Patent Publication Number: US-2015067738-A1

Title: System and method for presenting program guide information in an electronic portable device

Description:
RELATED APPLICATION INFORMATION 
     This application claims the benefit of and is a continuation-in-part of U.S. application Ser. No. 11/312,303, filed on Dec. 20, 2005, which, in turn, is a continuation-in-part of U.S. application Ser. No. 10/287,389 filed on Nov. 4, 2002 which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. application Ser. No. 09/905,396, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,938,101, filed on Jul. 13, 2001 and which claims the benefit of U.S. Application Nos. 60/390,167 filed on Jun. 20, 2002, 60/374,556 filed on Apr. 22, 2002, 60/371,223 filed on Apr. 9, 2002, 60/344,020 filed on Dec. 20, 2001, and 60/334,774 filed on Nov. 20,2001. 
     Through U.S. application Ser. No. 11/312,303 this application also claims the benefit of and is a continuation of U.S. application No. Ser. 10/287,337 filed on Nov. 4, 2002 which, in turn, is a continuation-in-part of U.S. Application No. 09/905,396 filed on Jul. 13, 2001 and which claims the benefit of U.S. Application Nos. 60/390,286 filed on Jun. 20, 2002, 60/378,902 filed on May 8, 2002, and 60/334,020 filed on Nov. 27, 2001. 
     Still further, through U.S. application Ser. No. 11/312,303 this application claims the benefit of and is a continuation-in-part of U.S. application Ser. No. 10/288,727 filed on Nov. 6, 2002 which claims the benefit of U.S. Application Nos. 60/344,020 filed on Dec. 20, 2001 and 60/334,774 filed on Nov. 20, 2001. 
     All of these applications are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND 
     This invention generally relates to electronic portable devices having a display and communication capabilities. Exemplary devices include personal digital assistants (“PDAs”), Web Tablets, touch screen remote controls, lap-top computers, and the like. 
     SUMMARY 
     In accordance with the description that follows, a system and method is provided for updating information, such as guide data, personal calendar data, etc., in a portable electronic device. An understanding of the objects, advantages, features, properties and relationships of the invention will be obtained from the following detailed description and accompanying drawings which set forth illustrative embodiments and which are indicative of the various ways in which the principles of the invention may be employed. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       For a better understanding of the various aspects of the invention, reference may be had to preferred embodiments shown in the attached drawings in which: 
         FIG. 1  illustrates an exemplary portable device having a remote control application for use in controlling the operation of home appliances; 
         FIG. 2  illustrates exemplary screen shots of a graphical user interface of the portable device of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 3  illustrates an exemplary network by which program guide information is downloadable to the portable device of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 4  illustrates a more detailed view of the network illustrated in  FIG. 3 ; 
         FIG. 5  illustrates exemplary screen shots of a graphical user interface of the portable device of  FIG. 1  specifically illustrating interaction with the downloaded program guide information to effect automatic program recording; 
         FIGS. 6-11  illustrate exemplary networks by which the portable device of  FIG. 1  can be used to automatically enable the recording function of a home appliance; 
         FIGS. 12-14  illustrate exemplary registration screens by which the consumer can specify preferences for a downloaded program guide; 
         FIGS. 15 and 16  illustrate an exemplary program guide in which a portion of the guide viewing area is locked; 
         FIG. 17  illustrates exemplary steps for updating a calendar application; 
         FIGS. 18 and 19  illustrate an exemplary network for use in updating a calendar application; 
         FIG. 20  illustrates an exemplary screen shot of a Web page having advertising information which may be selected for use in populating the calendar application with reminder information; 
         FIG. 21  illustrates an exemplary electronic program guide resulting from interaction with the Web page of  FIG. 20 ; 
         FIGS. 22 and 23  illustrate an exemplary electronic calendar resulting from interaction with the Web page of  FIG. 20 ; 
         FIGS. 24  illustrates an exemplary network by which the electronic calendar may be populated with movie information; and 
         FIGS. 25-29  illustrate screen shots of an exemplary graphical user interface by which movie information may be used to populate the electronic calendar. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     A universal remote control application is provided as an application which may run on a portable electronic device  10 . By way of example, representative platforms for the device  10  include, but are not limited to, devices such as remote controls, lap-top computers, Web Tablets and/or PDAs manufactured by HP/Compaq (such as the iPAQ brand PDA), Palm, Visor, Sony, etc. Thus, a preferred underlying platform includes a processor coupled to a memory system comprising a combination of ROM memory, non-volatile read/write memory, and RAM memory (a memory system); a key matrix in the form of physical buttons; an internal clock and timer; a transmission circuit; a power supply; a touch screen display to provide visible feedback to and accept input from a consumer; and I/O circuitry for allowing the device to exchange communications with an external computer such as server and/or client. Additional input circuitry, such as a barcode reader, may also be utilized. 
