PROGRAM GUIDE SYSTEM WITH TARGETED ADVERTISING

• US 20100319013A1
• Filed: 06/29/2010
• Published: 12/16/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 03/04/1998
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: United Video Properties Incorporated (Adeia Inc.)
• Original Assignee: United Video Properties Incorporated (Adeia Inc.)
• Inventors: Ellis, Michael D., Knudson, Edward B., Knee, Robert A., Carpenter, Kenneth F. JR.
• Application Number:
  US12/825,679
• Publication Number:
  US 20100319013A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/14
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0241 Advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0251 Targeted advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0255 based on user history
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0257 User requested
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25891 being end-user preferences retrieval of video data in a video database based on user preferences G06F16/739; arrangements for recognizing users' preferences H04H60/46; 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 21/2668 Creating a channel for a dedicated end-user group, e.g. insertion of targeted commercials based on end-user profiles information retrieval from the Internet by querying with filtering and personalisation G06F16/9535; arrangements for replacing or switching information during the broadcast H04H20/10; push services over packet-switching network H04L12/1859; adaptation of message content in packet-switching networks H04L51/063
• 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 21/4316 for displaying supplemental content in a region of the screen, e.g. an advertisement in a separate window
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44224 Monitoring of user activity on external systems, e.g. Internet browsing
• 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 21/454 Content or additional data filtering, e.g. blocking advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47 End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47211 for requesting pay-per-view content payment schemes payment architectures or payment protocols G06Q20/00, G07F
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/478 Supplemental services, e.g. displaying phone caller identification, shopping application
• 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 21/6582 Data stored in the client, e.g. viewing habits, hardware capabilities, credit card number arrangements where receivers interact with the broadcast H04H20/38
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02
• 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 5/782 on tape
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/16 : Analogue secrecy systems; Analogue subscription systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/163 : by receiver means only
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/173 : with two-way working, e.g. subscriber sending a programme selection signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 : Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

An interactive television program guide system is provided in which targeted advertisements may be presented to a user and targeted actions taken in the program guide based on the user'"'"'s interests. The program guide monitors the user'"'"'s interactions with the program guide to determine the user'"'"'s interests. Interactions that may be monitored include interactions that indicate the categories of programming that interest the user (e.g., movies, sports, children'"'"'s programming, etc.), setting a reminder for a program, purchasing a program, requesting information on a program, browsing program listings for a particular time or channel, etc.

Claims

1-122. -122. (canceled)

123. A system in which an interactive television program guide is implemented on user television equipment, comprising:

the user television equipment configured to;

monitor interactions between a user and the interactive television program guide to determine the user'"'"'s interests;

select advertisements from a plurality of advertisements stored in an advertisement database based on the user'"'"'s interests;

display one of the selected advertisements in one of a plurality of locations in the program guide; and

monitor which of the selected advertisements are displayed by the program guide and at which locations of the plurality of locations of the program guide the selected advertisements are displayed.

124. The system of claim 123, wherein the selection of the advertisements comprises selecting targeted advertisements based on the user'"'"'s interests.

125. The system of claim 123, wherein the advertisements comprise interactive advertisements.

126. The system of claim 123, wherein the user television equipment is further configured to:

collect information about which of the selected advertisements are displayed by the program guide and at which locations of the plurality of locations of the program guide the selected advertisements are displayed; and

transmit the collected information to a central facility.

127. The system of claim 123, wherein the user television equipment is further configured to:

display, on a substantially full portion of a display, video for a given television channel; and

display over a portion of the video for the given television channel, an overlay comprising at least one of the selected advertisements.

