Remote Control Device to Display Advertisements

• US 20090248515A1
• Filed: 04/01/2008
• Published: 10/01/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 04/01/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Neufeld, Nadav M., Seidel, Joseph J., Rao, Pradhan S.
• Granted Patent: US 9,369,655 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/14.530
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0255 based on user history
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2547 Third Party Billing, e.g. billing of advertiser
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/41265 having a remote control device for bidirectional communication between the remote control device and client device unidirectional remote control device H04N21/42204
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42204 User interfaces specially adapted for controlling a client device through a remote control device; Remote control devices therefor constructive details of casings for the remote control device H01H9/0235; user interfaces for controlling a tuning device of a television receiver through a remote control H03J9/00; remote control of peripheral devices connected to a television receiver through the remote control device of the television receiver H04B1/205
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42209 for displaying non-command information, e.g. electronic program guide [EPG], e-mail, messages or a second television channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42224 Touch pad or touch panel provided on the remote control
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42226 Reprogrammable remote control devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02

Abstract

Techniques to display advertisements on a remote control device are described. In an implementation, a remote control device includes a display device and one or more modules. The one or more modules are configured to initiate one or more control functions related to control of an output of content by a client. The one or more modules are also configured to detect manual interaction and initiate a first mode to display an advertisement on the display device when the manual interaction has not been detected. A second mode is initiated by the one or more modules to display one or more representations of the one or more control functions when the manual interaction is detected.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

determining that manual interaction with a remote control device has not been detected for a predetermined amount of time, the remote control device having functionality to initiate one or more control functions to control a display of content on a client; and

responsive to the determining, displaying an advertisement on the remote control device.

2. A method as described in claim 1, wherein:

the advertisement relates to the content that is currently being displayed on the client;

the one or more control functions include volume up, volume down, channel up and channel down; and

the content is a television program.

3. A method as described in claim 1, wherein the advertisement does not relate to content that is currently being displayed on the client.

4. A method as described in claim 1, wherein the advertisement relates to content that is currently available via a channel that is different than a channel currently being used by the client.

5. A method as described in claim 1, wherein the determining includes detecting that the remote control device has not been moved for a predetermined amount of time.

6. A method as described in claim 1, wherein the determining includes detecting that the one or more control functions have not been initiated by the remote control device for a predetermined amount of time.

7. A method as described in claim 1, wherein the displaying of the advertisement is performed such that the display of the advertisement replaces a display of a representation of at least one said control function on the remote control device.

8. A method as described in claim 1, wherein the displaying is performed during an output of content on the client that is not an advertisement.

9. A method as described in claim 1, further comprising displaying one or more representations of the one or more control functions responsive to detection of manual interaction with the remote control device.

10. A method as described in claim 1, wherein the displaying of the one or more representations of the one or more control functions is performed when an advertisement is displayed on the client.

11. A method comprising:

providing a service to stream advertisements to be displayed on a client and advertisements to be displayed on a remote control device that is configured to initiate one or more control functions related to display of content on the client; and

collecting revenue from one or more advertisers to stream at least one said advertisement to be displayed on the client and at least one said advertisement to be displayed on the remote control device.

12. A method as described in claim 11, wherein at least one said advertisement is to be displayed on the remote control device during display of content that is not an advertisement on the client.

13. A method as described in claim 12, wherein the at least one said advertisement relates to the content that is displayed on the client.

14. A method as described in claim 11, wherein at least one said advertisement is to be displayed on the remote control device is a static image for a brand for a corresponding said advertisement to be displayed on the client.

15. A method as described in claim 11, wherein the service is configured to provide an interface that is accessible over a network to purchase opportunities at specific points in relation to an output of content on the television to display a respective said advertisement.

16. A remote control device comprising:

a display device; and

one or more modules to;

initiate one or more control functions related to control of a display of content by a client;

detect manual interaction;

initiate a first mode to display an advertisement on the display device when the manual interaction has not been detected; and

initiate a second mode to display one or more representations of the one or more control functions when the manual interaction is detected.

17. A remote control device as described in claim 16, wherein:

the display device is configured as a touch screen; and

the one or more representations are displayable and selectable using the touch screen to initiate the one or more control functions, respectively.

18. A remote control device as described in claim 16, wherein the display device consumes approximately half of an outer surface of the remote control device.

19. A remote control device as described in claim 16, wherein the first mode causes the display of the advertisement to replace the display of at least one said representation of at least one said control function.

20. A remote control device as described in claim 16, wherein the first mode and the second mode are not displayable on the display device simultaneously.