# Patent

## Title
Playlists and bookmarks in an interactive media guidance application system

## Abstract

Systems and method are provided for providing a playlist transport bar. The playlist transport bar provides an overlay which graphically represents assets (e.g., programs) of a playlist in a manner that enables a user to simultaneously ascertain a playback position within the playlist and a particular asset. The playlist transport may include asset regions which each correspond to an asset in a playlist and a position indication region which may provide information relating to a playback position.

## Background
This application is a continuation of Ser. No. 11/366,863, filed Mar. 2, 2006, which claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application Nos. 60/667,870 and 60/658,270, filed Apr. 1, 2005 and Mar. 2, 2005, respectively, each of which is hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.


BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is directed towards systems and methods for providing playlists and bookmarks in interactive media guidance application systems.
Playlists are known and may be used to determine the order in which assets (e.g., television programs, songs, etc.) are played. As defined herein, an asset refers to any type of media that may be played. Such media may include all the variants of television media, music media, interactive games, and other audio and/or video media. Assets may be added to a playlist, deleted from a playlist, or rearranged in a playlist. Various user interfaces are provided to enable a user to make such modifications to playlists.
Playlists may include several assets of similar or different media types ranging, for example, from two to several hundreds or thousands of assets. Thus, when the playtime of each asset is totaled, a substantial amount of time may be required to playback the entire playlist. Since playlists may include several assets, a user may wish to be provided with information related to the playback of assets in a particular playlist. For example, a user may be interested in knowing how much time has elapsed during playback of a playlist or an asset, or how much time is remaining in the playlist or the asset. Known systems may be able to provide information as to how much time has elapsed and give an indication as to how much time remains for a given asset, but these systems are limited to providing such information for only that one given asset and are further unable to simultaneously provide information that gives a user a sense of position within a playlist. Moreover, some of these systems require a full screen display to display such information, thereby preventing a user from simultaneously viewing programming and information related to a playlist.
Accordingly, it is desirable to provide systems and methods for providing information in a manner that enables a user to easily ascertain a playback position within a playlist and a particular asset.
It is also desirable to provide systems and methods for playlist and bookmark related features.
It is further desirable to provide systems and method for providing VOD program information screens that provide access to playlist and bookmark features.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In accordance with the principles of the present invention, systems and methods are provided for providing a playlist transport bar. The playlist transport bar provides an overlay which graphically represents assets of a playlist in a manner that enables a user to simultaneously ascertain a playback position within the playlist and a particular asset. As defined herein, a playback position is the position corresponding to a particular position in the playlist, including a particular asset, being accessed (e.g., played, paused, rewinded, fast-forwarded, skipped to the beginning of next asset, etc.). For example, if a program is paused at the half-way point of an asset (e.g., a VOD program), the playback position is at the half-way point of that asset. As another example, if the user is viewing the third hour of five hours of total programming for a playlist, the playback position is at the three-hour elapsed time position for all programming in the playlist (even though the playlist position may also be at, for example, a twenty minute elapsed time position for a currently playing asset).
The playlist transport bar may include several asset regions each corresponding to an asset in the playlist and a position indication region that provides an indication of the playback position. The manner in which asset regions are displayed may vary, depending on a number of factors. In one embodiment, an asset region for each asset in the playlist may be displayed in the playlist transport bar. In this approach, the interactive media guidance application may appropriately size each asset region to fit within the playlist transport bar. The interactive media application may apportion each asset region to be the same size, regardless of the playback time for the assets. Alternatively, the interactive media application may apportion a size to each asset region based on its playback time relative to the playback times of other assets in the playlist, while taking into account the limited display space provided in the playlist transport bar. For example, a two-hour long asset may be apportioned a larger size than a half-hour long asset.
In another embodiment, the playlist transport bar may display a limited number of asset regions so as to not saturate the playlist transport bar with asset regions corresponding to all the potential assets of a playlist. By limiting the number of asset regions displayed in the playlist transport bar at any given time, this allows the interactive media guidance application to appropriate a predetermined minimum amount of space to each displayed region. The spacing allotted to each region may accurately reflect the length of a particular asset with respect to the other shown assets. For example, a two-hour program may be presented in an asset region that is two times larger than an hour long program. In addition, in this embodiment, information may be provided that provides an indication of the playback position within the playlist.
The position indication region may serve as a visual indicator that moves along the transport bar and provides information relating to a playback position within the playlist and/or a particular asset. The position indication region may include a position needle and an information region. The position needle may provide a visual indication of a playback position within the playlist and/or a particular asset. For example, in one embodiment, the position needle may indicate both the playback position within a particular asset and the playlist. In another embodiment, the position needle may only indicate the position within an asset. In this latter embodiment, the information region may provide information relating to the playback position within the playlist. The information region may display other information such as the elapsed time of the currently accessed asset, which action (e.g., pausing, fast-forwarding, resuming play, etc.) the user is implementing, or any other information relating to the playback of assets in a playlist.
In one embodiment, the user may “drag and drop” the position indication region to a desired location using, for example, cursor arrows of a remote device. This allows a user to manually position the position indication region at any playback position on the transport bar, thereby providing a user with the ability to resume playback of any asset in the playlist at a particular playback position. In another embodiment, the interactive media guidance application may permit a user to “skip to the next” asset region. This may permit a user to skip to the beginning of an adjacent asset region.
The playlist transport bar may allow a user to navigate a highlight region to various elements within the transport bar, and, if desired, select the highlighted regions. For example, a user may navigate a highlight region to the asset regions, the position indication region, and other areas of the transport bar such as a playlist name region. Additional information or menus may be displayed depending on which elements of the transport bar are highlighted or selected.
The playlist transport bar may allow a user to modify (e.g., delete an asset) the playlist without requiring the user to access interactive media guidance application features specifically dedicated to allowing a user to modify a playlist. In addition, the playlist transport bar may allow a user to switch to another playlist, thereby enabling the user to playback assets of a different playlist.
In other embodiments, systems and methods are provided for playlist and bookmark related features. In addition, systems and method are also provided for providing VOD program information screens that provide access to playlist and bookmark features.



BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The above and other features of the present invention, its nature and various advantages will be more apparent upon consideration of the following detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:
FIG. 1 is a diagram of an illustrative interactive media guidance system in accordance with an embodiment of the invention;
FIG. 2 shows an illustrative VOD menu with a “My Playlists” option for providing a user with access to playlist features in accordance with an embodiment of the invention;
FIG. 3 shows an illustrative no playlists set overlay that may be displayed when the user selects the My Playlist option from the VOD menu of FIG. 2 in accordance with an embodiment of the invention;
FIG. 4 shows an illustrative screen that may be displayed when the user selects a Set up Playlist button on the No Playlist Set Overlay of FIG. 3 in accordance with an embodiment of the invention;
FIG. 5 shows an illustrative playlists list in accordance with an embodiment of the invention;
FIG. 6 shows an illustrative playlist with programs screen showing a highlighted program in accordance with embodiment of the invention;
FIG. 7 shows an illustrative playlist with programs screen showing an option for allowing a user to change the order the programs in the playlist in accordance with an embodiment of the invention;
FIG. 8 shows an illustrative playlist with programs screen showing a highlight region that can be navigated to a checkbox in accordance with an embodiment of the invention;
FIG. 9 shows an illustrative playlist with programs screen showing that a checkbox of FIG. 8 can be selected to indicate that the program associated with the selected checkbox is to be deleted from the playlist in accordance with an embodiment of the invention;
FIG. 10 shows an illustrative keyboard overlay in accordance with an embodiment of the invention;
FIG. 11 shows an illustrative overlay that allows a user to select a playlist from a list of playlists in accordance with an embodiment of the invention;
FIG. 12 shows an illustrative overlay informing a user that additional playlists cannot be created in accordance with an embodiment of the invention;
FIG. 13 shows an illustrative overlay informing a user that additional programs cannot be added to a playlist in accordance with an embodiment of the invention;
FIG. 14 shows an illustrative overlay indicating that a program has been successfully added to a playlist in accordance with an embodiment of the invention;
FIG. 15 shows an illustrative overlay providing a user with various deletion options in accordance with an embodiment of the invention;
FIG. 16 shows an illustrative overlay confirming deletion of a playlist in accordance with an embodiment of the invention;
FIG. 17 shows an illustrative overlay that may be displayed when a user selects a lock action icon in accordance with an embodiment of the invention;
FIG. 18 shows an illustrative search screen that may be provided when a user selects a search action icon in accordance with an embodiment of the invention;
FIG. 19 shows an alternative search screen that may be provided when a user selects a search action icon in accordance with an embodiment of the invention;
FIG. 20 shows an illustrative clear all programs confirmation overlay that may be displayed in accordance with an embodiment of the invention;
FIG. 21 shows an illustrative bookmark a VOD program confirmation display in accordance with an embodiment of the invention;
FIG. 22 shows an illustrative previously bookmarked confirmation overlay that may be displayed in accordance with an embodiment of the invention;
FIG. 23 shows an illustrative saved programs listing screen in accordance with an embodiment of the invention;
FIG. 24 shows an alternative illustrative saved programs listings screen in accordance with an embodiment of the invention;
FIG. 25 shows an illustrative delete video confirmation overlay in accordance with an embodiment of the invention;
FIG. 26 shows an illustrative transport bar for playing back programs in accordance with an embodiment of the invention;
FIG. 27 shows an alternative illustrative transport bar for playing back programs in accordance with an embodiment of the invention;
FIG. 28 shows an illustrative playlist transport bar that displays a region for each asset in the playlist in accordance with an embodiment of the invention;
FIG. 29 shows an illustrative playlist transport bar in which the number of regions displayed are limited in number in accordance with an embodiment of the invention;
FIG. 30 shows an example of the playlist transport bar of FIG. 29 in accordance with an embodiment of the invention;
FIG. 31 shows a playlist transport toolbar that may be displayed when the user is implementing a command that affects playback of an asset in the playlist in accordance with an embodiment of the invention;
FIGS. 32, 33, 34A-B, 35A-B, and 36 show several illustrative playlist transport bars in which a user may navigate a highlight region within the playlist transport bar, and, if desired, cause a particular action to occur in accordance with embodiments of the invention;
FIG. 37 shows a flowchart of illustrative steps in displaying a playlist transport bar in accordance with an embodiment of the invention;
FIG. 38 shows an illustrative VOD program information screen that may be displayed in accordance with an embodiment of the invention; and
FIG. 39 shows an alternative illustrative VOD program information screen that may be displayed in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.



DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
This document is divided into five major Sections. Section I describes an illustrative system architecture for an interactive media guidance application system in accordance with various embodiments of the present invention. Section II describes playlist-related features in accordance with various embodiments of the present invention. Section III describes bookmark-related features in accordance with various embodiments of the present invention. Section IV describes an illustrative transport bar for playback of programs from playlists in accordance with various embodiments of the present invention. Section V describes illustrative VOD program information screens for providing access to playlist and bookmark features in accordance with various embodiments of the present invention.
Section I. Illustrative System Architecture
An illustrative interactive media system in accordance with the principles of the invention is shown in FIG. 1. User equipment 10 receives content in the form of signals from media source 20 over communications path 22.
Media source 20 may be any suitable content source such as, for example, a cable system headend, satellite television distribution facility, television broadcast facility, or any other suitable facility for originating or distributing content. Media source 20 may be configured to transmit signals over any suitable communications path 22 including, for example, a satellite path, a fiber-optic path, a cable path, or any other suitable wired or wireless path. The signals may carry any suitable content such as, for example, television programs, internet, music, news, television program listings, or any other suitable media.
VOD server 26 provides on-demand programs and associated VOD program data (e.g., VOD titles, VOD descriptions, VOD prices (if applicable), VOD viewing window data and other VOD metadata). VOD server 26 stores the VOD program data in, and retrieves the data from, database 28. As discussed below, VOD server 26 may also, in some embodiments, store playlists and saved program lists for users of user equipment 10 in database 28. VOD server 26 exchanges messages and media with user equipment 10 over communications path 22, but in other embodiments communications may be exchanged over a separate path (not shown). VOD server 26 may reside, for example, in a cable system headend. If desired, VOD server may also be a media source.
User equipment 10 may include any suitable equipment including, for example, computer equipment (e.g., a personal computer with a television card (PCTV)), television equipment, or any other suitable equipment. The television equipment may include a television, set-top box, recording device, video player, user input device (e.g., remote control, keyboard, mouse, touch pad, touch screen, voice recognition interface, etc.) or any other device suitable for providing an interactive television experience having features described in the various embodiments below. In the example of FIG. 1, user equipment 10 includes at least control circuitry 18, display device 12 and recording device 14, and user input device 16, which may be implemented as separate devices or as a single device. An interactive media guidance application may be implemented on the user equipment to display, on display device 12, the content transmitted by media source 20 over path 22, and to provide interactive media guidance application features. The interactive media guidance application may also provide users with access to VOD content and VOD data from VOD server 26.
Recording device 14 may be any of a personal video recorder, digital video recorder (DVR), video cassette recorder (VCR), DVD-recorder, or any other suitable video recorder. Recording device 14 may include one or more tuners. Recording device 14 may record programs under the control of the interactive media guidance application that resides on user equipment 10.
Display device 140 may be any suitable device including, for example, a television monitor and a computer monitor. Display device 140 may also be configured to provide for the output of audio.
The user equipment may include control circuitry 18 adapted to receive user instructions and execute the operations of an interactive media guidance application, such as an interactive program guide application. Control circuitry 18 may include one or more tuners (e.g., analog or digital tuners), decoders (e.g., MPEG decoders) processors, memory (e.g., RAM and hard disks), communications circuitry (e.g., cable modem circuitry for two-way communications with VOD server 26), input/output circuitry (e.g., graphics circuitry), and connections to the various devices of user equipment 10, and any other suitable component for providing analog or digital television programming, program recording, and interactive media guidance features. Control circuitry 18 may be configured to execute the instructions of the interactive media guidance application from memory. In one embodiment, control circuitry 18 may be included as part of one of the devices of user equipment 10 such as, for example, part of recording device 14, display 12, or any other device (e.g., a set-top box, television, video player, etc.).
User equipment 10 may receive interactive media guidance application data from one or more data sources 24. The number of data sources 24 may depend on the number of interactive media guidance applications. For example, one data source 24 may provide interactive media guidance data for non-on-demand assets (e.g., non-pay and pay-per-view television programs), and another may provide data for home shopping application data. In some embodiments VOD data (e.g., VOD programs) and program guide data may be provided to user equipment 10 by a data source 24. In such embodiments VOD server 26 may still provide VOD content.
In some embodiments, data sources 24 may provide data to the interactive media guidance application using a suitable client/server approach. There may be one server per data source or, in some embodiments, a single server may communicate as a proxy between user equipment 10 and various data sources 24.
The playlist and bookmark features described below are described as provided in embodiments where user equipment 10 provides an interactive media guidance application such as interactive television program guide. In such embodiments, user equipment 10 may include a Motorola DCT series settop box. Program guide instructions are executed by control circuitry 18 (FIG. 1). Program guide data is received from a data source 24 and stored by control circuitry 18. Control circuitry 18 executes program guide instructions and retrieves program guide data from memory when displaying program guide screens on display device 12. The displays may be provided in response to user instructions received by an input device 16, such as a remote control.
In these embodiments, the program guide may be programmed with extensions for communicating with a vendor-specific VOD server 26. The program guide extensions may call VOD-vendor-specific objects that may contain vendor-specific code for requesting VOD data from a VOD server 26, and for accessing content from VOD server 26. VOD server 26 may store data for some features provided by the interactive media guidance application such as, for example, playlist and saved program list data.
For purposes of clarity, the following discussion may sometimes describe an embodiment in which the interactive media guidance application is an interactive television program guide or interactive television application. It will be understood, however, that the following discussion and the features discussed may be applied to any interactive media guidance application such as, for example, an online program guide or a Website.
Section II. Playlists
Some embodiments of the present invention provide features for creating and managing playlists. Playlists are lists of programs that an interactive television application will play back sequentially for the user. Users may select one or more programs for inclusion in a playlist. After creating a playlist, the user can select the playlist for playback. Each program in the playlist is played back for the user, one after another in time. In some embodiments, real-time features such as pause, stop, fast-forward and rewind may be provided to allow the user to control playback of programs in the playlist. In some embodiments, the interactive application may recommend programs for inclusion in a playlist, or provide pre-made playlists.
An illustrative set of playlist features in an embodiment where users create and manage playlists of free VOD programs using an interactive television program guide (IPG) is described below. This is only illustrative, as such features may be incorporated in embodiments in which playlists include other types of programs (e.g., recorded programs (such as programs recorded on recording device 14 of FIG. 1), and non-free on-demand programs), and in which the interactive television application is not an IPG.
FIG. 2 below shows an illustrative VOD menu with a “My Playlists” option for providing a user with access to playlist features. In other embodiments, users may access playlist features from other menus or displays, such as an IPG main menu or VOD program information screen (see Section V below) for example. In this layout, the VOD menu includes a barker window for video clips.
FIG. 3 shows an illustrative No Playlists Set Overlay that may be displayed when the user selects My Playlists from the VOD Main Menu of FIG. 2, or other IPG menus or screens, and no playlists have been created. Tables 1 and 2 describe illustrative behaviors of the IPG and/or VOD server 26 in connection with providing such an overlay.







