Method and system for displaying advertisements in an electronic program guide

• US 8,776,125 B2
• Filed: 08/20/2007
• Issued: 07/08/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 05/03/1996
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Rovi Guides, Inc. (Adeia Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Starsight Telecast Incorporated (Adeia Inc.)
• Inventors: Klosterman, Brian Lee, Schein, Steven
• Primary Examiner(s): Parry, Chris
• Application Number:
  US11/894,620
• Publication Number:
  US 20080127264A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,514 Days
• Field of Search: 725 40- 45, 725/47, 725/51, 725/52
• US Class Current: 725/42
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0481 based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• 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 21/4438 Window management, e.g. event handling following interaction with the user interface
• 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 21/4725 using interactive regions of the image, e.g. hot spots details of information retrieval from the Internet by using URLs G06F16/955; processing chained hypermedia data for information retrieval G06F16/94
• 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 21/488 Data services, e.g. news ticker systems specially adapted for using meteorological information in broadcast systems H04H60/71
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4886 for displaying a ticker, e.g. scrolling banner for news, stock exchange, weather data
• 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 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 5/445 for displaying additional information H04N5/50 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/45 : Picture in picture , e.g. displaying simultaneously another television channel in a region of the screen
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/0882 : for the transmission of character code signals, e.g. for teletext circuits for the digital non-picture data signal H04N7/035
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/163 : by receiver means only
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/165 : Centralised control of user terminal subsequent to an upstream request signal H04N7/17345; Registering at central by two-way working H04N7/17309
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 : Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17354 : in an intermediate station common to a plurality of user terminals

Abstract

A system and method for displaying an electronic program schedule guide is provided. The system has areas for displaying program schedule information. In addition, the system also has areas that may be used for advertising programs, products or services. In another embodiment, the system has areas for displaying messages to the user.

Claims

1. A method for causing an advertisement to be simultaneously displayed with program information, comprising:

generating for display a plurality of rows in a scrollable program information region for displaying the program information;

selecting the advertisement from a plurality of advertisements using a processor, wherein at least one website is associated with the advertisement, and wherein the at least one website associated with the advertisement is selected independently from the display of the program information;

causing the selected advertisement to be displayed in a non-scrollable advertisement region, wherein the non-scrollable advertisement region is displayed simultaneously with the scrollable program information region, wherein the non-scrollable advertisement region is not within the scrollable program information region, and wherein the non-scrollable advertisement region has the same horizontal width as the scrollable program information region;

receiving user input to navigate a cursor from the scrollable program information region to the non-scrollable advertisement region, wherein navigating the cursor to the advertisement region comprises causing the non-scrollable advertisement region to be highlighted;

in response to a user selection of the highlighted non-scrollable advertisement region, generating for display at least one link to the at least one website associated with the advertisement; and

in response to a user selection of the at least one link, accessing the at least one website associated with the advertisement.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the displayed advertisement has the same vertical height as at least one of the plurality of rows.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the displayed advertisement includes one or more of graphics and video.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the displayed advertisement includes a Uniform Resource Locator (URL) or network address.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the displayed advertisement has the same horizontal width as at least one of the plurality of rows.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one website comprises at least two websites, the at least two websites associated with the same program.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein accessing the at least one website comprises launching a web browser application and causing the at least one website to be displayed using the web browser application.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the advertisement is associated with a program and the at least one website is associated with a source from which the program is available.

9. A system for causing an advertisement to be simultaneously displayed with program information, comprising:

memory to store the program information; and

control circuitry configured to;

generate for display a plurality of rows in a scrollable program information region for displaying the program information;

select the advertisement from a plurality of advertisements, wherein at least one website is associated with the advertisement, and wherein the at least one website associated with the advertisement is selected independently from the display of the program information;

cause the selected advertisement to be displayed in a non-scrollable advertisement region, wherein the non-scrollable advertisement region is displayed simultaneously with the scrollable program information region, wherein the non-scrollable advertisement region is not within the scrollable program information region, and wherein the non-scrollable advertisement region has the same horizontal width as the scrollable program information region;

receive user input to navigate a cursor from the scrollable program information region to the non-scrollable advertisement region, wherein navigating the cursor to the advertisement region comprises causing the non-scrollable advertisement region to be highlighted;

in response to a user selection of the highlighted non-scrollable advertisement region, generate for display at least one link to the at least one website associated with the advertisement; and

in response to a user selection of the at least one link, access the at least one website associated with the advertisement.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the displayed advertisement has the same vertical height as at least one of the plurality of rows.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein the displayed advertisement includes one or more of graphics and video.