     To control the operation of the device  10 , the memory system includes executable instructions that are intended to be executed by the processor. In this manner, the processor may be programmed to control the various electronic components within the device  10 , e.g., to monitor power, to cause the transmission of signals, etc. Within the memory system, the ROM portion of memory is preferably used to store fixed programming and data that remains unchanged for the life of the product. The non-volatile read/write memory, which may be FLASH, EEPROM, battery-backed up RAM, “Smart Card,” memory stick, or the like, is preferably provided to store consumer entered setup data and parameters, downloaded data, etc., as necessary. RAM memory may be used by the processor for working storage as well as to hold data items which, by virtue of being backed up or duplicated on an external computer (for example, a client device) are not required to survive loss of battery power. While the described memory system comprises all three classes of memory, it will be appreciated that, in general, the memory system can be comprised of any type of computer-readable media, such as ROM, RAM, SRAM, FLASH, EEPROM, or the like in combination. Preferably, however, at least part of the memory system should be non-volatile or battery backed such that basic setup parameters and operating features will survive loss of battery power. In addition, such memories may take the form of a chip, a hard disk, a magnetic disk, and/or an optical disk without limitation. 
     For commanding the operation of appliances of different makes, models, and types, the memory system may also include a command code library. The command code library is comprised of a plurality of command codes that may be transmitted from the device  10  under the direction of the remote control application for the purpose of controlling the operation of an appliance. The memory system may also include instructions which the processor uses in connection with the transmission circuit to cause the command codes to be transmitted in a format recognized by an identified appliance. While the transmission circuit preferably utilizes infrared transmissions, it will be appreciated that other forms of wired or wireless transmissions, such as radio frequency, may also be used. 
     To identify appliances by type and make (and sometimes model) such that the remote control application of the device  16  is adapted to cause the transmission of command codes in the format appropriate for such identified appliances, information may be entered into the device  10 . Since methods for setting up a remote control application to cause the transmissions of commands to control the operation of specific appliances are well-known, they will not be described in greater detail herein. Nevertheless, for additional details pertaining to remote control application setup, the reader may turn to U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,225,938, 4,623,887, 5,872,562, 5,614,906, 4,959,810, 4,774,511, and 4,703,359 which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. It should also be appreciated that these set-up methods may be used to configure a personal computer to communicate with a home appliance, for example, if the personal computer is anticipated to use wireless communications to command the operation of appliances in a home entertainment network such as described below. 
     To cause the device  10  to perform an action, the device  10  is adapted to be responsive to events, such as a sensed consumer interaction with one or more keys on the key matrix, a sensed consumer interaction with the touch screen display, or a sensed signal from an external source such as a remote computer. In response to an event, appropriate instructions within the memory system are executed. For example, when a hard or soft command key associated with the remote control application is activated on the device  10 , the device  10  may read the command code corresponding to the activated command key from the memory system and transmit the command code to an appliance in a format recognizable by the appliance. It will be appreciated that the instructions within the memory system can be used not only to cause the transmission of command codes to appliances but also to perform local operations. While not limiting, local operations that may be performed by the device that are related to the remote control application include favorite channel setup, macro button setup, command function key relocation, etc. Examples of such local operations can be found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,481,256, 5,959,751, 6,014,092, which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. 
     As discussed, the platform of the device  10  preferably comprises a general purpose, processor system which is controllable by software. The software may include routines, programs, objects, components, and/or data structures that perform particular tasks that can be viewed as an operating system together with one or more applications. The operating system, such as the “Windows CE” brand operating system or the like, provides an underlying set of management and control functions which are utilized by applications to offer the consumer functions such as calendar, address book, spreadsheet, notepad, Internet browsing, etc., as well as control of appliances. Thus, it is to be understood that applications in addition to or complimentary with the remote control application can also be supported by the device  10  and, as such, in terms of the internal software architecture, the “remote control” application may be but one of several possible applications which may co-exist within the device  10 . 
