Three-dimensional electronic programming guide providing apparatus and method

Abstract

An electronic programming guide (EPG) providing apparatus and method, in which an EPG is configured as a 3D form to facilitate a search for broadcasting program information included in the EPG. The EPG providing apparatus includes an EPG screen configuring unit and a control unit. The EPG screen configuring unit configures an EPG screen such that broadcasting program information is displayed on at least three faces of a 3D polyhedron. The control unit controls the EPG screen configuring unit to configure the EPG screen such that broadcasting program information corresponding to another broadcasting time zone or another broadcasting channel is displayed on the EPG screen based on a user input signal requesting a search for the broadcasting program information corresponding to another broadcasting time zone or another broadcasting channel.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . An EPG (electronic programming guide) providing apparatus comprising:
 an EPG screen configuring unit configuring an EPG screen such that broadcasting program information is displayed on a front face of a 3D (three-dimensional) hexagon and four faces of the 3D hexagon, which are adjacent to the front face; and   a control unit controlling the EPG screen configuring unit to configure the EPG screen such that broadcasting program information corresponding to another broadcasting time zone or another broadcasting channel is displayed on the EPG screen based on a user input signal requesting a search for the broadcasting program information corresponding to another broadcasting time zone or another broadcasting channel.   
     
     
         2 . The EPG providing apparatus of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a broadcasting signal processing unit receiving and processing a broadcasting signal including EPG information and broadcasting program content;   a network unit receiving the EPG information from an EPG server connected to a network;   a storing unit storing the received EPG information and broadcasting program contents; and   a decoder decoding the broadcasting program contents processed by the broadcasting signal processing unit or read from the storing unit.   
     
     
         3 . The EPG providing apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the control unit determines broadcasting program information corresponding to a predetermined broadcasting channel and a predetermined broadcasting time zone as broadcasting program information to be displayed on the front face of the hexagon and determines broadcasting program information to be displayed on the four faces adjacent to the front face based on the broadcasting program information to be displayed on the front face of the hexagon, and
 the EPG screen configuring unit configures the EPG screen such that the determined broadcasting program information is displayed on the front face and the four faces adjacent to the front face.   
     
     
         4 . The EPG providing apparatus of  claim 3 , wherein when the control unit determines the broadcasting program information to be displayed on the four faces adjacent to the front face, it determines broadcasting program information corresponding to a broadcasting channel that is the same as and broadcasting time zones that are different from the broadcasting program information displayed on the front face of the hexagon as broadcasting program information to be displayed on faces that are adjacent in a predetermined direction with respect to the front face of the hexagon and determines broadcasting program information corresponding to a broadcasting time zone that is the same as and broadcasting channels that are different from the broadcasting program information displayed on the front face of the hexagon as broadcasting program information to be displayed on faces that are adjacent perpendicularly to the predetermined direction with respect to the front face of the hexagon. 
     
     
         5 . The EPG providing apparatus of  claim 4 , wherein when the control unit determines the broadcasting program information to be displayed on the faces that are adjacent perpendicularly to the predetermined direction with respect to the front face of the hexagon, it determines broadcasting program information corresponding to a broadcasting time zone that precedes the broadcasting program information to be displayed on the front face as broadcasting program information to be displayed on the top face and determines broadcasting program information corresponding to a broadcasting time zone that follows the broadcasting program information to be displayed on the front face as broadcasting program information to be displayed on the bottom face. 
     
     
         6 . The EPG providing apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the control unit determines broadcasting program information corresponding to another broadcasting time zone requested by a user as broadcasting program information to be displayed on the front face of the hexagon based on a user input signal and determines broadcasting program information to be displayed on the four faces adjacent to the front face based on the broadcasting program information to be displayed on the front face of the hexagon. 
     
