US2012079525A1PendingUtilityA1

Interactive television program guide with remote access

61
Individually held — no corporate assignee on recordPriority: Jul 17, 1998Filed: Dec 2, 2011Published: Mar 29, 2012
Est. expiryJul 17, 2018(expired)· nominal 20-yr term from priority
Inventors:Michael D. EllisWilliam L. ThomasJoel G. HassellThomas R. LemmonsDavid M. BerezowskiRobert A. KneeRobert H. Mccoy
H04N 21/44224H04N 21/4782H04N 21/4755H04N 7/163H04N 21/4751H04N 21/47H04N 21/4882H04N 21/485H04N 21/4788H04N 21/478H04N 21/4227H04N 7/106H04N 21/42204H04N 21/47214H04N 21/4532H04N 21/4821H04N 21/43615H04N 21/26283H04N 21/4786H04N 21/64322H04N 21/8126H04N 21/4826H04N 21/482H04N 21/4753H04N 7/17318H04N 21/47815H04N 7/173
61
PatentIndex Score
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Cited by
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References
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Claims

Abstract

An interactive television program guide with remote access is provided. The interactive television program guide is implemented on interactive television program guide equipment. A remote program guide access device is connected to the interactive television program guide equipment by a remote access link to provide a user with remote access to program guide functions. An interactive television program guide system based on multiple user television equipment devices in a single household is provided. The system provides a user with an opportunity to adjust program guide settings with a given one of the interactive television program guides. Program guide setting include features related to setting program reminders, profiles, program recording features, messaging features, favorites features, parental control features, program guide set up features (e.g., audio and video and language settings), etc.

Claims

exact text as granted — not AI-modified
1 - 7 . (canceled) 
     
     
         8 . A program guide system comprising:
 a first interactive program guide enabling a user to navigate through displayed program listings and which is configured to run on a user equipment device, wherein the user equipment device is coupled to a remote program guide access device by a remote access link, wherein:
 the remote program guide access device is configured to run a second interactive program guide enabling a user to navigate through displayed program listings; and 
 the second interactive program guide enables the user to access features of the guide to set settings thereof, wherein the second interactive program guide is configured to communicate the set settings over the remote access link to update the settings in the first interactive program guide on the user equipment device thereby to control the first interactive program guide on the user equipment device. 
   
     
     
         9 . The system defined in  claim 8  wherein the first interactive program guide is configured to block a program or channel based on a parental control setting, and wherein the second interactive program guide enables the user to set the parental control setting and transfer the parental control setting over the remote access link to update the parental control setting in the first interactive program guide. 
     
     
         10 . The system defined in  claim 8  wherein the second interactive program guide enables the user to adjust channel settings and other preferences which adjustments are transferred to the first interactive program guide over the remote access link. 
     
     
         11 . The system defined in  claim 8  wherein:
 the user equipment device comprises a communications device connected to the remote access link; and 
 the second interactive program guide is further configured to enable the user to control the first interactive program guide via the communications device with the second interactive program guide. 
 
     
     
         12 . The system defined in  claim 8  wherein:
 the first interactive program guide is also configured to run in part on a communications device located at a television distribution facility connected to the remote access link; and 
 the second interactive program guide is further configured to enable the user to control the first interactive program guide via the communications device with the second interactive program guide. 
 
     
     
         13 . The system defined in  claim 8  wherein:
 the first interactive program guide is also configured to run in part on a communications device connected to a program guide server at a television distribution facility; and 
 the second interactive program guide is further configured to enable the user to control the first interactive program guide via the communications device and the program guide server with the second interactive program guide. 
 
     
     
         14 . The system defined in  claim 8  wherein:
 the first interactive program guide is also configured to run in part on an Internet service system connected to program guide distribution equipment located at a television distribution facility; and 
 the second interactive program guide is further configured to enable the user to control the first interactive program guide via the Internet service system and the program guide distribution equipment with the second interactive program guide. 
 
     
     
         15 . The system defined in  claim 8  wherein:
 the first interactive program guide is also configured to run in part on an Internet service system connected to a program guide server located at a television distribution facility; and 
 the second interactive program guide is further configured to enable the user to control the first interactive program guide via the Internet service system and the program guide server with the second interactive program guide. 
 
     
     
         16 . The system defined in  claim 8  wherein one of the features of the second interactive program guide enables the user to select to schedule a reminder for a television program; and
 remotely schedule the programming reminder over the remote access link with the first interactive program guide. 
 