TABLE 1







Illustrative No Playlists Set Overlay System Description








No.
Description





1.0
The Guide may display the No Playlists Set Overlay when the user 



selects My Playlists from the VOD Main Menu or other menus or 



screens provided by the Guide and no playlists have been created.


1.1
The Guide may display the title “NO PLAYLISTS SET” on the No



Playlists Set Overlay in the language specified by the user in the 



Guide setup, in yellow text.


1.2
The Guide may display the prompt “Would you like to set up a 



playlist now?” on the No Playlists Set Overlay in the language 



specified by the user in Guide setup, in white text.


1.3
The Guide may display the OK/Yes icon on the No Playlists Set 



Overlay with the label “Set up Playlist” in the language specified 



by the user in the Guide setup, in white text.


1.4
The Guide may display the Cancel icon on the No Playlists Set 



Overlay with the label “Don't set up Playlist” in the language 



specified by the user in the Guide setup, in white text.


2.0
The default highlight may be the OK/Yes icon.


3.0
Except as specified in this section, this confirmation screen 



may follow the description provided in the Common 



Confirmation Overlay section in the Appendix.


4.0
New “default” playlists may be named automatically according 



to the following format: “Playlist <lowest positive integer not 



already used to name a playlist>”.
















TABLE 2







Illustrative No Playlists Set Overlay Action Icon Table










No.
Name
Condition
Description





1.0
Set up
Always
Creates a new, empty playlist and 



Playlist
present
displays the Default Playlist Screen 





for the new playlist.


2.0
Don't set 
Always
Dismisses the No Playlists Set 



up Playlist
present
Overlay.









FIG. 4 shows an illustrative screen that may be displayed when the user selects the Set up Playlist button on the No Playlists Set Overlay, selects the Add Icon on the Playlists List, or accesses an existing playlist that contains no programs. The Default Playlist screen shows default information for a playlist when it is empty. Tables 3-9 describe illustrative behaviors of the IPG and/or VOD server 26 in connection with providing such a screen.







TABLE 3







Illustrative Default Playlist Screen Instant Information










No.
Line
Format
Description





1.0
1
Left 
The default playlist name, in the form 




Justified
“Playlist <lowest positive integer not 





already used to name a playlist>”, 





displayed in yellow


1.1
1
Right 
The text “Contains 0 programs” in the




Justified
language specified by the user at Guide 





setup, displayed in white


2.0
2
Left 
The text “0 min” in the language 




Justified
specified by the user at Guide setup, 





displayed in white


3.0
3
Left 
The text “Select below to name, 




Justified
delete, and lock your Playlist.” in the 





language specified by the user at Guide 





setup, displayed in white
















TABLE 4







Illustrative Default Playlist Screen Reader Box Display










No.
Line
Format
Description





1.0
1
Left 
The text “To add programs to this Playlist:” in




Justified
the language specified by the viewer in Guide





setup, displayed in yellow


2.0
2

Blank


3.0
3
Left 
The text “1) Find a program you would like to




Justified
add.” in the language specified by the viewer





in Guide setup, displayed in white


4.0
4
Left 
The text “2) Go to the information screen and




Justified
select <Playlist Icon>.” in the language





specified by the viewer in Guide setup,





displayed in white


5.0
5
Left 
The text “3) Select the Playlist to add the




Justified
program to.” in the language specified by the





viewer in Guide setup, displayed in white


6.0
6

Blank


7.0
7
Left 
The text “Also select <Search Icon> below to




Justified
search for programs to add.” in the language





specified by the user at Guide setup, displayed





in white
















TABLE 5







Illustrative Default Playlist Screen Action Icon Table










No.
Name
Condition
Description





1.0
Last
Always present
Displays the previous screen


2.0
Keyboard
Always present
Displays the Playlist Keyboard Overlay


3.0
Search
Always present
Displays the Playlist Search Screen.


4.0
Lock
Always present
Displays the Lock Playlist Overlay


5.0
Delete
Always present
Displays the Delete Playlist 





Confirmation Overlay
















TABLE 6







Illustrative Default Playlist Screen Input Key Processing










No.
Key
Screen Focus
Behavior













1.0
Power
Any
Normal


2.0
Volume
Any
Normal



Up




3.0
Volume
Any
Normal



Down




4.0
Mute
Any
Normal


5.0
Channel
Any
Normal



Up




6.0
Channel
Any
Normal



Down




7.0
Bypass
Any
Normal


8.0
Menu
Any
Normal


9.0
Guide
Any
Normal


10.0
Music
Any
Normal


11.0
Themes
Any
Normal


12.0
Search
Any
Normal


13.0
Settings
Any
Normal


14.0
Exit
Any
Normal


15.0
Last
Any
Normal


16.0
Right
Any action icon
Normal



Arrow
but farthest right



16.1
Right
Farthest right
The Guide may move the highlight 



Arrow
action icon
to the farthest left action icon.


17.0
Left
Any action icon
Normal



Arrow
but farthest left



17.1
Left
Farthest left
The Guide may move the highlight 



Arrow
action icon
to the farthest right action icon.


18.0
Up Arrow
Any
Inactive


19.0
Down
Any
Inactive



Arrow




20.0
OK
Any
See Table 5


21.0
Digits 0-9
Any
Normal


22.0
Scroll Up
Any
Inactive


23.0
Scroll
Any
Inactive



Down




24.0
Day
Any
Inactive



Forward




25.0
Day Back
Any
Inactive


26.0
Help
Any
Inactive


27.0
Info
Any
Inactive


28.0
Favorite
Any
Inactive


29.0
Lock
Any
Displays the Lock Playlist Overlay


30.0
Record
Any
Inactive


31.0
Stop
Any
Inactive


32.0
Pause
Any
Inactive


33.0
Play
Any
Inactive


34.0
Rewind
Any
Inactive


35.0
Fast
Any
Inactive



Forward




36.0
PPV
Any
Normal


37.0
Letters 
Any
Inactive



A-Z




38.0
VOD
Any
Inactive


39.0
Return to
Any
Inactive



Live TV




40.0
Skip
Any
Inactive



Forward




41.0
Replay
Any
Inactive


42.0
A
Any
Inactive


43.0
B
Any
Inactive


44.0
C
Any
Inactive


45.0
Digital
Any
Normal



Recordings




46.0
Swap
Any
Inactive
















TABLE 7







Illustrative Default Playlist Screen Other Event Handling









No.
Event
Conditions/Comments





1.0
Screen Timeout
Normal


2.0
Reminder
Normal


3.0
Scheduled Recording Fires
Normal


4.0
Ordered PPV Start
Normal


5.0
PPV Purchase Window
Inactive



Expires



6.0
Current Program Ends
Normal


7.0
Data added, deleted or
Normal



modified in database
















TABLE 8







Illustrative Default Playlist Screen Screen/Mode Entry









No.
Functionality
Description





1.0
Guide
The Default Playlist Screen may be available 



Initialization
as soon as the VOD feature is available.


2.0
Highlight
The default highlight may be the Last icon 




on the Action Icon Bar


3.0
Display Inclusion
Not applicable



Criteria



4.0
Sorting/Grouping
Not applicable



Criteria



5.0
Customization
The OnDemand icon may be MSO-




configurable.


6.0
Other Entry
Not applicable



Actions
















TABLE 9







Illustrative Default Playlist Screen Formatting









No.
Functionality
Description





1.0
Program Title
Not applicable


2.0
Time
Normal


3.0
Channel
Not applicable


4.0
Other Text
Not Applicable


5.0
Colors
Normal


6.0
Indicators
Not applicable


7.0
Branding
Not Applicable


8.0
Audio
Normal


9.0
LEDs
Normal









FIG. 5 shows an illustrative playlists list. The Playlists List displays the user's current playlists. It is displayed when the user selects My Playlists from the VOD Main Menu or other menus or screens, and one or more playlists have already been created. Playlists can be added and accessed from this screen. Tables 10-17 describe illustrative behaviors of the IPG and or VOD server 26 in connection with providing such a screen.







TABLE 10







Illustrative Playlists List Screen System Description








No.
Description





1.0
VOD server 26 may maintain a list of playlists for each distinct 



subscriber household.


1.1
The list of playlists may be ordered according to the date and 



time of playlist creation, beginning with the most recently 



created playlist.


2.0
When the Guide requests the list of playlists, and if more than 



one playlist has been created, VOD server 26 may provide the 



list of playlists to the Guide.


2.1
VOD server 26 will page up or down within the Playlist List 



screen to allow viewing additional playlist list pages.


3.0
VOD server 26 may maintain at least the following metadata 



for each playlist in the playlist list:



Playlist name



Number of programs in playlist



Total duration of playlist


4.0
VOD server 26 may add a new playlist in response to requests 



from the Guide to add a new playlist.


4.1
VOD server 26 may allow the creation of up to, e.g., 24 



playlists per STB.


4.2
VOD server 26 may communicate an error to the Guide if a 



request is made to add a new playlist, and the maximum 



number of playlists has been reached for the STB.


5.0
VOD server 26 may provide an existing playlist in response to 



requests from the Guide to access an existing playlist.


6.0
VOD server 26 may maintain and transfer playlist 



specifications across STB replacements.
















TABLE 11







Illustrative Playlists List General Description








No.
Description





1.0
The Playlists List may display the Playlists icon, 



followed by the title “My Playlists” in the 



language specified by the user at Guide setup, 



centered in white text in the screen header area.


2.0
The maximum number of playlists that can be 



created may be, e.g., 24.
















TABLE 12







Illustrative Playlists List Instant Information










No.
Line
Format
Description





1.0
1
Left 
The name of the highlighted playlist if there




Justified 
are existing playlists when the screen is





invoked, displayed in yellow


1.1
1
Right 
The text “Contains <number> Programs” in




Justified
the language specified by the user at Guide





setup, displayed in white, if there are existing





playlists when the screen is invoked, where





<number> is the number of videos in the





highlighted playlist


1.2
1
Left 
The text “No Playlists have been created” in




Justified 
the language specified by the user at Guide





setup, displayed in yellow, if no playlists





currently exist when the screen is invoked


1.3
1

Blank if there are existing playlists when the





screen is invoked and no playlist is highlighted


2.0
2
Left 
Runtime of the highlighted playlist (total




Justified 
runtime of all programs in the playlist) if there





are existing playlists when the screen is





invoked


2.1
2

Blank if no playlists currently exist when the





screen is invoked or no playlist is highlighted


3.0
3

The text “Select <Add Action Icon> below to





create a new Playlist.” in the language





specified by the user at Guide setup, displayed





in white
















TABLE 13







Illustrative Playlists List Action Icon Table










No.
Name
Condition
Description





1.0
Last
Always 
Displays the previous screen




present



2.0
VOD
Always 
Displays the VOD Main Menu




present



3.0
Down
Always 
Displays the next page of playlist listings



Arrow
present



3.1
Down
Always 
Inactive if no additional pages are available



Arrow
present
below the current page of playlists.


4.0
New
Always 
Displays the Default Playlist screen if the



Playlist
present
maximum number of playlists has not been





reached


4.1
New
Always 
Displays the Maximum Playlists Notice if 



Playlist
present
the maximum number of playlists has been





reached
















TABLE 14







Illustrative Playlists List Input Key Processing










No.
Key
Screen Focus
Behavior













1.0
Power
Any
Normal


2.0
Volume
Any
Normal



Up




3.0
Volume
Any
Normal



Down




4.0
Mute
Any
Normal


5.0
Channel
Any
Normal



Up




6.0
Channel
Any
Normal



Down




7.0
Bypass
Any
Normal


8.0
Menu
Any
Normal


9.0
Guide
Any
Normal


10.0
Music
Any
Normal


11.0
Themes
Any
Normal


12.0
Search
Any
Normal


13.0
Settings
Any
Normal


14.0
Exit
Any
The Guide may return to 





Idle Mode and display 





and Flip Banner.


15.0
Last
Any
Normal


16.0
Right
List Cell
Inactive



Arrow




16.1
Right
Any action icon
Normal



Arrow
but farthest





right



16.2
Right
Farthest right
The Guide may move the 



Arrow
action icon
highlight to the farthest 





left action icon.


17.0
Left
List Cell
Inactive



Arrow




17.1
Left
Any action icon
Normal



Arrow
but farthest left



17.2
Left
Farthest left
The Guide may move the 



Arrow
action icon
highlight to the farthest 





right action icon.


18.0
Up Arrow
Top list cell on
Inactive




first page



18.1
Up Arrow
Top list cell,
The Guide may display 




any but first
the previous page and 




page
highlight the lowest 





selectable list cell.


18.2
Up Arrow
Any list cell but
The Guide may move 




the top on the
the highlight to the next 




page
higher list cell.


18.3
Up Arrow
Any Action
The Guide may move the 




Icon
highlight to the lowest list 





cell on the current page.


19.0
Down
Any list cell but
The Guide may move the 



Arrow
the last on the
highlight to the next lower 




page
list cell on the page.


19.1
Down
Last list cell on
The Guide may move the 



Arrow
the page
highlight to the default 





action icon.


19.2
Down
Any Action
Inactive



Arrow
Icon except





Down Arrow



19.3
Down
Down Arrow
The Guide may display the 



Arrow
action icon, any
next page and highlight the 




page but the
highest selectable list cell.




last



19.4
Down
Down Arrow
Inactive



Arrow
action icon, last





page



20.0
OK
Any list cell
If the highlighted playlist 





contains at least one 





program, is not locked and 





does not contain any 





programs that are locked, the 





Guide may request data for 





the highlighted playlist from 





VOD server 26 and display 





the Playlist Information Screen.


20.1
OK
Any list cell
If the highlighted playlist 





contains at least one program, 





and is locked or contains 





any programs that are 





locked, the Guide may display 





the Lock PIN Overlay.


20.2
OK
Any list cell
If the highlighted playlist 





does not contain any 





programs, the Guide may 





request data for the 





highlighted playlist from 





VOD server 26 and display 





the Default Playlist 





screen.


20.3
OK
Any action icon
See Table 13.


21.0
Digits 0-9
Any
Normal


22.0
Scroll Up
Any
Normal


23.0
Scroll
Any
Normal



Down




24.0
Day
Any
Inactive



Forward




25.0
Day Back
Any
Inactive


26.0
Help
Any
Inactive


27.0
Info
Any list cell
If the highlighted playlist 





contains at least one program,





is not locked and does not 





contain any programs that 





are locked, the Guide may 





request data for the 





highlighted playlist from 





VOD server 26 and display 





the Playlist Information Screen.


27.1
Info
Any list cell
If the highlighted playlist 





contains at least one program, 





and is locked or contains any 





programs that are locked, the 





Guide may display the 





Lock PIN Overlay.


27.2
Info
Any list cell
If the highlighted playlist 





does not contain any 





programs, the Guide may





request data for the highlighted 





playlist from VOD server 26





and displays the Default 





Playlist screen.


27.3
Info
Any action icon
Inactive


28.0
Favorite
Any
Inactive


29.0
Lock
Any
Inactive


30.0
Record
Any
Inactive


31.0
Stop
Any
Inactive


32.0
Pause
Any
Inactive


33.0
Play
Any
Inactive


34.0
Rewind
Any
Inactive


35.0
Fast
Any
Inactive



Forward




36.0
PPV
Any
Normal


37.0
Letters 
Any
Inactive



A-Z




38.0
VOD
Any
Inactive


39.0
Return to
Any
Normal



Live TV




40.0
Skip
Any
Inactive



Forward




41.0
Replay
Any
Inactive


42.0
A
Any
Inactive


43.0
B
Any
Inactive


44.0
C
Any
Inactive


45.0
DVR
Any
Normal


46.0
Swap
Any
Inactive
















TABLE 15







Illustrative Playlists List Other Event Handling









No.
Event
Conditions/Comments





1.0
Screen Timeout
Normal


2.0
Reminder
Normal


3.0
Scheduled Recording Fires
Normal


4.0
Ordered PPV Start
Normal


5.0
PPV Purchase Window
Inactive



Expires



6.0
Current Program Ends
Normal
















TABLE 16







Illustrative Playlists List Screen/Mode Entry









No.
Functionality
Description





1.0
Guide 
The Playlists List Screen may be available as



Initialization
soon as the VOD feature is available.


