System and method for displaying advertising in an interactive program guide

• US 7,634,789 B2
• Filed: 08/14/2001
• Issued: 12/15/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 08/14/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Cumnor Technologies, LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Corporate Media Partners
• Inventors: Gerba, George, Nichols, Michael R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Saltarelli; Dominic D
• Application Number:
  US09/929,506
• Publication Number:
  US 20020138834A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,045 Days
• Field of Search: 725/42, 725/44, 725/47, 725/32, 715/726, 715/715, 715/513, 345/684
• US Class Current: 725/44
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4314 for fitting data in a restricted space on the screen, e.g. EPG data in a rectangular grid
• 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 21/47 End-user applications
• 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

Abstract

An interactive program guide containing schedule data for multiple channels and advertising data is provided to viewers on a screen. The advertising may be related to the programs adjacent thereto in the guide and to time slots displayed on the screen. The advertising srolls in various directions in response to the viewer'"'"'s scrolling of the grid, but at a different pace and according to a different scheme than the scrolling of the schedule data itself. For example, the advertising may remain on the screen in a predetermined location while the viewer scrolls the schedule data, and then scroll off the screen to be replaced by new ads after a predetermined number of channels scroll off the screen, or on the basis of time slots and/or adjacent channels displayed on the screen. This provides for greater viewer attention to the advertising and for greater control by advertisers over the manner and length in which advertising is presented to viewers.

Claims

1. A method for displaying advertising in an electronic program guide on a display device, the electronic program guide comprising at least a list of program cells each containing a program choice available for viewing, the method comprising:

scrolling the list of program cells on the display device in a first direction in accordance with a first scrolling scheme;

displaying an advertisement cell within the list of program cells; and

moving the advertisement cell in the first direction in accordance with a second scheme different than the first scrolling scheme as the list of program cells scrolls in the first direction, wherein moving the advertisement cell in accordance with the second scheme comprises scrolling the advertisement cell in concurrence with the scrolling of the program cell list during a first time portion, keeping the advertisement cell stationary during a second time portion in which the program cell list scrolls, the second time portion based upon a first number of program cells which will move past the advertisement cell while the advertisement cell is kept stationary, and scrolling the advertisement cell in concurrence with the scrolling of the program cell list upon expiration of the second time portion.

2. The method of claim 1, comprising controlling the second scheme from a location remote from the display device.

3. The method of claim 1, comprising receiving the first number of program cells from a location remote from the display device.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the first direction comprises a vertical scrolling direction on the display device.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the program cell list contains a top cell and a bottom cell displayed on the display device, wherein keeping the advertisement cell stationary comprises keeping the advertisement cell stationary when the advertisement cell reaches the top or bottom cell of the program cell list.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein keeping the advertisement cell stationary comprises keeping the advertisement cell stationary during scrolling of a set number of program cells in the program cell list.

7. The method of claim 1, comprising inserting an advertisement into the advertisement cell which advertisement is related to one or more program cells displayed in the program guide on the display screen.

8. The method of claim 7, comprising replacing the inserted advertisement in the advertisement cell with another advertisement when the program choices displayed in the program guide change due to scrolling of the list of program cells.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the electronic program guide comprises program choices available for viewing at scheduled times, and wherein the list of program cells are arranged according to the scheduled times of the program choices.

10. The method of claim 9, comprising inserting an advertisement into the advertisement cell which advertisement is related to a program choice available for viewing at a time close in time to the scheduled times of the program choices displayed on the display screen.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein inserting the advertisement comprises inserting the advertisement related to a program choice available for viewing at a time which is past the scheduled times of the program choices displayed on the display screen.

12. The method of claim 1, comprising:

receiving a scrolling scheme parameter from a central station, the scrolling scheme parameter defining the first number of program cells,

wherein the second time portion is based upon the scrolling scheme parameter and the first number of program cells that will move past the advertisement cell while the advertisement cell is kept stationary.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the remote location includes a head end of a cable system.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the scrolling scheme parameter further defines a position of the advertisement prior to the moving of the advertisement cell in the first direction.

15. An apparatus to present an interactive program guide displayable on a display device, comprising:

a processor and memory;

a plurality of program cells deployed in the memory, executable by the processor, and arranged in at least one row or column on a display device, the program cells being movable on a display device in response to user input; and

an advertisement cell contained within the program cell column or row, the advertisement cell being configured to move on the display device in response to user input;

wherein during a first time the program cells and advertisement cell move in concurrent fashion and during a second time the advertisement cell remains stationary on the display device during movement of the program cells, wherein the first time and the second time occurs during a single scrolling movement of program cells in one direction, the second time is based upon a first number of program cells which will move past the advertisement cell while the advertisement cell is kept stationary and moving the advertisement cell in concurrent fashion with the program cells upon expiration of the second time.

16. An apparatus to present an interactive program guide displayable on a display device comprising:

a processor and memory;

a list of program choices deployed in the memory, executable by the processor, and arranged in at least one row or column on a display device, the listing being navigated by a user through scrolling in accordance with a first scrolling scheme; and

an advertisement cell contained within the program listing column or row, the advertisement cell being configured to move on the display device in accordance with a second scrolling scheme different than the first scrolling scheme while the listing is scrolling in accordance with the first scrolling scheme, wherein moving the advertisement cell in accordance with the second scrolling scheme comprises scrolling the advertisement cell in concurrence with the scrolling of the program cell list during a first time portion, keeping the advertisement cell stationary during a second time portion in which the program cell list scrolls, the second time portion is determined based upon a first number of program cells which will move past the advertisement cell while the advertisement cell is kept stationary, and scrolling the advertisement cell in concurrence with the scrolling of the program cell list upon the expiration of the second time portion.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, comprising a list of service identifiers displayed in association with the program choices in the program choice listings and an advertisement identifier contained in the list of service identifiers and displayed in association with the advertisement cell.