U.S. patent application number 14/019736 was filed with the patent office on 2014-01-09 for methods and devices for presenting guide listings and guidance data in three dimensions in an interactive media guidance application.
This patent application is currently assigned to UNITED VIDEO PROPERTIES, INC.. The applicant listed for this patent is United Video Properties, Inc.. Invention is credited to Akitaka Nishimura.
Application Number | 20140013355 14/019736 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 40790265 |
Filed Date | 2014-01-09 |
United States Patent
Application |
20140013355 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Nishimura; Akitaka |
January 9, 2014 |
METHODS AND DEVICES FOR PRESENTING GUIDE LISTINGS AND GUIDANCE DATA
IN THREE DIMENSIONS IN AN INTERACTIVE MEDIA GUIDANCE
APPLICATION
Abstract
Methods and devices for presenting guide listings and guidance
data in three dimensions in an interactive media guidance
application are provided, in some embodiments, methods for
presenting guide listings and guidance data in three dimensions in
an interactive media guidance application are provided, the methods
comprising; presenting guide listings in a two-dimensional
configuration; receiving a user selection of at least one of the
guide listings in the two-dimensional configuration; identifying
guidance data related to the selection; and presenting the guidance
data so that the guidance data appears to he in a third dimension,
relative to the two-dimensional configuration.
Inventors: |
Nishimura; Akitaka; (Tokyo,
JP) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
United Video Properties, Inc. |
Santa Clara |
CA |
US |
|
|
Assignee: |
UNITED VIDEO PROPERTIES,
INC.
Santa Clara
CA
|
Family ID: |
40790265 |
Appl. No.: |
14/019736 |
Filed: |
September 6, 2013 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
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11961876 |
Dec 20, 2007 |
8555311 |
|
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14019736 |
|
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61014788 |
Dec 19, 2007 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
725/39 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H04N 21/4314 20130101;
H04N 21/482 20130101; H04N 21/47 20130101; H04N 5/44543
20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
725/39 |
International
Class: |
H04N 21/482 20060101
H04N021/482 |
Claims
1-42. (canceled)
43. A method for presenting guide listings and guidance data in
three dimensions in an interactive media guidance application, the
method comprising: generating for display a plurality of guide
listings mapped to a surface; receiving a first user selection of
one of the plurality of guide listings; identifying items of
guidance data related to the selection; and generating for display
the items of guidance data in a 3D portion, wherein the 3D portion
appears to extend along a third dimension axis from the surface to
which the plurality of guide listings are mapped, such that the
items of the guidance data appear to be positioned along a common
surface of the 3D portion and at different depths along the third
dimension axis, and wherein a representation of the user selection
is presented on a surface of the 3D portion that intersects a
region of the common surface.
44. The method of claim 43, further comprising: receiving a second
user selection of one of the items of guidance data; and performing
an action corresponding to the selected item of guidance data.
45. The method of claim 43, wherein the interactive media guidance
application is an interactive program guide.
46. The method of claim 43, wherein the surface to which the
plurality of guide listings is mapped is a two-dimensional
surface.
47. The method of claim 46, wherein the two-dimensional surface
presents guide listings such that sources of media related to the
plurality of guide listings are indicated along a first dimension
associated with the two-dimensional surface.
48. The method of claim 43, wherein receiving the first user
selection of one of the plurality of guide listings comprises
detecting a button depression on a remote control, wherein the
items of guidance data are identified based on which button of a
plurality of buttons was depressed.
49. The method of claim 43, wherein receiving the first user
selection of one of the plurality of guide listings comprises
detecting a movement of a remote control, wherein the items of
guidance data are identified based on which of a plurality of
possible movements was detected.
50. The method of claim 43, wherein identifying the items of
guidance data related to the first user selection comprises
identifying items of guidance data corresponding to media that are
part of a series corresponding to the first user selection.
51. The method of claim 43, wherein identifying the items of
guidance data related to the first user selection comprises
identifying items of guidance data corresponding to the same media
to which the first user selection corresponds.
52. The method of claim 43, wherein the items of guidance data
indicate presentation times that are different than a presentation
time of media corresponding to the first user selection.
53. A system for presenting guide listings and guidance data in
three dimensions in an interactive media guidance application, the
system comprising processing circuitry configured to: generate for
display a plurality of guide listings mapped to a surface; receive
a first user selection of one of the plurality of guide listings;
identify items of guidance data related to the selection; and
generate for display the items of guidance data in a 3D portion,
wherein the 3D portion appears to extend along a third dimension
axis from the surface to which the plurality of guide listings are
mapped, such that the items of the guidance data appear to be
positioned along a common surface of the 3D portion and at
different depths along the third dimension axis, and wherein a
representation of the user selection is presented on a surface of
the 3D portion that intersects a region of the common surface.
54. The system of claim 53, wherein the processing circuitry is
further configured to: receive a second user selection of one of
the items of guidance data; and perform an action corresponding to
the selected item of guidance data.
55. The system of claim 53, wherein the interactive media guidance
application is an interactive program guide.
56. The system of claim 53, wherein the surface to which the
plurality of guide listings is mapped is a two-dimensional
surface.
57. The system of claim 56, wherein the two-dimensional surface
presents guide listings such that sources of media related to the
plurality of guide listings are indicated along a first dimension
associated with the two-dimensional surface.
58. The system of claim 53, wherein the processing circuitry is
further configured to detect a button depression on a remote
control, wherein the items of guidance data are identified based on
which button of a plurality of buttons was depressed.
59. The system of claim 53, wherein the processing circuitry is
further configured to detect a movement of a remote control,
wherein the items of guidance data are identified based on which of
a plurality of possible movements was detected.
60. The system of claim 53, wherein the processing circuitry is
further configured to identify items of guidance data corresponding
to media that are part of a series corresponding to the first user
selection.
61. The system of claim 53, wherein the processing circuitry is
further configured to identify items of guidance data corresponding
to the same media to which the first user selection
corresponds.
62. The system of claim 53, wherein the items of guidance data
indicate presentation times that are different than a presentation
time of media corresponding to the first user selection.
Description
[0001] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional
Application No. 61/014,788, filed Dec. 19, 2007, the disclosure of
which is hereby incorporated, by reference herein in its
entirety.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] Due to the overwhelming volume of media content e.g.,
television shows ) available to the average person, (e.g., via
cable or satellite television), interactive media guidance
applications, such as interactive program guides, have gained
widespread popularity. Typically, these guidance applications
present guide listings in a two-dimensional grid indexed by time
and source (e.g., a television channel).
[0003] Because of the limited space available in these
two-dimensional grids, the volume of information that can be
presented to a user of the guidance application is also
limited..
