U.S. patent application number 09/355860 was filed with the patent office on 2001-11-15 for home entertainment system and method of its operation.
Invention is credited to SCHOAFF, P. CHRISTOPHER, SHALKEY, ERIC, WARD III, THOMAS EDWARD, YUEN, HENRY C..
Application Number | 20010042246 09/355860 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 23399115 |
Filed Date | 2001-11-15 |
United States Patent
Application |
20010042246 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
YUEN, HENRY C. ; et
al. |
November 15, 2001 |
HOME ENTERTAINMENT SYSTEM AND METHOD OF ITS OPERATION
Abstract
An EPG database for a home entertainment system includes files
that contain information about television programs retrievable by
time and channel. The files are linked to each other so information
about a future television program can be obtained by accessing a
file about a current television program. A current television
program displayed on the screen (20) of a home entertainment system
includes an announcement or advertisement (56) of a future
television program. The availability of an electronic program guide
function (54) is signaled during, before, or after the
announcement. A command is issued to invoke the EPG function (54).
The information about the future television program is retrieved
from the file about the current television program in the database.
The EPG function (54) is executed with the retrieved information.
The EPG function can be performed with respect to a future
television program without embedding information about the future
television program in the television signal.
Inventors: |
YUEN, HENRY C.; (PASADENA,
CA) ; WARD III, THOMAS EDWARD; (WESTON, MA) ;
SHALKEY, ERIC; (METHUEN, MA) ; SCHOAFF, P.
CHRISTOPHER; (WESTFORD, MA) |
Correspondence
Address: |
LUCINDA G AUCIELLO
CHRISTIE PARKER & HALE
PO BOX 7068
PASADENA
CA
911097068
|
Family ID: |
23399115 |
Appl. No.: |
09/355860 |
Filed: |
August 4, 1999 |
PCT Filed: |
January 23, 1999 |
PCT NO: |
PCT/US99/01425 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
725/1 ;
348/E5.006 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H04N 21/472 20130101;
H04N 21/4332 20130101; H04N 21/4882 20130101; H04N 21/64322
20130101; H04N 21/4622 20130101; H04N 21/4351 20130101; H04N
21/4381 20130101; H04N 21/482 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
725/1 |
International
Class: |
H04N 007/16 |
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A method for operating a home entertainment system that includes
a display screen, the method comprising the steps of: displaying on
the screen a current television program that includes an
announcement or advertisement of another television program;
signaling the availability of an electronic program guide (EPG)
function with respect to the other television program during,
before, or after the announcement; storing in memory an EPG data
base including files containing information about television
programs retrievable by time and channel, the files being linked to
each other so information about the other television program can be
obtained by accessing a file about the current television program;
retrieving from the file about the current television program in
the data base by time and channel the information about the other
television program; and executing the EPG function with the
retrieved information.
2. The method of claim 1, in which the EPG function is "record",
the information about the other television program is the time,
day, channel, and length, the retrieving step retrieves the time,
day, channel, and length of the other television program, and the
executing step schedules the other television program for
unattended recording.
3. The method of claim 1, in which the EPG function is "watch", the
information about the other television program is the time, day,
channel, and length, the retrieving step retrieves the time, day,
channel, and length of the other television program, and the
executing step schedules the other television program to be
displayed on the screen when telecast.
4. The method of claim 1, in which the EPG function is "details",
the information about the other television program is details about
the other television program, the retrieving step retrieves the
details, and the executing step displays the details on the
screen.
5. The method of claim 1, additionally comprising the step of
issuing a viewer command to invoke the retrieving and executing
steps.
6. A home entertainment system comprising: a monitor having a
display screen; a television receiver adapted to display on the
screen a current television program that includes an announcement
or advertisement of another television program; a memory in which
is stored an EPG data base including files containing information
about television programs retrievable by time and channel, the
files being linked to each other so information about the other
television program can be obtained by accessing a file about the
current television program; and a microprocessor configured to
accept a viewer command to invoke an EPG function, to retrieve from
the file about the current television program in the data base by
time and channel the information about the other television
program, and to execute the EPG function with the retrieved
information.
