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WO2008105571A1 - Spot electronic program guide user interface construction system and method - Google Patents

Spot electronic program guide user interface construction system and method Download PDF

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Publication number
WO2008105571A1
WO2008105571A1 PCT/KR2007/001219 KR2007001219W WO2008105571A1 WO 2008105571 A1 WO2008105571 A1 WO 2008105571A1 KR 2007001219 W KR2007001219 W KR 2007001219W WO 2008105571 A1 WO2008105571 A1 WO 2008105571A1
Authority
WO
WIPO (PCT)
Prior art keywords
epg
program
information
genre
management module
Prior art date
Application number
PCT/KR2007/001219
Other languages
French (fr)
Inventor
Zino Lee
Myoung-Jun Kim
Original Assignee
Alticast Corp.
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Alticast Corp. filed Critical Alticast Corp.
Publication of WO2008105571A1 publication Critical patent/WO2008105571A1/en

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Classifications

    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04N—PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION
    • H04N21/00—Selective content distribution, e.g. interactive television or video on demand [VOD]
    • H04N21/40—Client devices specifically adapted for the reception of or interaction with content, e.g. set-top-box [STB]; Operations thereof
    • H04N21/43—Processing of content or additional data, e.g. demultiplexing additional data from a digital video stream; Elementary client operations, e.g. monitoring of home network or synchronising decoder's clock; Client middleware
    • H04N21/431—Generation of visual interfaces for content selection or interaction; Content or additional data rendering
    • H04N21/4312—Generation of visual interfaces for content selection or interaction; Content or additional data rendering involving specific graphical features, e.g. screen layout, special fonts or colors, blinking icons, highlights or animations
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04N—PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION
    • H04N21/00—Selective content distribution, e.g. interactive television or video on demand [VOD]
    • H04N21/40—Client devices specifically adapted for the reception of or interaction with content, e.g. set-top-box [STB]; Operations thereof
    • H04N21/43—Processing of content or additional data, e.g. demultiplexing additional data from a digital video stream; Elementary client operations, e.g. monitoring of home network or synchronising decoder's clock; Client middleware
    • H04N21/431—Generation of visual interfaces for content selection or interaction; Content or additional data rendering
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04N—PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION
    • H04N21/00—Selective content distribution, e.g. interactive television or video on demand [VOD]
    • H04N21/40—Client devices specifically adapted for the reception of or interaction with content, e.g. set-top-box [STB]; Operations thereof
    • H04N21/43—Processing of content or additional data, e.g. demultiplexing additional data from a digital video stream; Elementary client operations, e.g. monitoring of home network or synchronising decoder's clock; Client middleware
    • H04N21/431—Generation of visual interfaces for content selection or interaction; Content or additional data rendering
    • H04N21/4312—Generation of visual interfaces for content selection or interaction; Content or additional data rendering involving specific graphical features, e.g. screen layout, special fonts or colors, blinking icons, highlights or animations
    • H04N21/4314—Generation of visual interfaces for content selection or interaction; Content or additional data rendering involving specific graphical features, e.g. screen layout, special fonts or colors, blinking icons, highlights or animations for fitting data in a restricted space on the screen, e.g. EPG data in a rectangular grid
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04N—PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION
    • H04N21/00—Selective content distribution, e.g. interactive television or video on demand [VOD]
    • H04N21/40—Client devices specifically adapted for the reception of or interaction with content, e.g. set-top-box [STB]; Operations thereof
    • H04N21/43—Processing of content or additional data, e.g. demultiplexing additional data from a digital video stream; Elementary client operations, e.g. monitoring of home network or synchronising decoder's clock; Client middleware
    • H04N21/433—Content storage operation, e.g. storage operation in response to a pause request, caching operations
    • H04N21/4332—Content storage operation, e.g. storage operation in response to a pause request, caching operations by placing content in organized collections, e.g. local EPG data repository
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04N—PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION
    • H04N21/00—Selective content distribution, e.g. interactive television or video on demand [VOD]
    • H04N21/40—Client devices specifically adapted for the reception of or interaction with content, e.g. set-top-box [STB]; Operations thereof
    • H04N21/47—End-user applications
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04N—PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION
    • H04N21/00—Selective content distribution, e.g. interactive television or video on demand [VOD]
    • H04N21/40—Client devices specifically adapted for the reception of or interaction with content, e.g. set-top-box [STB]; Operations thereof
    • H04N21/47—End-user applications
    • H04N21/472—End-user interface for requesting content, additional data or services; End-user interface for interacting with content, e.g. for content reservation or setting reminders, for requesting event notification, for manipulating displayed content
    • H04N21/47214—End-user interface for requesting content, additional data or services; End-user interface for interacting with content, e.g. for content reservation or setting reminders, for requesting event notification, for manipulating displayed content for content reservation or setting reminders; for requesting event notification, e.g. of sport results or stock market
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04N—PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION
    • H04N21/00—Selective content distribution, e.g. interactive television or video on demand [VOD]
    • H04N21/40—Client devices specifically adapted for the reception of or interaction with content, e.g. set-top-box [STB]; Operations thereof
    • H04N21/47—End-user applications
    • H04N21/482—End-user interface for program selection
    • H04N21/4828—End-user interface for program selection for searching program descriptors
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04N—PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION
    • H04N5/00—Details of television systems
    • H04N5/44—Receiver circuitry for the reception of television signals according to analogue transmission standards
    • H04N5/445—Receiver circuitry for the reception of television signals according to analogue transmission standards for displaying additional information
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04N—PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION
    • H04N7/00—Television systems
    • H04N7/01—Conversion of standards, e.g. involving analogue television standards or digital television standards processed at pixel level
    • H04N7/0117—Conversion of standards, e.g. involving analogue television standards or digital television standards processed at pixel level involving conversion of the spatial resolution of the incoming video signal
    • H04N7/0122—Conversion of standards, e.g. involving analogue television standards or digital television standards processed at pixel level involving conversion of the spatial resolution of the incoming video signal the input and the output signals having different aspect ratios