2.0
Highlight
If there are existing playlists, the default




highlight may be the first playlist on the page.


2.1
Highlight
If there are no existing playlists, the default




highlight may be the Add Action Icon.


2.2
Highlight
If the user navigates from a list cell to the




action icons, the default action icon may be




the Down Arrow Action Icon.


3.0
Display 
Display all existing playlists.



Inclusion 




Criteria



4.0
Sorting/
The playlists may be displayed in order of



Grouping 
creation time, from newest to oldest.



Criteria 



5.0
Custom-
The OnDemand icon may be MSO-



ization
configurable.
















TABLE 17







Illustrative Playlists List Screen Formatting









No.
Functionality
Description





1.0
Program Title
Not applicable


2.0
Time
Normal


3.0
Channel
Not applicable


4.0
Other Text
Not applicable


5.0
Colors
Normal


6.0
Indicators
Not applicable


7.0
Branding
Not applicable


8.0
Audio
Normal


9.0
LEDs
The Guide may display the last 




user channel or current time on 




the LED according to the




description provided in the 




Appendix for time/channel 




display on the LED.









FIGS. 6-9 show illustrative Playlist with Programs Screens that may be displayed when the user selects a playlist from the Playlist List and the playlist contains one or more programs, or when the user selects the Add action icon on the Select a Playlist overlay. Tables 18-25 describe illustrative behaviors of the IPG and/or VOD server 26 in connection with providing such screens.







TABLE 18







Illustrative Playlist with Programs Screen


System Description








No.
Description











1.0
VOD server 26 may maintain the playlists contents for 



each playlist stored for a STB.


1.1
Playlist contents may only include VOD programs that 



are free for all users without any subscription or purchase.


1.2
VOD server 26 may maintain the sequence of VOD 



programs within a VOD playlist.


2.0
VOD server 26 may include up to, e.g., 24 distinct VOD 



assets within a VOD playlist.


3.0
VOD server 26 may reposition individual VOD assets 



within the VOD playlist sequence.


4.0
VOD server 26 may automatically delete programs from 



a VOD playlist if they reach the end of their licensing 



window.


4.1
VOD server 26 may delete expired programs from a 



VOD playlist on a periodic, scheduled basis.


5.0
VOD server 26 may automatically delete programs from 



a VOD playlist if they not longer meet the eligibility 



criteria for inclusion in a playlist.


5.1
VOD server 26 may delete ineligible programs from a 



VOD playlist on a periodic, scheduled basis.


6.0
VOD server 26 may maintain and transfer playlist 



specifications across STB replacements.


7.0
VOD server 26 may allow users to delete VOD 



programs from a VOD playlist.


8.0
VOD server 26 may maintain a record of the last play-



back position from the last time the playlist was played.


8.1
If the VOD program encompassing the last playback 



position is deleted from the playlist, the playback 



position may be moved to the beginning of the next 



asset in the playlist.


8.2
If the VOD program encompassing the last playback 



position is deleted from the playlist, and was the last 



asset in the playlist, the playback position may be 



moved to the beginning of the playlist.


9.0
VOD server 26 may play back a VOD playlist from 



the beginning.


10.0
VOD server 26 may play back a VOD playlist from 



the last playback position.


11.0
VOD server 26 may page up or down within the 



Playlist with Programs screen, to allow additional 



program listing pages within the playlist to be viewed.
















TABLE 19







Illustrative Playlist with Programs Screen


General Description








No.
Description





1.0
The Playlist with Programs screen may include:



a screen header area



an instant information area



a playlist sequence area



an action icon area


2.0
The playlist sequence area may include:



a sequence number column



a program title column



a deletion checkbox column.


2.1
Each of the columns in the playlist sequence area 



may have a header row.


2.1.1
The Guide displays the heading text “Order” in the 



header row of the sequence number column, center 



justified, in the language specified by the user at 



Guide setup, in white.


2.1.2
The Guide displays the heading text “Program Titles” 



in the header row of the program title column, left 



justified, in the language specified by the user at Guide 



setup, in white.


2.1.3
The Guide may display a checkbox in a “checked” 



state in the header row of the deletion checkbox 



column, left justified, in white.


3.0
If the user plays a playlist, any program within the 



playlist that is no longer available from VOD server 



26 may be skipped over with no notification to the 



user1.


4.0
If the user plays a playlist, any program within the 



playlist that is no longer free for all users, without 



any subscription or purchase, may be skipped 



over with no notification to the user2.


5.0
Each distinct row within the playlist sequence 



area may represent a distinct program within the 



playlist.


5.1
The cell in the sequence number column, on a 



specific row in the playlist sequence area, may 



include the program's sequence number, centered 



in black text.


5.2
The cell in the program title column, on a specific 



row in the playlist sequence area, may include the 



full program title, left justified in white text.


5.3
The cell in the deletion checkbox column, on a 



specific row in the playlist sequence area, may 



include a checkbox that is in either a checked 



or an unchecked state, left justified.


5.3.1
The default state of all checkboxes in the deletion 



checkbox column may be unchecked.





1While VOD server 26 may automatically delete such programs, a playlist containing such a program may be played before the deletion is performed.


2While VOD server 26 may automatically delete such programs, a playlist containing such a program may be played before the deletion is performed.













TABLE 20







Illustrative Playlist with Programs Screen


Instant Information










No.
Line
Format
Description





1.0
1
Left 
The name of the playlist, displayed in yellow




Justified



1.1
1
Right 
The text “Contains <number> Programs” in




Justified
the language specified by the user at Guide





setup, displayed in white, where <number> is





the number of programs in the playlist.


2.0
2
Left 
Runtime of the playlist (total runtime of all




Justified
programs in the playlist)


3.0
3
Left 
If a row in the Order column is highlighted,




Justified
the text “Press <up/down arrows> on your





remote to change your Playlist's order.” is





displayed in the language specified by the user





in Guide setup and displayed in white text.


3.1
3
Left 
If the program title is highlighted, the text




Justified
“Press <left arrow> to reorder programs, or





press <right arrow> to delete programs.” is





displayed in the language specified by the user





in Guide setup and displayed in white text.


3.2
3
Left 
If a row in the checkmark column is




Justified
highlighted, the text “<checkmark> a <box





symbol> and then select <X symbol> below to





delete programs.” is displayed in the language





specified by the user at Guide setup and





displayed in white text.
















TABLE 21







Illustrative Playlist with Programs Screen Action


Icon Table










No.
Name
Condition
Description





1.0
Last
Always 
Displays the screen from which it was




present
displayed


2.0
Resume
Always 
Sends the video play request to VOD 




present
server 26 instructing the server to begin 





playing at the last playback position in 





the playlist.


2.1
Resume
Always 
If the last playback position in the 




present
playlist is a VOD program for which 





trick mode is not available, VOD 





server 26 may resume playback at the 





beginning of that VOD program.


3.0
Restart 
Always 
Sends the video play request to VOD 




present
server 26 instructing the server to begin 





playing at the beginning of the playlist.


4.0
Down
Always 
Displays the next page of VOD 



Arrow
present
programs in the playlist if there is 





a next page


4.1
Down
Always 
Inactive if there is no next page



Arrow
present



5.0
Key-
Always 
Displays the Playlist Keyboard Overlay



board
present



6.0
Search
Always 
Displays the Playlist Search Screen




present



7.0
Lock
Always 
Displays the Lock Playlist Overlay




present



8.0
Delete
Always 
Displays the Playlist Deletion Options 




present
Overlay
















TABLE 22







Illustrative Playlist with Programs Screen


Input Key Processing










No.
Key
Screen Focus
Behavior













1.0
Power
Any
Normal


2.0
Volume
Any
Normal



Up




3.0
Volume
Any
Normal



Down




4.0
Mute
Any
Normal


5.0
Channel
Any
Normal



Up




6.0
Channel
Any
Normal



Down




7.0
Bypass
Any
Normal


8.0
Menu
Any
Normal


9.0
Guide
Any
Normal


10.0
Music
Any
Normal


11.0
Themes
Any
Normal


12.0
Search
Any
Normal


13.0
Settings
Any
Normal


14.0
Exit
Any
Normal


15.0
Last
Any
Normal


16.0
Right
Sequence
The Guide may move the 



Arrow
number column
highlight to the program title 





column within the same row.


16.1
Right
Program title
The Guide may move the 



Arrow
column
highlight to the deletion 





checkbox column within 





the same row.


16.2
Right
Deletion
Inactive



Arrow
checkbox





column



16.3
Right
Any action icon
Normal



Arrow
but farthest





right



16.4
Right
Farthest right
The Guide may move the 



Arrow
action icon
highlight to the farthest left 





action icon.


17.0
Left Arrow
Sequence
Inactive




number column



17.1
Left Arrow
Program title
The Guide may move the 




column
highlight to the sequence 





number column within the 





same row.


17.2
Left Arrow
Deletion
The Guide may move the 




checkbox
highlight to the program title 




column
column within the same row.


17.3
Left Arrow
Any action icon 
Normal




but the farthest





left



17.4
Left Arrow
Farthest left
The Guide may move the 




action icon
highlight to the farthest 





right action icon.


18.0
Up Arrow
Top row within
Inactive




playlist





sequence area,





first page



18.1
Up Arrow
Any row except
The Guide may move the 




top row within
highlight to the next higher 




playlist
row, within the same 




sequence area,
column.




any column





except





sequence





number column



18.2
Up Arrow
Any row except
The Guide may send a 




top row within
request to VOD server 




playlist
26 to move the currently 




sequence area,
highlighted program up 




sequence
one position within the 




number column
playlist sequence, and 





refresh the playlist 





sequence area display.


18.3
Up Arrow
Top row within
The Guide may display 




playlist
the previous page and 




sequence area,
highlight the bottom 




any column
row, within the same 




except
column.




sequence





number





column, any





but first page



18.4
Up Arrow
Top row within
The Guide may:




playlist
send a request to VOD 




sequence area,
server 26 to move the 




sequence
currently highlighted 




number
program up one position 




column, any
within the playlist sequence 




but first page
display the previous page 





highlight the bottom row, 





within the same column.


18.5
Up Arrow
Any action icon
The Guide may highlight 





the bottom row of the 





playlist sequence area, 





program title column.


19.0
Down
Bottom row
Inactive



Arrow
within playlist





sequence area,





last page



19.1
Down
Any row except
The Guide may move 



Arrow
bottom row
the highlight to the 




within playlist
next lower row, within 




sequence area,
the same column.




any column





except





sequence





number column



19.2
Down
Any row except
The Guide may send a 



Arrow
bottom row
request to VOD server 




within playlist
26 to move the currently 




sequence area,
highlighted program 




sequence
down one position within 




number column
the playlist sequence, and 





may refresh the playlist 





sequence area display.


19.3
Down
Bottom row
The Guide may display 



Arrow
within playlist
the next page and highlight 




sequence area,
the top row, within the 




any column
same column.




except





sequence





number





column, any





but last page



19.4
Down
Bottom row
The Guide may:



Arrow
within playlist
send a request to VOD 




sequence area,
server 26 to move the 




sequence
currently highlighted 




number
program down one 




column, any
position within the 




but last page
playlist sequence 





display the next page 





highlight the top row, 





within the same column.


19.5
Down
Any action icon
Inactive



Arrow
except Down





Arrow action





icon



19.6
Down
Down Arrow
The Guide may display 



Arrow
action icon, any 
the next page and highlight 




but last page
the top row, within the 





same column.


19.7
Down
Down Arrow
Inactive



Arrow
action icon, last





page



20.0
OK
Any action icon
See Table 21.


20.1
OK
Program title
The Guide may display 




column
the VOD Program 





Information Screen for 





the highlighted program.


20.2
OK
Sequence
Inactive




number column



20.3
OK
Deletion
The Guide may toggle 




checkbox
the check symbol on 




column
or off inside the check-





box on the current row.


21.0
Digits 0-9
Any
Normal


22.0
Scroll Up
Any page but
The Guide may display 




first
the previous page and 





highlight the top row, within 





the same column.


22.0
Scroll Up
First page
Inactive


23.0
Scroll
Any page but
The Guide may display 



Down
last
the next page and 





highlight the top row, 





within the same column.


23.0
Scroll
Last page
Inactive



Down




24.0
Day
Any
Inactive



Forward




25.0
Day Back
Any
Inactive


26.0
Help
Any
Inactive


27.0
Info
Program title
The Guide may display 




column
the VOD Program 





Information Screen for 





the highlighted program.


27.1
Info
Playlist
Inactive




sequence area,





any column but





program title





column



27.2
Info
Any action
Inactive




Icon



28.0
Favorite
Any
Inactive


29.0
Lock
Any
Displays the Lock 





Playlist Overlay


30.0
Record
Any
Inactive


31.0
Stop
Any
Inactive


32.0
Pause
Any
Inactive


33.0
Play
Any
Inactive


34.0
Rewind
Any
Inactive


35.0
Fast
Any
Inactive



Forward




36.0
PPV
Any
Normal


37.0
Letters 
Any
Inactive



A-Z




38.0
VOD
Any
Inactive


39.0
Return to
Any
Inactive



Live TV




40.0
Skip
Any
Inactive



Forward




41.0
Replay
Any
Inactive


42.0
A
Any
Inactive


43.0
B
Any
Inactive


44.0
C
Any
Inactive


45.0
Digital
Any
Normal



Recordings




46.0
Swap
Any
Inactive
















TABLE 23







Illustrative Playlist with Programs Screen


Other Event Handling









No.
Event
Conditions/Comments





1.0
Screen Timeout
Normal


2.0
Reminder
Normal


3.0
Scheduled Recording Fires
Normal


4.0
Ordered PPV Start
Normal


5.0
PPV Purchase Window
Inactive



Expires



6.0
Current Program Ends
Normal


7.0
Data added, deleted or
Normal



modified in database
















TABLE 24







Illustrative Playlist with Programs Screen/Mode Entry









No.
Functionality
Description





1.0
Guide 
The Playlist Screen - Not Empty may be



Initialization
available as soon as the VOD feature is




available.


2.0
Highlight
The default highlight may be on the first




listing in the playlist.


3.0
Display Inclusion 
Display all VOD programs in the playlist.



Criteria



4.0
Sorting/Grouping 
Programs within the playlist may be ordered



Criteria
as specified in the VOD data.


4.1
Sorting/Grouping 
Programs may be placed at the end of the



Criteria
playlist when they are added, by default.


4.2
Sorting/Grouping 
See arrow key description in Table 22 for



Criteria
reordering of programs in the playlist.


5.0
Customization
The OnDemand icon may be MSO-




configurable.


6.0
Other Entry 
Not applicable



Actions
















TABLE 25







Illustrative Playlist with Programs Screen Formatting











No.
Functionality
Description







1.0
Program Title
Normal



2.0
Time
Normal



3.0
Channel
Not applicable



4.0
Other Text
Not Applicable



5.0
Colors
Normal



6.0
Indicators
Not applicable



7.0
Branding
Not Applicable



8.0
Audio
Normal



9.0
LEDs
Normal










FIG. 10 shows an illustrative keyboard overlay. Tables 26-27 describe illustrative behaviors of the IPG and/or VOD server 26 in connection with providing such an overlay.







TABLE 26







Illustrative Playlist Keyboard Overlay


General Description








No.
Description





1.0
The guide may provide an on screen Playlist Keyboard 



overlay for naming distinct VOD playlists.


1.1
The Playlist Keyboard overlay may include a keyboard 



component and a string entry field.


2.0
The keyboard component may facilitate entry of all capital 



letters of the English alphabet, digits 0-9 and the space 



character within the string entry field.


2.1
The string entry field may allow the user to see characters 



in the character string as they are entered.


2.1.1
Entry of characters may be sequential from left to right.


2.1.2
The character entry position may be maintained after the 



rightmost character in the string entry field.


2.1.3
The character entry position may be represented by a 



character entry cursor.


2.2
The keyboard component may facilitate deletion of the 



rightmost character in the string entry field via the Delete/



Backspace selectable item.


