MXPA00000750A - Systems and methods for displaying and recording control interfaces - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention is an improvement over previous electronic programming guides"EPG"in that it provides, among other things:improved viewer interaction capabilities with the EPG;improved viewer control of video recording (46) of future-scheduled programming;improved features of the EPG display and navigation (10);parental control of the EPG display;improved television program access by the viewer (22);improved product opportunities for the commercial advertiser to reach the viewer's profile (14, 16);improved products information access by the viewer (12);creation of the viewer's profile (36, 52);utilization of the viewerprofile information to customize various aspects of the EPG (24);and utilization of viewer profile information to provide the customized presentation of advertising to the viewer (24).

Description

SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR DEPLOYING AND RECORDING CONTROL INTERFACES Field of the Invention The present invention relates generally to television systems and more particularly to the display and recording control interface with television, video, advertising information and schedule schedule information.

Background of the Invention Historically, viewers have analyzed the information provided by the television program schedule guides to select the television programs they will watch. Historically, television schedule schedule guides have listed the television programs available by day of the week, time of day, channel, and program title. Historically, only printed program schedule guidelines were available. More recently, as illustrated by US Pat. No. 4,908,713, to Levine, REF. 32619 Programming guides for television have been presented-available in electronic form. The most recent versions of on-screen electronic program guides ("EPG") were able to store programming schedule information in an electronic memory connected to the television receiver and generally provided in an on-screen format and to display schedule information. programming on the TV screen. The first electronic programming guides are typically superimposed over television programming. Moreover, the capabilities of interaction with the viewer of the first electronic programming guides were extremely limited. The most recent electronic programming guides provided an improvement in the viewer's interaction with the electronic programming guide and provided an image display within the Guide ("PIG") of the television program, simultaneously with the deployment of the electronic guide of programming. International Application Number PCT / US 95/11173 (International Publication Number WO 96/07270), illustrates such improvement, the publication of which is incorporated herein for reference and for any purpose.

Brief Compendium of the Invention The present invention is an improvement over previous electronic programming guides in that it provides, among other things: A. Improved capabilities of viewer interaction with the electronic program guide; B. Improved control by the viewer of the video recording in programming in upcoming hours; C. Improved features of the deployment and navigation of the electronic program guide; D. Control of the deployment of the electronic programming guide for parents; E. Improved access to television program information for the viewer; F. Improved opportunities for the commercial advertiser to reach the viewer; G. Improved access to product information by the viewer; H. Creation of a viewer profile; I. Use of information from the viewer's profile, to customize various aspects of the electronic program guide; and J. Use of the profile information to provide a customized presentation of publicity to the viewer; Description of the Drawings These and other features, aspects and advantages of the present invention will be better understood, with respect to the following description, appended claims and accompanying drawings, wherein: Figure 1 is a graphic representation of the sample screen display, of a electronic programming guide. Figure 2 is a drawing of a portion of a remote control device showing the keys to activate various functions of the electronic program guide. Figure 3 is a graphic representation of a sample screen display, of the electronic programming guide that illustrates the Reticular Guide on the screen of the electronic guide of programming, within programming scrolling mode. Figures 4a and 4b are a graphic representation of a sample of the on-screen display of the electronic programming guide illustrating the Guide Reticular screen of the electronic programming guide, within the channel offset. Figure 5 is a graphic representation of a sample of the on-screen display of the electronic programming guide, which illustrates the electronic programming guide within the function of Display Schedules Figure 6 is a graphic representation of a sample of the on-screen display of the electronic programming guide, which shows the Display / Recording Schedules screen of the electronic program guide. Figure 7 is a graphic representation of a sample of the on-screen display of the electronic program guide, which illustrates the screen display of the top-level level of the electronic program guide. Figure 8 is a graphic representation of a sample of the on-screen display of the electronic program guide, illustrating the deployment on screen of the second thematic level of the electronic programming guide. Figure 9 is a graphic representation of a sample, of the on-screen display of the electronic programming guide, which illustrates the Channel Guide function of the electronic program guide. Figures 10a and 10b are graphical representations of samples of on-screen displays of the electronic program guide, illustrating one feature modality of presenting additional information, concerning the subject matter of a highlighted Panel Announcement Window. .

