Displaying advertising in an electronic program guide

• US 9,294,823 B2
• Filed: 07/11/2013
• Issued: 03/22/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 08/14/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Cumnor Technologies, LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Cumnor Technologies, LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Gerba, George, Nichols, Michael R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Saltarelli, Dominic D
• Application Number:
  US13/939,947
• Publication Number:
  US 20130305288A1
• Time in Patent Office: 985 Days
• Field of Search: 725/52, 725/58
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0485 Scrolling or panning
• 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 21/47214 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 21/4821 using a grid, e.g. sorted out by channel and broadcast time
• 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

Abstract

Program cells of an electronic guide may be generated on a display device in an electronic device. An advertisement cell may be moved based on movement of the program cells. The advertisement cell may be kept stationary when the program cells scroll.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

generating, on a display device in an electronic device, a portion of a plurality of program cells of an electronic guide;

moving, on the display device, the portion of the plurality of program cells in a direction in accordance with a scrolling process;

displaying, on the display device, an advertisement cell within the portion of the plurality of program cells;

moving, on the display device, the advertisement cell based on movement of the portion of the plurality of program cells during a first time; and

keeping the advertisement cell substantially stationary during a second time in which the plurality of program cells scroll, the second time based upon a number of the portion of the plurality of program cells which will move past the substantially stationary advertisement cell.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

replacing an advertisement associated with the advertisement cell upon expiration of the second time.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

replacing an advertisement associated with the advertisement cell based on a movement of a particular number of the plurality of program cells.

4. A system comprising:

a processor; and

an electronic device, the electronic device having a display device and being communicatively coupled to the processor, the processor configured to;

generate, on the display device, a portion of a plurality of program cells of an electronic guide;

move, on the display device, the portion of the plurality of program cells in a direction in accordance with a scrolling process;

display, on the display device, an advertisement cell within the portion of the plurality of program cells;

move, on the display device, the advertisement cell based on movement of the portion of the plurality of program cells during a first time; and

keep the advertisement cell substantially stationary during a second time in which the plurality of program cells scroll, the second time based upon a number of the portion of the plurality of program cells which will move past the substantially stationary advertisement cell.

5. The system of claim 4 further comprising:

the processor configured to replace an advertisement associated with the advertisement cell upon expiration of the second time.

6. The system of claim 4 further comprising:

the processor configured to replace an advertisement associated with the advertisement cell based on a movement of a particular number of the plurality of program cells.

7. A non-transitory machine readable medium having stored therein instructions executable by a device, the instructions comprising:

instructions to generate, on a display device in an electronic device, a portion of a plurality of program cells of an electronic guide;

instructions to move, on the display device, the portion of the plurality of program cells in a direction in accordance with a scrolling process;

instructions to display, on the display device, an advertisement cell within the portion of the plurality of program cells;

instructions to move, on the display device, the advertisement cell based on movement of the portion of the plurality of program cells during a first time; and

instructions to keep the advertisement cell substantially stationary during a second time in which the plurality of program cells scroll, the second time based upon a number of the portion of the plurality of program cells which will move past the substantially stationary advertisement cell.

8. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 7 further comprising:

instructions to replace an advertisement associated with the advertisement cell upon expiration of the second time.

9. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 7 further comprising:

instructions to replace an advertisement associated with the advertisement cell based on a movement of a particular number of the plurality of program cells.