[0004] Accordingly, it is desirable to present information to a
user in a third dimension with respect to the two-dimensions of an
interactive media guidance application.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0005] Methods and devices for presenting guide listings and
guidance data in three dimensions in an interactive media guidance
application, in accordance with various embodiments of the present
invention, are provided. In some embodiments, methods for
presenting guide listings and guidance data in three dimensions in
an interactive media guidance application are provided, the methods
comprising: presenting guide listings in a two-dimensional
configuration; receiving a user selection of at least one of the
guide listings in the two-dimensional configuration; identifying
guidance data related to the selection; and presenting the guidance
data so that the guidance data appears to be in a third dimension
relative to the two-dimensional configuration.
[0006] In some embodiments, devices for presenting guide listings
and guidance data in three dimensions in an interactive media
guidance application are provided, the devices comprising;
processing circuitry that: causes guide listings to be presented in
a two-dimensional configuration; receives a user selection, of at
least one of the guide listings in the two-dimensional
configuration; identifies guidance data related to the selection;
and causes the guidance data to be presented so that the guidance
data appears to be in a third dimension relative to the
two-dimensional configuration.
[0007] In some embodiments, devices for presenting guide listings
and guidance data in three dimensions in an interactive media
guidance application are provided, the devices comprising: means
for causing guide listings to be presented in a two-dimensional
configuration; means for receiving a user selection of at least one
of the guide listings in the two-dimensional configuration; means
for identifying guidance data related to the selection; and means
for causing the guidance data to be presented so that the guidance
data appears to be in a third dimension relative to the
two-dimensional configuration.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0008] FIG. 1 illustrates an example of a grid display in an
interactive media guidance application in accordance with some
embodiments of the present invention.
[0009] FIG. 2 illustrates an example of a mosaic display in an
interactive media guidance application in accordance with some
embodiments of the present invention.
[0010] FIG. 3A illustrates an example of a three-dimensional
portion in an interactive media guidance application, with sections
identifying days and times for the airing of related media content,
in accordance with some embodiments of the present invention.
[0011] FIG. 3B illustrates an example of a three-dimensional
portion in an interactive media guidance application, with sections
identifying guidance data for recorded media content, in accordance
with some embodiments of the present invention.
[0012] FIG. 4A illustrates an. example of a three-dimensional
portion in an interactive media guidance application, with sections
identifying related media content in the same category, in
accordance with some embodiments of the present invention.
[0013] FIG. 4B illustrates an example of a three-dimensional
portion in an interactive media guidance application, with sections
identifying guidance data for on-demand media content, in
accordance with some embodiments of the present invention.
[0014] FIG. 5A illustrates an example of a three-dimensional
portion in an interactive media guidance application, with sections
identifying different episodes of a corresponding program, in
accordance with some embodiments of the present invention.
[0015] FIG. 5B illustrates an example of a three-dimensional
portion in an interactive media guidance application, with sections
identifying additional media content of a corresponding program, in
accordance with some embodiments of the present invention.
[0016] FIG. 6A illustrates an example of a grid display with, a
virtual, channel in an interactive media guidance application in
accordance with some embodiments of the present invention.
[0017] FIG. 5B illustrates an example of a three-dimensional
portion in an interactive media guidance application, with sections
identifying different channels corresponding to a virtual channel,
in accordance with some embodiments of the present invention.
[0018] FIG. 7 illustrates an example of objects arranged in three
dimensions in an interactive media guidance application in
accordance with some embodiments of the present invention.
[0019] FIG. 8 illustrates an example of a process for implementing
an interactive media guidance application having three dimensions
in accordance with some embodiments of the present invention.
[0020] FIG. 9 illustrates an example of user equipment devices the
may be used to implement an interactive media guidance application,
in accordance with some embodiments of the present invention.
[0021] FIG. 10 illustrates an example of a system, for implementing
an interactive media guidance application in accordance with some
embodiments of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF VARIOUS EMBODIMENTS
[0022] The amount of media available to users in any given media
delivery system can be substantial. Consequently, many users desire
a form of media guidance through an interface that allows users to
efficiently navigate media selections and easily identify media
that they may desire. An application, which provides such, guidance
is referred to herein, as an interactive media guidance application
or, sometimes, a media guidance application or a guidance
application.
[0023] Interactive media guidance applications may take various
forms depending on the media for which they provide guidance. One
typical type of media guidance application is an interactive
television program guide. Interactive television program guides
(sometimes referred to as electronic program guides) are well-known
guidance applications that, among other things, allow users to
navigate among and locate many types of media content (which may he
referred to herein as "programs" or "programming") including
conventional television programming (provided via traditional
broadcast, cable, satellite, Internet, or other means), as well as
pay-per-view programs, on-demand programs (as in video-on-demand
(VOD) systems), Internet content (e.g., streaming media,
downloadable media, Webcasts, etc.), and other types of media or
video content. Guidance applications may also allow users to
navigate among and locate content related to the video content
including, for example, video clips, articles, advertisements, chat
sessions, games, etc.
[0024] With the advent of the Internet, mobile computing, and
high-speed wireless networks, users are accessing media on personal
computers (PCs) and other devices on which they traditionally did
not, such as hand-held computers, personal digital assistants
(PDAs), mobile telephones, vehicle entertainment systems, or other
mobile devices. On these devices users may be able to navigate
among and locate the same media available through a television.
Consequently, media guidance may be necessary on these devices as
well. The guidance provided may be for media content available only
through a television, for media content available only through one
or more of these devices, or for media content available both
through a television and one or more of these devices. The media
guidance applications may be provided as on-line applications
(i.e., provided on a web-site), or as stand-alone applications or
clients on hand--held computers, PDAs, mobile telephones, or other
mobile devices. The various devices and platforms that may
implement media guidance applications are described in more detail
below.
[0025] One of the functions of the media guidance application is to
provide media guidance data (also referred to herein as "program
guidance data" and "guidance data") such at media listings (also
referred to herein as "program listings," "program guide listings,"
and "guide listings") and media information (also referred to
herein as "program information" and "guide information") to users.
Media guidance data may include, for example, media listings (or
program listings), media-related information (or media information
or program, information) (e.g., broadcast times, broadcast
channels, media titles, media descriptions, ratings information
(e.g., parental control ratings, critic's ratings, etc.), genre or
category information, actor information, logo data for
broadcasters' or providers' logos, year of release, runtime
(length), episodic subtitles, closed-captioning information, bonus
features (e.g., clips), behind-the-scenes clips, images, etc.),
media format (e.g., standard definition, high definition, audio
quality, etc.), advertisement information (e.g., text, images,
media clips, etc.), on-demand information, and any other type of
guidance data that is helpful for a user to navigate among and
locate desired media selections.