Detailed description of the invention The publication of the International Patent Application WO 96/07270, published on March 7 in 1996 is fully incorporated herein for reference. The present invention is an improvement of the electronic programming guide (EPG) published therein. The device discovered in the PCT application to which it is referenced, it is used to generate the screen displays described below. In Figure 1 of the drawing, a modality of the electronic programming guide is shown together with a Window of Commercial Announcements and Messages. In Figure 1, a television screen 10 is shown. The screen 10 can be generated by means of a conventional television receiver with interlaced scanning lines, by means of a VCR, by means of a personal computer monitor with lines of progressive scanning, or by means of any other type of video display device. In the upper left corner of the screen there is a PIP Window 12 (image on another image "Pi cture-in-Pi ct ure"). Below the window 12 are the Panel Announcement Windows 14 and 16 ("Announcement Windows"). Windows 12, 14 and 16 typically occupy each of them, approximately 1/9 of the total area of the screen. The remaining part of the screen area is typically occupied (moving from top to bottom of the screen) by an Active Key bar 18, a navigation bar 20, a Reticular Guide 22 ("Reticular Guide"), and a frame of information 24 (the "detailed information area").

In Figure 2 of the drawing, a remote control mode 26 is shown to activate the functions of the display 10. The remote control 26 may have other keys to activate the functions of a user's video device, such as a receiver of television, a VCR or a decoder for cable television. The remote control 26 has up, down, right and left arrow keys, 28, 30, 32 and 34, respectively, to control the movement of a cursor 36 on the screen 10. The cursor 36 can select, i.e. highlight, to any of the windows 12, 14 or 16, by pressing the direction keys 28 to 34, in any of the titles and channels on the Reticular Guide 22 and the navigation band 20 which is highlighted by means of changing its color. The highlighting of the windows and / or selections of the viewer in the Reticular Guide and / or navigation and display components of the electronic program guide can be done in a great number of ways. For example, the edge of a selected window, or the navigation component or selected Reticular Guide, can be made to appear intermittent. Another way to highlight a viewer's selection is to bring up the feature or selected window, brighter than the rest of the screen. Still, another way to highlight a selection made by the viewer is to blur all the portions of the screen display, except for the component selected by the viewer. Yet, another way to highlight a selection made by the viewer is to make all portions of the screen display, except for the selected component, appear transparent. Another way to highlight a viewer's selection is to add animation to the selected component. When a portion of the electronic program guide is selected, the system issues graphic display commands to the on-screen display controller (OSD) to implement one or more of the desired improvement technique (s). The viewer enters the Guidance Mode illustrated in Figure 1, by pressing a "guide" key 35 and return to Full Screen Television Mode, by pressing the key 35 again or by pressing the key of "select". A real-time television program is displayed on the screen 12. A translucent overlay of the PIP Window 12 can display the title, channel (local number and / or station name), and status (blocked or unlocked) of the window 12 on the television program, in such a way that the viewer can continue to see the complete image. The PIP Window can be locked or unlocked. The "lock / unlock" function is controlled by the user. To lock or unlock the PIP Window, the viewer can use a PIP button on the remote control device or you can highlight and press the Lock / Unlock electronic programming guide drive button. The locked / unlocked state is stored and maintained until the status is initiated by the viewer. That is, the locked / unlocked state for the PIP Window within the electronic program guide is maintained when the viewer exits the Guide and then returns to the Guide, including when the viewer turns off the television. If the viewer selects the "blocked" state, the last channel on which the tuner was placed in the PIP Window continues to be displayed regardless of the actions exercised by the viewer. In the unlocked state, the channel highlighted by the cursor 36 in the Reticular Guide 22 is displayed if the Reticular Guide is currently presenting the programs transmitted by the station and the last channel that is present. being issued currently that was highlighted is deployed, if the Reticular Guide is deploying to the next programs. There are usually three results to get out of the Guide, depending on the way in which the viewer leaves the Guide. If the viewer, being in the electronic program guide, wants to see in full screen mode the program shown in the PIP Window, then the viewer can press the Guide button on his remote control device. If the user, being inside the electronic programming guide, highlights a particular channel within the Reticular Guide, and then presses the "select" button, the user will exit the Guide to watch the program of television in the mode full screen, which the viewer has highlighted in the Guide. If the viewer, being in the electronic program guide, presses the "delete" or "cancel" button on his remote control device, then the viewer will leave the Guide and return to the television program that the viewer was watching immediately before entering. to the Guide. Typically, an announcement is made for a future program broadcast within window 14. This announcement is linked to the time and channel of the program in a RAM memory, so that the viewer can see or record the program automatically by pressing the blue active button on the left to see the program, or the green active button on the right to record the program. Typically, an advertisement for a product or service is displayed within window 16. This announcement is linked to more information about the product or service in a RAM memory, in such a way that the viewer can read one or more pages about the product or service in window 16, by pressing an "information" key 40 one or more times. Alternatively, this announcement is linked to the time and the channel in the RAM memory, in which an informative commercial [ínfomerci al] is transmitted about the product or service, in such a way that the viewer can automatically see or record the informative commercial through to press the key "select" 42. The bar 18 displays a blue button 44 and / or a green button 46 with legends that will depend on the context of the information displayed on the screen. The remote control 26 having corresponding keys 48 and 50, respectively, to activate the functions represented by the blocks 44 and 46.

