US 5,353,121 · Granted 1994-10-04

The 1994 Patent That Invented the TV Guide Overlay

Before your phone told you what was on TV, this patent created a way to peek at the schedule without missing what you're watching—kind of like a translucent TV listing floating over your show. It let you check what's coming next while keeping your current program visible, which sounds basic now but was genuinely novel in 1993.

Curated and verified by the IsItPatented Editorial team

The plain-English version

What it protects

The claim covers a television display system where schedule information appears as a background layer on the screen, overlaying part of the TV picture without completely blocking it. What's protected here is the specific method of showing TV listings alongside live television—letting that schedule info stay visible even after you close it, so it 'remembers' where it was on screen.

Why it matters

This patent captures an early attempt to solve the information problem of cable TV: how do you let viewers check the schedule without them having to switch away from their show? Filed in 1993 when cable was booming and TV guides were printed books, this overlay approach became the foundation for how electronic program guides (EPGs) work today. The patent holder, Starsight Telecast, pioneered on-screen TV listings technology that eventually influenced how TiVo, cable boxes, and smart TVs display scheduling information.

Real-world use

When you hit the 'guide' button on a cable remote and see the program listing pop up without the current show disappearing completely, you're using descendants of this patent's core idea.

Original USPTO abstract

A schedule system utilizing a background display. The schedule system provides a background schedule information system in which the background schedule information is displayed over a portion of a television screen in response to activation. A primary television display is displayed on the television screen in conjunction with the background schedule information. The system provides for the background television schedule information to have a status upon activation similar to a status upon prior suspension.

Patent details

Publication number: US 5,353,121
Filing date: 1993-03-19
Grant date: 1994-10-04
Assignee: Starsight Telecast, Inc.
Inventor(s): YOUNG; PATRICK, ROOP; JOHN H., FABER; MICHAEL W.
CPC class: H04N7/165

View original record on Google Patents →

Want to file your own patent?

Interested in how patents protect consumer electronics interfaces? Scan your own TV app concept with our patentability checker to see what's already locked down.

Free patentability scan