2.3
The keyboard component may allow entry of up to, e.g., 



25 characters within the string entry field.


2.3.1
If the number of characters, together with the character 



entry cursor, exceeds the display capacity of the string 



entry field, one or more leftmost characters may be shifted 



beyond the left edge of the string entry field, as required to 



maintain the character entry cursor within the right edge of 



the string entry field.


2.3.2
If any characters remain shifted beyond the left edge of the 



string entry field, and the user deletes the rightmost character 



using the Delete/Backspace key, one or more first characters 



may be shifted back into the string entry field display, 



provided the character entry cursor may maintain its position 



within the right edge of the string entry field.


2.3.3
If no characters remain shifted beyond the left edge of the 



string entry field, and the user deletes the rightmost character 



using the Delete/Backspace key, the characters may remain 



fixed within the string entry field, and the character entry 



cursor may move to the left.


3.0
The space character option in the keyboard component may 



include the text “Sp” in white text.


4.0
The delete/backspace option in the keyboard component may 



include the text “Del” in white text.


5.0
The save option in the keyboard component may include the 



text “Save” in white text.


5.1
The “Save” selectable item may be grayed out if no non-space 



characters have been entered in the string entry field.


6.0
The default highlight on entry may be the “A”character in the 



keyboard component.


7.0
The string entry field may be empty on entry.
















TABLE 27







Illustrative Playlist Keyboard Overlay


Input Key Processing










No.
Key
Screen Focus
Behavior





 1.0
Power
Any
Normal


 2.0
Volume
Any
Normal



Up




 3.0
Volume
Any
Normal



Down




 4.0
Mute
Any
Normal


 5.0 
Channel 
Any
Normal



Up




 6.0
Channel 
Any
Normal



Down




 7.0
Bypass
Any
Normal


 8.0
Menu
Any
Normal


 9.0
Guide
Any
Normal


10.0
Music
Any
Normal


11.0
Themes
Any
Normal


12.0
Search
Any
Normal


13.0
Settings
Any
Inactive


14.0
Exit
Any
Normal


15.0
Last
Any
The Guide may dismiss the 





Playlist Keyboard overlay 





and redisplay the screen it 





was accessed from.


16.0
Right
Anywhere in
Move the highlight to the 



Arrow
keyboard
next key to the right in the 




component
keyboard component.




except rightmost





keys.



16.1
Right
Rightmost keys
Inactive



Arrow
in keyboard





component, or





string entry field



17.0
Left 
Anywhere in
Move the highlight to the 



Arrow
keyboard
next key to the left in the 




component
keyboard component.




except leftmost





keys.



17.1
Left 
Leftmost keys in
Inactive



Arrow
keyboard





component, or





string entry field.



18.0
Up 
Alphanumeric
Move the highlight to the 



Arrow
keys in keyboard
next higher key in the 




component, not
keyboard component.




including top





row.



18.1
Up 
“A” or “B” key
Move highlight to the 



Arrow
in keyboard
“Delete” option.




component.



18.2
Up 
“C” or “D” key
Move highlight to the 



Arrow
in keyboard
“Spacebar” option.




component.



18.3
Up 
“E” or “F” key
Move highlight to the 



Arrow
in keyboard
“Save” option.




component.



18.4
Up 
Delete, Space or
Move the highlight to the 



Arrow
Save option in
string entry field.




the keyboard





component.



18.5
Up 
String entry
Inactive



Arrow
field.



19.0
Down
String entry
Move highlight to the 



Arrow
field.
“Delete” option.


19.1
Down
Delete option in
Move the highlight to the 



Arrow
the keyboard
“A” key in the keyboard 




component.
component.


19.2
Down
Space option in
Move the highlight to the 



Arrow
the keyboard
“C” key in the keyboard 




component.
component.


19.3
Down
Save option in
Move the highlight to the 



Arrow
the keyboard
“E” key in the keyboard 




component.
component.


19.4
Down
Alphanumeric
Move the highlight to the 



Arrow
keys in keyboard
next lower key in the 




component, not
keyboard component.




including bottom





row.



19.5
Down
Bottom row of
Inactive



Arrow
alphanumeric





keys in keyboard





component.



20.0
OK
String entry
The Guide may rename 




field, string
the current favorite list 




contains at least
using the character string 




one non-space
in the string entry field, 




character.
dismiss the Playlist 





Keyboard overlay and 





redisplay the screen it 





was accessed from.


20.1
OK
String entry
Inactive




field, string





contains no non-





space characters.



20.2
OK
Any
If fewer than, e.g., 25 




alphanumeric
characters have been entered, 




key, or space
append the corresponding 




key, in the
character to the character 




keyboard
string, and shift the string 




component.
entry field display as required.


20.2.1 
OK
Any
Inactive if, e.g., 25 characters 




alphanumeric
have been entered.




key, or space





key, in the





keyboard





component.



20.4
OK
Delete/backspace
Delete the rightmost search 




key in keyboard
character in the search string 




component.
entry field, and shift the search 





string entry field display as 





required.


20.4.1
OK
Delete/backspace
Inactive if there are no 




key in keyboard
characters in the string entry 




component.
field.


20.5
OK
“Save” option in
The Guide may rename the 




keyboard
current favorite list using the 




component,
character string in the string 




string contains at
entry field, dismiss the Playlist 




least one non-
Keyboard overlay and redisplay 




space character.
the screen it was accessed from.


20.6
OK
“Save” option in
Inactive




keyboard





component,





string contains





no non-space





characters.



21.0
Digits 
Any
If fewer than, e.g., 25 characters 



0-9

have been entered, append the 





corresponding number to the 





character string, and shift the 





string entry field display as 





required.


21.1
Digits 
Any
Inactive if, e.g., 25 characters 



0-9

have been entered.


22.0
Scroll Up
Any
Inactive


23.0
Scroll
Any
Inactive



Down




24.0
Day
Any
Inactive



Forward




25.0
Day Back
Any
Inactive


26.0
Help
Any
Inactive


27.0
Info
Any
Inactive


28.0
Favorite
Any
Inactive


29.0
Lock
Any
Inactive


30.0
Record
Any
Inactive


31.0
Stop
Any
Inactive


32.0
Pause
Any
Inactive


33.0
Play
Any
Inactive


34.0
Rewind
Any
Inactive


35.0
Fast
Any
Inactive



Forward




36.0
PPV
Any
Normal


37.0
Letters 
Any
If fewer than, e.g., 25 characters 



A-Z

have been entered, append the 





corresponding character to the 





character string, and shift the 





string entry field display as 





required.


37.1
Letters 
Any
Inactive if, e.g., 25 characters 



A-Z

have been entered.


38.0
VOD
Any
Normal


39.0
Return to
Any
Normal



Live TV




40.0
Skip
Any
Inactive



Forward




41.0
Replay
Any
Inactive


42.0
A
Any
Inactive


43.0
B
Any
Inactive


44.0
C
Any
Inactive


45.0
Digital
Any
Normal



Recordings




46.0
Swap
Any
Inactive









FIG. 11 show an illustrative Select a Playlist Overlay that may be displayed when the user selects the Add to a Playlist Icon on the VOD Program Information screen. The user selects a playlist to which the program will be added. Tables 28-34 describe illustrative behaviors of the IPG and/or VOD server 26 in connection with providing such an overlay.







TABLE 28







Illustrative Select a Playlist Overlay


System Description










No.
Description







1.0
VOD server 26 may maintain a list of playlists for each 




distinct STB.



1.1
The list of playlists may be ordered according to the date 




and time of playlist creation, beginning with the most 




recently created playlist.



2.0
When the Guide requests the list of playlists, and if more 




than one playlist has been created, VOD server 26 may 




provide the list of playlists to the Guide.



2.1
VOD server 26 pages up or down within the Select a 




Playlist overlay to allow viewing of additional playlist 




list pages.



3.0
VOD server 26 responds to requests from the Guide to 




add a new playlist.



3.1
VOD server 26 may create up to, for example, 24 




playlists per STB.



3.2
VOD server 26 may communicate an error to the Guide if 




a request is made to add a new playlist, and the maximum 




number of playlists has been reached for the STB.



4.0
VOD server 26 responds to requests from the Guide to add 




a VOD program to an existing playlist.



4.1
VOD server 26 may include up to, for example, 24 programs 




per VOD playlist.



4.2
VOD server 26 may communicate an error to the Guide if a 




request is made to add a program to a playlist, and the 




maximum number of programs has been reached for the 




selected playlist.

















TABLE 29







Illustrative Select a Playlist Overlay


General Description








No.
Description





1.0
The Guide may display the Select a Playlist Overlay when the 



user selects the Add Video to Playlist Icon on the VOD 



Program Information screen.


2.0
The Select a Playlist Overlay may include:



an overlay title area



a playlist list area



an action icon area


3.0
The title of the Select a Playlist Overlay may be “Select a 



Playlist to add this program to.” in the language specified by 



the user in the Guide setup, displayed in yellow text, centered 



in the overlay title area.


4.0
The playlist list area may include a header row and a vertical 



list of playlists.


4.1
The header row may include, left justified, the Playlist icon, 



followed by the text “Playlists” in white text, in the language 



specified by the user in Guide setup.


4.2
Each list cell in the vertical list of playlists may include the 



playlist name, left justified in white text.


5.0
If no playlists have been created, the vertical list of playlists may 



include the text “No playlists have been created” in the language 



specified by the user at Guide setup, displayed in yellow,
















TABLE 30







Illustrative Select a Playlist Overlay Action


Icon Table










No.
Name
Condition
Description





1.0
Last
Always 
Displays the screen from which it was




present
displayed


2.0
Down
Always 
Displays the next page of VOD playlists



Arrow
present



2.1
Down
Always 
Inactive if the current page is the last or only



Arrow
present
page.


3.0
New
Always 
If the maximum number of playlists has not



Playlist
present
been reached, the Guide may:





Send a request to VOD server 26 to create a





new playlist, assigning a default playlist name





in the form “Playlist <lowest positive integer





not already used to name a playlist>“, and





with the VOD program from the underlying





VOD Program Information screen as its sole





asset.





Display the Playlist with Programs screen 





for the new playlist.


3.1
New
Always 
If the maximum number of playlists has 



Playlist
present
been reached, the Guide may display the 





Maximum Playlists Notice
















TABLE 31







Illustrative Select a Playlist Overlay Input Key Processing










No.
Key
Screen Focus
Behavior





 1.0
Power
Any
Normal


 2.0
Volume
Any
Normal



Up




 3.0
Volume
Any
Normal



Down




 4.0
Mute
Any
Normal


 5.0
Channel
Any
Normal



Up




 6.0
Channel
Any
Normal



Down




 7.0
Bypass
Any
Normal


 8.0
Menu
Any
Normal


 9.0
Guide
Any
Normal


10.0
Music
Any
Normal


11.0
Themes
Any
Normal


12.0
Search
Any
Normal


13.0
Settings
Any
Normal


14.0
Exit
Any
Normal


15.0
Last
Any
Normal


16.0
Right
Any list cell
Inactive



Arrow




16.1
Right
Any action icon
Normal



Arrow
but farthest





right



16.2
Right
Farthest right
The Guide may move the 



Arrow
action icon
highlight to the farthest 





left action icon.


17.0
Left Arrow
Any list cell
Inactive


17.1
Left Arrow
Any action icon
Normal




but the farthest





left



17.2
Left Arrow 
Farthest left
The Guide may move the 




action icon
highlight to the farthest 





right action icon.


18.0
Up Arrow
Top list cell on
Inactive




first page



18.1
Up Arrow
Any list cell
The Guide may move the 




except top on
highlight to the next higher




page
list cell.


18.2
Up Arrow
Top list cell on
The Guide may display the 




any page but
previous page and highlight




first
the bottom list cell.


18.3
Up Arrow
Any action icon
The Guide may highlight the 





bottom list cell on the page.


19.0
Down
Any list cell
The Guide may move the 



Arrow
except bottom
highlight to the next lower 




on page
list cell.


19.1
Down
Bottom list cell
The Guide may move the 



Arrow

highlight to the Down Arrow 





Action Icon.


19.2
Down
Down Arrow
The Guide may display the 



Arrow
action icon
next page of listings and 





highlight the top list cell.


19.3
Down
Any action icon
Inactive



Arrow
except Down





Arrow



20.0
OK
Any action icon
See Table 30.


20.1
OK
Any list cell
Send a request to VOD server 





26 to add the program from the 





underlying VOD Program 





Information screen to the selected 





playlist. If successful, dismiss the 





Select a Playlist Overlay and 





display the Program Added 





Overlay.


20.2
OK
Any list cell
Send a request to VOD server 26 





to add the program from the 





underlying VOD Program 





Information screen to the selected 





playlist. If the playlist has 





reached the maximum number of 





programs, display the Maximum 





Programs notice over the Select a 





Playlist Overlay.


21.0
Digits 0-9
Any
Normal


22.0
Scroll Up
Any
Normal


23.0
Scroll
Any
Normal



Down




24.0
Day
Any
Inactive



Forward




25.0
Day Back
Any
Inactive


26.0
Help
Any
Inactive


27.0
Info
Any list cell
The Guide may display the 





Playlist Information Screen 





for the highlighted Playlist.


27.1
Info
Any action Icon
Inactive


28.0
Favorite
Any
Inactive


29.0
Lock
Any
Inactive


30.0
Record
Any
Inactive


31.0
Stop
Any
Inactive


32.0
Pause
Any
Inactive


33.0
Play
Any
Inactive


34.0
Rewind
Any
Inactive


35.0
Fast
Any
Inactive



Forward




36.0
PPV
Any
Normal


37.0
Letters A-
Any
Inactive



Z




38.0
VOD
Any
Inactive


39.0
Return to
Any
Inactive



Live TV




40.0
Skip
Any
Inactive



Forward




41.0
Replay
Any
Inactive


42.0
A
Any
Inactive


43.0
B
Any
Inactive


44.0
C
Any
Inactive


45.0
Digital
Any
Normal



Recordings




46.0
Swap
Any
Inactive
















TABLE 32







Illustrative Select a Playlist Overlay


Other Event Handling









No.
Event
Conditions/Comments





1.0
Screen Timeout
Normal


2.0
Reminder
Normal


3.0
Scheduled Recording Fires
Normal


4.0
Ordered PPV Start
Normal


5.0
PPV Purchase Window
Inactive



Expires



6.0
Current Program Ends
Normal


7.0
Data added, deleted or
Normal



modified in database
















TABLE 33







Illustrative Select a Playlist Overlay Screen/Mode Entry









No.
Functionality
Description





1.0
Guide 
The Select a Playlist Overlay may be available



Initialization
as soon as the VOD feature is available.


2.0
Highlight
The default highlight may be on the first




playlist in the list.


2.1
Highlight
If no playlists have been created, the default




highlight may be on the “Add Playlist” action




icon.


3.0
Display Inclusion 
Display all existing playlists.



Criteria



4.0
Sorting/Grouping 
The playlists may be displayed in order of



Criteria
creation time, from newest to oldest.


5.0
Customization
The OnDemand icon may be MSO-




configurable.


6.0
Other Entry 
Not applicable



Actions



7.0
VOD Program 
The Guide may retain the context of the VOD



context
program from the underlying VOD Program




Information screen.
















TABLE 34







Illustrative Select a Playlist Overlay Screen Formatting











No.
Functionality
Description







1.0
Program Title
Not applicable



2.0
Time
Normal



3.0
Channel
Not applicable



4.0
Other Text
Not Applicable



5.0
Colors
Normal



6.0
Indicators
Not applicable



7.0
Branding
Not Applicable



8.0
Audio
Normal



9.0
LEDs
Normal










FIG. 12 shows an illustrative Maximum Playlists Overlay. The Maximum Playlists overlay may be displayed when the maximum number of playlists (e.g., 24) has been created, and the user makes a request to add a new playlist. Table 35 describes illustrative behaviors of the IPG and/or VOD server 26 in connection with providing such an overlay.







TABLE 35







Illustrative Maximum Playlists Overlay


General Descriptions








No.
Description





1.0
This overlay may be displayed when the user selects the 



New Playlist icon on the Playlists List Screen or the Select 



a Playlist Overlay and the maximum number of 24 playlists 



has already been created.


1.0
The Maximum Playlists Overlay may include the Playlist icon 



followed by the title “MAXIMUM PLAYLISTS CREATED” 



in yellow text, centered at the top of the overlay.


2.0
The Maximum Playlists Overlay may include the text “The 



maximum number of Playlists has been reached. You must 



delete an existing Playlist to continue.” in white text, centered 



below the title and in the language specified by the user in 



Language Setup.


