Patent Publication Number: US-2017366837-A1

Title: Interactive television program guide system having multiple devices within a household

Description:
This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/894,618, filed Aug. 20, 2007, which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/179,410, filed Jul. 11, 2005, which is continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/356,161, filed Jul. 16, 1999, which claims the benefit of U.S. provisional patent application No. 60/093,292, filed Jul. 17, 1998. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention relates to interactive television program guides, and more particularly, to techniques for providing interactive television program guide functionality on multiple devices within a household. 
     Cable, satellite, and broadcast television systems provide viewers with a large number of television channels. Viewers have traditionally consulted printed television program schedules to determine the programs being broadcast at a particular time. More recently, interactive electronic television program guides have been developed that allow television program information to be displayed on a viewer&#39;s television. 
     Interactive television program guides are typically implemented on set-top boxes. Such programs guides allow users to view television program listings in different display formats. For example, a user may instruct the program guide to display a grid of program listings organized in a channel-ordered or a time-ordered list. Users may also search or sort program listings by theme (e.g., movies, sports, etc.) or by title (i.e., alphabetically). A user may obtain additional information for a program by placing a highlight region on a desired program listing and pressing an “info” button. 
     Households with children are concerned with protecting children from the potentially objectionable adult content contained in the broad range of programs that are currently available. Some program guides allow users to block channels or programs using a parental control function. For example, a user may instruct the program guide to block access to channels that provide adult programs. A user must enter a password to regain access to such adult channels. 
     Another feature available on some program guides is the ability for the cable operator to send messages such as billing information to the user. A user may also have the ability to set reminders that will alert the user when a preselected program is about to begin or that will automatically tune the user&#39;s set-top box to the channel of the preselected program when the program is about to begin. A user may have the ability to establish a list of favorite channels. All of these program guide settings and features are specific to the user&#39;s set-top box. 
     Families often have multiple televisions and set-top boxes placed throughout the household. A family&#39;s household even may include multiple homes. 
     Because there is no coordination between the program guides running on each of the various set-top boxes in the household, if a user adjusts the settings for a program guide on one set-top box, these settings are not communicated to the program guides on any of the other set-top boxes in the household. If a parent wants to restrict access to certain channels on all the televisions in the household, the parent must adjust the parental control settings on each set-top box individually. Reminders and favorite channel settings must similarly be set for each program guide separately if a user desires to have such settings be in effect throughout the household. Messages sent from the cable operator can only be sent to a particular set-top box. Some cable system subscriber management systems can allow a cable operator to manage all cable boxes within a home (i.e. manage billing for individual locations within a home). However, such systems do not allow user interaction with the cable operator. 
     It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a program guide system that allows a user to adjust to the user settings of a plurality of program guides at different locations within a household from a single location. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     These and other objects of the present invention are accomplished in accordance with the principles of the present invention by providing an interactive television program guide system for a household in which multiple interactive television program guides within the household are coordinated. In a typical system, various users in the household use various pieces of user television equipment (also called user television equipment devices). An interactive television program guide is implemented on each piece of user television equipment. Typical user television equipment may be a set-top box on which a program guide application and non-program-guide applications run, a videocassette recorder connected to the set-top box for recording television programs, and a television on which the program guide application may display various program guide display screens and the non-program-guide applications may display various non-program-guide display screens. Other suitable types of user television equipment may be based on personal computer televisions (PC/TVs) or advanced television receivers such as high-definition television (HDTV) receivers. 
     Each piece of user television equipment may be located in a different part of the home. For example, one piece of equipment may be located in the parents&#39; bedroom. Another piece of equipment may be located in a child&#39;s bedroom. Additional pieces of equipment may be located in a family room, kitchen, living room, etc. 
     Typical program guide features that may be provided by the program guides of this invention implemented on the user television equipment include features related to setting program reminders, profiles, program recording features, messaging features, favorites features, parental control features, program guide set up features (e.g., video display settings, language settings, etc.), and other suitable program guide features. The system coordinates operation of the program guides so that, for example, a user may adjust his favorite channel settings on a program guide operating in the living room and those settings will be effective on the program guide operating in the master bedroom and may therefore be used by that program guide. 
     A parent may adjust parental control settings using the program guide in the parents&#39; room and the system may apply those settings to all program guides in the household. Parents may use the parental control feature to control the viewing of their children even though the children may be viewing television using multiple user television equipment devices. For example, parents may establish parental controls to lock various programs and services from a master location and the system will apply these parental controls to the various pieces of user television equipment throughout the household. The ability to establish favorite channels, to set reminders, and to control other program guide settings at one location and to have those settings applied to multiple locations throughout the household may be used by both the parents and their children. 
     A user may adjust his favorite settings on a program guide in the family room and may direct the system to apply those settings to the program guides in the family room and the living room. A child may set reminders for certain programs using the program guide in the family room and may direct the system to apply those settings only to the program guide running in that child&#39;s bedroom. A user may select a program for recording using a program guide in the living room and may request that the videocassette recorder in the family room be used to record the selected program. A user may receive messages from a cable system operator and may direct the system to make certain types of those messages available to the program guide located in all rooms but the children&#39;s room. A user may adjust language or audio settings using one program guide and have those settings apply globally. 
     As these examples serve to illustrate, the settings for any suitable program guide features may be adjusted using the program guide at one location in a household and applied by the system to selected other program guides in the household. 
     The program guides may be linked using any suitable topologies and communication protocols. For example, the various pieces of user television equipment may be interconnected using a tree, bus or ring topology. One piece of user television equipment may be designated as a primary device and other pieces of user television equipment may be designated as secondary devices. The primary and secondary devices may be connected in a star arrangement. A remote server may be used to implement certain program guide features and the pieces of user television equipment in the home may act as clients. 
     If desired, non-program-guide applications may be implemented on the user television equipment. Such non-program-guide applications may include, for example, a web browser application, a home shopping application, a game application, an e-mail application, a chat application, a banking application, etc. These applications may be implemented on a set-top box within the user television equipment. The user may adjust the settings of such a non-program-guide application at one set-top box. The system coordinates the operation of the various set-top boxes so that the adjusted settings may be used by similar applications running on other set-top boxes in the household. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a diagram of an interactive television program guide system in accordance with the present invention. 
         FIG. 2  is a flow chart of steps involved in adjusting user settings and applying those adjustments to desired locations in accordance with the present invention. 
         FIG. 3  is a diagram of a system in which multiple interactive television program guides are implemented in a star configuration accordance with the present invention. 
         FIG. 4 a    is a diagram of a system in which multiple interactive television program guides are implemented in a tree configuration in accordance with the present invention. 
         FIG. 4 b    is a diagram of a system in which multiple interactive television program guides are implemented in a ring configuration in accordance with the present invention. 
