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c12) United States Patent

1. 2 the tuner or an external device is tuned to the channel carrying the selected program and 3 the record function ofthe VCR is activated Later when the program end time occurs the record function of the VCR is turned off and the VCR is turned off In this arrangement IR driver 96 and IR emitter 98 are not used In the preferred embodiment when IR driver 96 and IR emitter 98 are used they act in the same way that a remote control would act to control the other peripheral devices e g television 32 VCR 36 and the like within television system 30 For example if two programs occurring at the same time are selected for automatic recording IR driver 96 and IR emitter 98 are used to 1 tune the tuner on a second VCR to the channel carrying the selected program etc For additional information on how an IR emitter can be used to act as a remote control see U S Pat No 5 151 789 to Young which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety for all purposes 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 65 8 Inanother embodiment of the present invention VCR con nector 90 is connected in series between VCR 34 and televi sion 32 via line 38 In this arrangement IR driver 96 and IR emitter 98 are not needed because information received by RF receiver 94 can be sent to either VCR 34 or television 32 via line 38 For example line 38 is used to transmit the data for automatic tuning When a u
2. ame 5 572442 A 11 1996 Schulhof et al 11083 5 576 755 11 1996 Davis et al 3 1983 m 5 583 560 A 12 1996 Florin et al 5 585 838 12 1996 Lawler et al 4390 901 A 6 1983 Keiser et al Ariano eral 5 585 866 12 1996 Miller et al 4429385 1 1984 Cichelli et al 2 1290 Enee ot al du 5 592 551 1 1997 Lett et al 5 594 490 1 1997 Dawson et al eek nes 5 5 594 509 1 1997 Florin et al MD 5106 n 5 594 661 1 1997 Bruner et al Por Cr 2 5 596 373 1 1997 White et al 348 569 DICA es Young ak 5 600 364 A 2 1997 Hendricks et al 4751578 6 1988 Reiter et al 2008374 oe 2 1997 Bertram 4754326 A 6 1988 Kram etal 5 617 565 A 4 1997 Augenbraun et al A 1988 Mugu etal CEN 4 882 732 A 11 1989 Kaminaga et al oed 5 623 613 4 1997 Rowe et al 4 959 719 9 1990 Strubbe et al 5 629 733 3 1997 Youman et al 4963904 A 10 1990 Levi 5 630 119 A 5 1997 Aristides et al erties A 15 1000 s 5 635 978 A 6 1997 Alten et al 2 199 et al 5 635 979 6 1997 Kostreski et al 5038211 8 1991 Hallenbeck P s 31557 ail 5 047 867 A 9 1991 Strubbe et al 5 075 771 A 12 1991 Hashimoto et al 523015220 Mo n 5 090 049 2 1992 Chen 5666 293 A 9 1997 Metz et al 5 126 851 6 1992 Yoshimura et al 2803
3. Ob 5 666 645 9 1997 Thomas et al 5170388 A 12 1992 Endoh et al DOMI 91997 Watts 5179439 1 1993 Hashi al 5 675 390 10 1997 Schindler et al AE 3103 5 677 708 10 1997 Matthews et al 199 i 5 677 981 A 10 1997 Kato et al P 5 2 oshida u al 5 682 206 A 10 1997 Wehmeyer et al 211993 5 684 525 11 1997 Klosterman 52 28905 i et 5 686 954 A 11 1997 Yoshinobu et al 3531 454 A 7 1003 Wuchob 5 602214 11 1997 Levine 5 233 423 A 8 1993 Jernigan et al 5 5 253 066 10 1993 Vogel 725 28 5696905 12 1997 Reimer et al 5 262 860 A 11 1993 Fitzpatrick et al 5 699 052 P 12 1997 Miyahara 5 283 819 2 1994 Glick et al pete y 5317403 5 1994 K 5 699 107 A 12 1997 Lawler et al 1094 a 5 710 601 A 1 1998 Marshall et al 5325423 61994 Lewis Qs ee 5335277 A 8 1994 Harvey et al EP MOOR 5 347 632 9 1994 Filepp et al d 53532 10 1994 Young et al 5 724 103 A 3 1998 Batchelor 5359367 10 1994 Stockill et al 22252 5 396 546 3 1995 Remillard Ma A 5410344 4 1995 Graves et al 5 734 853 3 1998 Hendricks et al 5410367 A 4 1995 Zahavi et al 24 204 5 995 5 751 282 5 1998 Girard et al 5030 71999 Stat e UM 5 444 499 8 1995 Saitoh et al 2 1469197 271995 Wilkins 5 758 257 5 1998 Herz et al 5 465 113 11 1995 Gilboy 2798239 di s Ohea 5 760 821 6 1998 Ellis et al 1652DA
4. 725 39 725 40 43 44 45 52 See application file for complete search history 56 References Cited U S PATENT DOCUMENTS 4 024 401 A 5 1977 Bernstein et al 4 081 753 A 3 1978 Miller 4 170 782 10 1979 Miller Continued FOREIGN PATENT DOCUMENTS CN 1567986 1 2005 Continued OTHER PUBLICATIONS A Financial Times Survey Viewdata Advertisement Financial Times Mar 20 1979 Continued Primary Examiner Brian Pendleton Assistant Examiner Nnenna Ekpo 74 Attorney Agent or Firm Ropes amp Gray LLP 57 ABSTRACT The present invention provides systems and methods for pro viding television schedule and or listing information to a viewer and for allowing the viewer to link search select and interact with information in a remote database e g a data base on the internet The television schedule and or listing information can be displayed on a variety of viewer inter faces such as televisions screens computer monitors PCTV screens and the like The television schedule and or listing information may be stored on the viewer s computer televi sion PCTV or a remote server e g a website or the tele vision schedule and or listing information may be down loaded from a remote database to the viewer s computer television or PCTV 26 Claims 23 Drawing Sheets US 8 112 776 B2 Page2 U S PATENT DOCUMENTS 5 563 665 A 10 1996 Chang 5 570 295 10 1996 Isenberg et al
5. IUE EIS STARSIGHT DAILY HOROSCOPE Y lt 6 5 STARSIGHT CARTOON OF THE DAY HBO 1 FREE SHOWTIME FOR DECEMBER gt lt FIG 16C DWORLD OF SERVICES DNEWS WEATHER amp SPORTS STARSIGHT HEADLINE NEWS SUPREME COURT DECIDES FORD AIRBAG APPE HOUSING STARTS UP IN NOVEMBER REPORTS EXIT FREE SHOWTIME FOR DECEMBER FIG 17A 716 CHANNEL 7 00PM 7 30PM 8 00PM Loc _____ ggg MELIA CDR IBV OC WK PANTHER 15 Z MORAN MIA FOOTBALL juajeq SN 2102 L c JO 0c 19945 zg 911118 SA FIG 17B ABC MONDAY NICHT FOOTBALL WASHINGTON REDSKINS AT MINNESOTA VIKINGS LIVE COMMENTARY BY FRANK GIFFORD AND THE ABC CREW 1 HOUR 18 MINUTES REMAINING 1 MORE INFORMATION 2 TUNE TO THIS CHANNEL NOW 3 RECORD THIS PROGRAM 4 PUT THIS PROGRAM ON MY FAVORITES LIST 5 REMIND ME WHEN THIS PROGRAM AIRS 6 RESTRICT ACCESS TO THIS PROGRAM 7 LINKED SERVICE EXIT FREE SHOWTIME FOR DECEMBER 4 751 2102 4 7494 c Jo TT PYS cd 911118 SA FIG 17C OFFICIAL NFL CAP A GOOD LOOKING ACCESSORY FOR ANY FAN YOUR FAVORITE NFL TEAM LOGO EMBROIDERED ON A TOP QUALITY ALL COTTON CAP COMES IN TEAM COLORS SPECIAL OFFER 9 95 SPORTS FOOTBALL 1 MORE INFORMATION 2 PURCHASE WASHINGTON REDSKINS CAP 3 PURCHASE MINNESOTA VIKINGS 4 GO TO NFL SPORTS PRO SHOP 5 ORD
6. In yet another embodiment of the present invention com puter accessory 70 is located inside computer 12 see RF transmitter 78 location in computer 12 FIG 1 and or VCR connector 90 is located inside for example VCR 34 or tele vision 32 The location of computer accessory 70 and VCR connector 90 is not critical because the IR emitter allows for remote control of all of the peripheral devices In yet another embodiment of the present invention the components of both computer accessory 70 and VCR con nector 90 are located inside computer 12 Therefore RF transmitter 78 and RF receiver 94 are not required Computer 12 most likely has an internal battery and clock provided so battery 74 and clock 74 may not be needed Memory 76 can be provided by hard drive 14 Processor 80 may not be needed because processor 16 can perform its functions In this embodiment IR driver 96 and IR emitter 98 provide the tuning and recording parameters to television 32 and VCRs 34 and 36 see FIG 1 for placement of IR driver 96 and IR emitter 98 within computer 12 Similarly if computer 12 contains television video board 19 in this arrangement a selected television program can be viewed on computer screen 50 Additionally a selected television program can be stored within computer 12 in a memory or mass storage device e g hard drive 14 disk ortape Thus no need would exist for the transmission of parameters needed for automatic tuning and automatic u
7. 7 058 635 Bl 6 2006 Shah Nazaroff et al 5 903 816 A 5 1999 Broadwin et al 7 165 098 1 2007 Boyer et al 5 907 322 A 5 1999 Kelly et al 7 185 355 2 2007 Ellis et al 5 907 323 5 1999 Lawler et al 7 187 847 B2 3 2007 Young et al 5 914 712 6 1999 Sartain et al 7 437 751 B2 10 2008 Daniels 5 914 746 A 6 1999 Matthews III et al 2002 0026496 AI 2 2002 Boyer et al 5 923 848 A 7 1999 Goodhand et al 2002 0059599 AI 5 2002 Schein et al 5 929 849 A 7 1999 Kikinis 2002 0112249 AI 8 2002 Hendricks et al 5 929 932 7 1999 Otsuki et al 2002 0138840 AI 9 2002 Schein et al 5 931 905 A 8 1999 Hashimoto et al 2003 0005445 AI 1 2003 Schein et al 5 937 160 A 8 1999 Davis et al 2003 0115602 AI 6 2003 Knee et al 5 940 073 A 8 1999 Klosterman et al 2003 0163813 Al 8 2003 Klosterman et al 5 946 386 A 8 1999 Rogers et al 2003 0164858 Al 9 2003 Klosterman et al 5 949 954 A 9 1999 Young et al 2003 0188310 A1 10 2003 Klosterman et al 5 955 988 A 9 1999 Blonstein et al 2003 0188311 Al 10 2003 Yuen et al 5 973 683 A 10 1999 Cragun et al 2003 0196201 A1 10 2003 Schein et al 5 977 964 A 11 1999 Williams et al 2003 0208756 Al 11 2003 Macrae et al 5 988 078 A 11 1999 Levine 2003 0208758 Al 11 2003 Schein et al 5 990 927 A 11 1999 Hendricks et al 2004 0078815 Al 4 2004 Lemmons et al 5 991 799 A 11 1999 Yen et al 2004 0139465 Al 7 2004 Matthews et al 6 002 394 A 12 1999 Schein et al 2004 0210935 A1 10 2004 Schein et al 6 005 563 A 12 19
8. has further increased Consequently tele vision schedule systems that are provided directly on the viewer s television screen have been developed to assist the viewer in sorting through these various programs and deter mining which programs to watch or record One such televi sion schedule system is disclosed in commonly assigned U S Pat No 5 353 121 Young et al the complete disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference In one embodi ment of Young the television schedule includes a series of menu screens having an array of cells corresponding to dif ferenttelevision programs The viewer may scroll through the cells to view which television programs are being presented on various channels at various times In addition the viewer may select certain cells to obtain more information on the associated program or to pull up other submenus with addi tional options The recent development of television schedule systems such as the above described patent to Young have created many new challenges and opportunities One such challenge and opportunity is to provide viewers with additional infor mation associated with a particular program in the television guide As a television viewer is browsing through the televi sion programs he or she may wish to obtain more information relating to specific areas of interest or concerns associated with the show such as the actors actresses other movies released during the same time period
9. or travel packages or promotions that may be available through primary secondary or third party vendors Offering this type of information to the television viewer can be difficult however because there are currently hundreds of different programs broadcast every day and eventually there will be an unlimited number of programs available both current and digitally archived In addition the 20 30 40 45 50 65 2 available information changes at a rapid pace which makes it even more difficult to provide this information in present television schedule guides Intelevision broadcasting it may also be desirable to inter act with the viewer There are many commercials and pro grams which request viewer action such as purchasing an advertised product making a monetary contribution responding to a survey answering a question or participating in contests with other viewers for example One problem with this existing system is that it is often difficult to motivate a viewer to request information or send in a contribution after the broadcast of the commercial or program Viewers will often forget the advertisement or simply lose motivation to spend money or request information after the commercial or program is over Another problem is that companies sponsor ing these commercials or programs would often like to pro vide their viewers with further information if the viewers could be identified or if the viewer requests the a
10. programming choices based on categories such as channel day actor movie genre or other desired categories The guide may also include other information about programs such as ratings stars type of movie e g suspense comedy drama western musical children biography horror etc This information may be provided on the actual website and or internet broadcast transmitter or the website and or internet broadcast transmit ter may provide means for linking the viewer with other websites and or internet broadcast transmitter to provide more information on certain topics and categories Since the television guide website and or internet broad cast transmitter may be accessed from virtually any location in the world it will preferably include a mechanism for selecting a region from which the television guide is appli cable For example the television guide may include televi sion schedule and or listing information from a variety of US 8 112 776 B2 15 countries throughout the world or the information guide may be limited to the United States To obtain television schedule information for a particular region the user can select an appropriate state city or other region such as a region cov ered by a particular cable company Alternatively the televi sion schedule guide may provide information for certain net works and stations instead of particular channels or stations such as CBS FOX HBO and the like that are gl
