Interactive television program guide system having multiple devices within a household

Abstract

An interactive television program guide system based on multiple user television equipment devices in a single household is provided. The system provides a user with an opportunity to adjust program guide settings with a given one of the interactive television program guides. The system coordinates the operation of the interactive television program guides so that the program guide settings that were adjusted with the given interactive television program guide are used by the other interactive television program guides. Program guide setting include features related to setting program reminders, profiles, program recording features, messaging features, favorites features, parental control features, program guide set up features (e.g., audio and video and language settings), etc. The operation of applications such as web browser applications, home shopping applications, home banking applications, game applications, etc. may also be coordinated.

Description

[0001] This application claims the benefit of U.S. provisional patent application No. 60 / 093,292, filed Jul. 17, 1998.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0002] This invention relates to interactive television program guides, and more particularly, to techniques for providing interactive television program guide functionality on multiple devices within a household. [0003] Cable, satellite, and broadcast television systems provide viewers with a large number of television channels. Viewers have traditionally consulted printed television program schedules to determine the programs being broadcast at a particular time. More recently, interactive electronic television program guides have been developed that allow television program information to be displayed on a viewer's television. [0004] Interactive television program guides are typically implemented on set-top boxes. Such programs guides allow users to view television program listings in different display formats. For example, a user may i...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0009] These and other objects of the present invention are accomplished in accordance with the principles of the present invention by providing an interactive television program guide system for a household in which multiple interactive television program guides within the household are coordinated. In a typical system, various users in the household use various pieces of user television equipment (also called user television equipment devices). An interactive television program guide is implemented on each piece of user television equipment. Typical user television equipment may be a set-top box on which a program guide application and non-program-guide applications run, a videocassette recorder connected to the set-top box for recording television programs, and a television on which the program guide application may display various program guide display screens and the non-program-guide applications may display various non-program-guide display screens. Other suitable types of user television equipment may be based on personal computer televisions (PC / TVs) or advanced television receivers such as high-definition television (HDTV) receivers.

Problems solved by technology

However, such systems do not allow user interaction with the cable operator.

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