From the window 12, 14 or 16, the viewer moves towards the Reticular Guide 22, by pressing the direction key 32. (From the Reticular Guide 22, the viewer moves to the window 12, 14 or 16 by pressing the direction key 34). In the Reticular Guide 22, the viewer moves the cursor 36 to select one of the 9 blocks in which the channel and the title are displayed, by pressing the arrow keys 28 and 30. The viewer can see the states of the programs, programmed in the future by means of pressing the direction keys 32 or 34 to move horizontally with respect to the Reticle. From the Reticular Guide 22, the viewer moves towards the navigation band 20 by means of pressing the selection key 28. Initially, the central button is highlighted. To highlight a different button, the direction key 32 or 34 is pressed. To enter the screen represented by the highlighted button, the "select" key 42 is pressed. In the Reticular Guide 22, the details about the represented program are displayed for the highlighted block. If more information is available, this fact is indicated by an icon and thus, said information will be displayed in the area occupied by the Guide Reticular 22, instead of the Reticular Guide, by pressing the "information" key 40. To return to the Reticular Guide, the "information" key 40 is pressed again. After the active button has been pressed or that an icon has been activated on the navigation band 20, an active warning can be substituted for the information of the program inside the information box 24. In addition to the blocks representing the television programs, a virtual channel advertisement can be displayed in the Reticular Guide 22, on a block 52. A virtual channel advertisement may promote, for example, a current or upcoming television program. Said announcement of a virtual channel for a television program is linked to the time and channel of the program in the RAM memory, in such a way that the viewer can automatically see or record the program by means of pressing the "select" key 42, in the manner described in the referred application. More than one virtual channel advertisement may be stored in the RAM, but preferably only one advertisement such as this will be displayed at the same time. Reference is now made to the User Interface TV Guide Pl us + 98 Specification vl. 42stv, the which is appended here as appendix A, whose publication is incorporated for reference as if it were fully declared here, for a further description of the invention. One embodiment of the hardware for this invention includes a circuit board consisting of a portal configuration, which provides all control functions for access by means of the processor (for example, the Motorola 68000), a memory control (dynamic RAM and external ROM memory) and some peripheral functions such as an infrared ("IR") input and output, a sequence synthesizer for a radiolocation system, and data acquisition from the radiolocation system . Within this, there is a module to create a display on the screen that includes a programmable direct memory access controller (DMA), a color verification table that provides a field that calls a color index that can be used to select a more elaborate color (more bits that can be expressed in the bitmap), a first-in-first-out ("FIFO") memory to sort the pixels (which allows the system to write the pixels so fast) and how the system is capable of write the pixels and then, send the pixels to the screen according to a pre-set timing). Included within the chip is a timing subsystem that produces a number of different timing signals, at varying frequencies - from clocks to lengthen the measurement of time in milliseconds and interruptions. Synchronization signals are also generated for the television monitor by means of the internal timing subsystem. The system also typically includes circuits for functions that include, but are not limited to: data receiver, memory controller, processor timing interface, data deinterleaving, error correction, and synchronous timing generator with horizontal counters and verticals. Another characteristic of a physical equipment modality of the electronic program guide system is that the physical equipment of the deployment list is capable of both entering and exiting video on the same physical equipment of direct memory access (DMA). . The deployment processor is comprised of a video section and a FIFO section, within an ASIC. The system has multiple clocks. The memory of Deployment has the ability to store 8 display blocks in a horizontal plane.

