System and method for displaying advertisements responsive to EPG information

• US 8,448,209 B2
• Filed: 08/20/2007
• Issued: 05/21/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 12/19/1996
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Gemstar Development Corporation (Adeia Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Gemstar Development Corporation (Adeia Inc.)
• Inventors: Ward, Thomas E. III, Hancock, Kenneth, Macrae, Douglas B.
• Primary Examiner(s): Kumar, Pankaj
• Assistant Examiner(s): NEWLIN, TIMOTHY R
• Application Number:
  US11/894,765
• Publication Number:
  US 20080127266A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,101 Days
• Field of Search: 725 32- 35, 725 42- 45
• US Class Current: 725/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2007/1739 the upstream communication being transmitted via a separate link, e.g. telephone line
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25891 being end-user preferences retrieval of video data in a video database based on user preferences G06F16/739; arrangements for recognizing users' preferences H04H60/46; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306; processing of user preferences or user profiles in wireless networks H04W8/18
• 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 21/4314 for fitting data in a restricted space on the screen, e.g. EPG data in a rectangular grid
• 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 21/4334 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 21/4345 Extraction or processing of SI, e.g. extracting service information from an MPEG stream
• 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 21/44224 Monitoring of user activity on external systems, e.g. Internet browsing
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4438 Window management, e.g. event handling following interaction with the user interface
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4532 involving end-user characteristics, e.g. viewer profile, preferences monitoring of user activities for profile generation for accessing a video database G06F16/739; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306; processing of user preferences or user profiles in wireless networks H04W8/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/458 Scheduling content for creating a personalised stream, e.g. by combining a locally stored advertisement with an incoming stream; Updating operations, e.g. for OS modules ; time-related management operations arrangements for replacing or switching information during the broadcast or during the distribution H04H20/10
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4622 Retrieving content or additional data from different sources, e.g. from a broadcast channel and the Internet web site content organization and management for information retrieval from the Internet G06F16/958; transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82; stock exchange data over packet-switching network H04L12/1804; push services including data channel over packet-switching network H04L12/1859
• 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 21/478 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 21/4821 using a grid, e.g. sorted out by channel and broadcast time
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6125 involving transmission via Internet transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 : involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/84 : Generation or processing of descriptive data, e.g. content descriptors systems specially adapted for using meta-information in broadcast systems H04H60/73
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/782 : on tape
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 : Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

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 for causing advertisements to be displayed with an electronic program guide (EPG) comprising:

automatically monitoring a plurality of user interactions with user equipment;

transmitting information related to the automatically monitored interactions to a remote computer;

receiving, from the remote computer, a list of recommended programs that the user is likely to be interested in, wherein the recommended programs are identified for inclusion in the list based on user characteristics determined from the transmitted information;

generating for display with the EPG a plurality of program listings corresponding to the list of recommended programs;

receiving an advertisement matching the transmitted information; and

causing the received advertisement to be displayed with the EPG simultaneously with the plurality of program listings.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein causing the received advertisement to be displayed with the EPG simultaneously with the plurality of program listings comprises causing the received advertisement to be displayed in a panel advertisement window adjacent to the plurality of program listings.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein causing the received advertisement to be displayed with the EPG simultaneously with the plurality of program listings comprises causing the received advertisement to be displayed within the plurality of program listings.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein at least a portion of the plurality of program listings are arranged in a plurality of rows, and the received advertisement is displayed between two of the rows.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein the plurality of rows each has a vertical height, and the received advertisement is displayed with substantially the same vertical height as at least one of the rows.

6. The method of claim 4 wherein the plurality of rows each has a horizontal width, and the received advertisement is displayed with substantially the same horizontal width as at least one of the rows.

7. The method of claim 4 wherein the plurality of rows each has a horizontal width and a vertical height, and the received advertisement is displayed with substantially the same horizontal width as at least one of the rows and substantially the same vertical height as at least one of the rows.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein generating for display with the EPG the plurality of program listings comprises generating for display time, channel, and date information for each of the plurality of program listings.

9. The method of claim 1 further comprising activating the displayed advertisement to invoke a function.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the automatically monitored user interactions comprise user selections of program themes;

the user characteristics comprise a favorite program theme;

the received advertisement is associated with the favorite program theme; and

the plurality of program listings correspond to programs associated with the favorite program theme.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the user characteristics comprise demographic information determined based on the automatically monitored user interactions.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the recommended programs are identified for inclusion in the list based on a comparison of the user characteristics determined from the transmitted information and user characteristics of a second user.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the received advertisement is additionally selected based on the list of recommended programs.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the received advertisement, the recommended programs and the user characteristics are associated with a particular subject matter.

15. An electronic program guide (EPG) system for causing advertisements to be displayed comprising:

control circuitry configured to;

automatically monitor a plurality of user interactions with user equipment;

transmit information related to the automatically monitored interactions to a remote computer;

receive, from the remote computer, a list of recommended programs that the user is likely to be interested in, wherein the recommended programs are identified for inclusion in the list based on user characteristics determined from the transmitted information;

generate for display with the EPG a plurality of program listings corresponding to the list of recommended programs;

receive an advertisement matching the transmitted information; and

cause the received advertisement to be displayed with the EPG simultaneously with the plurality of program listings.

16. The system of claim 15 wherein the received advertisement is simultaneously displayed in a panel advertisement window adjacent to the plurality of program listings.

17. The system of claim 15 wherein the received advertisement is simultaneously displayed within the plurality of program listings.

18. The system of claim 17 wherein at least a portion of the plurality of program listings are arranged in a plurality of rows, and the received advertisement is displayed between two of the rows.

19. The system of claim 18 wherein the plurality of rows each has a vertical height, and the received advertisement is displayed with substantially the same vertical height as at least one of the rows.

20. The system of claim 18 wherein the plurality of rows each has a horizontal width, and the received advertisement is displayed with substantially the same horizontal width as at least one of the rows.

21. The system of claim 18 wherein the plurality of rows each has a horizontal width and a vertical height, and the received advertisement is displayed with substantially the same horizontal width as at least one of the rows and substantially the same vertical height as at least one of the rows.

22. The system of claim 15 wherein each of the plurality of program listings comprises time, channel, and date information.

23. The system of claim 15 wherein the control circuitry is further configured to invoke a function in response to receiving a user selection of the displayed advertisement.

24. The system of claim 15, wherein:

the automatically monitored user interactions comprise user selections of program themes;

the user characteristics comprise a favorite program theme;

the received advertisement is associated with the favorite program theme; and

the plurality of program listings correspond to programs associated with the favorite program theme.

25. The system of claim 15, wherein the user characteristics comprise demographic information determined based on the automatically monitored user interactions.

26. The system of claim 15, wherein the recommended programs are identified for inclusion in the list based on a comparison of the user characteristics determined from the transmitted information and user characteristics of a second user.

27. The system of claim 15, wherein the received advertisement is additionally selected based on the list of recommended programs.

28. The system of claim 15, wherein the received advertisement, the recommended programs and the user characteristics are associated with a particular subject matter.