System and method for displaying program listings in an interactive electronic program guide

An interactive entertainment distribution network comprising:

• a plurality of user interface units in individual homes;
• a headend which is connected to provide programs to the plurality of user interface units, each of the programs corresponding to a scheduled time period;
• a storage medium at the headend containing a plurality of program data records, the program data records containing information about the programs provided by the headend;
• each program data record being indexed by one of a plurality of bucket numbers, the bucket numbers corresponding respectively to a plurality of discrete time slots;
• wherein the scheduled time period of a particular program provided by the headend occupies at least a portion of one or more of the discrete time slots;
• said particular program being represented by a program data record and associated bucket number for each of the one or more discrete time slots which are at least partially occupied by said particular program;
• an electronic program guide which executes on a user interface unit, wherein the electronic program guide displays programming information categorized by the discrete time slots and wherein the electronic program guide requests programming information from the headend by specifying one or more bucket numbers to the headend.

A user interface unit for use in an individual home for connection to an interactive entertainment distribution network headend, the headend providing programs to the user interface unit, each of the programs corresponding to a scheduled time period, the user interface unit comprising:

• a data processor;
• an electronic program guide which executes on the data processor to display programming information categorized by discrete time slots, wherein the scheduled time period of a particular program provided by the headend occupies at least a portion of one or more of the discrete time slots;
• means responsive to the data processor for communicating with the headend to receive program data records, the program data records containing information about the programs provided by the headend;
• a record cache containing a set of the program data records from the headend which are most likely to be used by the electronic program guide;
• wherein the electronic program guide gets programming information from the program data records contained in the record cache;
• wherein the electronic program guide updates the record cache with program data records obtained from the headend by specifying one or more bucket numbers to the headend, each bucket number corresponding to an individual discrete time slot.

In an interactive entertainment distribution network having a headend which is connected to provide programs to a plurality of user interface units in individual homes, each of the programs corresponding to a scheduled time period, a method of organizing programming information at the headend, the method comprising the following steps:

• identifying a plurality of discrete time slots, wherein the scheduled time period of an individual program provided by the headend occupies at least a portion of one or more of the discrete time slots;
• assigning a unique bucket number to each discrete time slot;
• creating program data records on a storage medium corresponding to the programs provided by the headend;
• said program data records including, for a particular program, a separate record corresponding to each of the one or more discrete time slots which are at least partially occupied by said particular program;
• indexing individual program data records on the storage medium by the bucket numbers assigned to the discrete time slots corresponding to said individual program data records.