Interactive User Interface for Television Applications

Abstract

An iTV user interface includes a navigable menu area through which a user can select from among a variety of services and a content display area in which formatted data associated with a selected menu service are displayed to the user. The formatted data is displayed in a rotating or ticker fashion having both a passive mode, in which the formatted data is displayed in a sequence independent of any selection operations by a television viewer, and active mode, in which the formatted data is displayed in a sequence that depends on selection operations by the television viewer. Advertisements and/or promotions may be interspersed among the content items. The navigable menu area and the content display area may be displayed to the viewer at the same time as television programming is displayed on the television.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 - 57 . (canceled) 
     
     
         58 . A system, comprising:
 a first server configured to
 harvest content data from multiple data sources according to content collection rules, the content collection rules identifying content data eligible for display in a user interface, identifying placement criteria for display of the content data, and comprised in a file that identifies locations from which to harvest the content data, and 
 format the harvested content data into a data file; and 
   a second server configured to receive the data file and transmit, via a transmission channel, the data file to a device for populating the user interface at the device with the harvested content data.