Home entertainment system and method of its operation

Abstract

An EPG database for a home entertainment system includes files that contain information about television programs retrievable by time and channel. The files are linked to each other so information about a future television program can be obtained by accessing a file about a current television program. A current television program displayed on the screen ( 20 ) of a home entertainment system includes an announcement or advertisement ( 56 ) of a future television program. The availability of an electronic program guide function ( 54 ) is signaled during, before, or after the announcement. A command is issued to invoke the EPG function ( 54 ). The information about the future television program is retrieved from the file about the current television program in the database. The EPG function ( 54 ) is executed with the retrieved information. The EPG function can be performed with respect to a future television program without embedding information about the future television program in the television signal.

What is claimed is:  
     
         1 . A method for operating a home entertainment system that includes a display screen, the method comprising the steps of: 
 displaying on the screen a current television program that includes an announcement or advertisement of another television program;    signaling the availability of an electronic program guide (EPG) function with respect to the other television program during, before, or after the announcement;    storing in memory an EPG data base including files containing information about television programs retrievable by time and channel, the files being linked to each other so information about the other television program can be obtained by accessing a file about the current television program;    retrieving from the file about the current television program in the data base by time and channel the information about the other television program; and    executing the EPG function with the retrieved information.    
     
     
         2 . The method of    claim 1   , in which the EPG function is “record”, the information about the other television program is the time, day, channel, and length, the retrieving step retrieves the time, day, channel, and length of the other television program, and the executing step schedules the other television program for unattended recording.  
     
     
         3 . The method of    claim 1   , in which the EPG function is “watch”, the information about the other television program is the time, day, channel, and length, the retrieving step retrieves the time, day, channel, and length of the other television program, and the executing step schedules the other television program to be displayed on the screen when telecast.  
     
     
         4 . The method of    claim 1   , in which the EPG function is “details”, the information about the other television program is details about the other television program, the retrieving step retrieves the details, and the executing step displays the details on the screen.  
     
     
         5 . The method of    claim 1   , additionally comprising the step of issuing a viewer command to invoke the retrieving and executing steps.  
     
     
         6 . A home entertainment system comprising: 
 a monitor having a display screen;    a television receiver adapted to display on the screen a current television program that includes an announcement or advertisement of another television program;    a memory in which is stored an EPG data base including files containing information about television programs retrievable by time and channel, the files being linked to each other so information about the other television program can be obtained by accessing a file about the current television program; and    a microprocessor configured to accept a viewer command to invoke an EPG function, to retrieve from the file about the current television program in the data base by time and channel the information about the other television program, and to execute the EPG function with the retrieved information.    
     
     
         7 . The home entertainment system of    claim 6   , additionally comprising a signal of the availability of an electronic program guide (EPG) function with respect to the other television program during, before, or after the announcement.  
     
     
         8 . The home entertainment system of    claim 7   , in which the signal displays an icon on the screen.  
     
     
         9 . The home entertainment system of    claim 8   , additionally comprising a screen display of a list of choices of EPG functions responsive to a viewer command after the icon is displayed and an EPG function choice selector; the microprocessor being configured to execute the selected EPG function.  
     
     
         10 . The home entertainment system of    claim 7   , in which the signal displays a plurality of icons on the screen, each icon representing a different EPG function.  
     
     
         11 . The home entertainment system of    claim 10   , additionally comprising a selector of one of the icons, the microprocessor being configured to execute the selected EPG function.  
     
     
         12 . The method of    claim 1   , in which the other television program is concurrent with the current program.  
     
     
         13 . The method of    claim 1   , in which the other television program is a future program.  
     
     
         14 . The method of    claim 1    additionally comprising providing a network that concurrently broadcasts a plurality of programs on different channels, respectively, including the current and other television program.  
     
     
         15 . The method of    claim 1    additionally comprising concurrently recording the other program and watching the current program.  
     
     
         16 . The method of    claim 5   , in which the step of issuing a viewer command comprises selecting one of a plurality of icons appearing in an announcement, an advertisement, or a television program, each icon representing a different EPG function.  
     
     
         17 . The method of    claim 5   , in which the step of issuing a viewer command comprises responding to an icon appearing in an announcement, an advertisement, or a television program.  
     
     
         18 . The method of    claim 17   , in which the step of issuing a viewer command additionally comprises displaying an announcement or an advertisement.  
     
     
         19 . The method of    claim 18   , in which the step of issuing a viewer command additionally comprises responding to the announcement or advertisement display to invoke the retrieving and executing steps.  
     
     
         20 . The method of    claim 1    additionally comprising storing a program announcement while the television is turned off.  
     
     
         21 . The method of    claim 20    additionally comprising turning the television on and displaying an icon to alert the viewer of the existence of the stored announcement.  
     
     
         22 . The method of    claim 21    additionally comprising issuing a viewer command to view and display the stored announcement.  
     
     
         23 . The method of    claim 22   , in which there is more than one stored announcement and the stored announcements are viewed in succession.  
     
     
         24 . The method of    claim 22    additionally comprising responding to the display of the stored announcement to invoke the retrieving and executing steps.  
     
     
         25 . The home entertainment system of    claim 6   , in which the other television program is concurrent with the current program.  
     
     
         26 . The home entertainment system of    claim 6   , in which the other television program is a future program.  
     
     
         27 . The home entertainment system of    claim 6    additionally comprising a network that concurrently broadcasts a plurality of programs on different channels, respectively, the network broadcasts the current program and the other program.  
     
     
         28 . The home entertainment system of    claim 6   , in which the current program is watched while the other program is recording.  
     
     
         29 . The home entertainment system of    claim 6    additionally comprising a memory in which is stored a program announcement while the television is turned off.  
     
     
         30 . The home entertainment system of    claim 29    additionally comprising an alert icon activated when the television is turned on, the alert icon signals the availability of an electronic program guide (EPG) function with respect to the other television program.  
     
     
         31 . The home entertainment system of    claim 30    additionally comprising a screen display of a list of choices of EPG functions responsive to a viewer command in response to the alert icon, and an EPG function choice selector; the microprocessor being configured to execute the selected EPG function.  
     
     
         32 . The home entertainment system of    claim 31   , in which there is more than one stored announcement and the stored announcements are viewed in succession.