[0026] FIGS. 1-2 show illustrative display screens that may be used
to: provide media guidance, and in particular media listings. The
display screens shown in FIGS. 1-7 may be implemented on any
suitable device or platform. While the displays of FIGS. 1-7 are
illustrated as full screen displays, they may also be fully or
partially overlaid over media content being displayed. A user may
indicate a desire to access media guidance data by selecting a
selectable option provided in a display screen (e.g., a menu
option, a listings option, an icon, a hyperlink, etc.) or pressing
a dedicated button (e.g., a GUIDE button) on a remote control or
other user input interface or device. In response to the user's
indication, a media guidance application may provide a display
screen with media guidance data organized in one of several ways,
such as by time and channel in a grid, by time, by channel,
by-media type, by category (e.g., movies, sports, news, children,
or other categories of programming), or other predefined,
user-defined, or other organization criteria.
[0027] FIG. 1 shows illustrative grid program listings display 100
arranged by time and channel that enables access to different types
of media content in a single display. Display 100 may include grid
102 with: (1) a column of channel/media type identifiers 104, where
each channel/media, type identifier (which is a cell in the column)
identifies a different channel or media type available; and (2) a
row of time identifiers 106, where each time identifier (which is a
cell in the row) identifies a time block of programming. Grid 102
also includes cells of program listings, such as program listing
108, where each listing provides the title of the program provided
on the listing's associated channel and time.
[0028] With a user input device, a user can select program listings
toy moving highlight region 110. For example, a user can select
program listings by pressing an arrow button on a remote control to
move the highlight region in a corresponding direction and by
pressing a select button on the remote control. As another example,
a user can select program listings by moving a motion-sensitive
controller (e.g., one incorporating one or more accelerometers for
detecting motion) in a direction corresponding to a desired
movement of the highlight region and by pressing a button on the
controller. As still another example, a user can select program
listings by pointing a direction-sensitive controller (e.g., one
chat interacts with a direction sensitive receiver on or near a
display and/or that incorporates one or more accelerometers for
detecting motion) and pressing a button on the controller.
[0029] Information relating to the program listing selected by
highlight region 110 may be provided in program information region
112. Region 112 may include, for example, the program title, the
program description, the time the program is provided (if
applicable), the channel the program is on (if applicable), the
program's rating, the elapsed time of the program, and other
desired media-related information (which is described in further
detail below in connection with FIG. 10).
[0030] Although listings providing the title of a corresponding
program are illustrated in cells of grid 102 of FIG. 1, these cells
may include any additional or alternative guidance data related to
media content, such as, for example, an actor name, a logo, a
picture, an icon, a video clip, a rating, a program description,
etc.
[0031] In addition to providing access to linear programming
provided according to a schedule, a media guidance application, may
also provide access to non-linear programming which is not provided
according to a schedule. Non-linear programming may include content
from different media sources including on-demand media content
(e.g., video-on-demand (VOD)), Internet content (e.g., streaming
media/downloadable media, etc.), locally stored media content
(e.g., video content stored on a digital video recorder (DVR),
digital video/versatile disc (DVD), video cassette, compact disc
(CD), etc.), or other time-insensitive media content. On-demand
content may include both movies and original media content provided
by a particular media provider (e.g., HBO On Demand providing "The
Sopranos" and "Curb Your Enthusiasm"). HBO ON DEMAND, THE SOPRANOS,
and CURB YOUR ENTHUSIASM are trademarks owned by the Home Box
Office, Inc. Internet content may include web events, such, as a
chat session or Webcast, or content available on-demand as
streaming media or downloadable media through an Internet web site
or other Internet access (e.g., FTP).
[0032] Grid 102 may provide listings for non-linear programming
including on-demand listing 114, recorded media listing 116, and
Internet content listing 118. A display combining listings for
content from different types of media sources is sometimes referred
to as a "mixed-media" display. The various permutations of the
types of listings that may be displayed may be based on user
selection or guidance application definition (e.g., a display of
only recorded and broadcast listings, only-on-demand and broadcast
listings, etc.), and any suitable permutation may be used. As
illustrated, listings 114, 116, and 118 are shown as spanning the
entire time block displayed in grid 102 to indicate that selection
of these listings may provide access to a display dedicated to
on-demand listings, recorded listings, or Internet listings,
respectively. In other embodiments, listings for these media types
may be included directly in grid 102. Additional listings may be
displayed in response to the user selecting one of the navigational
icons 120. (Pressing an arrow key on a user input device may affect
the display in a similar manner as selecting navigational icons
120,)
[0033] Display 100 may also include video region 122, advertisement
124, and options region 126. Video region 122 may allow the user to
view and/or preview programs that are currently available, will be
available, or were available to the user. The content of video
region 122 may correspond to, or be independent from, one of the
listings displayed in grid 102. Grid displays including a video
region are sometimes referred to as picture-in-guide (PIG)
displays. PIG displays and their functionalities are described in
greater detail in Sacterfield et al . U.S. Pat. No. 6,564,378,
issued. May 13, 2003 and Yuen et al. U.S. Pat. No. 6,239,794,
issued May 29, 2001, which are hereby incorporated by reference
herein, in their entireties. PIG displays may be included in other
media guidance application display screens of the present
invention.
[0034] Advertisement 124 may provide an advertisement for media
content that, depending on a viewer's access rights (e.g., for
subscription programming), is currently available for viewing, will
be available for viewing in the future, or may never become
available for viewing, and may correspond to or be unrelated to one
or more of the media listings in grid 102. Advertisement 124 may
also be for products or services related or unrelated to the media
content displayed in grid 102. Advertisement 124 may be selectable
and provide further information about media content, provide
information, about a product or a service, enable purchasing of
media content, a product, or a service, provide media content
relating to the advertisement, etc. Advertisement 124 may be
targeted based, on a user's profile/preferences, monitored user
activity, the type of display provided, or on other suitable
targeted advertisement bases.
[0035] While advertisement 124 is shown as rectangular or banner
shaped, advertisements may be provided in any suitable size, shape,
and location in a guidance application display. For example,
advertisement 124 may be provided as a rectangular shape that is
horizontally adjacent to grid 102. This is sometimes referred to as
a panel advertisement. In addition, advertisements may be overlaid
over media content or a guidance application display or embedded
within a display. Advertisements may also include text, images,
rotating images, video clips, or other types of media content.