     In terms of providing operating system functionality, it should also be understood that the demarcation between the portable device  10  and a host/client computer, described in greater detail hereinafter, may vary considerably from product to product. For example, at one extreme the portable device  10  may be nothing more than a slave display and input device in wireless communication with a computer that performs all computational functions. 
     At the other extreme, the portable device  10  may be a fully-functional computer system in its own right complete with local mass storage. It is also to be appreciated that a hardware platform similar to that described above may be used in conjunction with a scaled-down operating system to provide remote control functionality only, i.e., as a standalone application. In all cases, however, the principles expressed herein remain the same. 
     To provide a means by which an consumer can interact with the device  10 , the device  10  is preferably provided with software that implements a graphical user interface. The graphical user interface software may also provide access to additional software, such as a browser application, that is used to display information that may be received from an external computer. Such a graphical user interface system is described in pending U.S. Applications 60/264,767, 60/334,774, and 60/344,020 all of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. For controlling the operation of one or more consumer appliances  12 , as illustrated in 
       FIG. 1 , the universal remote control application includes a remote control application. Features offered by the remote control application may include a “home page”  20  from which the user may select various functionalities such as, for example, a device control panel  22 , a “Favorites” page  24  (which allows direct tuning to favorite program channels by logo/name), a program guide display  26 , etc. as illustrated in  FIG. 2 . While not intended to be limiting, the program guide may be arranged in a grid having a plurality of cells in which programming information is contained where the cells are arranged in rows corresponding to content providers and columns corresponding to times of day. The program guide display  26  row indicators may be formatted using channel names and/or numbers  38 , as illustrated in  FIG. 2 , or channel logos  39 , as illustrated in  FIG. 3 , to identify soft keys or hard keys (collectively referred to as “buttons”) which the consumer may activate in order to have the device  10  transmit the appropriate remote control command(s) to cause an appliance to tune to a channel corresponding to the labeled button. If used, the channel logo graphics may be included as part of downloaded program guide data, as will be described hereinafter, or the graphics may be linked to and derived from the favorite channel display page(s)  24 . It will also be appreciated that the program guide display  26  may be arranged in numerical or alphabetical sequence by channel, by favorite channel (in the same sequence as they appear in a favorite channels page  24 ), by program type or genre, etc. 
     Data for the program guide display  26  may be obtained over the Internet  30  from a program guide database server  32  using a personal computer  34  and docking station  36  as illustrated in  FIG. 3 . In such a system, the device  10  is periodically docked with the docking station  36  for file synchronization purposes. Since software for providing such synchronization functionality, e.g., Microsoft&#39;s ActiveSync brand synchronization software, is well known and widely used in PDA applications, this functionality will not be discussed in further detail herein. 
     To acquire guide data for use in connection with the remote control application, an exemplary guide data acquisition process is illustrated in  FIG. 4 . As illustrated, raw program guide data  40  is generally available by subscription from entities such as, for example, Tribune Media Services (“TMS”). A program guide data server  32  is normally configured to access the TMS data on a periodic basis, typically once every 24 hours, after TMS&#39;s nightly update is complete. The raw guide data obtained from TMS may then be formatted and stored into a local database  42  associated with the Web server  32 . Additional data, such as graphics  401 , which may be associated with program descriptions, special service information, and/or advertising  402  (e.g., pay-per view), etc. may also be obtained from third-party sources and combined into the database  42  for later delivery to system users. It should also be appreciated that, while the illustrated examples are in the context of a TV program database sourced from TMS, in practice the programming information stored in the server database  42  may be obtained from several different sources and may span more than one type of programming, for example, radio broadcast information, Webcasts, etc. in addition to or as a substitute for TV schedule information. 
     To obtain program guide information, a consumer may log onto the Web server  32  using a personal computer  34  and any standard Web browser such as, for example, Microsoft&#39;s Internet Explorer brand Web browser. The Web server  32  identifies the consumer and their preferences via a combination of log-in data stored in a registration database  46  and/or a “cookie” stored on the consumer&#39;s local hard drive. Referring to  FIGS. 12-14 , the first time the consumer accesses the Web server  32  they may be asked to submit information which includes a zip code  120 , type of service  122  (e.g., cable, satellite, etc.), service provider  130  (e.g., DirectTV, Cox Cable, etc.) and level of service  140  (e.g., basic, extended basic, premium, etc.). Based on this data, the consumer could be presented with a complete channel line-up  144  for their particular service tier and allowed to select which channels they desire to be included in their guide display. Examples of selected and unselected channels are shown at  146  and  148 , respectively, in  FIG. 14 . 
