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| Number | Title | Issue Date |
| 6728966 | Electronic television program guide data naming system and method Electronic television program guide information is downloaded, stored and searched by a local device. A plurality of linked lists are used to remove redundancy, increase search speed, and allow dynamic categories. When a new category is encountered a new head node f... | 04/27/2004 |
| 6708336 | Method of and apparatus for generating and searching a database A method and apparatus for generating a database in a memory. Program identifying information is received from a service provider, the program identifying information comprising at least one service provider search criteria and information describing a channel on wh... | 03/16/2004 |
| 6704931 | Method and apparatus for displaying television program recommendations A method and apparatus for displaying available television programs with an indication of the recommendation score assigned to each program by a television programming recommender, includes a television programming recommender for evaluating each of the p... | 03/09/2004 |
| 6701523 | V-Chip plus+in-guide user interface apparatus and method for programmable blocking of television and other viewable programming, such as for parental control of a television receiver A system for restricting access to television programs comprising an input for accepting cursor movement and selection commands. The system includes a display that depicts a two dimensional matrix composed of rows and columns of tiles, wherein either the ... | 03/02/2004 |
| 6694514 | Method and device for on-screen display of program information and means comprising code for performing such a method A plurality of programs is displayed on screen in a grid of cells. When program in a particular column of cells is pointed to by a cursor, the programs in neighboring columns are shifted to improve the time-alignment of the programs in the row of the curs... | 02/17/2004 |
| 6678891 | Navigational user interface for interactive television The present invention is a navigational user interface for interactive television. The invention uses an intuitive interactive interface for navigating through service options preferably offered by a cable television service. Services offered such as vide... | 01/13/2004 |
| 6670971 | Internet television system and method with user selectable genres and schedule An Internet television system and method are comprised of defining different program types or genres, and categorizing television programs into different genres. Each program is associated with a description which includes the assigned genre. The programs... | 12/30/2003 |
| 6642939 | Multimedia schedule presentation system A multimedia schedule presentation system provides a program guide area which is a list of the programs that are currently airing, was aired, or is scheduled. The program guide area is semi-transparent and overlays on the broadcast program material that t... | 11/04/2003 |
| 6604240 | Interactive television program guide system with operator showcase A system is provided in which an interactive television program guide is implemented on user television equipment such as a set-top box. The program guide provides an operator showcase in the form of one or more operator showcase television listings scree... | 08/05/2003 |
| 6601074 | Episode identification A method, system, signal and software which maintains an electronic program guide (EPG) that includes episode identifiers associated with program information. The method includes keeping a database of selected information and using the information in the ... | 07/29/2003 |
| 6591421 | System and method for automatically detecting and generating electronic program guide entries of future programming An information handling system for utilizing an electronic program guide and a method for generating a future program guide are disclosed. A processor executes a program of instructions for the information handling system, and a memory stores the program ... | 07/08/2003 |
| 6526578 | Interactive television program guide with selectable non-program options An interactive program guide system is provided. The program guide system displays a program guide grid on a user's television equipment. The grid contains rows of television program listings for various channels. Columns in the grid are associated with t... | 02/25/2003 |
| 6505240 | Ameliorating bandwidth requirements for the simultaneous provision of multiple sets of content over a network A "primary" content providing site effects the simultaneous provision of different sets of content to one or more content display sites by transmitting "handoff" instructions that cause one or more "proxy" content providing sites to provide content to the... | 01/07/2003 |
| 6481010 | TV planner for DSS An integrated DSS/WebTV receiver is communicatively connected to an Internet service provider, a DSS service provider, and (optionally) a local broadcast station to provide a display of DSS programs, Internet web sites, and local broadcast channels in a s... | 11/12/2002 |
| 6481011 | Program guide system with user designated color coding An interactive television program guide system is provided in which a user may inform a program guide of the user's interests. Information on the user's interests may be stored in a preference profile. There may be more than one preference profile, each f... | 11/12/2002 |
| 6470497 | Electronic television program guide schedule system and method with scan feature An electronic program schedule system which utilizes a receiver for receiving broadcast, satellite or cablecast television programs for a plurality of television channels and a tuner for tuning a television receiver to a selected one of the plurality of c... | 10/22/2002 |
| 6460181 | Channels and services display The availability of a new information service is publicized by displaying an icon in an EPG when the presence of a new information service is detected. A list of new services is then displayed responsive to a user command. When one of the new services is ... | 10/01/2002 |
| 6442755 | Electronic program guide using markup language An interactive television program guide is provided. Program guide display elements are arranged and styled using markup language documents. These markup language documents may also indicate and select program guide functions. The program guide interprets... | 08/27/2002 |
| 6438752 | Method and system for selecting television programs based on the past selection history of an identified user A system and method for selecting programs based on the past selection history of an identified user that allows the identified user to "surf" directly between desired programs. The system includes a head-end server operable to receive program signals fro... | 08/20/2002 |
| 6397387 | Client and server system An internet on-demand system for television presents internet content and traditional television programming as part of a single coherent interface. The system includes a server and a client capable of providing a dynamic graphical user interface. The sys... | 05/28/2002 |
| 6373528 | Electronic television program guide schedule system and method An electronic program schedule system which includes a receiver for receiving broadcast, satellite or cablecast television programs for a plurality of television channels and a tuner for tuning a television receiver to a selected one of the plurality of c... | 04/16/2002 |
| 6357046 | Systems and methods for continually updating and retrieving interactive video information An interactive video system transmits a composite digital information signal consisting of a winnowed generic information signal and a local information signal manipulated to produce an output signal including both data code and object code. This output s... | 03/12/2002 |
| 6311329 | Information providing apparatus and method, display controlling apparatus and method, information providing system, as well as transmission medium The invention provides an information providing apparatus and method by which the amount of data to be transmitted when data of a program table composed of characters and images or the like are to be transmitted is reduced and it is made possible to cope ... | 10/30/2001 |
| 6305017 | Interactive television program guide with selectable non-program options An interactive program guide system is provided. The program guide system displays a program guide grid on a user's television equipment. The grid contains rows of television program listings for various channels. Columns in the grid are associated with t... | 10/16/2001 |
| 6266814 | Methods and systems for presenting program schedule information corresponding to a day selection Interactive program guide systems and related processes are provided which can automatically tune a television, or program a VCR, based on program selections made from program schedule information displayed on a television or other suitable video monitor.... | 07/24/2001 |
| 6246442 | Apparatus for displaying information arranged in cells To display a broadcasting program guide table, in which a group of program guide elements of a broadcasting program guide is arranged in a cell for each broadcasting program guide, a group of particular program guide elements of one broadcasting program g... | 06/12/2001 |
| 6233734 | System and method for controlling the broadcast and recording of television programs and for distributing information to be displayed on a television screen A system is disclosed for providing programming and other information to television viewers for enabling them to control their respective television receivers. A central broadcasting computer and associated memory gathers and stores the information to be ... | 05/15/2001 |
| 6144376 | Method and apparatus for merging, displaying and accessing personal computer content listings via a television user interface A method and apparatus for merging, displaying and accessing PC content listings via a television user interface are disclosed. At least one PC content listing is formatted into a television content listing format and the PC content listing is then displa... | 11/07/2000 |
| 6133962 | Electronic program guide having different modes for viewing An improved electronic programming guide (EPG) having time blocks capable of selectively expanding and contracting in size, according to a mode of the EPG, in order to facilitate fast and efficient time navigation through available programming by a viewer... | 10/17/2000 |
| 6061097 | Interactive television program guide with selectable non-program options An interactive program guide system is provided. The program guide system displays a program guide grid on a user's television equipment. The grid contains rows of television program listings for various channels. Columns in the grid are associated with t... | 05/09/2000 |
| 6037933 | TV graphical user interface for providing user access to preset time periods of TV program information A TV GUI is provided to display a program guide that contains information on TV programming for a time period of predetermined duration. The program guide has a time scroll bar that enables a user to scroll a TV program schedule back and forward in time w... | 03/14/2000 |
| 6018372 | Electronic program guide with multiple day planner A system and method for implementing an electronic programming guide that allows a television viewer to access and interact with television viewing information. The electronic programming guide provides the viewer with a grid which lists channels, titles ... | 01/25/2000 |
| 6016144 | Multi-layered television graphical user interface A TV graphical user interface (GUI) is provided to produce a multi-layered graphical presentation. The TV GUI operates in a channel changer mode to enable a user to tune to a required TV channel, and in a program guide mode to show TV program information.... | 01/18/2000 |
| 5988078 | Method and apparatus for receiving customized television programming information by transmitting geographic location to a service provider through a wide-area network A personal computer is used to assist in the selection of television programs to be recorded at future times and to control a video tape recorder to implement the selected recordings. An application program allows the computer to receive data representing... | 11/23/1999 |
| 5903314 | Electrical program guide system and method The invention provides an electrical program guide system and method by which a desired program can be rapidly selected directly from among a large number of programs with certainty. A program selection screen as a multi-screen is formed from nine reduced... | 05/11/1999 |
| 5900915 | HD to SD guide converter for electronic television schedule system An Electronic Program Guide (EPG) system is disclosed which accommodates a mix of high definition television (HDTV) and standard definition television (SDTV) EPG display formats. Viewers can toggle from cell to cell of an EPG display using a navigation sy... | 05/04/1999 |
| 5867207 | Program guide in a digital video system A digital video system receives a digital bitstream representing video and audio information and containing a plurality of packetized data programs in a data format and includes data units related to the selection of individual programs and individual pac... | 02/02/1999 |
| 5793438 | Electronic program guide with enhanced presentation An intuitively operated Electronic Program Guide (EPG) which presents program guide information in table form at two levels of resolution. Schedule information is presented in icon form over a long time window while textual information is presented for a ... | 08/11/1998 |
| 5790198 | Television schedule information transmission and utilization system and process Television schedule information transmission and utilization systems (50A-50D) transmit TV schedule data and associated network control messages provided by computer (54) as packets via the Video Blanking Interval (VBI) lines in the TV signal from various... | 08/04/1998 |
| 5751372 | Method and apparatus for navigating an on-screen program guide A method and apparatus for generating and navigating an on-screen program guide comprising current and future scheduling information for a plurality of different program sources. The method comprises the steps of entering a date and a time which defines a... | 05/12/1998 |
