US2007016926A1PendingUtilityA1

System and method for modifying advertisement responsive to EPG information

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Assignee: INDEX SYSTEMS INCPriority: Dec 19, 1996Filed: Sep 20, 2006Published: Jan 18, 2007
Est. expiryDec 19, 2016(expired)· nominal 20-yr term from priority
Inventors:Thomas E. WardKenneth S. HancockDouglas B. Macrae
H04N 21/44224H04N 5/782H04N 2007/1739H04N 21/4438H04N 21/482H04N 21/4334H04N 21/4532H04N 21/25891H04N 21/4622H04N 21/84H04N 7/17318H04N 21/4345H04N 21/4821H04N 21/6125H04N 21/47H04N 21/4782H04N 21/812H04N 21/4316H04N 21/478H04N 21/44016H04N 21/4314H04N 21/42204H04N 21/458H04N 21/47214H04N 21/8586
55
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Claims

Abstract

A system and method for utilizing data stored in an EPG database for modifying advertisement information. In this way, a service provider and/or an advertiser can transmit a single advertisement to all the television stations regardless of their geographic location and other user specific information, and need not re-transmit the advertisement even if there is a change in the show's program description. When the advertisement is displayed, the correct updated information is retrieved from the EPG database and inserted into the advertisement. In one aspect, the present invention describes a method for modifying an advertisement in an EPG comprising the steps of: storing television schedule information in a first database; storing advertisement information in a second database; incorporating a portion of the television schedule information into a portion of the advertisement information to form a modified advertisement; and displaying the modified advertisement on a screen.

Claims

exact text as granted — not AI-modified
1 - 58 . (canceled)  
     
     
         59 . A method for using an interactive television program guide to automatically tune user equipment to a given television channel when the user equipment is turned on, comprising: 
 monitoring the television viewing habits of the user with the interactive television program guide;    receiving a user command to turn on the user equipment; and    when the user equipment is turned on, automatically tuning the user equipment to the given television channel such that the given television channel is the initial channel tuned to when the user equipment is turned on, wherein the interactive television program guide selects the given television channel based on the monitored television viewing habits of the user.    
     
     
         60 . The method defined in  claim 59  wherein monitoring the television viewing habits of the user comprises monitoring the television viewing habits of the user by monitoring the time and by monitoring the channels tuned to by the user with the interactive television program guide.  
     
     
         61 . The method defined in  claim 59  wherein monitoring the television viewing habits of the user comprises storing information on the television viewing habits of the user in a history database.  
     
     
         62 . The method defined in  claim 59  wherein monitoring the television viewing habits of the user comprises storing information on the television channels that the user watches in a database.  
     
     
         63 . The method defined in  claim 59  wherein using the interactive television program guide to automatically tune the user equipment to the given television channel in response to turning on the user equipment comprises using the interactive television program guide to automatically tune the user equipment to the given television channel based at least partially on the current time.  
     
     
         64 . User equipment on which an interactive television program guide is implemented, comprising: 
 control circuitry;    a display; and    a user input interface, wherein the control circuitry, display, and user interface are configured to: 
 allow the interactive television program guide to display program listings on the display for a user;  
 monitor the television viewing habits of the user with the interactive television program guide;  
 receive a user command to turn on the user equipment; and  
 when the user equipment is turned on, allow the interactive television program guide to automatically tune the user equipment to a given television channel such that the given television channel is the initial channel tuned to when the user equipment is turned on, wherein the interactive television program guide selects the given television channel based on the monitored television viewing habits of the user.  
   
     
     
         65 . The user equipment defined in  claim 64  wherein the control circuitry, display, and user interface are further configured to monitor the television viewing habits of the user by monitoring the time and by monitoring the channels tuned to by the user with the interactive television program guide.  
     
     
         66 . The user equipment defined in  claim 64  wherein the control circuitry, display, and user interface are further configured to monitor the television viewing habits of the user by storing information on the television viewing habits of the user in a history database.  
     
     
         67 . The user equipment defined in  claim 64  wherein the control circuitry, display, and user interface are further configured to monitor the television viewing habits of the user by storing information on the television channels that the user watches in a database.  
     
     
         68 . The user equipment defined in  claim 64  wherein the interactive television program guide automatically tunes the user equipment to the given television channel based at least partially on the current time.  
     
     
         69 . A method for using an interactive television program guide to automatically tune user equipment to a given television channel when the user equipment is turned on, comprising: 
 allowing the user to adjust settings in the interactive television program guide;    receiving a user command to turn on the user equipment; and    when the user equipment is turned on, automatically tuning the user equipment to the given television channel such that the given television channel is the initial channel tuned to when the user equipment is turned on, wherein the interactive television program guide selects the given television channel based on the settings selected by the user.    
     
