Apparatus and methods for advertising in a sequential manner and based upon user preference

• US 20060117343A1
• Filed: 04/16/2002
• Published: 06/01/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 04/17/2001
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Digeo Incorporated (CommScope Holding Company, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Digeo Incorporated (CommScope Holding Company, Inc.)
• Inventors: Billmaier, James A., Istvan, Anthony F., Novak, Robert E.
• Application Number:
  US10/124,808
• Publication Number:
  US 20060117343A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/38
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2343 involving reformatting operations of video signals for distribution or compliance with end-user requests or end-user device requirements video transcoding H04N19/40; media packet handling at the source H04L65/762
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/235 Processing of additional data, e.g. scrambling of additional data or processing content descriptors
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4135 external recorder interface circuits between an apparatus for recording television signals and a television receiver H04N5/775
• 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 21/443 OS processes, e.g. booting an STB, implementing a Java virtual machine in an STB or power management in an STB
• 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 21/478 Supplemental services, e.g. displaying phone caller identification, shopping application
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8455 involving pointers to the content, e.g. pointers to the I-frames of the video stream
• 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 video enhancement to an interactive content page, the method comprising: providing a graphical overlay with a plurality of transparent sections; providing a graphical underlay capable to show a plurality of underlay contents; displaying a first underlay content in a first one of the transparent sections; and displaying a second underlay content in a second one of the transparent sections in sequence after displaying the first underlay content. An apparatus for providing a video enhancement to an interactive television content page, includes a display engine capable to display a graphical overlay having an associated transparent section, where different underlay contents are displayed on a graphical underlay and through the associated transparent section in a sequential manner; and a processor communicatively coupled to the display engine and capable to execute the display engine.

Claims

1. A method of providing video enhancement to an interactive content page, the method comprising:

providing a graphical overlay with a plurality of transparent sections;

providing a graphical underlay capable to show a plurality of underlay contents;

displaying a first underlay content in a first one of the transparent sections; and

displaying a second underlay content in a second one of the transparent sections in sequence after displaying the first underlay content.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising prior to providing the graphical overlay, tuning to a first channel for broadcasting the graphical overlay.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising prior to displaying the first underlay content, tuning to a second channel for broadcasting the first underlay content.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the graphical overlay is transmitted over a first channel.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the plurality of underlay contents are transmitted over a second channel.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the plurality of underlay contents are broadcast in a single composite signal.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the plurality of underlay contents are transmitted from a broadcast center.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the second underlay content is substantially blocked from view through the second transparent section when the first underlay content is shown through the first transparent section.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the first underlay content is substantially blocked from view through the first transparent section when the second underlay content is shown through the second transparent section.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising displaying a subsequent underlay content in one of the transparent sections in sequence after displaying at least one of the first underlay content and second underlay content.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein the subsequent underlay content is transmitted over a third channel

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising tracking a showing through the first transparent section by the first underlay content.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

removing the graphical overlay from view;

subsequently showing the graphical overlay; and

showing an underlay content that has not been previously shown through a transparent section of the interactive content page.

14. The method of claim 1 wherein at least one of the underlay contents is related to a user preference data.

15. An article of manufacture, comprising:

a machine-readable medium having stored thereon instructions to;

provide a graphical overlay with a plurality of transparent sections;

provide a graphical underlay capable to show a plurality of underlay contents;

display a first underlay content in a first one of the transparent sections; and

display a second underlay content in a second one of the transparent sections in sequence after displaying the first underlay content.

16. A method of providing video enhancement to an interactive content page, the method comprising:

providing a graphical overlay with a transparent section;

providing a graphical underlay capable to show at least one underlay content;

displaying a first underlay content through the transparent section; and

subsequently displaying a second underlay content through the transparent section.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising prior to providing the graphical overlay, tuning to a first channel for broadcasting the graphical overlay.

18. The method of claim 16, further comprising prior to displaying the first underlay content, tuning to a second channel for broadcasting the first underlay content.

19. The method of claim 16 wherein the graphical overlay is transmitted over a first channel.

20. The method of claim 16 wherein the first underlay content is transmitted over a second channel.

21. The method of claim 16 wherein the underlay contents are transmitted from a broadcast center.

22. The method of claim 16 wherein the underlay contents are transmitted from a storage device.

23. The method of claim 16, further comprising tracking a showing through the transparent section by the first underlay content.

24. The method of claim 23, further comprising:

removing the graphical overlay from view;

subsequently showing the graphical overlay; and

showing an underlay content that has not been previously shown through the transparent section of the interactive content page.

25. The method of claim 16 wherein at least one of the underlay contents is related to a user preference data.

26. An article of manufacture, comprising:

a machine-readable medium having stored thereon instructions to;

provide a graphical overlay with a transparent section;

provide a graphical underlay capable to show at least one underlay content;

display a first underlay content through the transparent section; and

subsequently display a second underlay content through the transparent section.

