PROGRAM GUIDE SYSTEM WITH ADVERTISEMENTS

• US 20160227270A1
• Filed: 12/22/2015
• Published: 08/04/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 04/30/1998
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Rovi Guides, Inc. (Adeia Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Rovi Guides, Inc. (Adeia Inc.)
• Inventors: Knudson, Edward B., Hassell, Joel G., Marshall, Connie T., Lemmons, Thomas R., Reynolds, Steven J., Knee, Robert A., Carpenter, Kenneth F. Jr., Thomas, William L., Herrington, W. Benjamin, Williamson, Steven C., Ellis, Michael D., Allison, Donald W.
• Application Number:
  US14/978,505
• Publication Number:
  US 20160227270A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4221 Dedicated function buttons, e.g. for the control of an EPG, subtitles, aspect ratio, picture-in-picture or teletext
• 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 21/4532 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 21/47 End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47202 for requesting content on demand, e.g. video on demand
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4722 for requesting additional data associated with the content
• 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 21/47815 Electronic shopping payment schemes, payment architectures or payment protocols for electronic shopping systems G06Q20/12
• 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 21/812 involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

An interactive television program guide is provided in which advertisements may be displayed on program guide screens. Banner advertisements may be displayed above and below program listings. Panel advertisements may be provided adjacent to program listings. The advertisements may contain video. The advertisements may be used to promote television programs and conventional goods and services. When a user selects an advertisement, the program guide provides the user with an opportunity to order products or services, request information, set reminders for upcoming programs, view program descriptions, record programs, or take other such actions. Embedded advertisements may be provided within the program listings region and may be automatically displayed immediately adjacent to related program listings.

Claims

1-25. -25. (canceled)

26. A method for causing a program identifier for a promoted program to be displayed, the method comprising:

receiving a plurality of program identifiers for a plurality of programs, wherein the plurality of program identifiers comprises the program identifier for the promoted program;

generating for display in a scrollable program information region, using control circuitry, a first subset of the plurality of program identifiers arranged in a plurality of rows, wherein the program identifier for the promoted program is displayed in a particular row of the plurality of rows that is a fixed number of rows from the top of the scrollable program information region;

receiving user input to scroll the scrollable information region; and

generating for display in the scrollable program information region, using the control circuitry, responsive to the user input, a second subset of the plurality of program identifiers arranged in the plurality of rows, wherein the program identifier for the promoted program is again displayed in the particular row that is the fixed number of rows from the top of the scrollable program information region.

27. The method of claim 26, further comprising, a predetermined amount of time after the second subset of the plurality of program identifiers is displayed, without receiving any user input further to the user input to scroll the scrollable information region, causing a program identifier for another promoted program to be displayed in the particular row simultaneously with the second subset of the plurality of program identifiers.

28. The method of claim 26, further comprising causing the promoted program to be displayed responsive to a user selection of the program identifier for the promoted program.

29. The method of claim 26, further comprising selecting the program identifier for the promoted program for display in the particular row based on user profile information.

30. The method of claim 29, wherein the user profile information comprises information uniquely identifying a source of the promoted program.

31. The method of claim 30, wherein the information uniquely identifying the source of the promoted program is added to the user profile information responsive to a user selection of the source of the promoted program.

32. A system for causing a program identifier for a promoted program to be displayed, the system comprising:

communications circuitry configured to receive a plurality of program identifiers for a plurality of programs, wherein the plurality of program identifiers comprises the program identifier for the promoted program; and

control circuitry configured to;

generate for display in a scrollable program information region, using control circuitry, a first subset of the plurality of program identifiers arranged in a plurality of rows, wherein the program identifier for the promoted program is displayed in a particular row of the plurality of rows that is a fixed number of rows from the top of the scrollable program information region;

receive user input to scroll the scrollable information region; and

generate for display in the scrollable program information region, using the control circuitry, responsive to the user input, a second subset of the plurality of program identifiers arranged in the plurality of rows, wherein the program identifier for the promoted program is again displayed in the particular row of the plurality of rows that is the fixed number of rows from the top of the scrollable program information region.

33. The system of claim 32, wherein the control circuitry is further configured to, a predetermined amount of time after the second subset of the plurality of program identifiers is displayed, without receiving any user input further to the user input to scroll the scrollable information region, cause a program identifier for another promoted program to be displayed in the particular row simultaneously with the second subset of the plurality of program identifiers.

34. The system of claim 32, wherein the control circuitry is further configured to cause the promoted program to be displayed responsive to a user selection of the program identifier for the promoted program.

35. The system of claim 32, wherein the control circuitry is further configured to select the program identifier for the promoted program for display in the particular row based on user profile information.

36. The system of claim 35, wherein the user profile information comprises information uniquely identifying a source of the promoted program.

37. The system of claim 36, wherein the information uniquely identifying the source of the promoted program is added to the user profile information responsive to a user selection of the source of the promoted program.

38. A non-transitory machine-readable medium comprising instructions thereon for causing a program identifier for a promoted program to be displayed, the instructions comprising:

instructions to receive a plurality of program identifiers for a plurality of programs, wherein the plurality of program identifiers comprises the program identifier for the promoted program;

instructions to generate for display in a scrollable program information region a first subset of the plurality of program identifiers arranged in a plurality of rows, wherein the program identifier for the promoted program is displayed in a particular row of the plurality of rows that is a fixed number of rows from the top of the scrollable program information region;

instructions to receive user input to scroll the scrollable information region; and

instructions to generate for display in the scrollable program information region, responsive to the user input, a second subset of the plurality of program identifiers arranged in the plurality of rows, wherein the program identifier for the promoted program is again displayed in the particular row of the plurality of rows that is the fixed number of rows from the top of the scrollable program information region.

39. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 38, further comprising instructions to, a predetermined amount of time after the second subset of the plurality of program identifiers is displayed, without receiving any user input further to the user input to scroll the scrollable information region, cause a program identifier for another promoted program to be displayed in the particular row simultaneously with the second subset of the plurality of program identifiers.

40. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 38, further comprising instructions to cause the promoted program to be displayed responsive to a user selection of the program identifier for the promoted program.

41. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 38, further comprising instructions to select the program identifier for the promoted program for display in the particular row based on user profile information.

42. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 41, wherein the user profile information comprises information uniquely identifying a source of the promoted program.

43. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 42, wherein the information uniquely identifying the source of the promoted program is added to the user profile information responsive to a user selection of the source of the promoted program.