The following improvements for an electronic programming guide will be described in more detail below: A. Improved interaction capabilities for the viewer with the electronic program guide, which include: 1. A Wide Variety of Operating Modes. 2. Remote Interface for the viewer with joystick. { Joysti ck) and Ball of Command (Trackball). 3. Control Mechanisms on Electronic Guide Screen of Contextually Sensitive Programming. 4. Programming for Visualization. 5. Guide Format of "All Channels" Channel Guide Format and Channel Guide "Next" / "Previous".

B. Improved control of the viewer of the video recording of programming in upcoming hours, which includes: 1. Recording program displayed in the PIP Window. 2. Record "Regularly". 3. Recording function with a repeating filter for programs recorded "Regularly". 4. Record jump instruction. 5. Automatic Record List Update. 10 6. Recording on Digital Video Discs (DVD). 7. Ability to Use Speed Sensing Tapes. 8. Resolution of Conflicts of Instructions of Recording. 9. Recording from Thematic Guides C. Improved capacities for the deployment and navigation of the electronic guide of programming, which include: 1. Email. 2. Multiple "Windows" Visible. 3. Translucent screen effects. 4. Notifications on the screen. 25 5. Thematic navigation bar. 6. Improved displacement through the electronic program guide and Smooth Displacement. 7. "Skip" function in the electronic program guide. 8. Thematic coding by color of the programming schedule. 9. Controllable number of programming days.

D. Control of the deployment of the electronic programming guide for parents; Improved information access for television programs by the viewer, which includes: 1. Compartments for Virtual Channel Ads and programming announcements in the Ads Window. 2. Additional detailed information for access by the viewer that includes a link to the Internet.

F. Improved opportunities for the commercial advertiser to reach the viewer, including: 1. Video clips related to the product- in the Announcements Window and recording of informative commercials. 2. Recording related to the program in the Ads Window. 3. Advertisements in Panels. 4. Commercial Compartments of Virtual Channels. 5. Captive Ads. 10 6. Full Screen Ads. 7. Automatic Display Channel. 8. Characteristics of Ads.

Improved access to product information for the viewer, which includes: 1. Product Detail in the Ads Window. 2. Recording Related to the Product in the Ads Window. 20 3. Recording Related to the Program in the Ads Window.

H. Creation of a viewer profile, which includes: 1. Collect information from the viewer's profile. 2. Analyze and classify the viewer's profile information.

I. Use of information from the viewer's profile, to customize various aspects of the electronic program guide; Y J. Use of information from the viewer's profile, to provide a personalized presentation of ads for the viewer.