3.0
All key presses may follow the Common Input Key 



Processing definition for Notice Overlays in the Appendix.


4.0
The Maximum Playlists Overlay may follow the Common 



Other Event Handling definition for Notice Overlays in the 



Appendix.









FIG. 13 shows an illustrative Maximum Programs Notice. This notice may be displayed when the user attempts to add a program to a playlist that already contains the maximum number of programs. Table 36 describes illustrative behaviors of the IPG and/or VOD server 26 in connection with providing such an overlay.







TABLE 36







Illustrative Maximum Programs Notice


General Description










No.
Description







1.0
This notice may be displayed when the user selects a playlist 




from the Select a Playlist Overlay, or attempts to “toggle a 




program on” within the Playlist search screen, but the playlist 




already contains the maximum number of, e.g., 24 programs.



2.0
Notice text may be “You cannot add any more programs to 




this Playlist.” displayed in yellow in the language selected by 




the user in Guide Setup.



3.0
This notice may follow the description as defined for Overlay 




Notice screens, except as specified in this section.










FIG. 14 shows an illustrative Program Added Overlay. The Program Added Overlay may be displayed when the Guide has successfully added a program to a playlist. Tables 37-38 describe illustrative behaviors of the IPG and/or VOD server 26 in connection with providing such an overlay.







TABLE 37







Illustrative Program Added Overlay


General Description








No.
Description





1.0
The title of the Program Added Overlay may be 



“PROGRAM ADDED” in the language specified 



by the viewer in the Guide setup, displayed in yellow.


1.1
The Guide may display the text, “This program has been 



added to the following playlist.”, on the Program Added 



Overlay in the language specified by the viewer in the 



Guide setup, displayed in white.


2.0
The Guide may display the OK/Yes Icon with the label 



“Confirm” on the overlay, in the language specified by 



the user in Guide setup.


2.1
When the OK key is pressed with the “Confirm” option 



highlighted, the Guide dismisses the overlay.


3.0
The default highlight on the Program Added Overlay 



may be the Confirm Icon.


4.0
Except as otherwise specified here, this overlay 



may follow the description for Single Action Overlays 



in the Appendix).
















TABLE 38







Illustrative Playlist with Programs Screen


Instant Information










No.
Line
Format
Description





1.0
1
Left 
The name of the playlist, displayed in yellow




Justified 



1.1
1
Right 
The text “Contains <number> programs” in




Justified
the language specified by the user at Guide





setup, displayed in white, where <number> is





the number of programs in the playlist.


2.0
2
Left 
Runtime of the playlist (total runtime of all




Justified
programs in the playlist)









FIG. 15 shows an illustrative Playlist Deletion Options Overlay. The Playlist Deletion Options Overlay may be displayed when the user selects the Delete Action Icon on the Playlist with Programs Screen. Tables 39-40 describe illustrative behaviors of the IPG and/or VOD server 26 in connection with providing such an overlay.







TABLE 39







Illustrative Playlist Deletion Options Overlay


General Description








No.
Description





1.0
The Guide may display the Playlist Deletion Options Overlay 



when the user selects the Delete Action Icon on the Playlist 



with Programs Screen.


1.1
The title of the Playlist Deletion Options Overlay may be 



“DELETION OPTIONS” in the language specified by the 



viewer in the Guide setup, displayed in yellow text.


2.0
If the user has checked the deletion checkbox for at least one 



program in the Playlist with Programs screen, the Guide may 



display the Delete Icon on the Playlist Deletion Options 



Overlay with the label “Delete programs with a 



<checkmark/box> only” in the language specified by the 



user in the Guide setup.


2.1
The Guide may display the Delete Icon on the Playlist Deletion 



Options Overlay with the label “Delete all programs” in the 



language specified by the user in the Guide setup.


2.2
The Guide may display the Delete Icon on the Playlist Deletion 



Options Overlay with the label “Delete the entire playlist” in 



the language specified by the user in the Guide setup.


2.3
The Guide may display the Last/Back Icon on the Playlist 



Deletion Options Overlay with the label “Cancel” in the 



language specified by the user in the Guide setup.


3.0
The Deletion Options may be displayed in the following order:



Delete programs with a <checkmark/box> only (if present)



Delete all programs



Delete the entire Playlist



Don't do anything


4.0
The default highlight may be the “Delete programs with a



<checkmark/box> only” option, if present.


4.1
If the “Delete programs with a <checkmark/box> only” 



option is not present, the default highlight may be the 



“Delete all programs” option.


5.0
Except as specified in this section, this overlay may follow the 



description in the Common Action Overlay section of the 



Appendix.
















TABLE 40







Illustrative Playlist Deletion Options Overlay Action


Icon Description









No.
Action Icon
Function When Selected





1.0
Delete 
If all of the programs are checked on the underlying



programs 
Playlist with Programs Screen, the



with a check-
Guide may:



mark only (if 
send a request to VOD server 26 to delete all programs 



present)
from the playlist dismiss the overlay, and display the




Default Playlist Screen with the playlist name in place 




of the default playlist name.


1.1
Delete 
If not all of the programs are checked on the 



programs 
underlying Playlist with Programs Screen, the



with a check-
Guide may:



mark only (if 
send a request to VOD server 26 to delete all checked



present)
programs from the playlist dismiss the overlay, and




display the underlying Playlist with Programs Screen




updated to reflect the deletions.


2.0
Delete all 
The Guide may:



programs
send a request to VOD server 26 to delete all programs 




from the playlist dismiss the overlay, and display




the Default Playlist Screen with the playlist name in




place of the default playlist name.


3.0
Delete the 
The Guide may dismiss the overlay and display the 



entire Playlist 
Delete Playlist Confirmation Overlay.


4.0
Don't do 
The Guide may dismiss the overlay.



anything









FIG. 16 shows an illustrative Delete Playlist Confirmation Overlay that may be displayed when the user selects the Delete Action Icon on the Default Playlist Screen or selects the Delete Entire Playlist option on the Playlist Deletion Options Overlay. Tables 41-42 describe illustrative behaviors of the IPG and/or VOD server 26 in connection with providing such an overlay.







TABLE 41







Illustrative Delete Playlist Confirmation Overlay


General Description











No.
Description
Rationale







1.0
The Guide may display the Delete Playlist





Confirmation Overlay when the user selects





the Delete Action Icon on the Default Playlist





Screen or selects the Delete Entire Playlist





option on the Playlist Deletion Options





Overlay.




1.1
The Guide may display the Delete Icon on the





Delete Playlist Confirmation Overlay with the





label “Delete Playlist” in the language





specified by the user in the Guide setup.




1.2
The Guide may display the Cancel Icon on the





Delete Playlist Confirmation Overlay with the





label “Don't delete Playlist” in the language





specified by the user in the Guide setup.




2.0
The default highlight may be the Delete Icon.




3.0
Except as specified in this section, this





confirmation screen may follow the





description provided in the Common





Confirmation Overlay section of the





Appendix.

















TABLE 42







Illustrative Delete Playlist Confirmation Overlay


Action Icon Table










No.
Name
Condition
Description





1.0
Delete
Always 
The Guide may:



Playlist
present
send a request to VOD server 26 to delete 





the playlist with all of its contents





dismiss the overlay and display the screen





from which the playlist was accessed.


2.0
Don't
Always 
The Guide may dismiss the overlay.



delete
present




Playlist









FIG. 17 shows an illustrative overlay that may be displayed when the user selects the Lock Action Icon on the Default Playlist Screen or Playlist with Programs Screen and enters the proper PIN on the Enter Locks PIN Overlay. If a playlist is locked, anyone without the correct PIN will not be able to access the Playlist for playback, editing, or deleting. Tables 43-44 describe illustrative behaviors of the IPG and/or VOD server 26 in connection with providing such an overlay.







TABLE 43







Illustrative Lock Playlist Overlay General Description








No.
Description





1.0
This overlay may be displayed when the user selects the 



Lock Action Icon on the Default Playlist Screen or Playlist 



with Programs Screen and enters the proper PIN on the 



Enter Locks PIN Overlay.


2.0
Title text for the Lock Playlist Overlay may be “LOCK



CONFIRMATION” displayed in yellow.


2.1
Descriptive text under the title text may be “Locking will 



restrict access to this playlist.”, displayed in white.


3.0
If the playlist is currently unlocked, the Guide may display 



the Unlocked Icon on the Lock Playlist Overlay with the 



label “Lock this playlist” in the language specified by the 



user in the Guide setup.


3.1
If the playlist is currently locked, the Guide may display 



the Locked Icon on the Lock Playlist Overlay with the 



label “Unlock this playlist” in the language specified 



by the user in the Guide setup.


4.0
The Guide may display the OK/Yes Icon on the Lock 



Playlist Overlay with the label “Confirm this Lock” in 



the language specified by the user in the Guide setup.


5.0
The default highlight for this overlay may be the “Confirm 



this lock” option.


6.0
Except as specified in this section, this overlay may follow 



the description provided in the Common Action Overlay 



section of the Appendix.
















TABLE 44







Illustrative Lock Playlist Overlay


Action Icon Description









No.
Action Icon
Function When Selected





1.0 
Lock this 
The Guide may update the playlist lock state



playlist
to locked, updates the action icon to the




Locked Icon, and updates the label to “Unlock




this playlist”.


1.1
Unlock this 
The Guide may update the playlist lock state



playlist
to unlocked, updates the action icon to the




Unlocked Icon, and updates the label to “Lock




this playlist”.


2.0
Confirm 
The Guide may dismiss the overlay.



this lock









FIGS. 18 and 19 show illustrative Playlist Search Screens that may be displayed when the user selects the Search action icon on the Default Playlist Screen or the Playlist with Programs Screen. These screens may contain free VOD listing search results available to add to a playlist. Tables 45-50 describe illustrative behaviors of the IPG and/or VOD server 26 in connection with providing such screens.







TABLE 45







Illustrative Playlist Search Screen General


Description Table










No.
Description







1.0 
The Guide may display the Playlist Search Screen when the 




user selects the Search Icon on the Default Playlist Screen 




or the Playlist with Programs Screen.



2.0 
The Playlist Search screen may include:




a screen header area




an instant information area




a playlist candidate area




an action icon area



3.0 
The playlist candidate area may include a header row and a 




vertical list of playlist candidates.



3.1 
The header row in the playlist candidate area may include 




the Search icon, followed by the text “ <Playlist name> 




Search”, left justified, where the text “Search” is in the 




language specified by the user in the Guide setup.



3.2
The header row in the playlist candidate area may include 




the text “Select to add or delete”, right justified, and in the 




language specified by the user in the Guide setup.



4.0 
The vertical list of playlist candidates may include all VOD 




programs that are available to the user for free, without any 




subscription or purchase.



4.1
The listing cell for any VOD program that is currently 




included in the playlist may display the Playlist icon, 




right justified in the listing cell.



5.0
The Guide may not permit inclusion of more than, e.g., 




24 distinct VOD programs for the playlist.



5.1
If the user has toggled the playlist indicator “on” for, e.g., 




24 programs, and attempts to toggle the playlist indicator 




“on” for an additional program, the Guide may display the 




Maximum Programs Notice.



6.0
Programs may be added to/deleted from a playlist 




immediately when toggled on/off within the Playlist Search 




screen.

















TABLE 46







Illustrative Playlist Search Screen Action Icon Table










No.
Name
Condition
Description





1.0
Last
Always 
Displays the screen from which it was




present
displayed


2.0
Down
Always 
Displays the next page of search results 



Arrow
present
if there is a next page


2.1
Down
Always 
Inactive if there is no next page



Arrow
present



4.0
Confirm
Always 
Displays the Default Playlist Screen if 




present
there are no programs marked as 





included in the playlist


4.1
Confirm 
Always 
Displays the Playlist with Programs 




present
Screen if there are one or more programs 





marked as included in the playlist


8.0
Delete
Always 
Displays the Clear All Programs




present
Confirmation Overlay
















TABLE 47







Illustrative Playlist Search Screen Input Key Processing










No.
Key
Screen Focus
Behavior













1.0
Power
Any
Normal


2.0
Volume Up
Any
Normal


3.0
Volume Down
Any
Normal


4.0
Mute
Any
Normal


5.0
Channel Up
Any
Normal


6.0
Channel
Any
Normal



Down




7.0
Bypass
Any
Normal


8.0
Menu
Any
Normal


9.0
Guide
Any
Normal


10.0
Music
Any
Normal


11.0
Themes
Any
Normal


12.0
Search
Any
Normal


13.0
Settings
Any
Normal


14.0
Exit
Any
Normal


15.0
Last
Any
Normal


16.0
Right Arrow
Any list cell
Inactive


16.1
Right Arrow
Any action
Normal




icon but





farthest right



16.2
Right Arrow
Farthest right
The Guide may move 




action icon
the highlight to the 





farthest left action icon.


17.0
Left Arrow
Any list cell
Inactive


17.1
Left Arrow
Any action
Normal




icon but the





farthest left



17.2
Left Arrow
Farthest left
The Guide may move 




action icon
the highlight to the





farthest right action icon.


18.0
Up Arrow
Top list cell on 
Inactive




first page



18.1
Up Arrow
Any list cell
The Guide may move 




except top on
the highlight to the 




page
next higher list cell.


18.2
Up Arrow
Top list cell on 
The Guide may display 




any page but
the previous page and 




first
highlight the bottom list





cell.


18.3
Up Arrow
Any action
The Guide may highlight 




icon
the bottom list cell on the





page.


19.0
Down Arrow
Any list cell
The Guide may move 




except bottom
the highlight to the 




on page
next lower list cell.


19.1
Down Arrow
Bottom list cell
The Guide may move 





the highlight to the Down 





Arrow Action Icon.


19.2
Down Arrow
Down Arrow
The Guide may display 




action icon
the next page of listings 





and highlight the top list 





cell.


19.3
Down Arrow
Any action
Inactive




icon except





Down Arrow



20.0
OK
Any action
See Table 46.




icon



20.1
OK
Any list cell
The Guide may 





add/remove the program





from the playlist and 





toggle the Playlist 





Indicator on or off, right





justified in the list cell.


21.0
Digits 0-9
Any
Normal


22.0
Scroll Up
Any
Normal


23.0
Scroll Down
Any
Normal


24.0
Day Forward
Any
Inactive


25.0
Day Back
Any
Inactive


26.0
Help
Any
Inactive


27.0
Info
Any list cell
The Guide may display 





the VOD Program 





Information Screen for the





highlighted program.


27.1
Info
Any action
Inactive




Icon



28.0
Favorite
Any
Inactive


29.0
Lock
Any
Inactive


30.0
Record
Any
Inactive


31.0
Stop
Any
Inactive


32.0
Pause
Any
Inactive


33.0
Play
Any
Inactive


34.0
Rewind
Any
Inactive


35.0
Fast Forward
Any
Inactive


36.0
PPV
Any
Normal


37.0
Letters A-Z
Any
Inactive


38.0
VOD
Any
Inactive


39.0
Return to Live 
Any
Inactive



TV




40.0
Skip Forward
Any
Inactive


41.0
Replay
Any
Inactive


42.0
A
Any
Inactive


43.0
B
Any
Inactive


44.0
C
Any
Inactive


45.0
Digital
Any
Normal



Recordings




46.0
Swap
Any
Inactive
















TABLE 48







Illustrative Playlist Search Screen Other Event Handling









No.
Event
Conditions/Comments





1.0
Screen Timeout
Normal


2.0
Reminder
Normal


3.0
Scheduled Recording Fires
Normal


4.0
Ordered PPV Start
Normal


5.0
PPV Purchase Window
Inactive



Expires



6.0
Current Program Ends
Normal


7.0
Data added, deleted or
Normal



modified in database
















TABLE 49







Illustrative Playlist Search


Screen/Mode Entry









No.
Functionality
Description





1.0
Guide 
The Playlist Search Screen may be available



Initialization
as soon as the VOD feature is available.


2.0
Highlight
The default highlight may be on the first




listing in the playlist candidate area.


3.0
Display Inclusion 
Display all VOD programs that are free



Criteria
without any subscription or purchase.


4.0
Sorting/Grouping 
Programs may be sorted in ascending



Criteria 
alphanumeric order.


5.0
Customization
The OnDemand icon may be MSO-




configurable.


6.0
Other Entry 
Not applicable



Actions



7.0
Playlist context
The Playlist Search screen may retain the




context of the VOD playlist in the Playlist




Information screen from which this screen




was invoked.
