7. The home entertainment system of claim 6, additionally
comprising a signal of the availability of an electronic program
guide (EPG) function with respect to the other television program
during, before, or after the announcement.
8. The home entertainment system of claim 7, in which the signal
displays an icon on the screen.
9. The home entertainment system of claim 8, additionally
comprising a screen display of a list of choices of EPG functions
responsive to a viewer command after the icon is displayed and an
EPG function choice selector; the microprocessor being configured
to execute the selected EPG function.
10. The home entertainment system of claim 7, in which the signal
displays a plurality of icons on the screen, each icon representing
a different EPG function.
11. The home entertainment system of claim 10, additionally
comprising a selector of one of the icons, the microprocessor being
configured to execute the selected EPG function.
12. The method of claim 1, in which the other television program is
concurrent with the current program.
13. The method of claim 1, in which the other television program is
a future program.
14. The method of claim 1 additionally comprising providing a
network that concurrently broadcasts a plurality of programs on
different channels, respectively, including the current and other
television program.
15. The method of claim 1 additionally comprising concurrently
recording the other program and watching the current program.
16. The method of claim 5, in which the step of issuing a viewer
command comprises selecting one of a plurality of icons appearing
in an announcement, an advertisement, or a television program, each
icon representing a different EPG function.
17. The method of claim 5, in which the step of issuing a viewer
command comprises responding to an icon appearing in an
announcement, an advertisement, or a television program.
18. The method of claim 17, in which the step of issuing a viewer
command additionally comprises displaying an announcement or an
advertisement.
19. The method of claim 18, in which the step of issuing a viewer
command additionally comprises responding to the announcement or
advertisement display to invoke the retrieving and executing
steps.
20. The method of claim 1 additionally comprising storing a program
announcement while the television is turned off.
21. The method of claim 20 additionally comprising turning the
television on and displaying an icon to alert the viewer of the
existence of the stored announcement.
22. The method of claim 21 additionally comprising issuing a viewer
command to view and display the stored announcement.
23. The method of claim 22, in which there is more than one stored
announcement and the stored announcements are viewed in
succession.
24. The method of claim 22 additionally comprising responding to
the display of the stored announcement to invoke the retrieving and
executing steps.
25. The home entertainment system of claim 6, in which the other
television program is concurrent with the current program.
26. The home entertainment system of claim 6, in which the other
television program is a future program.
27. The home entertainment system of claim 6 additionally
comprising a network that concurrently broadcasts a plurality of
programs on different channels, respectively, the network
broadcasts the current program and the other program.
28. The home entertainment system of claim 6, in which the current
program is watched while the other program is recording.
29. The home entertainment system of claim 6 additionally
comprising a memory in which is stored a program announcement while
the television is turned off.
30. The home entertainment system of claim 29 additionally
comprising an alert icon activated when the television is turned
on, the alert icon signals the availability of an electronic
program guide (EPG) function with respect to the other television
program.
31. The home entertainment system of claim 30 additionally
comprising a screen display of a list of choices of EPG functions
responsive to a viewer command in response to the alert icon, and
an EPG function choice selector; the microprocessor being
configured to execute the selected EPG function.
32. The home entertainment system of claim 31, in which there is
more than one stored announcement and the stored announcements are
viewed in succession.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application claims priority of provisional application
Ser. No. 60/072,396, filed on Jan. 23, 1998, the disclosure of
which is incorporated fully herein by reference.
[0002] The disclosures of the following patent applications are
also incorporated fully herein by reference: published
International Application WO96/07270 published Mar. 7, 1996; U.S.
application Ser. No. 60/053,330 filed Jul. 21, 1997; U.S.
application Ser. No. 60/061,119 filed Oct. 6, 1997; U.S.
application Ser. No. 60/055,237 filed Aug. 12, 1997, and U.S.
application Ser. No. 09/120,488 filed Jul. 21, 1998.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0003] This invention relates to a home entertainment system and a
method for its operation and, more particularly, to facilitation of
electronic program guide (EPG) functions with respect to the
promotion of future television programs in a home entertainment
system.