Advertisements may be stored in the user equipment with the
guidance application, in a database connected to the user
equipment, in a remote location (including streaming media
servers), or on other storage means or a combination of these
locations. Providing advertisements in a media guidance application
is discussed in greater detail in, for example, Knudson et al.,
U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2003/0110499 A1, published
Jun. 12, 2003, Ward, III et al. U.S. Pat. No. 6,756,997, issued
Jun. 29, 2004, and Schein et al. U.S. Pat. No. 6,383,714, issued
May 14, 2002, which are hereby incorporated by reference herein in
their entireties. It will be appreciated that advertisements may be
included in other media guidance application display screens of the
present invention.
[0036] Options region 126 may allow the user to access different
types of media content, media guidance application displays, and/or
media guidance application features. Options region 126 may be part
of display 100 (and other display screens of the present
invention), or may be invoked by a user by selecting an on-screen
option or pressing a dedicated or assignable button on a user input
device. The selectable options within, options region 126 may
concern features related to program listings in grid 102 or may
include options available from a main menu display. Features
related to program listings may include searching for other air
times or ways of receiving a program, recording a program, enabling
series recording of a program, setting a program and/or channel as
a favorite, purchasing a program, or other features. Options
available from a main, menu display may include search options. VOD
options, parental control options, options to access to various
types of listing displays, options to subscribe to a premium
service, options to edit a user's profile, options to access a
browse overlay, or other options.
[0037] The media guidance application may be personalized based on
a user's preferences. A personalized media guidance application may
allow a user to customize displays and features to create a
personalized "experience" with the media guidance application. This
personalized experience may be created by allowing a user to input
these customizations and/or by the media guidance application
monitoring user activity to determine various user preferences.
Users may access their personalized guidance application by logging
in or otherwise identifying themselves to the guidance application.
Customization of the media guidance application may be made in
accordance with a user profile. The customizations may include
varying presentation, schemes (e.g., color scheme of displays, font
size of text, etc.), aspects of media content listings displayed
(e.g., only HDTV programming, user-specified broadcast channels
based on favorite channel selections, re-ordering the display of
channels, recommended media content, etc.), desired recording
features (e.g., recording or series recordings for particular
users, recording quality, etc), parental control settings, and
other desired customizations.
[0038] The media guidance application may allow a user to provide
user profile information or may automatically compile user profile
information. The media guidance application may, for example,
monitor the media the user accesses and/or other interactions the
user may have with the guidance application. Additionally, the
media guidance application may obtain all or part of other user
profiles that are related to a particular user (e.g., from web
sites on the Internet the user accesses, such as www.tvguide.com,
from other media guidance applications the user accesses, from
other interactive applications the user accesses, from a handheld
device of the user, etc.), and/or obtain information about the user
from, other sources that the media guidance application may access.
As a result, a user can be provided with a unified guidance
application experience across the user's different devices. This
type of user experience is described in greater detail, below in
connection with FIG. 10. Additional personalized media guidance
application features are described in greater detail in Ellis et
al., U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2005/0251827 A1,
published Nov. 10, 2005, Boyer et al., U.S. Pat. No. 7,165,098,
issued Jan. 16, 2007, and Ellis et al., U.S. Patent Application
Publication No. 2002/0174430 A1, published November 21, 2002, which
are hereby incorporated by reference herein in their
entireties.
[0039] Another display arrangement for providing media guidance is
shown in FIG. 2. Video mosaic display 200 includes selectable
options 202 for media content information organized based on media
type, genre, and/or other organization criteria, in display 200,
television listings option 204 is selected, thus providing guidance
data 206, 208, 210, and 212 as broadcast program guidance data. The
guidance data in display 200 is not limited to simple text (e.g.,
the program title) and icons to describe media. Rather, in display
200 the guidance data may provide graphical images including cover
art, still images from the media content, video clip previews, live
video from the media content, or other types of media that indicate
to a user the media content being described by the guidance data.
Each of the graphical guidance data may also include text to
provide further information about the media content associated with
the guidance data. For example, guidance data 208 may include more
than one portion, including media portion 214 and text portion 216.
Media portion 214 and/or text portion 216 may be selectable to view
video in full-screen or to view guidance data related to the video
displayed, in media portion 214 (e.g., to view guidance data for
the channel that the video is displayed on).
[0040] The guidance data in display 200 are illustrated as being of
different sizes (i.e., guidance data 206 is larger than guidance
data 208, 210, and 212), but if desired, all the guidance data may
be the same size. Guidance data may be of different sizes or
graphically accentuated to indicate degrees of interest to the user
or to emphasize certain content, as desired by the media provider
or based on user preferences. Various systems and methods for
graphically accentuating media guidance data are discussed in, for
example, Yates, U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/324,202, filed
Dec. 29, 2005, which is hereby incorporated by reference herein in
its entirety.
[0041] Turning to FIG. 3A, yet another display arrangement 300 for
media guidance is shown. As illustrated, arrangement 300 includes a
three-dimensional (3D) portion 302 that appears to come out of the
location of a listing in the two-dimensional (2D) display
illustrated in FIG. 1. 3D portion 302 may be presented at any
suitable time or in response to any suitable event. For example, 3D
portion 302 may be presented when a user selects a listing in cell
108 of FIG. 1. As another example, 3D portion 302 may be presented,
when a user highlights a corresponding listing. As still another
example, 3D portion 302 may be presented for a listing
corresponding to media content being presented when a user
activates an interactive media guidance application.
[0042] As can be seen in FIG. 3A, 3D portion 302 may include
sections 304, 306, 308, 310, 312, 314, and 316. Each of these
sections may present any suitable guidance data related to the
corresponding listing in the 2D display. For example, as shown,
these sections may include day, date, and/or time guidance data
corresponding to when the same program, series will be available
for presentation. Thus, as illustrated, in addition to "The
Simpsons" being available to be viewed on Tuesday at 7 pm, it may
also be available to be viewed on Wednesday at 7 pm, Thursday at 7
pm, Friday at 7 pm, Saturday at 7 pm, Sunday at 8 pm, and Monday at
7 pm as respectively indicated, by sections 306, 308, 310, 312,
314, and 316. "THE SIMPSONS" is a trademark, owned by Fox
Broadcasting Company.
[0043] As also illustrated in FIG. 3A, in some embodiments, a user
may highlight a section 310 with, a highlight region 318 so that
any suitable subsequent action can be taken with respect to media
content corresponding to the guidance data in that section. For
example, a user may highlight section 310 so that a reminder can be
set to watch. "The Simpsons" on Friday at 7 pm. Any suitable
technique may be used to highlight a section of a 3D portion. For
example, a user may move a highlight region, by repeatedly pressing
an "in" or "out" button, which represent movement in depth. As
another example, a user may use an input device that is sensitive
to movement in three dimensions (e.g., by using one or more
accelerometers sensitive to forces in three dimensions) and move
the input device in a direction corresponding to the desired
movement of a highlight region. As still another example, a user
can move a highlight region by pointing a direction-sensitive
controller (e.g., one that interacts with a direction sensitive
receiver on or near a display and/or that incorporates one or more
accelerometers for detecting motion) at the desired section and
pressing a button on the controller.
