Method and system for displaying advertisements in an electronic program guide

• US 8,869,204 B2
• Filed: 08/20/2007
• Issued: 10/21/2014
• 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): Beliveau, Scott
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ryan, Patrick A
• Application Number:
  US11/894,612
• Publication Number:
  US 20080127263A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,619 Days
• Field of Search: 725 37- 61, 707719-726
• 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 advertisements to be simultaneously displayed with program information, comprising:

causing the program information to be displayed in a program information region of a display;

selecting a first advertisement from a plurality of advertisements;

causing the first advertisement to be displayed in an advertisement region simultaneously with the program information displayed in the program information region, wherein the advertisement region is outside of the program information region;

selecting a second advertisement from the plurality of advertisements, wherein the second advertisement is selected independently from content of the displayed program information;

causing the advertisement region to change from displaying the first advertisement to displaying the second advertisement responsive to user input to navigate a cursor within the program information region, wherein the displayed program information remains unchanged during the changing of the advertisement region; and

in response to a user selection of the advertisement region, invoking a function related to the second advertisement.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first advertisement is selected independent of the displayed program information.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the program information is displayed in a plurality of rows; and

the first advertisement is displayed with substantially the same vertical height as at least one of the rows.

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

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the first advertisement is displayed above the program information region.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the first advertisement is displayed below the program information region.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the function is ordering one or more of an advertised product and an advertised service.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the function is scheduling an autotuning to a television broadcast about an advertised product or service.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the function is scheduling a recording of a television broadcast about an advertised product or service.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the function is tuning to a television broadcast about an advertised product or service.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the advertisement is about a pay program.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the function is scheduling viewing of the pay program.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the function is accessing a website related to the second advertisement.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein accessing a website comprises inserting an internet address into a browser, and wherein the browser causes the website to be displayed.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein:

the first advertisement is associated with a first internet address;

the second advertisement is associated with a second internet address; and

the website corresponds to the second internet address.

16. The method of claim 1, further comprising causing the first advertisement to be simultaneously displayed adjacent to the program information region.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein the program information region is scrollable.

18. The system of claim 1, wherein the program information region is scrollable.

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

memory configured to store the program information;

input circuitry configured to receive a user selection of an advertisement region;

control circuitry configured to;

cause the program information to be displayed in a program information region of a display;

select a first advertisement from a plurality of advertisements;

cause the first advertisement to be displayed in the advertisement region simultaneously with the program information displayed in the program information region, wherein the advertisement region is outside of the program information region;

select a second advertisement from the plurality of advertisements, wherein the second advertisement is selected independently from content of the displayed program information;

cause the advertisement region to change from displaying the first advertisement to displaying the second advertisement responsive to user input to navigate a cursor within the program information region, wherein the displayed program information remains unchanged during the changing of the advertisement region; and

in response to receiving the user selection of the advertisement region, invoke a function related to the second advertisement.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the first advertisement is selected for display independently from the displayed program information.

21. The system of claim 19, wherein:

the program information is displayed in a plurality of rows; and

the first advertisement is displayed with substantially the same vertical height as at least one of the rows.

22. The system of claim 19, wherein the first advertisement includes one or more of graphics and video.

23. The system of claim 19, wherein the function is ordering one or more of an advertised product and an advertised service.

24. The system of claim 19, wherein the function is scheduling an autotuning to a television broadcast about an advertised product or service.

25. The system of claim 19, wherein the function is accessing a website related to the second advertisement.

26. The system of claim 25, wherein accessing a website comprises inserting an internet address into a browser, and wherein the browser causes the website to be displayed.

27. The system of claim 25, wherein:

the first advertisement is associated with a first internet address;

the second advertisement is associated with a second internet address; and

the website corresponds to the second internet address.

28. The system of claim 19, wherein the control circuitry is further configured to cause the first advertisement to be simultaneously displayed adjacent to the program information region.

29. A method for causing advertisements to be simultaneously displayed with program information, comprising:

causing the program information to be displayed in a program information region of a display;

selecting a first advertisement from a plurality of advertisements;

causing the first advertisement to be displayed in an advertisement region simultaneously with the program information displayed in the program information region, wherein the advertisement region is outside of the program information region;

selecting a second advertisement from the plurality of advertisements, wherein the second advertisement is selected independently from content of the displayed program information;

causing the advertisement region to change from displaying the first advertisement to displaying the second advertisement responsive to user input to navigate a cursor within the program information region, wherein the advertisement region changes irrespective of changes to the displayed program information; and

in response to a user selection of the advertisement region, invoking a function related to the second advertisement.

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

memory configured to store the program information;

input circuitry configured to receive a user selection of an advertisement region;

control circuitry configured to;

cause the program information to be displayed in a program information region of a display;

select a first advertisement from a plurality of advertisements;

cause the first advertisement to be displayed in the advertisement region simultaneously with the program information displayed in the program information region, wherein the advertisement region is outside of the program information region;

select a second advertisement from the plurality of advertisements, wherein the second advertisement is selected independently from content of the displayed program information;

cause the advertisement region to change from displaying the first advertisement to displaying the second advertisement responsive to user input to navigate a cursor within the program information region, wherein the advertisement region changes irrespective of changes to the displayed program information; and

in response to receiving the user selection of the advertisement region, invoke a function related to the second advertisement.