Method and system for positioning row advertising in a program guide

• US 8,209,718 B2
• Filed: 07/26/2007
• Issued: 06/26/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 07/26/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DIRECTV, LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: The DIRECTV Group, Inc. (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Sharkey, Jeffrey L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hirl, Joseph P
• Assistant Examiner(s): NGUYEN, AN V
• Application Number:
  US11/828,500
• Publication Number:
  US 20090031338A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,797 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 725/42
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/28 Arrangements for simultaneous broadcast of plural pieces of information
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/72 using electronic programme guides [EPG] focusing on identifying broadcast space time H04H60/39 ; menu type display of EPG in television receivers H04N21/47
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/73 using meta-information
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/75 Indicating network or usage conditions on the user display
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/27 Server based end-user applications
• 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 21/435 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 21/478 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 21/8153 comprising still images, e.g. texture, background image
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/44504 Circuit details of the additional information generator, e.g. details of the character or graphics signal generator, overlay mixing circuits

Abstract

A method of arranging row ads system within a program guide includes communicating row ad metadata to a user device and communicating program guide information to a user device. The program guide information defines a plurality of rows, wherein at least a first row is associated with a first channel. The method includes associating positioning information with the row ad relative to the first row, populating a second row from the plurality of rows in response to the metadata and displaying the row ad and displaying the first row associated with the first channel within a program guide structure on a display associated with the user device in response to the positioning information.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

communicating row ad metadata comprising row ad graphics or text to a user device;

communicating program guide information to the user device, said program guide information defining a plurality of rows, wherein at least a first row is associated with a first channel wherein the first channel is an anchor channel, and wherein a second row is associated with a row ad, the second row is offset a predetermined number of rows above or below the first channel;

associating positioning information with the row ad so that the row ad maintains a fixed position relative to the first row;

populating remaining rows from the plurality of rows in response to the program guide information;

displaying the first row associated with the anchor channel in a group of rows associated with a first brand and the second row without extending into a second brand row associated with a second brand; and

in response to the positioning information, positioning the row ad and the first row associated with the first channel within a program guide structure on a display associated with the user device so that the row ad moves with the first row across the display and out of the display without moving into a second brand row.

2. A method as recited in claim 1 wherein the positioning information comprises information for positioning the row ad adjacent to the first row and wherein displaying comprises displaying the row ad adjacent to the first row.

3. A method as recited in claim 2 wherein the row ad and the first row are displayed together when the first row is in view.

4. A method as recited in claim 1 further comprising selecting a numerical channel using a user interface, moving the second row to a top position within the program guide and moving the first row below the second row in response to selecting.

5. A method as recited in claim 4 wherein the numerical channel comprises the first channel.