[0044] Another type of guidance data that may be displayed in a 3D
portion is shown in display 320 of FIG. 3B. As illustrated,
recorded programs corresponding to a recorded-programs listing
highlighted by a user (for example) may be identified by guidance
data in sections 324, 326, 328, 330, 332, and 334 of a 3D portion
322. These recorded programs may be any recorded programs available
to a user. For example, the recorded programs may be manually
recorded programs, programs automatically recorded, locally
recorded programs, remotely recorded programs, etc. One of these
sections may be selected using a highlight region 338.
[0045] Still another type of guidance data that may be displayed in
a 3D portion is shown in display 400 of FIG. 4A. As illustrated,
other programs in a same category (e.g., cartoons) as that
corresponding to the listing highlighted by a user (for example)
may be identified by guidance data in sections 404, 406, and 408 of
a 3D portion 402. Any suitable categories or themes may he used In
some embodiments to relate guidance data being displayed in a 3D
portion of a guide to a corresponding listing in a 2D portion of
the display,
[0046] Yet still another type of guidance data that may be
displayed in a 3D portion is shown in display 410 of FIG. 4B. As
illustrated, the names of on-demand programs corresponding to an
on-demand listing highlighted by a user (for example) can be
identified by guidance data in sections 414, 416, and 413 of a 3D
portion 412.
[0047] Yet still another type of guidance data that may be
displayed in a 3D portion is shown in display 500 of FIG. 5A. As
illustrated, the names of other episodes of the program
corresponding to a listing highlighted by a user (for example) can
be identified by guidance data in sections 504, 506, 508, 510, 512,
and 514 of a 3D portion 502.
[0048] Yet still another type of guidance data that may be
displayed in a 3D portion is shown in display 520 of FIG. 5B. As
illustrated, additional content (such as interviews, images,
previews or trailers, Web sites, video clips, behind-the-scenes
videos, etc.) related to media content corresponding to a
highlighted listing may be represented by guidance data in sections
524, 526, 528, 530, 532, and 534 of a 3D portion 522.
[0049] Turning to FIG. 6A, another type of listing is illustrated
in display 600 in accordance with some embodiments. As shown, a
listing 604 may represent multiple channels that have been
consolidated into a single listing corresponding to a virtual
channel 602. For example, with multiple pay-per-view channels, the
Channels may be consolidated into a single listing to simplify the
guide for a user. As another example, with multiple sports or music
channels, the channels may be consolidated into a single listing.
Obviously, any suitable channels may be consolidated into a
virtual, channel and whether channels are consolidated may be
determined automatically or may be specified by a user.
[0050] As shown in FIG. 6B, if a user (for example) selects a
listing 604 (FIG. 6A), guidance data for programs available on the
consolidated channels related to the listing may be presented in a
3D portion 612. For example, as illustrated, sections 614, 616,
618, 620, 622, and 624 may display the titles of pay-per-view
programs that may be available on different channels. The channel
numbers for the consolidated channels may additionally be displayed
in these sections in some embodiments. A user may highlight a
section using a highlight region 628 and/or scroll to other
sections that are available for the 3D portion, but not shown, by
moving the highlight region forward/in or backward/out. Indicators
630 and/or 632 may be used to represent that additional sections of
guidance data are available.
[0051] Obviously, any other suitable relationship to a selected
listing may be used to select related guidance data to be presented
in sections of a 3D portion of a guide. For example, related,
guidance data may be related to a selected listing based on having
a common or similar actor, having a common or similar cast, having
a common or similar director, having a common or similar musical
artist, having a common or similar sponsor, having a common or
similar name, being part of the same or a similar series, being for
the same or similar media content, having a common or similar
metadata term, having a common or similar category or theme, and/or
having any other suitable relationship.
[0052] In some embodiments, each of multiple buttons on a remote
control may be used to specify a relationship for selecting related
guidance data. For example, after highlighting a listing, a user
may press one button to find different episodes of the same media
content corresponding to the highlighted listing, another button to
find other media content with the same actor as that in the media
content corresponding to the highlighted listing, etc. In some
embodiments, movement of a motion sensitive controller may
similarly be used to specify a relationship for selecting related
guidance data. For example, after a user highlights a listing, a
user may move the controller toward the display to find different
episodes of the same media content corresponding to the highlighted
listing, may move the controller away from the display to find
other media content with the same actor as that in the media
content corresponding to the highlighted listing, may rotate, spin,
or shake the controller for other relationships, etc.
[0053] In some embodiments, rather than having a single 3D portion,
one or more 2D or 3D objects may be displayed so as to give an
appearance that the objects are situated in 3D space. For example,
as shown in FIG. 7, objects 702, 704, 706, and 708 may be presented
so as to give an. appearance of coming out of cell 108 of FIG. 1.
Any suitable guidance data may be presented on these objects. For
example, both episode titles and air times (e.g., day and time as
shown) may be presented for various episodes of "The Simpsons"
series identified by the listing in ceil 108 of FIG. 1.
[0054] Although 3D portions 302, 322, 402, 412, 502, 522, and 612
in FIGS. 3A, 3B, 4A, 4B, 5A, 5B, and 6B are each illustrated as
single rectangular blocks, any suitable 3D shape may be presented
as a 3D portion in accordance with some embodiments. Similarly,
although objects 702, 704, 706 and 708 represent a series of four
rectangular blocks, any suitable number of any suitable 2D or 3D
shapes may be presented so as to give the appearance of being in
three dimensions in accordance with some embodiments. For example,
file cards (e.g., which may appear as being 2D objects) may be
presented so as to give the appearance of being stacked in three
dimensions in some embodiments.
[0055] Referring back to FIG. 1, in some embodiments, to indicate
that related listings for a listing in cell 103 are available, the
cell may include an indicator 128. This indicator may thus be used
to alert a user to the opportunity to select cell 108 (for example)
to see related listings in 3D portion 302, 322, 402, 412, 502, 522,
or 612, or in objects 702, 704, 706, and/or 708.
