Other

News America Publications, Inc.

United Video Properties, Inc.

Paul Darata

Bruce L Davis

Bruce R Davis

William L Thomas

Edward Bruce Knudson

Larry J Miller

Larry R Miller

Michael D Morris

Michael C Morris

David W Gustafson

Dennis Tenney

Mitchell S Gorman

Jonathan S Zucker

John H Dasch

Michele S Schwartz

Debbie Collins

John Harry Dasch

Jonathan Seth Zucker

A data management and distribution system for an electronic program guide ('EPG') for television programs comprising an automated data collection subsystem, a manual entry and correction subsystem, a database validation subsystem, an edition generation subsystem, a configuration subsystem, and a status and control subsystem. The system may further comprise a feed generation subsystem if one or more of the EPG providers supported by the EPG distributor requires a live feed of data. The automated data collection subsystem collects EPG data from multiple sources in various formats, filters the data based on the needs of the EPG providers supported, and places the data in a centralized database in a form suitable to support the different environmental contexts of the EPG providers. The manual entry and correction subsystem permits the EPG distributor to make manual corrections, additions, and deletions to the data stored in the database. The database validation subsystem verifies the data stored in the database in accordance with designated verification options. The edition generation subsystem generates the different editions of the EPG for the different EPG providers supported by the EPG distributor. The configuration subsystem receives information from the various EPG providers and furnishes this information to the other subsystems which utilize the information in performing their respective tasks. The status and control subsystem monitors the operation of the data management and distribution system as a whole. The various feeds and editions are then transmitted to the EPG providers by, e.g., satellite, wire, cable, etc. The EPG providers receive the feeds and editions and use them provide one or both of a dedicated channel EPG and interactive EPG to subscribers.

Data management and distribution system and method for an electronic

An electronic program schedule system having virtual channels which includes a receiver for receiving broadcast, satellite or cablecast television programs for a plurality of television channels and a tuner for tuning a television receiver to a selected one of the plurality of channels. A data processor receives and stores in a memory television program schedule information for a plurality of television programs to appear on the plurality of television channels. A user control apparatus, such as a remote controller, is utilized by a viewer to choose user control commands and transmit signals in response to the data processor which receives the signals in response to user control commands. A television receiver is used to display the television programs and virtual channel programming. A video display generator receives video control commands from the data processor and generates and displays a plurality of virtual channels, each virtual channel being accessible as a channel and associated with a service delivered on a subset of the channels.

Electronic television program guide schedule system and method including

The system and method of the present invention provides for automated checking of the program listings data in a database of television program schedule listings used in an electronic program guide ('EPG'). The integrity of the program listings data is verified prior to transmission of the data to a cable or other pay television system (or prior to transmission to viewers). The verification system may be used to check the entire database or a user-defined subset of the database for one or more of the following: missing stations, schedule gaps and overlaps, missing titles, missing copy, missing fields, missing movie ratings, lengthy titles, lengthy copy, editorial errors, and inappropriate language. In this manner, the EPG provider ensures the integrity of the EPG data and substantially reduces the time required to manually check all of the data in the program listings database. The verification system may be easily integrated with other processing steps performed on the EPG data prior to being transmitted to cable and multi-system operators.

System and method for verification of electronic television program

Growing community of inventors

Littleton, CO, United States of America

Paul Darata