Interactive promotional space in a discovery interface

• US 20080004960A1
• Filed: 06/30/2006
• Published: 01/03/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Fong, Jeffrey C., Azera, Frederic, Van Flandern, Michael W., Coomer, Christen, Poling, Daniel L.
• Application Number:
  US11/479,275
• Publication Number:
  US 20080004960A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/14
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0257 User requested
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0261 based on user location
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0264 based upon schedule
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0269 based on user profile or attribute
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0277 Online advertisement
• 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 21/47202 for requesting content on demand, e.g. video on demand
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4821 using a grid, e.g. sorted out by channel and broadcast time
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6581 Reference data, e.g. a movie identifier for ordering a movie or a product identifier in a home shopping application
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

A discovery interface including an interactive promotional space is provided. In one implementation, for example, a discovery interface includes links to promotional portals of individual content providers. A user can select one of the links to be redirected to a promotional portal of a content provider. The promotional portal includes a space through which the user may access additional offerings of the content provider. The promotional portal, for example, may include links, such as interactive thumbnails, to additional media content offered by the content provider.

Claims

1. A method of providing an interactive promotional space within a discovery interface, the method comprising:

displaying a discovery interface that presents media content available from a content provider; and

allocating a region of the discovery interface to display an interactive promotional space, wherein the interactive promotional space comprises an associated navigational control to a promotional portal of the content provider.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising displaying the interactive promotional space in the region.

3. The method of claim 2 further comprising receiving a selection of the interactive promotional space and navigating to the promotional portal via the associated navigational control.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the associated navigational control comprises a uniform resource indicator that redirects the discovery interface to the promotional portal.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the associated navigational control is contextually related to discovery data of the media content presented in the discovery interface.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein associated navigational control is demographically related to discovery data of the media content presented in the discovery interface.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein associated navigational control is temporally related to discovery data of the media content presented in the discovery interface.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein associated navigational control is geographically related to discovery data of the media content presented in the discovery interface.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the promotional portal comprises navigational controls to additional media content available from the content provider.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the promotional portal comprises an advertisement of the content provider.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein the interactive promotional space changes depending on a context of the discovery interface.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein the associated navigational control of the interactive promotional space changes depending on a context of the discovery interface

13. A method of providing an interactive promotional space within a discovery interface, the method comprising:

displaying a discovery interface that presents media content available from a content provider; and

allocating a region of the discovery interface to display an interactive promotional space, wherein the interactive promotional space changes depending on a context of the discovery interface.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein the context of the discovery interface comprises a time of day.

15. The method of claim 13 wherein the context of the discovery interface comprises a selected media content presented within the discovery interface.

16. The method of claim 13 wherein the interactive promotional space comprises a navigational control that changes depending on the context of the discovery interface.

17. A media content delivery device for providing an interactive promotional space within a discovery interface, the user content delivery device comprising:

a discovery interface that presents media content available from a content provider, wherein a region of the discovery interface is allocated to display an interactive promotional space, the interactive promotional space comprising an associated navigational control to a promotional portal of the content provider; and

a content player interface that provides selected media content for presentation.

18. The media content delivery device of claim 17 further comprising a tuner for selecting between a plurality of individual time-based programming content presented within the discovery interface.

19. The media content delivery device of claim 17 wherein the interactive promotional space changes depending on a context of the discovery interface.

20. The media content delivery device of claim 17 wherein the navigational control comprises a uniform resource identifier.