Systems and methods for linking television viewers with advertisers and broadcasters

• US 6,263,501 B1
• Filed: 10/11/1999
• Issued: 07/17/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 10/02/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Rovi Guides, Inc. (Adeia Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Star Sight
• Inventors: OʼBrien, Sean A., Schein, Steven M., Leftwich, James Jay, Broughton, Susan
• Primary Examiner(s): Faile, Andrew
• Assistant Examiner(s): Tran, Hai V.
• Application Number:
  US09/416,161
• Time in Patent Office: 645 Days
• Field of Search: 348/6, 348/7, 348/10, 348/12, 348/13, 348/906, 345/327, 455/2, 455/3.1, 455/5.1, 707/3, 725/40, 725/51, 725/109, 725/110, 725/136
• US Class Current: 725/39
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2362 Generation or processing of Service Information [SI]
• 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 21/2625 for delaying content or additional data distribution, e.g. because of an extended sport event
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/26266 for determining content or additional data repetition rate, e.g. of a file in a DVB carousel according to its importance arrangements for broadcast or for distribution of identical information repeatedly in broadcast distribution systems H04H20/16
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4143 embedded in a Personal Computer [PC]
• 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 21/4227 Providing Remote input by a user located remotely from the client device, e.g. at work
• 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 21/4332 by placing content in organized collections, e.g. local EPG data repository interfaces, Database management systems or updating for information retrieval G06F16/23; details of retrieval of video data and associated meta data in video database G06F16/739
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4334 Recording operations recording of a television signal H04N5/76; arrangements for recording or accumulating broadcast information or broadcast-related information H04H60/27
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4345 Extraction or processing of SI, e.g. extracting service information from an MPEG stream
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44224 Monitoring of user activity on external systems, e.g. Internet browsing
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4435 Memory management allocation of memory to service a request G06F9/5016; addressing or allocating within memory systems or architectures G06F12/02
• 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 21/458 Scheduling content for creating a personalised stream, e.g. by combining a locally stored advertisement with an incoming stream; Updating operations, e.g. for OS modules ; time-related management operations arrangements for replacing or switching information during the broadcast or during the distribution H04H20/10
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4622 Retrieving content or additional data from different sources, e.g. from a broadcast channel and the Internet web site content organization and management for information retrieval from the Internet G06F16/958; transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82; stock exchange data over packet-switching network H04L12/1804; push services including data channel over packet-switching network H04L12/1859
• 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 21/47214 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 21/4753 for user identification, e.g. by entering a PIN or password cryptographic authentication protocols H04L9/32; networks authentication protocols H04L63/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4755 : for defining user preferences, e.g. favourite actors or genre retrieval personalisation and generation of user profiles for the retrieval of video data G06F16/739; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306
• 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 21/4782 : Web browsing , e.g. WebTV
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4786 : e-mailing message switching systems, e.g. electronic mail systems H04L51/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4821 : using a grid, e.g. sorted out by channel and broadcast time
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4828 : for searching program descriptors retrieval of video data G06F16/739
• 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
• 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 21/8586 : by using a URL processing chained hypermedia data for information retrieval G06F16/94; information retrieval from the Internet by using URLs G06F16/955; URL in broadcast information H04H20/93; Web-based protocols H04L67/02
• 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 5/775 : between a recording apparatus and a television receiver
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/782 : on tape
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/08 : Systems for the simultaneous or sequential transmission of more than one television signal, e.g. additional information signals, the signals occupying wholly or partially the same frequency band , e.g. by time division H04N7/007 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/0884 : for the transmission of additional display-information, e.g. menu for programme or channel selection
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/165 : Centralised control of user terminal subsequent to an upstream request signal H04N7/17345; Registering at central by two-way working H04N7/17309

Abstract

The present invention provides systems and methods for providing television schedule information to a viewer, and for allowing the viewer to link, search, select and interact with information in a remote database, e.g., a database on the internet. The television schedule information can be displayed on a variety of viewer interfaces, such as television screens, computer monitors, PCTV screens and the like. The television schedule information may be stored on the viewer'"'"'s computer, television, PCTV, or a remote server (e.g., a website), or the television schedule information may be downloaded from a remote database to the viewer'"'"'s computer, television or PCTV.

Claims

1. An interactive program guide having a display screen comprising:

a database for storing television schedule information including television program titles;

a display controller electrically coupled to the database for displaying some of the schedule information including television program titles on the screen;

an input device for selecting one of the displayed program titles;

a processor for searching the Internet and identifying data contextually related to the selected program;

a communication device for receiving the identified data contextually related to the selected program; and

a controller for displaying the received data contextually related to the selected program on the screen.

2. The program guide of claim 1 wherein the database resides on one or more remote file servers accessible through a communication link.

3. The program guide of claim 2 wherein the communication link is Internet.

4. The program guide of claim 1 further comprising:

means for monitoring and storing user'"'"'s selections of television programs;

means for heuristically learning a user'"'"'s preference according to the user'"'"'s selections of television programs; and

means for activating the program guide responsive to the stored user-preference.

5. The program guide of claim 4 wherein means for learning a user-preference comprises means for storing a user-preference responsive to a user input.

6. The program guide of claim 4 wherein the user-preference is a television program.

7. The program guide of claim 4 wherein the user-preference is a theme for a plurality of television programs.

8. The program guide of claim 6 wherein the activating means comprises means for reminding the user to view the preferred television program.

9. The program guide of claim 6 wherein the activating means comprises means for recording the preferred television program.

10. The program guide of claim 6 wherein the activating means comprises means for downloading a copy of the preferred television program to a digital storage medium.

11. The program guide of claim 7 wherein the activating means comprises means for searching the schedule information;

means for matching television programs having the same theme as the stored theme; and

means for recording the matched television programs.

12. The program guide of claim 7 wherein the activating means comprises means for searching the schedule information;

means for matching television programs having the same theme as the stored theme; and

means for downloading a copy of the matched television program to a digital storage medium.

13. The program guide of claim 4 wherein the activating means comprises of means for adapting the schedule information displayed on the screen according to the user-preference.

14. The program guide of claim 1, further comprising:

means for displaying preview programming for a future-scheduled television program;

means for identifying a plurality of on-line services, databases, websites, or other sources of information having data contextually related to the future-scheduled television program;

means for selecting an on-line service, database, website, or another source of information having data contextually related to the future-scheduled television programs from the identified plurality of on-line services, databases, websites, or other sources of information having data contextually related to the future-scheduled television program;

means responsive to the on-line service selecting means for establishing a link to the selected on-line service; and

means for displaying data from the linked on-line service on the screen.

15. The program guide of claim 1, further comprising means for storing and displaying advertisement data.

33. The program guide of claim 1 wherein the contextually related data is advertisement.

34. The program guide of claim 1 wherein the contextually related data is promotions.

35. The program guide of claim 1 wherein the contextually related data is one or more of selected television program actors, actresses, theme, other broadcast times, other broadcast sources, and associated available products.

16. A method for managing and displaying information in an interactive television system having a display screen comprising the steps of:

storing television schedule information including television program titles;

displaying some of the schedule information including television program titles on the screen;

selecting one of the displayed program titles;

searching the Internet and identifying data contextually related to the selected program;

receiving the identified data contextually related to the selected program; and

displaying the received data contextually related to the selected program on the screen.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein the storing step comprises storing television schedule information in a database residing on one or more remote file servers accessible through a communication link.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein the communication link is Internet.

19. The method of claim 16 further comprising the steps of:

monitoring and storing user'"'"'s selections of television programs;

heuristically learning a user'"'"'s preference according to the user'"'"'s selections of television programs; and

activating the program guide responsive to the stored user-preference.

20. The method of claim 19 wherein learning a user-preference comprises storing a user-preference responsive to a user input.

21. The method of claim 19 wherein the user-preference is a television program.

22. The method of claim 19 wherein the user-preference is a theme for a plurality of television programs.

23. The method of claim 21 wherein the activating step comprises reminding the user to view the preferred television program.

24. The method of claim 21 wherein the activating step comprises recording the preferred television program.

25. The method of claim 21 wherein the activating step comprises downloading a copy of the preferred television program to a digital storage medium.

26. The method of claim 22 wherein the activating step comprises searching the schedule information;

matching television programs having the same theme as the stored theme; and

recording the matched television programs.

27. The method of claim 22 wherein the activating step comprises searching the schedule information;

matching television programs having the same theme as the stored theme; and

downloading a copy of the matched television program to a digital storage medium.

28. The method of claim 16 wherein the contextually related data is advertisement data.

29. The method of claim 19 wherein the activating step comprises adapting the schedule information displayed on the screen according to the user-preference.

30. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

displaying preview programming for a future-scheduled television program;

identifying a plurality of on-line services, databases, websites, or other sources of information having data contextually related to the future-scheduled television program;

selecting an on-line service, database, website, or another source of information having data contextually related to the future-scheduled television programs from the identified plurality of on-line services, databases, websites, or other sources of information having data contextually related to the future-scheduled television program;

responsive to the on-line service selecting step, establishing a link to the selected on-line service; and

displaying data from the linked on-line service on the screen.

31. The method of claim 16, further comprising storing and displaying advertisement data.

32. The method of claim 16 wherein the contextually related data is one or more of selected television program actors, actresses, theme, other broadcast times, other broadcast sources, associated available products, and promotions.