System and method for displaying advertising in an interactive program guide

• US 20020138834A1
• Filed: 08/14/2001
• Published: 09/26/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 08/14/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cumnor Technologies, LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Corporate Media Partners
• Inventors: Gerba, George, Nichols, Michael R.
• Granted Patent: US 7,634,789 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/42
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4314 for fitting data in a restricted space on the screen, e.g. EPG data in a rectangular grid
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/435 Processing of additional data, e.g. decrypting of additional data, reconstructing software from modules extracted from the transport stream
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47 End-user applications
• 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

Abstract

An interactive program guide containing schedule data for multiple channels and advertising data is provided to viewers on a screen. The advertising may be related to the programs adjacent thereto in the guide and to time slots displayed on the screen. The advertising srolls in various directions in response to the viewer'"'"'s scrolling of the grid, but at a different pace and according to a different scheme than the scrolling of the schedule data itself. For example, the advertising may remain on the screen in a predetermined location while the viewer scrolls the schedule data, and then scroll off the screen to be replaced by new ads after a predetermined number of channels scroll off the screen, or on the basis of time slots and/or adjacent channels displayed on the screen. This provides for greater viewer attention to the advertising and for greater control by advertisers over the manner and length in which advertising is presented to viewers.

Claims

1. A method of displaying advertising in an electronic program guide on a display device, the electronic program guide comprising at least a list of program cells each containing a program choice available for viewing, the method comprising:

scrolling the list of program cells on the display device in a first direction in accordance with a first scrolling scheme;

displaying an advertisement cell within the list of program cells; and

moving the advertisement cell in the first direction as the list of program cells scrolls, the advertisement cell moving in accordance with a second scheme different than the first scrolling scheme.

2. The method of claim 1, comprising controlling the second scheme from a location remote from the display device.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein moving the advertisement cell in accordance with a second scheme comprises scrolling the advertisement cell in concurrence with the scrolling of the program cell list during a first time portion in which the program cell list scrolls and keeping the advertisement cell stationary during a second time portion in which the program cell list scrolls.

4. The method of claim 3, comprising determining the second time portion based upon a first number of program cells which have moved past the advertisement cell while the advertisement cell is kept stationary.

5. The method of claim 4, comprising receiving the first number of program cells from a location remote from the display device.

6. The method of claim 3, wherein the first direction comprises a vertical scrolling direction on the display device.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the program cell list contains a top cell and a bottom cell displayed on the display device, wherein keeping the advertisement cell stationary comprises keeping the advertisement cell stationary when the advertisement cell reaches the top or bottom cell of the program cell list.

8. The method of claim 3, wherein keeping the advertisement cell stationary comprises keeping the advertisement cell stationary during scrolling of a set number of program cells in the program cell list.

9. The method of claim 1, comprising inserting an advertisement into the advertisement cell which advertisement is related to one or more program cells displayed in the program guide on the display screen.

10. The method of claim 9, comprising replacing the inserted advertisement in the advertisement cell with another advertisement when the program choices displayed in the program guide change due to scrolling of the program cells.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the electronic program guide comprises program choices available for viewing at scheduled times, and wherein the program cells are arranged according to the scheduled times of the program choices.

12. The method of claim 11, comprising inserting an advertisement into the advertisement cell which advertisement is related to a program choice available for viewing at a time close in time to the scheduled times of program choices displayed on the display screen.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein inserting the advertisement comprises inserting the advertisement related to a program choice available for viewing at a time which is past the scheduled times of program choices displayed on the display screen.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein moving the advertisement cell in accordance with a second scheme comprises scrolling the advertisement cell in concurrence with the scrolling of the program cell list during a first time portion in which the program cell list scrolls and scrolling the advertisement cell during a second time portion in which the program cell list is stationary.

15. The method of claim 14, comprising displaying a highlight cell on the display device such that program and advertisement cells may enter the highlight cell, and wherein scrolling the advertisement cell during a second time portion comprises scrolling the advertisement cell when the advertisement cell is entered in the highlight cell.

17. The method according to claim 16, wherein the advertising data remains in the predetermined row of the grid while the schedule data is scrolled on the screen.

18. The method according to claim 16, wherein the advertising data is replaced by other advertising data after a predetermined number of channels in the schedule data has been scrolled off the screen.

19. The method according to claim 16, wherein the advertising data is replaced by other advertising data after a predetermined number of starting times of programs has been scrolled off the screen.

20. The method according to claim 16, wherein the advertising data is arranged into cells such that at least one advertising cell is displayed in the predetermined row of the grid.

