Interface method for providing information about items on a list for interactive television

• US 5,897,623 A
• Filed: 08/30/1996
• Issued: 04/27/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 08/30/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Qwest Communications International Incorporated (Lumen Technologies, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: MediaOne Group Inc. (Comcast Corporation), U S West Inc.
• Inventors: Urdang, Erik G., Fein, Robert M.
• Primary Examiner(s): MacDonald, Allen R.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Patel, Jagdish
• Application Number:
  US08/706,046
• Time in Patent Office: 970 Days
• Field of Search: 395/227, 395/560, 705/14, 705/15, 705/16, 705/26, 705/27, 705/28, 348/565, 348/13, 345/352, 345/353, 345/354
• US Class Current: 705/26.8
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/20 Point-of-sale [POS] network systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/306 using TV related infrastructures external card used for payment with client device H04N21/4185
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0241 Advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0633 Lists, e.g. purchase orders, compilation or processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0643 Graphical representation of items or shoppers
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/12 Hotels or restaurants
• 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 21/4316 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 5/45 Picture in picture , e.g. displaying simultaneously another television channel in a region of the screen
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

An interface system and method for providing information concerning items available via an interactive system and service is disclosed. In one embodiment of the method of the present invention, the method includes the steps of displaying at least a first menu item to the viewer or user via a screen associated with the interactive system, the first menu item denoting a first item, processing at least a first input from the viewer regarding obtaining information related to the first item and displaying serially to the viewer a plurality of images related to the first item.

Claims

1. A method for providing information, via at least a screen, to a viewer of at least first and second menu items in an interactive system, the first menu item corresponding to a first item deliverable to the viewer and the second menu item corresponding to a second item deliverable to the viewer, comprising the steps of:

displaying at least the first menu item to the viewer via the screen, wherein the first menu item is selectable by the viewer to receive the first item;

displaying at least the second menu item to the viewer via the screen during at least a portion of said displaying at least the first menu item step, wherein the second menu item is selectable by the viewer to receive the second item;

processing at least a first input from the viewer, the first input corresponding to the viewer selecting one of the first and second menu items to obtain information concerning one of the first and second items, respectively; and

displaying serially to the viewer via the screen a plurality of item images corresponding to the first item when the first input corresponds to the viewer selecting the first menu item and corresponding to the second item when the first input corresponds to the viewer selecting the second menu item, wherein a second of the plurality of item images is displayed after a first of the plurality of item images.

2. A method, as claimed in claim 1, wherein said processing step comprises the steps of:

receiving at least the first input from the viewer; and

waiting for one of receiving a second input from the viewer and elapsation of a first duration without receipt of the second input, wherein the second input corresponds to one of ordering an item and selecting another item, wherein the first duration is measured from receipt of at least the first input.

3. A method, as claimed in claim 2, wherein said step of displaying serially the plurality of item images is performed at least the first duration after at least the first input is received from the viewer.

4. A method, as claimed in claim 2, wherein said step of displaying serially the plurality of item images is performed upon elapsation of the first duration.

5. A method, as claimed in claim 2, wherein the first duration is less than about 3 seconds.

6. A method, as claimed in claim 1, wherein said step of displaying serially the plurality of item images comprises the steps of:

displaying at least the first of the plurality of item images for at least about 1 second; and

displaying at least the second of the plurality of item images for at least about 0.033 second.

7. A method, as claimed in claim 1, wherein said step of displaying serially the plurality of item images comprises the steps of:

displaying at least the first of the plurality of item images for between about 1 second and about 3 seconds; and

displaying at least the second of the plurality of item images for between about 0.033 second and about 0.067 second.

8. A method, as claimed in claim 1, further comprising, after said step of processing at least the first input, the step of:

performing at least one of first and second steps, wherein the first step includes displaying, via the screen, information indicators concerning at least the first item when the first input corresponds to the viewer selecting the first menu item and concerning at least the second item when the first input corresponds to the viewer selecting the second menu item, wherein the second step includes playing, via at least one speaker associated with the screen, a recording corresponding to the first item when the first input corresponds to the viewer selecting the first menu item and corresponding to the second item when the first input corresponds to the viewer selecting the second menu item.