[0004] U.S. Pat. No. 4,977,455 which issued on Dec. 11, 1990
discloses a system aid process for supplying supplemental
information after a user responds to a cue. The cue is provided
during a broadcast to indicate the availability of the supplemental
information relating to the broadcast. The supplemental information
is preferably sent at a later time, although schedule information
for the supplemental information is sent with the broadcast. After
the user responds to the cue, the schedule information is first
stored and is then used to record the supplemental information. In
one embodiment, supplemental data is sent in the VBI of the video
signal.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0005] According to one aspect of the invention, a current
television program displayed on the screen of a home entertainment
system includes an announcement or advertisement of a future
television program. The availability of an electronic program guide
function is signaled during, before, or after the announcement. A
command is issued to invoke the EPG function. An EPG database for
the home entertainment system includes files that contain
information about television programs retrievable by time and
channel. The files are linked to each other so information about a
future television program can be obtained by accessing a file about
a current television program. The information about the future
television program is retrieved from the file about the current
television program in the database. The EPG function is executed
with the retrieved information. As a result, an EPG function can be
performed with respect to a future television program without
embedding information about the future television program in the
television signal.
[0006] The invention can be used to perform various EPG functions,
including, without limitation, record, watch, details, display
time, display channel, display by theme, and Internet
connection.
[0007] According to an optional feature of the invention, a menu of
choices is displayed in response to a command after display of an
icon signaling the availability of an EPG function during, before
or after the announcement.
[0008] According to another optional feature of the invention, a
plurality of icons are displayed on the screen to signal different
EPG functions, which can be invoked by selecting the corresponding
icon.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0009] The features of specific embodiments of the best mode
contemplated of carrying out the invention are illustrated in the
drawings, in which:
[0010] FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram of a home entertainment
system incorporating principals of the invention;
[0011] FIG. 2 is a diagram of a display screen illustrating an icon
that signals the availability of an EPG function with respect to a
future television program;
[0012] FIG. 3 is a diagram of a display screen prompting a viewer
to select from among a number of EPG functions;
[0013] FIG. 4 is a diagram of a display screen prompting a viewer
to select among choices for the frequency that a television program
is to be recorded;
[0014] FIG. 5 is a diagram of a display screen illustrating the
simultaneous display of a current television program and textual
data from an Internet web site;
[0015] FIG. 6 is a diagram of a display screen illustrating an
embodiment in which one or more announcements are stored for later
use; and
[0016] FIG. 7 is a diagram of a display screen in which separate
icons are used to signal the availability of different EPG
functions.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF SPECIFIC EMBODIMENTS
[0017] In a specific embodiment of the invention, an icon is
displayed on a television screen during a telecast of an
announcement or advertisement of a later telecast program or some
other type of visual or audio signal alerts the viewer that an
electronic program guide (EPG) function can be performed without
actually entering the EPG or at least not entering the EPG from the
beginning.
[0018] For example, if the viewer wants to record on a VCR the
program being advertised, the viewer issues an appropriate command
from a remote controller, e.g., clicks on the icon with the select
or enter key of the remote, and the time and channel of the
advertised program are stored in the recording stack memory of the
VCR. Preferably, a message is displayed momentarily in a box on the
screen to confirm that the function will be performed. If desired a
query could also be displayed whether the program should be
displayed once or on more occasions, e.g., daily or weekly.
[0019] Or, for example, if the viewer wants to see more details
about the advertised program, the viewer clicks on the icon and the
details are retrieved from the RAM in which the EPG data is stored
and either replace the advertisement on the screen or are displayed
in an on-screen box. Alternatively, the advertisement could be
displayed in a PIP window in accordance with the referenced PCT
application.
[0020] Or, for example, if the viewer wishes to see what other
programs are being telecast at the same time, on the same channel,
or with the same theme as the advertised program, the viewer clicks
on the icon and the EPG is displayed for the same day and time, the
same channel, or the same theme as the advertised program.
[0021] If more than one function is available to the viewer, the
choice of functions is first displayed in a menu when the viewer
clicks on the icon and the function is executed when the viewer
thereafter clicks on one of the displayed choices.