         FIG. 4 c    is a diagram of a system in which multiple interactive television program guides are implemented in a bus configuration in accordance with the present invention. 
         FIG. 5  is a diagram of another system in which multiple interactive television program guides are implemented in a client-server configuration in accordance with the present invention. 
         FIG. 6  is a diagram of a system in which multiple interactive television program guides are implemented in a client-server configuration and in which the set-top-box acts as the server in accordance with the present invention. 
         FIG. 7 a    is a diagram of a system similar to the system of  FIG. 1  in which multiple interactive television program guides are implemented in a neighborhood node configuration in accordance with the present invention. 
         FIG. 7 b    is a diagram of a system similar to the system of  FIG. 1  showing how servers may be located at network nodes in accordance with the present invention. 
         FIG. 7 c    is a diagram of a system similar to the system of  FIG. 1  showing how homes may be connected by modem links in accordance with the present invention. 
         FIG. 7 d    is a diagram of a system similar to the system of  FIG. 1  showing how homes may be connected via a server in accordance with the present invention. 
         FIG. 8  is a diagram of a system in which multiple interactive television program guides are implemented and in which each such guide uses a real-time communications device connected to the Internet in accordance with the present invention. 
         FIG. 9  is a diagram of a system in which multiple interactive television program guides are implemented with an occasional return path communications device in accordance with the present invention. 
         FIG. 10  is a diagram of illustrative user television equipment with an optional data input device in accordance with the present invention. 
         FIG. 11  is a depiction of an illustrative location selection screen in accordance with the present invention. 
         FIG. 12  is a depiction of an illustrative main menu screen in accordance with the present invention. 
         FIG. 13  is a depiction of another illustrative location selection screen in accordance with the present invention. 
         FIG. 14  is a flow chart showing steps involved in an illustrative approach for selecting a location for which to adjust settings in accordance with the present invention. 
         FIG. 15  is a depiction of an illustrative parental control password screen and an illustrative corresponding parental control access denied screen in accordance with the present invention. 
         FIG. 16  is a diagram of an illustrative parental control screen in accordance with the present invention. 
         FIG. 17  is a flow chart showing steps involved in an illustrative approach for applying parental controls in accordance with the present invention. 
         FIG. 18 a    is a depiction of an illustrative parental controls set channels screen in which selected channels are blocked in accordance with the present invention. 
         FIG. 18 b    is a depiction of an illustrative parental controls set channels screen in which selected channels are hidden in accordance with the present invention. 
         FIG. 19  is a depiction of an illustrative monitor viewing screen in accordance with the present invention. 
         FIG. 20  is a depiction of an illustrative browse screen in accordance with the present invention. 
         FIG. 21  is a depiction of an illustrative set reminder screen in accordance with the present invention. 
         FIG. 22  is a depiction of an illustrative select reminder screen in accordance with the present invention. 
         FIG. 23  is a flow chart showing steps involved in an illustrative approach for setting and selecting a reminder in accordance with the present invention. 
         FIG. 24  is a depiction of an illustrative favorite channels screen in accordance with the present invention. 
         FIG. 25  is a depiction of an illustrative set recording screen in accordance with the present invention. 
         FIG. 26  is a depiction of an illustrative pay-per-view movies screen in accordance with the present invention. 
         FIG. 27  is a depiction of an illustrative pay-per-view select start time screen in accordance with the present invention. 
         FIG. 28  is a depiction of an illustrative messages receiving screen in accordance with the present invention. 
         FIG. 29  is a depiction of an illustrative messages sending (user entered) screen in accordance with the present invention. 
         FIG. 30  is a depiction of an illustrative messages sending (pre-set) screen in accordance with the present invention. 
         FIG. 31  is a depiction of an illustrative setup screen in accordance with the present invention. 
         FIG. 32  is a depiction of an illustrative setup language screen in accordance with the present invention. 
         FIG. 33  is a depiction of an illustrative setup audio screen in accordance with the present invention. 
         FIG. 34  is a depiction of an illustrative Internet browser screen in accordance with the present invention. 
         FIG. 35  is a depiction of an illustrative shopping data entry screen in accordance with the present invention. 
         FIG. 36  is a depiction of an illustrative stock ticker data entry screen in accordance with the present invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     An illustrative program guide system  30  in accordance with the present invention is shown in  FIG. 1 . Main facility  32  contains a program guide database  34  for storing program guide information such as television program guide program listings data, pay-per-view ordering information, television program promotional information, etc. Information from database  34  may be transmitted to multiple television distribution facilities such as television distribution facility  38  via communications links such as communications link  40 . Only one such television distribution facility  38  and one communications link  40  are shown in  FIG. 1  to avoid over-complicating the drawings. Link  40  may be a satellite link, a telephone network link, a cable or fiber optic link, a microwave link, a combination of such links, or any other suitable communications path. If it is desired to transmit video signals (e.g., for advertising and promotional videos) over link  40  in addition to data signals, a relatively high bandwidth link such as a satellite link is generally preferable to a relatively low bandwidth link such as a telephone line. 
     Television distribution facility  38  is a facility for distributing television signals to users, such as a cable system headend, a broadcast distribution facility, or a satellite television distribution facility or the like. 
     The program guide information transmitted by main facility  32  to television distribution facility  38  includes television program listings data such as program times, channels, titles, descriptions, etc. Transmitted program guide information may also include pay program data such as pricing information for individual programs and subscription channels, time windows for ordering programs and channels, telephone numbers for placing orders that cannot be impulse ordered, etc. If desired, some of the program guide and advertising information may be provided using data sources at facilities other than main facility  32 . For example, data related to pay program order processing (e.g., billing data and the like) may be generated by an order processing and billing system that is separate from main facility  32  and separate from television distribution facility  38 . Similarly, advertising information may be generated by an advertising facility that is separate from main facility  32  and television distribution facility  38 . 
     A server  42  may be provided in television distribution facility  38  for handling data distribution tasks and for storing local information. If desired, server  42  may be used to implement a client-server based interactive television program guide system. In such a system, client functions may be performed at user television equipment  44 . Server  42  may be capable of handling text, graphics, and video. 
     Television distribution facility  38  distributes program guide and advertising information to the user television equipment  44  of multiple users via communications paths  46 . Program guide data and other information may be distributed over an out-of-band channel on paths  46  or using any other suitable distribution technique. 
