Computer program product for providing selective advertising to a television viewer using an interactive display

• US 10,395,273 B2
• Filed: 09/28/2016
• Issued: 08/27/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 05/31/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Your Choice Interactive, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Your Choice Interactive, Inc.
• Inventors: Redling, Peter M., Barrios, Jackie Skipper
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen Ba, Hoang Vu A
• Application Number:
  US15/278,571
• Publication Number:
  US 20170017995A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,063 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/94 Hypermedia Hyperlinking G06F40/134
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/955 using information identifiers, e.g. uniform resource locators [URL]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0481 based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04817 using icons graphical or visual programming using iconic symbols G06F8/34
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0215 Including financial accounts
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0241 Advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0251 Targeted advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0257 User requested
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0261 based on user location
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0271 Personalized advertisement
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0273 Determination of fees for advertising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0274 Split fees
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/38 Arrangements for distribution where lower stations, e.g. receivers, interact with the broadcast
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/93 which locates resources of other pieces of information, e.g. URL [Uniform Resource Locator]
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/33 Arrangements for monitoring the users' behaviour or opinions
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/65 for using the result on users' side
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/66 for using the result on distributors' side
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00424 using a list of graphical elements, e.g. icons or icon bar
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4312 involving specific graphical features, e.g. screen layout, special fonts or colors, blinking icons, highlights or animations
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/434 : Disassembling of a multiplex stream, e.g. demultiplexing audio and video streams, extraction of additional data from a video stream; Remultiplexing of multiplex streams; Extraction or processing of SI; Disassembling of packetised elementary stream demultiplexing of data packets for data networks, e.g. RTP/UDP H04L65/00
• 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 21/4622 : Retrieving content or additional data from different sources, e.g. from a broadcast channel and the Internet web site content organization and management for information retrieval from the Internet G06F16/958; transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82; stock exchange data over packet-switching network H04L12/1804; push services including data channel over packet-switching network H04L12/1859
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4722 : for requesting additional data associated with the content
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/478 : Supplemental services, e.g. displaying phone caller identification, shopping application
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 : involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/858 : Linking data to content, e.g. by linking an URL to a video object, by creating a hotspot
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8583 : by creating hot-spots
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8586 : by using a URL processing chained hypermedia data for information retrieval G06F16/94; information retrieval from the Internet by using URLs G06F16/955; URL in broadcast information H04H20/93; Web-based protocols H04L67/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/445 : for displaying additional information H04N5/50 takes precedence

Abstract

A method of providing advertising from a central database server connected to a global computer network to distributed sites via interactive television. A representative icon is presented to a subscriber on a television screen indicating an advertisement. When the icon is selected, an advertisement information detail is retrieved from storage in a local memory, or from the central database server and presented to the subscriber on the television screen.

Claims

1. A computer program product stored in a non-transitory tangible computer readable medium and executable by a set top box connected to a cable TV provider and an Internet, comprising:

a first code segment stored on the non-transitory tangible computer readable medium and being executable by the set top box to receive a plurality of advertising icons from a local memory or a server connected to the Internet;

wherein each of the plurality of advertising icons is representative of a company or product;

a second code segment stored on the non-transitory tangible computer readable medium and being executable by the set top box to receive one or more advertisements from the local memory or the server and wherein each of the one or more advertisements is associated with at least one of the plurality of advertising icons;

a third code segment stored on the non-transitory tangible computer readable medium and being executable by the set top box to cause one or more of the plurality of advertising icons to be displayed on a display connected to the set top box overlaying video content supplied by the cable TV provider to the set top box, wherein the set top box is configured to receive the video content from the cable TV provider and display the video content on the display, and the set top box is connected to the internet through the cable TV provider, and wherein the displayed advertising icon is not integrated with an electronic program guide;

a fourth code segment stored on the non-transitory tangible computer readable medium and being executable by the set top box to receive a user input from a set top controller connected to the set top box indicating that a displayed advertising icon has been selected; and

a fifth code segment stored on the non-transitory tangible computer readable medium and being executable by the set top box to display an advertisement associated with the selected advertising icon on the display in response to receiving the user input from the set top controller.

2. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein said fifth code segment executable to display an advertisement associated with the selected advertising icon is executable to display the advertisement by resizing the video content and to display the advertisement in a distinct frame on the display.

3. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the advertisement displayed is targeted based on location information of the user.

4. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein said fifth code segment executable to display an advertisement associated with the selected advertising icon is executable to display the advertisement in place of the video content.

5. The computer program product of claim 1, further comprising a sixth code segment stored on the non-transitory tangible computer readable medium and being executable by the set top box to transmit a request for one or more advertisements to the local memory or the server in response to receipt of the user input.

6. The computer program product of claim 1, further comprising a seventh code segment stored on the non-transitory tangible computer readable medium and being executable by the set top box to retrieve the associated advertisement from a local memory or the server in response to receipt of the user input.

7. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein said third code segment executable by the set top box to cause one or more of the plurality of advertising icons to be displayed on the display is executable to cause one or more of the plurality of advertising icons to be sequentially displayed on the display so that only one advertising icon is visible at a time.

8. The computer program product of claim 1, further comprising an eighth code segment stored on the non-transitory tangible computer readable medium and being executable by the set top box to initiate a financial incentive to a user for viewing an advertisement.

9. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein the financial incentive comprises a reduction in a price for an item of commerce for which the user agreed to pay prior to viewing the advertisement;

and

wherein the item of commerce is not advertised in the advertisement.

10. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the video content comprises television programming.

11. The computer program product of claim 1, further comprising a ninth code segment stored on the non-transitory tangible computer readable medium and being executable by the set top box to automatically update the advertisements or icons.

12. The computer program product of claim 1, further comprising a tenth code segment stored on the non-transitory tangible computer readable medium and being executable by the set top box to provide location based advertisements based on the location of the set top box.

13. A computer program product stored in a non-transitory tangible computer readable medium and executable by a set top box connected to an Internet, comprising:

a first code segment stored on the non-transitory tangible computer readable medium and being executable by the set top box to receive a plurality of advertising icons from a local memory or a server connected to the Internet;

wherein each of the plurality of advertising icons is representative of a company or product;

a second code segment stored on the non-transitory tangible computer readable medium and being executable by the set top box to receive one or more advertisements from the local memory or the server and wherein each of the one or more advertisements is associated with at least one of the plurality of advertising icons;

a third code segment stored on the non-transitory tangible computer readable medium and being executable by the set top box to cause one or more of the plurality of advertising icons to be displayed on a display connected to the set top box overlaying video content and wherein the displayed advertising icon is not integrated with an electronic program guide;

a fourth code segment stored on the non-transitory tangible computer readable medium and being executable by the set top box to receive a user input from a set top controller connected to the set top box indicating that a displayed advertising icon has been selected; and

a fifth code segment stored on the non-transitory tangible computer readable medium and being executable by the set top box to display an advertisement associated with the selected advertising icon on the display in response to receiving the user input from the set top controller, wherein said third code segment executable by the set top box to cause one or more of the plurality of advertising icons to be displayed is executable by the set top box to display on the display the one or more of the plurality of advertising icons by superimposing each of the advertising icons as a semi-transparent icon over the video content.

14. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein said third code segment executable by the set top box to cause one or more of the plurality of advertising icons to be displayed on the display is executable to cause one or more of the plurality of advertising icons to be sequentially displayed on the display so that only one advertising icon is visible at a time.