[0056] Turning to FIG. 8, a process 800 for presenting a third
dimension in an interactive media guidance application is
illustrated. As shown, a 2D portion of a guide may first be
presented at step 802. This portion of the guide may be presented
in any suitable fashion and may include any suitable features, for
example as described above in connection with FIGS. 1 and 2. Next,
at step 304, a user selection of a listing in the 2D portion of the
display may be received. This selection may be made in. any
suitable manner as described above in connection with FIGS. 1 and
2. For example, a user may select a listing in a cell of a 2D
portion of a display by highlighting the cell and pressing a button
on a remote control.
[0057] Next, at step 806, guidance data related to the selected
listing may be selected. This related guidance data may be selected
based on any suitable relationship. For example, as mentioned
above, guidance data may be related to a selected listing based on
having a common or similar actor, having a common or similar cast,
having a common or similar director, having a common or similar
musical artist, having a common or similar sponsor, having a common
or similar name, being part of the same or a similar series, being
for the same or similar media content, having a common or similar
metadata term, having a common or similar category or theme, and/or
having any other suitable relationship.
[0058] The selected guidance data may then be sorted at step 308.
This sorting may be based on any suitable attribute or attributes
of the related guidance data or media content associated with the
related guidance data. For example, related guidance data may be
sorted by an air day and time for media content associated with the
related guidance data as illustrated in FIG. 3A. As another
example, related guidance data may be sorted alphabetically as
illustrated in FIG. 4A. As another example, related guidance data
may be sorted based on a category (or other categorization
attribute) associated with media content associated with the
related guidance data. As still another example, related guidance
data may be sorted by the relevance of the related guidance data to
the selected listing. As a more particular example, this relevance
may be based on how many aspects of the related, guidance data are
common to the selected listing. As another more particular example,
this relevance may be based on the number of previous users that
selected the related guidance data, or the number of previous times
the related guidance data was selected, when presented in a 3D
portion for the same selected listing.
[0059] At step 810, the related guidance data may be presented so
as to have the appearance of being in a third dimension relative to
the 2D display. This presentation may be accomplished in any
suitable manner. For example, this presentation may be accomplished
as illustrated above in connection with FIGS. 3A, 3B, 4A, 4B, 5A,
5B, and 6B.
[0060] Users may access media content and the media guidance
application (and its display screens described above and below)
from one or more of their user equipment devices. FIG. 9 shows a
generalized embodiment of illustrative user equipment, device 900.
More specific implementations of user equipment devices are
discussed below in connection with FIG. 10. User equipment device
900 may receive media content and data via Input/output
(hereinafter "I/O ") path 902. I/O path 902 may provide media
content (e.g., broadcast programming, on-demand programming,
internet content, and other video or audio) and data to control
circuitry 904, which includes processing circuitry 906 and storage
908. Control circuitry 904 may be used to send and receive
commands, requests, and other suitable data using I/O path 902. I/O
path 902 may connect control circuitry 904 (and specifically
processing circuitry 906) to one or more communications paths
(described below). I/O functions may be provided by one or more of
these communications paths, but are shown as a single path in FIG.
9 to avoid overcomplicating the drawing.
[0061] Control circuitry 904 may be based on any suitable
processing circuitry 906 such as processing circuitry based on one
or more microprocessors, microcontrollers, digital signal
processors, programmable logic devices, etc. In some embodiments,
control circuitry 904 executes instructions for a media guidance
application stored in memory (i.e., storage 908). In client-server
based embodiments, control circuitry 904 may include communications
circuitry suitable for communicating with a guidance application
server or other networks or servers. Communications circuitry may
include a cable modem, an integrated services digital network
(ISDN) modem, a digital subscriber line (DSL) modem, a telephone
modem, a wireless modem for communications with other equipment, a
fiber-optic communications interface, a network interface (e.g.,
for an Ethernet network), and/or any other suitable interface. Such
communications may involve the internet or any other suitable
communications networks or paths (which is described in more detail
in connection with FIG. 10. In addition, communications circuitry
may include circuitry that enables peer-to-peer communication of
user equipment devices, or communication of user equipment devices
in locations remote from each other (described in more detail
below).
[0062] Memory (e.g., random-access memory, read-only memory, or any
other suitable memory), hard drives, optical drives, or any other
suitable fixed or removable storage devices (e.g., DVD recorder, CD
recorder, video cassette recorder, or other suitable recording
device) may be provided as storage 908 that is part of control
circuitry 904. Storage 908 may include one or more of the above
types of storage devices. For example, user equipment device 900
may include a hard drive for a PVR (sometimes called a personal
video recorder, or PVR) and a DVD recorder as a secondary storage
device. Storage 908 may be used to store various types of media
described herein, and guidance application data, including program
information, guidance application settings, user preferences or
profile information, or other data used in operating the guidance
application. Non-volatile memory may also be used (e.g., to launch
a boot-up routine and other instructions).
[0063] Control circuitry 904 may include video generating circuitry
and tuning circuitry, such as one or more analog tuners, one or
more MPEG-2 decoders or other digital decoding circuitry,
high-definition tuners, or any other suitable tuning or video
circuits or combinations of such circuits. Encoding circuitry
(e.g., for converting over-the-air, analog, or digital signals to
MPEG signals for storage) may also be provided. Control circuitry
904 may also include scaler circuitry for upconverting and
downconverting media into the preferred output format of the user
equipment 900. Circuitry 904 may also include digital-to-analog
converter circuitry and analog-to-digital converter circuitry for
converting between digital and analog signals. The tuning and
encoding circuitry may be used by the user equipment to receive and
to display, to play, or to record media content. The tuning and
encoding circuitry may also be used to receive guidance data. The
circuitry described herein, including for example, the tuning,
video generating, encoding, decoding, scaler, and analog/digital
circuitry, may be implemented using software running on one or more
general purpose or specialized processors. Multiple tuners may be
provided to handle simultaneous tuning functions (e.g., watch and
record functions, picture-in-picture (PIP) functions,
multiple-tuner recording, etc.). If storage 908 is provided as a
separate device from user equipment 900, the tuning and encoding
circuitry (including multiple tuners) may be associated with
storage 908.
[0064] A user may control the control circuitry 904 using user
input interface 910. User input interface 910 may be any suitable
user interface, such as a remote control, mouse, trackball, keypad,
keyboard, touch screen, touch pad, stylus input, joystick, motion
sensitive controller (e.g., incorporating one or more
accelerometers sensitive to forces in three dimensions), voice
recognition interface, or other user input interfaces. Display 912
may be provided as a stand-alone device or integrated with other
elements of user equipment device 900. Display 912 may be one or
more of a monitor, a television, a liquid crystal display (LCD) for
a mobile device, or any other suitable equipment for displaying
visual images. In some embodiments/display 912 may be HDTV-capable.