     
         70 . The method defined in  claim 69  further comprising monitoring the television viewing habits of the user by monitoring the time and by monitoring the channels tuned to by the user with the interactive television program guide.  
     
     
         71 . The method defined in  claim 69  further comprising monitoring the television viewing habits of the user and storing information on the television viewing habits of the user in a history database.  
     
     
         72 . The method defined in  claim 69  further comprising monitoring the television viewing habits of the user and storing information on the television channels that the user watches in a database.  
     
     
         73 . The method defined in  claim 69  wherein using the interactive television program guide to automatically tune the user equipment to the given television channel in response to turning on the user equipment comprises using the interactive television program guide to automatically tune the user equipment to the given television channel based at least partially on the current time.  
     
     
         74 . User equipment on which an interactive television program guide is implemented, comprising: 
 control circuitry;    a display; and    a user input interface, wherein the control circuitry, display, and user interface are configured to: 
 allow the interactive television program guide to display program listings on the display for a user;  
 allow the user to adjust settings in the interactive television program guide;  
 receive a user command to turn on the user equipment; and  
 when the user equipment is turned on, allow the interactive television program guide to automatically tune the user equipment to a given television channel such that the given television channel is the initial channel tuned to when the user equipment is turned on, wherein the interactive television program guide selects the given television channel based on the settings selected by the user.  
   
     
     
         75 . The user equipment defined in  claim 74  wherein the control circuitry, display, and user interface are further configured to monitor the television viewing habits of the user by monitoring the time and by monitoring the channels tuned to by the user with the interactive television program guide.  
     
     
         76 . The user equipment defined in  claim 74  wherein the control circuitry, display, and user interface are further configured to monitor the television viewing habits of the user by storing information on the television viewing habits of the user in a history database.  
     
     
         77 . The user equipment defined in  claim 74  wherein the control circuitry, display, and user interface are further configured to monitor the television viewing habits of the user by storing information on the television channels that the user watches in a database.  
     
     
         78 . The user equipment defined in  claim 74  wherein the interactive television program guide automatically tunes the user equipment to the given television channel based at least partially on the current time.  
     
     
         79 . A method for using an interactive television program guide to automatically tune user equipment to a given television channel when the user equipment is turned on, comprising: 
 monitoring the user's interactions with the interactive television program guide;    receiving a user command to turn on the user equipment; and    when the user equipment is turned on, automatically tuning the user equipment to the given television channel such that the given television channel is the initial channel tuned to when the user equipment is turned on, wherein the interactive television program guide selects the given television channel based on the monitored interactions of the user with the interactive television program guide.    
     
     
         80 . The method defined in  claim 79  further comprising monitoring the television viewing habits of the user by monitoring the time and by monitoring the channels tuned to by the user with the interactive television program guide.  
     
     
         81 . The method defined in  claim 79  further comprising monitoring the television viewing habits of the user and storing information on the television viewing habits of the user in a history database.  
     
     
         82 . The method defined in  claim 79  further comprising monitoring the television viewing habits of the user and storing information on the television channels that the user watches in a database.  
     
     
         83 . The method defined in  claim 79  wherein using the interactive television program guide to automatically tune the user equipment to the given television channel in response to turning on the user equipment comprises using the interactive television program guide to automatically tune the user equipment to the given television channel based at least partially on the current time.  
     
     
         84 . User equipment on which an interactive television program guide is implemented, comprising: 
 control circuitry;    a display; and    a user input interface, wherein the control circuitry, display, and user interface are configured to: 
 allow the interactive television program guide to display program listings on the display for a user;  
 monitor the user's interactions with the interactive television program guide;  
 receive a user command to turn on the user equipment; and  
 when the user equipment is turned on, allow the interactive television program guide to automatically tune the user equipment to a given television channel such that the given television channel is the initial channel tuned to when the user equipment is turned on, wherein the interactive television program guide selects the given television channel based on monitored interactions of the user with the interactive television program guide.  
   
     
     
         85 . The user equipment defined in  claim 84  wherein the control circuitry, display, and user interface are further configured to monitor the television viewing habits of the user by monitoring the time and by monitoring the channels tuned to by the user with the interactive television program guide.  
     
     
         86 . The user equipment defined in  claim 84  wherein the control circuitry, display, and user interface are further configured to monitor the television viewing habits of the user by storing information on the television viewing habits of the user in a history database.  
     
     
         87 . The user equipment defined in  claim 84  wherein the control circuitry, display, and user interface are further configured to monitor the television viewing habits of the user by storing information on the television channels that the user watches in a database.  
     
     
         88 . The user equipment defined in  claim 84  wherein the interactive television program guide automatically tunes the user equipment to the given television channel based at least partially on the current time.

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