     Each user has a receiver, which is typically a set-top box such as set-top box  48 , but which may be other suitable television equipment into which circuitry similar to set-top-box circuitry has been integrated. If desired, user television equipment  44  may be an advanced television receiver or a personal computer television (PC/TV). For purposes of illustration, the present invention will generally be described in connection with user television equipment based on a set-top box arrangement. Program guide data may be distributed to set-top boxes  48  periodically and stored or may be distributed continuously and handled “on the fly.”, or by request. Television distribution facility  38  may poll set-top boxes  48  periodically for certain information (e.g., pay program account information or information regarding programs that have been purchased and viewed using locally-generated authorization techniques). Main facility  32  preferably contains a processor to handle information distribution tasks. Each set-top box  48  preferably contains a processor to handle tasks associated with implementing a program guide application on the set-top box  48 . Television distribution facility  38  may contain a processor for tasks associated with implementing server  42  and for handling tasks associated with the distribution of program guide and other information. 
     Each set-top box  48  is may connected to an optional videocassette recorder  50  or other suitable recording device (e.g., digital storage device) so that selected television programs may be recorded. Each videocassette recorder  50  may be connected to a television  52 . To record a program, set-top box  48  tunes to a particular channel and sends control signals to videocassette recorder  50  (e.g., using an infrared transmitter) that direct videocassette recorder  50  to start and stop recording at the appropriate times. 
     During use of the interactive television program guide implemented on set-top box  48 , television program listings may be displayed on television  52 . Each set-top box  48 , videocassette recorder  50 , and television  52  may be controlled by one or more remote controls  54  or any other suitable user input interface such as a wireless keyboard, mouse, trackball, dedicated set of buttons, etc. 
     Communications paths  46  preferably have sufficient bandwidth to allow television distribution facility  38  to distribute scheduled television programming, pay programming, advertising and other promotional videos, and other video information to set-top boxes  44  in addition to non-video program guide data. Multiple television and audio channels (analog, digital, or both analog and digital) may be provided to set-top boxes  48  via communications paths  46 . If desired, program listings and other information may be distributed by one or more distribution facilities that are similar to but separate from television distribution facility  38  using communications paths that are separate from communications paths  46 . 
     Certain functions such as pay program purchasing may require set-top boxes  48  to transmit data to television distribution facility  38  over communications paths  46 . If desired, such data may be transmitted over telephone lines or other separate communications paths. If functions such as these are provided using facilities separate from television distribution facility  38 , some of the communications involving set-top boxes  48  may be made directly with the separate facilities. 
     The present invention involves the distribution of user program guide settings to multiple program guide locations within a household. Such a household may contain multiple pieces of user television equipment. A program guide may be implemented on each piece of user television equipment. An illustrative process for distributing such settings is shown in  FIG. 2 . At step  500 , a first program guide provides the user with an opportunity to adjust program guide settings (e.g., program guide settings for user profiles, favorites, parental controls, reminders, recording options, pay-per-view options, message options, or other setup functions). At step  510 , the system coordinates the operation of the multiple interactive television program guides so that the program guide settings that were adjusted with the first interactive television program guide are effective on a second interactive television program guide and may be used by that second interactive television program guide. 
     The steps of  FIG. 2  are preferably performed using program guides as the program guides implemented on set-top boxes  48  of  FIG. 1 . Certain program guide functions (particularly the display of graphics or videos) may involve the use of resources located at main facility  32  and television distribution facility  38  and other such facilities. If desired, some of the steps of  FIG. 2  may be performed using an application running on set-top boxes  48  other than the interactive program guide. For clarity, the principles of the invention are described in the context of an arrangement in which the set-top-based steps of  FIG. 2  are performed primarily using an interactive television program guide. 
       FIGS. 3, 4   a ,  4   b ,  4   c ,  5 , and  6  show various illustrative topologies for configuring multiple program guides within a household. 
       FIG. 3  shows an illustrative arrangement for interconnecting various user television equipment devices in accordance with the present invention. 
     Primary user television equipment  60  may be connected to secondary user television equipment  61 , secondary user television equipment  62 , and secondary user television equipment  63  via communication paths  64 . Communications paths  64  may be any suitable communications path for in-home network, such as twisted pair lines, Ethernet links, fiber optics, power lines, radio-frequency (RF) links, infrared (IR) and links other wireless links, firewire (IEEE 1394) paths, dedicated cables, etc. As shown, one or more pieces of secondary user television equipment may be connected to primary user television equipment  60  in a star configuration if desired. User television equipment devices are typically located in different rooms within home  65 . For example, primary user television equipment  60  may be placed in the parents&#39; bedroom, secondary user television equipment  61  may be placed in the children&#39;s room, secondary user television equipment  62  may be placed in a living room, and secondary user television equipment  63  may be placed in a guest room. With such an arrangement, the parents&#39; bedroom may be used as a master location to adjust user settings for the program guides on the user television equipment in the children&#39;s room and the other rooms. 
       FIG. 4 a    shows an illustrative tree configuration in which each piece of user television equipment is interconnected with another along a single path. User television equipment  66 ,  67 ,  68 , and  69  of  FIG. 4  are connected to each of the others via communications paths  70 . Communications paths  70  may be any suitable communications path for in-home network, such as twisted pair lines, Ethernet links, fiber optics, power lines, radio-frequency (RF) links, infrared (IR) and links other wireless links, firewire (IEEE 1394) paths, dedicated cables, etc. Two or more pieces of user television equipment may be connected in this way. The equipment mentioned above may be placed in various rooms within home  65 . For example, user television equipment  66  may be placed in a parents&#39; bedroom, user television equipment  67  may be placed in a children&#39;s room, user television equipment  68  may be placed in a living room, user television equipment  69  may be placed in a guest room. With the arrangement of  FIG. 4 a   , each piece of user television equipment in home  65  may communicate with each other piece of user television equipment in home  65  over communications paths  70 .  FIG. 4 a    shows the system connected in a tree topology. If desired, this level of interconnectivity may be achieved using communications paths that are arranged in a ring configuration ( FIG. 4 b   ), bus configuration ( FIG. 4 c   ) or other suitable topology. Any of these topologies may use the types of communications paths described in connection with the arrangement of  FIG. 4   a.    
       FIG. 5  shows an illustrative configuration based on a client-server architecture. Server  80  may be connected to user television equipment  81 ,  82 , and  83  via communication paths  85 . Equipment  81 ,  82 , and  83  and server  80  may be placed in various rooms within home  65 . For example, server  80  may be placed in a den, user television equipment  81  may be placed in a children&#39;s room, user television equipment may be placed in a living room, user television equipment  83  may be placed in a parents&#39; room. Communication paths  85  may be any in-home network suitable to transmit video, audio and data, such as dedicated cable fiber optics, firewire links, RF links, etc. As, in the examples of  FIGS. 4 a , 4 b , and 4 c   , different communications path arrangements such as buses, rings and the like, may be used to interconnect user television equipment based on a client-server architecture. 
