Maintaining a graphical user interface state that is based on a selected time

Abstract

A graphical user interface (“GUI”) for a content management system is provided, such as to present television program information and/or information associated with other forms of multimedia content. In some situations, the GUI displays various types of information about multiple pieces of content that are currently appropriate for display, and one or more users may make various types of selections that affect the information being displayed. In addition, in some situations various techniques are employed to maintain a state of the GUI that is focused on one or more current selections as changes occur, such as to coordinate information display between multiple distinct information panes or other view areas of the GUI, to alter the information to be displayed in the GUI based on a selected piece of content, and/or to enable identification of a selected piece of content from within a large number of pieces of content.

1 . A method for a computing device to present information about television programs via a graphical user interface, the method comprising: 
 receiving metadata information for a plurality of television programs;    identifying a group of the television programs for a graphical user interface such that received metadata information for those television programs will be included in the graphical user interface, the group including a plurality of television programs that are identified based at least in part on the television programs each having an associated time that corresponds to an initial currently selected time;    displaying to a user of the computing device a graphical window that includes the graphical user interface, the displayed graphical user interface having a state based at least in part on the currently selected time and including metadata information for the television programs in the identified group;    receiving an indication of a selection by the user of a new currently selected time, and updating the state of the displayed graphical user interface to reflect the new currently selected time, the updating including displaying metadata information for television programs that are identified based at least in part on each having an associated time that corresponds to the new currently selected time; and    automatically maintaining the state of the graphical user interface so as to reflect the new currently selected time by, when the graphical user interface is to be updated such that at least some new metadata information is to be displayed in the graphical user interface, automatically performing the updating of the displayed graphical user interface in such a manner as to display the new metadata information in a manner based at least in part on the new currently selected time,    so that a state of the graphical user interface that is based at least in part on a currently selected time is maintained when information in the graphical user interface is updated.    
   
   
       2 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the plurality of television programs include programs on multiple channels with multiple scheduled start times, wherein the received metadata information includes electronic programming guide information for each of the television programs, wherein the identified group of the television programs includes a plurality of television programs on the multiple channels whose start times are within a period of time that is based on the initial currently selected time, wherein the displayed graphical user interface has a plurality of distinct display areas that include a view display area with indications of multiple channels and with one or more indications of the period of time, wherein the metadata information for the television programs in the identified group that is included in the displayed graphical user interface is displayed in a grid format within the view display area and includes detail information for each of the television programs in the identified group, wherein the updating of the state of the displayed graphical user interface to reflect the new currently selected time includes displaying in a coordinated manner in one or more other display areas of the displayed graphical user interface additional detail information that reflects the new currently selected time, and wherein the maintaining of the state of the graphical user interface so as to reflect the new currently selected time includes maintaining coordination of information displayed in the plurality of distinct display areas regarding the new currently selected time.  
   
   
       3 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the metadata information for the television programs in the identified group that is included in the displayed graphical user interface is displayed in a view area of the displayed graphical user interface in the displayed graphical window, and wherein the updating of the state of the graphical user interface to reflect the new currently selected time includes displaying additional information about a television program in a distinct area of the displayed graphical user interface in the displayed graphical window in such a manner as to reflect the new currently selected time.  
   
   
       4 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the updating of the state of the graphical user interface to reflect the selection of the new currently selected time includes displaying distinct information about one or more television programs in a coordinated manner in a plurality of distinct display areas of the displayed graphical user interface in the displayed graphical window, and wherein the maintaining of the state of the graphical user interface so as to reflect the new currently selected time includes maintaining coordination of information displayed in the plurality of distinct display areas.  
   
   
       5 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the updating of the displayed graphical user interface to display the new metadata information in a manner based at least in part on the new currently selected time includes modifying the new metadata information to be included based at least in part on the new currently selected time, so that the updated displayed graphical user interface includes metadata information corresponding to the new currently selected time.  
   
   
       6 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the updating of the displayed graphical user interface to display the new metadata information in a manner based at least in part on the new currently selected time includes providing in the displayed graphical user interface a user-selectable control that when selected updates the displayed graphical user interface to include metadata information for the new currently selected time.  
   