11. schedule guide dis cussed in detail below This type of advertising allows the advertiser to directly target a particular program and it allows the viewer to directly purchase the products during the adver tisement In addition viewers will not forget the advertise ment or simply lose motivation to spend money or request information after the commercial or program is over In another example the television network that is broad casting the program may provide an icon that allows the viewer to access a database 612 providing more information about the football game previews of upcoming programs related to the program such as another football game later on in the week or other products and services related to the football game FIGS 12 17 illustrate a sample television schedule system 700 with a grid guide and methods for utilizing the television schedule system with the contextual linking system and method of the present invention Of course it should be recognized that the invention is not limited to the specific television schedule system shown in FIGS 12 17 For example other suitable television schedule systems are described in the user manuals Using Starsight 2 Starsight Interactive Television Program Guide Phase III and Star sight Interactive Television Program Guide Phase IV which are attached to this application as Appendices A B and C respectively or commonly assigned U S Pat Nos 5 353 121 US
12. the data from memory 514 or from database 548 to display it on television 522 From the television schedule guide the user can further utilize user interface 540 to press a Services button This Services button can be located on the user interface or within the television schedule guide display When the Services button is pressed the user is given choices such as News Weather Sports Scores Financial Data Local Traffic Network etc Using the user interface the user can then select the area or title of interest and the associated information from the database is provided The user can further access the internet by choosing Net work from the guide using the user interface Cable modem 518 accesses the internet and once connection is made the user has two way communication with on line service pro viders The usercan then access the different on line services For example a user viewing a sporting event may press the Services button and a different menu will appear with the following choices 1 Sports Scores 2 Current Game Sta tistics 3 Current Player Statistics and 4 Associated Prod ucts Ifthe user selects 4 Associated Products the software will notify the cable modem and instruct the cable modem to establish connection with an on line service provider The on line service provider then lists a series of selections asso ciated with the game e g 49er s hats Giant s Baseball Bats 0 5 20 4
13. the media guidance application a user selection of a program in response to receiving the user selection of the program determining with the media guidance application at least one attribute specifically related to the selected program identifying with the media guidance application a list of programs based on the at least one attribute and displaying the identified list of programs 2 The method defined in claim 1 wherein receiving the user selection of a program comprises receiving a user selec tion of a program listing for the program from an on screen display of program listings 3 The method defined in claim 1 wherein receiving the user selection of a program comprises receiving a user selec tion of a program that is currently being displayed 4 The method of claim 1 further comprising receiving with the media guidance application a selection of an identified program and at least one ofrecording viewing and storing the identified program in response to receiving the selection of the identified program 5 The method of claim 1 wherein the identified program is not available to a program guide listing 6 The method of claim 1 wherein the identified program 15 available from a digital archive 7 A method for searching for television programs using a media guidance application implemented at least partially on control circuitry configured for receiving with the media guidance application a user sel
14. to be transmitted from computer system 10 to television system 30 In one embodiment line 22 is a telephone line which provides access to the internet or other on line service via for example a regular modem or direct modem access to sched ule and or listing information provider The schedule and or listing information data are then provided to the viewer from a remote database via the internet or other on line service or directly fromthe service provider As stated above line 22 can also be for example coax cable optical fiber or any other land line which can provide data to computer 12 or wireless technology e g Richochet The software program saved on hard drive 14 then utilizes the data received on line 22 to generate a television schedule and or listing information guide The user can access this generated television schedule and or listing information guide when desired FIG 2 shows an example of a television schedule and or listing information guide as displayed on a computer screen along with a user input device In the preferred embodiment the television schedule and or listing information is provided in a grid like display on computer screen 50 In this example various channels are provided on the Y axis of grid guide and various times are provided on the X axis ofthe grid guide This display can also contain special instructions for the user in screen area 52 and advertisements directed to the user in screen a
15. 0 45 55 65 14 from Louisville Slugger Nike Spiked Football shoes for Pop Warner etc and the user can interact with the service pro vider accordingly FIG 10 illustrates a system and method for accessing television schedule information from one or more servers 350 on a computer network 360 such as the Internet or the World Wide Web The television information guide may be accessed and viewed through a computer system a television system a PCTY or a simple display coupled to a communication link such as a telephone line or the like In the representative embodiment a PCTV 362 is illustrated with a user input device 364 such as a remote control keyboard mouse or the like and a communication device 366 for accessing computer network 360 As discussed above communication device 366 may include a wide variety of data lines such as telephone lines cable modems etc In one embodiment the computer network 360 includes a plurality of servers 350 and a database 370 The database 370 includes television schedule information which may be retrieved and viewed on PCTV 362 Servers 350 represent file servers having files databases or the like In a representative embodiment the computer network is the World Wide Web and each server 350 is set up as a network file server addres sable by a unique address For example the servers 350 may be configured to follow a common network protocol such as the Transmission Control Protoco
16. 1999 9 pages Guide Online Set For Fall Entertainment Marketing Letter Aug 1994 VideoGuide Videoguide User s Manual pp 1 27 Web TV and Its Consumer Electronics Licenses debut First Internet Television Network and Set Top Box XP 002113265 Retrieved from the Internet lt URL http www webtv net company news archive License html gt retrieved on Aug 25 1999 Wikipedia article on CompuServe Mar 22 2007 William F Arnold Britain to get wired city via telephone Elec tronics Mar 4 1976 at 76 Wittig H et al Intelligent Media Agents in Interactive Television Systems Proceedings ofthe International Conference on Multimedia Computing and Systems Los Alamitos CA US May 15 1995 May 18 1995 pp 182 189 XP00603484 p 183 left hand column para graph 2 p 184 right hand column paragraph 2 figure 4 Office Actions and Replies filed in U S Appl No 11 894 724 Iizuka Motohashi Kuwana Intanetto TV Sabisu no Kouchiku sono 1 sono 2 The V Overview of Internet TV Guide Japan 1 and 2 Dai 53 kai Heisei 8 nen Kouki Zenkoku Taikai Kouen Ronbunshuu 3 Proceedings ofthe 53rd latter term of 1996 Annual Convention 3 Sep 6 1996 p 3 227 to 230 Only Trans lation Submitted Open f r interaktives Fernsehen Trend amp Technik 9 95 RFE p 100 English language translation attached The past and future prosecution history of U S Appl No 10 827 863 filed Apr 1
17. 2 the 53rd National Conference Proceedings Japan Information wo WO 9748230 12 1997 Processing Society of Japan Sep 6 1996 p 3 227 to 230 WO WO 9749237 12 1997 Instruction Manual Using StarSight 2 StarSight Telecast Inc 1994 WO WO 9749242 12 1997 J D Mosley NAPLPS chip sets though scarce satisfy limited US WO WO 9750251 12 1997 videotex demand EDN Mar 21 1985 at 57 WO WO 9810589 3 1998 James Poole Demand for Viewdata grows Sunday Times Feb 10 WO WO 9816062 4 1998 1977 WO WO 9817063 4 1998 John Lloyd Impact of technology Financial Times Jul 1978 WO WO 9817064 4 1998 Junko Yoshida Interactive TV a Blur Electronic Engineering WO WO 9821664 5 1998 Times Jan 30 1995 WO WO 9821877 5 1998 Kai et al Development of a Simulation System for Integrated Ser WO WO 9826584 6 1998 vices Television Report from Information Processing Society of WO WO 9843183 10 1998 Japan Japan Sep 13 1996 vol 96 No 90 p 13 20 US 8 112 776 B2 Page 5 Katharine Whitehorn Viewdata and you Observer Jul 30 1978 Keith Lynch s timeline of net related terms and concepts Mar 22 2007 Kenneth Owen How dial a fact is coming closer to home The Times Sep 30 1977 Kenneth Owen Why the Post Office is so excited by its plans for a screen information service The Times Sep 26 1976 Larry Armstrong Channel Surfing s next wave Henry Yuen s inter active TV guide takes on TCI and Viaco
18. 2 14 95 New FEET BOBG ONLINE 12 14 95 DIRECTIONS INEWSLETTEROIDCCOU 12 13 95 ISSUE INFOGSTARSIGHT COM 12 12 95 NEW SERVICES FOR FOR 12 11 95 12 11 65 BILLING INFORMATION INFORMATION lise amp AOL COM 12 4 95 THERE olexGPRODIGY 1 12 2 35 95 ___ OFFEROSTARSGHT COM 12 1 95 FREE ENTITY CREATE MESSAGE EXIT FREE SHOWTIME FOR DECEMBER FIG 15C E IDMESSAGES DCHECK NEW MESSAGES FROM INFOGSTARSIGHT COM DATE SUN 14 DEC 95 11 22 58 PST FROM INFOGSTARSIGHT COM TO ALL STARSIGHT SUBSCRIBERS SUBJECT NEW SERVICES FOR DECEMBER TO ALL STARSIGHT SUBSCRIBERS WELL DECEMBER IS BRINCING SOME EXCITING NEW ADDITIONS TO THE STARSIGHT SERVICE IN ADDITION TO THE NEW SERVICE WE ADDED LAST MONTH INCLUDING OUR POPULAR NEW FEATURES BUSINES AND STOCK UPDATES EXIT FREE SHOWTIME FOR DECEMBER U S Patent Feb 7 2012 Sheet 18 of 23 US 8 112 776 B2 FIG 16A 9008002 CORES BEMIMD ERIS WORLD OF SERVICES ns WORLD OF SERVICES EX FREE SHOWTIME FOR DECEMBER U S Patent Feb 7 2012 Sheet 19 of 23 US 8 112 776 B2 FIG 16B ER RICH CHOOSE ONE OF THE SPECIAL SERVICES STARSIGHT HEADLINE NEWS faerie STARSIGHT NATIONAL amp LOCAL WEATHER STARSIGHT SPORTS STARSIGHT BUSINESS amp STOCKS UPDATE STARSIGHT MUSIG VIDEOS
19. 30 Processor 99 assists with this process For example if a user decides to tune the television to a certain program which is presently available or to schedule thetelevision to be tuned to a certain program at a future time the user moves the cursor with user input device 60 to the desired show within computer screen 50 and enters it enter key with a keyboard or clicking with a mouse The infor mation is provided to computer accessory 70 via line 23 and then automatically transmitted via RF transmitter 78 to RF receiver 94 IR driver 96 and IR emitter 98 then take the information from RF receiver 94 and immediately tune the television 32 to the channel providing the selected television program More than one IR driver 96 may be used for the present invention For example one IR driver may be used for television 32 and another IR driver may be used for VCR 34 Inaddition computer accessory 70 and VCR connector 90 or the alternative devices which provide their functions as described below can be located in different rooms within a private residence or a commercial building If the user has selected a program from the computer for recording on VCR 34 at the selected program s start time the information for activating and recording on the VCR is auto matically sent from RF receiver 94 through VCR connector 90 to VCR 34 via line 37 Thus in the preferred embodiment at the start time ofthe selected program 1 the VCR is turned