128. The system of claim 127, wherein the overlay further comprises program listings information.

129. A system in which an interactive television program guide is implemented on user television equipment, comprising:

the user television equipment configured to;

monitor interactions between a user and the interactive television program guide to determine the user'"'"'s interests;

select advertisements from a plurality of advertisements stored in an advertisement database based on the user'"'"'s interests;

display one of the selected advertisements in one of a plurality of program guide screen configurations, each of the plurality of program guide screen configurations displaying program listings information and advertisements, each of the plurality of program guide screen configurations displaying advertisements at a different location in the program guide; and

collect data on which of the selected advertisements are displayed and in which one of the plurality of program guide screen configurations the selected advertisements are displayed.

130. The system of claim 129, wherein the advertisements comprise interactive advertisements.

131. The system of claim 129, wherein the user television equipment is further configured to transmit the collected data to a central facility.

132. The system of claim 129, wherein the user television equipment is further configured to update the user'"'"'s interests based on the collected data.

133. The system of claim 129, wherein the user television equipment is further configured to:

display, on a substantially full portion of a display, video for a given television channel; and

display over a portion of the video for the given television channel, an overlay comprising at least one of the selected advertisements.

134. The system of claim 133, wherein the overlay further comprises program listings information.

135. The system of claim 129, wherein the user television equipment is further configured to:

display video for a given television channel; and

simultaneously display at least one of the selected advertisements and program listings information.

136. The system of claim 129, wherein one of the plurality of program guide screen configurations comprises a flip or browse overlay which comprises at least one of the selected advertisements.

137. A method in which an interactive television program guide is implemented on user television equipment, comprising:

monitoring interactions between a user and the interactive television program guide to determine the user'"'"'s interests;

selecting advertisements from a plurality of advertisements stored in an advertisement database based on the user'"'"'s interests;

displaying one of the selected advertisements in one of a plurality of locations in the program guide; and

monitoring which of the selected advertisements are displayed by the program guide and at which locations of the plurality of locations of the program guide the selected advertisements are displayed.

138. The method of claim 137, wherein the selecting the advertisements comprises selecting targeted advertisements based on the user'"'"'s interests.

139. The method of claim 137, wherein the advertisements comprise interactive advertisements.

140. The method of claim 137, further comprising:

collecting information about which of the selected advertisements are displayed by the program guide and at which locations of the plurality of locations of the program guide the selected advertisements are displayed; and

transmitting the collected information to a central facility.

141. The method of claim 137, further comprising:

displaying, on a substantially full portion of a display, video for a given television channel; and

displaying over a portion of the video for the given television channel, an overlay comprising at least one of the selected advertisements.

142. The method of claim 141, wherein the overlay further comprises program listings information.

143. A method in which an interactive television program guide is implemented on user television equipment, comprising:

monitoring interactions between a user and the interactive television program guide to determine the user'"'"'s interests;

selecting advertisements from a plurality of advertisements stored in an advertisement database based on the user'"'"'s interests;

displaying one of the selected advertisements in one of a plurality of program guide screen configurations, each of the plurality of program guide screen configurations displaying program listings information and advertisements, each of the plurality of program guide screen configurations displaying advertisements at a different location in the program guide; and

collecting data on which of the selected advertisements are displayed and in which one of the plurality of program guide screen configurations the selected advertisements are displayed.

144. The method of claim 143, wherein the advertisements comprise interactive advertisements.

145. The method of claim 143, further comprising transmitting the collected data to a central facility.

146. The method of claim 143, further comprising updating the user'"'"'s interests based on the collected data.

147. The method of claim 143, wherein one of the plurality of program guide screen configurations comprises:

displaying, on a substantially full portion of a display, video for a given television channel; and

displaying over a portion of the video for the given television Channel, an overlay comprising at least one of the selected advertisements.

148. The method of claim 147, wherein the overlay further comprises program listings information.

149. The method of claim 143, wherein one of the plurality of program guide screen configurations comprises:

displaying video for a given television channel; and

simultaneously displaying at least one of the selected advertisements and program listings information.

150. The method of claim 143, wherein one of the plurality of program guide screen configurations comprises a flip or browse overlay which comprises at least one of the selected advertisements.