   
       7 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the identifying of the group of the television programs for the graphical user interface is based at least in part on selecting television programs associated with a time period for use with the graphical user interface that corresponds to the initial currently selected time, and wherein the updating of the state of the displayed graphical user interface to reflect the new currently selected time includes identifying a new group of television programs for the graphical user interface based at least in part on a change in the time period for use with the graphical user interface.  
   
   
       8 . The method of  claim 7  wherein the identifying of the group of the television programs for the graphical user interface is based at least in part on an amount of information capable of being displayed in a display area of the displayed graphical user interface using an initial information size and/or based at least in part on an initial size of the display area of the displayed graphical user interface, and wherein the identifying of the new group of the television programs is based at least in part on a change in the information size at which information will be displayed in the display area of the displayed graphical user interface and/or based at least in part on a change in the size of the display area of the displayed graphical user interface.  
   
   
       9 . The method of  claim 1  including, after the maintaining of the state of the graphical user interface so as to reflect the new currently selected time, receiving an indication of a selection by the user of one or more other currently selected times and modifying the state of the displayed graphical user interface to reflect the selection of those one or more other currently selected times.  
   
   
       10 . The method of  claim 1  including, after the maintaining of the state of the graphical user interface so as to reflect the new currently selected time, receiving an instruction from the user based on use of one or more controls included in the displayed graphical user interface to initiate current presentation of a selected television program on at least one television display device, and initiating the current presentation of the selected one television program on the at least one television display device in response to the instruction.  
   
   
       11 . A computer-readable medium whose contents enable a computing device to present information about television programming-related content via a user interface, by performing a method comprising: 
 receiving information related to a plurality of pieces of television programming-related content;    presenting a user interface that includes the received information for at least some of the pieces of television programming-related content in such a manner as to reflect at least one selected time;    receiving an indication of a selection of at least one new selected time; and    when information included in the user interface is updated, maintaining a state of the user interface so as to reflect the at least one new selected time.    
   
   
       12 . The computer-readable medium of  claim 11  wherein the selection of the at least one selected time is based on an indication from a user of information included in the presented user interface for that at least one selected time, wherein the presented user interface is a graphical user interface that supports a plurality of types of views of information for pieces of content, and wherein updating of the information included in the user interface is based on a change in the type of view of the included information.  
   
   
       13 . The computer-readable medium of  claim 11  wherein updating of the information included in the user interface includes displaying information about one or more pieces of television programming-related content having associated times that do not correspond to the at least one new selected time, and wherein the maintaining of the state of the user interface so as to reflect the at least one new selected time includes providing a user-selectable control in the user interface that when selected updates the user interface to include information about television programming-related content that corresponds to the at least one new selected time.  
   
   
       14 . The computer-readable medium of  claim 11  wherein the computer-readable medium is a memory of the computing device and/or is a data transmission medium transmitting to the computing device a generated data signal containing the contents.  
   
   
       15 . The computer-readable medium of  claim 11  wherein the contents are instructions that when executed cause the computing device to perform the method.  
   
   
       16 . A computing system configured to present information about pieces of television programming content via a graphical user interface, comprising: 
 a display; and    a content management system configured to present on the display a graphical user interface whose information reflects a state that is based at least in part on one or more selected times and to automatically maintain the state of the information of the graphical user interface as being based at least in part on those selected times when the graphical user interface is updated.    
   
   
       17 . The computing system of  claim 16  wherein the presented information corresponds to one or more television programs having associated times that correspond to the one or more selected times and includes metadata information for those television programs, and wherein updating of the graphical user interface includes modifying the television programs whose metadata information is included in the displayed graphical user interface.  
   
   
       18 . The computing system of  claim 17  wherein the computing system further comprises a device for controlling presentation of television programs on one or more television display devices, and wherein the presented graphical user interface further includes user-selectable controls to allow a user to control the presentation of the television programs on the one or more television display devices via instructions sent to the device, the device being one of a group of devices that includes a set-top box, a digital video recorder device and a media center device.  
   
   
       19 . The computing system of  claim 16  wherein the content management system includes software executing in memory of the computing system.  
   
   
       20 . The computing system of  claim 16  wherein the content management system consists of a means for presenting on the display a graphical user interface whose information reflects a state that is based at least in part on one or more selected times and to automatically maintain the state of the information of the graphical user interface as being based at least in part on those selected times when the graphical user interface is updated.