Interactive television system with programming-related links

• US 9,148,703 B2
• Filed: 09/22/2014
• Issued: 09/29/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 10/29/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Rovi Guides, Inc. (Adeia Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Rovi Guides, Inc. (Adeia Inc.)
• Inventors: Boylan, Peter C. III, Ellis, Michael D.
• Primary Examiner(s): VU, NGOC K
• Application Number:
  US14/493,074
• Publication Number:
  US 20150012944A1
• Time in Patent Office: 372 Days
• Field of Search: 725 39- 44, 725/52
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• 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 21/4314 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 21/47 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 21/4722 for requesting additional data associated with the content
• 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 21/482 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 21/4828 for searching program descriptors retrieval of video data G06F16/739
• 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 21/4882 for displaying messages, e.g. warnings, reminders arrangements for providing short real-time information to substation in data switching networks H04L12/1895
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8133 specifically related to the content, e.g. biography of the actors in a movie, detailed information about an article seen in a video program
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8153 comprising still images, e.g. texture, background image
• 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 21/8545 for generating interactive applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/858 Linking data to content, e.g. by linking an URL to a video object, by creating a hotspot
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/163 by receiver means only
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 : Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

An interactive television system with programming-related links is provided. The system may include user television equipment on which interactive program guide and non-program-guide applications may be implemented. Information that is displayed in a display screen for a non-program-guide application may be related to programming. A display screen or overlay for programming that is related to the information may be displayed when a user selects the displayed information. The display or overlay for the programming may include advertisements, video, graphics, options, or programming descriptions. The display screen or overlay may have been displayed by the program guide application.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

generating for display, in a first application, a selectable option that is related to a media asset, wherein the first application is configured to be invoked by a user independently of a second application;

receiving a user selection of the selectable option;

in response to receiving the user selection of the selectable option, retrieving information identifying the media asset; and

directing the second application to retrieve media asset identifier information related to the media asset, based on the information identifying the media asset, for generating a display comprising a plurality of options, wherein each of the plurality of options corresponds to a media guidance function operable on the media asset, and wherein the first application and the second application are implemented on a same user device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the media guidance function operable on the media asset comprises at least one of:

causing the media asset to be displayed;

setting a reminder for the media asset;

recording the media asset; and

storing information associated with the media asset to a user profile.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the display comprising the plurality of options is generated for display by the second application in an overlay.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

directing the second application to retrieve, from a remote server over an internet communications path, the media asset identifier information related to the media asset.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

generating for display, in an overlay in the first application, the selectable option that is related to the media asset.

6. A system comprising:

a processor operative to;

generate for display, in a first application, a selectable option that is related to a media asset, wherein the first application is configured to be invoked by a user independently of a second application;

receive a user selection of the selectable option;

in response to receiving the user selection of the selectable option, retrieve information identifying the media asset; and

direct the second application to retrieve media asset identifier information related to the media asset, based on the information identifying the media asset, for generating a display comprising a plurality of options, wherein each of the plurality of options corresponds to a media guidance function operable on the media asset, and wherein the first application and the second application are implemented on a same user device.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the media guidance function operable on the media asset comprises at least one of:

causing the media asset to be displayed;

setting a reminder for the media asset;

recording the media asset; and

storing information associated with the media asset to a user profile.

8. The system of claim 6, wherein the display comprising the plurality of options is generated for display by the second application in an overlay.

9. The system of claim 6, wherein the processor is further operative to:

direct the second application to retrieve, from a remote server over an internet communications path, the media asset identifier information related to the media asset.

10. The system of claim 6, wherein the processor is further operative to:

generate for display, in an overlay in the first application, the selectable option that is related to the media asset.

11. A method comprising:

receiving from a first application, with a second application, at least one parameter identifying a media asset, wherein the at least one parameter is received responsive to a user selection of a first option, related to the media asset, generated for display by the first application; and

in response to receiving the at least one parameter, generating, with the second application, for display a second option related to the media asset for performing a media guidance function corresponding to the media asset, wherein the first application is configured to be invoked by a user independently of the second application, and wherein the first application and second application are implemented on a same user device.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the media guidance function comprises at least one of:

causing the media asset to be displayed;

setting a reminder for the media asset;

recording the media asset; and

storing information associated with the media asset to a user profile.

13. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

generating, with the second application, for display the second option related to the media asset in an overlay.

14. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

retrieving, from a remote server over an internet communications path, media asset identifier information related to the media asset.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein the first option related to the media asset is generated for display in an overlay by the first application.

16. A system comprising:

a processor operative to;

receive from a first application, with a second application, at least one parameter identifying a media asset, wherein the at least one parameter is received responsive to a user selection of a first option, related to the media asset, generated for display by the first application; and

in response to receiving the at least one parameter, generate, with the second application, for display a second option related to the media asset for performing a media guidance function corresponding to the media asset, wherein the first application is configured to be invoked by a user independently of the second application, and wherein the first application and second application are implemented on a same user device.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the media guidance function comprises at least one of:

causing the media asset to be displayed;

setting a reminder for the media asset;

recording the media asset; and

storing information associated with the media asset to a user profile.

18. The system of claim 16, wherein the processor is further operative to:

generate, with the second application, for display the second option related to the media asset in an overlay.

19. The system of claim 16, wherein the processor is further operative to:

retrieve, from a remote server over an internet communications path, media asset identifier information related to the media asset.

20. The system of claim 16, wherein the first option related to the media asset is generated for display in an overlay by the first application.