DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
An illustrative system 10 in accordance with the present invention is shown in FIG. 1. Main facility 12 provides interactive television program guide data from program guide data source 14 to interactive television program guide equipment 17 via communications link 18. There are preferably numerous pieces or installations of interactive television program guide equipment 17, although only one is shown in FIG. 1 to avoid over-complicating the drawing. Link 18 may be a satellite link, a telephone network link, a cable or fiber optic link, a microwave link, a combination of such links, an Internet link, or any other suitable communications path.
The interactive television program guide data transmitted by main facility 12 to interactive television program guide equipment 17 may include television program listings data (e.g., program times, channels, titles, and descriptions) and other program guide data for additional services other than television program listings (e.g., pay-per-view information, weather information, associated Internet web links, computer software, etc.). Interactive television program guide equipment 17 may be connected to remote program guide access device 24 via remote access link 19. Interactive television program guide equipment may have more than one associated remote program guide access device 24, although only one such device 24 is shown in FIG. 1 to avoid overcomplicating the drawing.
An interactive television program guide is implemented on interactive television program guide equipment 17. Four illustrative arrangements for interactive television program guide equipment 17 is shown in FIGS. 2 a-2 d. As shown in FIGS. 2 a-2 d interactive television program guide equipment 17 may include program guide distribution equipment 21 located at television distribution facility 16 and user television equipment 22. Television distribution facility 16 may be any suitable distribution facility (e.g., a cable system headend, a broadcast distribution facility, a satellite television distribution facility, or any other suitable type of television distribution facility). Television distribution facility 16 may distribute program guide data that it received from main facility 12 to multiple users via communications path 20.
Program guide distribution equipment 21 may be any equipment suitable for providing program guide data to user television equipment 22. Program guide distribution equipment 21 may include, for example, suitable transmission hardware for distributing program guide data on a television channel sideband, in the vertical blanking interval of a television channel, using an in-band digital channel, using an out-of-band digital signal, or by any other suitable data transmission technique. Video signals (e.g., television programming) may also be provided by program guide distribution equipment 21 to user television equipment 22 over communications paths 20 on multiple television channels.
FIGS. 2 a and 2 b show illustrative arrangements for interactive television program guide equipment 17 and remote program guide access device 24 in systems in which program guide data is provided to user television equipment 22 using a non client-server based approach. For example, program guide data may be provided by television distribution facility 16 to user television equipment 22 in a continuous stream or may be transmitted at a suitable time interval (e.g., once per hour). If transmitted continuously, it may not be necessary to store data locally at user television equipment 22. Rather, user television equipment 22 may extract data “on the fly” as it is needed. If desired, television distribution facility 16 may poll user television equipment 22 periodically for certain information (e.g., pay program account information or information regarding programs that have been purchased and viewed using locally-generated authorization techniques).
In the system configuration of FIG. 2 a, remote program guide access device 24 is connected to user television equipment 22. Television distribution facility 16 may distribute program guide data to user television equipment 22. User television equipment 22 may transfer the program guide data to remote program guide access device 24. User television equipment 22 may also transfer additional data that may be necessary for allowing remote program guide access device 24 to access various functions of the interactive program guide (e.g., reminder information, parental control settings, favorite channel settings, user profiles, etc.). Any suitable distribution scheme may be used. For example, user television equipment 22 may provide the data to remote program guide access device 24 continuously, periodically, using a client-server based approach, using a polling scheme, or using any other suitable approach. Remote program guide access device 24 may store the data if suitable for a particular transmission scheme.
In the system configuration of FIG. 2 b, remote program guide access device 24 is connected to television distribution facility 16 via communications device 27. In this approach television distribution facility 16 may distribute program guide data to remote program guide access device 24 directly. Television distribution facility 16 may also distribute additional data from user television equipment 22 that may be necessary for allowing remote program guide access device 24 to access various functions of the interactive program guide (e.g., reminder information, parental control settings, favorite channel settings, user profiles, etc.). Television distribution facility 16 may provide the data to remote program guide access device 24 continuously, periodically, using a client-server based approach, using a polling scheme, or using any other suitable approach. Remote program guide access device may store the data if suitable for a particular transmission scheme.
FIGS. 2 c and 2 d show illustrative arrangements for interactive television program guide equipment 17 and remote program guide access device 24 in client-server based interactive program guide systems. As shown in FIGS. 2 c and 2 d, program guide distribution equipment 21 may include program guide server 25. Program guide server 25 may be any suitable software, hardware, or combination thereof for providing a client-server based program guide. Program guide server 25 may, for example, generate program guide display screens as digital frames and distribute the frames to user television equipment 22 for display by an interactive program guide client implemented on user television equipment 22. In another suitable approach, program guide server 25 may run a suitable database engine, such a SQL server, and provide program guide data in response to queries generated by user television equipment 22. If desired, program guide server 25 may be located at main facility 12 or at some other facility suitable for providing program guide data via a program guide server (not shown).
Remote program guide access device 24 may, for example, communicate with user television equipment 22 over remote access link 19 as shown in FIG. 2 c. Requests, commands, or other suitable communications may be provided by remote program guide access device 24 to user television equipment 22 and then forwarded by user television equipment 22 to program guide server 25. Program guide data or display screens provided by program guide server 25 may be forwarded by user television equipment 22 to remote program guide access device 24.
Alternatively, remote program guide access device 24 may, for example, communicate with program guide server 25 over remote access link 19 via communications device 27 as shown in FIG. 2 d. Appropriate commands, requests, or other suitable communications may be transmitted by remote program guide access device 24 for processing by program guide server 25. If any changes to program guide settings are made (e.g., a change to the parental control settings), program guide server may, for example, update a local program guide client running on user television equipment 22 with the necessary information.
In the arrangements illustrated in FIGS. 2 b and 2 d, television distribution facility 16 may have communications device 27 for communicating with remote program guide access device 24 over remote access link 19. Communications device 27 may be, for example, a communications port (e.g., a serial port, parallel port, universal serial bus (USB) port, etc.), modem (e.g., any suitable analog or digital modem, cellular modem, or cable modem), network interface card (e.g., an Ethernet card, token ring card, etc.), wireless transceiver (e.g., an infrared transceiver or other suitable transceiver), or other suitable communications device.
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 a-2 d, interactive television program guide equipment 17 communicates with remote program guide access device 24 via remote access link 19. In practice, remote program guide access device 24 may be connected to user television equipment 22 (as shown in FIGS. 2 a and 2 c), television distribution facility 16 (as shown in FIG. 2 b), connected to both (as indicated in FIG. 1), or may communicate with remote program guide server 25 (as shown in FIG. 2 d) via remote access link 19. Remote access link 19 may be any suitable wired or wireless communications path or paths over which digital or analog communications may take place between interactive television program guide equipment 17 and remote program guide access device 24.
Each user has user television equipment 22 for displaying the television program listings information and other program guide data using a local interactive television program guide. There are typically multiple pieces of user television equipment 22 and multiple associated communications paths 20, although only one piece of user television equipment 22 and communications path 20 are shown in FIGS.