Electronic television program guide with remote product ordering

• US 6,357,043 B1
• Filed: 06/26/2000
• Issued: 03/12/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 09/09/1993
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Rovi Guides, Inc. (Adeia Inc.)
• Original Assignee: United Video Properties Incorporated (Adeia Inc.)
• Inventors: Davis, Bruce, Miller, Larry, Knudson, Edward Bruce, Ellis, Michael Dean
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, Michael
• Application Number:
  US09/604,326
• Time in Patent Office: 624 Days
• Field of Search: H04/N.550, H04/N.5445, 348/564, 348/569, 348/570, 348/906, 725/39, 725/40, 725/41, 725/58, 725/60, 725/61
• US Class Current: 725/61
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/12 involving interaction between a plurality of game devices, e.g. transmisison or distribution systems protocols for networked virtual reality, networked games H04L29/06034
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/30 Interconnection arrangements between game servers and game devices; Interconnection arrangements between game devices; Interconnection arrangements between game servers
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/409 Data transfer via television network
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4345 Extraction or processing of SI, e.g. extracting service information from an MPEG stream
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4524 involving the geographical location of the client retrieval from the Internet by querying based on geographical locations G06F16/9537; systems specially adapted for using geographical information in broadcast systems H04H60/70; protocols in which the network application is adapted for the location of the user terminal in communication control or processing H04L67/52; services making use of the location of users or terminals in wireless networks H04W4/02; locating users or terminals in wireless networks H04W64/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47 End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/472 End-user interface for requesting content, additional data or services; End-user interface for interacting with content, e.g. for content reservation or setting reminders, for requesting event notification, for manipulating displayed content end-user interfaces for retrieving video data from a database G06F16/739; network services for supporting unicast streaming H04L65/612
• 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 21/47214 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 21/482 End-user interface for program selection broadcast systems using EPGs H04H60/72
• 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 5/445 for displaying additional information H04N5/50 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/50 Tuning indicators; Automatic tuning control
• 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 7/0887 for the transmission of programme or channel identifying signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/163 by receiver means only
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 : Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17354 : in an intermediate station common to a plurality of user terminals

Abstract

An electronic program schedule system with product ordering capability which includes a data processor for receiving program schedule information for a plurality of programs, and a user control apparatus, such as a remote controller, for generating user control commands and transmitting signals to the data processor in response thereto. The television program schedule information is displayed on a display apparatus such as a television receiver. A video display generator receives video control commands from the data processor and program schedule information and displays a portion of the program schedule information on the receiver. The program schedule information indicates the availability of a product or service for certain of the programs included in the program information, wherein the product or service is associated with the program, such as a program transcript or videocassette. The viewer utilizes the remote control apparatus to generate a first command for displaying information on the receiver describing the product or service, and a second command for placing an order for the product or service. The data processor receives the user control commands and in response to the first command causes the video display generator to display information describing the product or service and in response to the second command generates an order for the product or service.

Claims

1. An electronic television program guide system with which a user may purchase television programming services, comprising user television equipment on which an interactive television program guide application is implemented, wherein the user television equipment is configured to:

provide the user with an opportunity to select a television programming service that is displayed on a screen generated by the interactive television program guide application;

determine whether the selected television programming service is part of a package of television programming services, wherein the package includes a plurality of different television programming services; and

present the user with an opportunity to purchase the package of which the selected television programming service is a part when it is determined that the selected television programming service is part of a package.

2. The electronic television program guide system defined in claim 1, wherein the interactive television program guide application provides the user with an option to purchase the selected television programming service individually.

3. The electronic television program guide system defined in claim 1, wherein the selected television programming service is a premium channel.

4. The electronic television program guide system defined in claim 1, wherein the selected television programming service is impulse purchasable.

5. The electronic television program guide system defined in claim 1, wherein the interactive television program guide application displays a submenu when the user attempts to view an unsubscribed television programming service, wherein the submenu displays a message that indicates that the user is not subscribed to the unsubscribed television programming service and requests user input to the interactive television program guide application that is indicative of whether the user intends to order the unsubscribed television programming service.

6. The electronic television program guide system defined in claim 5, wherein the interactive television program guide application presents an ordering display when the user input to the interactive television program guide application is indicative of a decision to purchase the unsubscribed television programming service.

7. The electronic television program guide system defined in claim 1, wherein the selected television programming service is a pay-per-view event.

8. The electronic television program guide system defined in claim 7, wherein the interactive television program guide application presents a pay-per-view ordering screen that displays a price associated with the pay-per-view event.

9. The electronic television program guide system defined in claim 8, wherein the pay-per-view ordering screen provides the user with an opportunity to choose from a plurality of scheduled airing times for the pay-per-view event.

10. The electronic television program guide system defined in claim 9, wherein the pay-per-view ordering screen provides the user with an opportunity to set a reminder message for the pay-per-view event.

11. A method for providing television programming services for purchase with an electronic television program guide system, comprising:

providing the user with an opportunity to select a television programming service that is displayed on a screen generated by an interactive television program guide application;

determining whether the selected television programming service is part of a package of television programming services, wherein the package includes a plurality of different television programming services; and

presenting the user with an opportunity to purchase the package of which the selected television programming service is a part when it is determined that the selected television programming service is part of a package.

12. The method defined in claim 11, further comprising providing the user with an option to purchase the selected television programming service individually.

13. The method defined in claim 11, wherein the providing of the user with an opportunity to select a television programming service comprises providing the user with an opportunity to select a premium channel.

14. The method defined in claim 11, further comprising providing the user with an opportunity to impulse purchase the selected television programming service.

15. The method defined in claim 11, further comprising displaying a submenu when the user attempts to view an unsubscribed television programming service, wherein the submenu displays a message that indicates that the user is not subscribed to the unsubscribed television programming service and requests user input to the interactive television program guide application that is indicative of whether the user intends to order the unsubscribed television programming service.

16. The method defined in claim 15, further comprising presenting an ordering display when the user input to the interactive television program guide application is indicative of a decision to purchase the unsubscribed television programming service.

17. The method defined in claim 11, wherein the providing of the user with an opportunity to select a television programming service comprises providing the user with an opportunity to select a pay-per-view event.

18. The method defined in claim 17, further comprising presenting a pay-per-view ordering screen that displays a price associated with the pay-per-view event.

19. The method defined in claim 18, further comprising providing the user with an opportunity to choose from a plurality of scheduled airing times for the pay-per-view event.

20. The method defined in claim 19, further comprising providing the user with an opportunity to set a reminder message for the pay-per-view event.

21. A computer-readable storage medium storing instructions that, when executed on equipment included in an electronic television program guide system that is configured to read and execute the instructions, cause the electronic television program guide system to perform a method of providing television programming services for purchase by a user, the method comprising:

providing the user with an opportunity to select a television programming service that is displayed on a screen generated by an interactive television program guide application;

determining whether the selected television programming service is part of a package of television programming services, wherein the package includes a plurality of different television programming services; and

presenting the user with an opportunity to purchase the package of which the selected television programming service is a part when it is determined that the selected television programming service is part of a package.

22. The computer-readable storage medium defined in claim 21, wherein the method further comprises:

providing the user with an option to purchase the selected television programming service individually.

23. The computer-readable storage medium defined in claim 21, wherein the providing of the user with an opportunity to select a television programming service comprises providing the user with an opportunity to select a premium channel.

24. The computer-readable storage medium defined in claim 21, wherein the method further comprises:

providing the user with an opportunity to impulse purchase the selected television programming service.

25. The computer-readable storage medium defined in claim 21, wherein the method further comprises:

displaying a submenu when the user attempts to view an unsubscribed television programming service, wherein the submenu displays a message that indicates that the user is not subscribed to the unsubscribed television programming service and requests user input to the interactive television program guide application that is indicative of whether the user intends to order the unsubscribed television programming service.

26. The computer-readable storage medium defined in claim 25, wherein the method further comprises:

presenting an ordering display when the user input to the interactive television program guide application is indicative of a decision to purchase the unsubscribed television programming service.

27. The computer-readable storage medium defined in claim 21, wherein the providing of the user with an opportunity to select a television programming service comprises providing the user with an opportunity to select a pay-per-view event.

28. The computer-readable storage medium defined in claim 27, wherein the method further comprises:

presenting a pay-per-view ordering screen that displays a price associated with the pay-per-view event.

29. The computer-readable storage medium defined in claim 28, wherein the method further comprises:

providing the user with an opportunity to choose from a plurality of scheduled airing times for the pay-per-view event.

30. The computer-readable storage medium defined in claim 29, wherein the method further comprises:

providing the user with an opportunity to set a reminder message for the pay-per-view event.