A. IMPROVED INTERACTION CAPACITIES FOR THE TELEVIDENT WITH THE ELECTRONIC PROGRAMMING GUIDE, INCLUDING: 1. A Wide Variety of Operation Modes. Under the improved system of the electronic program guide, there are multiple ways in which the viewer can operate television. to . Television mode In television mode, the viewer sees a full-screen display of television video programming. In a modality, with the objective of entering the electronic programming guide, the viewer presses the "Guide" key on the remote control device of the viewer. In another modality, the Reticular Guide of the electronic programming guide is the default mode. In the case where the Reticular Guide of the electronic programming guide is the default mode, when the viewer turns on the television, the first thing that the viewer will see, will be the electronic guide of programming in the Reticular Guide Mode, as it will be described in more detail, later. In a modality, at the option of the viewer, as it has been identified in the configuration procedure of the electronic programming guide, the viewer can skip the default mode of the Reticular Guide of the electronic programming guide, by means of selecting the option to automatically enter Television Mode when you want the user to turn on the TV. During the configuration procedures, the viewer can additionally instruct the electronic programming guide to automatically tune to the last channel seen, as it was identified when the viewer turned off the television for the last time. The viewer can further instruct the electronic program guide, for which he automatically tunes to the favorite television channel, as inferred from an analysis of the information of the viewer's profile, described later. Alternatively, the viewer can instruct the electronic program guide to automatically tune to a particular channel, for example, a news channel such as CNN. b. Reticular Guide Mode of the Electronic Programming Guide. In the Reticular Guide Mode of the electronic programming guide, the electronic programming guide displays the Reticular Guide or as an alternative, a Channel Guide. The viewer may require that the Reticular Guide occupy the full screen, that. is displayed on a portion of the screen as an overlay of the television video programming, or, in the preferred mode, occupying only a portion of the screen, typically 2/3 of the full screen, at the same time continuing to show to television video programming in the PIP Window of the screen. In the modality preferred, multiple Windows viewers are displayed, as will be described below, including at least: The Reticle / EPG Guide Window, the PIP Window and the Ads Window. The displacement through the Guide is described later. The viewer can press the "Menu" key on the viewer's remote control device to go to the top of the Guide. The viewer can return to full-screen display of television video programming in a large number of ways. One way is to press the "Guide" key on the remote control device of the viewer. Another way is to press the "Select" key on the remote control device of the viewer when the cursor / object is highlighted on the screen, highlight a list of programs in particular about the Reticular Guide for a program that is available to be viewed in real time. Another way is to press the "last channel" key on the remote control device of the viewer to return to the program that the viewer was watching before entering the Guide, or to the last television program in which, the PIP window was blocked (an option explained later). 1.) Thematic Guide Function. The electronic program guide provides several Thematic Guides, for example, sports, movies, news, etc. Each Thematic Guide presents the listings of programs associated with a particular topic, for example, all sports programs. The Thematic Guide's deployment format only displays the program listings and, consequently, channels for certain times of the day, with appropriate content for the selected topic. For example, the Sports Thematic Guide will display, typically in chronological order, only listings for channels that present sports programs that are scheduled for a certain period of time, for example, 48 hours, 8 days, etc. 2.) Selection Function to Record. In the Selection Function for Recording, also referred to as the Recording Function, the viewer instructs the electronic program guide on which programs will be added to the recording list, which is the list of programs and schedule information. of programming, for the programs that the viewer wants to have recorded. How it will be described later, the viewer can identify the frequency / regularity with which, the viewer wants to record each program listed in the Recording List. The viewer can enter the Function of Recording in a large number of ways. The viewer can press the "Record" key, if one exists, on the viewer's remote control device. Alternatively, the viewer can "press" an active "Record" button on the screen of the electronic program guide. 