     
     
         17 . The system defined in  claim 16  wherein:
 the second interactive program guide enables the user to schedule the programming reminder and transfer the setting for the reminder to the first interactive program guide over the remote access link; and 
 the first interactive program guide generates the programming reminder for the program. 
 
     
     
         18 . The system defined in  claim 17  wherein the first interactive program guide generates the programming reminder for the program by sending an e-mail message to the user. 
     
     
         19 . The system defined in  claim 17  wherein the first interactive program guide is further configured to generate the reminder with the user equipment device. 
     
     
         20 . The system defined in  claim 16  wherein the second interactive program guide is further configured to store the programming reminder set by the user and to generate the programming reminder with the second interactive program guide. 
     
     
         21 . The system defined in  claim 8  wherein the second interactive program guide is further configured to obtain program listings information from the first interactive program guide over the remote access link and to provide the program listings information to the user. 
     
     
         22 . A method for using a program guide, the method comprising:
 enabling, using a first interactive program guide, a user to navigate through displayed program listings, wherein:
 the first interactive program guide is configured to run on a user equipment device coupled to a remote program guide access device by a remote access link; 
 the remote program guide access device is configured to run a second interactive program guide enabling a user to navigate through displayed program listings; and 
 the second interactive program guide enables the user to access features of the guide to set settings thereof, wherein the second interactive program guide is configured to communicate the set settings over the remote access link to control the first interactive program guide on the user equipment device; and 
   updating, in the first interactive program guide, the settings based on the communicated settings.   
     
     
         23 . The method of  claim 22  wherein the first interactive program guide is configured for:
 blocking a program or channel based on a parental control setting received from the second interactive program guide, wherein the second interactive program guide:
 enables the user to set the parental control setting, and 
 transfer the set parental control setting over the remote access link to update the parental control setting in the first interactive program guide. 
 
 
     
     
         24 . The method of  claim 22  wherein one of the features of the second interactive program guide enables the user to adjust channel settings and other preferences which adjustments are transferred to the first interactive program guide over the remote access link. 
     
     
         25 . The method of  claim 22  wherein:
 the user equipment device comprises a communications device connected to the remote access link; and 
 the second interactive program guide is further configured to enable the user to control the first interactive program guide via the communications device with the second interactive program guide. 
 
     
     
         26 . The method of  claim 22  wherein the first interactive program guide is further configured for:
 running in part on a communications device located at a television distribution facility connected to the remote access link, wherein the second interactive program guide is further configured to enable the user to control the first interactive program guide via the communications device with the second interactive program guide. 
 
     
     
         27 . The method of  claim 22  wherein the first interactive program guide is further configured for:
 running in part on a communications device connected to a program guide server at a television distribution facility, wherein the second interactive program guide is further configured to enable the user to control the first interactive program guide via the communications device and the program guide server with the second interactive program guide. 
 
     
     
         28 . The method of  claim 22  wherein the first interactive program guide is further configured for:
 running in part on an Internet service system connected to program guide distribution equipment located at a television distribution facility, wherein the second interactive program guide is further configured to enable the user to control the first interactive program guide via the Internet service system and the program guide distribution equipment with the second interactive program guide. 
 
     
     
         29 . The method of  claim 22  wherein the first interactive program guide is further configured for:
 running in part on an Internet service system connected to a program guide server located at a television distribution facility, wherein the second interactive program guide is further configured to enable the user to control the first interactive program guide via the Internet service system and the program guide server with the second interactive program guide. 
 
     
     
         30 . The method of  claim 22  further comprising:
 receiving, from the second interactive program guide over the remote access link, a request to remotely schedule a programming reminder, wherein the second interactive program guide enables the user to select to schedule a reminder for a television program. 
 
     
     
         31 . The method of  claim 30  further comprising:
 generating the programming reminder for the program, wherein the second interactive program guide enables the user to schedule the programming reminder and transfer the setting for the reminder to the first interactive program guide over the remote access link. 
 
     
     
         32 . The method of  claim 31  wherein the first interactive program guide generates the programming reminder for the program by sending an e-mail message to the user. 
     
     
         33 . The method of  claim 31  wherein the first interactive program guide is further configured to generate the reminder with the user equipment device. 
     
     
         34 . The method of  claim 30  wherein the second interactive program guide is further configured to store the programming reminder set by the user and to generate the programming reminder with the second interactive program guide. 
     
     
         35 . The method of  claim 22  wherein the second interactive program guide is further configured to obtain program listings information from the first interactive program guide over the remote access link and to provide the program listings information to the user.

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