SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR DISPLAYING ADVERTISING IN AN INTERACTIVE PROGRAM GUIDE

• US 20110093897A1
• Filed: 10/15/2009
• Published: 04/21/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 08/14/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cumnor Technologies, LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Cumnor Technologies, LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Gerba, George, Nichols, Michael R.
• Granted Patent: US 8,490,134 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/42
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0485 Scrolling or panning
• 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 21/47214 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 21/4821 using a grid, e.g. sorted out by channel and broadcast time
• 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

Abstract

An interactive program guide containing schedule data for multiple channels and advertising data is provided to viewers on a screen. The advertising may be related to the programs adjacent thereto in the guide and to time slots displayed on the screen. The advertising scrolls in various directions in response to the viewer'"'"'s scrolling of the grid, but at a different pace and according to a different scheme than the scrolling of the schedule data itself. For example, the advertising may remain on the screen in a predetermined location while the viewer scrolls the schedule data, and then scroll off the screen to be replaced by new ads after a predetermined number of channels scroll off the screen, or on the basis of time slots and/or adjacent channels displayed on the screen. This provides for greater viewer attention to the advertising and for greater control by advertisers over the manner and length in which advertising is presented to viewers.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

scrolling a plurality of program cells of an electronic program guide in a first direction in accordance with a first scrolling scheme;

displaying at least a portion of the plurality of programming cells;

displaying an advertisement cell within the portion of the plurality of program cells;

scrolling the advertisement cell in concurrence with the scrolling of the plurality of program cells during a first time portion;

keeping the advertisement cell stationary during a second time portion in which the plurality of program cells scroll, the second time portion based upon a first number of the plurality of program cells which will move past the advertisement cell while the advertisement cell is kept stationary; and

scrolling the advertisement cell in concurrence with the scrolling of the plurality of program cells upon expiration of the second time portion.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving the first number of the plurality of program cells from a remote location.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the remote location includes a head end of a cable system.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a scrolling scheme parameter from a central station, the scrolling scheme parameter defining the first number of the plurality of program cells,

wherein the second time portion is based upon the scrolling scheme parameter and the first number of the plurality of program cells that will move past the advertisement cell while the advertisement cell is kept stationary.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the first direction comprises a vertical scrolling direction

6. The method of claim 1, wherein a particular cell of the plurality of programming cells of the electronic program guide includes a program choice available for viewing at a particular start time.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein a particular cell of the plurality of programming cells of the electronic program guide includes a program choice available for viewing on demand.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a selection of the advertisement cell; and

marking a program choice associated with the advertisement cell for future viewing.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

replacing an advertisement associated with the advertisement cell after the scrolling through a particular number of the plurality of programming cells has occurred.

10. A method comprising:

arranging schedule data into a grid containing a plurality of rows and a plurality of columns according to a listing of a plurality of channels and a plurality of start times, a particular start time of the plurality of start times being for a particular program that is broadcast via a particular channel of the plurality of channels, a particular cell of the grid containing a name of the particular program;

inserting advertising data into a particular row of the plurality of rows of the grid;

scrolling a plurality of cells of the grid in a first direction in accordance with a first scrolling scheme;

displaying at least a portion of the plurality of cells;

displaying the advertising data within the portion of the plurality of cells;

scrolling the advertisement data in concurrence with the scrolling of the plurality of cells during a first time portion;

keeping the advertisement data stationary during a second time portion in which the plurality of cells scrolls, the second time portion based upon a first number of the plurality of cells which will move past the advertisement data while the advertisement data is kept stationary; and

scrolling the advertisement data in concurrence with the scrolling of the plurality of cells upon expiration of the second time portion.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the advertising data remains in the particular row while the plurality of cells is scrolled.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the advertising data is arranged into a plurality of advertising cells.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the plurality of advertising cells contains an advertisement related to the particular program.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the advertisement includes text, graphics, animations, or combinations thereof.

15. The method of claim 10, wherein the particular row is a predetermined row.

16. A system comprising:

a navigation unit to

scroll a plurality of program cells of an electronic program guide in a first direction in accordance with a first scrolling scheme,

display at least a portion of the plurality of programming cells,

display an advertisement cell within the portion of the plurality of program cells,

scroll the advertisement cell in concurrence with the scrolling of the plurality of program cells during a first time portion,

keep the advertisement cell stationary during a second time portion in which the plurality of program cells scroll, the second time portion based upon a first number of the plurality of program cells which will move past the advertisement cell while the advertisement cell is kept stationary, and

scroll the advertisement cell in concurrence with the scrolling of the plurality of program cells upon expiration of the second time portion.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the navigation unit is a set-top box.

18. The system of claim 16, wherein the advertisement cell is larger than a particular programming cell of the plurality of program cells.