     In addition, the consumer may be requested to indicate how many days of programming information  142  the consumer wishes to download in each session. As these latter parameters are changed, an indication of the estimated size of the file to be downloaded may be displayed for the convenience of the consumer. This is particularly advantageous for consumers that have slower, dial-up communication lines with the Web server  32  in that they may determine the extent of the program guide content to download against download time. 
     The parameters established during this initial interaction with the Web server  32  may then be stored in the registration database/cookie and redisplayed whenever the consumer subsequently accesses the site. Thus, during subsequent visits to the Web server  32 , the consumer may accept all the parameter values “as is” or make changes as desired. Certain of these parameters may also be accumulated by the Web server  32  for statistical purposes (e.g., “How may cable subscribers in Irvine California include MTV in their program guide data?”). While described in terms of a consumer manually accessing the Web server  32  using a Web browser to retrieve the guide data, once the initial preference parameters are obtained the process of downloading program guide data may be automated. For example, the consumer&#39;s computer  34  can be configured to automatically dial out via a PSTN or Internet at a fixed time every night, at some predetermined time interval, etc. to contact the Web server  32  and retrieve the guide data. 
     Based on the identity and preferences of a consumer, a Web server interface  44  and related data extraction programs, illustrated in  FIG. 4 , extract an appropriate subset of the program guide data stored in the database  42  and format this extracted data into a personal guide data file  48  for transfer to the consumer&#39;s computer  34  via the Internet  30 . The transferred guide data file may include program listing information originating from the program guide data provider  40 ; supplemental graphics and/or advertising either associated with particular programs or free standing (originating from program graphics provider(s)  401 ); special channel service information  402  (originating from the service provider of other entities); etc. all of which may be individually tailored to the consumer based on their specified preferences, service type, and/or geographic location. Once located on the consumer&#39;s computer  34 , the file  48  can be automatically transferred to the device  10  via the synchronization process the next time the device  10  is docked with the computer  34 . 
     The channel guide data downloaded to the portable device  10  may include panels (individual entries), rows (horizontally across the time axis), and/or columns (vertically along the channel axis) and may include advertising or other information interspersed within or overlaying the panels. As noted, advertising or other information data may be inserted by the data extraction program of the Web server  32  based on the preferences of a consumer, the specified service type, the geographic location of the user, and/or data that the service provider desires the consumer to be exposed to. In addition, the guide display application on the portable device  10  may include the ability to lock one or more portions of the guide display to a specific set or group of data. While the locked portions may be unmovable by the consumer from a specified location within the display or may dynamically change location based on the manner that the consumer is interacting with the guide, it is preferred that the locked portion remain visible to the consumer at all times that the guide is being viewed. 
     By way of example, referring to  FIG. 15 , a subscriber to AT&amp;T&#39;s digital cable service in zip code area “90630” may receive a guide data file which includes a data block permanently assigning the bottom row  150  of the guide display to a pay-per-view channel. In this example, as the consumer scrolls through the other channel information  152  the display in area  150  remains in a fixed, visible location so that the consumer is constantly able to directly access the “In Demand” pay-per-view preview channel by touching the AT&amp;T logo button  154  (i.e., in response to a selection of the soft key labeled “In Demand” the device  10  will be caused to transmit the commands to access the service). 
     It is to be understood that the fixed portion of the guide  150  need not be used to display only channels and/or program information by may also be used to display other information, such as advertising (e.g., an MSO may place an advertisement for its service into the guide data of consumers that not note subscribe to cable). Furthermore, the content in the fixed portion  150  need not be static and may vary with time or channel. For example, within the fixed portion  150  may appear information advertising a series of specific shows or events, either upcoming or in progress, information advertising goods for sale associated with or related to a particular show or channel, etc. as illustrated in  FIG. 16  (e.g., an advertisement  160  for goods associated with a particular television program that is due to air shortly is shown). Still further, this locked portion  150  may be embedded within the guide data to persist over a given time period, for example, thirty minutes before through thirty minutes after a show, or at such other time(s) as the advertiser desires. The fixed portion  150  may be associated with a button  162  to switch to a channel on which more information regarding the merchandise is available, a button to switch an appliance to some other channel, or the button  162  may be omitted all together. 