3.) Display Schedule Function. In the Visualization Schedule Function, also referred to as the Visualization Function, the viewer instructs the electronic programming guide on which programs will be added to the Visualization List, which is the list of programs and information of related programming schedules. , for the programs that the viewer wants to see. As will be described later, the viewer can identify the frequency / regularity with which, the viewer wants to see each program listed in the Display List. The viewer can enter the Display Function in a large number of ways. He viewer can press the "View" key, if there is one, on the remote control device of the viewer. Alternatively, the viewer can "press" an active "view" button on the electronic program guide screen. 4.) Data Download Function. In some modalities, the data for the schedules of the electronic programming guide, and / or complementary information relevant to the program listings, and / or data of advertisers, can be downloaded to the resident memory, in the television system of the viewer . In the preferred mode of the data download system, the viewer will request that the electronic program guide provide certain types of information; The electronic program guide will use an index to determine where the information will be found and, thus, it will automatically connect to the appropriate data source and download the information. The data for the schedules of the electronic guide of programming, and / or complementary information, relevant for the lists of programs, and / or data of advertisers, can be downloaded from several sources. In one modality, the data is downloaded from the Internet. In other modalities of the data download system, the viewer is advised to tune to a particular channel at a particular time, if the viewer is interested in accessing and downloading these particular types of information. c. Internet mode. Not all modalities require that the data be downloaded to the memory of the electronic programming guide. In a modality, the schedule data of the electronic program guide, the complementary data and / or data of advertisers and the software (software) to format, display and navigate the schedule data of the electronic program guide, complementary data and / or data from advertisers, are accessed through the television system of the viewer, through a direct link between the television system of the viewer and the Internet. In a modality of the direct link to the Internet described above, the television of the viewer is connected to the Internet by means of a telephone line through a modem, by means of a cable modem, by means of a two-way communication device including communication devices by wireless modem, and by other conventional methods of communication with the Internet. The address of the initial connection website can be supplied, for example, through information transmitted to the television of the viewer on the vertical blanking interval (the "VBI"). The viewer can also be provided with a selection of multiple Internet websites for the electronic program guide. The viewer uses the remote control device to select one of the Internet websites of the electronic program guide. The television system of the viewer is programmed to emulate an online access by computer to the Internet. Once in the connection between the television system of the viewer and the Internet is established, the user has a two-way communication with the Internet service provider online, of the information related to the electronic programming guide. The user can then navigate through the electronic programming guide. Additionally, in a modality in which a keyboard user interface is available, the user can enter chat rooms or any other interactive service. 2. Remote Interface for the viewer with joystick and joystick (Trackball).