TABLE 50







Illustrative Playlist Search Screen Formatting











No.
Functionality
Description







1.0
Program Title
Normal



2.0
Time
Normal



3.0
Channel
Not applicable



4.0
Other Text
Not Applicable



5.0
Colors
Normal



6.0
Indicators
Not applicable



7.0
Branding
Not Applicable



8.0
Audio
Normal



9.0
LEDs
Normal










FIG. 20 shows an illustrative Clear All Programs Confirmation Overlay that may be displayed when the user selects the Delete action icon on the Playlist Search Screen. Tables 51-52 describe illustrative behaviors of the IPG and/or VOD server 26 in connection with providing such an overlay.







TABLE 51







Illustrative Clear All Programs Confirmation Overlay


General Description








No.
Description





1.0
The Guide may display the Clear All Programs Overlay when the 



user selects the Delete action icon on the Playlist Search Screen.


1.1
The Guide may display the title “CLEAR ALL PROGRAM



SELECTIONS” on the Clear All Programs Overlay in the 



language specified by the user in the Guide setup, in yellow text.


1.2
The Guide may display the prompt “Are you sure you want to 



clear all program selections for this playlist?” on the Clear All 



Programs Overlay in the language specified by the user in 



Guide setup.


1.3
The Guide may display the OK/Yes icon on the Clear All 



Programs Overlay with the label “Clear all program 



selections” in the language specified by the user in the 



Guide setup.


1.4
The Guide may display the Cancel icon on the Clear All 



Programs Overlay with the label “Don't clear” in the 



language specified by the user in the Guide setup.


2.0
The default highlight may be the OK/Yes icon.


3.0
Except as specified in this section, this confirmation 



screen may follow the description provided in the 



Common Confirmation Overlay section of the Appendix.
















TABLE 52







Illustrative Clear All Programs Confirmation


Overlay Action Icon Table










No.
Name
Condition
Description





1.0
Clear all
Always
Dismisses the Clear All Programs



program
present
Overlay, clears all programs from the



selections

playlist, and displays the underlying





Playlist Search Screen updated with all





playlist indicators removed.


2.0
Don't
Always
Dismisses the Clear All Programs



clear
present
Overlay.









Section III. Bookmarks

The Bookmark feature allows the user to save any programs in the combined Bookmarked/Suspended Programs List (collectively referred to herein as the Saved Programs List). In the embodiment described below, only On Demand programs are included. In other embodiments, Non-On Demand programs may be included.
In this embodiment, any On Demand program can be bookmarked regardless of whether it is always free, free with a subscription, or requires a purchase. The user may select a Bookmark Icon from, for example, an On Demand program information screen.
FIG. 21 shows an illustrative Bookmark a VOD Program Confirmation Overlay that may be displayed when the user selects the Bookmark Icon in a VOD program information screen, and the program has not already been bookmarked. Tables 53-55 describe illustrative behaviors of the IPG and/or VOD server 26 in connection with providing such an overlay.







TABLE 53







Illustrative Bookmark a Program Confirmation


Overlay System Description








No.
Description





1.0
VOD server 26 may maintain a list of bookmarked programs for



each distinct STB.


2.0
VOD server 26 may add the program shown in the information



screen to the list of bookmarked programs if the Guide makes



a set bookmark request based on user selection of the “Bookmark



this program” action icon.


2.1
VOD server 26 may bookmark any VOD asset that is accessible



to the subscriber.


2.2
If VOD server 26 already has a maximum, e.g., 20 bookmarked



programs for a STB, and if the Guide requests an additional



bookmarked program, VOD server 26 may delete the oldest



bookmarked program from the bookmarked programs list for



the STB.
















TABLE 54







Illustrative Bookmark a Program Confirmation


Overlay General Description








No.
Description





1.0
The Guide may display the Bookmark a Program Confirmation



Overlay when the user selects the Bookmark Icon in any VOD



program information screen.


1.1
The Guide may display the Bookmark button on the Bookmark



a Program Confirmation Overlay with the label “Bookmark



this program” in the language specified by the user in



the Guide setup.


1.2
The Guide may display the Cancel button on the Bookmark a



Program Confirmation Overlay with the label “Don't



bookmark this program” in the language specified by the



user in the Guide setup.


2.0
The default highlight may be the Bookmark this program



action icon.


3.0
Except as specified in this section, this confirmation screen



may follow the description provided in the Common Confirmation



Overlay section of the Appendix.
















TABLE 55







Illustrative Bookmark a Program Confirmation


Overlay Action Icon Table










No.
Name
Condition
Description





1.0
Bookmark
Always
Request that VOD server 26 add the



this
present
bookmark, dismiss the Bookmark a



program

Program Confirmation Overlay, and





update the instant information display





in the underlying VOD program





information screen.


2.0
Don't
Always
Dismiss the Bookmark a Program



bookmark
present
Confirmation Overlay



this





program









FIG. 22 shows an illustrative Previously Bookmarked Confirmation Overlay that may be displayed when the user selects the Bookmark Icon on a VOD program information screen for a program that has already been bookmarked. Tables 56-58 describe illustrative behaviors of the IPG and/or VOD server 26 in connection with providing such an overlay.







TABLE 56







Illustrative Previously Bookmarked Confirmation


Overlay System Description








No.
Description





1.0
VOD server 26 may maintain a list of bookmarked programs for



each distinct STB.


2.0
VOD server 26 may delete the program shown in the information



screen from the Saved Programs List if the Guide makes a remove



Bookmark request based on user selection of the “Don't keep



this program bookmarked” action icon.
















TABLE 57







Illustrative Previously Bookmarked Confirmation Overlay General Description








No.
Description





1.0
The Guide may display the Previously Bookmarked Confirmation Overlay



when the user selects the Bookmark Icon in a VOD program information



screen for a program that has already been bookmarked.


1.1
The Guide may display the title “This program is already bookmarked.” on



the Previously Bookmarked Confirmation Overlay in the language



specified by the user in the Guide setup, in yellow text.


1.2
The Guide may display the Bookmark button on the Previously



Bookmarked Confirmation Overlay with the label “Keep this program



bookmarked” in the language specified by the user in the Guide setup.


1.3
The Guide may display the Cancel button on the Previously Bookmarked



Confirmation Overlay with the label “Don't keep this program



bookmarked” in the language specified by the user in the Guide setup.


2.0
The default highlight may be the “Bookmark” Icon.


3.0
Except as specified in this section, this confirmation screen may follow the



description provided in the Common Confirmation Overlay section of the



Appendix.
















TABLE 58







Illustrative Previously Bookmarked Confirmation


Overlay Action Icon Table










No.
Name
Condition
Description





1.0
Keep this
Always
Dismiss the Previously Bookmarked



program
present
Confirmation Overlay.



bookmarked




2.0
Don't keep
Always
Request that VOD server 26 remove the



this program
present
bookmark, dismiss the Previously



bookmarked

Bookmarked Confirmation Overlay, and





update the instant information display in





the underlying VOD program





information screen.









FIGS. 23 and 24 shows illustrative Saved Programs Listing Screens that contain a list of programs the user has either bookmarked or suspended after selecting the Buy or Watch action icon on an On Demand program information screen. VOD server 26 (FIG. 1) may provides a link to the Saved Programs Listing Screen through the On Demand Main Menu or a VRN screen by defining a category on the screen for the saved programs. From this screen the user can access the On Demand information screen for a saved program and begin or resume watching that program. Tables 59-65 describe illustrative behaviors of the IPG and/or VOD server 26 in connection with providing such overlays.







TABLE 59







Illustrative Saved Programs Listing Screen System Description








No.
Description





 1.0
VOD server 26 may maintain a list of suspended programs for each distinct



subscriber household.


 2.0
VOD server 26 may maintain a list of bookmarked programs for each



distinct STB.


 3.0
When the Guide requests the saved programs list, VOD server 26 may



provide a combined list including:



bookmarked programs for the STB



suspended programs for the subscriber household.


 3.1
The combined saved programs list may be sorted to include all suspended



programs first, followed by all bookmarked programs.


 3.2
Suspended programs and bookmarked programs may not be intermingled



within the saved programs list.


 3.3
Suspended programs may be sorted alphanumerically within the suspended



programs section of the saved programs list.


 3.4
Bookmarked programs may be sorted alphanumerically within the



suspended programs section of the saved programs list.


 3.5
VOD server 26 may identify each individual program within the combined



saved programs list as being either suspended or bookmarked.


 3.6
VOD server 26 may provide, as required, page up or down within the



Saved Programs Listing screen to view additional saved program listing



pages.


 4.0
VOD server 26 may provide up to, e.g., 20 suspended programs per



subscriber household.


 4.1
The VOD server 26 configuration may determine whether a program can be



suspended (i.e. added to the suspended programs list).


 4.2
If VOD server 26 already has, e.g., 20 suspended programs for a subscriber



household, and if the Guide requests an additional suspended program, the



On Demand system may delete the oldest3 suspended program from the



suspended programs list for the subscriber household.


 4.3
VOD server 26 may automatically delete suspended programs from the



saved programs list when the rental or viewing period has expired.


 4.4
VOD server 26 may automatically delete suspended programs from the



saved programs list if they reach the end of their licensing window.


 5.0
VOD server 26 may support up to, e.g., 20 bookmarked programs per STB.


 5.1
VOD server 26 may bookmark any On Demand asset that is accessible to



the subscriber.


 5.2
If VOD server 26 already has, e.g., 20 bookmarked programs for a STB,



and if the Guide requests an additional bookmarked program, VOD server



26 may delete the oldest bookmarked program from the bookmarked



programs list for the STB.


 5.3
VOD server 26 may automatically delete bookmarked programs from the



saved programs list if they reach the end of their licensing window.


 6.0
If the Guide requests suspension of a program that has already been



bookmarked, VOD server 26 may change the status of the program from



bookmarked to suspended.


 6.1
If the Guide requests purchase and/or playback of a bookmarked program



that cannot be suspended, the program may be removed from the saved



programs list.


 7.0
The system may provide an On Demand icon to the Guide.


 7.1
The On Demand icon may be configurable to the individual headend level.


 8.0
The VOD Server 26 may provide a screen title for the Saved Programs



Listing screen to the Guide.


 9.0
The VOD Server 26 may indicate whether a Barker Window should be



displayed in the Saved Programs Listing screen.


10.0
The VOD Server 26 may provide the following metadata as applicable, for



each program in the Saved Programs list:



Short program title



Suspended or Bookmarked flag



Expiration date (for suspended programs)



Licensing window data (for bookmarked programs)



Adult flag



Price string



Closed caption flag



HDTV flag



Dolby digital audio flag



Widescreen flag



TV Rating/MPAA Rating



In a Playlist flag



Program duration



Year



Actor1, Actor2



Free flag



Last chance flag


11.0
The system may provide an On Demand brand to the Guide.


11.0
The On Demand brand may be configurable to the headend level.





3The “oldest” suspended program is the suspended program with the earliest expiration date/time.













TABLE 60







Illustrative Saved Programs Listing Screen Instant Information Display











Highlight




No.
Location
Line
Description





1.0
Any Program,
1
Short program title, left justified in yellow



if video barker

text, as specified in the On Demand data.



is present




1.0
Any Program,
1
Full program title, left justified in yellow text,



if video barker

as specified in the On Demand data.



is not present




2.0
Any Program
1
Price string, right justified in yellow text, as



marked as

specified in the On Demand data.



“Free”, if video





barker is not





present.




2.1
Any Program
1
Price string, right justified in white text, as



not marked as

specified in the On Demand data.



“Free”, if video





barker is not





present.




2.2
Any Program
2
Price string, left justified in yellow text, as



marked as

specified in the On Demand data.



“Free”, if video





barker is





present.




2.3
Any Program
2
Price string, left justified in white text, as



not marked as

specified in the On Demand data.



“Free”, if video





barker is





present.




3.0
Any Program
2
Program indicators, right justified, as specified





in Table 65.


4.0
Any Program,
2
Program duration, left justified in white text,



if video barker

in the format “<duration in minutes>min”.



is not present




4.1
Any Program,
3
Program duration, left justified in white text,



if video barker

in the format “<duration in minutes>min”.



is present




5.0
Any Program
3
Year, right justified in white text, in the format





“(<year>)”.


6.0
Any
3
The text “Ends <last date of licensing



bookmarked

window>”, left justified in white text, in the



program, if Last

language specified by the user in guide setup.



Chance flag is

Date format is “<mm/dd/yyyy>”, or



set and video

“<yyyy/dd/mm>” for DLA.



barker is not





present.




6.1
Any
3
“<Actor 1>, <Actor 2>”, left justified in white



bookmarked

text.



program, if Last





Chance flag is





not set and





video barker is





not present.




6.2
Any suspended
3
The text “Expires <expiration date/time for



program, if

suspended program>”, left justified in white



video barker is

text, in the language specified by the user in



not present.

guide setup. Date/time format is “<mm/dd> at





<hh:mm><a/p>”, or “<dd/mm> at





<hh:mm><a/p>” for DLA.


6.3
Any
4
The text “Ends <last date of licensing



bookmarked

window>”, left justified in white text, in the



program, if Last

language specified by the user in guide setup.



Chance flag is

Date format is “<mm/dd/yyyy>”, or



set and video

“<yyyy/dd/mm>” for DLA.



barker is





present.




6.4
Any
4
“<Actor 1>, <Actor 2>”, left justified in white



bookmarked

text.



program, if Last





Chance flag is





not set and





video barker is





present.




6.5
Any suspended
4
The text “Expires <expiration date/time for



program, if

suspended program>”, left justified in white



video barker is

text, in the language specified by the user in



present.

guide setup. Date/time format is “<mm/dd> at





<hh:mm><a/p>”, or “<dd/mm> at





<hh:mm><a/p>” for DLA.
















TABLE 61







Illustrative Saved Programs Listing Screen General Description








No.
Description





1.0
The Saved Programs Listing screen may include:



a screen header area



an instant information area



a saved programs listing area


1.1
The saved programs listing area may include a header row and a vertical



saved programs list.


1.2
The saved programs listing area header row may include the On Demand



icon, followed by the screen title specified in the On Demand data, left



justified in white text.


2.0
The Guide may obtain a list of suspended and/or bookmarked programs



for display on the Saved Programs Listing Screen.


2.1
The Guide may display between, e.g., zero and seven listing cells on the



Saved Programs Listing screen.


2.1.1
When a Barker Window is present, the Guide may display between, e.g.,



zero and six listing cells on the Saved Program Listing Screen.


2.2
The listing cells may be displayed by the Guide on the Saved Programs



Listing screen in a vertical column, below the header row in the saved



programs listing area.


2.3
The Guide may display one listing cell for each distinct asset that is



returned in the On Demand data.


2.4
The label of each listing on the Saved Programs Listing screen may be the



short title of the program, as specified by the On Demand data, unless the



video is rated Adult and the Hide Adult Titles option is enabled in the



Parental Control Setup.


2.5
The label of a listing cell on the Saved Programs Listing Screen may be



“Adult Programming” in the user-selected language, if the rating of the



video is Adult and the user has enabled the Hide Adult Titles option in the



Parental Control Setup.


2.6
The Guide may display the Bookmarked icon on the listing cell if the On



Demand data indicates that the program is bookmarked.


2.6.1
The Guide may display the text “Ends” in the user-selected text language,



followed by the last date of the program's licensing window, right justified



in the listing cell, directly to the left of the bookmarked icon, if the On



Demand data indicates that the program is bookmarked, and that the



program is a last chance video.Example: “Ends 6/25” (i.e. June 25)


2.6.2
In a DLA environment, the Guide may display “Ends” in the user-selected



text language, followed by the last date of the program's licensing window



in international date format, right justified in the listing cell, directly to the



left of the bookmarked icon, if the On Demand data indicates that the



program is bookmarked, and that the program is a last chance video.



Example: “Ends 25/6” (i.e. June 25)


2.7
The Guide may display the Checkmark icon on the listing cell if the On



Demand data indicates that the program is suspended.


2.7.1
The Guide may display the text “Expires” in the user-selected text



language, followed by expiration date and time, right justified in the listing



cell, directly to the left of the checkmark icon, if the On Demand data



indicates that the program is suspended.



Example: “Expires 11/12 at 8:05p” (i.e. November 12)


2.7.2
In a DLA environment, the Guide may display “Expires” in the user-



selected text language, followed by the expiration date and time in



international date format, right justified in the listing cell, directly to the



left of the checkmark icon, if the On Demand data indicates that the



program is suspended.