       FIG. 6  shows an illustrative configuration based on a single set-top box. Set-top box  90  is connected to optional videocassette recorders  91  and televisions  94 ,  96 , and  98  via communication paths  99 . Optional videocassette recorder  91  is in turn connected to television  92 . If desired, any combination of televisions with or without videocassette recorders and televisions may be connected in a similar manner. The set-top box, videocassette recorders and televisions of 
       FIG. 6  may be placed in rooms within home  65 . For example, set top box  90 , videocassette recorder  91  and television  92  may be placed in a parent&#39;s bedroom, television  94  may be placed in a children&#39;s room, and television  96  may be placed in a living room, and television  98  may be placed in a guest room. Communication paths  99  may be any in-home network paths suitable for transmitting video, audio and data, such as, dedicated cable, fiber optics or firewire links. 
       FIGS. 7 a , 7 b , 7 c   ,  8 , and  9  show illustrative configurations for the connection between the home and the television distribution facility. Only one user television equipment device is shown in the households in  FIGS. 7 a , 7 b , 7 c   ,  8 , and  9  to avoid over-complicating the drawings. However, each household  65 ,  101 ,  102 ,  103 ,  104 ,  401 , and  402  in  FIGS. 7 a , 7 b , 7 c   ,  8 , and  9  may contain multiple pieces of user television equipment configured as shown in  FIG. 3, 4   a ,  4   b ,  4   c ,  5 , or  6 . 
       FIG. 7 a    shows an illustrative configuration in which multiple homes are handled by a common server. Server  105  may be located at central facility  100 . Central facility  100  may be a private home, a commercial building, a network node, or other suitable structure that may be connected to a plurality of homes. 
     In the example of  FIG. 7 a   , server  105  is connected to user television equipment  106 ,  107 ,  108 , and  109  that is located in homes  101 ,  102 ,  103 , and  104 , respectively via communication paths  700 . When multiple user television equipment devices exist within a home as shown by devices  109   a  and  109   b,  each user television equipment device may communicate with the server  105  independently via communication paths  700 , alternatively only one device may communicate while the other communicates via a home network. In other words, in alternative arrangements, there are either 1) multiple connections to an outside server and each user television equipment device communicates with the server independently with no need for an in-home network, or, 2) only one connection to an outside server and each user television device communicates with each other through an in-home network. 
     As shown in  FIG. 7 b   , the capabilities of server  42  ( FIG. 1 ) may be provided using servers  56  located at network nodes  58 . Servers such as servers  56  may be used instead of server  42  or may be used in conjunction with a server  42  located at television distribution facility  38 . 
     Graphics information for messages, advertisements and the like may be downloaded periodically (e.g., once per day) to set-top boxes  48  of  FIG. 1  and stored locally. The graphics information may be accessed locally when needed by the program guides implemented on set-top boxes  48 . Graphics information may also be provided in a continuously-looped arrangement on one or more digital channels on paths  46 . With such a continuously-looped arrangement, a map indicating the location of the latest graphics information may be downloaded periodically to set-top boxes  48  (e.g., once per day) or continuously. This allows the content on the digital channels to be updated. The program guides on set-top boxes  48  may use the map to locate desired graphics information on the digital channels. Another approach involves using a server such as server  42  or servers  56  ( FIG. 7 b   ) to provide the graphics information after a set-top box  48  and that server have negotiated to set up a download operation. A bitmap or other suitable set of graphics information may then be downloaded from the server to the set-top box. If desired, the server may download instructions informing the set-top box where the desired graphics information can be located on a particular digital channel. The graphics information can be updated periodically if the server that is responsible for downloading the instructions for informing the set-top box of the location of the graphics information is also updated periodically. 
     Text information for messages, advertisements and the like may be provided to set-top boxes  48  using the same paths that are used for distributing program guide data. For example, advertising data from database  36  of  FIG. 1  may be provided to set-top boxes  48  using link  40 , television distribution facility  38 , and paths  46 . The text information may be stored locally in set-top boxes  48  and updated periodically (e.g., once per day). 
     Text information, graphics information, and videos for messages, advertisements and the like may also be distributed using a combination of these techniques or any other suitable technique. 
     As shown in  FIG. 7 c   , when a household has more than one home, the user television equipment in each home may be connected by modem link or other suitable link for transferring data between homes. For example, user television equipment  403  may be connected to user television equipment  404  via link  405 . Link  405  may use internal or external modems, cable modems or other communications devices suitable for transmitting audio, video, and text data. In this manner, home  401  and home  402  may share program guide settings. 
     As shown in  FIG. 7 d   , when a household has more than one home, the user television equipment in each home may be connected via an outside server. For example, user television equipment  413  may be connected to user television equipment  414  via server  410 . Communication paths  415  may use internal or external modems, cable modems or other communications devices suitable for transmitting audio, video, and text data. In this manner, home  411  and home  412  may share program guide settings. 
       FIG. 8  shows an illustrative configuration in which a server is connected to the home via the Internet. Set top boxes  122  are connected to the Internet  110  or other suitable data network in real time using real-time communications devices  121 . Videocassette recorders  123  may be connected between set-top boxes  122  and televisions  124 . Real-time communications devices  121  may be any devices suitable for maintaining a constant open connection with network  110 , such as internal or external modems, cable modem, or the like. The network used to connect homes to television distribution facility  38  may be any network suitable for distributing video and audio data such as the Internet. Network  110  is connected to television distribution facility  38  by communications link  115  and is connected to real-time communications device  121  by communications links  120 . 
       FIG. 9  shows an illustrative configuration in which user television equipment is linked to a server outside the home via an occasional return path. Set top box  132  is connected to occasional return path communications device  130  and videocassette recorder  134 . Videocassette recorder  134  may be connected to television  136 . Occasional return path communications device  130  may be any device suitable for connecting set-top box  132  to a server for the transfer of video and audio data, such as an internal or external modem, cable modem, or the like. Occasional return path communications device  130  server  42  which may or may not be connected to television distribution facility  38  using a communications path  131 . Communications path  131  may be, for example, a telephone link or other non-dedicated communications path suitable for providing an occasional return path to home  65  from server  42 . 
       FIG. 10  shows illustrative components for user television equipment  44  ( FIG. 1 ). In the arrangement of  FIG. 10 , set top box  48  is connected to data input device  140 . Data input device  140  may be a keyboard, keypad, or any device suitable for inputting text (wired or wireless), audio or video. Videocassette recorder  50  is connected to set-top box  48  and television  52 . Remote control  54  is used to control the operation of set-top box  48 , videocassette recorder  50 , and television  52 . 
     Further aspects of the invention are described in detail below. For clarity, the principles of the invention described below are described in the context of the device configuration shown in  FIG. 3  and the steps illustrated of  FIG. 2 , except where noted. However, the principles of the present invention also apply to configurations such as those shown in  FIGS. 4-9 . Also, the foregoing description is merely illustrative of the principles of this invention and various modifications can be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention. 
