US 20030204846A1 (19) United States (12) Patent Application Publication (10) Pub. No.: US 2003/0204846A1 Breen et al. (43) Pub. Date: Oct. 30, 2003 (54) ACCESSING TELEVISION SERVICES Publication Classification (76) Inventors: George Edward Breen, Wyncote, PA (51) Int. Cl. ................................................. H04N 5/445 (US); Stephen Jay Kraiman, Warrington, PA (US) (52) U.S. Cl. ................................................................ 725/39 Correspondence Address: FISH & RICHARDSON PC 225 FRANKLIN ST (57) ABSTRACT BOSTON, MA 02110 (US) A television System allows viewers to acceSS a number of (21) Appl. No.: 10/137,995 different groups of television content, or “Service aggre (22) Filed: May 3, 2002 gates.” A portal interface for each group provides a direct means for the viewer to navigate between members of a Related U.S. Application Data Service aggregate, without necessarily having to accesses a global program guide for the television System. The groups (60) Provisional application No. 60/376,192, filed on Apr. of television content can be formed from various criteria 29, 2002. including forming the groups based on busineSS rules. 30 10 Discovery Network Logo Other Discovery Networks - Previous Episodes Other Discovery Shows Patent Application Publication Oct. 30, 2003 Sheet 1 of 47 US 2003/0204846A1 30 10 Discovery Network Logo Other Discovery Networks Previous Episodes Other Discovery Shows FIG 1. Patent Application Publication Oct. 30, 2003 Sheet 2 of 47 US 2003/0204846A1 Logo or brand rate 40a 20 ategory, program or channel 50a ategory, program or channel 50b ategory, program or channel 50c 60 Logo or brand rate 40b FIG 2 Patent Application Publication Oct. 30, 2003 Sheet 3 of 47 US 2003/0204846A1 70a Discovery Networks logo Discovery leath Tune Discovery Health Discovery School > -- Tune Discovery School Travel Channel > -- 20 discovery Networks Discovery logo Networks logo other discovery Discovery Networks logo - Deadly Bugs Previous episodes Aggregate 2 Natures on-ther PrimatesBabies: Match on-demand 50c Discovery N Cheetahs Natch on-demand-e- 60 Discovery Networks Watch on-demand logo 40b Discovery Y logo Would You Believe it? Aggregate 1 - E. Aggregate 3 on he inside ogo cues for the Giant Squid Watch on-demand - Allosaurus: A Walking. Watch on-demandu H Dwarf Standing Tall Watch on-demandu Sci-Trek logo Aggregate 4 Sci-Trek logo Aggregate 5 FIG. 3 Patent Application Publication Oct. 30, 2003 Sheet 4 of 47 US 2003/0204846A1 39 M 1. O 3O iss BSA.de/no RA SW fre loS s C . R - Patent Application Publication Oct. 30, 2003 Sheet 5 of 47 US 2003/0204846 A1 130N / 140 On Screen 150 Video Display Decoder & Opt. Video Scaler ally Programa 170 100 - is 60 R Receiver & Font Panel Buttons 180 Cable Television Set Top Box 110 a To Remote Control FIG. 5 Patent Application Publication Oct. 30, 2003 Sheet 6 of 47 US 2003/0204846A1 200 Activation button pressed 230 menu for this progra no, do nothing 250 menu for this channel Present menu for this program Present men for this channel F.G. 6 Patent Application Publication Oct. 30, 2003 Sheet 7 of 47 US 2003/0204846A1 310 start 300 Button Was a yes Category 330 no Display menu for the category Button Was a yes O Present Service yes Button Was exit 370 360 no, do nothing Remove menu 380 340 FIG. 7 Patent Application Publication Oct. 30, 2003 Sheet 8 of 47 US 2003/0204846A1 FIG. 8 Patent Application Publication Oct. 30, 2003 Sheet 9 of 47 US 2003/0204846A1 FIG. 9 Patent Application Publication Oct. 30, 2003 Sheet 10 of 47 US 2003/0204846A1 FIG. O. Patent Application Publication Oct. 30, 2003 Sheet 11 of 47 US 2003/0204846A1 FIG 11 Patent Application Publication Oct. 30, 2003 Sheet 12 of 47 US 2003/0204846A1 FIG. 2 Patent Application Publication Oct. 30, 2003 Sheet 13 of 47 US 2003/0204846A1 MAINMENU SELECTION SCRIPT - HOMEXS This function presents the appropriate menu based upon the currently tunes channel. VH1 MENUS - DEMO1XS function main () var it; CHANNEL 1 = 250; START CHANNEL = tune () ; if (START CHANNEL == CHANNEL 1) { it = fetchScript ("demol"); it () ; else { fetchScript ("demo2") ; it () FIG 13(a) - Patent Application Publication Oct. 30, 2003 Sheet 14 of 47 US 2003/0204846A1 VH1 MENUS - DEMOXS XScript for VH1 Menus function SetArrows (parent) { var it; var i ; // hide/show arrows for scrolling // up arrow if (parent. page == 0) it = parent. uparrow; it. x = (704); it. visible = 0; = parent. uparrow; ... x = (68) ; . Visible = 1; //down arrow if (parent. num items - parent. page parent. num buttons <= parent. num buttons) = parent. downarrow; ... x = (704) ; ... visible = 0; = parent. Clownarrow; ... x = (68) ; . Visible = 1; function ShowSubMenu (y) var i ; var it; FIG 13(b) - I Patent Application Publication Oct. 30, 2003 Sheet 15 of 47 