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System for processing program informationRelated Patent Categories: Interactive Video Distribution Systems, Operator Interface, To Facilitate Tuning Or Selection Of Video Signal, Electronic Program GuideSystem for processing program information description/claimsThe Patent Description & Claims data below is from USPTO Patent Application 20070277198, System for processing program information. Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0001] 1. Field of the Invention [0002] The present invention relates to a system for processing program information capable of efficiently displaying program information to audience. [0003] 2. Description of the Prior Art [0004] In recent years, programs and image information are broadcast and transmitted through a large number of channels because of the spread and progress of satellite broadcasting, satellite communication and so on. In the case of sending information of such a program or the like, that is, program information (program guide) to audience, because of the large number of the channels, of course, the number of frames of a program table also becomes large. There are various proposals for sending or displaying easily to understand and efficiently this program table to the audience. As such a prior art, for instance, there is a program information processor (display device) shown in the Japanese Patent Laid Open No. 83888/1997. This program information processor includes first memory means for storing program information, second memory means for storing designation information for a program retrieval input by an audience, retrieving means for retrieving a program in program information on the basis of designation information, program construction control means for constructing a program table based on the retrieval result and displaying it, and program selection means in which the audience selects a program from the program table. When the audience inputs designation information, a program meeting the condition of the designation information is retrieved from large quantities of program information to make the program table. Designation information called in this prior art includes, for instance, the present time, established charge information and information of a viewed program. As an instance, when the present time is input as designation information, a program capable of being broadcast at present is retrieved. As another instance, when information of the viewed program is input as designation information, a program which has not been retrieved is retrieved. Of course, plural items of designation information can be input in one operation. As the program table made as a result of the retrieval, a table in which various channels are arranged along the vertical axis and time slots are shown along the horizontal axis as described in the above official gazette, is provided. As a matter of course, the relationship between the vertical and horizontal axes may be reversed. It is also possible that the time slots are arranged along the vertical axis and the various channels are shown along the horizontal axis as a program table carried on a general newspaper even at present. [0005] However, in such a prior art program information processor, because a program based on the condition of designation information is retrieved by inputting various pieces of designation information and a program is focused in accordance with the taste or demand of the audience, there is the advantage that the audience as a user becomes easy to select a program, but the program table made by this program information processor has merely the two-dimensional display construction in which two attributes of channel and time slot are used as two axes of the vertical axis and the horizontal axis as described above. After all, it is a table of merely deleting or culling programs needless to select, from a program table generally used so far. Because of this, under the condition that the number of channels is about to become 100 or more as recent satellite broadcasting, if the program table as shown above is made, the two-dimensionally displayed program table itself occupies an extremely large area and the audience cannot look everywhere when searching a program or has need of a huge time for searching the program. Furthermore, if the whole program table is displayed as the program table itself though a program in a specific time zone is to be searched, there is the defect that it is hard to search the aimed program because program columns of other time zones catch his eye. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION [0006] The present invention is made in view of such a prior art problem and its object is to provide a system for processing program information in which the display structure of a program table can freely be changed in accordance with a requirement or a taste of an audience. [0007] For attaining the above object, the present invention has the gist that a system for processing program information has a construction comprising program information storage means for storing program information, and program table display means for two-dimensionally displaying a program table following two axes in accordance with two attributes among attributes given to each piece of program information, and the program table two-dimensionally displaying programs by using the attributes at will as two axes, is made. [0008] For the purpose that an audience can determine the two-axes attributes at will, the system further comprises attribute input means through which the two-axes attributes used for two-dimensionally displaying the program table are input, and program table making means for retrieving program information in program information stored in the program information storage means on the basis of said input attributes to make the program table, and the program table display means can display the program table from the program table making means. By this manner, the program table making means retrieves program information stored in the program information storage means and can also have the function of classifying the above program information. [0009] By this construction, although a conventional program table has merely the table structure in which time slots are arranged along the vertical axis and various channels are arranged along the horizontal axis, the program table having a free structure without being fixed to that can be displayed and the freeness of grasping and selecting a program for the audience increases. [0010] The invention set forth in claim 1 is that a system for processing program information comprises program information storage means for storing program information, and program table display means for two-dimensionally displaying a program table following two axes in accordance with two attributes among attributes given to each piece of program information, and has the operation that the program table in accordance with a taste or a requirement of a user by arbitrarily establishing the two-axes attributes, is displayed and a program retrieval can easily and rapidly be carried out. [0011] The invention set forth in claim 2 is that a system for processing program information according to claim 1, further comprises attribute input means through which the two-axes attributes used for two-dimensionally displaying the program table are input, and program table making means for retrieving program information in program information stored in the program information storage means on the basis of said input attributes to make the program table, and has the operation that the user can select and determine the program table having a formation suiting his taste by inputting the two-axes attributes through the attribute input means and the program table display means display the program table from the program table making means. [0012] The invention set forth in claim 3 is that, in a system for processing program information according to claim 2, the program table making means has the functions of retrieving program information stored in the program information storage means and classifying said program information. [0013] The invention set forth in claim 4 is that, in a system for processing program information according to claim 2, another attribute is selected in addition to the two-axes attributes of the program table to change over the display. [0014] The invention set forth in claim 5 is that, in a system for processing program information according to claim 2, the display is performed at the condition of culling a portion needless to be displayed when displaying the program table. [0015] The invention set forth in claim 6 is that, in a system for processing program information according to claim 5, the original program table is restored when displaying the program table. [0016] The invention set forth in claim 7 is that, in a system for processing program information according to claim 2, an attribute relative to the program is selected to change over the display. [0017] The invention set forth in claim 8 is that, in a system for processing program information according to claim 2, a new attribute can be added to and an attribute can be deleted from the program table in accordance with a selection of the attribute by a user or an input from another system. [0018] The invention set forth in claim 9 is that, in a system for processing program information according to claim 2, information registered by a user is designated as an attribute of the program table. [0019] The invention set forth in claim 10 is that, in a system for processing program information according to claim 2, when there are plural programs in a same time zone, they are displayed one upon another as they are shifted rearward little by little, and displayed at the front one by one, and has the operation that they can be used for a program check of the same time zone without expanding the display area. [0020] The invention set forth in claim 11 is that, in a system for processing program information according to claim 2, three-axes attributes of the program table are selected by a user to display information as a three-dimensional shape. [0021] The invention set forth in claim 12 is that, in a system for processing program information according to claim 2, the attributive structure of a word relative to an attribute of the program table can be extracted from program information. [0022] The invention set forth in claim 13 is that, in a system for processing program information according to claim 2, an outline so far, pictures or sounds of a program can be stored to display and play back them. Continue reading about System for processing program information... Full patent description for System for processing program information Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims Click on the above for other options relating to this System for processing program information patent application. ###  How KEYWORD MONITOR works... a FREE service from FreshPatents1. Sign up (takes 30 seconds). 2. Fill in the keywords to be monitored. 3. Each week you receive an email with patent applications related to your keywords. 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