Program guide application interface system

Patent 6665869 Issued on December 16, 2003. Estimated Expiration Date:

September 1, 2018. Estimated Expiration Date is calculated based on simple USPTO term provisions. It does not account for terminal disclaimers, term adjustments, failure to pay maintenance fees, or other factors which might affect the term of a patent.

Abstract Claims Description Full Text

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Inventors

Assignee

United Video Properties, Inc.

Application

No. 09/145232 filed on 09/01/1998

US Classes:

725/39Electronic program guide

Examiners

Primary: Faile, Andrew
Assistant: Koenig, Andrew Y.

Attorney, Agent or Firm

Fish & Neave

International Classes

H04N 7/173 (20060101)
H04N 5/44 (20060101)
H04N 5/77 (20060101)
H04N 5/782 (20060101)
H04N 5/445 (20060101)
H04N 5/775 (20060101)

Abstract

A program guide system is provided that supports a program guide application and multiple non-guide applications. The program guide system has a program guide application interface that allows the non-guide applications to use both device resources and program guide resources. The application interface maintains a list of registered applications and directs control requests from various applications to the current primary application. The application interface also has a user interface input director that directs keystrokes and other user input commands to the appropriate application. If a keystroke for the program guide application is detected while a non-guide application is running, the program guide application is invoked.