Systems and methods for advertising television networks, channels, and programs
First Claim
1. A system for controlling the presentation of advertisements to a television viewer, comprising:
- an advertising database that stores an advertisement, wherein the advertisement is an advertisement for a network or channel;
a program guide database that stores program guide information for a network, channel, or programming on a network or channel; and
television viewer equipment configured to;
receive the advertisement from the advertising database;
receive advertisement control information associated with the advertisement;
receive a request from a viewer to block a network or channel;
block the display of program guide information for the network or channel that is blocked by the request;
determine, using the advertisement control information, whether or not the advertisement from the advertising database is for the network or channel that is blocked by the request; and
block display of the advertisement on a network or channel that is available to the television viewer equipment when the television viewer equipment determines that the advertisement is for the network or channel that is blocked by the request.
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0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
The present invention allows control of the presentation of advertisements that are associated with television networks, channels, and programs, and enables a single broadcasting of each advertisement associated with a network to be made to numerous television systems in parallel. The presentation of advertisements that are associated with television networks, channels, and programs is controlled in the present invention by determining at television viewer equipment whether the television networks, channels, or programs with which the advertisements are associated are unavailable to the television viewer or are undesirable to the television viewer. Once this determination has been made, the television viewer equipment then presents the advertisements, or selects and presents suitable alternative advertisements. A single broadcasting of each network advertisement to all television systems is enabled in the present invention by broadcasting each advertisement with a network identifier to all television systems. At the television systems, the network identifier and channel map or program guide information located in television viewer equipment are then used by an interactive program guide or other application running in the television viewer equipment to determine whether a local affiliate for that network is available and not designated as undesirable by the television viewer. If the local affiliate is available and not designated as undesirable, the advertisement is then presented to the television viewer, otherwise a suitable alternative advertisement is then identified and presented to the television viewer.
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Citations
16 Claims
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1. A system for controlling the presentation of advertisements to a television viewer, comprising:
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an advertising database that stores an advertisement, wherein the advertisement is an advertisement for a network or channel; a program guide database that stores program guide information for a network, channel, or programming on a network or channel; and television viewer equipment configured to; receive the advertisement from the advertising database; receive advertisement control information associated with the advertisement; receive a request from a viewer to block a network or channel; block the display of program guide information for the network or channel that is blocked by the request; determine, using the advertisement control information, whether or not the advertisement from the advertising database is for the network or channel that is blocked by the request; and block display of the advertisement on a network or channel that is available to the television viewer equipment when the television viewer equipment determines that the advertisement is for the network or channel that is blocked by the request. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 15)
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8. A method for controlling the presentation of advertisements to a television viewer, the method comprising:
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storing an advertisement in an advertising database, wherein the advertisement is an advertisement for a network or channel; storing program guide information for a network, channel, or programming on a network or channel in a program guide database; receiving the advertisement from the advertising database with television viewer equipment; receiving with the television viewer equipment advertisement control information associated with the advertisement; receiving a request from a viewer to block a network or channel; blocking the display of program guide information for the network or channel that is blocked by the request; determining with the television viewer equipment, using the advertisement control information, whether or not the advertisement from the advertising database is for the network or channel that is blocked by the request; and blocking display of the advertisement on a network or channel that is available to the television viewer equipment when the television viewer equipment determines that the advertisement is for the network or channel that is blocked by the request. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 16)
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Specification