Interactive television advertising method

• US 7,269,837 B1
• Filed: 05/31/2000
• Issued: 09/11/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 05/31/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Your Choice Interactive, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Your Choice Interactive, Inc.
• Inventors: Barrios, Jackie Skipper, Redling, Peter M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lonsberry; Hunter B.
• Application Number:
  US09/584,805
• Time in Patent Office: 2,659 Days
• Field of Search: 725/42, 725/43, 725/60, 725/51, 725/52
• US Class Current: 725/43
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/94 Hypermedia Hyperlinking G06F40/134
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/955 using information identifiers, e.g. uniform resource locators [URL]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0481 based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04817 using icons graphical or visual programming using iconic symbols G06F8/34
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0215 Including financial accounts
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0241 Advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0251 Targeted advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0257 User requested
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0261 based on user location
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0271 Personalized advertisement
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0273 Determination of fees for advertising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0274 Split fees
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/38 Arrangements for distribution where lower stations, e.g. receivers, interact with the broadcast
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/93 which locates resources of other pieces of information, e.g. URL [Uniform Resource Locator]
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/33 Arrangements for monitoring the users' behaviour or opinions
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/65 for using the result on users' side
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/66 for using the result on distributors' side
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00424 using a list of graphical elements, e.g. icons or icon bar
• 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 21/434 : Disassembling of a multiplex stream, e.g. demultiplexing audio and video streams, extraction of additional data from a video stream; Remultiplexing of multiplex streams; Extraction or processing of SI; Disassembling of packetised elementary stream demultiplexing of data packets for data networks, e.g. RTP/UDP H04L65/00
• 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 21/4622 : 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 21/4722 : for requesting additional data associated with the content
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/478 : Supplemental services, e.g. displaying phone caller identification, shopping application
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 : involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/858 : Linking data to content, e.g. by linking an URL to a video object, by creating a hotspot
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8583 : by creating hot-spots
• 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

Abstract

A method of providing advertising from a central database server connected to a global computer network to distributed sites via interactive television. A representative icon is presented to a subscriber on a television screen indicating an advertisement. When a the icon is selected, an advertisement information detail is retrieved from storage in a local memory, or from the central database server and presented to the subscriber on the television screen.

Claims

1. A method of providing advertising to a subscriber through a set stop communications box connected to a television, the set top communications box having a connection to a global computer network, the method comprising:

storing advertising icons and associated advertising information on a server connected to the global computer network;

wherein the advertising icons are each representative of a company or product;

transmitting the advertising icons and associated advertising information to the set top communications box via the global computer network;

displaying an advertising icon overlaying television programming on the television screen using the set top communications box and wherein the displayed advertising icon is not integrated with an electronic program guide;

wherein the advertising information associated with the displayed advertising icon is targeted based on information of the subscriber;

detecting an input signal indicating that the displayed advertising icon has been selected with an input device for the set top communications box;

retrieving the advertising information associated with the selected advertising icon with the set top communications box after detecting that the advertising icon was selected; and

displaying the advertising information on the television screen with the set top communications box.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein displaying the advertising information comprises reformatting a television program shown on the television screen and displaying the advertising information in a distinct frame on the television screen.

3. A method according to claim 2, wherein displaying the icon comprises superimposing a semi-transparent icon over the television program being displayed on the television screen.

4. A method according to claim 3, further comprising displaying a second icon on the television screen in place of a first icon if no input signal is detected for a fixed period of time.

5. A method according to claim 4, wherein the fixed period is between 1 minute and 5 minutes after the icon is first displayed.

6. A method according to claim 5, wherein transmitting the icons and associated advertising information comprises transmitting the icons to a memory in the set top communications box for display on the television screen and in response to said detecting the input signal indicating that the icon has been selected, transmitting a request for the associated advertising information with the set top communications box.

7. A method according to claim 1, further comprising displaying the associated advertising information in place of the television program being displayed.

8. A method according to claim 1, wherein transmitting the icons and associated advertising information comprises transmitting the icons to a memory in the set top communications box for display on the television screen and in response to said detecting the input signal indicating that the icon has been selected, transmitting a request for the associated advertising information with the set top communications box.

9. A method according to claim 1, further comprising displaying a second icon on the television screen in place of a first icon if no input signal is detected for a fixed period of time.

10. A method according to claim 9, wherein the fixed period is between 1 minute and 5 minutes after the icon is first displayed.

11. A method according to claim 1, wherein displaying the icon comprises superimposing a semi-transparent icon over the television program being displayed on the television screen.

23. The method of claim 1, wherein the information of the subscriber comprises location information of the subscriber.

12. A method of providing advertising information to a subscriber through a set-top box connected to a television, the method comprising:

downloading by a set-top box an advertising icon from an advertising server through the Internet;

wherein the advertising icon is representative of a company or product;

downloading by the set-top box an advertising information associated with the advertising icon from the advertising server through the Internet;

displaying by the set-top box a television program on a television screen;

displaying the downloaded advertising icon overlaying the television program on the television screen using the set top box and wherein the displayed advertising icon is not integrated with an electronic program guide;

wherein the advertising information associated with the displayed icon is targeted based on information of the subscriber;

receiving through an input device for the set-top box a user selection of the displayed icon; and

displaying by the set-top box the advertising information associated with the selected icon on the television screen.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein:

the icon has an associated link pointing to the associated advertising information; and

the step of downloading by the set-top box an advertising icon includes requesting a download of the associated advertising information from the advertising server using the associated link when the user has selected the displayed icon.

14. The method according to claim 12, wherein the step of downloading by the set-top box an advertising icon includes:

after the user selection is received, requesting a download of the associated advertising information from the advertising server; and

receiving the requested advertising information by the set-top box.

15. The method according to claim 12, wherein displaying the advertising information includes displaying the television program being displayed on the television screen in a first frame and displaying the advertising information in a second frame different from the first frame.

16. The method according to claim 12, further comprising displaying a different icon on the television screen when no user selection is received for a selected period of time.

22. The method of claim 12, wherein the information of the subscriber comprises location information of the subscriber.

17. A set-top box for displaying television programs and user-selected advertising information comprising:

a modem connected to the Internet and operable to communicate with an advertising server through the Internet;

a user input device operable to receive user input; and

a processor connected to the modem and the user input device, and operable to;

download through the modem an advertising icon and an advertising information associated with the advertising icon from the advertising server through the Internet, wherein the advertising icon is representative of a company or product;

display a television program on a television screen

display the advertising icon overlaying the television program on the television screen and wherein the displayed advertising icon is not integrated with an electronic program guide;

wherein the advertising information associated with the displayed icon is targeted based on information of the subscriber;

receive through the input device a user selection of the displayed advertising icon, and

display the advertising information associated with the selected advertising icon on the television screen.

18. The set-top box according to claim 17, wherein after the user selection is received from the input device, the processor requests a download of the associated advertising information from the advertising server and receives the requested advertising information for display on the television screen.

19. The set-top box according to claim 17, wherein the processor displays the television program on the television screen in a first frame and displays the advertising information in a second frame different from the first frame.

20. The set-top box according to claim 17, wherein the processor displays a different icon on the television screen when no user selection is received from the input device for a selected period of time.

21. The set-top box of claim 17, wherein the information of the subscriber comprises location information of the subscriber.