# US 8,782,704 B2 · Program guide interface systems and methods > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 8,782,704 B2 - Document ID: US8782704B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 13/100,103 - Filed: 2011-05-03 - Published: 2012-11-08 - Granted: 2014-07-15 - Earliest claimed: 2011-05-03 - Assignees: Verizon Patent and Licensing Inc. - Applicants: Brian F. Roberts; Donald H. Relyea; Heath Stallings - Inventors: Brian F. Roberts; Donald H. Relyea; Heath Stallings - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US8782704B2 ## CPC - H04N 21/482: End-user interface for programme selection - G06F 3/0488: using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures - H04H 60/72: using electronic programme guides [EPG] (focusing on identifying broadcast space time H04H60/39 {; menu type display of EPG in television receivers H04N21/47}) - H04N 21/238: Interfacing the downstream path of the transmission network, e.g. adapting the transmission rate of a video stream to network bandwidth; Processing of multiplex streams {(hybrid fiber coaxial [HFC] networks for downstream channel allocation for video distribution H04L12/2801; flow control in packet networks H04L47/10; real-time communication protocols in data switching networks H04L65/00; scheduling or organising the servicing of application requests H04L67/60)} - H04N 21/41265: {having a remote control device for bidirectional communication between the remote control device and client device (unidirectional remote control device H04N21/42204)} - H04N 21/41407: {embedded in a portable device, e.g. video client on a mobile phone, PDA, laptop (constructional details of equipment or arrangements specially adapted for portable computer application G06F1/1626; arrangements specially adapted for mobile receivers in broadcast systems H04H20/57)} - H04N 21/42204: {User interfaces specially adapted for controlling a client device through a remote control device; Remote control devices therefor (constructive details of casings for the remote control device H01H9/0235; user interfaces for controlling a tuning device of a television receiver through a remote control H03J9/00; remote control of peripheral devices connected to a television receiver through the remote control device of the television receiver H04B1/205)} - H04N 21/42224: {Touch pad or touch panel provided on the remote control} - H04N 21/426: Internal components of the client {; Characteristics thereof} (H04N5/44 takes precedence) - H04N 21/47205: {for manipulating displayed content, e.g. interacting with MPEG-4 objects, editing locally} - H04N 21/4821: {using a grid, e.g. sorted out by channel and broadcast time} - H04N 21/4823: {using a channel name} - H04N 21/4826: {using recommendation lists, e.g. of programmes or channels sorted out according to their score} - H04N 21/4828: {for searching programme descriptors (retrieval of video data G06F16/739)} - H04N 21/84: Generation or processing of descriptive data, e.g. content descriptors {(systems specially adapted for using meta-information in broadcast systems H04H60/73)} - H04N: PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION - G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N) - H04H: BROADCAST COMMUNICATION (multiplex communication H04J; pictorial communication aspects of broadcast systems H04N) ## Abstract Exemplary program guide interface systems and methods are disclosed herein. An exemplary method includes a mobile device presenting a program guide interface by way of a touch screen, detecting a pinch gesture provided in relation to the program guide interface, and presenting, in response to the pinch gesture, a plurality of graphical objects representative of a plurality of media programming channel groups. Corresponding methods, systems, and devices are also disclosed. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method comprising: presenting, by a mobile device by way of a touch screen, a program guide interface comprising a listing of media programming channels organized into a vertical column and program guide information associated with each of the media programming channels, wherein the program guide information is organized into a plurality of rows, wherein each row within the plurality of rows is associated with a media programming channel within the listing of media programming channels; detecting, by the mobile device, a pinch gesture provided by a user by way of the touch screen within the vertical column; grouping, by the mobile device in response to the pinch gesture, the listing of media programming channels into a plurality of media programming channel groups including at least a media programming channel group that includes one or more media programming channels selected for inclusion in the media programming channel group based on a schedule of delivery of a particular media program on the one or more media programming channels within a predetermined time period and at least a social media channel group, the social media channel group including one or more media programming channels selected for inclusion in the social media channel group; and presenting, by the mobile device in response to the pinch gesture, a plurality of graphical objects representative of the plurality of media programming channel groups. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising: detecting, by the mobile device, a reverse pinch gesture provided by the user by way of the touch screen in relation to a particular graphical object within the plurality of graphical objects, the particular graphical object representing a particular media programming channel group within the plurality of media programming channel groups; and presenting, by the mobile device within the program guide interface and in response to the reverse pinch gesture, a listing of media programming channels from the particular media programming channel group and program guide information associated with the media programming channels from the particular media programming channel group. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the presenting the plurality of graphical objects comprises presenting the graphical objects within the program guide interface. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The method of claim 3, wherein the presenting the graphical objects within the program guide interface comprises replacing the listing of media programming channels with the plurality of graphical objects. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the presenting the plurality of graphical objects comprises presenting the graphical objects within a window overlaid onto at least a portion of the program guide interface. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the mobile device comprises at least one of a mobile phone device and a tablet computer. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein at least one additional media programming channel group included in the plurality of media programming channel groups is associated with at least one of a particular series of channel numbers, a particular genre of media content, a particular person, a particular topic, a particular type of media content, and a particular keyword. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein at least one additional media programming channel group included in the plurality of media programming channel groups is customized in accordance with one or more user-configurable parameters provided by the user. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein at least one additional media programming channel group included in the plurality of media programming channel groups is automatically generated in accordance with user profile information associated with the user. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the media programming channel group within the plurality of media programming channel groups is configured to dynamically change in accordance with the schedule of delivery of the particular media program on the one or more media programming channels. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising: detecting, by the mobile device, a reverse pinch gesture provided by the user by way of the touch screen in relation to the listing of media programming channels; and expanding, by the mobile device in response to the reverse pinch gesture, a level of detail associated with the program guide information. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The method of claim 11, wherein the expanding the level of detail does not include zooming in on a view of the program guide interface. ### Claim 13 (depends on 11) The method of claim 11, further comprising: detecting, by the mobile device, an additional pinch gesture provided in relation to the program guide interface while the program guide interface includes the expanded level of detail associated with the program guide information; and contracting, by the mobile device in response to the additional pinch gesture, the level of detail associated with the program guide information. ### Claim 14 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the mobile device is configured to operate as a companion device to a media content access device. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The method of claim 14, wherein the mobile device is configured to control one or more operations of the media content access device. ### Claim 16 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the program guide information associated with each media programming channel comprises information associated with one or more scheduled media programs. ### Claim 17 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, embodied as computer-executable instructions on at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium. ### Claim 18 A method comprising: presenting, by a mobile device by way of a touch screen, a program guide interface comprising a listing of media programming channels organized into a vertical column and program guide information associated with the media programming channels organized into a plurality of rows, wherein each row within the plurality of rows contains program guide information associated with a media programming channel included in the listing of media programming channels; detecting, by the mobile device, a vertical pinch gesture provided by a user by way of the touch screen within the vertical column; grouping, by the mobile device in response to the vertical pinch gesture, the listing of media programming channels into a plurality of media programming channel groups including at least a media programming channel group that includes one or more media programming channels selected for inclusion in the media programming channel group based on a schedule of delivery of a particular media program on the one or more media programming channels within a predetermined time period and at least a social media channel group, the social media channel group including one or more media programming channels selected for inclusion in the social media channel group; and replacing, by the mobile device in response to the vertical pinch gesture, the listing of media programming channels with a plurality of graphical objects representative of the plurality of media programming channel groups. ### Claim 19 (depends on 18) The method of claim 18, further comprising: detecting, by the mobile device, a reverse pinch gesture provided in relation to a particular graphical object within the plurality of graphical objects and representative of a particular media programming channel group within the plurality of media programming channel groups; and presenting, by the mobile device within the program guide interface and in response to the reverse pinch gesture, a listing of media programming channels from the particular media programming channel group within the vertical column and program guide information associated with the media programming channels from the particular media programming channel group within the plurality of rows. ### Claim 20 (depends on 18) The method of claim 18, embodied as computer-executable instructions on at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium. ### Claim 21 A system comprising: at least one computing device comprising: a user input facility configured to detect a pinch gesture provided by a user by way of a touch screen within a vertical column of a program guide interface displayed on the touch screen, the program guide interface comprising a listing of media programming channels organized into the vertical column and program guide information associated with the media programming channels, wherein the program guide information is organized into a plurality of rows, wherein each row within the plurality of rows is associated with a media programming channel within the listing of media programming channels; and a program guide facility communicatively coupled to the user input facility and configured to: group, in response to the vertical pinch gesture, the listing of media programming channels into a plurality of media programming channel groups including at least a media programming channel group that includes one or more media programming channels selected for inclusion in the media programming channel group based on a schedule of delivery of a particular media program on the one or more media programming channels within a predetermined time period and at least a social media channel group, the social media channel group including one or more media programming channels selected for inclusion in the social media channel group, and present, by way of the touch screen and in response to the pinch gesture, a plurality of graphical objects representative of the plurality of media programming channel groups. ### Claim 22 (depends on 21) The system of claim 21, wherein: the user input facility is further configured to detect a reverse pinch gesture provided in relation to a particular graphical object within the plurality of graphical objects and representative of a particular media programming channel group within the plurality of media programming channel groups; and the program guide facility is further configured to present, by way of the touch screen and in response to the reverse pinch gesture, a listing of media programming channels from the particular media programming channel group and program guide information associated with the media programming channels from the particular media programming channel group. ### Claim 23 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of media programming channel groups further includes a mood-based channel group, the mood-based channel group including one or more media programming channels selected for inclusion in the mood-based channel group based on an analysis of media content recently accessed by the user. ### Claim 24 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the media programming channels are selected for inclusion in the social media channel group based on at least one of social media communications of the user, social media activity, and viewership statistics. ### Claim 25 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of media programming channel groups further includes a user customized channel group, the user customized channel group including one or more media programming channels selected for inclusion in the user customized channel group based on one or more parameters designated by the user.