Definitions

  • the present invention relates to a system and a method for the construction of an electronic program guide user interface.
  • EPG electronic program guide
  • European Patent No. 1,097,584 discloses a user interface called "mosaic EPG". As illustrated in Fig. 1, the user interface of European Patent No. 1,097,584 displays the guide information about currently available programs in the form of mosaics consisting of thumbnail images (1 Ia) and channel logos (1 Ib). The thumbnail images (1 Ia) and the channel logos (1 Ib) are transmitted through broadcasting network, decoded by the set-top unit and displayed as mosaics.
  • a large bandwidth is required for the transport of the thumbnail images (1 Ia) and the channel logos (1 Ib).
  • the bandwidth required for the thumbnail images (1 Ia) and the channel logos (1 Ib) increases significantly as the number of channels increases.
  • An object of the present invention is to provide efficient system and a method for the construction of an electronic program guide user interface. More particularly, the object of the present invention is to provide a system and a method for the construction of an electronic program guide user interface that reduces the broadcasting bandwidth required for the transport of EPG data and enables the user to efficiently rearrange the on-screen EPG guide.
  • a spot user interface construction system comprising:
  • EPG electronic program guide
  • headend server for EPG data transport, which transports program guide listings that constitute EPG data and includes program title, program start time and genre through a broadcasting network, along with an updated channel logo when a particular channel loge has been updated;
  • a digital broadcasting receiver comprising b-1) an EPG data management module which manages the EPG data transported from the EPG headend server, b-2) a channel logo management module which checks from the received EPG data if the channel logo has been updated and, in that case, manages the updated channel logo, b- 3) a user-specific program genre information management module which manages program genre information and program sequence information in response to user's input and b-4) an EPG user interface management module which displays the program guide information in response to user's request signal for EPG guide information,
  • the display of the program guide information is performed by generating temporary program guide information by classifying currently available programs by genre based on the EPG data managed by the EPG data management module, rearranging the temporary guide information based on the program genre information and the program sequence information determined by the user referring to the user- specific program genre information management module, and creating an EPG guide window to display the EPG data on user screen into which each of the programs belonging to a particular genre is represented in by a channel logo corresponding to each of the programs saved in the channel logo management module and channel logos belonging to currently selected genre are only displayed on the EPG guide window.
  • a spot user interface construction system which is characterized in that the EPG user interface management module further displays an EPG descriptive information guide window guiding descriptive information on a program on which a cursor is located.
  • a spot user interface construction method comprising the steps of:
  • EPG electronic program guide
  • EPG headend server in an EPG data management module, b-2) checking from the received EPG data if channel logo has been updated and, in that case, saving the updated channel logo in a channel logo management module, b-3) saving program genre information and program sequence information in a user-specific program genre information management module in response to user's input and b-4) in response to user's request signal for EPG guide information, generating temporary program guide information by classifying currently available programs by genre based on the EPG data managed by the EPG data management module, rearranging the temporary guide information based on the program genre information and the program sequence information determined by the user referring to the user-specific program genre information management module, and creating an EPG guide window to display the EPG data on user screen into which each of the programs belonging to a particular genre is represented by a channel logo corresponding to each of the programs saved in the channel logo management module and channel logos belonging to currently selected genre are only displayed on the EPG guide window.
  • a spot user interface construction method which is characterized in that an EPG descriptive information guide window guiding descriptive information on a program on which a cursor is located is displayed along with the EPG guide window.
  • the system and method for the construction of a spot user interface in accordance with the present invention reduce the broadcasting bandwidth required for the transport of EPG data and enable the user to efficiently rearrange the on-screen EPG guide.
  • the system and method for the construction of a spot user interface further provide the advantages including categorization by genre, easy construction of EPG user interface using channel logos, flexible modification of user interface by the user, and so forth.
  • Fig. 1 illustrates an embodiment of the conventional user interface called mosaic
