Multiple interactive electronic program guide system and methods

Abstract

A multiple Interactive Program Guide (IPG) system provides different television programming and different IPGs to several different users respectively. A single set-top box is capable of providing programming and scheduling data to several different television sets. Each of the different IPGs share a common database. Therefore, a first IPG being viewed by a first user can display data added or modified via a second IPG by a second user of the system. Furthermore, the data added or modified by the second user can influence the viewing rights of the first user. Also, all the competing and conflicting requests for limited resources, such as VCR scheduled recordings, will be brought to the users' attention and will be displayed by the system.

1 - 30 . (canceled) 
     
     
         31 . A method for resolving recording conflicts among a plurality of interactive program guides, the method comprising:
 receiving a first request from a first interactive program guide to schedule a first program for recording;   receiving a second request from a second interactive program guide to schedule a second program for recording;   storing the received first and second requests in an aggregated list of recording requests in a memory accessible to the first and the second interactive program guides, wherein the aggregated list is accessible for display from any of the first and the second interactive program guides;   identifying a conflict among recording requests stored in the aggregated list; and   generating for display an indication of the identified conflict.   
     
     
         32 . The method of  claim 31  further comprising:
 generating, for display, options for at least one of canceling one of the first and the second requests, and recording at least a portion of each of the programs associated with the first and the second requests. 
 
     
     
         33 . The method of  claim 31  further comprising:
 identifying a first user associated with the first request; 
 identifying a second user associated with the second request; 
 determining that the first user has a higher priority than the second user; and 
 providing the first user with the opportunity to select to resolve the identified conflict in response to determining that the first user has the higher priority. 
 
     
     
         34 . The method of  claim 33  further comprising:
 identifying a first password received from the first user; 
 identifying a second password received from the second user; 
 determining that the first password has a higher priority than the second password; and 
 identifying that the first user has higher priority than the second user in response to determining that the first password has the higher priority. 
 
     
     
         35 . The method of  claim 33  further comprising:
 adding the first request to a list of scheduled events accessible for display by any of the first and the second interactive program guides. 
 
     
     
         36 . The method of  claim 35  further comprising:
 receiving a third request to cancel the first request, and 
 removing the first request from the list of scheduled events so that the first request is not displayed in the list of scheduled events accessible for display by any of the first and the second interactive program guides. 
 
     
     
         37 . The method of  claim 31 , wherein the first request is received previous to the second request. 
     
     
         38 . The method of  claim 31  further comprising allowing a user to request to schedule a program for recording from a given interactive electronic program guide of the plurality of interactive program guides. 
     
     
         39 . The method of  claim 38  further comprising transmitting a control signal from a user device from which the given interactive electronic program guide is accessible to a recording device to instruct the recording device to record the requested program. 
     
     
         40 . The method of  claim 31  further comprising allowing a user to obtain additional information for any item on the aggregated list accessible for display from any of the first and the second interactive program guides. 
     
     
         41 . A system for resolving recording conflicts among a plurality of interactive program guides, the system comprising:
 a processor configured to:   receive a first request from a first interactive program guide to schedule a first program for recording;   receive a second request from a second interactive program guide to schedule a second program for recording;   store the received first and second requests in an aggregated list of recording requests in a memory accessible to the first and the second interactive program guides, wherein the aggregated list is accessible for display from any of the first and the second interactive program guides;   identify a conflict among recording requests stored in the aggregated list; and   generate for display an indication of the identified conflict.   
     
     
         42 . The system of  claim 41 , wherein the processor is further configured to:
 generate, for display, options for at least one of canceling one of the first and the second requests, and recording at least a portion of each of the programs associated with the first and the second requests.   
     
     
         43 . The system of  claim 41 , wherein the processor is further configured to:
 identify a first user associated with the first request;   identify a second user associated with the second request;   determine that the first user has a higher priority than the second user; and   provide the first user with the opportunity to resolve the identified conflict in response to determining that the first user has the higher priority.   
     
     
         44 . The system of  claim 43 , wherein the processor is further configured to:
 identify a first password received from the first user;   identify a second password received from the second user;   determine that the first password has a higher priority than the second password; and   identify that the first user has higher priority than the second user in response to determining that the first password has the higher priority.   
     