     In any of the above arrangements, an interactive television program guide on each user television equipment device may provide various features for displaying television program listings information for the user and for providing various program guide functions such as parental control, favorites, pay-per-view purchasing, etc. For example, if the user presses the appropriate buttons on remote control  54 , the user may be presented with a time-ordered or channel-ordered grid or table of television program listings or other such programming information. 
     With one suitable approach, the user may select one of the user television equipment devices to be a master or primary device. Adjusting the program guide settings of the master device controls these settings for all other devices in the household. For example, with the arrangement of  FIG. 3 , the user may set primary user television equipment  60  to be the master device. Primary user television equipment  60  may be located in the parents&#39; bedroom. This allows the head of the household to control the program guide settings for all of the program guides in the household from a single location. 
     The system may provides the user with an opportunity to assign a master device, such as user television equipment  60 , that will coordinate its program guide settings with other devices such as secondary user television equipment  61 ,  62 , and  63 . The system also provides the user with an opportunity to assign secondary devices. 
     One suitable way in which the system may allow the user to assign devices as primary (master) and secondaries is for at least one of the program guides (e.g., the program guide running on set-top box  60 ) to provide an assign locations screen such as assign locations screen  160  of  FIG. 11 . Screen  160  may be accessed, for example, by first accessing main screen  170  of  FIG. 12  (by pressing, e.g., a suitable key on remote control  54 ). After accessing screen  170 , the user can use remote control  54  to move highlight region  177  to the setup option  179  and select setup option  179  by pressing a select key, enter key, “OK” key, or other such key (sometimes referred to herein as simply an enter key) on remote control  54 . 
     Selecting setup option  179  directs the program guide to display a setup screen such as setup screen  310  of  FIG. 31 . The user can select assign location option  316  on setup screen  310  by moving highlight region  312  and pressing the enter key. Selecting assign location option  316  directs the program guide to display assign locations screen  160  of  FIG. 11 . The user can then move highlight region  162  to set B option  165 . Selecting option  165 , directs the program guide to provide the user with an opportunity to enter a name to assign to set B. For example, the user may use data input device  140  or remote control  54  to enter letters  164  associated with the selected name. The program guide may use such user-defined device names when the relationship between devices is set up. For example, the user may designate the “parents room” location as a master location and may designate the “children&#39;s room” location as a slave location. 
     The names of locations may be pre-set by a service provider and simply assigned by the user. Alternately the user (or an installation technician), may have the ability to assign locations from the home. The location name may be chosen from a list as above or typed in by the user (or an installation technician.) 
     In the alternative arrangement shown in  FIG. 4 , each piece of user television equipment  66 ,  67 ,  68 , and  69  is a peer. The user can assign names to each such user television equipment device in much the same way that names may be assigned to the secondary devices in the  FIG. 3  arrangement. 
     As shown in  FIG. 14 , at step  1000 , the program guide may provide the user with an opportunity to select the devices or locations for which the user desires to adjust settings. Step  1000  may, for example, involve providing a screen such as select location screen  400  of  FIG. 13 . At step  1001  of  FIG. 14 , after the user has made a selection by moving highlight region  155  ( FIG. 13 ) to the desired device (e.g., parents&#39; room option  154 ) and pressed the enter key, the program guide sets the selected locations. The guide may also default to a particular location based on the type of setting that is changed. (e.g., if a setting for the recording of a program is changed, the guide may default to location with a videocassette recorder.) The guide may default to any combination of locations based on the type of setting that is changed. There are also “other factors” that may be used by the guide to determine at which location the settings will be effective. These include: the current location of the user making the adjustment, whether a location to be adjusted is currently being used, the state of other settings, etc. At step  1002 , the program guide may return to a menu (e.g., menu  170  in  FIG. 12 ). 
     The program guide may allow a unique number to be assigned to a user so that he or she is able to access his or her program guide settings at a location outside the home. For example, a user may visit a neighbors home to housesit while the neighbor is out of town. This user has the ability to log on to the program guide at the neighbors home and access his or her personal program guide settings. 
     The program guide may allow the user to set parental controls to prevent children from viewing potentially inappropriate material. At step  1010  of  FIG. 17 , for example, the program guide may provide the user with an opportunity to access main screen  170  of  FIG. 12 . On Main screen  170 , the user may use remote control  54  to move highlight region  177  to the parental control option  176  and select that option by pressing the enter key. 
     At step  1011  of  FIG. 17 , after the user has entered a preselected password  211  ( FIG. 15 ) on enter password screen  210  of  FIG. 15 , the program guide checks the password. If the wrong password was provided at step  1013 , then the user is shown invalid password screen  212  of  FIG. 15  and is denied access to parental control screen  190  of  FIG. 16  at step  1014  of  FIG. 17 , and may be returned to main menu screen  170  of  FIG. 12 . If the user has provided a valid password at step  1012 , the program guide provides various options at step  1015 . At step  1015 , the user can access parental control screen  190  of  FIG. 16  and may use remote control  54  to navigate between options such as set channels option  191 , set maximum rating option  193 , and monitor viewing option  195 . The user may navigate to set channels screen  200  of  FIG. 18 a    by selecting set channels option  191  at step  1016  of  FIG. 17  by moving the highlight region  192  and pressing select. 
     If the user selects set channels option  191  at step  1016 , at step  1020  the program guide provides the user with an opportunity to set which channels are to be blocked. The user may block specific channels using remote control  54  to scroll through and select from channel options  201 ,  202 ,  203 , and  204  of  FIG. 18 a   . For example, the user may move highlight region  207  to channel option  201  (which may be an adult channel). The user can then toggle between blocking and not blocking the channel by pressing the enter key on remote control  54 . 
     In screen  200  of  FIG. 18 a   , a blocked channel is represented by an X. The user can choose to apply the parental controls selected in screen  200  of  FIG. 18 a    to all locations by selecting apply to all option  205 , choose to apply to the current location by selecting current location option  209 , or can choose to apply the controls to a specific location or locations by selecting the select locations option  206  from the option provided by the program guide, at step  1024  of  FIG. 17 . The guide may apply the settings to a default location or to a location determined by other factors as described above. 
       FIG. 18 b    shows an illustrative parental controls set channels screen  208  that may be used when it is desired to hide controlled channels rather than merely blocking them. When the user chooses to hide the channels, the blocked channels do not appear on any of the program listings display screens provided by the program guide. 
     The user may also navigate to a set maximum ratings screen by choosing set maximum rating option  193  of  FIG. 16 , at step  1017  of  FIG. 17 , by moving a highlight region and pressing select. At step  1021  of  FIG. 17 , the user may then set a maximum rating allowed for viewing in a manner similar to the set channels option. For example, the user may move a highlight region to a set maximum rating option (which may be TV-MA), then the user can enter his selected maximum using remote control  54 . Next, the user can choose to apply the adjustments to all locations by selecting an apply to all option or may opt to apply the adjustments to a specific location or locations by selecting a select locations option from the options provided by the program guide, at step  1024  of  FIG. 17 . The guide may apply the settings to a default location or to a location determined by other factors as described above. 
