System and method for utilizing EPG database for modifying advertisements

• US 7,941,818 B2
• Filed: 08/01/2007
• Issued: 05/10/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 06/28/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Index Systems Incorporated (Adeia Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Index Systems Incorporated (Adeia Inc.)
• Inventors: Nesson, Ted, Ward, Thomas E. III
• Primary Examiner(s): VU, NGOC K
• Application Number:
  US11/888,896
• Publication Number:
  US 20080077958A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,378 Days
• Field of Search: 725/39, 725 41- 43, 725/51, 725/134, 725139-140, 725151-152, 725/142, 348/563, 348/589, 348/600
• US Class Current: 725/42
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23614 Multiplexing of additional data and video streams arrangements for simultaneous broadcast of plural pieces of information H04H20/28
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/252 Processing of multiple end-users' preferences to derive collaborative data
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/26283 for associating distribution time parameters to content, e.g. to generate electronic program guide data
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42204 User interfaces specially adapted for controlling a client device through a remote control device; Remote control devices therefor constructive details of casings for the remote control device H01H9/0235; user interfaces for controlling a tuning device of a television receiver through a remote control H03J9/00; remote control of peripheral devices connected to a television receiver through the remote control device of the television receiver H04B1/205
• 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 21/44016 involving splicing one content stream with another content stream, e.g. for substituting a video clip
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44222 Analytics of user selections, e.g. selection of programs or purchase activity monitoring of user selections in data processing systems G06F11/34; arrangements for monitoring the user's behaviour or opinions in broadcast systems H04H60/33
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4524 involving the geographical location of the client retrieval from the Internet by querying based on geographical locations G06F16/9537; systems specially adapted for using geographical information in broadcast systems H04H60/70; protocols in which the network application is adapted for the location of the user terminal in communication control or processing H04L67/52; services making use of the location of users or terminals in wireless networks H04W4/02; locating users or terminals in wireless networks H04W64/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47 End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47214 for content reservation or setting reminders; for requesting event notification, e.g. of sport results or stock market stock exchange data over packet-switching network H04L12/1804; push services over packet-switching network H04L12/1859; notification of incoming messages in packet switching networks H04L51/224
• 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 21/4782 Web browsing , e.g. WebTV
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/482 End-user interface for program selection broadcast systems using EPGs H04H60/72
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4825 using a list of items to be played back in a given order, e.g. playlists
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/45 Picture in picture , e.g. displaying simultaneously another television channel in a region of the screen
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/165 Centralised control of user terminal subsequent to an upstream request signal H04N7/17345; Registering at central by two-way working H04N7/17309

Abstract

A system and method for utilizing data stored in an EPG database for modifying advertisement information. In this way, a service provider and/or an advertiser can transmit a single advertisement to all the television stations regardless of their geographic location and other user specific information, and need not re-transmit the advertisement even if there is a change in the show'"'"'s program description. When the advertisement is displayed, the correct updated information is retrieved from the EPG database and inserted into the advertisement.

In one aspect, the present invention describes a method for modifying an advertisement in an EPG comprising the steps of: storing television schedule information in a first database; storing advertisement information in a second database; incorporating a portion of the television schedule information into a portion of the advertisement information to form a modified advertisement; and displaying the modified advertisement on a screen.

Claims

1. A method of displaying a modified advertisement for a program, comprising:

storing schedule information corresponding to the program in a schedule information database on a user device;

selecting an advertisement corresponding to the program from an advertisement database located on the user device, wherein the advertisement includes at least one placeholder;

inserting, local to the user device, the schedule information corresponding to the program from the schedule information database into the at least one placeholder to form a modified advertisement; and

displaying the modified advertisement on the user device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the schedule information comprises at least one of time, date, channel, price, point of sales, title, and program description information for the program.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the selected advertisement is selected based on at least one of viewer profile information, monitored user interests, other displayed content, a theme of the other displayed content, a recently tuned program, and a highlighted program listing in an electronic program guide.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a plurality of advertisements in a television telecast signal at the user device; and

storing the plurality of advertisements in the advertisement database, wherein the selected advertisement is one of the plurality of advertisements.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

forming a link between the selected advertisement in the advertisement database and the schedule information for the program in the schedule information database; and

providing a user of the user device with the ability to select the program for viewing based on the link.

6. A method of displaying a modified advertisement for a program, wherein the modified advertisement includes at least one schedule information item corresponding to the program, the method comprising:

selecting an advertisement corresponding to the program from an advertisement database located on a user device, wherein the selected advertisement includes advertisement information and a placeholder for the at least one schedule information item;

selecting the value of the at least one schedule information item from a schedule information database located on the user device;

local to the user device, modifying the selected advertisement to replace the placeholder with the value selected from the schedule information database; and

displaying the modified advertisement on the user device.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the at least one schedule information item comprises at least one of time, date, channel, price, point of sales, title, and program description information for the program.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the selected advertisement includes schedule information for the program other than the at least one schedule information item, the method further comprising searching for the at least one schedule information item in the schedule information database using the other schedule information.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the other schedule information includes one or more of a title of the program, a time range in which the program will be broadcast, and a network station indicator.

10. User equipment, comprising:

a schedule information database for storing schedule information for a plurality of programs;

an advertisement database for storing a plurality of advertisements; and

a display screen for displaying at least one advertisement for a program to a user, wherein the at least one advertisement is selected from the advertisement database, the at least one advertisement including at least one placeholder, and wherein the at least one advertisement is modified prior to display by inserting, local to the user equipment, schedule information for the program retrieved from the schedule information database into the at least one placeholder.

11. The user equipment of claim 10, wherein the schedule information comprises at least one of time, date, channel, price, point of sales, title, and program description information for the program.

12. The user equipment of claim 10, wherein the at least one advertisement is selected based on at least one of viewer profile information, monitored user interests, other displayed content, a theme of the other displayed content, a recently tuned program, and a highlighted program listing in an electronic program guide.

13. The user equipment of claim 10, wherein the plurality of advertisements are received from a television telecast signal.

14. The user equipment of claim 10, wherein the at least one advertisement in the advertisement database is linked to the schedule information in the schedule information database, and wherein the user equipment further comprises a user input device for providing a user with the ability to select the program for viewing based on the link.

15. User equipment, comprising:

an advertisement database for storing a plurality of advertisements, wherein at least one advertisement in the advertisement database is for a program and includes a placeholder for at least one schedule information item for the program;

a schedule information database for storing a plurality of schedule information, wherein the schedule information comprises the at least one schedule information item for the program;

a display screen for displaying the at least one advertisement for the program, wherein the at least one advertisement is modified local to the user equipment prior to display to include the value of the at least one schedule information item retrieved from the schedule information database, and wherein the value of the at least one schedule information item is inserted into the placeholder.

16. The user equipment of claim 15, wherein the at least one schedule information item comprises at least one of time, date, channel, price, point of sales, title, and program description information for the program.

17. The user equipment of claim 15, wherein the at least one advertisement stored in the advertisement database includes schedule information for the program other than the at least one schedule information item, and wherein the other schedule information is used to locate the at least one schedule information item in the schedule information database.

18. The user equipment of claim 17, wherein the other schedule information includes one or more of a title of the program, a time range in which the program will be broadcast, and a network station indicator.