Interactive television system with programming-related links

• US 20080184301A1
• Filed: 08/20/2007
• Published: 07/31/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 10/29/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Rovi Guides, Inc. (Adeia Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Rovi Guides, Inc. (Adeia Inc.)
• Inventors: Boylan, Peter C., Ellis, Michael D.
• Granted Patent: US 8,843,963 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/40
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4312 involving specific graphical features, e.g. screen layout, special fonts or colors, blinking icons, highlights or animations
• 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 21/47 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 21/4722 for requesting additional data associated with the content
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4755 for defining user preferences, e.g. favourite actors or genre retrieval personalisation and generation of user profiles for the retrieval of video data G06F16/739; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306
• 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 21/4828 for searching program descriptors retrieval of video data G06F16/739
• 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 21/4882 for displaying messages, e.g. warnings, reminders arrangements for providing short real-time information to substation in data switching networks H04L12/1895
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8133 specifically related to the content, e.g. biography of the actors in a movie, detailed information about an article seen in a video program
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8153 comprising still images, e.g. texture, background image
• 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 21/8545 for generating interactive applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/858 Linking data to content, e.g. by linking an URL to a video object, by creating a hotspot
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/163 by receiver means only
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 : Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

An interactive television system with programming-related links is provided. The system may include user television equipment on which interactive program guide and non-program-guide applications may be implemented. Information that is displayed in a display screen for a non-program-guide application may be related to programming. A display screen or overlay for programming that is related to the information may be displayed when a user selects the displayed information. The display or overlay for the programming may include advertisements, video, graphics, options, or programming descriptions. The display screen or overlay may have been displayed by the program guide application.

Claims

1. (canceled)

2. A method for using a program guide system in which an interactive program guide application and an interactive non-program-guide application are each at least partially implemented, wherein the applications are separate and distinct applications, comprising:

receiving a user selection of a displayed non-program-guide option that is related to a program; and

directing the program guide application to display a plurality of options related to the program in response to receiving, wherein the plurality of options provides the user with an opportunity to access both program guide data and non-program-guide data.

3. The of claim 2, wherein the plurality of options comprise at least one of:

a program guide option that is related to the programming;

video that is related to the programming;

a graphic that is related to the programming; and

an advertisement that is related to the programming.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the non-program-guide option is at least one of:

an advertisement;

a graphic;

a phrase that is related to the programming; and

a word that is related to the programming.

5. The method of claim 2, further comprising displaying an indicator with the non-program-guide option to indicate to the user that the non-program-guide option is related to the programming.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein receiving further comprises receiving a user selection of the indicator.

7. The method of claim 2, further comprising accessing a program guide database of programming information for the program guide application to determine which programming is related to the selected non-program-guide option.

8. The method of claim 2, further comprising directing the program guide application to display the plurality of options in at least one of:

an overlay; and

a display screen.

9. The method of claim 2, wherein the non-program-guide application comprises executable code that includes a program guide function that is executed when the non-program-guide option is selected.

10. A system for using a program guide system in which an interactive program guide application and an interactive non-program-guide application are each at least partially implemented, wherein the applications are separate and distinct applications, comprising a processor operative to:

receive a user selection of a displayed non-program-guide option that is related to a program; and

direct the program guide application to display a plurality of options related to the program in response to receiving, wherein the plurality of options provides the user with an opportunity to access both program guide data and non-program-guide data.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the plurality of options comprise at least one of:

a program guide option that is related to the programming;

video that is related to the programming;

a graphic that is related to the programming; and

an advertisement that is related to the programming.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the non-program-guide option is at least one of:

an advertisement;

a graphic;

a phrase that is related to the programming; and

a word that is related to the programming.

13. The system of claim 10, wherein the processor is further operative to display an indicator with the non-program-guide option to indicate to the user that the non-program-guide option is related to the programming.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the processor is further operative to receive a user selection of the indicator.

15. The system of claim 10, wherein the processor is further operative to access a program guide database of programming information for the program guide application to determine which programming is related to the selected non-program-guide option.

16. The system of claim 10, wherein the processor is further operative to direct the program guide application to display the plurality of options in at least one of:

an overlay; and

a display screen.

17. The system of claim 10, wherein the non-program-guide application comprises executable code that includes a program guide function that is executed when the non-program-guide option is selected.