  • Fig. 2 illustrates a preferred embodiment of the spot electronic program guide user interface system in accordance with the present invention.
  • FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating the spot electronic program guide user interface construction method in accordance with the present invention.
  • FIG. 4 illustrates a preferred embodiment of the spot electronic program guide user interface system in accordance with the present invention. Mode for the Invention
  • FIG. 2 illustrates a preferred embodiment of the spot electronic program guide user interface system in accordance with the present invention.
  • Fig. 3 is a flowchart illustrating the spot electronic program guide user interface construction method in accordance with the present invention.
  • Fig. 4 illustrates a preferred embodiment of the spot electronic program guide user interface system in accordance with the present invention. The present invention is described in further detail referring to Figs. 2 to 4.
  • the spot electronic program guide user interface system in accordance with the present invention comprises an EPG headend server (100) and a digital broadcasting receiver (200).
  • the EPG headend server (100) provides EPG data. Examples of EPG data include program title, program start time, genre, channel, main actor, director, synopsis, etc.
  • the channel logo is provided only when it has been newly updated. In other words, the channel logo is not included in the EPG data unless it has been updated. Instead, the previously downloaded channel logo, which is managed by the channel logo management module (202) of the digital broadcasting receiver (200), is utilized.
  • the EPG data managed by the EPG data management module (201) is provided in common to all receivers connected with the digital broadcasting network.
  • Temporary program guide information is created based on the program title, program start time, genre and channel included in the EPG data managed by the EPG data management module (201). If the channel logo included in the EPG data is an updated one, the channel logo management module (202) records and saves the new channel logo replacing the previously downloaded channel logo.
  • program genre and program sequence in a particular genre can be changed by the user.
  • the program genre set as “drama” can be changed to "movie” by the user. If there are several programs belonging to a particular genre, their sequence can also be changed by the user.
  • Change of genre or program sequence is managed by the user-specific program genre information management module.
  • the data managed by the program genre information management module is user-dependent. That is, it can be changed by the user.
  • Change of program genre can be accomplished by providing the "Genre change, etc.” menu (500) provided as one of the EPG application menus.
  • the EPG user interface management module (204) creates an EPG guide window (300) and displays the program guide information on the user screen.
  • genres and programs are displayed in the EPG guide window (300) in a mosaic format.
  • the program is not represented by the thumbnail image file of the program but by the channel logo managed by the channel logo management module (202).
  • the thumbnail image data for the corresponding program is not required.
  • the user interface is simplified and a prompt construction of the user interface is possible. Further, channel logos belonging to currently selected genre are only displayed on the EPG guide window and the channel loges belonging to currently non-selected genre are not displayed.
  • the process of constructing the user interface is as follows.
  • Temporary program guide information is created by classifying currently available programs by genre, based on the EPG data managed by the EPG data management module (201).
  • the temporary program guide information is common to all users.
  • the temporary guide information is rearranged based on the program genre information and program sequence information determined by the user. Consequently, the temporary program guide information common to all the users is changed into the user-specific EPG user interface.
  • the present invention further provides the advantages including categorization by genre, easy construction of EPG user interface using channel logos, flexible modification of user interface by the user, and so forth, in addition to the advantages provided by the mosaic EPG user interface. As a result, a spot EPG user interface based on channel logos, which enables simple user interface construction and modification of user interface arrangement by the user is attained.
  • the EPG user interface management module (204) displays a EPG descriptive information guide window (400) on the screen along with the EPG guide window (300).
  • the EPG descriptive information guide window (400) displays the descriptive information of the corresponding program when the cursor is positioned on a particular channel logo in the EPG guide window (300).
  • the descriptive information may be adequately selected from the EPG data, including content title, program start time, main actor, synopsis, rating, etc.
  • the descriptive information provided through the EPG descriptive information guide window (400) provides the information about the corresponding program when the cursor is positioned on a particular channel logo in the EPG guide window (300) by manipulating the four direction buttons on the remote control.

