Customizable flip and browse overlays with content-based information types in an interactive television system

• US 8,695,038 B2
• Filed: 09/10/2012
• Issued: 04/08/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 01/12/2004
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: UV Corporation (Adeia Inc.)
• Original Assignee: United Video Properties Incorporated (Adeia Inc.)
• Inventors: Walker, Todd, Ellis, Michael D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen-Ba, Hoang-Vu A
• Application Number:
  US13/608,528
• Publication Number:
  US 20130002716A1
• Time in Patent Office: 575 Days
• Field of Search: 725/45, 725/40, 725/61, 725/25, 725/27, 725/28, 725/29, 725/30, 725/58, 725/60, 725/86, 725/104, 348/564, 348/563
• US Class Current: 725/45
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/00 Administration; Management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/00 Commerce
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0241 Advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4222 Remote control device emulator integrated into a non-television apparatus, e.g. a PDA, media center or smart toy remote control device for a television receiver integrated into a mobile phone H04M1/72415
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42224 Touch pad or touch panel provided on the remote control
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4312 involving specific graphical features, e.g. screen layout, special fonts or colors, blinking icons, highlights or animations
• 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 21/43615 Interfacing a Home Network, e.g. for connecting the client to a plurality of peripherals home Audio Video Interoperability [HAVI] data switching networks H04L12/2805
• 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 21/47 End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47202 for requesting content on demand, e.g. video on demand
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47205 for manipulating displayed content, e.g. interacting with MPEG-4 objects, editing locally
• 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 21/4755 for defining user preferences, e.g. favourite actors or genre retrieval personalisation and generation of user profiles for the retrieval of video data G06F16/739; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/478 Supplemental services, e.g. displaying phone caller identification, shopping application
• 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 21/4858 for modifying screen layout parameters, e.g. fonts, size of the windows
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/488 Data services, e.g. news ticker systems specially adapted for using meteorological information in broadcast systems H04H60/71
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8126 : involving additional data, e.g. news, sports, stocks, weather forecasts
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/445 : for displaying additional information H04N5/50 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/0884 : for the transmission of additional display-information, e.g. menu for programme or channel selection

Abstract

Systems and methods are provided for customizing the display of interactive television overlays. A condition related to the display of an overlay on top of video for a television channel may be defined for each of a plurality of television channels. A default set of information types for an interactive television overlay (e.g., a FLIP overlay, a BROWSE overlay, etc.) may be defined for the plurality of television channels. When the overlay is displayed on top of video for a given television channel of the plurality of television channels, the overlay may include information of the default set of information types. One or more television channels of the plurality of television channels may be identified as channels for which the default set of information types does not apply (e.g., channels for which the overlay is not displayed or for which a custom set of information types is defined).

Claims

1. A method for displaying an overlay on a display on which video from a given content source is displayed, the method comprising:

defining a condition related to content associated with a plurality of content sources that identifies whether to include a given information type in the overlay;

receiving a user indication to receive content from a given content source from the plurality of content sources;

generating a display of video from the given content source in response to receiving the user indication;

in response to determining that the content from the given content source satisfies the condition, generating for display a first overlay that includes information associated with the given information type; and

in response to determining that the content from the given source fails to satisfy the condition, generating for display a second overlay that is different from the first overlay.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the given information type comprises interactive content.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the given content source is a television channel.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the first overlay comprises a program listing.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the information associated with the given information type comprises a logo or an advertisement associated with the given content source.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the information associated with the given information type comprises information that is unique to the given content source.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the condition for at least one of the plurality of content sources is defined by a service provider.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the second overlay includes information associated with a default set of information types different from the given information type.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein defining the condition comprises defining a condition related to whether the overlay includes a program listing.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving a second user indication to view interactive television information.

11. A system for displaying an overlay on a display on which video from a given content source is displayed, the system comprising:

an interactive application implemented at least partially on user equipment configured to;

define a condition related to content associated with a plurality of content sources that identifies whether to include a given information type in the overlay;

receive a user indication to receive content from a given content source from the plurality of content sources;

generate a display of video from the given content source in response to receiving the user indication;

in response to determining that the content from the given content source satisfies the condition, generate for display a first overlay that includes the given information type; and

in response to determining that the content from the given source fails to satisfy the condition, generate for display a second overlay that is different from the first overlay.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the given information type comprises interactive content.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the given content source is a television channel.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein the first overlay comprises a program listing.

15. The system of claim 11, wherein the information associated with the given information type comprises a logo or an advertisement associated with the given content source.

16. The system of claim 11, wherein the information associated with the given information type comprises information that is unique to the given content source.

17. The system of claim 11, wherein the condition for at least one of the plurality of content sources is defined by a service provider.

18. The system of claim 11, wherein the second overlay includes information associated with a default set of information types different from the given information type.

19. The system of claim 11, wherein defining the condition comprises defining a condition related to whether the overlay includes a program listing.

20. The system of claim 11, wherein the user equipment is further configured to receive a second user indication to view interactive television information.