Speakers 914 may be provided as integrated with other elements of
user equipment device 900 or maybe stand-alone units. The audio
component of videos and other media content displayed on display
912 may be played through speakers 914. In some embodiments, the
audio may be distributed to a receiver (not shown), which processes
and outputs the audio via speakers 914.
[0065] User equipment device 900 of FIG. 9 can be implemented in
system 1000 of FIG. 10 as user television equipment 1002, user
computer equipment 1004, wireless user communications device 1006,
or any other type of user equipment suitable for accessing media,
such as a non-portable gaming machine. For simplicity, these
devices may be referred to herein collectively as user equipment or
user equipment devices. User equipment devices, on which a media
guidance application is implemented, may function as a standalone
device or may be part of a network, of devices. Various network
configurations of devices may be implemented and are discussed in
more detail below.
[0066] User television equipment 1002 may include a set-top box, an
integrated receiver decoder (IRD) for handling satellite
television, a television set, a digital storage device, a DVD
recorder, a video-cassette recorder (VCR), a local media server, or
other user television equipment. One or more of these devices may
be integrated to be a single device, if desired. User computer
equipment 1004 may include a PC, a laptop, a tablet, a WebTV box, a
personal computer television (PC/TV), a PC media server, a PC media
center, or other user computer equipment. WEBTV (now known as MSN
TV) is a trademark owned by Microsoft Corp. Wireless user
communications device 1006 may include PDAs, a mobile telephone, a
portable video player, a portable music player, a portable gaming
machine, or other wireless devices.
[0067] It should be noted that with the advent of television tuner
cards for PC's, WebTV, and the integration of video into other user
equipment devices, the lines have become blurred when trying to
classify a device as one of the above devices. In fact, each of
user television equipment 1002, user computer equipment 1004, and
wireless user communications device 1006 may utilize at least some
of the system features described above in connection with FIG. 9
and, as a result, include flexibility with respect to the type of
media content available on the device. For example, user
television, equipment 1002 may be Internet-enabled allowing for
access to Internet content, while user computer equipment 1004 may
include a tuner allowing for access to television programming. The
media guidance application may also have the same layout on the
various different types of user equipment or may be tailored to the
display capabilities of the user equipment. For example, on user
computer equipment, the guidance application may be provided as a
web site accessed by a web browser. In another example, the
guidance application may be scaled down for wireless user
communications devices.
[0068] In system 1000, there is typically more than one of each
type of user equipment device but only one of each is shown in FIG.
10 to avoid overcomplicating the drawing. In addition, each user
may utilize more than one type of user equipment device (e.g., a
user may have a television set and a computer) and also more than
one of each type of user equipment device (e.g., a user may have a
PDA and a mobile telephone and/or multiple television sets).
[0069] The user may also set various settings to control, and/or
maintain consistent media guidance application settings across,
in-home devices and remote devices. Settings Include those
described herein, as well as channel and program favorites,
programming preferences that the guidance application utilizes to
make programming recommendations, display preferences, and other
desirable guidance settings. For example, if a user sets a channel
as a favorite on, for example, the web site www.tvguide.com on
their personal, computer at their office, the same channel may
appear as a favorite on. the user's in-home devices (e.g., user
television equipment and user computer equipment) as well as the
user's mobile devices, if desired. As another example, a user may
specify using one device (e.g., a portable device or one mounted in
the user's automobile) that a program is to be recorded on another
of the user's devices (e.g., the user's home device). Therefore,
changes made on one user equipment device can change the guidance
experience on another user equipment device, regardless of whether
they are the same or a different type of user equipment device. In
addition, the changes made may be based on settings input by a
user, as well as user activity monitored by the guidance
application,
[0070] The user equipment devices may be coupled to communications
network 1014. Namely, user television equipment 1002, user computer
equipment 1004, and wireless user communications device 1006 may be
coupled to communications network 1014 via communications paths
1008, 1010, and 1012, respectively. Communications network 1014 may
be one or more networks including the Internet, a mobile phone
network, mobile device (e.g., Blackberry) network, cable network,
public switched telephone network, or other types of communications
network or communications of communications networks, BLACKBERRY is
a trademark, owned by Research In Motion Limited Corp, Paths 1008,
1010, and 1012 may separately or together include one or more
communications paths, such as, a satellite path, a fiber-optic
path, a cable path, a path that supports Internet communications
(e.g., IPTV), free-space connections (e.g., for broadcast or other
wireless signals), or any other suitable wired or wireless
communications path, or combination of such paths. Path 1012 is
drawn with dotted lines to indicate that in the exemplary
embodiment shown in FIG. 10 it is a wireless path and paths 1008
and 1010 are drawn as solid lines to indicate they are wired paths
(although these paths may be wireless paths, if desired).
Communications with the user equipment devices may be provided by
one or more of these communications paths, but are shown as a
single path in. FIG. 10 to avoid overcomplicating the drawing.
[0071] Although communications paths are not drawn between user
equipment devices, these devices may communicate directly with each
other via communication paths, such as those described above in
connection, with paths 1008, 1010, and 1012, as well other
short-range point-to-point communication paths, such as USB cables,
IEEE 1394 cables, wireless paths (e.g., Bluetooth, infrared, IEEE
802-11x, etc.), or other short-range communication via wired or
wireless paths. BLUETOOTH is a trademark, owned by Bluetooth SIG,
INC. The user equipment devices may also communicate with each
other directly through an indirect path via communications network
1014.
[0072] System 1000 includes media content source 1016 and media
guidance data source 1018 coupled to communications network 1014
via communication paths 1020 and 1022, respectively. Paths 1020 and
1023 may include any of the communication paths described above in
connection with paths 1008, 1010, and 1012. Communications with the
media content source 1016 and media guidance data source 1018 may
be exchanged over one or more communications paths, but are shown
as a single path in FIG. 10 to avoid overcomplicating the drawing.
In addition, there may be more than one of each of media content
source 1016 and media guidance data source 1018, but only one of
each, is shown in FIG. 10 to avoid overcomplicating the drawing.
(The different types of each of these sources are discussed below.
If desired, media content source 1016 and media guidance data
source 1018 may be integrated as one source device. Although
communications between sources 1016 and 1018 with user equipment
devices 1002, 1004, and 1006 are shown as through communications
network 1014, in some embodiments, sources 1016 and 1018 may
communicate directly with user equipment devices 1002, 1004, and
1006 via communication paths (not shown) such as those described
above in connection with paths 1008, 1010, and 1012.
