Patent ID: 7984467
Filing Date: 2011-07-19
Classification: H04N

Abstract:
1. A method for providing a program guide for a program receiver comprising the steps of: receiving program schedule data that associates programs with time slots on a particular channel of a plurality of channels; displaying a program schedule grid using the received program schedule data; for a first time slot of a virtual channel, receiving a selection from the displayed program schedule grid of a first program from a first channel available for reception in a first selected time slot, the first time slot of the virtual channel corresponding to the first selected time slot of the first channel; for a second time slot of the virtual channel, receiving a selection from the displayed program schedule grid of a second program from a second channel available for reception in a second selected time slot; in response to a request to display a schedule of upcoming programs, displaying a schedule of the virtual channel that includes the first and second programs scheduled respectively in the first and second time slots of the virtual channel; and when a time slot of a program on a non-virtual channel has ended, tuning the program receiver from the non-virtual channel to the virtual channel in order to display a program on the virtual channel selected by a user.