Advertisement and tracking in a television apparatus

• US 7,493,640 B1
• Filed: 04/28/2000
• Issued: 02/17/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 04/30/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: InterDigital Madison Patent Holdings (InterDigital, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Thomson Licensing (Vantiva SA)
• Inventors: Morrison, Hugh Boyd, Hamilton, Thomas Herman, Rhoads, Steven Charles, Willcox, Michael Eugene, Teskey, John Frederick, Logan, Robert Joseph, Allen, Jill Suzanne, Derrenberger, Mike Arthur
• Primary Examiner(s): Bugg; Goerge A
• Assistant Examiner(s): Lu; Shirley
• Application Number:
  US09/959,140
• Time in Patent Office: 3,217 Days
• Field of Search: 725 39- 40, 725/42
• US Class Current: 725/42
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42684 Client identification by a unique number or address, e.g. serial number, MAC address, socket ID network arrangements, protocols or services for addressing or naming H04L61/00
• 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 21/458 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 21/478 Supplemental services, e.g. displaying phone caller identification, shopping application
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4821 using a grid, e.g. sorted out by channel and broadcast time
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/163 by receiver means only

Abstract

A system and a method is disclosed which allows both advertisement and program information to be shown on a channel banner, while user changes channel. In another embodiment, an “advertisement channel” is inserted into an active channel list (e.g., scan list), so that when a user is changing channel, a selected ad will be displayed. In yet another embodiment, a method for tracking and collating advertisement display activity in a video system supporting composite display of image data associated with different multimedia functions and advertisements is disclosed.

Claims

1. A method for presenting advertisement in a video apparatus having an electronic program guide, comprising the steps of:

a. determining whether a channel change command has been issued;

b. determining a new channel from a list of channels in response to the channel change command having been issued;

c. determining an associated advertisement to be displayed with a new channel;

d. generating for display a signal comprising a video program received from the new channel, program information from the electronic program guide corresponding to the new channel, and the advertisement associated with the new channel, wherein the method further comprising the steps of;

e. automatically highlighting the advertisement being displayed so that the user may select the advertisement;

f. sending back data to a server indicating whether an advertisement has been selected; and

g. sending back additional data to said server indicating a source of said advertisement wherein said video apparatus receives advertisements to be displayed in said electronic program guide from a plurality of different sources.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of displaying the step of displaying detailed information about the advertisement when the user selects the advertisement.

3. The method of claim 1 where the step of determining an associated advertisement further comprising the step of determining a current time.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said plurality of different sources are different signal sources if said advertisement is capable of being received from at least two different signal sources.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein said data transmitted back to said server is used to determine a fee that is to be paid by an advertiser corresponding to a selected advertisement.