The user's video interface for viewing (Ul) comprises the viewer's remote control device and on-screen display on the television monitor. In one embodiment of the present invention, an improvement in the user interface offered by the present invention is the use of a joystick. { Joys ti ck) as a substitute for the configuration of the traditional remote control device, of a circle of four (4) arrow keys (up, down, left and right) with a selection key in the center. The user interface of the joystick provides a user-friendly interface with the electronic programming guide. The use of a joystick is intuitive. The viewer / user does not have to see the remote control once the viewer's finger makes contact with the joystick of the remote control. Accordingly, the viewer can control the user interface, while simultaneously viewing, without interruption, the display on the screen.

In another embodiment of the present invention, an improvement to the user interface offered by means of the present invention is the use of a control ball. { trackball) as a substitute for the configuration of the traditional remote control device, which consists of a circle of four (4) arrow keys (up, down, left and right) with a selection key in the center. In both the lever and control ball modes, there is a "cursor" on the screen. The viewer uses the remote control lever or ball control device to navigate the cursor to any location on the screen, similar to how a personal computer user navigates a cursor over a window of a personal computer terminal. 3. Control Mechanisms on Electronic Guide Screen of Contextually Sensitive Programming.

The "Keys", "buttons", "bars" of the menu and other devices for controlling visual mechanisms are displayed on the screen to control the electronic programming guide. Typically, Visual mechanisms control devices are sensitive to user interaction. Typically, the viewer uses the remote control device of the user interface to highlight an on-screen control device, in particular. Typically, the viewer then uses the remote control device of the user interface to select the highlighted control device on the screen. In one embodiment of the present invention, the screen control devices that are constant in their position are contextually sensitive. This is, that a particular button can be displayed consistently on any screen of the electronic programming guide, in the same position and in the same color from one screen to the next, from one mode to the next. With contextually sensitive control devices the button has a different function, even when the on-screen control device has the same appearance and location from one screen to another and in another way, and if selected, will provide a different result, depending on the screen on which the button appears. In one embodiment, the function of the on-screen control device is described verbatim together with the control device or, if the control device is large enough, on the face of the control device. For example, in a modality as illustrated in Figures 3, 4a and b, 5 and 6, the electronic program guide displays two buttons at the top of each of the four screens illustrated. On each of the four different screens, the upper left button has a different function. (As referred to in this application, the "left" and "right" addresses refer to the left side of the viewer and the right side of the viewer, respectively). Figure 3 illustrates the on-screen Reticle Guide of the electronic program guide in the mode. Programming offset In Figure 3, the user's left button is described as "View". Figures 4a and 4b illustrate the on-screen Reticular Guide of the electronic program guide in the channel shift mode. In Figure 4a and b, the user's left button is an exchange button, alternatively described as "Lock" and "Unlock". Figure 5 illustrates the electronic programming guide in the Display Schedule Function. In Figure 5, the left button of the viewer is described as "Cancel". Figure 6 illustrates the Display / Recording Schedules screen of the electronic programming guide. In Figure 6, the left clicker of the viewer is described as "Remove". 4. Programming for Visualization.

The electronic programming guide provides the user with the opportunity to select program titles, programmed to be viewed in the future. When selecting program titles, the viewer constructs a "Display List". The options and instructions in the Display List provide functionality parallel to the Recording Function of the electronic program guide. Instead of automatically recording the selected programs, the Display Function automatically turns on the TV, if it is not already on, and automatically tunes the TV to the programmed channel to provide the desired program, if the TV is not already tuned. in this channel. This feature provides the viewer with the opportunity to watch a program of special interest at a scheduled time, even when the viewer has forgotten about the scheduled delivery. This feature will also provide a selection for parents of programs that children see. The viewer can enter the Display Schedule Function in a large number of ways. The viewer can enter the Display Schedule Function by selecting this Function from the menu of the electronic program guide. The viewer can also enter the Display Schedule Function by highlighting an Announcement Window that displays an announcement for a future scheduled program, or a Virtual Channel Commercial Compartment that displays an announcement for a scheduled future program (both described in some part of this application). The viewer can designate any program on his Display List, as a program that the viewer wants to see regularly. In a modality, if the viewer enters the Display Schedule Function by highlighting an Advertiser Window or a Virtual Channel Commercial Compartment, then if the user chooses to designate a program as a "regular" display, this selection expires after of a certain amount of time if the advertiser interrupts the presentation of the ad. The planned expiration is an incentive for advertisers to renew their ads.

. "All Channels" Guide Format Channel Guide Format and Channel Guide "Next" / "Previous".

The viewer may choose to view the Reticular Guide in a "all channels" format that is displayed in a certain order for each channel and lists the programs that are already in progress or that have been programmed to go to a certain time in the channel. future. In the "all channels" format, the viewer scrolls up and down through the listings for each channel and left to right and left right to see listings for a channel scheduled for different times during the day. Typically, the portion that is furthest to the left of the guide starts with the programs scheduled earlier and continues right serially through the listings scheduled at later hours during the day. As an alternative, the viewer can choose to watch programs scheduled for a channel at a time (a "Channel Guide"). In this format, the viewer scrolls up and down through listings for a single channel, as scheduled or for different times of the day. Typically, the "upper" portion of the Channel Guide starts with the program that is scheduled earlier and continues serially through the scheduled listings that are now later in the day. Figure 9 is a graphic representation of a sample of a display of the electronic on-screen programming guide, illustrating the Channel Guide Function of the electronic program guide. In the "Channel Guide" format, the viewer can select to view the Channel Guide for the "next" channel or for the "previous" channel. In one mode, the Channel Guide "Next" and "Previous" is an option that is on one of the menus of the electronic programming guide, active buttons or taskbars. In another embodiment, the viewer's remote control device provides "Next" and "Previous" Channel Guide keys. In another mode, the viewer uses the up and down arrow keys to navigate over the next or previous Channel Guides.

