Table arrangement of sorted EPG data to facilitate searching on low resource clients
OwnerJames Armand Baldwin, Peter T. Barrettinventors
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Abstract
Program data for use in electronic program guides is sorted in advance of delivery to a low resource client. In the described implementation, the program data is sorted according to a parameter that is likely to be searched at the client, such as by program title, actor name, and so forth. In one example, the program data is sorted according to a stopped name version of the program title. When delivered to the client, the low resource client is able to perform fast binary searches on the sorted program data.
Claims26
Method comprising:
- storing program data for an electronic program guide in multiple tables, each table comprising one or more records with one or more fields;
- and
- sorting the records in the tables according to a selected field type prior to delivery of the program data to a remote client.
A method for delivering program data for an electronic program guide executing at a remote client, the method comprising:
- storing program data for an electronic program guide in multiple tables, the tables comprising one or more program tables with records of programming information, the program tables having a title field for program titles;
- sorting the records in the program tables according to the title field;
- and
- constructing a data file to hold the tables.
A computer-readable medium comprising computer-executable instructions that, when executed, direct a computing system to:
- sort program data for an electronic program guide according to stopped names of program titles;
- and
- store the program data in a data structure for delivery to a remote client.
A data structure stored on a computer-readable medium, comprising:
- multiple tables to store program data for use in an electronic program guide;
- the tables comprising program tables composed of records with programming information, the program tables having a title field to hold program titles;
- and
- the records of the program tables being sorted by stopped name versions of the program titles.
A computer system, comprising:
- a memory;
- a processor coupled to the memory;
- and
- a data sorter program stored in memory and executed on the processor to sort electronic program guide (EPG) data according to a data type prior to delivery of the EPG data to a remote client.
A processing system, comprising:
- sorting means for sorting program data for an electronic program guide according to a data type that a viewer is likely to search;
- and
- transmission means for transmitting the sorted program data to the client.
A television entertainment system, comprising:
- multiple clients to receive television signals and corresponding program data for an electronic program guide (EPG), individual clients having a search engine to search the program data;
- and
- an EPG server to sort the program data prior to delivery to the client, the program data being sorted according to a selected parameter to place the program data in a sorted arrangement to facilitate searching at the client.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.