     The user may navigate to monitor viewing screen  230  of  FIG. 19  by choosing the monitor viewing option  195  of  FIG. 16  (step  1019  of  FIG. 17 ) by moving highlight region  192  to the monitor viewing option  195  and pressing enter. 
     At step  1023  of  FIG. 17 , the program guide at the user&#39;s location may then, in one alternative, provide the user with monitor viewing screen  230 , which shows the channel that each location is currently viewing or an overlay such as a banner or small information box that shows the channels that the other locations are viewing, but that also allows the user to continue watching programming at the user&#39;s location. The program guide at the user&#39;s location may poll the program guides at other locations within the household to determine whether anyone is currently viewing television and to which channels they are tuned. The monitor viewing screen may also allow the viewing of video, audio, or still images associated with the channel being viewed at another location. For example, the video of the remote location may be shown in a small box on the screen while the current channel&#39;s video is in the background. 
     The guide may allow the user to change the channel of a remote location. For example, a user in the parents&#39; room may notice that the television in the children&#39;s room is tuned to a program the child should not be watching. The user may change the channel without physically going into the child&#39;s room. 
     The guide may also allow a level of privacy to be set for a location so that location cannot be monitored. For example, if guests are visiting a household the monitor feature may be disallowed in the parents&#39; room. 
     Other parental control features that may be distributed to remote locations within a household include: blocking channels by title, blocking channels by time, blocking channels by content (language, nudity, etc.), blocking the ability to use a feature (e.g., reminders), blocking the ability to set and clear pin numbers, ability to temporarily disable parental controls (e.g., disabling parental controls while the child is at school), and the ability to set pin numbers for individual locations or for the entire household. Additionally, the guide may have the ability to use multiple sets of parental control settings profiles. For example, the user may create a late night profile of parental controls and day time profile of parental controls. The guide then allows the user to designate which parental controls profile to use and when to use it. 
     Another feature that may be provided by the program guide is a reminders feature, which may be accessed by selecting reminders option  178  from the menu of main screen  170  of  FIG. 12 . The reminders feature allows the user to set a reminder for a television program that the user wishes to watch at a later time. Just before the television program for which a reminder has been set is to be broadcast, a reminder message is displayed on the user&#39;s television screen. Reminders may also be provided that direct the program guide to automatically tune the user&#39;s set-top box to the program specified in the reminder. Reminders may also provide the user with an on-screen reminder when a selected program begins and may allow the user to manually tune to the selected channel. 
     A family reminders option may be provided that operates similarly to the reminders functions described above and which allows reminders to be set for a family, which may be accessed by selecting family reminders option  184  from the menu of main screen  170  of  FIG. 12 . For example, in  FIG. 7 a    server  105  at central facility  100  may store many family reminder settings (or other settings) for individual homes. The program guides in a particular home or household may also provide the ability to adjust favorites settings, parental control settings, reminder settings and the like. These settings may be named and associated with a viewing location, an entire home, or a group of homes. 
     A series reminder option may be provided that allows users to set reminders for program series. Series reminders are described in Knudson et al. U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/330,792, filed Jun. 11, 1999 (Attorney Docket No. UV-56), which is hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety. 
     An illustrative example of using the reminders feature is as follows. If a user at one of the program guide locations within the household presses an appropriate button (e.g., the enter button) after having used a browse feature (i.e., a pop-up program listing display  256 ) to navigate to a program listing  257  for “Holiday Entertaining” as shown in screen  255  of  FIG. 20 , the program guide at that location may present the user with set reminder screen  350  of  FIG. 21 . Set reminder screen  350  allows the user to choose to set a reminder for the selected program  352  (Holiday Entertaining) by selecting yes option  354  with highlight region  356  shown at step  1030  of  FIG. 23 . If the user selects no option  358 , set reminder screen  350  is canceled. If set reminder screen  350  is not canceled, the user select the program guide locations (i.e., the locations of the various user television equipment devices within the household) to which the adjustments are to be applied by selecting apply to all option  205 , current location option  209 , or by selecting the select locations option  206  (step  1031 ,  FIG. 23 ) and interacting with various sub-menus listing the available locations from which to choose. Set reminder screen  350  and other such screens in the program guide may use either a full-screen or partial-screen display format. After the user selects the program guide locations to which the reminders are to be applied, the program guide at the user&#39;s location communicates with the program guides at the user-selected locations. During this communication process, the program guide at the user&#39;s location directs the other program guides to set reminders for display at their locations just before the scheduled broadcast time of the program. If desired, the program guide at the user&#39;s location can communicate with the program guides at the selected locations using other suitable techniques. For example, the program guide at the user&#39;s location may issue instructions to the program guides at the selected locations just before the scheduled broadcast time of the program for which the reminder was set that causes those program guides to display a reminder message at that time. These approaches are merely illustrative. Any other suitable approach for communicating the reminders settings or any other program guide settings from the program guide at the user&#39;s location to the other program guides may be used if desired. 
     A short time before the scheduled broadcast time of the program for which a reminder has been set, the program guide at each selected location may display a reminder display region  361  on the television screen  360  at that location (Step  1032 ;  FIG. 23 ), as shown in  FIG. 22 . Reminder display region  361  may be displayed as a partial screen overlay over the currently displayed television channel (e.g., channel  9 ). In the example of  FIG. 22 , two reminders were set for the 10:00 AM time slot. As a result, reminder display region  361  contains program listings for both selected programs. A user at any of the program guide locations in which the reminder is displayed may automatically tune to one of the selected programs by moving highlight region  362  from hide reminders option  363  to program listing  364  or program listing  365 . When the user at that location presses the select button, the set-top box  48  at that location tunes to the channel of the selected program (step  1033 ,  FIG. 23 ). If the user selects hide reminders option  363 , reminder display region  361  is hidden from view. Additionally, reminders may be set to automatically tune to a particular channel without accessing a reminder display region. For example, a parent would have the ability to insure that the children&#39;s television automatically tunes to an educational program by setting a reminder for that program. 
     In addition to the opportunity to set reminders, the user may be provided the opportunity to create profiles to customize the viewing experience, which may be accessed by selecting profiles option  183  from the menu of main screen  170  of  FIG. 12 . For example, if desired, the program guides may allow each user to establish a profile of settings and other criteria as described, for example, in commonly-assigned Ellis et al. U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/034,934, filed Mar. 4, 1998, which is hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety. With such an approach, users may establish profiles of preferences such as their favorite channels, preferred genres of programming (sports, comedy, etc.), favorite actors, desired or required ratings, etc. In accordance with the present invention, one of the program guides may provide the user with an opportunity to apply this profile to all locations or to apply such settings to a specific program guide location or locations. The guide may apply the profile to a default location or to a location determined by other factors as described above. 
