Method and system for displaying advertisements in an electronic program guide

• US 20080127264A1
• Filed: 08/20/2007
• Published: 05/29/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 05/03/1996
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Rovi Guides, Inc. (Adeia Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Rovi Guides, Inc. (Adeia Inc.)
• Inventors: Schein, Steven, Klosterman, Brian Lee
• Granted Patent: US 8,776,125 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/42
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0481 based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• 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 21/4316 for displaying supplemental content in a region of the screen, e.g. an advertisement in a separate window
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4438 Window management, e.g. event handling following interaction with the user interface
• 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 21/47 End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47214 for content reservation or setting reminders; for requesting event notification, e.g. of sport results or stock market stock exchange data over packet-switching network H04L12/1804; push services over packet-switching network H04L12/1859; notification of incoming messages in packet switching networks H04L51/224
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4725 using interactive regions of the image, e.g. hot spots details of information retrieval from the Internet by using URLs G06F16/955; processing chained hypermedia data for information retrieval G06F16/94
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/478 Supplemental services, e.g. displaying phone caller identification, shopping application
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4782 Web browsing , e.g. WebTV
• 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 21/488 Data services, e.g. news ticker systems specially adapted for using meteorological information in broadcast systems H04H60/71
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4886 for displaying a ticker, e.g. scrolling banner for news, stock exchange, weather data
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8126 involving additional data, e.g. news, sports, stocks, weather forecasts
• 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 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/45 : Picture in picture , e.g. displaying simultaneously another television channel in a region of the screen
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/0882 : for the transmission of character code signals, e.g. for teletext circuits for the digital non-picture data signal H04N7/035
• 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 7/17318 : 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

A system and method for displaying an electronic program schedule guide is provided. The system has areas for displaying program schedule information. In addition, the system also has areas that may be used for advertising programs, products or services. In another embodiment, the system has areas for displaying messages to the user.

Claims

1-43. -43. (canceled)

44. A method for simultaneously displaying advertisements with an electronic program guide (EPG), comprising:

displaying program information in a display, wherein the displayed program information is arranged in a plurality of rows

selecting an advertisement for display from a plurality of advertisements;

simultaneously displaying, as one of the plurality of rows, the selected advertisement;

navigating a cursor to the displayed advertisement; and

activating the displayed advertisement to access at least one website.

45. The method of claim 44, wherein the displayed advertisement is selected independently from the display of the program information.

46. The method of claim 44, wherein the displayed advertisement has substantially the same vertical height as at least one of the plurality of rows.

47. The method of claim 44, wherein the displayed advertisement includes one or more of text, graphics, and video.

48. The method of claim 44, wherein the displayed advertisement includes a Uniform Resource Locator (URL) or network address.

49. The method of claim 44, wherein the displayed advertisement has substantially the same horizontal width as at least one of the plurality of rows.

50. The method of claim 44, wherein the at least one website comprises at least two websites, the at least two websites associated with the same television program.

51. The method of claim 44 wherein activating the displayed advertisement to access at least one website comprises launching a web browser application and displaying the website using the web browser application.

52. The method of claim 44 wherein the advertisement is associated with a television program and the at least one website is associated with the channel on which the television program is aired.

53. A system for simultaneously displaying an advertisement with an electronic program guide (EPG), comprising:

memory to store program information; and

control circuitry configured to;

display the program information, wherein the displayed program information is arranged in a plurality of rows;

select an advertisement for display from a plurality of advertisements;

simultaneously display, as one of the plurality of rows, the selected advertisement;

receive a first user input to navigate a cursor to the displayed advertisement; and

receive a second user input to activate the displayed advertisement to access at least one website.

54. The system of claim 53, wherein the displayed advertisement is selected independently from the display of the program information.

55. The system of claim 53, wherein the displayed advertisement has substantially the same vertical height as at least one of the plurality of rows.

56. The system of claim 53, wherein the displayed advertisement includes one or more of text, graphics, and video.

57. The system of claim 53, wherein the displayed advertisement includes a Uniform Resource Locator (URL) or network address.

58. The system of claim 53, wherein the displayed advertisement has substantially the same horizontal width as at least one of the plurality of rows.

59. The system of claim 53, wherein the at least one website comprises at least two websites, the at least two websites associated with the same television program.

60. The system of claim 53 wherein the control circuitry is configured to launch a web browser application and display the website using the web browser application.

61. The system of claim 53 wherein the advertisement is associated with a television program and the at least one website is associated with the channel on which the television program is aired.