     
         7 . The EPG providing apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the control unit determines broadcasting program information corresponding to another broadcasting channel requested by a user as broadcasting program information to be displayed on the front face of the hexagon based on a user input signal and determines broadcasting program information to be displayed on the four faces adjacent to the front face based on the broadcasting program information to be displayed on the front face of the hexagon. 
     
     
         8 . An EPG (electronic programming guide) providing method comprising:
 receiving a user input signal requesting a search for broadcasting program information; and   configuring an EPG screen such that the broadcasting program information is displayed in the form of a 3D (three-dimensional) hexagon based on the user input signal,   wherein the EPG screen is configured such that the broadcasting program information is displayed on a front face of the 3D hexagon and four faces adjacent to the front face.   
     
     
         9 . The EPG providing method of  claim 8 , further comprising:
 receiving EPG information through a broadcasting signal or from an EPG server connected to a network;   storing the received EPG information.   
     
     
         10 . The EPG providing method of  claim 8 , wherein the configuring of the EPG screen comprises:
 determining broadcasting program information corresponding to a predetermined broadcasting channel and a predetermined broadcasting time zone as broadcasting program information to be displayed on the front face of the hexagon;   determining broadcasting program information to be displayed on the four faces adjacent to the front face based on the broadcasting program information displayed on the front face of the hexagon; and   configuring the EPG screen such that the determined broadcasting program information is displayed on the front face and the four faces adjacent to the front face.   
     
     
         11 . The EPG providing method of  claim 10 , wherein the determining of the broadcasting program information to be displayed on the four faces adjacent to the front face comprises determining broadcasting program information corresponding to a broadcasting channel that is the same as and broadcasting time zones that are different from the broadcasting program information displayed on the front face of the hexagon as broadcasting program information to be displayed on faces that are adjacent in a predetermined direction with respect to the front face of the hexagon and determining broadcasting program information corresponding to a broadcasting time zone that is the same as and broadcasting channels that are different from the broadcasting program information displayed on the front face of the hexagon as broadcasting program information to be displayed on faces that are adjacent perpendicularly to the predetermined direction with respect to the front face of the hexagon. 
     
     
         12 . The EPG providing method of  claim 11 , wherein the determining of the broadcasting program information to be displayed on the faces that are adjacent perpendicularly to the predetermined direction with respect to the front face of the hexagon comprises:
 determining broadcasting program information corresponding to a broadcasting time zone that precedes the broadcasting program information to be displayed on the front face as broadcasting program information to be displayed on the top face; and   determining broadcasting program information corresponding to a broadcasting time zone that follows the broadcasting program information to be displayed on the front face as broadcasting program information to be displayed on the bottom face.   
     
     
         13 . The EPG providing method of  claim 8 , wherein the receiving of the user input signal comprises receiving a user input signal for the user's up and down or left and right searches entered using a user input device, and
 the configuring of the EPG screen comprises:   determining broadcasting program information corresponding to another broadcasting time zone requested by a user as broadcasting program information to be displayed on the front face of the hexagon based on the user input signal;   determining broadcasting program information to be displayed on the four faces adjacent to the front face based on the broadcasting program information to be displayed on the front face of the hexagon; and   configuring the EPG screen such that the determined broadcasting program is displayed on the front face of the hexagon and the four faces adjacent to the front face.   
     
     
         14 . The EPG providing method of  claim 8 , wherein the receiving of the user input signal comprises receiving a user input signal for the user's up and down or left and right searches entered using a user input device, and
 the configuring of the EPG screen comprises:   determining broadcasting program information corresponding to another broadcasting channel requested by a user as broadcasting program information to be displayed on the front face of the hexagon based on the user input signal;   determining broadcasting program information to be displayed on the four faces adjacent to the front face based on the broadcasting program information to be displayed on the front face of the hexagon; and   configuring the EPG screen such that the determined broadcasting program is displayed on the front face of the hexagon and the four faces adjacent to the front face.   
     
     
         15 . A computer-readable recording medium having recorded thereon a program for implementing an EPG providing method of  claim 8 .