IP Library › Granted Patent US 7,385,586
Granted Patent B2
US 7,385,586 · App. 10/359,034 · Granted Jun 10, 2008

Systems and methods for presenting an interactive user interface

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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 7,385,586
App. No.
10/359,034
Granted
Jun 10, 2008
Kind
B2
Abstract

A system interactively controlled by a TV viewer remote control transmitter displays portions of a scroll program guide on the. Viewer's display screen. A tuner receives TV radio frequency or optical transmission signals in a plurality of cable channels and passes a viewer usable signal to a signal combiner. A computer receives control signals from the TV viewer remote control transmitter. It controls the tuner to pass the viewer usable signal in response to one of the control signals. It receives and stores a scroll input picture image signal containing local program guide data and generates a scroll output picture image signal consisting of at least a portion of the scroll input picture image signal.

Claims (49)

1. A method for invoking an interactive user interface, comprising:

receiving a user interface invocation command from a user;

invoking the interactive user interface in response to receipt of the user interface invocation command so that a user interface display is presented to the user;

tuning to a television channel in response to the user invoking the interactive user interface;

displaying at least a portion of the television channel;

causing the interactive user interface to be displayed as an automatically scrolling grid containing a plurality of time slots;

receiving a selection of a programming time slot; and

updating the automatically scrolling grid to contain the selected programming time slot.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the television channel comprises programming data channel videos, the method further comprising:

causing the interactive user interface to be displayed as an automatically scrolling grid on one portion of a display and the programming data channel videos to be displayed on another portion of the display.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising enabling the user to adjust how quickly the automatically scrolling grid is scrolling.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the television program channel comprises programming data channel data, the method further comprising:

causing the programming data channel data to be masked when the interactive user interface and the at least a portion of the television channel are displayed.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising enabling the user to move the grid backward by at least one of the time slots.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising enabling the user to move the grid forward by at least one of the time slots.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising enabling the user to control in which direction the grid scrolls.

8. The method of claim 1 further comprising enabling the user to stop the grid from scrolling.

9. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

enabling the user to select an item of program guide data in the interactive user interface; and

causing additional information on the selected item to be displayed.

10. The method of claim 1 further comprising enabling a user to enter a highlight mode in which a portion of the grid corresponding to a selected television program is highlighted.

11. The method of claim 10 further comprising causing information related to the selected television program to be displayed.

12. The method of claim 10 further comprising enabling the user to move the highlighted portion of the grid.

13. The method of claim 10 further comprising enabling the user to exit the highlight mode.

14. A system for invoking an interactive user interface, comprising:

a user input device;

a tuner;

a signal combiner; and

a computer, wherein the computer is configured to:

receive a user interface invocation command from the user input device;

invoke the interactive user interface in response to receiving the user interface invocation command;

provide a control signal to the tuner to tune to a television channel in response to invoking the interactive user interface;

cause the signal combiner to generate a display signal that causes at least a portion of the television channel to be displayed and causes the interactive user interface to be displayed as an automatically scrolling grid containing a plurality of time slots;

receive a user selection of a programming time slot from the user input device; and

update the automatically scrolling grid to contain the selected programming time slot.

15. The system of claim 14 , wherein the television channel comprises programming data channel videos, and wherein the computer is further configured to cause the signal combiner to generate a display signal that causes the interactive user interface to be displayed as an automatically scrolling grid on one portion of a display and the programming data channel videos to be displayed on another portion of the display.

16. The system of claim 14 , wherein the computer is further configured to enable a user to adjust the scroll speed of the automatically scrolling grid using the user input device.

17. The system of claim 14 , wherein the television program channel comprises programming data channel data, and wherein the computer is further configured to cause the programming data channel data to be masked when the interactive user interface and the at least a portion of the television channel are displayed.

18. The system of claim 14 , wherein the computer is further configured to enable a user to move the grid backward by at least one of the time slots using the user input device.

19. The system of claim 14 , wherein the computer is further configured to enable a user to move the grid forward by at least one of the time slots using the user input device.

20. The system of claim 14 , wherein the computer is further configured to enable a user to control in which direction the grid scrolls using the user input device.

21. The system of claim 14 , wherein the computer is further configured to enable a user to stop the grid from scrolling using the user input device.

22. The system of claim 14 , wherein the computer is further configured to:

receive a user selection of an item of program guide data in the interactive user interface from the user input device; and

cause the signal combiner to generate a display signal that causes additional information on the selected item to be displayed.

23. The system of claim 14 , wherein the computer is further configured to enable a user to enter a highlight mode using the user input device in which a portion of the grid corresponding to a selected television program is highlighted.

24. The system of claim 23 , wherein the computer is further configured to cause the signal combiner to generate a display signal that causes information related to the selected television program to be displayed.

25. The system of claim 23 , wherein the computer is further configured to enable a user to move the highlighted portion of the grid using the user input device.

26. The system of claim 23 , wherein the computer is further configured to enable a user to exit the highlight mode using the user input device.

Assignments (13)
NUNC PRO TUNC ASSIGNMENT Recorded Jul 2, 2015
From: TV GUIDE INTERNATIONAL, INC.
To: UNITED VIDEO PROPERTIES, INC.
Reel/Frame 035974/0515 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jul 2, 2015
From: MARSHALL, CONNIE T.; LEMMONS, THOMAS R.; ALLISON, DONALD W.
To: PREVUE NETWORKS, INC.
Reel/Frame 035974/0543 →
MERGER Recorded Jul 2, 2015
From: UNITED VIDEO PROPERTIES, INC.
To: UV CORP.
Reel/Frame 035974/0553 →
MERGER Recorded Jul 2, 2015
From: UV CORP.
To: TV GUIDE, INC.
Reel/Frame 035974/0566 →
MERGER Recorded Jul 2, 2015
From: TV GUIDE, INC.
To: ROVI GUIDES, INC.
Reel/Frame 035974/0573 →
NUNC PRO TUNC ASSIGNMENT Recorded Jul 2, 2015
From: TV GUIDE NETWORKS, INC.
To: UNITED VIDEO PROPERTIES, INC.
Reel/Frame 035974/0648 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jul 2, 2015
From: PREVUE NETWORKS, INC.
To: PREVUE INTERNATIONAL, INC.
Reel/Frame 035974/0659 →
CHANGE OF NAME Recorded Jul 2, 2015
From: PREVUE INTERNATIONAL, INC.
To: TV GUIDE INTERNATIONAL, INC.
Reel/Frame 036052/0482 →
CHANGE OF NAME Recorded Jul 2, 2015
From: PREVUE NETWORKS, INC.
To: TV GUIDE NETWORKS, INC.
Reel/Frame 036052/0485 →
PATENT RELEASE Recorded Jul 24, 2014
From: JPMORGAN CHASE BANK, N.A., AS COLLATERAL AGENT
To: ALL MEDIA GUIDE, LLC; APTIV DIGITAL, INC.; GEMSTAR DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION; INDEX SYSTEMS INC.; ROVI CORPORATION; ROVI GUIDES, INC.; ROVI SOLUTIONS CORPORATION; ROVI TECHNOLOGIES CORPORATION; STARSIGHT TELECAST, INC.; TV GUIDE INTERNATIONAL, INC.; UNITED VIDEO PROPERTIES, INC.
Reel/Frame 033396/0001 →
SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Sep 13, 2011
From: APTIV DIGITAL, INC., A DELAWARE CORPORATION; GEMSTAR DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION, A CALIFORNIA CORPORATION; INDEX SYSTEMS INC, A BRITISH VIRGIN ISLANDS COMPANY; ROVI CORPORATION, A DELAWARE CORPORATION; ROVI GUIDES, INC., A DELAWARE CORPORATION; ROVI SOLUTIONS CORPORATION, A DELAWARE CORPORATION; ROVI TECHNOLOGIES CORPORATION, A DELAWARE CORPORATION; STARSIGHT TELECAST, INC., A CALIFORNIA CORPORATION; UNITED VIDEO PROPERTIES, INC., A DELAWARE CORPORATION
To: JPMORGAN CHASE BANK, N.A., AS COLLATERAL AGENT
Reel/Frame 027039/0168 →
RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Oct 29, 2010
From: JPMORGAN CHASE BANK, N.A. (A NATIONAL ASSOCIATION)
To: ALL MEDIA GUIDE, LLC; APTIV DIGITAL, INC.; GEMSTAR DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION; INDEX SYSTEMS INC.; ODS PROPERTIES, INC.; ROVI DATA SOLUTIONS, INC. (FORMERLY KNOWN AS TV GUIDE DATA SOLUTIONS, INC.); ROVI GUIDES, INC. (FORMERLY KNOWN AS GEMSTAR-TV GUIDE INTERNATIONAL, INC.); ROVI SOLUTIONS CORPORATION (FORMERLY KNOWN AS MACROVISION CORPORATION); ROVI SOLUTIONS LIMITED (FORMERLY KNOWN AS MACROVISION EUROPE LIMITED); ROVI TECHNOLOGIES CORPORATION; STARSIGHT TELECAST, INC.; TV GUIDE, INC.; TV GUIDE ONLINE, LLC; UNITED VIDEO PROPERTIES, INC.
Reel/Frame 025222/0731 →
SECURITY AGREEMENT Recorded May 15, 2008
From: APTIV DIGITAL, INC.; GEMSTAR DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION; GEMSTAR-TV GUIDE INTERNATIONAL, INC.; INDEX SYSTEMS INC; MACROVISION CORPORATION; ODS PROPERTIES, INC.; STARSIGHT TELECAST, INC.; TV GUIDE ONLINE, LLC; UNITED VIDEO PROPERTIES, INC.
To: JPMORGAN CHASE BANK, N.A.
Reel/Frame 020986/0074 →