     Turning now to  FIG. 5 , the program guide display  26  is preferably configured such that, if the consumer touches a particular guide listing, e.g., “Friends,” a pop-up window  50  displays additional information regarding the program. The pop-up window  50  may include extended information  57  regarding the program and, in some embodiments, may include supplemental graphics  58  which originated from sources ( 401 ,  402 ) other than the provider of the raw guide data  40 . The pop-up window  50  may also include check boxes, or other conventional graphical user interface elements such as menus, etc., to accept user input. For example, the illustrative embodiment includes check box  52  and check box  54  which can be selected using conventional GUI techniques. In the illustrative example, the check boxes may be selected to allow the consumer to either tag the program event for future recording or to create a reminder entry it in a calendar application resident of the device  10  and/or computer  34 . 
     By way of example, touching the “Record” check box  52  causes the data regarding this program event (time, channel, duration, etc.) to be entered into a recording schedule data file  62  (shown in  FIG. 3 ) located within the device  10 . To confirm the acceptance of the recording request in the data file  63 , the appearance of the check box  52  may be caused to change  56 . The device  10  may also perform conflict resolution (e.g., to determine if there are any overlapping requests) interactively at this level, or may simply store all requests for later resolution by the recoding device. It will also be appreciated that the data regarding the program event may be stored as described above (date, time, channel) using one or more compressed forms, as pointers into guide database entries in the event the target recording device and the portable device  10  use a common data source for guide information, etc. It is also desired to allow the consumer to remove recording request data from the file for example, by returning to a program listing and un-checking the box  52 . 
     In certain embodiments, multiple recording devices may be supported via multiple recording schedule data files. In this event, the device  10  may be configured to default to a particular device (and its corresponding file) unless specified otherwise by the consumer. To this end, additional check boxes, a pull-down menu, or the like may be provided by which the consumer can specify an intended target device. Thus, while the discussions herein have assumed a single set of recording schedule data, those of skill in the art will appreciated how to easily modify the teachings herein so that multiple devices are supported via additional instances of the data set. 
     Returning now to  FIG. 3 , the consumer&#39;s computer  34  may also connected to a home network  64  which may be wired or wireless. In such a case, also attached to the home network would be a network-enabled appliance, for example, a ReplayTV 4000 brand personal video recorder (“PVR”) from Sonicblue Inc. When the portable device  10  is docked with the computer  34  for file synchronization, not only is any updated guide data  48  transferred from the computer  34  to the device  10 , but the contents of the recording schedule request file  62  could be transferred from the device  10  to the computer  34 . The recording request data  62  can then be transferred from the computer  34  to the PVR  60  via the home network  64 . In this manner, a consumer may browse a device-based program guide and enter recording requests wherever the consumer happens to be located and these requests will be logged and automatically transferred to the recording device at a later time. 
       FIGS. 7 through 11  show alternative embodiments of networks employing this principle. In  FIG. 7 , the device  10  is in wireless communication with the computer  34 , for example, as part of a Bluetooth personal area network where the device  10  becomes active when brought into the house. Such a configuration is also possible using IEEE 802.11 technology.  FIG. 8  shows how the device  10  may be docked at a remote computer  80  (e.g. in the consumer&#39;s office) which acquires the recording schedule request data and transfers it via the Internet  30  to the consumer&#39;s home computer  34  where it is processed as described previously.  FIG. 9  shows a similar arrangement except that in this case the office system includes a wireless Internet gateway device  90  which is used by the device  10  to directly transfer the recording schedule request data to the Internet  30  and thereby to the computer  34 .  FIG. 10  shows an arrangement similar to  FIG. 9  except in this case both ends are equipped with wireless Internet gateways and the device  10  transfers the recording schedule request data directly to the recording device. Still further,  FIG. 11  shows a system in which a recording device  110  is not network capable. In this case, the device  10  transfers the recording schedule request data directly to the recording device  110  when it is brought into proximity to the recording device  110 , using either infrared or RF wireless communication. Transfer in this case may be manually initiated by the consumer, triggered automatically (for example, by the device  10  sensing it has been brought into range of a Bluetooth personal area network of which the recording device  110  is also a member), may be automatically initiated at a user-selected fixed time each day, etc. 
