Electronic program guide for indicating availability of past programs in the future

A non-transitory computer readable medium for providing an electronic program guide, the computer readable medium encoded with computer executable instructions for:

• receiving a set of program listings each corresponding to a single broadcast of one of a plurality of programs;
• receiving a user input selecting a time period prior to a current time;
• generating a display in response to receiving the user input that includes from the set of received program listings, a plurality of program listings corresponding to past broadcasts within the selected time period that is prior to the current time, wherein each of the plurality of program listings corresponds to a past broadcast of a different one of the plurality of programs;
• determining, without user intervention, for each listing of the plurality of program listings within the generated display, whether said listing corresponds to a past broadcast of a program that is scheduled to be broadcast again at a future time;
• and
• visually distinguishing, in response to the user input, each of the program listings within the generated display determined to correspond to past broadcasts of programs that are scheduled to be broadcast again at a future time from the program listings within the generated display determined to correspond to past broadcasts of programs that are not scheduled to be broadcast again at a future time, wherein the visually distinguished program listings are displayed together with the program listings that are not visually distinguished within the generated display.

A method for providing an electronic program guide on user television equipment, the method comprising:

• receiving a set of program listings each corresponding to a single broadcast of one of a plurality of programs;
• receiving a user input selecting a time period prior to a current time;
• generating a display in response to receiving the user input that includes from the set of received program listings, a plurality of program listings corresponding to past broadcasts within the selected time period that is prior to the current time, wherein each of the plurality of program listings corresponds to a past broadcast of a different one of the plurality of programs;
• determining with the program guide, and without user intervention, for each listing of the plurality of program listings within the generated display, whether said listing corresponds to a past broadcast of a program that is scheduled to be broadcast again at a future time;
• and
• visually distinguishing, in response to the user input, each of the program listings within the generated display determined to correspond to past broadcasts of programs that are scheduled to be broadcast again at a future time from the program listings within the generated display determined to correspond to past broadcasts of programs that are not scheduled to be broadcast again at a future time, using the program guide, wherein the visually distinguished program listings are displayed together with the program listings that are not visually distinguished within the generated display.

A system for providing an electronic program guide comprising:

• means for receiving a set of program listings each corresponding to a single broadcast of one of a plurality of programs;
• means for receiving a user input selecting a time period prior to a current time;
• means for generating a display in response to receiving the user input that includes from the set of received program listings, a plurality of program listings corresponding to past broadcasts within the selected time period that is prior to the current time, wherein each of the plurality of program listings corresponds to a past broadcast of a different one of the plurality of programs;
• means for determining, without user intervention, for each listing of the plurality of program listings within the generated display, whether said listing corresponds to a past broadcast of a program that is scheduled to be broadcast again at a future time;
• means for receiving a second user input selecting a record function or a watch function associated with a selected one of the plurality of program listings within the generated display;
• and
• means for activating the selected function upon determining that the selected program listing corresponds to a past broadcast of a program that is scheduled to be broadcast again at a future time.

A method for providing an electronic program guide on user television equipment, the method comprising:

• receiving a set of program listings each corresponding to a single broadcast of one of a plurality of programs;
• receiving a user input selecting a time period prior to a current time;
• generating a display in response to receiving the user input that includes from the set of received program listings, a plurality of program listings corresponding to past broadcasts within the selected time period that is prior to the current time, wherein each of the plurality of program listings corresponds to a past broadcast of a different one of the plurality of programs;
• determining with the program guide, and without user intervention, for each listing of the plurality of program listings within the generated display, whether said listing corresponds to a past broadcast of a program that is scheduled to be broadcast again at a future time;
• receiving, with a user input device, a second user input selecting a record function or a watch function associated with a selected one of the plurality of program listings within the generated display;
• and
• activating the selected function upon determining that the selected program listing corresponds to a past broadcast of a program that is scheduled to be broadcast again at a future time.

A non-transitory computer readable medium for providing an electronic program guide, the computer readable medium encoded with computer executable instructions for:

• receiving a set of program listings each corresponding to a single broadcast of one of a plurality of programs;
• receiving a user input selecting a time period prior to a current time;
• generating a display in response to receiving the user input that includes from the set of received program listings, a plurality of program listings corresponding to past broadcasts within the selected time period that is prior to the current time, wherein each of the plurality of program listings corresponds to a past broadcast of a different one of the plurality of programs;
• determining, without user intervention, for each listing of the plurality of program listings within the generated display, whether said listing corresponds to a past broadcast of a program that is scheduled to be broadcast again at a future time;
• receiving a second user input selecting a record function or a watch function associated with a selected one of the plurality of program listings within the generated display;
• and
• activating the selected function upon determining that the selected program listing corresponds to a past broadcast of a program that is scheduled to be broadcast again at a future time.

A method for providing an electronic program guide on user equipment, the method comprising:

• receiving a plurality of program listings each associated with a time interval during which a program associated with the program listing is broadcast;
• receiving a user request to display program information for a time period prior to a current time;
• identifying which of the plurality of program listings to display for the requested time period based on whether the time interval associated with each of the plurality of program listings falls within the requested time period;
• generating a display in response to receiving the user request, the identified program listings that indicates the requested time period, wherein each of the identified program listings includes a program title of the associated program and indicates a duration of the associated time interval;
• searching program listings information to determine, without user intervention, for each listing of the displayed program listings, whether said listing is scheduled to be rebroadcast again at a future time;
• and
• in response to the user request, providing information related to future broadcasts using the displayed program listings associated with programs that are scheduled to be rebroadcast again at a future time.