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  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Multimedia (AREA)
  • Signal Processing (AREA)
  • Human Computer Interaction (AREA)
  • Databases & Information Systems (AREA)
  • Computer Graphics (AREA)
  • Business, Economics & Management (AREA)
  • Finance (AREA)
  • Strategic Management (AREA)
  • Two-Way Televisions, Distribution Of Moving Picture Or The Like (AREA)

Abstract

The present invention relates to a system and method for the construction of a spot electronic program guide user interface. In accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, broadcasting bandwidth required for the transport of EPG data is significantly reduced and the user can effectively rearrange EPG guide screen.

Description

Description
SPOT ELECTRONIC PROGRAM GUIDE USER INTERFACE CONSTRUCTION SYSTEM AND METHOD
Technical Field
[1] The present invention relates to a system and a method for the construction of an electronic program guide user interface. Background Art
[2] The largest topic of the 21st century is "digital". Differently from the analog counterpart, the digital world provides various information to users through electronic terminals. As the phrase "the deluge of information in the Internet" implies, various information is provided through the Internet. The "digital" information is also utilized in broadcasting. Rather than several analog channels, the digital broadcasting provides the users with various information through hundreds of channels. In computer environment, a mouse and a keyboard are commonly used together as input device. The mouse and keyboard input enables convenient input and systematic utilization of information. However, the use of mouse and keyboard is uncommon in television environment. In contrast, a remote control is commonly used as input device. The remote control is furnished with limited input events. Specifically, 4 color keys, 4 direction keys, number keys from 0 to 9 and an OK key are provided. This allows a limited user interaction. In the television environment, a systematic and efficient provision of the received information to the user is required. Thus, the development of a user interface capable of providing the received information to the user systematically and enabling easier and more convenient selection of the corresponding information is in progress.
[3] The most typical example of the user interface for systematically providing information to users and enabling easier and more convenient selection of the corresponding information is the electronic program guide (hereinafter, "EPG"). It systematically provides the listing of the programs provided through hundreds of channels. By selecting the title of a particular program from the EPG screen, the user can carry out a variety of events, including tuning to the corresponding channel, recording of the program, reservation for the program, and so forth. Refer to U.S. Patent Nos. 5,353,121, 5,479,268 and 5,850,218 for details about the EPG user interface.
[4] European Patent No. 1,097,584 discloses a user interface called "mosaic EPG". As illustrated in Fig. 1, the user interface of European Patent No. 1,097,584 displays the guide information about currently available programs in the form of mosaics consisting of thumbnail images (1 Ia) and channel logos (1 Ib). The thumbnail images (1 Ia) and the channel logos (1 Ib) are transmitted through broadcasting network, decoded by the set-top unit and displayed as mosaics. However, a large bandwidth is required for the transport of the thumbnail images (1 Ia) and the channel logos (1 Ib). Especially, the bandwidth required for the thumbnail images (1 Ia) and the channel logos (1 Ib) increases significantly as the number of channels increases. Also, the information about the arrangement pattern of the thumbnail images (1 Ia) and the channel logos (1 Ib) is transported together as EPG data. Thus, the afore-mentioned EPG data transport and the construction of user interface based thereupon are inefficient. Disclosure of Invention Technical Problem
[5] An object of the present invention is to provide efficient system and a method for the construction of an electronic program guide user interface. More particularly, the object of the present invention is to provide a system and a method for the construction of an electronic program guide user interface that reduces the broadcasting bandwidth required for the transport of EPG data and enables the user to efficiently rearrange the on-screen EPG guide. Technical Solution
[6] In accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a spot user interface construction system comprising:
[7] A) an EPG (electronic program guide) headend server for EPG data transport, which transports program guide listings that constitute EPG data and includes program title, program start time and genre through a broadcasting network, along with an updated channel logo when a particular channel loge has been updated; and
[8] B) a digital broadcasting receiver, comprising b-1) an EPG data management module which manages the EPG data transported from the EPG headend server, b-2) a channel logo management module which checks from the received EPG data if the channel logo has been updated and, in that case, manages the updated channel logo, b- 3) a user-specific program genre information management module which manages program genre information and program sequence information in response to user's input and b-4) an EPG user interface management module which displays the program guide information in response to user's request signal for EPG guide information,