     Turning to  FIGS. 17-23 , a further system and method for use in automatically updating a calendar application  1900  running on the device  10  is illustrated. While not required, the system and method described hereinafter may be utilized to allow a consumer to update the calendar application  1900  with information that is targeted to the consumer based on consumer preferences, geography, etc. Alternatively, information that may be used to update the calendar application  1900  can be provided in a uniform manner to consumers without regard to any preferences or profiling. 
     In keeping with exemplary systems and methods described previously, a consumer may access a Web server  32  via the Internet  30  for example, to access a program guide database, to access a remote control application set-up facility, etc. (see for example U.S. Application Ser. Nos. 60/371,223, 60/374,556 and 60/372,874 that are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety). In at least the case of a Web server  32  having an associated program guide database, access would be expected to be reoccurring for the purpose of refreshing the information maintained within the device  10 . Furthermore, it is anticipated that the consumer would register with the Web server  32  (either upon initial access or as necessary) before being provided with access to the one or more services offered via the Web server  32 . During such a registration process, the Web server  32  preferably collects consumer preference and other demographic information. Still further, when used to access program guide information, the consumer would typically inform the Web server  32  of the service type and channels of interest for which information is to be downloaded. Accordingly, it is possible for the Web server  32  to use any captured information to suggest items to the user, related to upcoming programming, events, etc. which might be deemed to be of interest to the consumer. The consumer may then download into the calendar application  1900  reminder items that are representative of the information set forth in such advertising. 
     Turning to  FIGS. 17 and 18 , an exemplary process for updating the calendar application  1900  is illustrated. In the example, a consumer accesses the Web server  32  having an associated event and reminder database  1802 . As noted, the consumer may be required to log-in (if previously registered) or register with the Web server  32  to gain access to the services offered by the Web server  32 . Once the consumer has accessed the Web server  32 , the consumer may navigate the Web server  32  to gain access to one or more services, informational pages, etc. supported by the Web server  32 . During this navigation, the user may also be presented with informational advertisements  2000  (examples of which are illustrated in  FIG. 20 ) with which the user can interact to request that information related to the displayed advertisement be eventually downloaded to the calendar application  1900  as reminders. 
     By way of further example, the informational advertisements  2000  can be presented in a separate Window or as integrated parts of a displayed Web page, such as the “Electronic Program Guide Download” page illustrated in  FIG. 20 . In this illustrated example, a Web server application, using the registration and preference information (e.g., derived from server-based and/or “cookie” data), shows the current program guide configuration for the consumer as well as a targeted informational advertisement  2000  for “Wrestlemania.” The user is also presented with a non-targeted informational advertisement  2000  related to “Secretary&#39;s Day.” As evidenced by the example illustrated, the information advertisements  2000  can be programming related (e.g., promoting a pay-per-view event) or may be date/event related (e.g., promoting Mother&#39;s day services). 
     The informational advertisements may be maintained in a database local to the Web server  32  or may be accessible from a remote database repository  1801 . It is contemplated that these databases can be populated by the operator of the Web server  32  or by third parties, for example, by way of an agreement. Preferably, stored informational advertisement information has criteria information associated therewith which is used to match informational advertisements with consumers using the consumer preferences in the case where targeting advertising is desired. To this end, when advertising is offered by third parties, the host of the Web server services may provide predefined criteria information which the third party can check off for use in directing advertisements to targeted consumers. Alternatively, an application can be used to parse an advertisement to find keywords that are usable in the matching function. 
     For use in indicating a desire to download a reminder concerning a displayed advertisement  2000 , the consumer can be provided with a graphical user interface element  2001  with which to interact. The graphical user interface element  2001  may be in the form of a check-box, pull-down menu, or the like without limitation. In response to the user selecting an advertisement as being of interest, the Web server application creates customized file(s) that contain reminder data indicative of the information in the advertisement  2000 . 
     It is also contemplated that, the customized file(s) may also contain program guide data useful for presenting an electronic program guide on the device  10 . In this case, the user may interact with a Web page to select programming of interest, as illustrated in  FIG. 20 , which, after the customized file(s) are synchronized with the device  10 , is also used to populate the electronic program guide as illustrated in  FIG. 21 . To this end, it will be understood that the program guide application and the calendar application may be integrated into a single application. 
