System and method for providing access to interactive features of electronic program guides from within promotional programming

• US 8,296,800 B2
• Filed: 12/17/2001
• Issued: 10/23/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/17/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cox Communications Incorporated (Cox Enterprises Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Cox Communications Incorporated (Cox Enterprises Incorporated)
• Inventors: Palazzo, Francis D., Plotnick, Bruce, Boyarski, Joel I.
• Primary Examiner(s): SALCE, JASON P
• Application Number:
  US10/022,649
• Publication Number:
  US 20030115601A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,963 Days
• Field of Search: 725/32, 725/36, 725/40, 725 42- 46, 725/51, 725/112, 725/136
• US Class Current: 725/42
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2747 Remote storage of video programs received via the downstream path, e.g. from the server
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4334 Recording operations recording of a television signal H04N5/76; arrangements for recording or accumulating broadcast information or broadcast-related information H04H60/27
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4383 Accessing a communication channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47 End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47211 for requesting pay-per-view content payment schemes payment architectures or payment protocols G06Q20/00, G07F
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/478 Supplemental services, e.g. displaying phone caller identification, shopping application
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6543 for forcing some client operations, e.g. recording remote booting in general G06F9/4416
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8543 using a description language, e.g. Multimedia and Hypermedia information coding Expert Group [MHEG], eXtensible Markup Language [XML] information retrieval of semistructured data, the underlying structure being taken into account, e.g. mark-up language structure data G06F16/80
• 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

Abstract

The system and method of the present invention provides access to interactive features of an electronic program guide by a user from within a broadcast advertisement. The method of the present invention comprises receiving the broadcast advertisement comprising audio, video and promotional metadata over a broadcast distribution network. The received promotional metadata is analyzed to determine one or more valid electronic program guide features and present options on a display device corresponding to the one or more valid electronic program guide features. The user selects a presented option for execution.

Claims

1. A method for providing access to interactive features of electronic program guides (EPGs) from within promotional programming, comprising:

receiving, from a headend, a transport stream comprising program listings in an electronic program guide merged with audio and video data for promotional programming for display in a video window at a subscriber, the electronic program guide including promotional metadata associated with the promotional programming, wherein the promotional metadata includes an electronic program guide action tag for each piece of promotional programming, wherein the electronic program guide action tag corresponds to a plurality of supplemental electronic program guide functions;

storing the program listing including the promotional metadata along with the promotional programming at the subscriber;

presenting the promotional programming in a display window;

parsing the stored promotional metadata associated with the promotional programming being presented in the display window;

determining, from the parsing of the promotional metadata associated with the promotional programming, the supplemental electronic program guide functions available for use with the promotional programming being presented in the display window;

presenting the supplemental electronic program guide functions determined to be available for use with the promotional programming being presented in the display window;

selecting, for execution, a supplemental function from the presented supplemental electronic program guide functions available for use with the promotional programming being presented in the display window; and

executing the supplemental function selected from the presented supplemental electronic program guide functions available for use with the promotional programming being presented in the display window.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the promotional metadata includes a plurality of data items, the data items including a promotion type, the promotion type including at least one of:

a purchasable event or an interactive advertisement.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the supplemental electronic program guide function includes a command option, displayed during presentation of the promotional programming, for storing the promotional programming on a user-defined storage device for future viewing.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the supplemental electronic program guide function includes a command option for purchasing promoted content and an interface for collecting payment information, for the promoted content.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the transport stream further comprises a plurality of promotional programming.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the supplemental electronic program guide function includes a graphical control presenting the option of accessing a web site associated with the promotional programming.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the executing the supplemental function selected from the presented supplemental electronic program guide functions available for use with the promotional programming being presented in the display window comprises displaying a web page in a picture-in-picture (PIP).

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the promotional metadata includes a show date, a show time, and a tune action.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the executing the supplemental function selected from the presented supplemental electronic program guide functions available for use with the promotional programming being presented in the display window further comprises:

setting a reminder, when the promotional programming is for an event that is not presently playing; and

tuning to the promotional programming when the promotional programming is for an event that is presently playing.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the executing the supplemental function selected from the presented supplemental electronic program guide functions available for use with the promotional programming being presented in the display window further comprises setting a recording device when the promotional programming is for an event that is not presently playing.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the supplemental function selected from the presented supplemental electronic program guide functions available for use with the promotional programming being presented in the display window further comprises a tune action, a reminder action, a web action, a pay-per-view purchase, a store action, and a record action.

12. A set top terminal for providing access to interactive features of electronic program guides (EPGs) from within promotional programming, comprising:

a network interface to receive, from a headend, a transport stream comprising program listings in an electronic program guide merged with audio and video data for promotional programming for display in a video window at a subscriber, electronic program guide including promotional metadata associated with the promotional programming, wherein the promotional metadata includes an electronic program guide action tag for each piece of promotional programming, wherein the electronic program guide action tag corresponds to a plurality of supplemental electronic program guide functions;

storage to store the program listing including the promotional metadata along with the promotional programming;

a presentation component for presenting the promotional programming in a display window;

an operating system component for parsing the stored promotional metadata associated with the promotional programming being presented in the display window and determining, from the parsing of the promotional metadata associated with the promotional programming, the supplemental electronic program guide functions available for use with the promotional programming being presented in the display window;

wherein the presentation component further presents the supplemental electronic program guide functions determined to be available for use with the promotional programming being presented in the display window and the operating system component detects selection, for execution, of a supplemental function from the presented supplemental electronic program guide functions available for use with the promotional programming being presented in the display window and executes the supplemental function selected from the presented supplemental electronic program guide functions available for use with the promotional programming being presented in the display window.

13. The set top terminal of claim 12, wherein the presentation includes a full screen of the promotional programming when the promotional programming is an interactive advertisement.

14. The set top terminal of claim 12, wherein the presentation includes the promotional programming within an electronic program guide (EPG) when the promotional programming is an interactive advertisement.

15. The set top terminal of claim 12, wherein promotional metadata includes a product identifier, an EPG action, a force tune channel identifier, timing information, a network, a price, a synopsis, and an advertisement identifier.

16. The set top terminal of claim 12, wherein the supplemental function selected from the presented supplemental electronic program guide functions available for use with the promotional programming being presented in the display window further comprises a tune action, a reminder action, a web action, a pay-per-view purchase, a store action, and a record action.