[0073] Media content source 1016 may include one or more types of
media distribution equipment including a television distribution
facility, cable system headend, satellite distribution facility,
programming sources (e.g., television broadcasters, such as NBC,
ABC, HBO, etc.), intermediate distribution facilities and/or
servers, Internet providers, on-demand media servers, and other
media content providers. NBC is a trademark owned by the National
Broadcasting Company, Inc., ABC is a trademark owned by the ABC,
INC., and HBO is a trademark owned by the Home Box Office, Inc.
Media content source 1016 may be the originator of media content
(e.g., a television broadcaster, a Webcast provider, etc) or may
not be the originator of media content (e.g., an on-demand media
content provider, an Internet provider of video content of
broadcast programs for downloading, etc.). Media content source
1016 may include cable sources, satellite providers, on-demand
providers, Internet providers, or other providers of media content.
Media content source 1016 may also include a remote media server
used to store different types of media content (including video
content selected by a user), in a location remote from any of the
user equipment devices. Systems and methods for remote storage of
media content, and providing remotely stored media content to user
equipment are discussed in greater detail in. connection with Ellis
et al., U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2003/0149988 A1,
published Aug. 7, 2003, which is hereby incorporated by reference
herein in its entirety.
[0074] Media guidance data source 1018 may provide media guidance
data, such as media listings (or program listings), media-related
information (or media information or program information) (e.g.,
broadcast times, broadcast channels, media titles, media
descriptions, ratings information (e.g., parental control ratings,
critic's ratings, etc), genre or category information, actor
information, logo data for broadcaster' or providers' logos, year
of release, runtime (length), episodic subtitles, closed-captioning
information, bonus features (e.g., clips), behind-the-scenes clips,
images, etc.), media format (e.g., standard definition, high
definition, audio quality, etc.), advertisement information (e.g.,
text, images, media clips, etc.), on-demand information, and any
other type of guidance data that is helpful, for a user to navigate
among and locate desired media selections.
[0075] Media guidance application data may be provided to the user
equipment devices using any suitable approach. In some embodiments,
the guidance application may be a stand-alone Interactive
television program guide that receives program guide data via a
data feed (e.g., a continuous feed, trickle feed, or data in the
vertical blanking interval of a channel).
[0076] Program schedule data and other guidance data may he
provided to the user equipment on a television channel sideband, in
the vertical blanking interval of a television channel, using an
in-band digital signal, using an. out-of-band, digital signal, or
by any other suitable data transmission technique. Program schedule
data and other guidance data may be provided to user equipment on
multiple analog or digital television channels. Program schedule
data and other guidance data may be provided to the user equipment
with any suitable frequency (e.g., continuously, daily, a
user-specified period, of time, a system-specified period of time,
in response to a request from user equipment, etc.). In some
approaches, guidance data from media guidance data source 1018 may
be provided to users' equipment using a client-server approach. For
example, a guidance application client residing on the user's
equipment may initiate sessions with source 1018 to obtain guidance
data when needed. Media guidance data source 1018 may provide user
equipment devices 1002, 1004, and 1006 the media guidance
application itself or software updates for the media guidance
application.
[0077] Media guidance applications may be, for example, stand-alone
applications implemented on user equipment devices. In other
embodiments, media guidance applications may be client-server
applications where only the client resides on the user equipment
device. For example, media guidance applications may be implemented
partially as a client application on control circuitry 904 of user
equipment device 900 and partially on a remote server as a server
application (e.g., media guidance data source 1018). The guidance
application displays may be generated by the media guidance data
source 1018 and transmitted to the user equipment devices. The
media guidance data source 1018 may also transmit data for storage
on the user equipment, which then generates the guidance
application displays based on instructions processed by control
circuitry.
[0078] Media guidance system 1000 is intended to illustrate a
number of approaches, or network configurations, by which user
equipment devices and sources of media content and guidance data
may communicate with each other for the purpose of accessing media
and providing media guidance. The present invention may be applied
in any one or a subset of these approaches, or in a system
employing other approaches for delivering media and providing media
guidance. The following three approaches provide specific
illustrations of the generalized example of FIG. 10.
[0079] In one approach, user equipment devices may communicate with
each other within a home network. User equipment devices can
communicate with each other directly via short-range point-to-point
communication schemes described above, via indirect paths through a
hub or other similar device provided on a home network, or via
communications network 1014. Each of the multiple individuals in a
single home may operate different user equipment devices on the
home network. As a result, it may foe desirable for various media
guidance information or settings to be communicated between the
different user equipment devices. For example, it may be desirable
for users to maintain consistent media guidance application
settings on different user equipment devices within a home network,
as described in greater detail in sills et al., U.S. Patent
Application Publication No. 2005/0251827 A1, published Nov. 10,
2005. Different types of user equipment devices in a home network
may also communicate with each other to transmit media content. For
example, a user may transmit media content from user computer
equipment to a portable video player or portable music player.
[0080] In a second approach, users may have multiple types of user
equipment by which they access media content and obtain media
guidance. For example, some users may have home networks that are
accessed by in-home and mobile devices. Users may control in-home
devices via a media guidance application implemented on a remote
device. For example, users may access a media guidance application
on a website via a personal computer at their office, on a mobile
device such as a PDA or web-enabled mobile telephone, on a
vehicle-based system that is part of or coupled to a navigation
system, etc. The user may set various settings (e.g., recordings,
reminders, or other settings) on the guidance application to
control, the user's in-home equipment. The guide may control the
user's equipment directly, or by communicating with a media
guidance application on the user's in-home equipment, various
systems and methods for user equipment devices communicating, where
the user equipment devices are in locations remote from each other,
are discussed in, for example, Ellis et al., U.S. Patent
Application Publication No. 2005/0028208 A1, published Feb. 3,
2005, which is hereby incorporated by reference herein in its
entirety.
[0081] In a third, approach, users of user equipment devices inside
and outside a home can use their media guidance application to
communicate directly with media content source 1016 to access media
content. Specifically, within a home, users of user television
equipment 1002 and user computer equipment 1004 may access the
media guidance application to navigate among and locate desirable
media content. Users may also access the media guidance application
outside of the home using wireless user communications devices 1006
to navigate among and locate desirable media content.
[0082] It will be appreciated that while the discussion of media
content has focused on video content, the principles of media
guidance can be applied to other types of media content, such as
music, images, etc.
[0083] Thus, it is seen that methods and systems for presenting
guide listings in three dimensions in an interactive media guidance
application, are provided. One skilled in the art will appreciate
that the invention can be practiced, by other than the described
embodiments, which are presented for purposes of illustration and
not of limitation, that various features of the described
embodiments can be interchanged and used in any suitable
combination, and that the present invention is limited only by the
claims which follow.
* * * * *
References