Interactive television program guide system with local advertisements

• US 20060288366A1
• Filed: 05/26/2006
• Published: 12/21/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 07/07/1998
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: UV Corporation (Adeia Inc.)
• Original Assignee: UV Corporation (Adeia Inc.)
• Inventors: Ellis, Michael D., Hassell, Joel G., Thomas, William L., Boylan, Peter C. III
• Application Number:
  US11/442,670
• Publication Number:
  US 20060288366A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/42
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2007/1739 the upstream communication being transmitted via a separate link, e.g. telephone line
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/222 Secondary servers, e.g. proxy server, cable television Head-end provisioning of proxy services in data packet switching networks H04L67/56
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/235 Processing of additional data, e.g. scrambling of additional data or processing content descriptors
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23617 by inserting additional data into a data carousel, e.g. inserting software modules into a DVB carousel arrangements for broadcast or for distribution of identical information repeatedly in broadcast distribution systems H04H20/16
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2668 Creating a channel for a dedicated end-user group, e.g. insertion of targeted commercials based on end-user profiles information retrieval from the Internet by querying with filtering and personalisation G06F16/9535; arrangements for replacing or switching information during the broadcast H04H20/10; push services over packet-switching network H04L12/1859; adaptation of message content in packet-switching networks H04L51/063
• 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 21/435 Processing of additional data, e.g. decrypting of additional data, reconstructing software from modules extracted from the transport stream
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4508 Management of client data or end-user data
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4542 Blocking scenes or portions of the received content, e.g. censoring scenes
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47 End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/478 Supplemental services, e.g. displaying phone caller identification, shopping application
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47815 Electronic shopping payment schemes, payment architectures or payment protocols for electronic shopping systems G06Q20/12
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/482 End-user interface for program selection broadcast systems using EPGs H04H60/72
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02
• 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 7/52 Systems for transmission of a pulse code modulated video signal with one or more other pulse code modulated signals, e.g. an audio signal or a synchronizing signal assembling of a multiplex stream by combining a video stream with other content or additional data, remultiplexing of multiplex streams, insertion of stuffing bits into the multiplex stream, assembling of a packetised elementary stream at server side H04N21/236; disassembling of a multiplex stream, remultiplexing of multiplex streams, extraction or processing of Service Information, disassembling of packetised elementary stream at client side H04N21/434

Abstract

A program guide system is provided in which local advertisements may be distributed to interactive television program guides implemented on the user television equipment associated with a television distribution facility such as a cable system headend. The local advertisements contain information that is directed toward the particular users in a local area. The local advertisements may be displayed when a user selects a related global advertisement. The local advertisements may also be displayed automatically by cycling global advertisements and local advertisements. Advertisements may be blocked based on content or time shifted. Policies regarding advertisement usage may be enforced.

Claims

1-46. -46. (canceled)

47. A system in which advertisements are distributed to user television equipment on which an interactive television program guide is implemented, comprising:

means for distributing the advertisements to the user television equipment; and

means for displaying only some of the advertisements on the user television equipment with the interactive television program guide based on the content of the advertisements.

48. The system defined in claim 47 further comprising means for providing the advertisements with content tags indicating the content of the advertisements.

49. The system defined in claim 47 further comprising:

means for providing the advertisements with content tags indicating the content of the advertisements; and

means for displaying only those advertisements with desired content tags.

50. The system defined in claim 47 further comprising means for selecting blocking criteria that are used to determine which of the advertisements are displayed.

51. The system defined in claim 47 further comprising means for distributing advertisements with content tags.

52. The system defined in claim 47 further comprising means for blocking advertisements with undesired content tags.

53. The system defined in claim 47 further comprising means for displaying information in place of those advertisements that are not displayed based on their content.

54. The system defined in claim 47 further comprising means for displaying a back-up advertisement in place of those advertisements that are not displayed based on their content.

55. A method for using a system in which advertisements are distributed to user television equipment on which an interactive television program guide is implemented, comprising the steps of:

distributing the advertisements to the user television equipment; and

displaying only some of the advertisements on the user television equipment with the interactive television program guide based on the content of the advertisements.

56. The method defined in claim 55 further comprising the step of providing the advertisements with content tags indicating the content of the advertisements.

57. The method defined in claim 55 further comprising the steps of:

providing the advertisements with content tags indicating the content of the advertisements; and

displaying only those advertisements with desired content tags.

58. The method defined in claim 55 further comprising the step of selecting blocking criteria that are used to determine which of the advertisements are displayed.

59. The method defined in claim 55 further comprising the step of distributing advertisements with content tags.

60. The method defined in claim 55 further comprising the step of blocking advertisements with undesired content tags.

61. The method defined in claim 55 further comprising the step of displaying information in place of those advertisements that are not displayed based on their content.

62. The method defined in claim 55 further comprising the step of displaying a back-up advertisement in place of those advertisements that are not displayed based on their content.

63-74. -74. (canceled)