27. A method of providing video enhancement to an interactive content page, the method comprising:

showing an interactive content page and a first underlay content through a transparent section of the interactive content page;

tracking an event of showing the first underlay content through the transparent section;

removing the interactive content page from view; and

showing the interactive content page and a second underlay content through the transparent section of the interactive content page, where the second underlay content has not been shown through the transparent section.

28. The method of claim 27 wherein at least the first or the second underlay content is based on user preference data.

29. A method of providing video enhancement to an interactive content page, the method comprising:

showing an interactive content page with multiple transparent sections and showing a first underlay content through a first one of the multiple transparent sections;

tracking an event of showing the first underlay content;

removing the interactive content page from view;

subsequently showing the interactive content page and a second underlay content through a second one of the multiple transparent sections, where the second underlay content has not yet been shown through a transparent section in the interactive content page.

30. The method of claim 29 wherein at least the first or the second underlay content is based on user preference data.

31. A method of providing video enhancement to an interactive content page, the method comprising:

tracking user preference data indicating a preference of a user;

storing the user preference data;

showing an interactive content page with a transparent section and determining the preference of the user based upon the user preference data;

showing an underlay content through the transparent section, where the underlay content is related to the user preference data;

showing a second underlay content through the transparent section in sequence after the first underlay content, where the second underlay content is related to the user preference data.

32. The method of claim 31 wherein the user preference data is stored in a broadcast center.

33. The method of claim 31 wherein the user preference data is stored in a local storage device.

34. The method of claim 31 wherein the tracking of user preference data comprises tracking an activity of the user indicating the preference of the user.

35. The method of claim 31 wherein the tracking of the user preference data comprises providing, by the user, information relating to the preference of the user.

36. The method of claim 31 wherein the interactive content page includes a translucent section through which to show third underlay content.

37. The method of claim 31 wherein the interactive content page includes a plurality of transparent sections, the method further comprising showing an underlay content in an associated transparent section, where at least one of the underlay contents is related to the user preference data.

38. An apparatus for providing video enhancement to an interactive content page, the apparatus comprising:

a display engine capable to display a graphical overlay having a plurality of transparent sections, where a first underlay content is displayed in a first one of the transparent sections and a second underlay content is displayed in a second one of the transparent sections in sequence after displaying the first underlay content; and

a processor communicatively coupled to the display engine and capable to execute the display engine.

39. The apparatus of claim 38, further comprising a tuner system communicatively coupled to the display engine and configured to tune to a first channel for broadcasting the graphical overlay and to tune to a second channel for broadcasting the plurality of underlay contents.

40. The apparatus of claim 38 wherein the plurality of underlay contents are broadcast in separate channels.

41. The apparatus of claim 38 wherein the plurality of underlay contents are transmitted from a broadcast center.

42. The apparatus of claim 38 wherein the second underlay content is substantially blocked from view through the second transparent section when the first underlay content is shown through the first transparent section.

43. The apparatus of claim 38 wherein the first underlay content is substantially blocked from view through the first transparent section when the second underlay content is shown through the second transparent section.

44. The apparatus of claim 38, wherein a subsequent underlay content is displayed in one of the transparent sections in sequence after displaying at least one of the first underlay content and second underlay content.

45. The apparatus of claim 44 wherein the subsequent underlay content is transmitted over a third channel

46. The apparatus of claim 38, wherein the display engine is configured to track a showing through the first transparent section by the first underlay content.

47. The apparatus of claim 46, wherein the display engine is configured to remove the graphical overlay from view, subsequently show the graphical overlay, and show an underlay content that has not been previously shown through a transparent section of the interactive content page.

48. The apparatus of claim 38 wherein at least one of the underlay contents is related to a user preference data.

49. The apparatus of claim 38 wherein the display engine is capable to display the first underlay content through one of the transparent sections and the second underlay content through that transparent section in sequence after the first underlay content.

50. The apparatus of claim 38 wherein at least one of the underlay contents is related to a user preference data.

51. An apparatus for providing video enhancement to an interactive content page, the apparatus comprising:

a display engine configured to track user preference data indicating a preference of a user, to store the user preference data, to show an interactive content page with a plurality of transparent sections and determine the preference of the user based upon the user preference data, and to show an underlay content in an associated transparent section, where at least one of the underlay contents is related to the user preference data.

52. The apparatus of claim 51 wherein the display engine is capable to sequentially show underlay content in corresponding ones of the transparent section, wherein one underlay content is shown after presentation of a previous underlay content based on a trigger that demarcates an end of the previous underlay content.

53. An apparatus for providing video enhancement to an interactive content page, the apparatus comprising:

means for providing a graphical overlay with a plurality of transparent sections and for providing a graphical underlay capable to show a plurality of underlay contents; and

communicatively coupled to the providing means, means for displaying a first underlay content in a first one of the transparent sections, and for displaying a second underlay content in a second one of the transparent sections in sequence after displaying the first underlay content.