Integrated content guide for interactive selection of content and services on personal computer systems with multiple sources and multiple media presentation
AssigneeHewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
InventorsJohn P. Stautner, Richard J. Lawson, Brian V. Belmont
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A integrated content guide for multiple sources is provided with hyper-text type links to allow for the selection of various programs. The hyper-text links are provided for a transmitted and then stored digital bit stream. This allows for the embedding within the content guide what could be additional commercial information. The embedding may also be as to additional information for other related television or radio shows or the like. Information can be additional television shows, related information or activities on on-line services or automatic telephone ordering of products or services being displayed.
Claims20
A method for the display of a content selection guide comprising the steps of:
- acquiring content selection information on a user computer system from a plurality of diverse content sources, the content selection information comprising descriptive information associated with the plurality of diverse content sources, the content selection information for selecting content from the plurality of diverse content sources for display on the user computer system;
- integrating the content selection information into a visual display of selectable content;
- defining a plurality of selectable guide cells within the visual display, each guide cell of the plurality of guide cells indicating a content from one of tee plurality of diverse content sources, the visual guide adapted to display the content upon selection of the guide cell;
- associating an action other than display of the content with a selectable portion of a guide cell of the plurality of guide cells, the action contextually relevant to the guide cell of the plurality of guide cells, the action having a type;
- indicating the type of the associated action;
- and
- performing the associated action responsive to selection by a user of the selectable portion of the guide cell of the plurality of guide cells.
A computer system for the display of a selection guide for a plurality of diverse content sources of information, comprising:
- a processor;
- a display coupled to the processor;
- and
- a storage medium coupled to the processor containing software, the software comprising:
- code to acquire content selection information from the plurality of diverse content sources, the content selection information comprising descriptive information associated with the plurality of diverse content sources, the content selection information for selecting content from the plurality of diverse content sources for display on the user computer system;
- code to integrate the content selection information into a visual display, the visual display comprising:
- a plurality of guide cells;
- code for embedding an icon within a guide cell of the plurality of guide cells, the icon associated with an executable function;
- a plurality of prestored and preselected schemes;
- and
- code for reformatting the plurality of guide cells based on a user input according to one of die plurality of prestored and preselected schemes.
A method of displaying a selection guide for a plurality of diverse content sources of information, the method of comprising the steps of:
- acquiring content selection information on a user computer system from the plurality of diverse content sources, the content selection information comprising descriptive information associated with the plurality of diverse content sources, the content selection information for selecting content from the plurality of diverse content sources for display on the user computer system;
- displaying the content selection information integrated into a plurality of guide cells in a visual display;
- embedding an icon with one of the plurality of guide cells;
- associating an executable function with the icon;
- prestoring a plurality of preselected formatting schemes for the guide cells;
- selecting one of the plurality of preselected formatting schemes based on an user input;
- and
- reformatting guide cells according to the selected formatting scheme.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.