     As discussed previously, customized file(s) created by the Web server  32  may be downloaded to an intermediate computer  34  or directly to the device  10  itself More specifically, the downloaded customized file(s) are preferably placed in a specific memory location on the receiving device and then automatically synchronized to the device  10 . By way of example, this memory location may be in the directory “My Documents.backslash.Pocket_PC My Documents” in devices using Microsoft&#39;s PocketPC brand software. Thus, as illustrated in  FIG. 19 , when the user next docks the device with an intermediate computer  34 , or simulates docking if the device  10  itself is used as the download station, the customized file(s) generated by the Web server are transferred to the corresponding directory on the device  10  as a result of the execution of an ActiveSynch application or the like. 
     Once the devices have been synchronized, every time the program guide application and/or the calendar application are entered on the device  10 , the application(s) check for any files newly delivered via the synchronization process. If an updated data file is found, an update application is used to replace any existing program guide data files and/or calendar reminder files with the newly downloaded data. After the files have been successfully transferred, the synchronization files are preferably deleted. While the program guide data and reminder data have been illustrated as being separate files, it will be appreciated that the data may be consolidated into a single data structure if desired. 
     When the calendar application is then invoked the downloaded reminder information is available to the consumer. As illustrated in  FIGS. 22 and 23 , the consumer may be first presented with general information concerning a program or an event. The consumer may then select a general information entry, using conventional GUI techniques, to obtain access to more specific information concerning a program or event of interest. Alternatively, in an instance where the calendar application and the guide application are integrated, it will be appreciated that any reminder data can be displayed to the consumer, for example, in the fixed portion  150  of the guide or some other portion of the display screen that is assigned for that purpose. 
     In a further embodiment, illustrated in  FIGS. 24-29 , to populate the electronic calendar application with information by which a consumer may be reminded of upcoming events, e.g., movies, performances, etc., a consumer may log on to a Web server  1014  via a gateway  1012  or the like to access and download information, hereinafter referred to generally as movie guide information, that is maintained on a database associated with the Web server  1014 . At this time, the consumer may also obtain any TV guide information as described above. It will be appreciated that data for populating the Web server  1014  with movie guide information is also commercially available from sources such as TMS, indexed by geographical location (e.g., zip code). In further keeping with the description set forth above, any downloaded guide information (movie and/or TV) may be transferred to the device  10  the next time the device  10  is docked with the gateway  1012 . As before, alternative methods for getting the guide information into the device  10  may be used such as, for example, placing the device  10  in direct wireless communication with the Internet without using an intermediate gateway  1012  to which the device  10  is docked. 
     For providing a means by which the consumer may request the downloading of movie guide information and/or TV guide information, the Web server  1014  may present to the consumer the exemplary Web page illustrated in  FIG. 25 . In the example illustrated, the consumer may request TV guide information in the manner described previously and also indicate a desire to receive movie guide information, for example, by checking box  1022 . In connection with the displayed page, the Web server  1014  may also offer movie-related advertising as illustrated in box  1024  which may offer the ability to have the advertising entered into the calendar application. As will be understood, the advertising may be in the form of an additional pop-up window, a script, or included as part of the Web page without limitation. The movie guide data that is to be downloaded to the device  10  is preferably determined by the zip-code of the consumer, which the consumer may have previously supplied to the server as part of the TV guide configuration process. Once the movie guide data is transferred to the device  10 , the data may be accessed and presented to the consumer as illustrated in the exemplary movie guide shown in  FIGS. 26-29 . In this regard, the consumer may select an icon  1031 , e.g., an icon with the appearance of a film reel, from the row of icons presented to the user across the top of the display screen (the other tabs perform various remote control and TV guide function described elsewhere) the selection of which results in a movie guide appearing in the display  1030 . In the illustrated example, the movie guide is arranged in a grid so that each row corresponds to one local theater. The first entry in the row is the name of the theater. The second entry  1032  in the row is a general location for that theater. Subsequent entries in a row represent movies  1042  currently playing at that theater complex. The movie entries  1042  may also include show times. Although movie entries in the illustrated example are shown presented in simple alphabetical order, it will be appreciated that provision can be made to allow the user to change the order of and/or filter the displayed movie listings according to personal preferences such as genre, rating, actors, times, etc. 