[9] wherein the display of the program guide information is performed by generating temporary program guide information by classifying currently available programs by genre based on the EPG data managed by the EPG data management module, rearranging the temporary guide information based on the program genre information and the program sequence information determined by the user referring to the user- specific program genre information management module, and creating an EPG guide window to display the EPG data on user screen into which each of the programs belonging to a particular genre is represented in by a channel logo corresponding to each of the programs saved in the channel logo management module and channel logos belonging to currently selected genre are only displayed on the EPG guide window.
[10] In accordance with a more preferred embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a spot user interface construction system which is characterized in that the EPG user interface management module further displays an EPG descriptive information guide window guiding descriptive information on a program on which a cursor is located.
[11] In accordance with a still more preferred embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a spot user interface construction method comprising the steps of:
[12] A) at an EPG (electronic program guide) headend server for EPG data transport, transporting program guide listings that constitute EPG data and includes program title, program start time and genre through a broadcasting network, along with an updated channel logo when a particular channel loge has been updated; and
[13] B) at a digital broadcasting receiver, b-1) saving the EPG data transported from the
EPG headend server in an EPG data management module, b-2) checking from the received EPG data if channel logo has been updated and, in that case, saving the updated channel logo in a channel logo management module, b-3) saving program genre information and program sequence information in a user-specific program genre information management module in response to user's input and b-4) in response to user's request signal for EPG guide information, generating temporary program guide information by classifying currently available programs by genre based on the EPG data managed by the EPG data management module, rearranging the temporary guide information based on the program genre information and the program sequence information determined by the user referring to the user-specific program genre information management module, and creating an EPG guide window to display the EPG data on user screen into which each of the programs belonging to a particular genre is represented by a channel logo corresponding to each of the programs saved in the channel logo management module and channel logos belonging to currently selected genre are only displayed on the EPG guide window.
[14] In accordance with another more preferred embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a spot user interface construction method which is characterized in that an EPG descriptive information guide window guiding descriptive information on a program on which a cursor is located is displayed along with the EPG guide window.
Advantageous Effects
[15] The system and method for the construction of a spot user interface in accordance with the present invention reduce the broadcasting bandwidth required for the transport of EPG data and enable the user to efficiently rearrange the on-screen EPG guide. In addition to the advantages provided by the spot EPG user interface, the system and method for the construction of a spot user interface further provide the advantages including categorization by genre, easy construction of EPG user interface using channel logos, flexible modification of user interface by the user, and so forth. Brief Description of the Drawings
[16] Fig. 1 illustrates an embodiment of the conventional user interface called mosaic
EPG (European Patent No. 1,097,584).
[17] Fig. 2 illustrates a preferred embodiment of the spot electronic program guide user interface system in accordance with the present invention.
[18] Fig. 3 is a flowchart illustrating the spot electronic program guide user interface construction method in accordance with the present invention.
[19] Fig. 4 illustrates a preferred embodiment of the spot electronic program guide user interface system in accordance with the present invention. Mode for the Invention
[20] Fig. 2 illustrates a preferred embodiment of the spot electronic program guide user interface system in accordance with the present invention. Fig. 3 is a flowchart illustrating the spot electronic program guide user interface construction method in accordance with the present invention. And, Fig. 4 illustrates a preferred embodiment of the spot electronic program guide user interface system in accordance with the present invention. The present invention is described in further detail referring to Figs. 2 to 4.