12. The system of claim 9, wherein the displayed advertisement includes a Uniform Resource Locator (URL) or network address.

13. The system of claim 9, wherein the displayed advertisement has the same horizontal width as at least one of the plurality of rows.

14. The system of claim 9, wherein the at least one website comprises at least two websites, the at least two websites associated with the same program.

15. The system of claim 9 wherein the control circuitry is configured to launch a web browser application and to cause the at least one website to be accessed by the web browser application.

16. The system of claim 9 wherein the advertisement is associated with a program and the at least one website is associated with a source from which the program is available.

17. A method for causing an advertisement to be simultaneously displayed with program information, comprising:

generating for display a scrollable program information region comprising the program information;

selecting the advertisement and a website associated with the advertisement from a plurality of advertisements using a processor, wherein the website associated with the advertisement is selected without reference to what programs are identified in the program information;

causing the selected advertisement to be displayed in a non-scrollable advertisement region, wherein the non-scrollable advertisement region is displayed simultaneously with the scrollable program information region, and wherein the non-scrollable advertisement region is not within the scrollable program information region; and

in response to a user selection of the non-scrollable advertisement region, accessing a website associated with the advertisement.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein generating for display the scrollable information region comprises generating for display a plurality of rows comprising the program information.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising receiving user input to navigate a cursor from the scrollable program information region to the non-scrollable advertisement region.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein the displayed advertisement includes one or more of graphics and video.

21. The method of claim 17, wherein accessing the website comprises launching a web browser application and causing the website to be accessed by the web browser application.

22. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

associating the non-scrollable advertisement region with the website, wherein the website is related to the advertisement;

in response to receiving a user selection of the non-scrollable advertisement region before a predetermined length of time, accessing the website related to the advertisement;

selecting a second advertisement from the plurality of advertisements, wherein a second website is related to the second advertisement;

after the predetermined length of time, automatically changing the non-scrollable advertisement region from being associated with the website related to the advertisement to being associated with the second website related to the second advertisement irrespective of changes to the displayed program information;

in response to receiving a user selection of the non-scrollable advertisement region after the predetermined length of time, accessing the second website related to the second advertisement.

23. A system for causing an advertisement to be simultaneously displayed with program information, the system comprising:

memory configured to store the program information;

input circuitry configured to receive a user selection of a non-scrollable advertisement region;

communications circuitry configured to receive information over a communications link; and

control circuitry configured to;

retrieve the program information from the memory;

generate for display a scrollable program information region comprising the program information;

select the advertisement and a website associated with the advertisement from a plurality of advertisements, wherein the website associated with the advertisement is selected without reference to what programs are identified in the program information;

cause the selected advertisement to be displayed in the non-scrollable advertisement region, wherein the non-scrollable advertisement region is displayed simultaneously with the scrollable program information region, and wherein the non-scrollable advertisement region is not within the scrollable program information region; and

in response to the user selection of the non-scrollable advertisement region received using the input circuitry, access the website associated with the advertisement over the communications link using the communications circuitry.

24. The system of claim 23, wherein the control circuitry is configured to generate for display the scrollable information region by being configured to generate for display a plurality of rows comprising the program information.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein the control circuitry is further configured to receive user input to navigate a cursor from the scrollable program information region to the non-scrollable advertisement region.

26. The system of claim 23, wherein the displayed advertisement includes one or more of graphics and video.

27. The system of claim 23, wherein the control circuitry is configured to access the website by being configured to:

launch a web browser application;

cause the website to be accessed by the web browser application over the communications link using the communications circuitry.

28. The system of claim 23, wherein the control circuitry is further configured to:

associate the non-scrollable advertisement region with the website, wherein the website is related to the advertisement;

in response to receiving a user selection of the non-scrollable advertisement region before a predetermined length of time using the control circuitry, access the website related to the advertisement over the communications link using the communications circuitry;

select a second advertisement from the plurality of advertisements, wherein a second website is related to the second advertisement;

after the predetermined length of time, automatically change the non-scrollable advertisement region from being associated with the website related to the advertisement to being associated with the second website related to the second advertisement irrespective of changes to the displayed program information;

in response to receiving a user selection of the non-scrollable advertisement region after the predetermined length of time using the input circuitry, access the second website related to the second advertisement over the communications link using the communications circuitry.