Internet television program guide system

Abstract

An Internet television program guide system is provided that allows a user at a multimedia system to access information related to television programs over an Internet communications link. The user can view television program guide listings and related video stills and video clips. The user can perform database searches on the program guide listings (e.g., to search for a particular type of television program). If desired, the user can select an option that directs the multimedia system to tune directly to a television channel for a selected program or to a related television program guide or movie guide service on a television channel. The user can order pay-per-view events using the system.

What is claimed is:  
     
         1 . An Internet television program guide system for providing web pages of information to a user at a multimedia system over an Internet communications link, comprising: 
 a computer system for providing television program listings; and    a web server for receiving the television program listings from the computer system, wherein the web server provides the program listings to the multimedia system over the Internet communications link when the user accesses the television program listings with the multimedia system.    
     
     
         2 . The system defined in  claim 1  wherein the computer system further comprises means for providing multimedia material associated with the television program listings to the web server.  
     
     
         3 . The system defined in  claim 2  wherein the means for providing multimedia material comprises means for providing promotional video clips.  
     
     
         4 . The system defined in  claim 2  wherein the means for providing multimedia material comprises means for providing interview video segments.  
     
     
         5 . The system defined in  claim 1  further comprising means for providing a go national option which the user selects to receive information based on national television listings.  
     
     
         6 . The system defined in  claim 1  further comprising means for providing a go satellite option which the user selects to receive information based on television listings for satellite coverage.  
     
     
         7 . The system defined in  claim 1  further comprising means for providing a go local option which the user selects to receive information based on local television listings.  
     
     
         8 . The system defined in  claim 7  further comprising means for selecting a locality for the local television listings.  
     
     
         9 . The system defined in  claim 8  wherein the means for selecting a locality comprises means for accepting a zip code from which the locality is determined.  
     
     
         10 . The system defined in  claim 8  wherein the means for selecting a locality comprises means for selecting a local region from a map.  
     
     
         11 . The system defined in  claim 8  further comprising means for presenting a pick again web page when television program listings are not available for the selected locality.  
     
     
         12 . The system defined in  claim 1  further comprising means for presenting web pages containing advertising images that the user selects.  
     
     
         13 . The system defined in  claim 1  further comprising means for presenting a web page having a record option for using the multimedia system to record a television program selected from the television program listings.  
     
     
         14 . The system defined in  claim 1  further comprising: 
 means for providing a program guide option; and  
 means for presenting a program guide menu web page when the user selects the program guide option.  
 
     
     
         15 . The system defined in  claim 1  further comprising: 
 means for providing a movie guide option; and  
 means for presenting a movie guide menu web page when the user selects the movie guide option.  
 
     
     
         16 . The system defined in  claim 1  further comprising: 
 means for providing a guide television channel option; and  
 means for tuning the multimedia system to a guide television channel when the user selects the guide option.  
 
     
     
         17 . The system defined in  claim 1  further comprising: 
 means for providing a direct tune option when a selected program is currently being broadcast; and  
 means for tuning the multimedia system to the television channel for the selected program when the user selects the direct tune option.  
 
     
     
         18 . The system defined in  claim 1  further comprising means for providing a selectable option to arrange the television program listings by time.  
     
     
         19 . The system defined in  claim 1  further comprising means for providing a selectable option to arrange the television program listings by channel.  
     
     
         20 . The system defined in  claim 1  further comprising means for providing a selectable option to arrange the television program listings by category.  
     
     
         21 . The system defined in  claim 1  further comprising means for searching the television program listings.  
     
     
         22 . The system defined in  claim 21  further comprising means for searching the television program listings by title.  
     
     
         23 . The system defined in  claim 21  further comprising means for searching the television program listings by actor.  
     
     
         24 . The system defined in  claim 21  further comprising means for searching the television program listings by category.  
     
     
         25 . The system defined in  claim 21  further comprising means for searching the television program listings by description.  
     
     
         26 . The system defined in  claim 21  further comprising means for searching the television program listings by rating.  
     
     
         27 . The system defined in  claim 1  further comprising means for displaying interview segments selected by the user.  
     
     
         28 . The system defined in  claim 27  further comprising means for providing an interview web page containing selectable interview images for interview segments that are available.  
     
     
         29 . The system defined in  claim 1  further comprising means for displaying promotional media clips selected by the user.  
     
     
         30 . The system defined in  claim 29  further comprising means for providing a hot picks web page containing selectable hot picks images for promotional media clips that are available.  
     
     
         31 . The system defined in  claim 1  further comprising means for providing a movie cruiser web page containing selectable pay-per-view channels and premium channels.  
     
     
         32 . The system define in  claim 31  further comprising means for providing a pay-per-view web page containing program listings for upcoming pay-per-view events for a pay-per-view channel selected by the user.  
     
     
         33 . The system defined in  claim 31  further comprising means for providing a premium services web page containing program listings for upcoming premium programs for a premium channel selected by the user.  
     
     
         34 . The system defined in  claim 1  further comprising means for providing an order web page.  
     
     
         35 . The system defined in  claim 1  further comprising means for providing a customization web page.  
     
     
         36 . The system defined in  claim 1  further comprising means for providing a program information web page.  
     
     
         37 . The system defined in  claim 36  wherein the program information web page is customized to reflect information for a television program selected by the user.  
     
     
         38 . The system defined in  claim 1  wherein the computer system comprises a media library.  
     
     
         39 . The system defined in  claim 1  further comprising a satellite transmission link between the computer system and the server.  
     
