Patent ID: 7073187
Filing Date: 2006-07-04
Classification: H04N

Abstract:
1. A method for providing programming in a television delivery system, comprising: packaging the programming at a television delivery center, wherein the packaging includes at least one program; generating menu information related to the programming packaging, wherein the menu information include menu data for interactive services and data services, wherein the menu information is generated automatically by an operations center by analyzing the programming packaging using a heuristic thereby filtering and indexing the programming for display, and wherein the programming is filtered into a database containing program names and indexed by a number of times each program is purchased; transmitting the menu data for the interactive services and the data services to viewers; providing the menu information including the database containing program names to terminals using the television delivery system; storing the menu information in the terminals; displaying the menu information as programming menus, wherein a programming menu is displayed on a first portion of a display coupled to a terminal and wherein the programming menu is displayed using a television channel; choosing a program from the displayed programming menu; receiving a program selection based on the program chosen from the displayed programming menu; switching the terminal from the television channel carrying the programming menu to a television channel carrying the chosen program, wherein the switching step is completed in response to a single control function; and displaying the chosen program on the display.