Electronic Program Guide Cross-Device Reminder Sharing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Users of electronic program guides face the inconvenience of needing to manually note and share program recording or reminder details with friends, as existing systems lack a direct method for notifying others of interesting programs.
Innovation Solution
An electronic program guide system that includes receiving, selecting, notification, communication, and transmission means to send program notifications to remote electronic program guides via a communications network, allowing users to notify friends of selected programs without them needing to remember or note down details.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If users manually note and share program recording or reminder details with friends, then information can be shared, but the process becomes complex and time-consuming requiring memory and manual effort
Solution Approach 1:
The system enables automatic program information sharing without requiring manual intervention. The electronic program guide automatically detects selected programs and transmits notification data to friends' EPGs through the communications network, allowing the system to serve itself rather than requiring users to manually note and share details
Solution Approach 2:
The communications network acts as an intermediary between the user's EPG and their friends' EPGs. Instead of direct manual communication, the system uses the network to transmit notification data automatically, simplifying the sharing process and eliminating the need for users to manually convey program details
2Loss of information
If users manually remember and note down program details, then they can share with friends, but this increases the complexity of the sharing process and requires cognitive effort
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by automatically capturing program information details (such as program title, channel, time) as soon as a user selects a program in the EPG. This preliminary data collection eliminates the need for users to manually remember or note down details later, as the system already possesses the necessary information for sharing
Solution Approach 2:
The EPG system automatically manages the entire sharing process without requiring user cognitive effort. The system self-manages program information capture, formatting, and transmission to friends' EPGs, thereby reducing the complexity of the sharing process while ensuring program details are retained accurately
3Ease of operation
If a direct notification system is implemented, then friends can be notified of interesting programs easily, but this requires additional system components and network communication capabilities
Solution Approach 1:
The EPG system performs multiple functions: it provides program guidance, enables program selection, and facilitates automatic notification sharing. By making the EPG multi-functional, the system avoids adding separate dedicated notification devices, as the EPG itself handles both local program information display and remote notification transmission through its integrated communications capability
Solution Approach 2:
The communications network serves as a universal intermediary that enables notification transmission without requiring direct integration between all devices. This allows the system to achieve easy program notification while maintaining manageable complexity, as the network handles the communication infrastructure rather than requiring complex direct device connections
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention provides an electronic program guide system comprising: receiving means for receiving at least one electronic program guide corresponding to a broadcast program; selecting means for selecting a desired program from said electronic program guide; notification means for creating a notification for the program selected from said electronic program guide; communication means for access to a communications network; transmission means for transmitting a notification of the program selected from said electronic program guide to at least one remote electronic program guide system using said communications network; and reception means for receiving a notification from a remote electronic program guide system.