Method and apparatus for providing an interactive guide to events available on an information network

A method for providing an interactive program guide (IPG) from data received via an information network on which events listed in the program guide are available, comprising the steps of:

• providing an IPG trickle data stream at a first data rate, said trickle data stream comprising current schedule information for a current time period for communication to and storage in a decoder to enable substantially instantaneous display of portions of said current schedule information on a display coupled to the decoder;
• wherein said current schedule information is adapted to be automatically recovered and stored at said decoder without a user command to view said current schedule information;
• providing an IPG demand data stream at a second data rate that is faster than said first data rate, said demand data being provided in pages and comprising future schedule information of a future time period, each of said pages containing demand data for at least one different future time slot, said second data rate being chosen to enable the selective acquisition and display of portions of said future schedule information on said display within a predetermined acquisition time limit;
• wherein said portions of said future schedule information are adapted to be selectively acquired and displayed at said decoder in response to a user command to view said portions of said future schedule information;
• said portions of said future schedule information corresponding to a user-selected time period which is a subset of said future time period;
• and
• transmitting said trickle data stream at said first rate and said demand data stream at said second rate over said information network for receipt by a population of decoders.

A method for providing an interactive program guide (IPG) from data received at a decoder via an information network on which events listed in the program guide are available, comprising the steps of:

• recovering IPG trickle data from said information network at a first data rate, said trickle data comprising current schedule information for a current time period for storage in a memory of said decoder and substantially instantaneous display at any time during said current time period;
• selectively retrieving IPG demand data from said information network at a second data rate that is faster than said first data rate, said demand data being provided in pages and comprising future schedule information, each of said pages containing demand data for different future time slots for a future time period;
• receiving a user command which designates a user-selected time period which is a subset of said future time period;
• wherein said selectively retrieving step is responsive to said user command for selectively retrieving only particular ones of said pages of demand data which correspond to said user-selected time period;
• and
• storing said selectively retrieved pages of IPG demand data for display after the retrieval thereof from said information network.

An apparatus for providing an interactive program guide (IPG) from data received via an information network on which events listed in the program guide are available, comprising:

• means for providing an IPG trickle data stream at a first data rate, said trickle data stream comprising current schedule information for a current time period for communication to and storage in a decoder to enable substantially instantaneous display of portions of said current schedule information on a display coupled to the decoder;
• wherein said current schedule information is adapted to be automatically recovered and stored at said decoder without a user command to view said current schedule information;
• means for providing an IPG demand data stream at a second data rate that is faster than said first data rate, said demand data being provided in pages and comprising future schedule information of a future time period, each of said pages containing demand data for at least one different future time slot, said second data rate being chosen to enable the selective acquisition and display of portions of said future schedule information on said display within a predetermined acquisition time limit;
• wherein said portions of said future schedule information are adapted to be selectively acquired and displayed at said decoder in response to a user command to view said portions of said future schedule information;
• said portions of said future schedule information corresponding to a user-selected time period which is a subset of said future time period;
• and
• a transmitter for transmitting said trickle data stream at said first rate and said demand data stream at said second rate over said information network for receipt by a population of decoders.