Interactive television program guide system with local advertisements

• US 6,799,326 B2
• Filed: 07/01/2002
• Issued: 09/28/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 07/07/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: United Video Properties Incorporated (Adeia Inc.)
• Original Assignee: United Video Properties Incorporated (Adeia Inc.)
• Inventors: Hassell, Joel G., Ellis, Michael D., Thomas, William L., Boylan, Peter C. III
• Primary Examiner(s): Srivastava, Vivek
• Assistant Examiner(s): Huynh, Son P.
• Application Number:
  US10/188,273
• Publication Number:
  US 20020166120A1
• Time in Patent Office: 820 Days
• Field of Search: 725/22, 725/28, 725/32, 725/35, 725/36, 725/42, 725/54, 725/82, 725/93, 725/116, 725/138, 725/146, 705/10
• US Class Current: 725/35
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2007/1739 the upstream communication being transmitted via a separate link, e.g. telephone line
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/222 Secondary servers, e.g. proxy server, cable television Head-end provisioning of proxy services in data packet switching networks H04L67/56
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/235 Processing of additional data, e.g. scrambling of additional data or processing content descriptors
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23617 by inserting additional data into a data carousel, e.g. inserting software modules into a DVB carousel arrangements for broadcast or for distribution of identical information repeatedly in broadcast distribution systems H04H20/16
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2668 Creating a channel for a dedicated end-user group, e.g. insertion of targeted commercials based on end-user profiles information retrieval from the Internet by querying with filtering and personalisation G06F16/9535; arrangements for replacing or switching information during the broadcast H04H20/10; push services over packet-switching network H04L12/1859; adaptation of message content in packet-switching networks H04L51/063
• 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 21/435 Processing of additional data, e.g. decrypting of additional data, reconstructing software from modules extracted from the transport stream
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4508 Management of client data or end-user data
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4542 Blocking scenes or portions of the received content, e.g. censoring scenes
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47 End-user applications
• 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 21/812 involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02
• 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 7/52 Systems for transmission of a pulse code modulated video signal with one or more other pulse code modulated signals, e.g. an audio signal or a synchronizing signal assembling of a multiplex stream by combining a video stream with other content or additional data, remultiplexing of multiplex streams, insertion of stuffing bits into the multiplex stream, assembling of a packetised elementary stream at server side H04N21/236; disassembling of a multiplex stream, remultiplexing of multiplex streams, extraction or processing of Service Information, disassembling of packetised elementary stream at client side H04N21/434

Abstract

A program guide system is provided in which local advertisements may be distributed to interactive television program guides implemented on the user television equipment associated with a television distribution facility such as a cable system headend. The local advertisements contain information that is directed toward the particular users in a local area. The local advertisements may be displayed when a user selects a related global advertisement. The local advertisements may also be displayed automatically by cycling global advertisements and local advertisements. Advertisements may be blocked based on content or time shifted. Policies regarding advertisement usage may be enforced.

Claims

1. A system in which a television distribution facility is used to distribute advertisements to user television equipment on which an interactive television program guide is implemented, comprising:

means for providing the advertisements with advertisement usage information, wherein the advertisement usage information indicates whether the television distribution facility can time-shift a particular advertisement; and

means for preventing the television distribution facility from time-shifting the particular advertisement when the advertisement usage information prohibits time-shifting the particular advertisement.

2. The system defined in claim 1 wherein the means for providing the advertisements with advertisement usage information comprises means for providing the advertisements with usage policy flags at a main facility.

3. The system defined in claim 1 further comprising means for distributing and displaying the advertisements in accordance with policy flags.

4. The system defined in claim 1 wherein the means for providing the advertisements with advertisement usage information comprises means for distributing an advertisement usage policy message to the television distribution facility.

5. The system defined in claim 1 further comprising means for distributing and displaying the advertisements in accordance with an advertisement usage policy message.

20. The system defined in claim 1, wherein the television distribution facility distributes the advertisements to the user television equipment for display in accordance with an advertisement usage policy message.

6. A method for using a system in which a television distribution facility is used to distribute advertisements to user television equipment on which an interactive television program guide is implemented, comprising the steps of:

providing the advertisements with advertisement usage information, wherein the advertisement usage information indicates whether the television distribution facility can time-shift a particular advertisement; and

preventing the television distribution facility from time-shifting the particular advertisement when the advertisement usage information prohibits time-shifting the particular advertisement.

7. The method defined in claim 6 wherein the step of providing the advertisements with advertisement usage information comprises the step of providing the advertisements with usage policy flags at a main facility.

8. The method defined in claim 6 further comprising the step of distributing and displaying the advertisements in accordance with policy flags.

9. The method defined in claim 6 wherein the step of providing the advertisements with advertisement usage information comprises the step of distributing an advertisement usage policy message to the television distribution facility.

10. The method defined in claim 6 wherein the step of enforcing the advertisement usage policy comprises the step of distributing and displaying the advertisements in accordance with an advertisement usage policy message.

11. A computer readable medium encoded with machine-readable instructions for use in a system in which a television distribution facility is used to distribute advertisements to user television equipment on which an interactive television program guide is implemented, the machine-readable instructions comprising:

providing the advertisements with advertisement usage information, wherein the advertisement usage information indicates whether the television distribution facility can time-shift a particular advertisement; and

preventing the television distribution facility from time-shifting the particular advertisement when the advertisement usage information prohibits time-shifting the particular advertisement.

12. The computer readable medium defined in claim 11, wherein the machine-readable instructions that provide the advertisements with advertisement usage information further comprises providing the advertisements with usage policy flags at a main facility.

13. The computer readable medium defined in claim 11, further comprising distributing and displaying the advertisements in accordance with policy flags.

14. The computer readable medium defined in claim 11, wherein the machine-readable instructions that provide the advertisements with advertisement usage information further comprises distributing an advertisement usage policy message to the television distribution facility.

15. The computer readable medium defined in claim 11, further comprising distributing and displaying the advertisements in accordance with an advertisement usage policy message.

16. A system in which a television distribution facility is used to distribute advertisements to user television equipment on which an interactive television program guide is implemented, comprising:

a main facility that provides the advertisements with advertisement usage information to the television distribution facility, wherein the advertisement usage information indicates whether the television distribution facility can time-shift a particular advertisement; and

wherein the television distribution facility is prevented from time-shifting the particular advertisement when the advertisement usage information prohibits time-shifting the particular advertisement.

17. The system defined in claim 16, wherein the main facility receives the advertisements with usage policy flags.

18. The system defined in claim 16, wherein the television distribution facility distributes the advertisements to the user television equipment for display in accordance with policy flags.

19. The system defined in claim 16, wherein the main facility distributes an advertisement usage policy message to the television distribution facility.