Patent ID: 6956623

Claim:
A system for automatically scanning channels of a television operable for displaying a plurality of channels of a channel lineup one at a time, the system comprising: a television input device operable for being controlled respectively by viewers to enable the viewers to control the television to change the channels being displayed by the, television; wherein the television input device is operable to enable each viewer to associate preference settings of the viewer with the television input device, the preference settings for each viewer including channel display time period, channel scanning order, and program category filter preference settings; wherein the television input device in response to being controlled by a first one of the viewers is operable with the television to automatically change the channels being displayed by the television without any further viewer control of the television input device such that each channel in the channel lineup having content satisfying the first viewer's program category filter preference setting is automatically displayed, in accordance with the first viewer's channel scanning order preference setting, one at a time by the television for the duration of the first viewer's channel display time period.