Customizable overlays based on subject matter

• US 9,100,713 B2
• Filed: 03/14/2014
• Issued: 08/04/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 01/12/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: TV Guide Incorporated (Adeia Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Rovi Guides, Inc. (Adeia Inc.)
• Inventors: Walker, Todd, Ellis, Michael D.
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN BA, HOANG VU A
• Application Number:
  US14/213,706
• Publication Number:
  US 20140201793A1
• Time in Patent Office: 508 Days
• Field of Search: 725/45, 725/40, 725/61, 725/25, 725/86, 725/104, 348/563, 348/564, 348/569, 705/14.4
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 comprising:

storing a plurality of different items that are associated with one of a plurality of information types;

receiving a user indication to receive a media asset from a content source;

generating a display of the media asset in response to receiving the user indication;

retrieving, from memory, data that identifies subject matter of the media asset;

comparing the subject matter identified by the data to a subject matter type;

in response to determining that the subject matter identified by the data matches the subject matter type;

selecting an item of the plurality of items that is specific to the media asset; and

generating a first simultaneous presentation of the media asset, the selected item, and information corresponding to the media asset; and

in response to the determining that the subject matter identified by the data fails to match the subject matter type;

generating a second simultaneous presentation of the media asset and the information corresponding to the media asset without including the selected item.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the subject matter identified by the data comprises a category of the media asset.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the item includes a sporting event score associated with the media asset.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of information types comprises at least one of news, stock quotes, and sporting event scores.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the media asset comprises a sporting event.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the item includes a score of the sporting event.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the information corresponding to the media asset includes program information.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the information corresponding to the media asset includes a title.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the user indication is a request to tune to a channel.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein generating at least one of the first simultaneous presentation and the second simultaneous presentation includes presenting an overlay over the media asset.

11. A system comprising:

a storage device configured to store a plurality of different items that are associated with one of a plurality of information types;

a user input interface; and

control circuitry configured to;

receive, from the user input interface, a user indication to receive a media asset from a content source;

generate a display of the media asset in response to receiving the user indication;

retrieve, from the storage device, data that identifies subject matter of the media asset;

compare the subject matter identified by the data to a subject matter type;

in response to determining that the subject matter identified by the data matches the subject matter type;

select an item of the plurality of items that is specific to the media asset; and

generate a first simultaneous presentation of the media asset, the selected item, and information corresponding to the media asset; and

in response to the determining that the subject matter identified by the data fails to match the subject matter type;

generate a second simultaneous presentation of the media asset and the information corresponding to the media asset without including the selected item.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the subject matter identified by the data comprises a category of the media asset.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the item includes a sporting event score associated with the media asset.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein the plurality of information types comprises at least one of news, stock quotes, and sporting event scores.

15. The system of claim 11, wherein the media asset comprises a sporting event.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the item includes a score of the sporting event.

17. The system of claim 11, wherein the information corresponding to the media asset includes program information.

18. The system of claim 11, wherein the information corresponding to the media asset includes a title.

19. The system of claim 11, wherein the user indication is a request to tune to a channel.

20. The system of claim 11, wherein the control circuitry is further configured to generate at least one of the first simultaneous presentation and the second simultaneous presentation by presenting an overlay over the media asset.