Information providing apparatus and information providing method to create a recommended menu

1. An information providing apparatus for displaying program information outputted from a plurality of information sources to facilitate selecting of a program, the information providing apparatus comprising:

first obtaining means for obtaining a first program information from a first information source;

second obtaining means for obtaining a second program information from a plurality of second information sources;

a memory that stores the first program information and the second program information; and

control means for unitarily managing and classifying the first program information and the second program information into a plurality of categories and displaying the plurality of categories in a layered menu having a plurality of layers,

wherein each layer of the layered menu includes more than one classified categories and the user selects a program or a channel by sequentially passing through layers, and

wherein the control means creates a recommended menu by selecting a predetermined number of channels based on the first program information and the second program information and a past viewing frequency of programs heard or watched by the user, and

wherein the recommended menu includes a plurality of child menus arranged in a matrix form, and when the user selects a child menu, the control means shifts each child menu by a same distance in a same direction so that the selected child menu is disposed at a center of a screen, the same distance being determined by a position of the selected child menu and the center of the screen, and

wherein during time period when the entire menu shifts, the selected child menu is gradually enlarged, and a child menu that is at the center of the screen before the entire menu shifts is gradually reduced at the same time.

2. The information providing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein each menu uses a plurality of indications indicating contents of the menu.

3. The information providing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the lowermost layer of the menus include a plurality of child screens indicating contents of corresponding programs.

4. The information providing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the memory stores a history of programs watched and heard by the user.

5. The information providing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the first program information is electronic program information.

6. The information providing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the plurality of second information sources comprise a server and an external memory.

7. The information providing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the first information source is digital satellite broadcasting or digital cable broadcasting.

8. The information providing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the layered menu displays icons of past-broadcasted programs that are stored in the second information source for selection.

9. An information providing method for displaying program information outputted from a plurality of information sources to facilitate a user to select a program, the information providing method comprising the steps of:

obtaining a first program information from a first information source;

obtaining a second program information from a plurality of second information sources;

storing in a memory the first program information and the second program information;

unitarily managing and classifying the first program information and the second program information into a plurality of categories and displaying the plurality of categories in a layered menu having a plurality of layers; and

selecting a predetermined number of channels based on the first program information and the second program information and a past viewing frequency of programs heard or watched by the user,

wherein each layer of the layered menu includes more than one classified categories and the user selects a program or a channel by sequentially passing through layers, and

wherein the recommended menu includes a plurality of child menus arranged in a matrix form, and when the user selects a child menu, each child menu is shifted by a same distance in a same direction so that the selected child menu is disposed at a center of a screen, the same distance being determined by a position of the selected child menu and the center of the screen, and

wherein during a time period when the entire menu shifts, the selected child men is gradually enlarged, and a child menu that is at the center of the screen before the entire menu shifts is gradually reduced at the same time.

10. The information providing method according to claim 9 , wherein each menu uses a plurality of indications indicating contents of the menu.

11. The information providing method according to claim 9 , wherein the lowermost layer of the menus include a plurality of child screens indicating contents of corresponding programs.

12. The information providing method according to claim 9 , wherein a history of programs watched and heard by a user is stored.

13. The information providing method according to claim 9 , wherein the first program information is electronic program information.

14. The information providing method according to claim 9 , wherein the plurality of second information sources comprise a server and an external memory.

15. The information providing method according to claim 9 , wherein the first information source is digital satellite broadcasting or digital cable broadcasting.

16. The information providing method according to claim 9 , wherein the layered menu displays icons for past-broadcasted programs that are stored in the second information source for selection.

17. A computer-readable non-transitory medium recorded thereon an executable program, when executed, causing a computer to providing information according to an information providing method, said information providing method comprising the steps of:

obtaining a first program information from a first information source;

obtaining a second program information from a plurality of second information sources;

storing in a memory the first program information, the second program information, and a history of programs watched and heard by a user;

unitarily managing and classifying the first program information and the second program information into a plurality of categories and displaying the plurality of categories in a layered menu having a plurality of layers; and

selecting a predetermined number of channels based on the first program information and the second program information and a past viewing frequency of programs heard or watched by the user,

wherein each layer of the layered menu includes more than one classified categories and the user selects a program or a channel by sequentially passing through layers, and

wherein the recommended menu includes a plurality of child menus arranged in a matrix form, and when the user selects a child menu, each child menu is shifted by a same distance in a same direction so that the selected child menu is disposed at a center of a screen, the same distance being determined by a position of the selected child menu and the center of the screen, and

wherein during a time period when the entire menu shifts, the selected child menu is gradually enlarged, and a child menu that is at the center of the screen before the entire menu shifts is gradually reduced at the same time.