21. The method according to claim 20, wherein the advertising cell contains an advertisement related to the starting time of one or more programs displayed on the screen.

22. The method according to claim 21, wherein the advertising cell displayed in the predetermined row of the grid is replaced by another advertising cell if the schedule data in the grid is scrolled in a direction parallel to the starting times to display a starting time of another program that is related to an advertisement contained in said another advertising cell.

23. The method according to claim 20, wherein the advertising cell contains an advertisement related to the channels in the grid which are in substantial proximity to the predetermined row containing the advertising data displayed on the screen.

24. The method according to claim 23, wherein the advertising cell displayed in the predetermined row of the grid is replaced by another advertising cell if the schedule data in the grid is scrolled in a direction parallel to the listing of channels in order to display the listing of other channels such that an advertisement contained in said another advertising cell is related to said other channels.

25. The method according to claim 16, wherein the schedule data and advertising data are scrolled in a direction parallel to the rows or columns of the grid.

26. The method according to claim 16, wherein the predetermined row containing the advertising data in the grid is located substantially in a center of the screen.

27. The method according to claim 16, further comprising highlighting the advertising cell on the screen such that a more detailed description of an advertisement contained in the highlighted advertising cell is displayed on a portion of the screen.

28. The method according to claim 16, further comprising highlighting and selecting the advertising cell on the screen such that a channel program is displayed on the screen if an advertisement contained in the selected cell is for the channel program in progress or for the channel program scheduled for broadcast within a predetermined time period.

29. The method according to claim 16, further comprising highlighting and selecting the advertising cell on the screen such that a channel program is tagged for later viewing if an advertisement contained in the selected cell is for the channel program scheduled for broadcast at future time.

30. The method according to claim 16, further comprising highlighting and selecting the advertising cell such that an information page is displayed on the screen for a program or service that pertains to an advertisement contained in the selected cell.

16. A method for providing on a screen an interactive program guide including schedule data and advertising data, the method comprising:

arranging the schedule data into a grid containing rows and columns according to a listing of channels and starting times of programs that are broadcast via the channels such that a plurality of cells is formed containing names of the programs;

inserting the advertising data into a predetermined row of the grid to display on the screen; and

scrolling the grid to display the listing of other channels and the starting times of other programs broadcast via the other channels, wherein the scrolling of the schedule data in in the grid is at least partially independent of the scrolling of the advertising data in the grid.

31. A user interface for an interactive program guide displayable on a display device, comprising:

a listing of program choices arranged in at least one row or column on a display device, the listing being navigated by a user through scrolling in accordance with a first scrolling scheme; and

an advertisement cell contained within the program listing column or row, the advertisement cell being configured to move on the display device in accordance with a second scrolling scheme, the second scrolling scheme being different than the first scrolling scheme.

32. The user interface of claim 31, comprising a list of service identifiers displayed in association with the program choices in the program choice listings and an advertisement identifier contained in the list of service identifiers and displayed in association with the advertisement cell.

33. A user interface for an interactive program guide displayable on a display device, comprising:

a set of first program cells arranged in at least one row or column on a display device, the set being navigated by a user through scrolling in accordance with a first scrolling scheme; and

at least one second program cell arranged within the column or row, the second program cell being configured to move on the display device in accordance with a second scrolling scheme, the second scrolling scheme being different than the first scrolling scheme.

34. The user interface of claim 33, comprising a stationary highlight cell positioned over a portion of the column or row of program cells, wherein scrolling of the column or row causes one of the cells to enter the highlight cell, the stationary highlight cell being operative to allow user selection of a program cell entered in the highlight cell.

35. The user interface of claim 34, wherein the at least one second program cell is larger than the first program cells, and wherein the stationary highlight cell expands to accommodate the second program cell when the second program cell enters the highlight cell.

36. A user interface for an interactive program guide displayable on a display device, comprising:

a plurality of program cells arranged in at least one row or column on a display device, the program cells being movable on a display device in response to user input; and

an advertisement cell contained within the program cell column or row, the advertisement cell being configured to move on the display device in response to user input;

wherein during a first time the program cells and advertisement cell move in concurrent fashion and during a second time the program cells or advertisement cell remain stationary on the display device during movement of advertisement cell or program cells, respectively.

37. A user interface for an interactive program guide displayable on a display device, comprising:

a plurality of program cells arranged in at least one row or column on a display device, the program cells being movable on the display device in response to user input; and

an advertisement cell contained within the program cell column or row, the advertisement cell being configured to move on the display device in response to user input and being controlled in part based on parameters addressed from a location remote from the display device.