     The user may also be provided the opportunity to set favorite channels. The program guide at the user&#39;s location may display a menu such as the menu of main screen  170  of  FIG. 12 . The user may then use remote control  54  to navigate to the favorites option  175  using remote control  54  and pressing the enter button. 
     Once the user chooses favorites option  175 , the program guide at the user&#39;s location may present the user with a favorite channels screen such as favorite channels screen  250  of  FIG. 24 . The user may move highlight region  207  to a channel such as channel option  251  of screen  250  (which may be a local news channel), channel option  252  of screen  250 , channel option  253  of screen  250 , or channel option  254  of screen  250 . The user can then toggle between selecting and not selecting that channel by pressing the enter key on remote control  54 . In the example of  FIG. 24 , a favorite channel is represented by an X. Next, the user can choose to apply the selected favorites settings to various other program guide locations by selecting apply to all option  205 , apply to select locations option  206 , or apply to current location  209 . If the user chooses the apply to select locations option  206 , the program guide at the user&#39;s location provides the user with menu screens from which to select the desired locations to which the favorites settings are to be applied. The desired locations may be set by default or other factors as described above. A parent may want to prevent children from even seeing the titles of objectionable programming. 
     The user may be provided with an opportunity to select programs for recording at a later time. For example, if the user presses an appropriate button (e.g., a “record” button) after having used a browse feature to navigate to a program listing for “Holiday Entertaining” as shown in  FIG. 20 , the program guide at the user&#39;s location may present the user with a set recording screen such as set recording screen  270  of  FIG. 25 . Set recording screen  270  allows the user to set a selected program  274  (Holiday Entertaining) for recording by the program guide by selecting yes option  272  with highlight region  271 . If the user selects no option  273 , set recording screen  270  is canceled. 
     If a household has only one videocassette recorder  50 , there will only be one location that will make all recordings, regardless of which location the recordings are set from. If there are multiple videocassette recorders, the user may be presented with select location screen  400  of  FIG. 13  after selecting the yes option  272 , that provides the user with an opportunity to select the location that will make the recording. If desired multiple locations may be selected. The guide may choose which VCR is used based on which VCR is busy or based on other factors. 
     At the scheduled broadcast time of the program to be recorded, the program guide at each selected location causes videocassette recorder  50  to begin recording. After the scheduled completion of the broadcast of the recorded program, each program guide causes its videocassette recorder  50  to stop recording. The guides may cause videocassette recorders  50  to stop and start recording by sending an IR signal to the videocassette recorders IR input or by, any other suitable method for transmitting a signal to a videocassette recorder. 
     A series recording option may also be provided that allows users to record program series. Series recording is described in the above-mentioned Knudson et al. U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/330,792, filed Jun. 11, 1999 (Attorney Docket No. UV-56). 
     Another example of a program guide feature that benefits from coordination between multiple program guide devices in a household is pay-per-view ordering. 
     The user may be provided with an opportunity to order pay-per-view programming with a program guide display screen such as main screen  170  of  FIG. 12 . The user may use remote control  54  to select the pay-per-view by time option  181 . 
     The user may select a program to order from a screen such as pay-per-view screen  290  of  FIG. 26  using remote control  54  to navigate through program options. 
     For example, the user may move highlight region  291  to program listing  292  (which may be for the movie “Volcano” scheduled to be aired at 10:00 PM). The user may then select the program by pressing the enter button on remote control  54 . Pay-per-view ordering screens such as pay-per-view ordering screen  370  of  FIG. 27  may be used to allow the user to view information on channel  371  on which the program is scheduled to be broadcast, rating  377 , price  378  (shown illustratively as involving a surcharge for availability at additional locations within the household), and various available broadcast times  373 ,  374 , and  376 . A cancel option  372  allows the user to cancel pay-per-view ordering. The user may select cancel option  372  or a given broadcast time  373 ,  374 , or  376  by placing highlight region  375  on top of the desired option and pressing enter. The user may choose to make the selected program available to various locations within the household by selecting the select locations option  206 . Alternatively, the guide may make the program available to a default location or to a location determined by other factors as described above. 
     The program guide system may support a messages option, which may be accessed by selecting messages option  174  from the menu of main screen  170  of  FIG. 12 . Messages may be sent from the service provider at television distribution facility  38  ( FIG. 1 ) and may relate, e.g., to billing matters, general concerns, service issues, etc. Messages may be sent to the main facility or other locations by the Internet or electronic messages or other suitable means. Messages may appear on the television screen of television  52  when received. The appearance may, for example, be in a text box at the bottom of the screen. The user may be provided a list of messages that may be viewed and choose one to view. An indicator may also appear showing that unread messages exist. A messages receiving screen such as messages receiving screen  300  of  FIG. 28  may be provided that allows, the user to navigate through a table relating various locations with various types of messaging. For example, the user may move highlight region  301  to the option relating to messages of the billing type for the children&#39;s room location. By hitting the enter key the user may toggle between turning such messages on and off. If, in this example, messages are turned on, the children&#39;s room would receive billing messages. If messages are turned off, the children&#39;s room would not receive billing messages. 
     A user may have the ability to send text, audio, graphics or video messages between locations. On Messages sending screen  340  of  FIG. 29 , the user may use data input device  140  ( FIG. 10 ) to type a text message in the message entry section  343 . Alternately the user may enter audio messages through, for example, using a microphone as a data input device or video with a camera device. The user can select which location to send the message to by moving highlight region  341  to location option  342  (which may be the children&#39;s room). For example, a parent in the downstairs master bedroom may send a message telling the child in the upstairs bedroom to come down for dinner or to do their homework. Messages sending screen  379  of  FIG. 30  may provide the user with an opportunity to select from pre-existing text messages  380 . Pre-existing messages  380  may have been previously stored by a user or pre-set by the manufacturer. Messages may be transmitted between program guides at different locations within the household using any suitable communications technique such as e-mail protocols or any method described in connection with the above discussion of various topologies. 
     The program guide system may also provide the user with an opportunity to set device control options. For example, the user may access main screen  170  of  FIG. 12 , and use remote control  54  to choose the setup option  179  by using the remote control  54  to scroll to the setup option  179  and pressing the enter button. 