Example: “Expires 12/11 at 8:05p” (i.e. November 12)


2.8
The Guide may display the program listing cells on the screen in the order



programs are specified in the On Demand data, beginning with the top cell



and proceeding to the bottom cell.


2.9
The color of the listing cells on the Saved Programs Listing Screen may be



blue.


3.0
The Guide may highlight the screen item that currently has focus.


4.0
The Guide may provide a mechanism to page up and down to view



additional saved program listing pages.


4.1
Navigation across multiple saved program listing pages may not be



circular, navigation above the top of the list or below the bottom of the list



may be disabled.


5.0
The Guide may control the display of the Saved Programs Listing Screen



elements.


5.1
The Guide may postpone display of the listing cells until the listing data is



available.


5.2
The Guide may display the No Listings Available Screen if the server



returns an indication that no suspended or bookmarked programs are



currently available.


6.0
The Guide may support an optional barker window on the Saved Programs



Listings screen as specified in the On Demand data.


6.1
The Guide may remove the on-screen display of the Saved Programs



Listing Screen between sets of coordinates using a scale of e.g.,



1000 × 1000 screen pixels when the Saved Programs Listing Screen is



displayed and the On Demand data indicates that the barker is enabled in



particular positions.


6.2
The Guide may not remove the on-screen display to accommodate the



barker window when the Saved Programs Listing screen is displayed and



the On Demand data indicates that the barker window is not enabled or the



barker window is enabled in various positions.
















TABLE 62







Illustrative Saved Programs Listing Screen Input Key Processing Table










No.
Key
Screen Focus
Behavior





 1.0
Power
Any
Normal


 2.0
Volume Up
Any
Normal


 3.0
Volume Down
Any
Normal


 4.0
Mute
Any
Normal


 5.0
Channel Up
Any
Normal


 6.0
Channel Down
Any
Normal


 7.0
Bypass
Any
Normal


 8.0
Menu
Any
Normal


 9.0
Guide
Any
Normal


10.0
Music
Any
Normal


11.0
Themes
Any
Normal


12.0
Search
Any
Normal


13.0
Settings
Any
Normal


14.0
Exit
Any
The Guide may return to Idle Mode and





display Flip Banner.


15.0
Last
Any
Normal if the previous screen was not an





On Demand video.


15.1
Last
Any
The Guide may display the top-level





categories of the On Demand Main Menu





and place the focus on the top-left category





bar if the previous screen was an On





Demand video.


16.0
Right Arrow
Any
Inactive


17.0
Left Arrow
Any
Inactive


18.0
Up Arrow
Top Listing
The Guide may display the previous page




Cell, any but
of listings with lowest selectable listing cell




First Page
highlighted.


18.1
Up Arrow
Top Listing
Inactive




Cell, First or





Only Page



18.2
Up Arrow
Other
Normal


19.0
Down Arrow
Bottom listing
The Guide may display the next page of




cell, any but
listings with top listing highlighted.




last page



19.1
Down Arrow
Bottom listing
Inactive




cell, last page



19.2
Down Arrow
Other
Normal


20.0
OK
Listing Cell
The Guide may display the On Demand





Program Information - Not Suspended





Screen for the program if the listing cell





represents a bookmarked program.


20.1
OK
Listing Cell
The Guide may display the On Demand





Program Information -Suspended Screen





for the program if the listing cell represents





a suspended program.


21.0
Digits 0-9
Any
Normal


22.0
Scroll Up
Any
Normal


23.0
Scroll Down
Any
Normal


24.0
Day Forward
Any
Inactive


25.0
Day Back
Any
Inactive


26.0
Help
Any
Inactive


27.0
Info
Listing Cell
The Guide may display the On Demand





Program Information - Not Suspended





Screen for the program if the listing cell





represents a bookmarked program.


27.1
Info
Listing Cell
The Guide may display the On Demand





Program Information -Suspended Screen





for the program if the listing cell represents





a suspended program.


28.0
Favorite
Any
Inactive


29.0
Lock
Program Listing
Normal


30.0
Record
Any
Inactive


31.0
Stop
Any
Inactive


32.0
Pause
Any
Inactive


33.0
Play
Any
Inactive


34.0
Rewind
Any
Inactive


35.0
Fast Forward
Any
Inactive


36.0
PPV
Any
Normal


37.0
Letters A-Z
Any
Inactive


38.0
VOD
Any
Inactive


39.0
Return to Live TV
Any
Normal


40.0
Skip Forward
Any
Inactive


41.0
Replay
Any
Inactive


42.0
A
Any
Inactive


43.0
B
Any
Inactive


44.0
C
Any
Inactive


45.0
Digital
Any
Normal



Recordings




46.0
Swap
Any
Inactive
















TABLE 63







Illustrative Saved Programs Listings


Screen Other Event Handling Table









No.
Event
Conditions/Comments





1.0
Screen Timeout
This screen may time out in 2




minutes to the underlying screen.


2.0
Reminder
Normal


3.0
Scheduled Recording Fires
Normal


4.0
Ordered PPV Start
Normal


5.0
PPV Purchase Window
Inactive



Expires



6.0
Current Program Ends
Inactive with Barker window,




Normal without Barker window


7.0
Data added, deleted or
Not Applicable



modified in database
















TABLE 64







Illustrative Saved Programs Listings Screen/Mode Entry Table









No.
Functionality
Description





1.0
Guide
The Saved Programs Listing Screen may be



Initialization
immediately available after startup.


2.0
Highlight
The default highlight may be the first listing




on the page.


2.1
Highlight
The highlight position may not be




remembered when this screen is exited


3.0
Display Inclusion
Refer to the system and general description



Criteria
above.


4.0
Sorting/Grouping
The items on the screen may be displayed in



Criteria
the order received from VOD server 26.


5.0
Customization
Refer to Table 61.
















TABLE 65







Illustrative Saved Programs Listings Screen Formatting









No.
Functionality
Description





1.0
Program Title
The label of each listing on the Saved




Programs Listing Screen may be the short title




of the video as returned by the VOD Server 26




unless the video is rated Adult and the Hide




Adult Titles option is enabled in the Parental




Control Setup.


1.1
Program Title
The label of a listing cell on the Saved




Programs Listing Screen may be “Adult




Programming” in the user-selected language if




the rating of the video is Adult and the user




has enabled the Hide Adult Titles option in the




Parental Control Setup.


2.0
Time
Normal


3.0
Channel
Not Applicable


4.0
Other Text
Not Applicable


5.0
Colors
The color of the listing cells may be blue.


6.0
Indicators
Program Indicators may be displayed as




applicable, right justified within the instant




information area in the following order of




priority (displayed left to right):




Lock/Un-Lock




Closed Caption




HDTV




Dolby Digital Audio




Wide Screen




TV Rating/Movie Rating




Purchase or Checkmark Indicator




Bookmarked




In a Playlist




If the full title and all active indicators do not




fit within the Instant Information area, then




one or more of the lowest priority indicators




may be omitted as necessary.


6.1
Indicators
The icon associated with the menu option used




to access the Saved Programs Listing screen




may be displayed to the left of the screen title




in the saved program listing area header.


6.2
Indicators
An up or down arrow icon may be displayed




to indicate the availability of additional pages




of listings.


7.0
Branding
The On Demand brand provided by the system




may be displayed left-justified within the




screen header area.


8.0
Audio
If a video barker is provided, the audio may




correspond to that barker.


8.1
Audio
If no video barker window is displayed, the




audio may be normal.


9.0
LEDs
The Guide may display the last user channel




or current time on the LED according to the




description provided in the Appendix for




time/channel display on the LED.









When the viewer elects to delete a video from the Saved Programs Listing Screen, the Guide may display a confirmation overlay explaining the operation that they are about to perform and requesting confirmation before proceeding. FIG. 25 shows an illustrative Delete Video Confirmation Overlay. Table 66 describes illustrative behaviors of the IPG and/or VOD server 26 in connection with providing such an overlay.
For the purposes of the Delete Confirmation Overlay the “Delete Rental” option is also referred to as the “YES” option and the “Don't Delete Rental” option is also referred to as the “NO” option.







TABLE 66







Illustrative Delete a Video Confirmation Overlay








No.
Description





1.0
The Guide may display the Delete a Video Confirmation Overlay when the



user selects the Delete option from a Rented Video Information screen.


1.1
The Guide may display the title, “DELETE CONFIRMATION” in yellow



text on the Delete a Video Confirmation Overlay in the language specified



by the viewer in the guide setup.


1.2
The Guide may display the instruction text, “Deleting this video will



remove it from your saved video list. You will have to order the video



again if you wish to watch it, which may result in additional charges



Proceed with deletion?” In white text on the Delete a Video Confirmation



Overlay in the language specified by the viewer in the guide setup.


1.3
The Delete Rental (Yes) button may be displayed on the Delete a Video



Confirmation Overlay by the Guide with the label “Delete Rental” in the



language specified by the viewer through the guide setup.


1.4
The Don't Delete Rental (No) button may be displayed on the Delete a



Video Confirmation Overlay by the Guide with the label “Don't Delete



Rental” in the language specified by the viewer through the guide setup.


2.0
The default highlight may be the Don't Delete Rental (No) option.


3.0
If the user selects the Yes button, the Guide may send a request to the VOD



Server 26 to delete the video, remove the Delete a Video Confirmation



Overlay, query the VOD Server 26 for the current saved programs, and



display the Saved Programs Listing Screen with the current saved programs



returned by the server and the top listing bar highlighted.


4.0
If the user selects the No button, the Guide may remove the Delete a Video



Confirmation Overlay and highlight the Delete button.


5.0
Except as specified in this section, this confirmation screen may follow the



description provided in the Common Confirmation Overlay section of the



Appendix.


6.0
If the user pressed the Info key while this overlay is displayed, the Guide



may remove the Delete a Video Confirmation Overlay and highlight the



Delete button.









