Electronic program guide displayed simultaneously with television programming
View Patent ↗A system for displaying an electronic program guide (EPG) to a viewer. The system includes displaying one or more data slices representative of broadcast programming to a viewer. In response to input from the viewer, the displayed number of data slices is increased, for example, from one slice to two slices. In browser mode the viewer can scroll through multiple EPG data slices without selecting to view full mode EPG, while in full mode the EPG can expand from a single column of data slices to multiple columns of data slices based upon viewer selections. The EPGs of the present invention can display programming that a viewer is more likely to watch at a particular time than other programming. A data slice representing the predicted programming can be inserted into the EPG so that the viewer can identify programming that is likely to be of interest.
1. A method for display of electronic program guide information to a viewer while viewing a television program, wherein the electronic program guide information is organized in various slices each containing at least a channel identifier and a program element for a given time element, and wherein the viewer selectively determines how to expand the program guide information when initially presented to the viewer in browse mode so as to present additional program guide information, the method comprising the following acts:
retrieving from an electronic program guide at least a first slice of program guide information;
displaying in browse mode the retrieved slice in a window that is simultaneously presented for viewing with a displayed television program;
in response to a viewer-activated scrolling command scrolling toward a new slice that is not currently viewable to the viewer while continuing to display the retrieved slice, expanding the displayed number of slices on a slice basis by one or more additional slice of program guide information to said browse mode window corresponding at least to the new slice that is not currently viewable to the viewer; and
selectively continuing to add one or more additional slices of program guide information to said browse mode window using a viewer-activated scrolling command while continuing to display the retrieved slice until a pre-defined number of slices is reached, wherein at least one data slice added to the browse mode window in response to a viewer-activated command is selected by predicting, based on demographic data, that the viewer is more likely to view the program identified by that data slice than others.
2. A system for implementing a method for display of electronic program guide information to a viewer while viewing a television program, wherein the electronic program guide information is organized in various slices each containing at least a channel identifier and a program element for a given time element, and wherein the viewer selectively determines how to expand the program guide information when initially presented to the viewer in browse mode so as to present additional program guide information, the system comprising:
a processor;
a computer memory coupled to the processor, wherein the computer memory comprises computer executable instructions that when executed by the processor cause the processor to perform the following acts:
retrieving from an electronic program guide at least a first slice of program guide information;
displaying in browse mode the retrieved slice in a window that is simultaneously presented for viewing with a displayed television program;
in response to a viewer-activated scrolling command scrolling toward a new slice that is not currently viewable to the viewer while continuing to display the retrieved slice, expanding the displayed number of slices on a slice basis by one or more additional slice of program guide information to said browse mode window corresponding at least to the new slice that is not currently viewable to the viewer; and
selectively continuing to add one or more additional slices of program guide information to said browse mode window using a viewer-activated scrolling command while continuing to display the retrieved slice until a pre-defined number of slices is reached, wherein at least one data slice added to the browse mode window in response to a viewer-activated command is selected by predicting, based on demographic data, that the viewer is more likely to view the program identified by that data slice than others.
3. A computer program product comprising one or more computer readable non transitory storage media having stored thereon computer executable instructions that when executed by a processor cause the processor to perform the following acts:
retrieving from an electronic program guide at least a first slice of program guide information;
displaying in browse mode the retrieved slice in a window that is simultaneously presented for viewing with a displayed television program;
in response to a viewer-activated scrolling command scrolling toward a new slice that is not currently viewable to the viewer while continuing to display the retrieved slice, expanding the displayed number of slices on a slice basis by one or more additional slice of program guide information to said browse mode window corresponding at least to the new slice that is not currently viewable to the viewer; and
selectively continuing to add one or more additional slices of program guide information to said browse mode window using a viewer-activated scrolling command while continuing to display the retrieved slice until a pre-defined number of slices is reached, wherein at least one data slice added to the browse mode window in response to a viewer-activated command is selected by predicting, based on demographic data, that the viewer is more likely to view the program identified by that data slice than others.