System and method for providing fast channel surfing
US8769577B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | May 15, 2007 |
| Grant date | Jul 1, 2014 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Apr 5, 2030 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH04N21/8153
- WIPO fieldAudio-visual technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A system and method for enabling television watchers to “channel surf” faster and reduce the amount of bandwidth used over a network to communicate television channels to end-users. Electronic programming guide information and images associated therewith may be communicated to an end-user. An image associated with a video program may be displayed on an electronic display (e.g., television) in response to an end-user selecting a channel prior to video programming being displayed. By displaying an image prior to the video programming, the end-user may determine whether he or she wants to watch the video program prior to the video programming being displayed, which improves the speed of “channel surfing.” Because end-users can view the image when selecting a channel, a network can be configured to distribute the channels that are currently being watched rather than distributing many on a continuous basis, thereby preserving bandwidth.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.