Section IV. Illustrative Playlist Transport Bar

A playlist transport bar according to the invention provides an overlay which graphically represents assets of a playlist in a manner that enables a user to easily ascertain a playback position within the playlist and within a particular asset.
A playlist transport bar may be displayed in response to any number of different user inputs. For example, a user input device may have a playlist transport bar button which causes the playlist transport bar to be displayed when pressed. The transport bar may be removed when the button is pressed again. The playlist transport bar may be displayed when the user issues a stop, pause, fast-forward, rewind, play, resume, or any other command that affects playback of an asset. For example, the playlist transport bar may be displayed for a predetermined period of time in response to a pause or stop command. After the predetermined period of time expires, the interactive media application may substitute other content in place of the pause or stopped media to prevent screen burn-in. As another example, the playlist transport bar may be displayed while the user is issuing a fast-forward or rewind command. When the user resumes playback of assets in the playlist, the playlist transport toolbar may be displayed for a predetermined period of time before it is removed from the screen. In yet another example, the playlist transport bar may be displayed when the user is navigating among various elements of the transport bar (discussed below in more detail in connection with FIGS. 32-36).
FIGS. 26 and 27 show illustrative transport bars for playing back assets of a playlist. FIG. 26 shows an illustrative transport bar 2602 that the interactive television application (e.g., IPG) may display on screen 2600 when the user begins playing back a program from a playlist (such as by, for example, selecting the resume or restart icons of FIGS. 6-9).
FIG. 27 shows an illustrative playlist transport bar that may be displayed when a user pauses playback in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. In some embodiments, users may stop playback, which may result in having an illustrative playlist transport bar be displayed. In other embodiments, the interactive television application may stop playback automatically after the playlist has been paused for a period of time. Users may resume playback of a paused or stopped program by, for example, selecting the resume icon of FIGS. 6-9 or by pressing a play button on a remote device.
Playlist transport bar 2602 may display information such as the title of the currently playing program (shown here as Lost, Episode 2), the name of the playlist (shown here as Jane's Playlist), and the total amount of time of programming in the entire playlist (shown here as 4:54). Playlist transport bar 2602 may include position indication region 2610 and asset regions 2622, 2624, and 2626.
Position indication region 2610 may provide a visual indicator of the playback position and may include position needle 2612 and information region 2614. Position needle 2612 may be a graphical object (e.g., a vertical bar) overlaying a portion of one of the asset regions. As shown in FIG. 26, position needle 2612 is at the beginning of asset region 2622, and in this particular embodiment, is also shown at the beginning of the playlist. As a particular asset is played back, position indication region 2610 may advance, from left-to-right, through the asset region corresponding to that asset, and as multiple assets are played back from the playlist, position indication region 2610 may advance through one asset region and then advance through the next.
Information region 2614 may display time information indicating, for example, how much time has elapsed in a currently playing asset, how much playback time is remaining in the currently playing asset, how much time has elapsed in playback of the playlist, how much playback time is remaining in the playlist, or any combination thereof. Note that the elapsed time is meant to represent the time it takes for normal speed, uninterrupted, playback of assets in the playlist. Thus, if a user fast-forwards through or skips an asset, the time displayed in information region 2614 is indicative of the time it would have taken to reach the new playback position at a normal uninterrupted speed. However, it will be appreciated that, in an alternative embodiment to the foregoing, the actual time spent accessing (e.g., viewing) assets in the playlist may be displayed. Information region 2614 also includes the playback action indicator, shown here as a play indicator. The playback action indicator may change to a pause indicator while the playback of the playlist is paused, to a reverse play indicator while the playlist is being played in the reverse direction, to a fast-forward indicator while the playlist is being fast-forwarded, and to a rewind indicator while the playlist is being rewound. If desired, different indicators may be used for different speeds of play, reverse play, rewind, and fast-forward.
As playback of an asset progresses, both position needle 2612 and information region 2614 may move concomitantly. This is illustrated in FIG. 27 in which both position needle 2712 and information region 2714 are shown connected together even though two hours and fifty-six minutes of programming has played back. It will be appreciated that in other embodiments the information region may remain in a fixed location (e.g., the far left-hand side of the transport bar), while the position needle advances in connection with playback of the programming in the playlist. In other embodiments, the position needle and information region may remain stationary, while the asset regions move to the left as playback progresses.
Referring now back to FIG. 26, each of asset regions 2622, 2624, and 2626 may correspond to an asset (e.g., program) in a playlist (e.g., Jane's Playlist). For example, asset region 2622 may correspond to a first asset (e.g., Lost, Episode 2, which is shown being played back on screen 2600) in the playlist. Asset region 2624 may correspond to the next asset (e.g., Men In Black) in the playlist to be played back, and asset region 2626 may correspond to the asset following the asset corresponding to asset region 2624.
A number of different approaches may be taken with respect to the display of the asset regions. The asset regions may be displayed in a rectangular fashion, where the regions are attached end-to-end, and where the regions are clearly delineated to clearly indicate where one asset region ends and another begins. Moreover, the regions may exhibit certain attributes (e.g., colors or highlighting) to further distinguish one region from another. For example, the region currently being played back may be colored different than the other regions. As another example, the regions may be colored to represent the theme or genre of the asset. It is understood that many various ways of presenting the regions may be implemented and that such presentation techniques are largely a matter of design choice. Therefore, various display techniques (e.g., asset region shapes, coloring, and highlighting, etc.) not specifically mentioned herein may be applied to the playlist transport bar.
FIG. 26 is merely an illustrative of such a display screen including a playlist transport control bar. Other suitable arrangements may be used. For example, information such as asset title, channel, any other suitable programming-related information, advertisements, logos, or any combination thereof may be displayed within or in association with the playlist transport bar.
Any number of different approaches may be practiced in determining the number of asset regions displayed in the playlist transport bar at a given time and the space occupied by each displayed asset region. FIG. 28 shows an illustrative playlist transport bar 2802 that displays an asset region for each asset in the playlist. This approach ensures that playlist transport bar 2802 includes regions representative of the entire playlist. Thus, when a user views playlist transport bar 2802, the user can quickly determine how far along he is in the playback of the playlist.
If the playlist includes, for example, five assets, the playlist transport bar displays five asset regions corresponding to those five assets. The interactive media guidance application may allocate an appropriate size for each asset region, while optionally taking into account factors such as the run-length of each asset, in order to simultaneously display regions for each asset in the playlist. As shown, playlist transport bar 2802 includes five regions, regions 2821, 2822, 2823, 2824, and 2825, each of which are apportioned space based on their relative lengths. For example, asset regions 2822, 2823, and 2825 may represent half-hour shows, asset region 2821 may represent an hour show, and region 2824 may represent a two-hour show.
FIG. 29 shows an illustrative playlist transport bar 2902 in which the number of regions displayed are limited in number so as to not saturate transport bar 2902 with regions corresponding to all the potential assets of a playlist, thereby potentially making it difficult for users to quickly and easily differentiate different regions. In this approach a relatively small number of regions (e.g., 2-6) may be displayed in the playlist transport bar. This way, if the playlist includes a large number of assets, playlist transport bar 2902 may display just a few regions such as, for example, the regions centered around the region currently being played back.
Moreover, by limiting the number of regions displayed in playlist transport bar 2902 at any given time, this allows the interactive media guidance application to allocate an appropriate predetermined minimum amount of space to each displayed region. In FIG. 29, playlist transport bar 2902 corresponds to a playlist having nine hours and forty-five minutes of programming, but is only able to display, for example, four hours of programming at any given time. For example, regions 2921 and 2923 may represent hour long programs and region 2922 may represent a two hour long program. As can be seen, the spacing allotted to each region accurately reflects the length of a particular asset with respect to the other shown assets. That is, region 2922 (a two hour asset) occupies approximately twice the space as region 2921 (an hour long asset).
The interactive media guidance application may position the currently played back region 2922 in the center of playlist transport bar and place other regions or portions thereof on either side of the currently played region. In FIG. 29, position indication region 2910 is positioned at region 2922, indicating that the asset corresponding to region 2922 is being played back. Because region 2922 is the current region, region 2921 may be placed before it, and region 2923 may be placed after it. When position indication region 2910 advances to region 2923, the interactive media guidance application may position region 2923 in the center of playlist transport bar 2902, resulting in playlist transport bar 2904 of FIG. 30. FIG. 30 shows region 2923 positioned near the center, with a portion of region 2922 located left of region 2923 and regions 2924 and 2925 located right of region 2923. As shown with region 2922, a region at the start or end of the display may be truncated, showing only a portion of its allocated length. In some embodiments, a truncated asset region may be displayed differently than a whole asset region, for example with a ragged edge or an arrowhead-shaped end.
As an alternative to the embodiment discussed in connection with FIGS. 29 and 30, the playlist transport bar may only be able to display up to a predetermined number of hours of programming Thus, if the number of hours of programming in the playlist exceeds the number of hours that can be displayed at any given time, the playlist transport bar may display only regions or portions thereof totaling the number of hours that can be displayed at any give time. In embodiments in which the entire playlist length is not shown on screen, an indicator may be shown at the start and/or end of the playlist transport bar to inform the user that additional assets are available. For example, an arrow or an ellipsis may be used to indicate additional assets prior to or subsequent to the displayed asset regions.
FIG. 31 shows a playlist transport bar 3102 that may be displayed when the interactive media guidance application executes a command that affects playback of an asset in the playlist such as fast-forward, rewind, skip asset, replay asset, or any other function which may or may not be directly supported by a remote device (e.g., remote control). For example, when a user initiates a fast-forward command through an asset, playlist transport toolbar 3102 may be displayed for at least the duration of the fast-forward. While fast-forwarding, position indication region 3110 may be shown rapidly progressing from left-to-right and the time displayed in information region 3114 may be shown elapsing at a fast-forwarded pace. In addition, information region 3114 may display a conventional fast-forward symbol to signify to the user that a fast forward command is being implemented. It will be appreciated that information region 3114 may indicate a current action status (e.g., play, rewind, fast-forward, pause, or any other suitable mode) in the form of an icon, as illustrated in FIG. 31, text, or any other suitable form.
FIGS. 32, 33, 34A-B, 35A-B, and 36 show several illustrative playlist transport bars in which a user may navigate a highlight region within the playlist transport bar, and, if desired, cause a particular action to occur in accordance with embodiments of the invention. Referring now to FIG. 32, the user may navigate a highlight region 3218 (currently highlighting asset region 3221) to various elements of transport bar 3202. For example, a user may navigate highlight region 3218 to any one of asset regions 3221, 3222, 3223, or, in some embodiments (such as an embodiment in which a limited number of regions can be displayed), to regions not currently displayed. The user may navigate highlight region 3218 to position indication region 3210 or playlist name 3230. The interactive media guidance application may execute a predetermined function in response to a user navigating an element in the playlist transport bar or user selection of a highlighted element. For example, the interactive media guidance application may display an information overlay 3240 containing information related to the asset corresponding to asset region 3221 when the user highlights asset region 3221. If the user highlights an asset region and selects the asset, for example by pressing a Select key on the remote control, the interactive media guidance application may immediate commence playback of the selected asset.
FIG. 33 shows an illustrative playlist transport bar 3302 in which a highlight region 3318 has been navigated to playlist name 3330. As shown in FIG. 33, after the user navigates a highlight region to or selects playlist name 3330, several names of playlists may be displayed. These playlists may include playlists previously created by a user or playlists provided by a system operator. Displaying the available playlists gives the user the option to load in a different playlist by navigating to and selecting a particular playlists. When a new playlist is selected, the user may be prompted with a confirmation screen, and upon confirmation, the interactive media guidance application may commence playback of the selected playlist and display a playlist transport bar tailored to the selected playlist.
FIGS. 34A-B show before and after screen shots, respectively, illustrating how a user may manually drag and drop a position indication region to any desired location in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. FIG. 34A shows position needle 3412 highlighted with highlight region 3418. Note that information region 3414 specifies a time of forty-five minutes. When the user selects the highlighted position needle, the interactive television program guide may enter a “drag and place mode” that permits the user to manually move position indication region 3410 to another location (e.g., another region) using, for example, pressing buttons (e.g., left and right cursor buttons) on a remote device. FIG. 34B shows that the user moved position indication region 3410 back five minutes (as indicated by information region 3414) with respect to the location of position indication region 3410 in FIG. 34A.
When the user has placed position indication region 3410 in a desired location, the user may exit the drag and place mode in any number of different ways. For example, the user may deselect position indication region 3410 by pressing a particular button (e.g., an exit button or a play button or a select button) or by navigating away from position indication region 3410. Note that as position indication region 3402 is moved, the time information may change accordingly, and the displayed name of assets in playlist may change as needle position 3412 is positioned at different regions. When the new playback position is selected, the interactive media guidance application may commence playback at the newly selection asset and time.
FIGS. 35A-B show before and after screen shots, respectively, illustrating how a user may use a “skip to next region” function to move the location of position indication region 3510 in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. The “skip to next region” function may advance position indication region 3510 to the beginning of an adjacent asset region. The skip to next region function may be invoked when position needle 3512 is selected, as shown in FIG. 35A. When the user presses a button (e.g., up/down arrow buttons, next/previous page buttons, or dedicated next/previous buttons) on a remote device, position indication region may skip to the next region.
FIG. 35B illustrates the result of the skip function when the user presses, for example, a right arrow button once. As shown, position indication region skips from region 3521 to the beginning of region 3522. If the user presses the right arrow button again, position indication region may skip to the beginning of region 3523.
If the user presses the left arrow button, position indication region 3510 may either advance to the beginning of the region in which position indication region 3510 is currently overlaying or to the beginning of the region adjacent to the region in which position indication region 3510 is currently overlaying. As an alternative embodiment, position indication region 3510 may advance to the beginning of a previous region only if position indication region 3510 is at the beginning of the region it is currently positioned at.
FIG. 36 shows an illustrative screen shot of playlist transport bar 3602 that may be displayed when a user navigates a highlight region to, for example, information region 3614 in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. As shown, when information region 3614 is highlighted with highlight region 3618, playlist options menu 3640 may be displayed. Playlist options menu 3640 may provide a user with an opportunity to execute one of many different functions with respect to the asset associated with the region currently indicated by position indication region 3610, or with respect to the current position in that asset. The user may execute one of these functions by navigating highlight region to a desired function and select a pre-determined button on a remote device.
The functions included in playlist options menu 3640 may provide added flexibility in manipulating playback of assets in the playlist, to edit the playlist, or to access information on various assets in the playlist. For example, a user may select delete asset 3641 to delete an asset from the playlist, select skip asset 3642 to skip playback of the asset, select repeat asset 3643 to repeat play of the asset, or select information for this asset 3644 to view additional information on the asset. In addition, play this asset next 3645 may be selected to have this asset play next, regardless of the order it appears in the playlist. Selection of play this asset 3645 may result in a re-ordering of the playlist. Furthermore, play this asset now 3646 may be selected to cause this asset to begin substantially immediate playback. Note that the functions included in playlist options menu 3640 are largely a matter of design choice and are not limited to the specific examples discussed herein. More detailed information and additional examples of functions that may be included in a playlist options menu may be found in co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/324,191, filed Dec. 29, 2005, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety. Examples of other functions that may be accessed from such a menu include setting a mark at the current location in the current asset that can be jumped to easily at a later time, jumping to a previously selected marked location; selecting a specific asset to begin playing, selecting a specific playback offset in the current asset at which to begin playback, and jumping forward or backwards in the playlist by a user-specified number of seconds or minutes.
Note, playlist options menu 3640 may be displayed or accessed in ways other than that mentioned herein. For example, a remote device may include a button which when pressed may cause playlist options menu 3640 to be displayed, regardless of whether a highlight region has been navigated to information region 3614. In another approach, playlist options menu 3640 may be displayed only after the user selects highlighted information region 3614 using, for example a remote device.
FIG. 37 is a flow chart illustrating the display of a playlist transport bar in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. Beginning at step 3702, a playlist is provided. This playlist may be one of many playlists available which the interactive media guidance application may use for displaying a playlist transport bar according to the invention. At step 3704, the interactive media guidance application may display a playlist transport bar for the playlist. The playlist transport bar may include asset regions that correspond to assets in the playlist and a position indication region to provide an indication of a playback position within the playlist. When the playlist transport bar is displayed, several different actions may be taken. For example, the position indication region may be moved (e.g., manually by a user) to a new position in the playlist transport bar. Another example action may include navigating a highlight region to access additional information relating to an asset or other features available in connection with the playlist transport bar (e.g., playlist options menu of FIG. 36).
Section V. VOD Information Screen
In some embodiments, the interactive television application (e.g., IPG), may provide users with access to playlist and bookmark features from a VOD program information screen. FIGS. 38 and 39 show illustrative VOD information screens that may be provided in response to, for example, a user selecting a VOD program listing from a VOD program listings display.
In FIG. 38, the selected program is a free VOD program and an illustrative playlist icon is highlighted. In this embodiment, only free VOD programs may be added to playlists. In other embodiments, non-free VOD programs and other types of programs may be added to playlists.
In FIG. 39, the selected program is a non-free VOD program and an illustrative bookmark icon is highlighted. In other embodiments, free VOD programs and other types of programs may be bookmarked.
In response to a user selecting the playlist icon of FIG. 38, the interactive television application may present an overlay allowing a user to select a playlist to which the program will be added, such as the Select A Playlist Overlay of FIG. 11 for example. If no playlists are set, the interactive television application may instead present an overlay that indicates no playlists are set, such as the Illustrative No Playlists Set Overlay of FIG. 3 for example.
In response to a user selecting the bookmark icon of FIG. 39, the interactive television application may present an overlay allowing the user to confirm the marking of the program, such as the Bookmark a Program Confirmation Overlay of FIG. 21.
The above described embodiments of the present invention are presented for purposes of illustration and not of limitation, and the present invention is limited only by the claims which follow.

## Claims

1. A method for generating a playlist transport bar to be displayed using an interactive media guidance application (IMGA), comprising:
generating a playlist transport bar for display, wherein the playlist transport bar is for a playlist that includes a plurality of playable assets, the playlist transport bar comprising:
a plurality of asset regions, each asset region corresponding to a different one of the playable assets in the playlist, wherein at least two of the plurality of playable assets in the playlist are different programs; and
a position indication region to provide an indication of a playback position within the playlist, wherein the position indication region comprises a playback information region that includes access to an interactive playlist options menu selectable by a user, wherein the interactive playlist options menu, comprising of a plurality of simultaneously displayed options, is displayed in response to receiving a user selection of the playback information region, and wherein the playback information region moves with the position indication region during playback of one of the playable assets.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of an elapsed playback time of the playlist and an elapsed playback time of one of the playable assets is generated for display in the playback information region.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein an elapsed playback time of one of the playable assets currently being played back and an elapsed playback time of the playlist are generated for display in the playback information region.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:
moving the position indication region to another position in the playlist transport bar; and
generating the position indication region to be displayed while it is being moved.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising playing back an asset in the playlist from the position that the position indication region was moved to.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein moving comprises fast forwarding or rewinding the position indication region.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:
receiving a command to select the position indication region; and
moving the selected position indication region to another location in the playlist.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the playlist transport bar comprises a playlist information region, and wherein a name of the playlist is generated for display in the playlist information region.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the playlist transport bar comprises a playlist information region, and wherein a name of an asset corresponding to the location of the position indication is generated for display in the playlist information region.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the playlist transport bar comprises a playlist information region, and wherein a total playtime of all assets in the playlist is generated for display in the playlist information region.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of asset regions generated for display in the playlist transport bar include an asset region for each playable asset in the playlist.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein a portion of a total playtime of all assets in the playlist is generated for display in the playlist transport bar and wherein the playlist transport bar includes asset regions for at least two playable assets in the playlist.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein at least one of the asset regions generated for display is representative of the run-length of the asset corresponding to the asset region generated for display.

14. The method of claim 1, further comprising:
allowing a user to load a different playlist while accessing the playlist transport bar.

15. The method of claim 1, further comprising:
allowing a user to modify the playlist while accessing the playlist transport bar.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the playlist transport bar is generated for display as an overlay that overlays a portion of a currently played asset.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein the interactive media guidance application is selected from the group consisting of an interactive television program guide, an online television program guide, and a Website.

18. A system for generating a playlist transport bar to be displayed using an interactive media guidance application (IMGA), the system comprising:
a processor configured to:
generate for display a playlist transport bar for a playlist that includes a plurality of playable assets, the transport bar comprising:
a plurality of asset regions, each of which corresponds to a different one of the playable assets in the playlist, wherein at least two of the plurality of playable assets in the playlist are different programs; and
a position indication region to provide an indication of a playback position within the playlist, wherein the position indication region comprises a playback information region that includes access to an interactive playlist options menu selectable by a user, wherein the interactive playlist options menu, comprising of a plurality of simultaneously displayed options, is displayed in response to receiving a user selection of the playback information region, and wherein the playback information region moves with the position indication region during playback of one of the playable assets.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the processor is further configured to generate at least one of an elapsed playback time of the playlist and an elapsed playback time of one of the playable assets for display in the playback information region.

20. The system of claim 18, wherein the processor is further configured to generate an elapsed playback time of one of the playable assets currently being played back and an elapsed playback time of the playlist for display in the playback information region.

21. The system of claim 18, the processor further configured to:
move the position indication region to another position in the playlist transport bar; and
generate the position indication region to be displayed while it is being moved.

22. The system of claim 21, the processor further configured to play back an asset in the playlist from the position that the position indication region was moved to.

23. The system of claim 21, wherein the processor is configured to fast-forward or to rewind the position indication region.

24. The system of claim 18, the processor further configured to:
receive a command to select the position indication region; and
move the selected position indication region to another location in the playlist.

25. The system of claim 18, wherein the playlist transport bar comprises a playlist information region and wherein the processor is configured to generate, for display in the playlist information region, a name of the playlist.

26. The system of claim 18, wherein the playlist transport bar comprises a playlist information region, and wherein the processor is further configured to generate, for display in the playlist information region, a name of an asset corresponding to the location of the position indication.

27. The system of claim 18, wherein the playlist transport bar comprises a playlist information region, and wherein the processor is further configured to generate, for display in the playlist information region, a total playtime of all assets in the playlist.

28. The system of claim 18, wherein the plurality of asset regions generated for display in the playlist transport bar includes an asset region for each playable asset in the playlist.

29. The system of claim 18, wherein the processors is further configured to generate a portion of a total playtime of all playable assets in the playlist for display in the playlist transport bar, and wherein the processor is configured to generate asset regions for at least two assets in the playlist for display in the playlist transport bar.

30. The system of claim 29, wherein at least one of the asset regions generated for display is representative of the run-length of the asset corresponding to the asset region generated for display.

31. The system of claim 18, the processor further configured to:
allow a user to load a different playlist while accessing the playlist transport bar.

32. The system of claim 18, the processor further configured to:
allow a user to modify the playlist while accessing the playlist transport bar.

33. The system of claim 18, wherein the playlist transport bar is generated for display as an overlay that overlays a portion of a currently played asset.

34. The system of claim 18, wherein the interactive media guidance application is selected from the group consisting of an interactive television program guide, an online television program guide, and a Website.