Electronic programming guide with selectable categories
View Patent ↗An electronic content guide may organize content such as television programs into categories and subcategories. The categories and subcategories may be topical as well as time-based. As a result, the user can select a given time-based criteria and within that time-based criteria select topical subcategories. As a result, the number of programs that may be displayed in any given graphical user interface may be reduced to a manageable level. This may be done without requiring a great deal of scrolling to view selected categories, subcategories and particular programs.
1. A method comprising:
providing a first graphical user interface (GUI) including at least two user selectable icons, the first of said icons being selectable to select a second GUI and the second of said icons being selectable to select a third GUI; said second GUI including an electronic programming guide limited to a plurality of current programs available at the current time; and said third GUI including an electronic programming guide for a plurality of programs available only at a time in the future
displaying a first indicator, associated with a first program included in the second GUI and indicating the progress of the first program relative to the current time, and a second indicator, associated with a second program included in the second GUI and indicating the progress of the second program relative to the current time, simultaneously with the second GUI; and
displaying a depiction of a first program included in said plurality of current programs, said depiction including a graphic and text related to the particular progress stage of said first program.
2. The method of claim 1 including providing an indicator associated with each program entry, included in the second GUI, indicating the progress of the program relative to the current time.
3. The method of claim 1 including providing a bar graph display that graphically indicates how much of a particular program has already been broadcast at the current time.
4. The method of claim 1 including providing a graphical display that graphically indicates how much of a particular program has already been broadcast at the current time.
5. The method of claim 1 including:
categorizing said plurality of current programs in at least a first category genre of programming and a second category genre of programming;
displaying, in the second GUI, only the current programs of the first category genre and none of the current programs of the second category genre.
6. The method of claim 5 including displaying, in a fourth GUI, only the current programs of the second category genre and none of the current programs of the first category genre.
7. The method of claim 6 wherein the first category genre relates to drama, the second category genre relates to sports, and the current time is 8 pm.
8. The method of claim 1 including determining the number of entries in at least one of said second and third GUIs, and based on said number, selectively instituting a scrolling function.