[21] The spot electronic program guide user interface system in accordance with the present invention comprises an EPG headend server (100) and a digital broadcasting receiver (200). The EPG headend server (100) provides EPG data. Examples of EPG data include program title, program start time, genre, channel, main actor, director, synopsis, etc. In accordance with the present invention, the channel logo is provided only when it has been newly updated. In other words, the channel logo is not included in the EPG data unless it has been updated. Instead, the previously downloaded channel logo, which is managed by the channel logo management module (202) of the digital broadcasting receiver (200), is utilized.
[22] The EPG data transported from the EPG headend server (100) is managed by the
EPG data management module (201) of the digital broadcasting receiver (200). The EPG data managed by the EPG data management module (201) is provided in common to all receivers connected with the digital broadcasting network. Temporary program guide information is created based on the program title, program start time, genre and channel included in the EPG data managed by the EPG data management module (201). If the channel logo included in the EPG data is an updated one, the channel logo management module (202) records and saves the new channel logo replacing the previously downloaded channel logo.
[23] In accordance with the present invention, program genre and program sequence in a particular genre can be changed by the user. Specifically, the program genre set as "drama" can be changed to "movie" by the user. If there are several programs belonging to a particular genre, their sequence can also be changed by the user. Change of genre or program sequence is managed by the user-specific program genre information management module. The data managed by the program genre information management module is user-dependent. That is, it can be changed by the user. Change of program genre can be accomplished by providing the "Genre change, etc." menu (500) provided as one of the EPG application menus.
[24] When the user requests for EPG guide information, the EPG user interface management module (204) creates an EPG guide window (300) and displays the program guide information on the user screen. As shown in Fig. 4, genres and programs are displayed in the EPG guide window (300) in a mosaic format. Here, the program is not represented by the thumbnail image file of the program but by the channel logo managed by the channel logo management module (202). Thus, the thumbnail image data for the corresponding program is not required. Also, since the channel logo is independent of the program, the user interface is simplified and a prompt construction of the user interface is possible. Further, channel logos belonging to currently selected genre are only displayed on the EPG guide window and the channel loges belonging to currently non-selected genre are not displayed.
[25] The process of constructing the user interface is as follows. Temporary program guide information is created by classifying currently available programs by genre, based on the EPG data managed by the EPG data management module (201). The temporary program guide information is common to all users. Then, referring to the user-specific program genre information management module, the temporary guide information is rearranged based on the program genre information and program sequence information determined by the user. Consequently, the temporary program guide information common to all the users is changed into the user-specific EPG user interface. Then, referring to the channel logo managed by the channel logo management module (202), programs belonging to a particular genre are represented by the channel logos managed by the channel logo management module and the genres and the programs belonging to the genres, which are represented by the channel logos, are displayed on the user screen. Herein, channel logos belonging to currently selected genre are only displayed on the EPG guide window and the channel loges belonging to currently non- selected genre are not displayed. To conclude, the present invention further provides the advantages including categorization by genre, easy construction of EPG user interface using channel logos, flexible modification of user interface by the user, and so forth, in addition to the advantages provided by the mosaic EPG user interface. As a result, a spot EPG user interface based on channel logos, which enables simple user interface construction and modification of user interface arrangement by the user is attained.
[26] In accordance with a more preferred embodiment of the present invention, the EPG user interface management module (204) displays a EPG descriptive information guide window (400) on the screen along with the EPG guide window (300). The EPG descriptive information guide window (400) displays the descriptive information of the corresponding program when the cursor is positioned on a particular channel logo in the EPG guide window (300). The descriptive information may be adequately selected from the EPG data, including content title, program start time, main actor, synopsis, rating, etc. The descriptive information provided through the EPG descriptive information guide window (400) provides the information about the corresponding program when the cursor is positioned on a particular channel logo in the EPG guide window (300) by manipulating the four direction buttons on the remote control.

