Method and apparatus for displaying commercial messages during a user waiting time

• US 20030122864A1
• Filed: 12/31/2001
• Published: 07/03/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 12/31/2001
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Jenne, John Erven, Olarig, Sompong Paul
• Application Number:
  US10/038,674
• Publication Number:
  US 20030122864A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/738
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/14 Digital output to display device ; Cooperation and interconnection of the display device with other functional units
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4401 Bootstrapping security arrangements therefor G06F21/57
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/046 Dealing with screen burn-in prevention or compensation of the effects thereof

Abstract

A computer system is adapted to display commercial messages during a user waiting time. Display of the commercial messages is controlled by Basic Input/Output System (BIOS) code during boot-up time and is controlled by a commercial messaging application once the computer system may be under control of the operating system. A non-volatile memory containing the commercial messages may be updated securely through the Internet. Examples of user waiting times include software installation time, screen saver time, download time for a large set of files, virus scanning time, entry time for a lower power mode and wake-up time from the low power mode.

Claims

1. A method of displaying a commercial message on a display device of a computer during a user waiting time, the method comprising the steps of:

selecting the commercial message from a non-volatile memory; and

displaying the selected commercial message on the display device during the user waiting time.

2. The method as in claim 1, wherein the commercial message comprises an advertisement message.

3. The method as in claim 1, wherein the commercial message comprises productivity enhancement tips for the computer.

4. The method as in claim 1, wherein the step of selecting the commercial message further comprises the steps of:

tracking Internet information associated with the computer; and

choosing the commercial message to download to the non-volatile memory from a website based on the Internet information.

5. The method as in claim 1, wherein the user waiting time comprises a computer boot time.

6. The method as in claim 1, wherein the user waiting time comprises a computer wake-up time from a low power mode.

7. The method as in claim 1, wherein the user waiting time comprises a computer screen saver time.

8. The method as in claim 1, wherein the user waiting time comprises a virus-scan time of a storage medium of the computer.

9. The method as in claim 1, wherein the commercial message is displayed for a duration according to a time weight assigned to the commercial message.

10. The method as in claim 1, wherein the commercial message is repeated according to a frequency weight assigned to the commercial message.

11. A computer system for displaying a commercial message on a display device during a user waiting time, the computer system comprising:

a display device;

a processor coupled to the display device; and

a memory coupled to the processor and containing code adapted to display the commercial message during the user waiting time.

12. The computer system as in claim 11, wherein the memory comprises a flash read-only memory (ROM).

13. The computer system as in claim 11, wherein the memory comprises a hard drive.

14. The computer system as in claim 11, wherein the memory is updated with the commercial message from the Internet when the computer is connected to a website.

15. The computer system as in claim 11, wherein the code comprises Basic Input/Output System (BIOS) code.

16. The computer system as in claim 11, wherein the code comprises a commercial messaging application.

17. The computer system as in claim 11, wherein displaying the commercial message in the memory is selectively disabled.

18. The computer system as in claim 11, wherein deletion of the commercial message in the memory is selectively enabled.

19. The computer system as in claim 11, wherein display of the commercial message is selectively disabled.

20. The computer system as in claim 11, wherein the commercial message is selectively saved for future display on the display device.

21. The computer system as in claim 11, wherein the type of commercial message is user selectable.

22. A non-intrusive computer-based system for displaying commercial messages, the system comprising:

a means for detecting a user waiting time of a computer; and

a means for selecting a commercial message to display on the computer during the user waiting time.

23. The system of claim 22, wherein the user waiting time comprises a boot time of the computer.

24. The system of claim 22, wherein the user waiting time comprises a wake-up time from a low-power mode of the computer.

25. The system of claim 22, wherein the user waiting time comprises a virus-scan time of a storage medium of the computer.

26. The system of claim 22, wherein the commercial message comprises an advertisement message.