Electronic program-guide system with sideways-surfing capability
US6367078B1 · kind B1 · utility
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Dec 12, 1997 |
| Grant date | Apr 2, 2002 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Dec 12, 2017 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH04N21/42221
- WIPO fieldAudio-visual technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
An electronic program-guide (EPG) system enables a viewer of a television program in a particular category to surf sideways to another program in the same category. The EPG system indicates the availability of such other channels carrying programs in the same category in a channel hat superimposed on the video at the top of the picture. The channel hat may also contain the channel number, title and category of the program in the channel just selected, and it is displayed for a few seconds. Normal surfing up and down to higher or lower-numbered channels is also supported in the usual way in response to the up and down arrow-keys on a remote control device. When the viewer presses the right or left-arrow key, the EPG system surfs sideways to the next higher or lower channel carrying a program in the same category as the current program. Right and left-arrow keys exist on the remote controls of some prior-art electronic program guides without having any function assigned when television programs when the viewer is surfing.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.