IP Library Granted Patent US 9,015,756
Granted Patent B2
US 9,015,756 · App. 14/502,331 · Granted Apr 21, 2015

Interactive Program guide with graphic program listings

Inventor: M. Scott Reichardt (Tulsa, OK)
Assignee: Rovi Guides, Inc.
H04N21/4312H04N21/4316H04N21/4821H04N21/4823H04N21/812H04N21/8146H04N21/8133
View Patent ↗
Loading inventors, assignments & file history…
Monitor This Case
Get email alerts when status or documents change.
Order Certified Copies
Most orders are placed with the USPTO same day — all within 24 business hours.
Order via The Patent Place →
Pre-filled with this patent's details
Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 9,015,756
App. No.
14/502,331
Granted
Apr 21, 2015
Kind
B2
Abstract

Electronic program guides in which program listings may be graphically presented and in which sponsors and celebrities of those programs may be identified are provided. The electronic programs guides may be passive television program guides, interactive television program guides, and/or on-line television program guides. Television show text information, logos and/or trademarks, celebrity images, affiliation indicators, and advertisements may be present in the program listings to enhance the electronic program guides.

Claims (36)

1. A method for presenting program information using processing circuitry of media equipment, the method comprising:

receiving program data; and

generating for display, with the processing circuitry, the received program data in a format including cells, wherein the cells correspond to program listings, and wherein at least one cell is selectable and comprises a plurality of graphical logos, a first of the plurality of graphical logos representative of an associated program, and a second of the plurality of graphical logos representative of a provider of the associated program.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the at least cell is interactive.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the at least one cell comprises a graphically-displayed television program listing.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein a title, a font, or a backdrop of the graphically-displayed television program listing is substantially similar to a trademark associated with the graphically-displayed program listing.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the at least one cell comprises an icon, a graphics logo, a graphic trademark, or a celebrity image.

6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising appropriately sizing a height and a width of the at least one cell to accommodate contents displayed therein.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein:

the at least one cell further comprises an advertisement; and

the first of the plurality of graphical logos, the second of the plurality of graphical logos, and the advertisement are displayed within the at least one cell at the same time.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the at least one of the first of the plurality of logos and the second of the plurality of logos is available to be selected independently of selecting the at least one cell.

9. A system for presenting program information, the system comprising processing circuitry that:

receives program data; and

generates for display the received program data in a format including cells, wherein the cells correspond to program listings, and wherein at least one cell is selectable and comprises a plurality of graphical logos, a first of the plurality of graphical logos representative of an associated program, and a second of the plurality of graphical logos representative of a provider of the associated program.

10. The system of claim 9 , wherein the at least one cell is interactive.

11. The system of claim 9 , wherein the at least one cell comprises a graphically-displayed television program listing.

12. The system of claim 11 , wherein a title, a font, or a backdrop of the graphically-displayed television program listing is substantially similar to a trademark associated with the graphically-displayed program listing.

13. The system of claim 9 , wherein the at least one cell comprises an icon, a graphics logo, a graphic trademark, or a celebrity image.

14. The system of claim 9 , wherein the processing circuitry appropriately sizes a height and a width of the at least one cell to accommodate contents displayed therein.

15. The system of claim 9 , wherein:

the at least one cell further comprises an advertisement; and

the processing circuitry generates for display the first of the plurality of graphical logos, the second of the plurality of graphical logos, and the advertisement within the at least one program listing at the same time.

16. The system of claim 9 , wherein the at least one of the first of the plurality of logos and the second of the plurality of logos are available to be selected independently of selecting the at least one cell.

17. A non-transitory machine readable medium encoded with machine-readable instructions for presenting program information, the machine-readable instructions comprising:

retrieving program data; and

generating for display the retrieved program data in a format including cells, wherein the cells correspond to program listings, and wherein at least one cell is selectable and comprises a plurality of graphical logos, a first of the plurality of graphical logos representative of an associated program, and a second of the plurality of graphical logos representative of a provider of the associated program.

18. The non-transitory machine readable medium encoded with machine-readable instructions of claim 17 , wherein the at least one cell is interactive.

19. The non-transitory machine readable medium encoded with machine-readable instructions of claim 17 , wherein the at least one cell comprises a graphically-displayed television program listing.

20. The non-transitory machine readable medium encoded with machine-readable instructions of claim 19 , wherein a title, a font, or a backdrop of the graphically-displayed television program listing is substantially similar to a trademark associated with the graphically-displayed television program listing.

21. The non-transitory machine readable medium encoded with machine-readable instructions of claim 17 , wherein the at least one cell comprises an icon, a graphics logo, a graphic trademark, or a celebrity image.

22. The non-transitory machine readable medium encoded with machine-readable instructions of claim 17 , further comprising appropriately sizing a height and a width of the at least one cell to accommodate the contents displayed therein.

23. The non-transitory machine readable medium encoded with machine-readable instructions of claim 17 , wherein:

the at least one cell further comprises an advertisement; and

the first of the plurality of graphical logos, the second of the plurality of graphical logos, and the advertisement are displayed within the at least one program listing at the same time.

24. The non-transitory machine readable medium encoded with machine-readable instructions of claim 17 , wherein the at least one of the first of the plurality of logos and the second of the plurality of logos is available to be selected independently of selecting the at least one cell.

Assignments (9)
RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Jun 5, 2020
From: HPS INVESTMENT PARTNERS, LLC
To: ROVI SOLUTIONS CORPORATION; ROVI TECHNOLOGIES CORPORATION; ROVI GUIDES, INC.; TIVO SOLUTIONS, INC.; VEVEO, INC.
Reel/Frame 053458/0749 →
RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Jun 5, 2020
From: MORGAN STANLEY SENIOR FUNDING, INC.
To: ROVI SOLUTIONS CORPORATION; ROVI TECHNOLOGIES CORPORATION; ROVI GUIDES, INC.; TIVO SOLUTIONS, INC.; VEVEO, INC.
Reel/Frame 053481/0790 →
SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Jun 1, 2020
From: ROVI SOLUTIONS CORPORATION; ROVI TECHNOLOGIES CORPORATION; ROVI GUIDES, INC.; TIVO SOLUTIONS INC.; VEVEO, INC.; INVENSAS CORPORATION; INVENSAS BONDING TECHNOLOGIES, INC.; TESSERA, INC.; TESSERA ADVANCED TECHNOLOGIES, INC.; DTS, INC.; PHORUS, INC.; IBIQUITY DIGITAL CORPORATION
To: BANK OF AMERICA, N.A.
Reel/Frame 053468/0001 →
PATENT SECURITY AGREEMENT Recorded Nov 25, 2019
From: ROVI SOLUTIONS CORPORATION; ROVI TECHNOLOGIES CORPORATION; ROVI GUIDES, INC.; TIVO SOLUTIONS, INC.; VEVEO, INC.
To: MORGAN STANLEY SENIOR FUNDING, INC., AS COLLATERAL AGENT
Reel/Frame 051110/0006 →
SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Nov 22, 2019
From: ROVI SOLUTIONS CORPORATION; ROVI TECHNOLOGIES CORPORATION; ROVI GUIDES, INC.; TIVO SOLUTIONS, INC.; VEVEO, INC.
To: HPS INVESTMENT PARTNERS, LLC, AS COLLATERAL AGENT
Reel/Frame 051143/0468 →
MERGER Recorded Feb 5, 2015
From: TV GUIDE, INC.
To: ROVI GUIDES, INC.
Reel/Frame 034894/0818 →
MERGER Recorded Feb 5, 2015
From: UV CORP.
To: TV GUIDE, INC.
Reel/Frame 034894/0803 →
MERGER Recorded Feb 5, 2015
From: UNITED VIDEO PROPERTIES, INC.
To: UV CORP.
Reel/Frame 034894/0796 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Oct 1, 2014
From: REICHARDT, M. SCOTT
To: UNITED VIDEO PROPERTIES, INC.
Reel/Frame 033862/0760 →
Continuity (4)
Continuation 11195336 · Aug 1, 2005
Continuation 09754753 · Jan 4, 2001
Provisional Application 60174443 · Jan 4, 2000
Related Publication 20150020103A1 · Jan 15, 2015