20. 5 761 372 6 1998 Yoshinobu et al 5477262 12 1995 Banker et al 2 52 2 5 479 266 12 1995 Young et al sip 5481296 1 1996 Cragun et al 5 774 357 6 1998 Hoffberg et al 5 483278 1 1996 Strubbe et al Pag ie isi 5 488 409 1 1996 Yuen et al SUIDAS 5 502 504 3 1996 Marshall et al 2781734 A 71998 Ohno ef al 5 515 106 5 1996 Chaney et al of 5 790 201 8 1998 Antos 5 515 511 5 1996 Nguyen et al 5517254 A 5 1996 Monta et al 5 790 202 8 1998 Kummer et al SEIS d 5 1906 5 790 753 8 1998 Krishnamoorthy et al 5 523 796 A 6 1996 Marshall et al oe 52 odd 5 524 195 6 1996 Clanton III et al 9122 ane 5 526 034 6 1996 Hoarty et al 5 798 785 A 8 1998 Hendricks et al 5 528 304 6 1996 Cherrick et al 5 801 747 9 1998 Bedard 5 534911 7 1996 Levitan 5 805 763 9 1998 Lawler et al 5 550 576 8 1996 Klosterman 5 805 806 A 9 1998 McArthur 5 559 548 A 9 1996 Davis et al 5 809 214 A 9 1998 Nureki et al 5 559 549 9 1996 Hendricks et al 5 818 441 A 10 1998 Throckmorton et al 5 559 550 A 9 1996 Mankovitz 5 818 511 10 1998 Farry et al 5 561 709 10 1996 Remillard 5 818 935 10 1998 Maa US 8 112 776 B2 Page3 5 819 156 10 1998 Belmont 6 240 555 Bl 5 2001 Shoff et al 5 822 123 10 1998 Davis et al 6 262 772 Bl 7 2001 Shen et al 5 828 420 10 1998 Marshall et al 6 263 501 7 2001 Schein et al 5 828 839 10 1998 Mon
21. 648 filed Apr 19 1996 the complete disclosure of which has previously been incorporated by reference FIGS 8 and 9 illustrate an interactive television schedule system 500 according to the present invention which can access television schedule information from the internet and provide user access to the internet Access to the S internet may be provided in this embodiment without tying up any US 8 112 776 B2 13 phone lines and without the need for a personal computer e g an NC or Network Computer As shown in FIG 8 interactive television schedule system 200 includes a cable system 510 coupled to a television system 520 Cable system 510 generally includes a processor 512 and a memory 514 Television system 520 includes a television 522 and a user interface device 540 Similar to the above embodiment tele vision system 520 may include VCRs 524 and 526 coupled to television 522 In a specific embodiment memory 514 of cable system 510 stores software 516 for receiving organiz ing and displaying any received data into a television sched ule guide In addition to software 516 data for the basic schedule information and other related data e g data relat ing toa particular show are also stored in memory 514 as they are needed for the generation and maintenance of the televi sion schedule guide This data is received in the preferred embodiment via a cable modem 518 which may access the data from the internet The sof
22. 8 112 776 B2 17 5 479 266 the complete disclosures of which are incorpo rated herein by reference The television schedule system shown in FIGS 12 17 however is particularly advantageous with the contextual linking system ofthe present invention as it enables the viewer to quickly and efficiently browse through the television schedule and to interact with a wide range of services that are related to the programs in the tele vision schedule FIGS 12A and 12B illustrate a program guide 702 and a channel guide 704 respectively for the television schedule system of the present invention The program guide 702 which is the primary mode in the television schedule system includes a number of screen information areas or windows in a particular screen where the viewer operates a input device such as a remote control to move around vertically and hori zontally and to interact with that screen area s function Within each screen area are one or more items typically arranged in a matrix or grid so that the viewer can scroll through the grid to select or activate items within the grid Activation of an item will invoke a Submenu a Dialog a Panel invoke an action or the like As shown in FIG 12A program guide 702 preferably includes a schedule information area 706 having a program matrix 708 of cells or items that depict the shows that are being presented on each channel at each time during the day Program guide 702 conveniently lists
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24. 9 2004 including copies of all future Office Actions Replies and other substantive correspondence cited by examiner VIDEO BD HARD PROCESSOR DRIVE EA SE CONTROLLER juajed sn 2102 L c JO 19945 zg 911118 SA FIG 2 TV SCHEDULE INFORMATION Bar ge ee BASEBALL GAMEI polum BEES BATMAN F pco s EUER pe I 0 f o I o CONCERT PBS DOCUMENTARY INSTRUCTIONS A COMPUTER SCREEN USER INPUT 60 DEVICE 52 4 790 994 c JO 39946 zg 911118 SA COMPUTER ACCESSORY FIG 4 VCR CONNECTOR 94 RF RECEIVER 4 790 4 ET Jo 19945 zg 911118 SA U S Patent Feb 7 2012 Sheet 4 of 23 US 8 112 776 B2 5 REQUEST ZIP CODE REQUEST BILLING INFORMATION REQUEST METHOD OF PAYMENT ETC REQUEST MODEM SPEED 150 UPDATE TIME INTERVAL NEEDED REQUEST INTERVAL CONNECT TO MAIN SITE 120 130 140 FIG 5B SELECT AVAILABLE CHANNELS INPUT IR CODE DOWNLOAD SCHEDULE INFORMATION CREATE SCHEDULE GUIDE U S Patent Feb 7 2012 Sheet 5 of 23 US 8 112 776 B2 FIG 6 250 INSTALL COMPUTER ACCESSORY 260 INSTALL VCR CONNECTOR 270 INSTALL SOFTWARE PERFORM INSTALLATION PROCEDURE 290 INPUT TELEVISION S
25. 99 White et al 2004 0221310 Al 11 2004 Herrington et al 6 005 565 A 12 1999 Legall et al 2005 0015815 AI 1 2005 Shoffet al 6 005 597 12 1999 Barrett et al 2005 0138660 AI 6 2005 Boyer et al 6 006 257 12 1999 Slezak 2005 0204388 A1 9 2005 Knudson et al 6 008 802 12 1999 Iki et al 2005 0229215 Al 10 2005 Schein et al 6 008 803 12 1999 Rowe et al 2005 0235320 Al 10 2005 Maze et al 6 014 184 A 1 2000 Knee et al 2005 0278741 Al 12 2005 Robarts et al 6 016 141 A 1 2000 Knudson et al 2006 0037044 Al 2 2006 Daniels 6 018 372 A 1 2000 Etheredge 2007 0271582 Al 11 2007 Ellis et al 6 020 883 A 2 2000 Herz et al 2008 0178221 Al 7 2008 Schein et al 6 023 267 A 2 2000 Chapuis et al 2008 0184308 A1 7 2008 Herrington et al 6 025 837 A 2 2000 Matthews III et al 2008 0184312 Al 7 2008 Schein et al 6 029 195 2 2000 Herz 2008 0288980 Al 11 2008 Schein et al 6 067 561 A 5 2000 Dillon 2009 0070817 Al 3 2009 Ellis et al 6 072 460 A 6 2000 Marshall et al 6 075 526 A 6 2000 Rothmuller FOREIGN PATENT DOCUMENTS D E PE 6 091 883 7 2000 Artigalas et al DE 42 01 031 7 1993 6 098 065 A 8 2000 Skillen et al DE 42 17 246 12 1993 6 104 705 8 2000 Ismail et al DE 42 40 187 6 1994 6 125 230 9 2000 Yaginuma et al DE 44 07 701 9 1995 6 133 909 10 2000 Schein et al DE 44 40 419 5 1996 6 139 177 10 2000 Venkatraman et al DE 195 31 121 2 1997 6 151 643 11 2000 Cheng et al DI 197 40 073 3 1999 92222 PR EP 072153 2 19
26. CHEDULE DATA 300 INPUT DISPLAY PARAMETERS 310 DISPLAY TELEVISION SCHEDULE 320 INPUT USER SELECTION 360 TIME FOR TUNE OR WAIT YES 340 PERFORM TUNE OR RECORD PROCEDURE FIG 7 402 408 460 gt x ud lt CONTROLLER MEMORY 404 406 410 REMOTE CONTROLLER 450 422 420 SET TOP BOX 424 430 426 ACCESSORY VCR CONTROLLER MEMORY 434 436 432 ACCESSORY 4 51 2102 47494 c Jo 929946 cd 911118 SN US 8 112 776 B2 Sheet 7 of 23 Feb 7 2012 U S Patent YOSS300Nd 3HVMLJOS W300N 318 2 215 816 7 NS 31870 ig 13N331NI U S Patent 514 Feb 7 2012 Sheet 8 of 23 US 8 112 776 B2 FIG 9 DATABASE INTERNET CABLE MODEM SOFTWARE 216 248 552 CONTROLLER 522 USER INTERFACE U S Patent Feb 7 2012 Sheet 9 of 23 US 8 112 776 B2 FIG 10 COMM DEVICE 350 350 364 360 370 DATABASE FIG 11 600 A 602 COMMERCIAL BROWSER PROVIDER DATABASE TELEVISION GUIDE DATABASE FIG 12A CHANNEL 7 00PM 7 30PM 8 00PM 77 8 LEGEND M A 1 A SLES 2 1222 PK PANTHER hs 663 6 4 sn L A c JO 0139945 zg 911118 SA 12 5 30PM AE YOS AERE BES A 2 LEGENDS O
27. ER TRANSCRIPTION OF THIS PROGRAM 6 ORDER NFL HIGHLIGHTS 7 BACK TO PREVIOUS MENU J 0 GO BACK TO PROGRAM GUIDE EXIT FREE SHOWTIME FOR DECEMBER 4 790 2102 4 c JO Cc 19945 zg 911118 SA U S Patent Feb 7 2012 Sheet 23 of 23 US 8 112 776 B2 FIG 17D ENTERING PASSWORD BY ENTERING YOUR PASSWORD YOU ARE CONFIRMING A PURCHASE OR VALIDATION OF YOUR 10 PLEASE ENTER YOUR PASSWORD TO ORDER THIS FOR THE LISTED PURCHASE PRICE HELP PASSWORD 1 INFO ON OFFICIAL NFL CAP ENTER PASSWORD FOR OELNERY UPS OFFICIAL REDSKINS 9 95 lt BACK TO PREVIOUS MENU 0 GO BACK TO PROGRAM GUIDE FIG I7E HELP CONFIRMING YOUR PURCHASE 1 INFO ON OFFICIAL NFL CAP PASSWORD AR YOU SURE YOU WANT TO PROCEED TO FINALIZE YOUR ORDER lt NO BACK TO PREVIOUS MENU 0 GO BACK TO PROGRAM GUIDE OFFICIAL NFL CAP FIC 17F GOOD LOOKING ACCESSORY FOR ANY FAN YOUR AVORITE NFL TEAM LOGO EMBROIDERED ON A OP QUALITY ALL COTION CAP COMES TEAM COLORS SPECIAL OFFER 9 95 SPORTS FOOTBALL 1 MORE INFORMATION YOUR ORDER CONFIRMED 12 15 95 950584271 1T 3452NP ACCOUNT 234 95430 PURCHASE 9 95 2 OK BACK PREVIOUS MENU 3 CO TO YOUR LIST Of PURCHASES 0 GO BACK TO PROGRAM GUIDE US 8 112 776 B2 1 INTERACTIVE COMPUTER SYSTEM FOR PROVIDING TELEVISION SCHEDULE INFORMA
28. F THE FALL juajed sn 2102 L c JO 39945 zg 911118 SA U S Patent Feb 7 2012 Sheet 12 of 23 US 8 112 776 B2 FIG 13A ABC MONDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL WASHINGTON REDSKINS AT MINNESOTA VIKINKS 1 HOUR 18 MINUTES REMAINING 4 SPORTS FOOTBALL 1 MORE INFORMATION 2 GO TO STARSIGHT PROGRAM GUIDE 3 LINKED EXIT TO TELEVISION 730 U S Patent Feb 7 2012 Sheet 13 of 23 US 8 112 776 B2 FIG 13C 4 V S THE CHEF S KITCHEN MARILYN HUNTER AND PIERRE FONTAINE CREATE A SPINACH SOUFLEE U S Patent Feb 7 2012 Sheet 14 of 23 US 8 112 776 B2 FIG 144A MOVIES DRAMA 1 MORE INFORMATION 2 TUNE TO THIS CHANNEL NOW 3 RECORD THIS PROGRAM 4 PUT THIS PROGRAM ON MY FAVORITES LIST 5 REMIND ME WHEN THIS PROGRAM AIRS 6 RESTRICT ACCESS TO THIS PROGRAM 7 LINKED SERVICE 0 GO BACK TO PROGRAM GUIDE FIG 14B MOVIES ORAMA 1 MORE INFORMATION 2 ORDER MOVIE WHEN YOU LIKE 3 3 INTERVIEW BRAD 4 HOPKINS REMAINS OF THE DAY 5 UNIVERSAL PICTURES ONLINE 6 UNIVERSAL STUDIOS FAMILY TICKET OFFER lt BACK TO PREVIOUS MENU 0 GO BACK TO PROGRAM GUIDE 762 U S Patent Feb 7 2012 Sheet 15 of 23 US 8 112 776 B2 14 ENTERING PASSWORD BY ENTERING YOUR PASSWORD YOU ARE CONFIRMING A PURCHASE OR VALIDATION OF YOUR 10 PLEASE ENTER YOUR PASSWORD TO ORDER THIS M
29. OVIE FOR THE LISTED PURCHASE PRICE HELP PASSWORO 1 INFO ON LEGENDS OF THE FALL 5 95 ENTER PASSWORD FOR DELIVERY 2 MINUTES 7 55PM LEGENDS OF THE FALL 3 95 2 ACCEPT PASSWORD U lt BACK PREVIOUS MENU Q GO BACK TO PROGRAM GUIDE FIG 14D CONFIRMING YOUR PURCHASE YOU HAVE SUCCESSFULLY ENTERED YOUR PASSWORD CLICKING ON YES ITEM WILL FINALIZE YOUR PURCHASE HELP CONFIRMING YOUR PURCHASE 1 INFO ON LEGENDS OF THE FALL 3 95 YOU HAVE SUCCESSFULLY ENTERED YOUR PASSWORD ARE YOU SURE YOU WANT TO PROCEED TO FINALIZE YOUR ORDER 2 2 YES NO BACK TO PREVIOUS MENU 0 GO BACK TO PROGRAM GUIDE U S Patent Feb 7 2012 Sheet 16 of 23 US 8 112 776 B2 FIG 14E LEGENDS OF THE FALL THREE SONS OF A RETIRED ARMY OFFICER RETURN FROM WORLD WAR 1 TO PURSUE VERY DIFFERENT LIVES ANTHONY HOPKINS BRAD PITT JULIA ORMOND VIDEO ON DEMAND PRICE 3 95 MOVIES DRAMA 1 MORE INFORMATION YOUR ORDER CONFIRMED 12 15 95 OR 950384383 iT 346VOOL ACCOUNT 234 95430 PURCHASE 3 95 2 OK BACK TO PREVIOUS MENU 3 GO TO YOUR UST OF PURCHASES GO BACK TO PROGRAM GUIDE FIG 15A ETAIT SOOM o MESSAGES EXIT FREE SHOWTIME FOR DECEMBER U S Patent Feb 7 2012 Sheet 17 of 23 US 8 112 776 B2 15 MESSAGE DATE _ SUBJECT NroesrARSicHT COM 1
30. Once this connection is made the user has two way communication with the on line service provider The user can then go deeper into the given selections or if requested and keyboard 462 is available can access the Internet and enter chat rooms or other interactive services In the preferred embodiment keyboard 462 is either an IR keyboard or connected to port 460 on accessory 402 In yet another embodiment a television program title and or a program s content is contextually linked to an on line service or to an available database In this arrangement a user in conjunction with the data made available through an elec tronic program guide or navigational system can link search select and or initiate a subscription to more informa tion relating to specific areas of interest or concerns associ ated with a program or a program s title In the preferred embodiment a user of an electronic program guide e g as described above can conduct a search for information about a particular program television show or for information relat ing to the show the actors the actresses the show s theme other broadcast times or sources and other related informa tion through selection via a user interface This linking of program title and or program content to additional related information could be operable whenever a program title is accessible in a electronic program guide Additionally this linking could be available whenever a user requests
31. TION CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION This is a continuation of U S patent application Ser No 11 147 802 filed Jun 7 2005 which is a continuation ofU S patent application Ser No 10 047 127 filed Jan 14 2002 which is a continuation of U S patent application Ser No 08 837 025 filed Apr 11 1997 now issued as U S Pat No 6 388 714 which claims the benefit ofU S provisional patent application Nos 60 022 826 filed on Jul 26 1996 and 60 015 648 filed on Apr 19 1996 and which is a continua tion in part of U S patent application Ser No 08 537 650 filed Oct 2 1995 the complete disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention generally relates to systems and methods for providing information to television viewers and more particularly to systems and methods for allowing the viewer to retrieve initiate a subscription to search select and interact with television schedule and or listing information located in a remote database computer network or on line service e g a network server on the Internet or World Wide Web As the number of television stations a metropolitan area orona cable network has increased the number of programs of potential interest that are presented to a viewer has risen dramatically With the use of dish antennas capable of receiv ing direct satellite signals the multitude of programs avail able to the viewer
32. abase and set the selected types of programs to be recorded and or retrieved for digital storage These features enable a consumer to never miss a favorite program The system and method of the present invention may be configured to automatically or manually customize the tele vision schedule guide to an individual viewer or a group of viewers e g a family In this embodiment the remote control device may be used to select certain programs and a memory stores the television programs that have been selected by the viewer The programs can be selected for a variety of reasons such as a designation of the program as a favorite placing a reminder to watch the program or when the television sched ule system includes a recording device placing an automatic reminder to the program guide to record the program or when the television schedule system includes a means of digital storage automatically downloading or providing an easy confirmation process for downloading the program The user may also customize specific preferences based on a program title Through a series of repetitive operations the electronic program guide can select programs titles or services that the user would likely be interested in This can be accomplished through a user interface wherein the user answers preference or choice questions or through heuristic learning accom plished through the electronic program guide The electronic program guide would include software fo
33. ailable from a directory library or archival source or being presented on each channel at each time during the day week or month With an input device such as a remote control device point ing device mouse keyboard microphone or the like the viewer can browse through the schedule and or listing infor mation area and or obtain more information about programs of particular interest Inoneembodiment the present invention includes an inter active computer system which provides television schedule and or listing information All or portions of this television schedule information may be provided to a television system a computer monitor a PCTV and other interactive display devices The interactive computer system can use the televi sion schedule information to control various peripheral devices in the television system Peripheral devices are for example televisions video tape recorder s set top boxes including cable boxes digital storage devices and the like In the preferred embodiment a memory located within a personal computer stores a computer program and received data These data include the television schedule information and eventually the digital files of the programs themselves A US 8 112 776 B2 3 processor uses the computer program to organize the televi sion schedule and or listing information into a desired format The television schedule and or listing information is then displayed on a television screen o
34. ative program guide and a channel guide respectively for use with the television system of FIG 1 FIGS 13A 13C are schematic views illustrating a method for selecting a program information menu moving to the program guide of FIG 12A and browsing through informa tion menus from other programs FIGS 14A 14E illustrate a Video On Demand menu and an associated submode menu FIGS 15A 15C illustrate a method for accessing and send ing mail messages FIGS 16A 16C illustrate a Services Menu and a method for accessing special services and for purchasing items FIGS 17A 17F illustrate a system and method for contex tually linking a program to a database on a computer network DESCRIPTION OF THE SPECIFIC EMBODIMENTS The present invention provides systems and methods for providing television schedule and or listing information to a viewer and for allowing the viewer to link search select retrieve initiate a subscription to and interact with informa tioninaremote database computer network or on line server e g anetwork server on the Internet or World Wide Web The television schedule and or listing information can be dis played on a variety of viewer interfaces such as televisions screens computer monitors PCTV screens and other inter active display devices The television schedule and or listing information may be stored on the viewer s computer televi 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 65 4 sio
35. az United States Patent Schein et al US008112776B2 US 8 112 776 B2 Feb 7 2012 10 Patent No 45 Date of Patent 54 75 73 Q1 Q2 65 63 60 51 52 INTERACTIVE COMPUTER SYSTEM FOR PROVIDING TELEVISION SCHEDULE INFORMATION Inventors Steven M Schein Huntington Beach US Sean A O Brien San Jose CA US Brian L Klosterman San Ramon CA US Kenneth A Milnes Fremont CA US Assignee Starsight Telecast Inc Fremont CA US Subject to any disclaimer the term of this patent is extended or adjusted under 35 U S C 154 b by 648 days Notice Appl No 11 894 604 Filed Aug 20 2007 Prior Publication Data US 2008 0184312 A1 Jul 31 2008 Related U S Application Data Continuation of application No 11 147 802 filed on Jun 7 2005 which is a continuation of application No 10 047 127 filed on Jan 14 2002 now abandoned which is a continuation of application No 08 837 025 filed on Apr 11 1997 now Pat No 6 388 714 and a continuation in part of application No 08 537 650 filed on Oct 2 1995 now abandoned Provisional application No 60 022 826 filed on Jul 26 1996 provisional application No 60 015 648 filed on Apr 19 1996 Int G06F 3 00 2006 01 G06F 13 00 2006 01 H04N 5 445 2011 01 U S Cl 725 52 725 39 725 40 725 43 725 44 725 45 58 Field of Classification Search
36. be delivered When the viewer selects a particular service or item requiring a financial transaction a purchasing sequence unfolds As shown in FIG 14C the viewer is prompted to enter the master password access code via the remote keypad or other means For example the viewer could US 8 112 776 B2 19 swipe his or her credit card through a slot on the remote control device If the password access code is accepted the viewer is given a final opportunity to review the purchase and or either confirm or return to the previous item menu see FIG 14D When the viewer confirms his or her purchase and or order a receipt 770 is shown FIG 14E The viewer is given the choice of returning to the previous item menu or as always at the very bottom item 0 to return to the program guide FIGS 15A 15C illustrate another embodiment of the present invention in which the television viewer may accept incoming e mail messages or send outgoing messages to other television viewers or users connected to the television schedule system e g users on the Internet As shown in FIG 15 the viewer scrolls down to the Messages window in the Mode menu and activates this window to enter a submode menu To read incoming messages the viewer scrolls down to the Check new messages cell and activates this cell to display messages that have been received The Messages mode organizes incoming messages in order of date received and displays them in lis
37. ces may be com bined into a single device that inputs commands with keys a trackball pointing device scrolling mechanism voice acti vation or a combination thereof Television system 30 includes a television 32 which may be any commercially available television and a user input device 20 Television system 30 may or may not include a video taperecorder VCR Inthis embodiment VCRs 34 and 36 are coupled to television 32 through connections 38 and 39 respectively These VCRs 34 and 36 can be for example any commercially available VCRs or any other type of record ing and or storage device analog or digital Input device 20 allows the viewer to interact with television 32 VCR 34 and or VCR 36 Input device 20 may be a remote control keyboard 40 mouse a voice activated interface or the like A suitable input device for use with the present invention is described in U S Provisional Application Ser Nos 60 022 826 filed Jul 26 1996 and Ser No 60 015 648 filed Apr US 8 112 776 B2 5 19 1996 the complete disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference A line 37 is used to connect other devices to VCR 34 Other devices can also be connected in series between VCR 34 and television 32 via line 38 With this configuration computer 12 or computer system 10 and television 32 or television system 30 can be located in different rooms within a private residence or a commercial building In one embodiment a co
38. creiff 6 268 849 Bl 7 2001 Boyer et al 5 828 945 A 10 1998 Klosterman 6 317 885 B1 11 2001 Fries 5 832 223 11 1998 Hara et al 6 331 877 12 2001 Bennington et al 5 833 468 A 11 1998 Guy et al 6 335 963 1 2002 Bosco 5 835 717 11 1998 Karlton et al 6 341 374 B2 1 2002 Schein et al 5 838 383 A 11 1998 Chimoto et al 6 357 043 Bl 3 2002 Ellis et al 5 844 552 12 1998 Gaughan et al 6 359 636 Bl 3 2002 Schindler et al 5 844 620 A 12 1998 Coleman et al 6 373 528 4 2002 Bennington et al 5 848 396 12 1998 Gerace 6 388 714 Bl 5 2002 Schein et al 5 850 218 12 1998 et al 6 408 437 6 2002 Hendricks et al 5 852 437 12 1998 Wugofski et al 6 411 696 Bl 6 2002 Iverson et al 5 861 881 A 1 1999 Freeman et al 6 437 836 8 2002 Huang et al 5 861 906 A 1 1999 Dunn et al 6 505 348 Bl 1 2003 Knowles et al 5 862 292 1 1999 Kubota et al 6 545 722 4 2003 Schultheiss et al 5 867 226 2 1999 Wehmeyer et al 6 661 468 B2 12 2003 Alten et al 5 873 660 A 2 1999 Walsh et al 6 675 386 Bl 1 2004 Hendricks et al 5 875 108 2 1999 Hoffberg et al 6 732 369 5 2004 Schein et al 5 877 906 A 3 1999 Nagasawa et al 6 754 904 Bl 6 2004 Cooper et al 5 880 768 3 1999 Lemmons et al 725 41 6 828 993 B1 12 2004 Hendricks et al 5 889 950 A 3 1999 Kuzma 6 865 746 Bl 3 2005 Herrington et al 5 892 767 4 1999 Bell et al 6 898 762 B2 5 2005 Ellis et al 5 903 545 5 1999 Sabourin et al
39. d and or auto matically upgrade an application or applet e g a applet having the appropriate software to run the television schedule guide on a display e g a computer monitor televi sion display or other user interface Inone example the viewer is watching a sports event such as a football game One or more icons or other visual indica tors are located on the television screen in a convenient loca tion such as the top right corner One of these icons may be an icon that represents the television schedule guide The viewer can move a cursor or other visual indicator to the television guide icon and click thereon to open up the televi sion guide as discussed in detail below Another icon may be provided for example by a commercial sponsor Moving into and activating this icon allows the viewer to link with a database provided by the commercial sponsor or to a portion of the television schedule guide database that allows the viewer to purchase an advertised product make a monetary contribution respond to a survey answer a question or par ticipating in contests with other viewers for example By way of example Budweiser may provide a database 610 that allows the viewer to purchase a coupon for a free six pack or other items such as Budweiser T shirts hats etc The viewer may purchase the coupon hats or T shirts directly through the commercial sponsor or through a deliv ery system provided by the television
40. dditional information Thus it would be desirable to provide a ready and efficient method to facilitate an exchange of information between television viewers and producers promoters and advertisers during the broadcast of the commercial or pro gram SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention provides systems and methods for providing television schedule information on a visual inter face and for allowing the viewer to retrieve initiate a sub scription to search select and interact with information located in a remote database computer network or on line service such as a network server on the Internet or World Wide Web The television schedule information can be dis played on a variety of visual interfaces such as televisions screens computer monitors PCTV screens and other inter active display devices The television schedule information may be stored on the computer television PCTV or a remote server e g a website or the television schedule information may be downloaded from a remote database or computer network to the viewer s computer television or PCTV and other interactive display devices The present invention also provides systems and methods for allowing the viewer to navigate and interact with a program guide that is displayed for example on the viewer s television screen The program guide will usually include a schedule and or listing information area that depicts the programs that are av