     The user can then select audio option  312  on setup screen  310  of  FIG. 31  by moving highlight region  313  and pressing the enter button. Next, on the setup audio screen  330  of  FIG. 33 , the user may move highlight region  332  to set volume option  331 . The user may use remote control  54  to adjust the volume upwards or downwards. For example, parents may wish to turn down the volume on the kids television. The user may choose to apply the adjustments made on screen  330  to all locations by selecting apply to all option  205 , to the current location by selecting apply to current location option  209 , or may choose to apply adjustments to a specific location or locations by selecting the select locations option  206 . Alternatively, the guide may apply the settings to a default location or to a location determined by other factors as described above. 
     Other device options, such as, video option  314  and closed-captioning (CC) option  315  may be set from screen  310  of  FIG. 31 . After the user has chosen a location to which the settings may be applied, the user may name the location by selecting name location option  317 . 
     Another program guide option that may be coordinated within the household is an option for selecting languages. From setup screen  310  of  FIG. 31 , the user may also select language option  311  by moving highlight region  313  and pressing the enter button. On setup language screen  320  of  FIG. 32  or other such screen, the user may move highlight region  321  to select a language (which may be German). The user may use remote control  54  to select the chosen language. The user may choose to apply the adjustments to all locations by selecting apply to all option  205 , choose to apply adjustments to a specific location or locations by selecting the select locations option  206 , or choose to apply to the current location by selecting current location option  209 . Alternatively, the guide may apply the settings to a default location or to a location determined by other factors as described above. The selected language may be used by the program guide when displaying program guide screens that contain text or audio, as described in Ellis et al. U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/354,602, filed concurrently herewith, which is hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety. 
     Data files may be used to transmit program guide settings. When a particular program guide retrieves program guide settings adjustments for the user, this data may be transmitted to the central facility or to another program guide via the return path in a two-way cable link, via modem link, or via any other suitable communications path. The settings may be stored at a server or on any on of the program guides in a household. For example, in the configuration of  FIG. 3 , program guide settings adjustments collected at secondary user television equipment  61 , may be stored at primary user television equipment  60 . Similarly, set top box  90  of  FIG. 6  may store program guide settings for televisions  92 ,  94 ,  96 , and  98 . In the configuration of  FIGS. 4 a , 4 b , and 4 c   , program guide settings adjustments collected at user television equipment  66  may be stored at any one of user television equipment devices  66 ,  67 ,  68 , or  69 . 
     In the configuration of  FIGS. 7 a  and 7 b   , program guide settings that are shared such as family reminders may be stored on any one of servers  56 , server  105 , or server  42 . Program guide settings may be transmitted periodically or when a data transfer is requested by a a particular piece of user television equipment or the central facility. Certain communications protocols may be particularly suitable for certain topologies of user television equipment devices. For example, if the user television equipment devices are arranged in a ring topology, a token ring communications protocol may be used to interconnect the program guides. A bus protocol may be used for a bus topology, etc. 
     An advantage of using an in home network is sharing of data among devices within the home. For example, a listing may be stored on only one device, freeing space for other settings to be stored on other devices. 
     Messaging information may be transmitted to or from the central facility via the return path in a two-way cable link, via modem link, or via any other suitable communications path. The type of message may determine where the message is stored. Messages sent by the central facility may generally be stored at the central facility. Messages generated by a user may be stored at the user television equipment that stores the user&#39;s other program guide settings. 
     The discussion thus far has focused on implementing the invention with an interactive television program guide. The invention may also be applied to non-program-guide applications. These non-program-guide applications run on user television equipment such as a set-top box. For example, an Internet browser may be run on a set-top box connected to a television. Internet application settings can be coordinated among televisions and/or set-top boxes within a household in the same way that program guide settings are coordinated among program guides in the house. 
     One non-program-guide application that may be implemented in accordance with the present invention is an Internet browser. An Internet browser may have settings such as bookmarks, parental control settings, and general preferences that control how the browser functions. As shown in  FIG. 34 , a browser application screen  700 , may have a bookmark option  705 . After adding a bookmark, the system allows the bookmark and other settings to be effective on other locations in the household. For example, a user may select bookmark option  705  and add a bookmark (i.e., a record of the address of the current web site that can be used to access the site). Through a network, in accordance with the present invention, the application can make the bookmark effective on other locations in the household. Accordingly, the user can choose to apply settings adjustments to all locations by selecting an apply to all option or may opt to apply the adjustments to a specific location or locations by selecting a select locations option from the options provided by the program guide. The guide may apply the settings to a default location or to a location determined by other factors as described above. 
     Another application that may be implemented in accordance with the present invention is an shopping application. A shopping application may have settings such as a default shipping address, and credit card number. As shown in  FIG. 35 , a shopping application screen  730 , has settings such as a shipping address  720 , and credit card number  725 . After adding a shipping and credit card information, the system allows the shipping address, credit card number and other settings to be effective on other locations in the household. For example, a user can add a shipping address. Through a network, in accordance with the present invention, the application can make the shipping address effective on other locations in the household. Accordingly, the user can choose to apply settings adjustments to all locations by selecting an apply to all option or may opt to apply the adjustments to a specific location or locations by selecting a select locations option from the options provided by the program guide. The guide may apply the settings to a default location or to a location determined by other factors as described above. 
     Another non-program-guide application that may be implemented on user television equipment and coordinated with other such applications in accordance with the present invention is a stock ticker. A stock ticker may have settings such as settings indicating the top  10  stocks in which the user is interested. As shown in  FIG. 36 , a stock ticker settings screen  710  has a ticker symbol  712  and a top  10  stocks option  715 . For example, a user may add a top stock. Then, through a network, in accordance with the present invention, the application can make the top  10  stock settings effective on other locations in the household. 
     Accordingly, the user can choose to apply the adjustments to all locations by selecting an apply to all option or may opt to apply the adjustments to a specific location or locations by selecting a select locations option from the options provided by the program guide. The guide may apply the settings to a default location or to a location determined by other factors as described above. 
     A chat application may be implemented on user television equipment such as a set top box. Chat applications are services that allow users to exchange chat messages with other users in real time. A chat application may be implemented as a stand-alone chat application or as part of another application such as a program guide application. A user may adjust settings associated with a chat application such as the size of a chat window or whether to filter potentially offensive messages. Chat applications that may be implemented on user television equipment are described in McKissick et al. U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/356,270, filed concurrently herewith, which is hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety. After the user adjusts chat settings, the user can choose to apply the chat settings adjustments to all locations by selecting an apply to all option or may opt to apply the adjustments to a specific location or locations by selecting a select locations option. Settings may be coordinated between the chat applications using options provided by the chat application. The chat application may apply the settings to a default location or to a location determined by other factors as described above. 
     If desired, the settings of an e-mail application running on different user television equipment devices in the household may be coordinated. When the user adjusts the e-mail settings associated with one user television equipment device, the system coordinates the operation of the other e-mail applications so that the adjusted e-mail settings may be used by the other e-mail applications. 
     The foregoing is merely illustrative of the principles of this invention and various modifications can be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention.