Reminder system for broadcast and non-broadcast events based on broadcast interactive applications

• US 6,725,461 B1
• Filed: 04/30/1998
• Issued: 04/20/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 04/30/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: OpenTV, Inc. (Kudelski SA)
• Original Assignee: Wink Communications Incorporated (Kudelski SA)
• Inventors: Dougherty, Brian P., Thygesen, Allan C., Capuano, Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): Kelley, Chris
• Assistant Examiner(s): WONG, ALLEN C
• Application Number:
  US09/071,373
• Time in Patent Office: 2,182 Days
• Field of Search: 345/327, 348/906, 348/563, 348/564, 348/473, 348/7, 725/58, 725/39-57
• US Class Current: 725/40
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/088 the inserted signal being digital
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/163 by receiver means only

Abstract

A system and method provide a generalized reminder system in an interactive broadcast environment, that enables a viewer to quickly establish reminders for both broadcast events and non-broadcast events, and have such reminders displayed at an appropriate future time. The system includes a broadcast that broadcasts programs, such as television programs and commercial advertisements, and interactive applications associated with various such programs. The interactive applications include reminder interactive applications which have reminder data which describe a future time for displaying a reminder and a description of the event for which the reminder is desired. The broadcast programs and reminder interactive applications are received in broadcast receiver which displays the programs. A viewer viewing a program signals the broadcast receiver to establish a reminder for an event related to the program. The broadcast receiver stores the reminder data from the reminder interactive application, and initiates a timer that expires at the desired future time. When the timer expires, the broadcast receiver displays the event description for the reminder. Reminders may be established and displayed for both broadcast events and non-broadcasts events, as the description of the event is contained in the reminder data.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method of operating a broadcast receiver for establishing reminders for events related to broadcast programs, the broadcast receiver including a local memory, the method comprising:

receiving at the broadcast receiver broadcast data including at least one broadcast program and separate reminder data associated with the broadcast program;

displaying the broadcast program on a display device coupled to the broadcast receiver;

during the display of the broadcast program, and without requiring a previous display of a program listing, receiving a user input to establish a reminder for an event related to the broadcast program;

storing in the local memory of the broadcast receiver the reminder data for the event, including data for determining a future time to display the reminder, and a description of the event, the reminder data stored in the local memory until the future time;

determining in the broadcast receiver from the locally stored reminder data whether to display the reminder at the future time; and

responsive to the future time, displaying on the display device the reminder including the description of the event.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a broadcast program on a first channel indicating a broadcast event occurring at a future time on a second channel;

receiving, while tuning to the first channel, a user input to establish a reminder for the broadcast event occurring at the future time on the second channel; and

storing the reminder for the broadcast event in the memory of the broadcast receiver.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein determining in the broadcast receiver from the locally stored reminder data whether to display the reminder at the future time comprises:

executing in the broadcast receiver a timer that expires at the future time.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

tuning to first channel, and displaying a first broadcast program on the first channel;

displaying a reminder for a second broadcast program occurring on a second channel different from the first channel; and

tuning to the second channel, and displaying the second broadcast program.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

storing data indicative of a purchase of the second broadcast program.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

periodically displaying a subsequent reminder of the broadcast program.

7. A computer implemented method of operating a broadcast receiver for establishing reminders for events related to broadcast programs, the broadcast receiver including a local memory, the method comprising:

receiving at the broadcast receiver broadcast data including at least one broadcast program and a reminder interactive application associated with the broadcast program;

displaying the broadcast program on a display device coupled to the broadcast receiver;

concurrently with displaying the broadcast program, and without requiring a previous display of a program listing receiving a user input activating the reminder interactive application to establish a reminder for a future broadcast of the broadcast program;

storing in the local memory of the broadcast receiver reminder data for the future broadcast, including data for determining a future time to display the reminder and a description of the future broadcast, the reminder data stored in the local memory until the future time;

determining in the broadcast receiver whether the future time for displaying the reminder has occurred; and

responsive to the future time occurring, retrieving the reminder data from the local memory and displaying the reminder on the display device using the description of the future broadcast included in the retrieved reminder data.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

storing a reminder form in the local memory; and

displaying the reminder including the description of the event further comprises;

combining the reminder form and the description of the event to create the reminder.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein determining in the broadcast receiver whether the future time for displaying the reminder has occurred comprises:

maintaining in the broadcast receiver a timer that expires at the future time.

10. The broadcast receiver of claim 9, wherein:

the broadcast data includes an executable reminder interactive application that contains the reminder data;

the processor executes the reminder interactive application to receive the user input requesting establishment of the reminder for the event, stores the reminder data contained in the reminder interactive application in the memory, and executes a timer to expire at the future time.

