Personal Television Schedule Service

Personal Television Schedule Service

      Disclosed is a simple, interactive method for a television
viewer to specify a personal Television (TV) viewing schedule.  It
presents the viewer with a schedule similar to the TV listings
published in magazines and newspapers.  The viewer can use his remote
control to alter the contents and times of the standard broadcast
programming to suit his tastes and needs.  He can also order movies
or other interactive programming to fill various time slots.  The
programming delivered to his home will reflect the schedule he
constructs for himself.  Television programming has come a long way
from the single  channel, black-and-white broadcast.  Current
programming offers a plethora of channels to satisfy the
entertainment, news, cultural, and  educational needs of a diverse
population all through the power of broadcast program material.
However, with so many choices, it is inevitable that at times, the
favorite programs of a viewer are on different channels at the same
time.  Furthermore, even when programs do not overlap, they may be
broadcast at inconvenient times.

      The Video Cassette Recorder (VCR) was touted as the cure to
this problem as it would allow taping and viewing of broadcast
material at later times.  However, the VCR turned out to be difficult
to program.  The inability of many people to successfully program
their VCRs is often cited in a humorous context but is nevertheless
substantiated with statistical data.  Thus, today's VCR is mostly
relegated to the viewing of prerecorded movies.

To summarize:
  o  Broadcast TV schedules are too rigid.
  o  Programming a VCR is difficult.

      This invention provides a solution to both of these
problems.  The solution involves a service, maybe offered by a cable
company, that allows a viewer to establish his own TV viewing
schedule, obviating the need to record favorite broadcasts.  Using a
graphical user interface, a viewer may browse all the available TV
programs (past, present and future), select programs he wants to
watch, and establish his own personal schedule either for that day or
future dates.  He may also add a program, delete a program, or move a
program to a more suitable time.

There will be no need for a TV guide, and no need to conform to the
network schedule.  There will be no schedule conflict or overlap of
favorite TV programs, and there will be no need to program a VCR.

      This invention is different from what is offered in
video-on-demand.  With video-on-demand, the video-on-demand
subscriber must select viewing material for immediate viewing.  The
video-on-demand concept does not include the notion of arranging
programming and viewing this re-arranged program at all times.  With
this invention, the viewer still uses the familiar broadcast TV
metaphor while customizing his viewing schedule.  The schedule still
includes material  such as news items, but at a time that is more
convenie...