US 2003/0204846A1 submenu. y = y; submenu. num buttons) = submenu. child (i) ; ... x = 6; //decorative lines it = it. child () ; it.y O; it. X it. next () ; = submenu. height - 2; = i + 1 ; hide menu arrows = menu . child (O) ; ... x = (704) ; . Visible = 0; = menu. child ( (4) ... x = (7 O4); . Visible = 0; = submenu. child (O) ; ... focus () ; function SubMenuBlur ( ) war it; if (this. parent () == submenu) { submenu. y = (480); it of menu. linky; it. y = (480); FIG 13(b) - Z. Patent Application Publication Oct. 30, 2003 Sheet 16 of 47 US 2003/0204846A1 it = menu. child (cur menu.); while (submenu. nuIn items > 0) { deque. pop bottom (); submenu.num items = submenu. num items submenu. page = 0; SetArrows (menu) ; it. focus (); function SubMenu (which) { var i ; var it; if ( (4) > which & & which >= 0 ) { cur menu = which; // set left arrow to point to sub-menu 1 arrow. y = (144) + (which - 1) * (40); it = menu. child (which); it = it. child (4) ; alert (it. value) ; if (it. value == "Storytellers") { deque. push bottom ("Joel, Billy"); deque. push bottom ("Jewel"); deque. push bottom ("Idol, Billy"); deque. push bottom ("Henley, Don"); - deque. push bottom ("Fogerty, John") ; deque. push bottom ("Eurythmics") ; deque. push bottom ("ELO"); deque. push bottom ("Duran Duran"); deque. push bottom ("Doors, The") ; deque. push bottom ("Def Leppard") ; FIG 13(b)-3 Patent Application Publication Oct. 30, 2003 Sheet 17 of 47 US 2003/0204846A1 deque. push bottom ("CSNY"); deque. push bottom ("Costello, Elvis") ; deque. push bottom ("Brooks, Garth"); deque. push bottom ("Bowie, David"); deque. push bottom ("Bon Jovi") ; deque. push bottom ("Best of..."); deque. push bottom ("Bee Gees"); deque. push bottom ("Amos, Tori"); submenu. num items = 18; } else if (it. value == "Behind The Music") { deque. push bottom ("Diamond, Neil") ; deque. push bottom ("Depeche Mode") ; deque. push bottom ("Denver, John"); deque. push bottom ("Def Leppard") ; deque. push bottom ("Cult, The") ; deque. push bottom ("Crow, Cheryl"); deque. push bottom ("Crosby, David") ; deque. push bottom ("Creed"); deque. push bottom ("Chicago"); deque. push bottom ("Cher"); deque. push bottom ("Carpenters"); deque. push bottom ("Bon Jovi"); deque. push bottom ("Blues Traveler"); deque. push bottom ("Blind Melon"); deque. push bottom ("Black Crowes") ; deque. push bottom ("Barenaked Ladies"); deque. push bottom ("Bad Company") ; deque. push bottom ("Anthrax"); deque. push bottom ("AC/DC"); submenu. num items = 19; } else if (it. value == "Pop-Up Video") { de gue. push bottom ("Women of Rock") ; FIG 13(b) - 4/ Patent Application Publication Oct. 30, 2003 Sheet 18 of 47 US 2003/0204846A1 deque. push bottom ("Teenage Wasteland") ; deque. push bottom ("Star Power") ; deque. push bottom ("Madonna"); deque. push bottom ("Jailhouse Rock") ; deque. push bottom ("Boy Bands"); deque. push bottom ("80's Hair Bands"); submenu. nun items 7; else // if (it. value == "Video Packages") { deque. push bottom ("Women of Rock") ; deque. push bottom ("Rap"); deque. push bottom ("R & B"); deque. push bottom ("Modern Pop") ; deque. push bottom ("Hard Rock") ; deque. push bottom ("Guitar Greats"); deque. push bottom ("Dance") ; deque. push bottom ("Country Hits"); deque. push bottom ("Classic Rock") ; deque. push bottom ("Boy Bands") ; deque. push bottom ("90's Metal"); deque. push bottom ("90's Grunge") ; deque. push bottom ("80's Pop Rock") ; deque. push bottom ("80's Hair Bands"); deque. push bottom ("80's Alternative"); submenu. num items = 15; i = 0; // update text for sub menu buttons while ( i < submenu. num buttons) it = submenu. child (i) ; if (i < submenu. num items) show button ... visible = 1; ... x = (16); draw appropriate text - it. child (4) ; value = deque. peek bottom (i) ; FIG 13(b) - a Patent Application Publication Oct. 30, 2003 Sheet 19 of 47 US 2003/0204846A1 else // hide button it. Visible = 0; it. x = (704) ; // move submenu region into View it = menu. child (which); ShowSubMenu (it. y-85); Set Arrows (submenu) ; function MoveHillite (left, top, width, height) { var it; hillite. x = left - (3) ; hillite. y = top - (3) ; hillite. width = width + 6; hillite. height = height + 6; // top it = hillite. child () ; it. width = hillite. Width; A/left it s it. next () ; it. height = hillite. height - 6; //bottom it - it. next () ; it. y = hillite. height - (3) ; it. width = hillite. width; //right it = it. next () ; it. x = hillite. width - (3) ; it. height = hillite. height - 6; function Arrow Blur () FIG 13(b) - (2 Patent Application Publication Oct. 30, 2003 Sheet 20 of 47 US 2003/0204846A1 if (this parent () == menu) this. Clut = fetchClut ("arrow") ; } else if (this parent () == submenu) { this. clut = fetchClut ("arrow 2"); function Arrow Focus ( ) { Move Hillite