     Alternatively, the grid can be arranged such that the first entry in a row (e.g., a cell within the left most column) is the movie entry and subsequent entries in a row can be theaters in which the movie appears. The theater entries may also list show times, theater location, etc. In this grid arrangement, the listing of movie guide information can be similarly filtered according to personal preferences such as genre, rating, actors, etc. Additionally, a toggle command button might be utilized to allow the consumer to toggle between the listing in which theaters are the primary entry in the grid (i.e., theaters followed by movies entries) and the listing in which movie entries are the primary entry in the grid (i.e., movies followed by theater entries). Still further, alternative display formats may be a consumer-configurable option as part of a display preferences set up. 
     To navigate within the displayed movie guide, the movie guide may be provided with scroll bars  1035 V and  1035 H. The scroll bar  1035 V may be used to change the rows that are displayed and the scroll bar  1035 H may be used to change the columns that are displayed. The scroll bars also provide an indication as to the relative position of the displayed portion of the grid with respect to the entirety of the grid (see the scroll bar  1035 H in  FIG. 27 , for example, in which a middle column “Movie 4” is positioned in the display and the scroll bar  1035 H illustrates a middle positioning). Preferably, when using the scroll bar  1035 H to scroll through columns, the primary column (e.g., the column that lists theaters if subsequent entries contain movie entries) remains visible to the user. In addition, when using the scroll bars to change the grid cells to be displayed, the displayed grid may remain static until such time as the scroll bars are released after which the display of the grid is changed to fit the positioning of the scroll bars. In this case, a text message may be displayed that changes as the position of the scroll bar changes to reflect which row or column would be displayed if interaction with the scroll bar were to cease at that point. This is in the same manner as information is displayed while scrolling the electronic program guide described in U.S. patent application 60/371,223. In the examples illustrated in  FIGS. 26 and 27 , movement of the scroll bar  1035 H from the position illustrated in  FIG. 26  to the position illustrated in  FIG. 27  would cause text messages “Movie 1” through “Movie 4” to appear adjacent the scroll bar until the user released the scroll bar in the position illustrated in  FIG. 27  in which the displayed grid commences at column “Movie 4.” 
     Within the movie guide, information is presented through the course of a given day, illustrated in the examples as “Monday June 17.” While the default day for displaying data is the current day, this may be changed by sliding the bottom scroll bar  1035 H all the way to the right which will increment the movie grid by one day (while also resetting the scroll bar  1035 H to the left most configuration illustrated in  FIG. 26 ). Alternatively, data for a selected day may be displayed by clicking on the calendar icon  1034  to directly select a future day. 
     To further illustrate an exemplary operation of the movie guide, the movie guide may provide for selecting a “theater” or “location” entry  1032  to cause display of an expanded display  1050  giving detailed address and telephone information  1052  regarding that particular theater. As can be seen at  1054 , the expanded display  1050  may also include promotional material specific to that theater or theater chain. Similarly, when the consumer sees a movie entry of interest, selecting that entry, for example “Scooby Doo”  1042 , results in the display  1060  of detailed information regarding that movie as illustrated in  FIG. 29 . The movie information may include general information  1062  regarding duration, rating, names of artists, etc., as well as a brief synopsis of the movie  1064 . The displayed screen may also includes a series of buttons  1066  by which the user may transfer the details of a specific movie showing to the calendar database. This transfer may be performed in the same manner as described with respect to entering TV guide data into the calendar database. In this regard, the software simply communicates an internal request to the calendar application (using the Microsoft COM interface) to add the reminder information to the calendar database stored in the device  10 . It will be appreciated that the movie information could also be viewed, and portions thereof selected for downloading, directly from Web pages associated with the Web server in which case a customized file would be created and downloaded with the movie data and the calendar application updated via the process described above. 
     To alert a user of any stored reminder information, the standard functionality of the calendar application can be used. This functionality typically causes the calendar application to issue a visual and/or audible reminder at some predetermined time prior to the event that is the subject of the reminder. Typically, the consumer can set this predetermined time period. 
     While specific embodiments of the invention have been described in detail, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that various modifications and alternatives to those details could be developed in light of the overall teachings of the disclosure. For example, it will be appreciated that while a PVR was utilized in the illustrative example set forth above, in fact any appliance capable of recording program material, including the computer itself, may be scheduled in this manner. Accordingly, the particular arrangement disclosed is meant to be illustrative only and not limiting as to the scope of the invention which is to be given the full breadth of the appended claims and any equivalents thereof All of the references cited herein are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety.