Thomson Licensing

Thomson Licensing S.a.

Interdigital Ce Patent Holdings

Carolynn Rae Johnson

Mark Gilmore Mears

Scott Allan Kendall

Darrel Wayne Randall

Valerie Sacrez Liebhold

Benoit Pol Menez

Wanda Green Thompson

Chunzhi Wang

Eric Scott Roberts

Mark Joseph Lampe

Marc Aaron Kiefer

Jeffrey Loren Brentlinger

A method for enabling channel selection for an electronic apparatus such as a television signal receiver is performed via a user input device having a key capable of being rotated and pressed. According to an exemplary embodiment, the method includes enabling selection of a plurality of channel numbers to form a group, enabling a first one of the channel numbers to be selected as a initial channel number in response to the selection of the plurality of channel numbers in the group, enabling display of the initial channel number, enabling display of a second one of the channel numbers that is larger than the initial channel number if the key is rotated in a first direction, enabling display of a third one of the channel numbers that is smaller than the initial channel number if the key is rotated in a second direction, and tuning to one of the initial channel number, the second channel number and the third channel number responsive to depression of the key.

Method and apparatus for enabling channel selection

A system and method for processing user programming request are described. A request entered by a user is detected. An entry for a time period based user spending limit is provided, in respond to the entered user request. The time period based user spending limit entry is received by the system and system tracks the user spending during the time period. In another embodiment, more than one spending limit, corresponding to different time periods, may be entered.

Control spending based on time period

A method for assisting a user in selecting a program for viewing or listening comprising periodically receiving and storing electronic program guide information comprising records for forthcoming programs, the records having a plurality of fields; receiving a user selected text string and one more user selected fields; searching the program guide information for records having the user selected text string in one or more of the user selected fields; and displaying a list of the forthcoming programs corresponding to the matching records. This invention allows for more efficient and reliable searches of an electronic program guide for user desired programming.

Method for searching of an electronic program guide

A television program selection system and method for selecting television programs for viewing or recording utilizing a guide schedule list which is received from a cable or satellite broadcaster for example, and comprises characteristics such as topic-theme, relevancy, and broadcast time data. The user can select a time period and optionally in addition a selection mode, which corresponds to one of the alternative algorithms used to sort the programs in the schedule and generate a list of suggested television programs to be displayed for the user to select a program. The default selection mode can use a conventional selection algorithm, and the optional selection mode can eliminate all programs which have any characteristics having a zero weighting.

Television program selection apparatus and method

A system and a method for processing program guide information are presented. Electronic program guide information is received and stored. A first search criterion from a user for a first type of search is received. The program guide information is searched to find one or more records matching the first type of search. A user instruction is received to convert the first search criterion to a second search criterion for use with a second type of search. The first search criterion is converted for use with the second type of search.

System and method for simplifying different types of searches in electronic program guide

A method and a system for accessing recorded video programming, which can be displayed while the programming is being recorded to a storage medium (). Program information can be automatically stored in a memory location. The program information can be determined by accessing an on-line program guide and monitoring a user video channel selection. The program information can include a program identifier () and a recording time (). At least a portion of the program information can be displayed in a time-line () and sub-divided into a plurality of time increments (). Responsive to a user input, playback of a portion of the programming corresponding to a user selection can begin. The user selection can be a selected portion of the program information that has been marked by the user. The user selection also can be identified by a recording time, which can include a start time and a stop time.

Navigating to a particular program or specific time increment in a personal video recorder

There is provided an error notification method for a hand-held device that is capable of syncing with a network. A change request form is generated that specifies a user-identified potential error in a document that is being displayed on the hand-held device. The change request form is transmitted to an Administrator of the document.

Change request form annotation

A system and method for processing program guide information are described. A user processing request information is selected or entered by the user. This allows the user, for example, to request the system to suggest a program, or to perform a search of the program guide information based on user-entered information. The program guide information is then processed based on the entered user processing request information. The processed result is then displayed in a dedicated channel.

Dedicated channel for displaying programs

There is provided a password manager for a hand-held device. The hand-held device is included in a system managed by an administrator and having a server and a network. The network is for synchronizing the hand-held device and the server. An input device receives a user input that indicates that a user of the hand-held device has forgotten an established password for the hand-held device. A notification module automatically transmits a notification of forgotten password to the administrator in response to the user input.

Hand-held device forgotten password notification

There is provided a method for managing time-values of time-based navigation functions in a video recording system. A user input is received that specifies a re-programmed time-value for a time-based navigation function. The re-programmed time-value is stored for future use with the time-based navigation function.

Growing community of inventors

Indianapolis, IN, United States of America

Carolynn Rae Johnson