Fernsehprogrammsystem

摘要

„1. A method for allowing a user to select favorite channels in an electronic television program guide, the method comprising: providing a display (116) of a plurality of cells (124) representing a corresponding plurality of channels available for viewing by the user, wherein each cell.comprises a channel number and a television program service name for a particular channel of the plurality of channels; allowing the user to use the display to select a channel among the plurality of channels; changing a status of said selected channel to that of a favorite channel in response to the user selection; displaying in cells corresponding to the favorite channels a visual color-coded indication that the selected channels are favorite channels; and providing television program guide information for the subset of channels having said favorite status in response to a user indication to view the television program guide information; wherein said television program guide information is displayed in an array of irregular cells (26) which vary in length, corresponding to different television program length, wherein behind every array (24) of irregular cells (26) is an underlying array of regular cells, wherein cursor movement is restricted to the regular cells, wherein the entire irregular cell is highlighted by the cursor in form of a conventional offset shadow (34). 4. A system for allowing a user to select favorite channels in an electronic television program guide, the system comprising: means for providing a display (116) of a plurality of cells (124) representing a corresponding plurality of channels available for viewing by the user, wherein each cell comprises a channel number and a television program service name for a particular channel of the plurality of channels; means for allowing the user to use the display to select a channel among the plurality of channels; means for changing a status of said selected channel to that of a favorite channel in response to the user selection; means for displaying in cells corresponding to the favorite channels a visual color-coded indication that the selected channels are favorite channels; and means providing television program guide information for the subset of channels having said favorite status in response to a user indication to view the television program ...