Electronic television program guide schedule system and method with remote product ordering

• US 20030204847A1
• Filed: 05/09/2003
• Published: 10/30/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 04/24/1995
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Rovi Guides, Inc. (Adeia Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Rovi Guides, Inc. (Adeia Inc.)
• Inventors: Davis, Bruce, Miller, Larry, Knudson, Edward Bruce, Ellis, Michael Dean
• Application Number:
  US10/434,844
• Publication Number:
  US 20030204847A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/42
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/12 involving interaction between a plurality of game devices, e.g. transmisison or distribution systems protocols for networked virtual reality, networked games H04L29/06034
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/30 Interconnection arrangements between game servers and game devices; Interconnection arrangements between game devices; Interconnection arrangements between game servers
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/338 using television networks
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/409 Data transfer via television network
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4345 Extraction or processing of SI, e.g. extracting service information from an MPEG stream
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4524 involving the geographical location of the client retrieval from the Internet by querying based on geographical locations G06F16/9537; systems specially adapted for using geographical information in broadcast systems H04H60/70; protocols in which the network application is adapted for the location of the user terminal in communication control or processing H04L67/52; services making use of the location of users or terminals in wireless networks H04W4/02; locating users or terminals in wireless networks H04W64/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47 End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/472 End-user interface for requesting content, additional data or services; End-user interface for interacting with content, e.g. for content reservation or setting reminders, for requesting event notification, for manipulating displayed content end-user interfaces for retrieving video data from a database G06F16/739; network services for supporting unicast streaming H04L65/612
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47211 for requesting pay-per-view content payment schemes payment architectures or payment protocols G06Q20/00, G07F
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4753 for user identification, e.g. by entering a PIN or password cryptographic authentication protocols H04L9/32; networks authentication protocols H04L63/08
• 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 21/84 Generation or processing of descriptive data, e.g. content descriptors systems specially adapted for using meta-information in broadcast systems H04H60/73
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/445 for displaying additional information H04N5/50 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/0884 for the transmission of additional display-information, e.g. menu for programme or channel selection
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/0887 for the transmission of programme or channel identifying signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/163 by receiver means only
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/165 Centralised control of user terminal subsequent to an upstream request signal H04N7/17345; Registering at central by two-way working H04N7/17309
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/173 : with two-way working, e.g. subscriber sending a programme selection signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 : Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17354 : in an intermediate station common to a plurality of user terminals

Abstract

An electronic program schedule system with product ordering capability which includes a data processor for receiving program schedule information for a plurality of programs, and a user control apparatus, such as a remote controller, for generating user control commands and transmitting signals to the data processor in response thereto. The television program schedule information is displayed on a display apparatus such as a television receiver. A video display generator receives video control commands from the data processor and program schedule information and displays a portion of the program schedule information on the receiver. The program schedule information indicates the availability of a product or service for certain of the programs included in the program information, wherein the product or service is associated with the program, such as a program transcript or videocassette. The viewer utilizes the remote control apparatus to generate a first command for displaying information on the receiver describing the product or service, and a second command for placing an order for the product or service. The data processor receives the user control commands and in response to the first command causes the video display generator to display information describing the product or service and in response to the second command generates an order for the product or service.

Claims

1. A method for using an electronic television program guide in a system in which television programming is transmitted to a user and is displayed for the user on a display, wherein the television programming include commercial advertisements, the method comprising:

determining when a given one of the commercial advertisements is being displayed on the display;

displaying an icon on top of the television programming on the display when the given commercial advertisement is being displayed to indicate that information describing a product or service that is associated with that given commercial advertisement is available for the user; and

permitting the user to use a remote control to respond to the icon and direct the electronic television program guide to display the available information on the display.

2. The method defined in claim 1 further comprising obtaining the available information describing the product or service from a program signal associated with the television programming.

3. The method defined in claim 1 wherein the television programming is delivered to the user in digital form, the method further comprising obtaining the available information describing the product or service from an in-band digital channel.

4. The method defined in claim 1 further comprising obtaining the available information describing the-product or service from vertical-blanking-interval data.

5. The method defined in claim 1 wherein displaying the icon comprises generating the icon with an RGB video generator and combining an RGB format output from the generator with a television signal using a video overlay device.

6. A method for using an electronic television program guide in a system in which television programming is transmitted to a user and is displayed for the user on a display, wherein the television programming includes commercial advertisements, the method comprising:

determining when a given one of the commercial advertisements is being displayed on the display;

overlaying an icon on top of the television programming on the display when the given commercial advertisement is being displayed to indicate that a product or service that is associated with that commercial advertisement is available for purchase by the user; and

permitting the user to use the electronic television program guide to place an order for the available product or service by using a remote control to respond to the display of the icon on top of the given commercial advertisement.