11. A broadcast receiver for establishing and communicating reminders of events related to broadcast programs, the broadcast receiver comprising:

a tuner for receiving broadcast data including at least one broadcast program and reminder data for an event associated with the broadcast program, the reminder data including data for determining a future time to display a reminder of the event, and a description of the event;

a memory coupled to the tuner to receive and store the reminder data until at least the future time in response to a user input requesting establishment of the reminder for the event, the user input received during the display of the broadcast program and without requiring a previous display of a program listing; and

a processor coupled to the memory to receive the reminder data and programmed to determine from the reminder data stored in the memory whether to display the reminder the future time, and responsive to determination, to generate the reminder from the reminder data, the reminder including the event description, the processor outputting the reminder for display on a display device locally coupled to the broadcast receiver.

12. The broadcast receiver of claim 11, wherein:

the broadcast data includes an executable reminder interactive application that contains the reminder data;

the processor executes the reminder interactive application to receive the user input requesting establishment of the reminder for the event, stores the reminder data contained in the reminder interactive application in the memory, and executes a timer to expire at the future time.

13. A computer implemented method of operating a broadcast receiver for establishing reminders for non-broadcast events related to broadcast programs, the broadcast receiver including a local memory, the method comprising;

receiving at the broadcast receiver an advertisement of a non-broadcast event, the non-broadcast event occurring independently of the broadcast program;

displaying the advertisement on a display device coupled to the broadcast receiver;

during the display of the advertisement and without requiring a previous display of a program listing, receiving a user input to establish a reminder for the non-broadcast event;

storing in the local memory of the broadcast receiver reminder data for the non-broadcast event, including data for determining a future time to display the reminder, and a description of the non-broadcast event, the reminder data stored in the local memory until the future time;

determining in the broadcast receiver from the locally stored reminder data whether the future time has occurred; and

responsive to the future time occurring, displaying on the display device the reminder including the description of the non-broadcast event.

14. A computer implemented method of operating a broadcast receiver for establishing reminders for broadcast programs, the broadcast receiver including a local memory, the method comprising:

receiving at the broadcast receiver a broadcast program;

displaying the broadcast program on a display device coupled to the broadcast receiver;

during the display of the broadcast program and without requiring a previous display of a program listing, receiving a user input to establish a reminder for a future broadcast of the broadcast program;

storing in the local memory of the broadcast receiver reminder data for the future broadcast, including data for determining a future time to display the reminder, and a description of the future broadcast, the reminder data stored in the local memory until the future time;

determining in the broadcast receiver whether the future time has occurred; and

responsive to the future time occurring, displaying on the display device the reminder including the description of the future broadcast.

15. A computer implemented method of operating a broadcast receiver for establishing reminders for broadcast programs, the broadcast receiver including a local memory, the method comprising:

receiving a commercial on a first channel for a future broadcast of a broadcast program occurring at a future time on a second channel;

displaying the commercial on a display device coupled to the broadcast receiver;

receiving during the display of the commercial and without requiring a previous display of a program listing, a user input to establish a reminder for the future broadcast of the broadcast program;

storing in the local memory of the broadcast receiver reminder data for the future broadcast of the broadcast program, including data for determining a future time to display the reminder, a name of the broadcast program, and the second channel, the reminder data stored in the local memory until the future time;

determining in the broadcast receiver whether the future time has occurred; and

responsive to the future time occurring, displaying on the display device the reminder including the name of the broadcast program, and the second channel on which the broadcast program will be broadcast.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein receiving a user input to establish a reminder further comprises:

receiving a user confirmation of the reminder via a form displayed on the display device.

17. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

responsive to a user confirmation of the reminder, tuning the broadcast receiver to the second channel.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

storing billing information for billing the user for receiving the broadcast program on the second channel.

19. A computer implemented method of operating a broadcast receiver for establishing reminders for a future broadcast of a broadcast program, the broadcast receiver including a local memory, the method comprising:

while displaying the broadcast program on a display device coupled to the broadcast receiver, and without requiring a previous display of a program listing on the display device, receiving a user input to establish a reminder for the future broadcast of the broadcast program;

responsive to the user input, storing in the local memory of the broadcast receiver reminder data, including data for determining a future time to display the reminder, and a description of the broadcast program; and

responsive to the future time occurring, displaying on the display device the reminder including the description of the broadcast program.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein receiving a user input to establish a reminder further comprises:

receiving a user confirmation of the reminder via a form displayed on the display device.

21. The method of claim 20, further comprising:

responsive to a user confirmation of the reminder, tuning the broadcast receiver to a second channel to view the future broadcast.

22. The method of claim 21, further comprising:

storing billing information for billing the user for receiving the broadcast program on the second channel.

23. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

periodically displaying a subsequent reminder of the future broadcast of the broadcast program.

24. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

determining in the broadcast receiver from the locally stored reminder data whether the future time for displaying the reminder has occurred.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein determining in the broadcast receiver from the locally stored reminder data whether the future time for displaying the reminder has occurred further comprises:

executing in the broadcast receiver a timer that expires at the future time.

26. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

storing a reminder form in the local memory; and

displaying on the display device the reminder including the description of the broadcast program, further comprises;

combining the reminder form and the description of the event to create the reminder.