41. e shall be addressed for recording or viewing the program US 8 112 776 B2 7 Processor 80 also located within computer accessory 70 uses the software in the computer system to provide memory 76 with these key parameters Memory 76 is a random access memory RAM and RF transmitter 78 is for example simi lar to a transmitter provided in a portable telephone or RF wireless headphones RF transmitter 78 may be substituted with for example IR emitters modulated light signals i e signal sent through optical fibre or even a hardwire connec tion In the preferred embodiment RF transmitter 78 is used in conjunction with a remotely located VCR connector 90 to communicate parameters needed for automatic tuning and or automatic recording to television system 30 Processor 80 uses clock 72 and memory 76 to provide the information needed for transmission by RF transmitter 78 FIG 4 illustrates a recording device connector for the television system In the preferred embodiment recording device e g VCR connector 90 is coupled to VCR 34 in television system 30 via line 37 This connector 90 can also be a television connector which is connected to television 32 VCR connector 90 contains RF receiver 94 which receives the information transmitted from RF transmitter 78 Infrared IR driver 96 then works in conjunction with IR driver 96 and IR emitter 98 to provide any necessary signals to other peripheral devices within television system
42. ection of a program in response to receiving the user selection of the program determining with the media guidance application at least one attribute specifically related to the selected program US 8 112 776 B2 21 identifying with the media guidance application pro grams available from one of at least two sources based on the at least one attribute and displaying the identified programs 8 The method defined in claim 7 wherein receiving the user selection of a program comprises receiving a user selec tion of a program listing for the program from an on screen display of program listings 9 The method defined in claim 7 wherein receiving the user selection of a program comprises receiving a user selec tion of a program that is currently being displayed 10 The method defined in claim 7 wherein the source comprises at least one of a broadcast source a recording device a program library and a digital archive 11 The method of claim 7 further comprising receiving with the media guidance application a selection ofan identified program and at least one of recording viewing and storing the identified program in response to receiving the selection of the identified program 12 The method of claim 11 wherein the identified pro gram is not available to a program guide listing 13 The method of claim 12 wherein the identified pro gram is available from a digital archive 14 A system for searching for pr
43. f Commun ICC 77 IEEE Jun 12 15 1977 at 19 6 47 St John Sandringham Dress rehearsal for the PRESTEL show New Scientist Jun 1 1978 at 586 Statement in an Examination Report dated Aug 2 1999 for a coun terpart foreign application filed in New Zealand in which the foreign Examiner alleges that he has used the Internet to access television listings for BBC World television as far back as mid 1996 Steve A Money Teletext and Viewdata Butterworth amp Co Ltd London 1979 The clickTV television program guide website of TVData of Queensbury New York This website is located at www clicktv com as printed from the Internet on Aug 13 1997 The InfoBeat television program guide website of InfoBeat Inc This website is located at www infobeat com as printed from the Internet on Dec 8 1997 The television program guide website of Gist Communications Inc of New York New York This website is located at www gist com as printed from the Internet on Aug 14 1997 The television program guide website of TV Guide Entertainment Network This website is located at www tvguide com as printed from the Internet on Aug 14 22 1997 Tom Schauer Internet Article Online Sep 28 1995 XP002378870 Retrieved from the Internet URL www vision2020 moscow com Archives 1995 9509 0058 htlm retrieved on Apr 28 2006 the whole document TV Guide movie database Internet web pages printed on Aug 12
44. gram matrix 706 is visually proportional to the total infor mation in program matrix 706 to provide visual feedback as the user vertically scrolls through matrix 706 In addition scroll bar 720 may be used for large scale movement through hundreds of channels sources by navigating to bar 720 and then vertically moving bar 720 An exit area 722 allows the viewer to immediately exit back to the television by navigat ing to exit area 722 and clicking on the remote control device A program area 726 depicts the currently tuned program and a preview window area 728 can be used for all types of promotional descriptional or contextual video or graphics such as a short preview of the show that 15 currently being highlighted in show matrix 706 Preview window area 728 may also be interactional similar to the other areas of guide 702 20 25 30 40 45 65 18 The program guide may also include a variety of additional areas to facilitate use of the television schedule system present information to the viewer or advertise programs or other products For example a scrolling commercial message 724 may be located underneath program matrix 706 that advertises programs or products from program sponsors etc The viewer may navigate to message 724 to receive more information or to purchase the product or program This function of ordering items is not limited to videos For example the program may access other contextual linked services suc
45. gs of the IEEE Jul WO WO 9528055 10 1995 1995 WO WO 9528799 10 1995 Brugliera Vito Digital On Screen Display A New Technology for WO WO 9532583 11 1995 the Consumer Interface Jun 1993 WO WO 9532585 11 1995 D C Stickland It s a common noun The Economist Jun 5 1978 WO WO 9532587 11 1995 DIRECTV Plus2 System Thompson Consumer Electronics Inc WO WO 9607270 3 1996 1999 wo WO 9609721 3 1996 DiRosa S BIGSURF Netguide Jul 1995 vol 3 1 Sections 18 WO WO 2013013 5 1996 21 and 28 renumbered as 1 27 WO WO 9613932 5 1996 e Ebr ue WO WO 96 17467 6 1996 Eitz Gerhard Zuktinftige Informations Und Datenangebote Beim WO WO 9617473 6 1996 Digitalen Fernsehen EPG Und Lesezeichen WO WO 9627989 9 1996 Rundfunktechnische Mitteilungen vol 41 pp 67 72 Jun 1997 WO WO 9631980 10 1996 Gary D Rosch New data and information system set for commer WO WO 9634486 10 1996 cial market trial Telephony Mar 20 1978 at 96 WO WO 9634491 10 1996 Gary L Holland NAPLPS standard defines graphics and text com WO WO 9637996 11 1996 munications EDN Jan 10 1985 at 179 WO WO 9638962 12 1996 Hamid Qayyum Using IVDS and VBI for Interactive Television WO WO 9641471 12 1996 IEEE Jun 10 1996 WO WO 9641478 12 1996 Hobbes Internet Timeline Mar 22 2007 Wo WO 9713368 4 1997 Iitusuka Honbashi Kuwana Building Internet TV Guide Service 1 WO WO 9742763 11 1997 WO WO 9745786 12 1997 and
46. h as a commercial store etc to allow the pur chaser to buy a wide variety of different services or goods directly or indirectly linked to a particular program For example an Info Menu for Monday Night Football may allow the viewerto scroll through submenus that allow the viewer to purchase Washington Redskins caps Minnesota Vikings caps or any NFL cap The viewer has a choice to follow a program s link back to the commercial area where a larger selection of items and services are available A product like the cap above may lead the viewer directly to an NFL proshop whereas a link to a movie on demand may lead back to a commercial film library FIG 12B illustrates the television schedule system of the present invention in the channel guide mode As shown chan nel guide 704 is similar to program guide 702 except that it includes an information screen area 730 that is reversed from the information screen area 706 in the program guide Thus the viewer can scroll vertically to move forward and back ward in time along one channel and horizontally to move from channel to channel FIGS 13A 13C illustrate a method of accessing program guide 702 from a currently tuned program and browsing through other currently tuned programs with remote control device 2 As shown in FIG 13 the viewer is watching television show on a display screen 782 such as a Monday Night Football game featuring the Washington Redskins ver sus the Minnesota V
47. his identification number would allow the system to access stored user profile information which contains the user s billing data In the preferred embodiment modem speed for the com munication setup is requested at step 140 this step is optional The computer program in conjunction with pro cessor 16 checks to see if the update time interval is needed at step 150 The update time interval determines how often the television schedule guide information is updated for the user For example updates could take place each time computer 12 is booted up once a day or 4 times a week If the update time interval is needed a request is sent to the user at step 160 If the time interval is not needed a connection to the main site is made at step 170 The main site provides the data needed for the television schedule guide and receives information such as a credit card number for billing purposes via line 22 The user can then select which available channels will be dis played on computer screen 50 at step 180 Thus the user can customize the displayed information at step 180 The user is then asked to input or select IR codes at step 190 These IR codes are used for communicating with peripheral devices within television system 30 In the preferred embodiment these IR codes are sent to memory 76 within computer acces sory 70 The data needed for the television schedule are then downloaded via line 22 at step 200 Processor 16 and the computer
48. hlights ofother games between these two or other teams Alternatively the viewer may order a tape transcript of the program that is currently being shown on the guide FIGS 17C 17F illustrate a case in which the viewer has selected purchasing a Washington Red skin cap The viewer inputs a password or other input identi fication which is confirmed by the system Alternatively the viewer can simply swipe his or her credit card or other iden tification card through the remote control device or the tele vision system to authorize the purchase of the Redskins cap Theorderis confirmed and the cap is delivered to the viewer s home Although the foregoing invention has been described in detail for purposes of clarity it will be obvious that certain modifications may be practiced within the scope of the appended claims For example the viewer can automatically tune to a desired program or can select different programs for automatic recording and or retrieval and digital storage For more information on automatic tuning and automatic record ing see U S Pat No 4 706 121 this patent is like the present patent application assigned to Starsight Telecast Inc U S Pat No 4 706 121 is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety for all purposes The invention claimed is 1 A method for searching for program listings using a media guidance application implemented at least partially on control circuitry configured for receiving with
49. ikings Clicking on the remote control device automatically causes a Program InfoMenu 730 to pop up on a portion of the television screen 782 see FIG 13B Program InfoMenu 730 may allow the viewer to obtain more information about the currently tuned program move to pro gram guide 702 move to contextual linked services dis cussed below or exit InfoMenu 730 back to the television show The viewer may vertically scroll through these options upwards or downwards and select one of the options For example clicking on the Go to program guide section immediately transfers the viewer to the program guide as shown in FIG 12A To browse other currently tuned pro grams the viewer employs suitable channel controls or other input commands the remote control device not shown As shown in FIG 13C the viewer may browse through other information menus while viewing the currently tuned pro gram FIGS 14A 14E illustrate a method of ordering video on demand with the system ofthe present invention As shown in 14 the viewer opens up the program s InfoMenu 730 and scrolls down to the linked services item The viewer is then presented with an easily scrollable menu 762 of items and services associated with this program as shown in FIG 14B Some denoted with a dollar sign are purchasable Free items would be instantly accessible to the viewer Here the viewer may be prompted to a simple procedure to specify when the movie is to
50. in FIG 2 At step 320 the user can enter a selection from the television schedule guide via user input device 60 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 65 10 The user can select a program for either automatic tuning or forautomatic unattended recording At step 330 the software determines if the time for automatic tune or record is equal to the present time Ifthe program start time is not equal to the present time then the software waits at step 360 If the time equals the present time then the software performs automatic tuning or automatic recording at step 340 Automatic tuning and automatic recording is set forth in U S patent application Ser No 08 423 411 as stated above The process flow chart of FIG 6 is then complete In another embodiment of the present invention a com puter program located for example on hard drive 14 can monitor and track user selections This computer program can then be used to provide suggested television programs to the user Additionally if desired the computer program can auto matically schedule suggested television programs for auto matic tuning and or automatic unattended recording FIG 7 illustrates several arrangements according to the present invention for providing television schedule informa tion from an external database to a television for display In one embodiment on line information providers Prodigy America On Line Compuserve MSN AT amp T etc pr
51. it via the currently tuned program For example a user previewing the program such as a movie e g Casablanca can receive information regarding 1 the actors and actresses in that movie 2 other movies released during the same time period 3 associated available products 4 related travel packages and 5 advertisements and promotions available through primary secondary or third party vendors other broadcast times or sources Utilizing a user interface such as remote control 410 or keyboard 462 the user can indicate to the electronic program guide what infor mation they would like to view on television 400 The elec tronic program guide then lists a selection of choices for the user In the preferred embodiment the choices are associated with the context of the selected program and can be changed via the electronic program guide supplier In the Casa blanca example the choices might be 1 Other Humphrey Bogart Movies 2 Other Lauren Bacall Movies 3 Other Movies Released in the Same Era or 4 Associated Products other broadcast times or sources The user selects from the presented choices and the electronic program guide contacts and communicates with the database of available information for more detailed information relating to the user s choice Once contact and communication is established between the user and the database of available television information the electronic program guide acts as an agent to assu
52. iving the user selection of the pro gram determine at least one attribute specifically related to the selected program and identify programs available from one of at least two sources based on the at least one attribute and a display processor configured to display the identified programs 21 The system defined in claim 20 wherein the processor is further configured to receive the user selection of a program listing for the program from an on screen display of program listings 22 The system defined in claim 20 wherein the processor is further configured to receive the user selection of a program that is currently being displayed 23 The system defined in claim 20 wherein the source comprises at least one of a broadcast source a recording device a program library and a digital archive 24 The system of claim 20 wherein the processor is fur ther configured to receive a selection of an identified program and perform at least one of scheduling for recording directing the display processor to display and storing the identi fied program in response to receiving the selection ofthe identified program 25 The system of claim 24 wherein the identified program is not available to a program guide listing 26 The system of claim 25 wherein the identified program is available from a digital archive
53. l TCP and the Internet Protocol IP commonly referred to collectively as TCP IP and may be assigned a unique IP address or internet domain name For example the servers may be assigned the domain name The servers 350 may also have some form of server software installed to permit the system to function as an internet graphics server For example the serv ers 350 may be configured with HyperText Transport Proto col HTTP server software to permit the system to function as an internet world wide web WWW server In this embodiment PCTV 362 may access servers 350 via the WWW using WWW compatible software by indicating the system s uniform resource locator address In another embodiment the television schedule guide not shown is stored as one or more files e g a websites or internet broadcast transmitters on one of the servers 350 which can be accessed by any viewer having access to the World Wide Web The television schedule guide or website may be configured for viewing and interacting with television information directly on line or it may be configured for downloading the information into a computer hard drive or other suitable processor The guide will provide listings infor mation for all channels in the viewer s local cable lineup Preferably the guide will be capable of creating personalized TV listings with search and sort features discussed below that allow the viewer to call up favorite
54. m BusinessWeek Jul 31 1995 Leftwich Jim amp Schein Steve StarSight Interactive Television Pro gram Guide Phase Functional Interactional Architecture Speci fication Document Orbit Interaction Palo Alto California Leftwich Jim Lai Willy amp Schein Steve StarSight Interactive Television Program Guide Phase IV Functional Interactional Archi tecture Specification Document Orbit Interaction Palo Alto Cali fornia published before Apr 19 1995 LISTS What s On Tonite TV Listings Internet Article Online Jan 28 1995 XP002378869 Retrieved from the Internet URL www scout wisc edu Projects PastProjects NH 95 01 31 0018 html gt retrieved on Apr 28 2006 whole document Margaret Ryan Interactive TV Takes Twist Electronic Engineering Times Jul 10 1995 Matthew D Miller A Scenario for the Deployment of Interactive Multimedia Cable Television Systems in the United States in the 1990s IEEE 1994 Neumann Andreas WDR Online Aufbau Und Perspektiven Automatisierter Online Dienste Im WDR Rundfunktechnische Mitteilungen vol 41 pp 56 66 Jun 1997 Dial M for Movie Periodical Funkschau vol Nov 1994 78 79 Periodical RFE vol 9 95 p 100 Trend and Technology Open TV for Interactive Television Peter Large Throw away the books Viewdata s coming Guard jan Jan 10 1978 Peter Large Viewdata the invention that brings boundles
55. mes genre original air date etc In another aspect of the invention the web site television guide will include a highlight section that highlights particu lar programs that will be broadcast during the day week or month For example the guide may have a web page that picks a hot pick for each day of the week and provides a picture or video together with descriptive information such as an editorial comment on the video hot pick In addition the user may be able to move to other areas where more information can be provided on particular moves such as articles interviews with actors actresses editor s choice reviews commentaries etc In another aspect of the invention the system will include a variety of files on the same or different network servers that allow the user to interact with other users program sponsors advertisers etc For example the system may have a web site that allows viewers to chat about certain programs each program itself may have its own web site In addition the system may include a virtual agent that searches existing websites and or internet broadcast transmitter on the internet and points to websites and or internet broadcast transmitters that may interest the viewer The virtual agent will learn from previous user choices to customize the television guide for each particular viewer FIG 11 schematically illustrates a system and method according to the present invention for linking televisio
56. mputer program provided on dis kettes a CD ROM or other medium contains the software needed for receiving organizing and displaying data for the television schedule guide These diskettes are inserted in disk input 18 and the software for these diskettes is stored within computer 12 on hard drive 14 or on another mass storage location This action can be performed by for example the user or a serviceperson The computer program can also be provided access download and or automatically upgrade for example via downloading from a satellite 24 transmis sion through the internet or other on line service or transmis sion through another type of land line 22 e g coax cable telephone line optical fiber or wireless technology e g Richochet In addition to the computer program data for the basic schedule information and other related data e g data relat ing to a particular show are needed for the generation and maintenance of the television schedule and or listing infor mation guide These data are received in the preferred embodiment via line 22 they can also be provided via a satellite broadcast from satellite 24 or wireless technology e g Richochet Additionally the television schedule and or listing information and related data can be sent directly to television 32 via satellite 24 or wireless technology e g Richochet In this arrangement the television schedule information and related data does not have
57. n PCTV or a remote server e g a website or the tele vision schedule and or listing information may be down loaded from a remote database or computer network and or internet broadcast to the viewer s computer television or PCTV Suitabletelevision schedule and or listing information systems or video guides that can be used with the present invention are described in commonly assigned U S Pat Nos 5 353 121 5 479 266 the complete disclosures of which are hereby incorporated by reference The systems and methods ofthe present invention may also be useful with video guides available under the name of SuperGuide from The Super Guide Corporation of Shelby N C In one embodiment the invention incorporates an interac tive computer system which assists the viewer in utilizing television schedule and or listing information and linking with a database to search and retrieve initiate a subscription to information Preferably the information is contextually related to television programs within the television schedule and or listing information Referring to the drawings in detail wherein like elements are indicated by like numerals a rep resentative television schedule and or listing information sys tem 2 for use with the contextual linking system and method of the present invention is illustrated in FIGS 1 7 As shown in FIG 1 schedule system includes a computer system 10 coupled to a television system 30 Computer system 10 incl
58. n view ers with broadcasters and advertisers during the broadcast of a commercial or program As shown system 600 includes a viewer interface 602 such as a television computer PCTV or a television coupled to a computer system For convenience the system will be described as utilizing a PCTV 602 A data line 604 such as a cable modem telephone line or other communication link couples the PCTV 602 with a remote database network server or on line service such as the Inter 0 5 35 40 45 16 net 606 A television guide database 608 is also coupled to the Internet 606 for providing the television schedule information to PCTV 602 This information may be downloaded to PCTV 602 or it may be configured for viewing only while the viewer is actually connected to database 608 Alternatively the television guide may be drawn locally from a processor within PCTV As shown a commercial provider 610 e g Budweiser and or a television station broadcaster 612 e g ABC also have databases directly coupled to PCTV 602 or through Internet 606 PCTV 602 may include a memory and a processor with appropriate software not shown for searching and retrieving information from databases on the Internet 606 based on user selections Alternatively this function may be provided through Internet 606 television guide database 608 or through the commercial provider 610 or broadcaster 612 In this embodiment PCTV may access downloa
59. nattended recording and the associ ated IR devices 96 and 98 would not be present Finally computer 12 television system 30 VCR 34 and all additional electronic devices could be on a home network In this arrangement no transmitters or internal receivers would be necessary FIG 5 illustrates a process flow chart for the installation procedure This process flowchart reveals the sequence used for installing the computer program needed for receiving organizing and displaying the television schedule informa US 8 112 776 B2 9 tion grid guide This installation process flow allows for an account setup and for the downloading of schedule informa tion The data needed for the television schedule guide are downloaded to hard drive 14 in the preferred embodiment As stated above diskettes providing the computer program are placedin disk input 18 and installed on hard drive 14 The user is then asked to input various information The system first requests the user s zip code at step 110 Billing information is requested at step 120 and method of payment along with associated information for payment is requested at step 130 Inanalternative embodiment billing information e g credit care information or the like may be input each time a user connects to an on line service Additionally an automatic confirm may take place at step 120 For example a user may already have an identification number from previous system use Confirmation of t
60. obal to all regions ofthe country With this configuration the television guide may include a time zone selection so that the guide can automatically be configured for the particular time zone in which the user will watch television In one embodiment of the present invention the system will include a search engine that allows the viewer to search for particular types of programs that will be broadcast within a certain period of time The search engine may include categories such as title description category dates day parts channels actor actresses directors etc In addition the viewer may obtain more information on the programs within each category For example the guide could provide infor mation on movies in many categories including theatrical made for TV movies Spanish French etc The guide can tell you what Clint Eastwood movies are on this week how many StarTrek episodes this weekend or whether your favorite basketball team is on TV this Saturday The on line viewer may customize their own listings by title year actors direc tor run themes critical star rating MPAA warning lines video laser disc full descriptions genre and holidays with themes In another example the guide could provide infor mation on shows and series including network shows first run British PBS cult favorites syndicated shows talk shows local productions and obscure programs The user may sort by for example title episode run ti
61. ogram listings compris ing a processor configured to receive a user selection of a program in response to receiving the user selection of the pro gram determine at least one attribute specifically related to the selected program and identify a list of programs based on the at least one attribute and a display processor configured to display the identified list of programs 15 The system defined in claim 14 wherein the processor is further configured to receive the user selection of a program listing for the program from an on screen display of program listings 16 The system defined in claim 14 wherein the processor 15 further configured to receive the user selection of a program that is currently being displayed 20 25 30 35 40 22 17 The system of claim 14 wherein the processor is fur ther configured to receive a selection of an identified program and perform at least one of scheduling for recording directing the display processor to display and storing the identi fied program in response to receiving the selection ofthe identified program 18 The system of claim 14 wherein the identified program is not available to a program guide listing 19 The system of claim 14 wherein the identified program is available from a digital archive 20 A system for searching for television programs com prising a processor configured to receive a user selection of a program in response to rece
62. om memory 406 so that it can be displayed on television 400 Alternatively the database with the television schedule infor mation could be located in memory 426 within set top box 420 or in memory 436 within VCR 430 Controller 424 or controller 434 would be used to obtain the data which would then be sent to television 400 for display via line 410 or line 450 Therefore the technology that enables the television schedule information to be provided from a database to a television for display is not specific to any given data system In summary this technology can be resident in the user s set top box 420 television 400 VCR 430 personal computer or the like The television schedule information provided from a data base can be used to provide information which 15 independent of the viewer s program choice For example from a televi sion schedule guide the user can utilize remote control 410 to press a Services button This Services button can be located on remote control 410 or within the television schedule guide display When the Services button is pressed the user is given choices such as News Weather Sports Scores Financial US 8 112 776 B2 11 Data Local Traffic etc Using remote control 410 the user can then select the area or title of interest and the associated information from the database is provided If accessory 402 is used a modem accesses the on line service which provides the information from the database
63. ovide access to a database which contains the television schedule information These on line information providers can trans mit data to television 400 In this embodiment a modem within accessory 402 is utilized to provide the data Acces sory 402 is attached to television 400 and directly connected to telephone line 408 via the modem The modem for access to the on line service can also be located within television 400 Software located either within accessory 402 or televi sion 400 is used to search for and provide the data along with providing several other features described below The available data displayed on television 400 can emu late what a computer on line user normally sees when access ing the internet through a personal computer This television schedule data can also be further enhanced to tie into the televisions show that the user is viewing Alternatively acces sory 402 may be replaced by accessory 422 which is attached to set top box 420 e g a cable box The data provided via the on line information provider is then transmitted to televi sion 400 over line 440 Similarly accessory 432 attached to VCR 430 can be used to obtain the television schedule data The data would then be transmitted from VCR 430 to televi sion 400 over line 450 In another embodiment the database with the television schedule information is located in memory 406 within tele vision 400 Controller 404 is used to obtain the data fr
64. program installed on hard drive 14 work in con junction to create the schedule guide for display on computer screen 50 at step 210 FIG 6 illustrates a process flow chart for the operation of the schedule control system herein At step 250 the user installs computer accessory 70 by coupling it to computer 12 via available serial or parallel port 23 At step 260 the user installs VCR connector 90 by connecting it to VCR 34 via line 37 At step 270 disk input 18 is used to provide hard drive 14 with the software needed for receiving organizing and dis playing data which provides the system s television schedule guide This software also supplies the automatic tuning and automatic unattended recording of the present invention Thus this software is taken from diskettes and stored in stalled on hard drive 14 At step 280 the user service person performs the installation set up procedure set forth in FIG 5 At step 290 the data needed for updating the schedule infor mation are received via telephone line 22 At step 300 the user can input any additional desired display parameters for the display of the television schedule guide For example the user can have certain channels elimi nated from the displayed television schedule guide or the user can select a particular order for each of the television channels within guide At step 310 the television schedule guide is displayed upon user request on computer screen 50 as shown
65. r on a computer monitor display in the desired format BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG 1 is a schematic view of a representative computer system coupled to a television system FIG 2 shows an example of a television schedule guide as displayed on a computer screen along with a user input device FIG 3 illustrates a computer accessory for the computer system FIG 4 illustrates a recording device connector for the television system FIGS 5A and 5B illustrate a process flow chart for the installation procedure FIG 6 illustrates a process flow chart for the operation of the schedule control system herein FIG 7 illustrates several arrangements for providing tele vision schedule information from a database to a television for display FIG 8 illustrates an interactive television schedule system according to the invention incorporating a cable system coupled to a television system FIG 9 illustrates a preferred arrangement for providing television schedule information from the cable system of FIG 8 to a television for display to the viewer FIG 10 illustrates a system and method for accessing television schedule information at a network file server on the internet FIG 11 schematically illustrates a system and method for viewer interaction with commercial advertisers and program sponsors within the television schedule information system of the present invention FIGS 12A and 12B are schematic views represent
66. r performing this customization In an exemplary embodiment the system includes a data base containing each program within the television schedule and or listing information The database may be included within a computer integrally combined with the television e g PCTV a computer that is coupled to the television through suitable lines or the database may be accessed from a remote computer e g via the internet or other communi cation medium Within the database each program is associ ated with a variety of criteria or features such as particular actors actresses directors the type of movie e g action comedy and the like When the viewer selects a program as a favorite for example he or she will have the option of designating the criteria or reason s that the program is a favorite i e actor director etc The computer will include a processor and suitable software for automatically searching the database for other programs having the same criteria The processor will automatically place the programs that include the designated criteria into the selection window and provide visual indication of each program in the matrix of cells in the program guide In this way the program guide will automati cally customize itself to the individual viewer to facilitate use of the television schedule A more detailed description of this method can be found in commonly assigned co pending U S Provisional Application Ser No 60 015
67. re that the information flow and appropriate data is exchanged At this point the user can delve deeper into the available information by selecting from a series of further choices or related topics For example if the user chooses 1 Other Humphrey Bogart Movies option the electronic program guide contacts and communicates with the selected database of available infor mation The database of available information is then used to collect the requested data of other Humphrey Bogart movies The selected choice is transmitted and used by the electronic program guide as its contextual reference for search list with the search results is then displayed on television 400 Once the user sees the list of broadcast times or sources for Casablanca or other Humphrey Bogart movies the user 0 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 65 12 can select any ofthe available titles for recording or watching or digital storage when digital program directories libraries or archival sources are available In the preferred embodi ment each time the available database is contacted and searched previously selected movies can be identified In addition a user can select certain types of programs to be recorded watched or retrieved for digital storage before any particular program is available to the electronic program guide Moreover each time a connection is made to an on line service the software can search the dat
68. rea 54 The television schedule guide in FIG 2 has been customized by a user such that only channels 2 3 4 5 7 HBO SHO and PBS are included in the displayed guide In one embodiment a television within computer system 10 or television system 30 can be used as computer screen 50 The user via input device 60 can scroll throughout the television schedule information provided in the grid guide User input device 60 can be for example a keyboard with arrow keys a computer pointing device e g a mouse or 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 65 6 trackball touchpad etc or a voice recognition input By utilizing user input device 60 a user can sort mix and do a special customized line up of channels within the television schedule guide displayed on computer screen 50 In addition the user can automatically tune to a desired program or can select different programs for automatic recording and or retrieval and digital storage For more information on auto matic tuning and automatic recording see U S Pat No 4 706 121 and U S patent application Ser No 08 423 411 this patent and this patent application are like the present patent application assigned to Starsight Telecast Inc U S Pat No 4 706 121 and U S patent application Ser No 08 423 411 are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety for all purposes In another embodiment of the present invention the com puter 12 is equipped with a
69. rogram end time for M A S H the software turns off the record function and then turns off VCR 34 The same sequence takes place for VCR 36 when the program end time for I LOVE LUCY occurs In the preferred embodiment two electronic devices are used to provide the schedule control system herein These two electronic devices allow for the interaction between com puter system 10 and television system 30 The first electronic device is a computer accessory and the second is a video tape recorder controller connector VCR connector The second electronic device can also be a television connector set top box connector and the like FIG 3 illustrates a computer accessory for the computer system Computer accessory 70 is any external hardware capable of controlling television 30 VCR 34 and or VCR 36 In the preferred embodiment computer accessory 70 is con nected to computer 12 through available serial parallel or other port 23 Clock 72 located within computer accessory 70 in the preferred embodiment maintains current time Bat tery 74 provides a continuous supply of power when the computer accessory s regular available power is not present Memory 76 contains the key parameters needed for recording and or tuning to a selected television program These param eters include the date of the program the start time for the program the end time for the program the television channel providing the program and which peripheral devic
