Patent ID: 8065704

Claim:
A method for updating an electronic service guide (ESG), comprising: receiving an ESG request message carrying second version information from a terminal; sending, according to the ESG request message, ESG data updated relative to an ESG corresponding to the second version information to the terminal; sending first version information which is maintained by a server to the terminal when the first version information is different from the second version information; wherein the ESG data updated relative to an ESG corresponding to the second version information comprises fragments in an ESG corresponding to the first version information updated relative to fragments in the ESG corresponding to the second version information, wherein the method further comprises maintaining latest update time of fragments; wherein the first version information is information of the latest update time of fragments in the ESG, and the maintaining latest update time of fragments comprises at least one of storing the latest update time of a fragment in a version number of the fragment and storing the latest update time of the fragment in a structure independent of the fragment; wherein maintaining latest update time of fragments comprises: modifying the latest update time of the fragment to current absolute time of the server or a conversion/combination of the current absolute time of the server, when a fragment is changed or deleted; and recording current absolute time of the server or a conversion/combination of the current absolute time of the server as the latest update time of the fragment when a fragment is added.