Graphical indicator within an interactive program guide
View Patent ↗A system is presented having a graphical indicator in an interface screen of an electronic program guide. The graphical indicator is configured to focus a user's attention on a selectable program instance field. The indicator has a length that depends on the duration of the selectable program instance, thereby conveying the start and stop times of the selectable instance. At least one indicator attribute is controllable by the user. For example, the user may control the indicator height, weight, width or brightness.
1. A system comprising:
a user interface screen comprising:
a plurality of program instances arranged by time and channel in a grid menu, said grid menu composed of a time portion for listing time periods, a channel portion for listing channels, and program instance fields for identifying program instances, each said program instance being selectable based upon user interaction; and
at least one indicator depicted in association with one of said program instances when said one program instance becomes highlighted and selectable as a result of said user interaction, said indicator corresponding with the position in said grid menu of said highlighted and selectable program instance and indicating a start time and an end time of said selectable program instance, said indicator having a length that depends on the duration of said one selectable program instance, with a first end corresponding with a start time of said one selectable program instance, and a second end corresponding with an end time of said one selectable program instance wherein at least one attribute of said indicator is controllable by said user, said at least one attribute belonging to a group consisting of height, and width, and brightness, and wherein the indicator is configured to stop blinking after said one selectable program instance has been highlighted for a particular period of time, wherein said indicator blinks at a rate depending upon a period of time that said one selectable program instance is highlighted.
2. The system of claim 1 wherein whether said indicator is on or off is controllable by said user.
3. The system of claim 1 wherein said indicator conveys a genre of said one selectable program instance.
4. The system of claim 1 wherein said indicator is displayed intermittently.
5. The system of claim 1 , wherein said indicator blinks at a rate based upon a duration of said one selectable program instance.
6. The system of claim 5 wherein said one program instance which is shorter in duration corresponds with said indicator which blinks more frequently to gain the user's attention than when said indicator corresponds with another said program instance which is longer in duration.
7. The system of claim 1 wherein said indicator is substantially vertically oriented.
8. The system of claim 1 wherein said indicator is substantially horizontally oriented.
9. The system of claim 1 wherein said user interface screen is utilized as part of an electronic program guide.
10. The system of claim 1 , wherein the brightness of said indicator is controllable by said user.
11. An apparatus, comprising:
a user interface screen comprising:
a plurality of program instances arranged by time and channel in a grid menu, said grid menu composed of a time portion for listing time periods, a channel portion for listing channels, and program instance fields for identifying program instances, each said program instance being selectable based upon user interaction; and
at least one indicator depicted in association with one of said program instances when said one program instance becomes selectable as a result of said user interaction, said indicator corresponding with the position in said grid menu of said highlighted and selectable program instance and indicating a start time and an end time of said selectable program instance, said indicator having a length that depends on the duration of said one selectable program instance, with a first end corresponding with a start time of said one selectable program instance, and a second end corresponding with an end time of said one selectable program instance, wherein at least one attribute of said indicator is controllable by said user, said at least one attribute belonging to a group consisting of height and width, and wherein the indicator is configured to stop blinking after said one selectable program instance has been highlighted for a particular period of time, and wherein the brightness of said indicator is controllable by said user, wherein the indicator blinks at a rate based upon a duration of the one selectable program instance.