11
Independent Claim
130 words
A method of displaying an electronic program guide, comprising the step of receiving attribute values relating to program attributes, wherein the method further comprises the steps of: displaying values relating to a selected program attribute on a display screen along a coordinate axis; user-operably selecting a value of said program attribute; and displaying a pictogram representative of a program which corresponds with the currently selected value, the pictogram's position having a coordinate along said coordinate axis which corresponds to the currently selected attribute value; wherein the method further comprises the step of receiving data to indicate a program of particular interest, and the step of displaying a symbol representing such a program at a position having a coordinate in accordance with the program's value relating to the selected program attribute.
Claim 12
Independent Claim
127 words
An apparatus for receiving a plurality of programs, comprising decoding means for receiving and decoding attribute values relating to program attributes, wherein the apparatus further comprises display means for displaying values relating to a selected program attribute on a display screen along a coordinate axis, and selection means for user-operably selecting a value of said program attribute, the display means being adapted to display a pictogram representative of a program which corresponds with the currently selected value, the pictogram's position having a coordinate along said coordinate axis which corresponds to the currently selected attribute value, wherein the selection means comprise dragging means for dragging the pictogram to a new position on the display screen, the new position's coordinate along said coordinate axis determining a newly selected value.
Claim 13
Independent Claim
127 words
An apparatus for receiving a plurality of programs, comprising decoding means for receiving and decoding attribute values relating to program attributes, wherein the apparatus further comprises display means for displaying values relating to a selected program attribute on a display screen along a coordinate axis, and selection means for user-operably selecting a value of said program attribute, the display means being adapted to display a pictogram representative of a program which corresponds with the currently selected value, the pictogram's position having a coordinate along said coordinate axis which corresponds to the currently selected attribute value, wherein the selection means comprise dragging means for dragging the pictogram to a new position on the display screen, the new position's coordinate along said coordinate axis determining a newly selected value.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
56 words
An apparatus as claimed in claim 9 , wherein the decoding means are further adapted to receive data to indicate a program of particular interest, the display means being adapted to display a symbol representing such a program at a position having a coordinate in accordance with the program's value relating to the selected program attribute.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
28 words
An apparatus as claimed in claim 9 , wherein the apparatus further comprises assigning means for user-operably assigning another one of the program attributes to the coordinate axis.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
58 words
An apparatus as claimed in claim 9 , wherein the display means are further adapted to display values relating to a further one of the program attributes on the display screen along a further coordinate axis, the selection means being adapted to operate similarly with respect to the combination of said coordinate axis and said further coordinate axis.
Claim 17
Independent Claim
115 words
An apparatus for receiving a plurality of programs, comprising decoding means for receiving and decoding attribute values relating to program attributes, wherein the apparatus further comprises display means for displaying values relating to a selected program attribute on a display screen along a coordinate axis, and selection means for user-operably selecting a value of said program attribute, the display means being adapted to display a pictogram representative of a program which corresponds with the currently selected value, the pictogram's position having a coordinate along said coordinate axis which corresponds to the currently selected attribute value, wherein the selection means comprise shifting means for shifting said coordinate axis, the pictogram's coordinate determining a newly selected value.
Claim 18
Independent Claim
115 words
An apparatus for receiving a plurality of programs, comprising decoding means for receiving and decoding attribute values relating to program attributes, wherein the apparatus further comprises display means for displaying values relating to a selected program attribute on a display screen along a coordinate axis, and selection means for user-operably selecting a value of said program attribute, the display means being adapted to display a pictogram representative of a program which corresponds with the currently selected value, the pictogram's position having a coordinate along said coordinate axis which corresponds to the currently selected attribute value, wherein the selection means comprise shifting means for shifting said coordinate axis, the pictogram's coordinate determining a newly selected value.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
52 words
An apparatus as claimed in claim 13 , the display means being adapted to display a cursor at a user-adjustable position, wherein the shifting means are adapted to shift said coordinate axis at a speed which is proportional to the difference between the pictogram's coordinate and the coordinate of the cursor's position.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 2006-03-24 | 2006-09-23 | 2007-03-25 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2010-03-24 | 2010-09-23 | 2011-03-25 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2014-03-24 | 2014-09-23 | 2015-03-25 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |