Patent · US Expired

Program guide information and processor for providing program and channel substitution

US6993782B1 · kind B1 · utility

151Cited by
19References
15Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateMar 16, 2000
Grant dateJan 31, 2006
Priority date
Expiry dateMar 16, 2020

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
  • CPC primaryH04N5/50
  • WIPO fieldAudio-visual technology
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

A system of defining, creating and decoding composite virtual channels advantageously supports dynamic channel and event substitution. A method, for use in a decoder for acquiring a program conveyed on more than one broadcast channel, involves generating a program guide display. The program guide display lists programs being broadcast on a plurality of broadcast channels during specified broadcast time segments and also lists a particular program on both a first and a second broadcast channel. The particular program is acquired from the first broadcast channel in response to user selection of either of the first and second broadcast channels. A plurality of prioritized channel maps are used in substituting an alternative program for a first program on a broadcast channel.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.