Patent ID: 8850488
Filing Date: 2014-09-30
Classification: H04N

Abstract:
1. A method for accessing electronic program guide (EPG) information by a media device, the method comprising: receiving an initial portion of a carousel of EPG information at the media device in at least one broadcast program content stream, wherein the carousel of EPG information describes a plurality of programs available on a plurality of program channels during a predefined period, wherein an entirety of the carousel of EPG information is periodically broadcasted in the at least one broadcast program content stream to the media device in a serial format, and wherein the received initial portion of the carousel of EPG information is associated with a time period that begins after a current time; storing the received initial portion of the carousel of EPG information in a memory of the media device as the carousel of EPG information is received; receiving an instruction to present an EPG on a display at the current time, wherein the EPG is configured to present a time period that includes information identifying programs and their associated channels that are available at the current time, and wherein the presented time period of the EPG is less than the predefined period of the carousel of EPG information; accessing the stored carousel of EPG information for the information identifying the programs and their associated channels that are available during the current time in response to receiving a request to present the EPG; determining that a current time period portion of the carousel of EPG information only for favorite program channels is not stored in the memory of the media device, wherein the current time period portion of the carousel of EPG information includes the information identifying the programs and their associated channels that are available during the current time; establishing, at the media device only if the current time period portion of the carousel of EPG information for the favorite program channels is not stored in the memory of the media device, a communication link that communicatively couples a backchannel interface of the media device and a remote EPG content system, wherein the communication link is established over a communication system; in response to establishing the communication link between the media device and the remote EPG content system at the backchannel interface, sending a first request to the remote EPG content system via the established communication link; receiving the current time period portion of the carousel of EPG information from the remote EPG content system via the established communication link for the favorite program channels, wherein the current time period portion of the carousel of EPG information includes the information identifying the programs on the favorite program channels that are available during the current time; subsequent to receiving the current time period portion of the carousel of EPG information for the favorite program channels, sending a second request to the remote EPG content system via the established communication link; and receiving, from the remote EPG content system via the established communication link, a current time period portion of the carousel of EPG information identifying programs associated with other program channels that are available during the current time, wherein the other program channels are exclusive of the favorite program channels.