[0022] A home entertainment system is shown in FIG. 1. A source of
television signals 10 such as a terrestrial antenna, or a cable is
connected to a television tuner 11. The output of tuner 11 is a
modulated intermediate frequency signal containing video and audio
television information. Tuner 11 is connected by an intermediate
frequency amplifier (IF AMP) 12 to a picture detector (PICTURE DET)
13 and a sound detector (SOUND DET) 14, which produce base band
video and audio signals, respectively. The audio signal is coupled
by a sound amplifier (SOUND AMP) 15 to a loudspeaker 16. The video
signal is coupled by a video amplifier not shown to one input of a
switch 18. Sound detector 14 and picture detector 13 are connected
to the audio and video inputs, respectively, of a video cassette
recorder (VCR) 17. (Alternatively, television signal source 10
could be directly connected to the RF input of VCR 17 in well known
fashion, if its internal tuner and demodulating circuitry are to be
utilized.) The output of VCR 17 is connected to the other input of
switch 18. The output of switch 18 is connected to one input of a
conventional picture-in-picture (PIP) integrated circuit chip 19.
The output of PIP chip 19 is connected to the video input of a
television receiver or display monitor (TV) 20 having a screen (not
shown).
[0023] An updatable data base of the schedule of program listings
of all the available channels for a prescribed period of time,
e.g., a day or a week, is electronically stored in a program
schedule memory 22, preferably a RAM. Memory 22 is connected to a
microprocessor 24 that is configured, i.e., programmed, to control
the operation of the described equipment. An operating program for
microprocessor 24 is stored in a read only memory (ROM) 26. These
program listings typically include for each program the title, a
program description (detail), the day of the week, the start time
of the day, the program length, and the channel on which the
program is transmitted and thus available for reception at source
10. These program listings are retrievable by time and channel.
Further, to implement the invention these program listings are
organized into files; the files are linked to each other so
information about a future television program that is advertised in
an earlier television program can be obtained by accessing a file
about the earlier television program. The data base can be updated
by a data transmission link in the vertical blanking interval (VBI)
of a television channel broadcast to the television receiver in
well known fashion. A VBI decoder 38 is connected between PICTURE
DET 13 and microprocessor 24 for this purpose. Alternatively, the
data base can be updated by unplugging memory 22 and replacing it
with a memory having the updated data base or by another data
transmission link such as an Internet connection or a pager in the
900 MHz band. A viewer input device 28, preferably in the form of a
remote IR controller, is coupled to microprocessor 24 to issue
commands from the viewer. A video processor 30 is coupled to
microprocessor 24. When the viewer wishes to see television program
listings, microprocessor 24 recalls a portion of the program
schedule data base from memory 22 and couples it to video processor
30, where the program listings are formatted for display.
Preferably, the information stored in video processor is a bit map
of what is displayed on the screen of television receiver 20. Video
processor 30 is connected through a switch 40 to the other input of
PIP chip 19. Preferably, viewer input device 28 controls
microprocessor 24 by cursor movement on the screen of television
receiver 20. To this end, microprocessor 24 and video processor 30
are coupled to a cursor position register 32. (Alternatively, the
viewer can select items of information displayed on the screen by
keying into viewer input device 28 code numbers assigned to these
items.) Microprocessor 24 is also coupled to tuner 11 for channel
change, to VCR 17 for play/record selection and start/stop, to
switches 18 and 40 for selection of one of their inputs, and to PIP
chip 19 for selection of the mode of PIP operation. An Internet
connection 42 through a telephone line or bidirectional cable is
controlled by microprocessor 24. Microprocessor 24 retrieves the
address of the web site to which the viewer wants to connect.
Internet connection 42 has the components required for implementing
Web TV. The informatioin recovered from the addressed web site is
coupled from Internet connection 42 through switch 40 to the one
input of PIP chip 19 for display on the screen of TV 20.
[0024] In operation, tuner 11 is set to a viewer selected channel
by microprocessor 24 responsive to input device 28. During a
commercial break in the television program on the selected channel,
an announcement or advertisement for another television program to
be telecast at a later time is displayed on the screen of TV 20.
Transmitted as part of the image of the advertisement is an icon
that signals to the viewer that it is possible to link to an EPG
function. Alternatively, the icon could be transmitted in the VBI
during the advertisement, recovered by VBI decoder 38, transformed
into graphic form in video processor 30, and overlayed on the image
of the advertisement. (If desired the icon could be displayed
immediately before or immediately after the advertisement.) The
advertisement designated 50 and an icon 52 are illustrated in FIG.