     
         45 . The system of  claim 43 , wherein the processor is further configured to:
 add the first request to a list of scheduled events accessible for display by any of the first and the second interactive program guides.   
     
     
         46 . The system of  claim 45 , wherein the processor is further configured to:
 receive a third request to cancel the first request, and   remove the first request from the list of scheduled events so that the first request is not displayed in the list of scheduled events accessible for display by any of the first and the second interactive program guides.   
     
     
         47 . The system of  claim 41 , wherein the first request is received previous to the second request. 
     
     
         48 . The system of  claim 41 , wherein the processor is further configured to receive a user request to schedule a program for recording from a given interactive electronic program guide of the plurality of interactive program guides. 
     
     
         49 . The system of  claim 48  further comprising a user device, from which the given interactive electronic program guide is accessible, transmitting a control signal to a recording device to instruct the recording device to record the requested program. 
     
     
         50 . The system of  claim 41 , wherein the processor is further configured to allow a user to obtain additional information for any item on the aggregated list accessible for display from any of the first and the second interactive program guides. 
     
     
         51 . A non-transitory machine-readable media for resolving recording conflicts among a plurality of interactive program guides, the machine-readable media comprising machine-readable instructions encoded thereon for:
 receiving a first request from a first interactive program guide to schedule a first program for recording;   receiving a second request from a second interactive program guide to schedule a second program for recording;   storing the received first and second requests in an aggregated list of recording requests in a memory accessible to the first and the second interactive program guides, wherein the aggregated list is accessible for display from any of the first and the second interactive program guides;   identifying a conflict among recording requests stored in the aggregated list; and   generating for display an indication of the identified conflict.   
     
     
         52 . The non-transitory machine-readable media of  claim 51  further comprising machine-readable instructions encoded thereon for:
 generating, for display, options for at least one of canceling one of the first and the second requests, and recording at least a portion of each of the programs associated with the first and the second requests. 
 
     
     
         53 . The non-transitory machine-readable media of  claim 51  further comprising machine-readable instructions encoded thereon for:
 identifying a first user associated with the first request; 
 identifying a second user associated with the second request; 
 determining that the first user has a higher priority than the second user; and 
 providing the first user with the opportunity to select to resolve the identified conflict in response to determining that the first user has the higher priority. 
 
     
     
         54 . The non-transitory machine-readable media of  claim 53  further comprising machine-readable instructions encoded thereon for:
 identifying a first password received from the first user; 
 identifying a second password received from the second user; 
 determining that the first password has a higher priority than the second password; and 
 identifying that the first user has higher priority than the second user in response to determining that the first password has the higher priority. 
 
     
     
         55 . The non-transitory machine-readable media of  claim 53  further comprising machine-readable instructions encoded thereon for:
 adding the first request to a list of scheduled events accessible for display by any of the first and the second interactive program guides. 
 
     
     
         56 . The non-transitory machine-readable media of  claim 55  further comprising machine-readable instructions encoded thereon for:
 receiving a third request to cancel the first request, and 
 removing the first request from the list of scheduled events so that the first request is not displayed in the list of scheduled events accessible for display by any of the first and the second interactive program guides. 
 
     
     
         57 . The non-transitory machine-readable media of  claim 51 , wherein the first request is received previous to the second request. 
     
     
         58 . The non-transitory machine-readable media of  claim 51  further comprising machine-readable instructions encoded thereon for allowing a user to request to schedule a program for recording from a given interactive electronic program guide of the plurality of interactive program guides. 
     
     
         59 . The non-transitory machine-readable media of  claim 58  further comprising machine-readable instructions encoded thereon for transmitting a control signal from a user device from which the given interactive electronic program guide is accessible to a recording device to instruct the recording device to record the requested program. 
     
     
         60 . The non-transitory machine-readable media of  claim 51  further comprising machine-readable instructions encoded thereon for allowing a user to obtain additional information for any item on the aggregated list accessible for display from any of the first and the second interactive program guides.