Program guide system with advertisements

• US 10,063,909 B2
• Filed: 05/29/2015
• Issued: 08/28/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 04/30/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Rovi Guides, Inc. (Adeia Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Rovi Guides, Inc. (Adeia Inc.)
• Inventors: Knudson, Edward B., Hassell, Joel G., Marshall, Connie T., Lemmons, Thomas R., Reynolds, Steven J., Knee, Robert A., Carpenter, Jr., Kenneth F., Thomas, William L., Herrington, W. Benjamin, Williamson, Steven C., Ellis, Michael D., Allison, Donald W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Vu, Ngoc K
• Application Number:
  US14/725,872
• Publication Number:
  US 20150264424A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,187 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4221 Dedicated function buttons, e.g. for the control of an EPG, subtitles, aspect ratio, picture-in-picture or teletext
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4316 for displaying supplemental content in a region of the screen, e.g. an advertisement in a separate window
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4532 involving end-user characteristics, e.g. viewer profile, preferences monitoring of user activities for profile generation for accessing a video database G06F16/739; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306; processing of user preferences or user profiles in wireless networks H04W8/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47 End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47202 for requesting content on demand, e.g. video on demand
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4722 for requesting additional data associated with the content
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4725 using interactive regions of the image, e.g. hot spots details of information retrieval from the Internet by using URLs G06F16/955; processing chained hypermedia data for information retrieval G06F16/94
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/478 Supplemental services, e.g. displaying phone caller identification, shopping application
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47815 Electronic shopping payment schemes, payment architectures or payment protocols for electronic shopping systems G06Q20/12
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/482 End-user interface for program selection broadcast systems using EPGs H04H60/72
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4821 using a grid, e.g. sorted out by channel and broadcast time
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

An interactive television program guide is provided in which advertisements may be displayed on program guide screens. Banner advertisements may be displayed above and below program listings. Panel advertisements may be provided adjacent to program listings. The advertisements may contain video. The advertisements may be used to promote television programs and conventional goods and services. When a user selects an advertisement, the program guide provides the user with an opportunity to order products or services, request information, set reminders for upcoming programs, view program descriptions, record programs, or take other such actions. Embedded advertisements may be provided within the program listings region and may be automatically displayed immediately adjacent to related program listings.

Claims

1. A method for presenting advertisements, the method comprising:

generating for display a region of media asset identifiers on a display, wherein the region of media asset identifiers includes a first plurality of media asset identifiers and a second plurality of media asset identifiers;

generating for display an advertisement region including a first advertisement and a second advertisement, the advertisement region being adjacent to the region of media asset identifiers, the first advertisement being adjacent to the first plurality of media asset identifiers, and the second advertisement being adjacent to the second plurality of media asset identifiers;

receiving a user input to navigate a highlight; and

in response to receiving the user input;

determining whether a starting time period corresponding to the region of media asset identifiers on the display matches a current time;

in response to determining that the starting time period corresponding to the region of media asset identifiers on the display does not match a current time, modifying the region of media asset identifiers to present media asset identifiers corresponding to an earlier time period than the starting time period; and

in response to determining that the starting time period corresponding to the region of media asset identifiers on the display matches a current time;

in response to determining that a first media asset identifier of the first plurality of media asset identifiers is highlighted moving the highlight from the first media asset identifier to the first advertisement in the advertisement region, wherein the first media asset identifier, if selected, would cause a first media asset corresponding to the first media asset identifier to be generated for display; and

in response to determining that a second media asset identifier of the second plurality of media asset identifiers is highlighted, moving the highlight from the second media asset identifier to the second advertisement in the advertisement region, wherein the second media asset identifier, if selected, would cause a second media asset corresponding to the second media asset identifier to be generated for display.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein generating for display the advertisement region including the first advertisement and the second advertisement further comprises generating for display the first advertisement that contains video.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein generating for display the advertisement region further comprises generating for display a selectable advertisement adjacent to the region of media asset identifiers, wherein subsequent to selection of the selectable advertisement, a function related to the selectable advertisement is activated.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the function tunes to a given channel.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the function records a media asset.

6. The method of claim 3, wherein the function purchases a media asset.

7. The method of claim 3, wherein the function generates for display an additional region of media asset identifiers.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising generating a special effect for display between a first content and a second content of the first advertisement, wherein the first content and second content are cycled over a predetermined time period.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising generating for display an embedded advertisement in the region of media asset identifiers.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising receiving another user input to scroll the embedded advertisement together with the media asset identifiers in the region of media asset identifiers.

11. A system for presenting advertisements, the system comprising:

user input circuitry configured to;

receive a user input to navigate a highlight; and

control circuitry configured to;

generate for display a region of media asset identifiers on a display, wherein the region of media asset identifiers includes a first plurality of media asset identifiers and a second plurality of media asset identifiers;

generate for display an advertisement region including a first advertisement and a second advertisement, the advertisement region being adjacent to the region of media asset identifiers, the first advertisement being adjacent to the first plurality of media asset identifiers, and the second advertisement being adjacent to the second plurality of media asset identifiers; and

in response to the user input;

determine whether a starting time period corresponding to the region of media asset identifiers on the display matches a current time;

in response to determining that the starting time period corresponding to the region of media asset identifiers on the display does not match a current time, modify the region of media asset identifiers to present media asset identifiers corresponding to an earlier time period than the starting time period; and

in response to determining that the starting time period corresponding to the region of media asset identifiers on the display matches a current time;

in response to determining that a first media asset identifier of the first plurality of media asset identifiers is highlighted, move the highlight from the first media asset identifier to the first advertisement in the advertisement region, wherein the first media asset identifier, if selected, would cause a first media asset corresponding to the first media asset identifier to be generated for display; and

in response to determining that a second media asset identifier of the second plurality of media asset identifiers is highlighted, move the highlight from the second media asset identifier to the second advertisement in the advertisement region, wherein the second media asset identifier, if selected, would cause a second media asset corresponding to the second media asset identifier to be generated for display.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the control circuitry is further configured to generate for display the advertisement region including the first advertisement and the second advertisement by generating for display the first advertisement that contains video.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the control circuitry is further configured to generate for display the advertisement region by generating for display a selectable advertisement adjacent to the region of media asset identifiers, wherein subsequent to selection of the selectable advertisement, a function related to the selectable advertisement is activated.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the function tunes to a given channel.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein the function records a media asset.

16. The system of claim 13, wherein the function purchases a media asset.

17. The system of claim 13, wherein the function generates for display an additional region of media asset identifiers.

18. The system of claim 11, wherein the control circuitry is further configured to generate for display an embedded advertisement in the region of media asset identifiers.

19. The system of claim 11, wherein the control circuitry is further configured to generate a special effect for display between a first content and a second content of the advertisement, wherein the first content and second content are cycled over a predetermined time period.

20. The system of 18, wherein the user input circuitry is further configured to receive another user input to scroll the embedded advertisement together with the media asset identifiers in the region of media asset identifiers.