Claims

Claims
[1] A spot user interface construction system comprising:
A) an EPG (electronic program guide) headend server for EPG data transport, which transports program guide listings that constitute EPG data and includes program title, program start time and genre through a broadcasting network, along with an updated channel logo when a particular channel loge has been updated; and
B) a digital broadcasting receiver, comprising b-1) an EPG data management module which manages the EPG data transported from the EPG headend server, b-2) a channel logo management module which checks from the received EPG data if the channel logo has been updated and, in that case, manages the updated channel logo, b-3) a user-specific program genre information management module which manages program genre information and program sequence information in response to user's input and b-4) an EPG user interface management module which displays the program guide information in response to user's request signal for EPG guide information, wherein the display of the program guide information is performed by generating temporary program guide information by classifying currently available programs by genre based on the EPG data managed by the EPG data management module, rearranging the temporary guide information based on the program genre information and the program sequence information determined by the user referring to the user-specific program genre information management module, and creating an EPG guide window to display the EPG data on user screen into which each of the programs belonging to a particular genre is represented by a channel logo corresponding to each of the programs saved in the channel logo management module and channel logos belonging to currently selected genre are only displayed on the EPG guide window.
[2] The spot user interface construction system as set forth in claim 1, wherein the
EPG user interface management module further displays an EPG descriptive information guide window guiding descriptive information on a program on which a cursor is located.
[3] A spot user interface construction method comprising the steps of:
A) at an EPG (electronic program guide) headend server for EPG data transport, transporting program guide listings that constitute EPG data and includes program title, program start time and genre through a broadcasting network, along with an updated channel logo when a particular channel loge has been updated; and B) at a digital broadcasting receiver, b-1) saving the EPG data transported from the EPG headend server in an EPG data management module, b-2) checking from the received EPG data if channel logo has been updated and, in that case, saving the updated channel logo in a channel logo management module, b-3) saving program genre information and program sequence information in a user- specific program genre information management module in response to user's input and b-4) in response to user's request signal for EPG guide information, generating temporary program guide information by classifying currently available programs by genre based on the EPG data managed by the EPG data management module, rearranging the temporary guide information based on the program genre information and the program sequence information determined by the user referring to the user-specific program genre information management module, and creating an EPG guide window to display the EPG data on user screen into which each of the programs belonging to a particular genre is represented by a channel logo corresponding to each of the programs saved in the channel logo management module channel logos belonging to currently selected genre are only displayed on the EPG guide window. [4] The spot user interface construction method as set forth in claim 3, wherein an
EPG descriptive information guide window guiding descriptive information on a program on which a cursor is located is displayed along with the EPG guide window.
PCT/KR2007/001219 2007-02-28 2007-03-13 Spot electronic program guide user interface construction system and method WO2008105571A1 (en)

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