2.
[0025] When the viewer issues a command from input device 28, by
either pushing a dedicated key or positioning a cursor over icon 52
with arrow keys and clicking an all purpose actuator (enter) key, a
box 54 is overlayed over advertisement 50 as illustrated in FIG. 3
to prompt the viewer to invoke an EPG function. A menu of EPG
functions is displayed in box 54, namely:
[0026] 1. record the advertised program when it is telecast at a
later time;
[0027] 2. turn the television on to watch the advertised program
when it is telecast at a later time;
[0028] 3. display details of the advertised program now;
[0029] 4. display a listing of programs telecast at the same time
as the advertised program so the viewer can compare the advertised
program with other offerings at the same time;
[0030] 5. display a listing of programs telecast on the same
channel as the advertised program so the viewer can compare the
advertised program with other offerings on the same channel;
[0031] 6. display a listing of programs in the same category or
theme as the advertised program so the viewer can determine the
availability of programs of the same genre as the advertised
program;
[0032] 7. connect to the Internet to obtain more details about the
advertised program than are available through the details function;
and
[0033] 8. return to the television program. The viewer selects one
of the functions for example by moving a cursor to the menu item
and then issuing another command to invoke the selected function.
For example, the viewer could highlight "3." and click to display
details about the advertised program.
[0034] If the viewer wishes to extinguish box 50, the viewer
selects "8", the return function.
[0035] Other functions not listed in FIG. 3 could also be offered.
For example, all the times the advertised program is telecast could
be displayed on the screen or a news story related to the
advertised program could be displayed on the screen, particularly
in the case of a sporting event.
[0036] With reference to the above PCT application, the EPG
information about the television programs is retrievable by time
and channel; for example a pre-established time list includes
addresses that point to show information packages (SIP) for the
television programs. Each television program that has an icon 52
includes in its SIP an address pointing to the schedule
information, i.e., day, time, channel, and length, of the
advertised program to be telecast at a later time, thereby linking
the information of the two television programs. If the "record" or
"watch" function is selected, the channel is read from tuner 11 and
the time is read from a real time clock in microprocessor 24. From
this information, the pointer of the SIP for the current television
program is retrieved from the pre-established time list. The
retrieved pointer permits microprocessor 24 to find the SIP for the
current television program, which contains the address pointing to
the schedule information for the advertised program. The schedule
information is stored in a memory stack so microprocessor 23 can
set tuner 11 to the proper channel and turn on the VCR for
unattended future recording or turn on the television for automatic
future watching at the appointed time in well known fashion.
[0037] The program listing files stored in memory 22 could be
organized in any number of other ways so long as the information
about the future programs being advertised is "linked" to a current
program, i.e., can be retrieved when a current program is being
displayed with an EPG function signaling icon. For example, the
information about the future programs could be linked to the
current programs including advertisements by being part of the same
file as the current programs instead of being linked by a
pointer.
[0038] When the record function is selected, a box 56 is overlaid
on advertisement 50 as illustrated in FIG. 4 to prompt the viewer
to select a record option. A menu of record options is displayed in
box 56. (These record options are also considered to be EPG
functions as the term is used herein because they are functions
that can normally be performed by an EPG.) The viewer can record
the advertised program as follows:
[0039] 1. once;
[0040] 2. daily;
[0041] 3. weekly; or
[0042] 4. each time program in a series (e.g., the NBA championship
games) is telecast.
[0043] The viewer selects one of the record options for example by
moving a cursor to a menu item, e.g., "3." and clicking to record
the advertised program weekly.
[0044] As an additional feature, if the series option is selected
in FIG. 4, a list of each occurrence of the episodes of the series
may be displayed; when a particular episode is selected, a synopsis
of the episode would then be displayed. From the synopsis the
viewer could select individual episodes of the series to schedule
to watch or record.
[0045] The menus shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 could be stored in memory
22 along with the EPG data base and overlayed on the image of the
advertisement by means of a video switch or other means not
represented in FIG. 1.
[0046] If the detail function is selected, the detail (program
description) information is retrieved from the SIP of the future
program being advertised and displayed on the screen of TV 20.