70. s advice and information to the home also sets a test for the Post Office Financial Guardian Jun 29 1978 Printout from Goggle News Archives Mar 22 2007 Prodigy Launches Interactive TV Listing Apr 22 1994 Public Broadcasting Report Rajapakshe et al Video on demand last modified Jun 1995 lt http www dse doc ic ac uk nd suprise_95 Journal vol4 shr re port html gt Rath et al Set Top Box Control Software A Key Component In Digital Video Philips Journal Of Research vol 50 No 1 2 1996 at 185 Rebecca Day The Great PC TV Debate OEM Magazine Jul 1 1996 Rick Boyd Merritt Television wires two way video Electronic Engineering Times Apr 25 1994 Rogers Telcos vs Cable TV The Global View Sep 1995 Report Alternative Carriers Data Communications No 13 New York pp 75 76 78 80 Ruffler et al InfoRadio on Demand WebTV and digiTaz Telecommerce Case Studies May 23 1996 Schmuckler Eric A marriage that s made in cyberspace television networks pursue links with online information services May 16 1994 MEDIAWEEK v4 n20 p22 3 Selected pages from Online Schedules web page This web page is located at http www bbc co uk schedules as printed fromthe Internet on Oct 19 1999 and being dated as early as May 24 1997 Sharpless et al An advanced home terminal for interactive data communication Conf Rec Int Con
71. ser selects a television program for immediate viewing a tuning command for changing the television tuner to the channel carrying the desired program is sent from RF transmitter 78 to RF receiver 94 Processor 80 then sends this tuning command from RF receiver 94 to television 32 via line 38 In yet another embodiment of the present invention IR driver 96 and IR emitter 98 are located in computer accessory 70 see FIG 3 When this configuration is present VCR connector 90 is not needed For example when a desired television program is selected for automatic tuning IR driver 96 and IR emitter 98 work in conjunction to tune television 32 to the channel carrying the desired program Similarly when a desired television program is selected for automatic record ing IR driver 96 and IR emitter 98 at the desired program start time 1 tune the VCR to the channel carrying the desired program etc This arrangement can also be used when multiple desired television programs airing at the same time are selected for automatic recording This is done in the same manner as described above Also if desired the data provid ing the television schedule information to computer 12 can be organized into a desired format and then transmitted via com puter accessory 70 to television 32 for immediate display on television 32 For automatic display on television 32 in this arrangement computer accessory 70 must contain on screen display generator OSD 82
72. television video board that con tains a tuner When this television video board is located in computer 12 a computer user can view selected television programs shows on computer monitor 50 Therefore when a user selects a television program for automatic tuning the television video board is tuned to the channel carrying the selected television program such that the selected television program is automatically displayed on computer monitor 50 In the embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG 1 two programs provided at the same time can be automati cally recorded because two VCRs 34 and 36 are present The user need only select two programs for recording and the present invention will automatically cause the programs to be recorded when they are aired in an unattended fashion The user can also directly select which device or devices will be recording or tuning for each selected program For example the user may wish to have M A S H 62 recorded by VCR 34 and I LOVE LUCY 64 recorded by VCR 36 In this example the computer software on hard drive 14 at the program start time 1 tunes VCR 34 to the channel carrying I LOVE LUCY 2 turns VCR 34 on and 3 activates the record function on VCR 34 IfI LOVE LUCY starts at the same time as M A S H the software also at approximately same time 1 tunes VCR 36 to the channel carrying M A S H 2 turns VCR 36 on and 3 activates the record function on VCR 36 At the p
73. the channels in a verti cal column to the left of the program matrix 708 and the times in a horizontal row above matrix 708 As shown the viewer may vertically scroll through a particular time or horizontally scroll through a channel with the remote control device As the viewer scrolls through matrix 708 a cursor 710 will indicate the user s location within the matrix 708 Alterna tively the item may be automatically highlighted with a brighter color to indicate the viewer s location Preferably program matrix 708 will also be shaded to indicate the portion ofeach show that has already been presented For example as shown in FIG 12A the shading extends to 7 48 the current time as indicated at the bottom right of program guide 702 to indicate which portion of the show the viewer has already missed As shown in FIG 12A program guide 702 includes a number of other information areas For example program guide 702 includes a mode menu area 712 that indicates the currently active mode 1 program guide 702 and allows the viewer to pull down a mode menu see FIG 15A Pro gram guide 702 also includes a date area 716 that indicates the date reflected in program matrix 706 and allows the viewer to pull down a date submenu to change the date In other sub modes the submode menu will display options for ordering or displaying lists that are appropriately related to the sub mode proportional scroll bar 720 located to the left of pro
74. the impact of viewdata Computing Weekly JP 07160732 6 1995 Jul 20 1978 JP 07184131 7 1995 07193762 7 1995 Teletext presents the alternative view Financial Times Oct 24 JP 07193763 7 1995 1977 JP 0832538 2 1996 Three men on a Viewdata bike The Economist Mar 25 1978 JP 08032538 2 1996 UVSG Offers System Specific Web Site Development for OPS JP 08125497 5 1996 press release of United Video Satellite Group Apr 12 1996 1026 UVSG Teams With Microsoft On Internet Information Server JP 08275077 10 1996 press release of United Video Satellite Group Feb 22 1996 JP 09102827 4 1997 Viewdata and its potential impact in the USA Final Report Volume WO WO 8601359 2 1986 One The UK Experience Link and Butler Cox amp Partners Limited WO WO 8703766 6 1987 Oct 1978 WO WO 8903085 4 1989 Viewdata moves in US but GEC may lose out Computing Weekly WO WO 94 14282 6 1994 Jan 25 1978 WO WO 9413107 6 1994 Viewdata Service Terminal Specification British Post Office Issue WO WO 9414284 6 1994 5 Aug 1978 Bites 109 ACM Multimedia 93 Proceedings A Digital On Demand Video Ser WO WO 9501059 1 1995 o Content Based Queries Little et al pp 427 436 Jul WO 252 er 21 Adrian Stokes viewdata age Power to the People Computing WO WO 95 19092 7 1995 Weekly Jan 19795 WO WO 9526608 10 1995 Blahut et al Interactive Television Proceedin
75. ts see FIG 15B The viewer may then scroll to a particular message as shown in FIG 15C To send outgoing messages the viewer scrolls down to the Cre ate message cell and activates this cell to open up a blank window A message may be created by inputting text on the input device through voice activation via a microphone on the input device FIGS 16A 16C illustrate a method of accessing a whole variety of other services to the Internet with the interactive television schedule system of the present invention As dis cussed above databases on the Internet may be accessed through a telephone line cable modem or other means of communication As shown in FIG 16A the user scrolls down to the world of services mode and clicks on this mode to obtain a submode that includes a variety of different services such as news weather and sports previews and reviews of programs on the television schedule guide a super mall for purchasing products and services related to the programs in the television schedule guide or other products and services Internet or World Wide Web As shown in FIG 16C the user has selected news weather and sports which opens up another menu involving a variety of special services such as headline news national and local weather sports central business and stock updates music videos daily horoscope cartoon of the day and or other services related to news weather and sports These services may be pro
76. tware 516 then utilizes the data received from cable modem 518 to generate a television schedule guide The user can access this generated television schedule guide when desired In the embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG 8 two programs provided at the same time can be automati cally recorded because two VCRs 524 and 526 are present The user need only select two programs for recording and the present invention will automatically cause the programs to be recorded when they are aired in an unattended fashion The user can also directly select which device or devices will be recording or tuning for each selected program For additional information see commonly assigned U S Pat No 5 151 789 to Young the complete disclosure of which has previously been incorporated by reference FIG 9 illustrates an arrangement for providing television schedule information from cable system 510 to a television for display In one embodiment cable modem 518 provides access to a database which may be on line the database contains the television schedule information and the infor mation is transmitted to the television Software 516 stored in memory 514 is used to search for and provide the informa tion along with providing several other features described below The available data displayed on the television may be stored in memory 514 within cable system 510 or within a database 548 within television 522 A controller 552 is usedto obtain
77. udes a standard computer 12 which is for example any available personal computer e g IBM compatible Macin tosh and the like Computer 12 can also be located within a set top box e g a DSS box Computer 12 contains a hard drive 14 a processor 16 and a disk input 18 for providing computer 12 with various additional software An input device 20 allows a viewer to interact with computer 12 and or a television schedule guide described below and illustrated in FIGS 12 17 Line 23 is connected to an available serial parallel or other data port 23 on computer 2 This line 23 is used to connect other devices components o computer 12 In another embodiment computer system 10 may be com bined with television system 30 to form a PCTV In this embodiment the computer will usually include a processor that may be used solely to run the program guide and associ ated software or the processor may be configured to run other applications such as word processing graphics or the like The computer will usually be incorporated into the television set so that the television display can be used as both a televi sion screen and a computer monitor Alternatively the televi sion may be incorporated into the computer so that the com puter monitor performs this dual function Usually the PCTV will include a number of input devices such as a keyboard a mouse and a remote control device similar to the one described above However these input devi
78. vided by a special database that is linked to the television system to an on line information provider such as America On Line Prodigy and the like or with a search engine that searches network servers or databases on the Internet and World Wide Web As shown the user selects headline news which opens up another menu providing the user with a variety of news reports that may be accessed The news reports may be viewed printed out or downloaded to the computer system that is attached to or an intricate part of the television system e g PCTV FIGS 17A 17F illustrate a representative system and method for contextually linking related items and services to a particular program in the program guide 702 As shown in FIG 17A the viewer selects a particular program within guide 702 to access that program s info menu Within the info menu the viewer then scrolls to linked services and clicks on this window to move into a database that includes items and services contextually related to that particular pro gram In the example shown the viewer has been watching a sport event featuring the Washington Redskins v the Minne sota Vikings The viewer is transferred to a window that 5 30 40 45 55 65 20 provides number of options purchasing items and ser vices related to that game such as Washington Redskin or Minnesota Vikings paraphernalia other NFL teams parapher nalia inan NFL sports pro shop or hig

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