9. A method for providing information, via at least a screen, to a viewer of at least a first menu having a plurality of menu items corresponding to a plurality of items deliverable to the viewer, comprising the steps of:

displaying the first menu;

processing at least a first input from the viewer, the first input corresponding to a first menu item to obtain information concerning a first item;

displaying at least a first of a plurality of first item images corresponding to the first item;

waiting for one of receipt of a second input from the viewer within a first duration and elapsation of the first duration without receipt of the second input, the second input corresponding to one of the viewer selecting a second item to obtain information concerning the second item and ordering one of the items in the first menu for delivery to the viewer; and

performing one of first and second steps, wherein said first step is performed after elapsation of the first duration without receipt of the second input, said first step including displaying at least a second of the plurality of first item images, wherein said second step is performed after receipt of the second input within the first duration, said second step including one of displaying at least a first of a plurality of second item images corresponding to a second menu item and delivering the one of the items to the viewer.

10. A method, as claimed in claim 9, wherein the first menu is displayed at a first location on the screen and the first of the plurality of first item images is displayed at a second location on the screen, wherein the first location is displaced from the second location.

11. A method, as claimed in claim 10, wherein the second of the plurality of first item images is displayed at the second location on the screen, after the first of the plurality of first item images.

12. A method, as claimed in claim 9, further comprising the step of:

initializing the first menu to generate an indexed menu array having at least the first and second menu items.

13. A method, as claimed in claim 9, further comprising, after said step of displaying at least the first menu item, the step of:

waiting for at least the first input from the viewer.

14. A method, as claimed in claim 9, wherein said waiting step comprises the step of measuring elapsed time, wherein said measuring elapsed time step starts at least after said step of displaying at least the first of the plurality of first item images and ends upon one of elapsation of the first duration without receipt of the second input and receipt of the second input prior to elapsation of the first duration.

15. A method, as claimed in claim 9, further comprising, after said step of processing at least the first input, the step of:

displaying, via the screen, at least a first information image concerning at least the first item, wherein the first information image is displayed at a third location on the screen, displaced from the first and second locations.

16. A method, as claimed in claim 9, wherein said performing step comprises performing said first step, said method further comprising the steps of:

displaying serially, after at least the second of the plurality of first item images, at least one of a third of the plurality of first item images and the first of the plurality of first item images; and

waiting for receipt of the second input from the viewer.

17. A method, as claimed in claim 9, wherein said performing step comprises performing said second step and the second input corresponds to the second menu item to obtain information concerning the second item, said method further comprising the step of:

receiving the second input from the viewer;

displaying, via the screen, at least the first of the plurality of second item images; and

waiting for one of receipt of a third input from the viewer within the first duration and elapsation of the first duration without receipt of the third input, the third input corresponding the viewer selecting one of the plurality of menu items to obtain information for the one of the plurality of menu items in the first menu and the viewer ordering one of the items in the first menu.

18. A method, as claimed in claim 9, wherein said performing step comprises performing said first step, said method further comprising the step of:

playing, via at least a first speaker associated with the screen, at least a first recording corresponding to the first item.

19. A method, as claimed in claim 9, wherein the screen providing information is associated with at least one of an interactive television system, an Internet-connected desk top computer and an interactive kiosk system.

20. A system for providing information, via at least a screen, to a viewer of at least first and second menu items, the first menu item corresponding to a first item deliverable to the viewer and the second menu item corresponding to a second item deliverable to the viewer, comprising:

first means for generating a displayable image of the first and second menu items to the viewer via the screen wherein the second menu item is displayable to the viewer with the first menu item;

means, associated with said first means for generating, for processing at least a first input from the viewer, the first input concerning one of the first and second menu items corresponding to one of the first and second items, respectively, selectable by the viewer; and

means, associated with said means for receiving, for serially displaying, in response to at least the first input, a plurality of images corresponding to said one of the first and second items, said means for serially displaying the plurality of images being capable of serially displaying at least a second of the plurality of images corresponding to said one of the first and second items after a first of the plurality of images corresponding to said one of the first and second items.

21. A system, as claimed in claim 20, further comprising:

means, associated with said means for processing and said means for serially displaying the plurality of images, for measuring elapsed time from receipt of at least the first input from the viewer to one of elapsation of a first duration without receipt of at least a second input from the viewer and receipt of at least the second input from the viewer, wherein the second input concerns one of the viewer selecting the other of the first and second menu items displayable to the viewer to obtain information concerning said other of the first and second menu items and the viewer ordering said one of the first and second items.

22. A system, as claimed in claim 21, wherein the first duration is at least about 1 second.

23. A system, as claimed in claim 21, wherein the first duration is at less than about 5 seconds.

24. A system, as claimed in claim 20, further comprising:

means, associated with the means for serially displaying the plurality of images, for playing at least a first recording corresponding to at least one of said one of the first and second menu items and first of the plurality of images corresponding to said one of the first and second items.

25. A system, as claimed in claim 20, wherein the screen is in electrical communication with at least one of an interactive television system, an Internet-connected desk top computer and an interactive kiosk system.