[0047] If the time, channel, or theme function is selected, the
channel is read from tuner 11 and the time is read from a real time
clock in microprocessor 24. From this information, the pointer or
pointers of the desired SIP or SIP's are retrieved from the
preestablished time list. The retrieved pointer or pointers permit
microprocessor 24 to find the desired SIP or SIP's, from which the
program listings for the same time, channel, or theme as the
advertised program are extracted and fed to video processor 30 for
display on the screen of the monitor in the same manner as the data
for an ordinary guide described in the referenced PCT
application.
[0048] Alternatively, if the time or channel function is selected,
the time and channel in a grid guide (reference U.S. application
Ser. No. 09/120,488) could be displayed so the viewer can see the
other programs available on the same channel or at the same time in
a grid guide format. In this case, an advertised program or a
program telecast at about the same time or on the same channel can
be directly scheduled for recording or watching by using the
scheduling capability of the guide itself. (See U.S. Pat. No.
5,353,121, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by
reference.)
[0049] If the Internet function is selected, the system sets up a
connection to a web site where more information is available about
the other television program to which the announcement or
advertisement relates. The web site address (URL) could be embedded
in the VBI of the television signal that carries the announcement,
stored at the television receiver in the EPG data base as part of
the SIP for the current television program, or retrieved from a
central data base via a telephone connection. After the Internet
connection is established, as illustrated in FIG. 5, the television
program is displayed in a PIP window 58 with the web site
information in the background 60, or vis-a-versa. Alternatively,
the web site information could replace the television program on
the screen. In either case, the viewer can navigate about the web
site in the normal fashion to find the desired information.
[0050] Instead of appearing during an announcement or
advertisement, icon 52 could appear during a television program
itself. When the viewer issues the command in response to icon 52,
a box 62 is displayed on the screen. An announcement or
advertisement of the later telecast program appears in box 62. If
the viewer is interested in the later telecast program, the viewer
issues another command from input device 28 and box 54 (FIG. 3) is
displayed as described above.
[0051] Instead of an announcement or advertisement of a later
telecast program, the announcement could relate to a current
program on another channel. This is particularly applicable to a
network that telecasts a plurality of programs concurrently on
different channels, as is the case in the HDTV environment. The
network can thus promote its other program offerings being telecast
at the same time. The viewer can record the other program and
continue to watch the program he or she had been watching. Thus,
the term "future programs" in this specification is used for ease
of comprehension of the inventive principles, but this term also
refers to a current program on another channel.
[0052] Another alternative is to store one or more announcements of
a later telecast program or programs while the television set is
turned off. After the television set is turned on, icon 52 is
displayed on the screen to alert the viewer that there are stored
announcements. As the viewer issues a command from input device 28,
the announcements appear on the screen, as illustrated in FIG. 6,
in succession. If the viewer is interested in the announced
program, the viewer issues another command from input device 28 and
box 54 (FIG. 3) is displayed as described above.
[0053] Instead of a single icon 52 (FIG. 1) that invokes a menu of
choices of EPG functions (FIG. 3), a plurality of icons 52a, 52b,
and 52c could be displayed as shown in FIG. 7 to bypass the menu of
FIG. 3. Each icon is marked with a mnemonic to enable the viewer to
distinguish it from the other icons, e.g., "R" stands for "record",
"W" stands for "watch", and "D" stands for "details". When the
viewer selects one of the icons, e.g., by clicking on the selected
icon, the corresponding EPG function is invoked directly.
[0054] The described embodiments of the invention are only
considered to be preferred and illustrative of the inventive
concept; the scope of the invention is not to be restricted to such
embodiment. Various and numerous other arrangements may be devised
by one skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and
scope of this invention. For example, although a visual icon is
preferred, an audible signal could be given to alert the viewer to
the presence of an announcement or advertisement. Further, if only
the record function is available, the menu of FIG. 3 could be
bypassed and the menu of FIG. 4 could be displayed directly;
alternatively, if only one other EPG function is available, the
menu of FIG. 3 could be bypassed in favor of a prompt to confirm
the EPG function or the display of some other appropriate prompting
menu.
* * * * *