     
         40 . The system defined in  claim 1  wherein: 
 the Internet communications link comprises a telephone line; and  
 the web server provides the web pages to the multimedia system over the telephone line.  
 
     
     
         41 . A method for providing web pages of information to a user at a multimedia system over an Internet communications link using an Internet television program guide system having a computer system and a web server, the method comprising the steps of: 
 providing television program listings with the computer system;    receiving the television program listings from the computer system with the web server; and    providing the television program listings to the multimedia system over the Internet communications link with the web server, so that the user can access the television program listings.    
     
     
         42 . The method defined in  claim 41  further comprising the step of providing multimedia material associated with the television program listings to the web server with the computer system.  
     
     
         43 . The method defined in  claim 42  wherein the step of providing multimedia material further comprises the step of providing promotional video clips to the web server with the computer system.  
     
     
         44 . The method defined in  claim 42  wherein the step of providing multimedia material further comprises the step of providing interview video segments to the web server with the computer system.  
     
     
         45 . The method defined in  claim 41  further comprising the step of providing a go national option which the user selects to receive information based on national television listings.  
     
     
         46 . The method defined in  claim 41  further comprising the step of providing a go satellite option which the user selects to receive information based on television listings for satellite coverage.  
     
     
         47 . The method defined in  claim 41  further comprising the step of providing a go local option which the user selects to receive information based on local television listings.  
     
     
         48 . The method defined in  claim 47  further comprising the step of selecting a locality for the local television listings.  
     
     
         49 . The method defined in  claim 48  wherein the step of selecting a locality comprises the step of accepting a zip code from which the locality is determined.  
     
     
         50 . The method defined in  claim 48  wherein the step of selecting a locality comprises the step of selecting a local region from a map.  
     
     
         51 . The method defined in  claim 48  further comprising the step of presenting a pick again web page when television program listings are not available for the selected locality.  
     
     
         52 . The method defined in  claim 1  further comprising the step of presenting web pages containing advertising images that the user selects.  
     
     
         53 . The method defined in  claim 52  further comprising the step of presenting a web page having a record option for using the multimedia system to record a television program selected from the television program listings.  
     
     
         54 . The method defined in  claim 41  further comprising the steps of: 
 providing a program guide option; and  
 presenting a program guide menu web page when the user selects the program guide option.  
 
     
     
         55 . The method defined in  claim 41  further comprising the steps of: 
 providing a movie guide option; and  
 presenting a movie guide menu web page when the user selects the movie guide option.  
 
     
     
         56 . The method defined in  claim 41  further comprising the steps of: 
 providing a guide television channel option; and  
 tuning the multimedia system to a guide television channel when the user selects the guide option.  
 
     
     
         57 . The method defined in  claim 41  further comprising the steps of: 
 providing a direct tune option when a selected program is currently being broadcast; and  
 tuning the multimedia system to the television channel for the selected program when the user selects the direct tune option.  
 
     
     
         58 . The method defined in  claim 41  further comprising the step of providing a selectable option to arrange the television program listings by time.  
     
     
         59 . The method defined in  claim 41  further comprising the step of providing a selectable option to arrange the television program listings by channel.  
     
     
         60 . The method defined in  claim 41  further comprising the step of providing a selectable option to arrange the television program listings by category.  
     
     
         61 . The method defined in  claim 41  further comprising the step of searching the television program listings.  
     
     
         62 . The method defined in  claim 61  further comprising the step of searching the television program listings by title.  
     
     
         63 . The method defined in  claim 61  further comprising the step of searching the television program listings by actor.  
     
     
         64 . The method defined in  claim 61  further comprising the step of searching the television program listings by category.  
     
     
         65 . The method defined in  claim 61  further comprising the step of searching the television program listings by description.  
     
     
         66 . The method defined in  claim 61  further comprising the step of searching the television program listings by rating.  
     
     
         67 . The method defined in  claim 41  further comprising the step of displaying interview segments selected by the user.  
     
     
         68 . The method defined in  claim 67  further comprising the step of providing an interview web page containing selectable interview images for interview segments that are available.  
     
     
         69 . The method defined in  claim 41  further comprising the step of displaying promotional media clips selected by the user.  
     
     
         70 . The method defined in  claim 69  further comprising the step of providing a hot picks web page containing selectable hot picks images for promotional media clips that are available.  
     
     
         71 . The method defined in  claim 41  further comprising the step of providing a movie cruiser web page containing selectable pay-per-view channels and premium channels.  
     
     
         72 . The method define in  claim 71  further comprising the step of providing a pay-per-view web page containing program listings for upcoming pay-per-view events for a pay-per-view channel selected by the user.  
     
     
         73 . The method defined in  claim 71  further comprising the step of providing a premium services web page containing program listings for upcoming premium programs for a premium channel selected by the user.  
     
     
         74 . The method defined in  claim 41  further comprising the step of providing an order web page.  
     
     
         75 . The method defined in  claim 41  further comprising the step of providing a customization web page.  
     
     
         76 . The method defined in  claim 41  further comprising the step of providing a program information web page.  
     
     
         77 . The method defined in  claim 76  wherein the program information web page is customized to reflect information for a television program selected by the user.  
     
     
         78 . The method defined in  claim 41  further comprises the step of providing the television program listings to the web server with a media library.  
     
     
         79 . The method defined in  claim 41  further comprising the step of providing the television program listings to the web server with a satellite transmission link between the computer system and the web server.  
     
     
         80 . The method defined in  claim 41  wherein the Internet communications link comprises a telephone line, the method further comprising the step of providing web pages to the multimedia system over the telephone line.