B. IMPROVED TELEVIDENT CONTROL OF RECORDING IN PROGRAMMING VIDEO AT NEXT HOURS, WHICH INCLUDES: 1. Recording program displayed in the PIP Window.

As will be explained in more detail later, the electronic programming guide provides multiple "windows". A window displays the program currently tuned. When the viewer enters the electronic program guide from the television mode, the PIP Window is "highlighted". In one mode, highlighting the PIP Window is performed by means of a color change of the border surrounding the PIP Window. While the PIP Window is highlighted, the viewer can instruct the electronic program guide to record the displayed program. In one modality, the viewer records the program displayed in the highlighted PIP Window, by pressing the record button on the remote control device of the viewer. 2. Record "Regularly" One embodiment of the present invention provides the user with the option of recording a program "regularly" in particular. The "regularly" option can be selected when the viewer highlights a particular program title on the Reticular Guide of the electronic program guide. The selection of the viewer of the option "regularly" instructs the control system of the VCR to record the particular title on the desired channel, at the selected time, on any day of the week that the program is broadcast. If the transmission of the selected title appropriate by another program, the new program will not be recorded. The change in transmission schedule is determined by comparing the title of the selected program with the title of the program currently transmitted. In one embodiment of the invention, it is assumed that the title of the program currently transmitted is transported in the vertical suppression interval of the television signal. When the viewer has instructed the electronic program guide to record "regularly" a particular program, if the selected program has been appropriated by another program, the program that you cancel will not be recorded and the electronic program guide will display a message that notifies the viewer that the selected program has been appropriate and has not been recorded. 3. Recording function with a repeating filter for programs recorded "Regularly".

The electronic programming guide is capable of detecting repetitions. The identification of the program as a repetition can be transported in the vertical suppression interval of the program broadcast. In another modality, the identification information of a repetition is available in the details of the program. In a modality of the Recording Function, when the viewer selects the option to record "Regularly", the viewer is also provided with the option to filter repetitions. If the viewer selects the option to filter repetitions, then each time the program is scheduled regularly, the electronic program guide determines if the program that will happen is an episode that is identified as a repetition. If the episode is a replay and if the viewer has selecting the filter option for repetitions for a program title, then the electronic program guide will not record the episode. 4. Recording jump instruction.

In the Recording Function of the electronic program guide, the user selects a title of a program to be recorded. Once the program title has been selected, the viewer is advised to select a programming option for recording. The viewer can select Once, Daily, Weekly, or Regularly as a programming option for recording. If the viewer has selected a programming option for recording Daily, Weekly, or Regularly, a modality allows the viewer to skip the recording of the program only once. The skip instruction once may result in the electronic program guide not recording the program title, even if the recording instruction for this program remains on the recording list. In the Recording Function of the electronic program guide, the viewer can select the jump instruction for all programs that are in the Recording List, or the selected programs on the Recording List. This feature could be used when the viewer goes on vacation. The programs remain in the Recording List. At the option of the viewer, the viewer may turn off the jump instruction for all programs that are on the Recording List, or programs selected in the Recording List.

. Automatic Record List Update.

In the Recording Function of the electronic program guide, the electronic program guide will detect changes in programming, when compared to the recording instructions for particular program titles, designated for recording. In a modality, when the electronic programming guide detects changes of programming in a program, the Recording List will be automatically updated with the information of the change of schedule. For example, if a sporting event takes longer than the In the originally programmed time, a program update information packet on the vertical suppression interval may be transmitted, which updates the schedule of the scheduled programs to be broadcast after the sporting event. The electronic program guide detects programming updates in the vertical blanking interval and updates the recording list to allow the recording of any program, which follows after the sports program to be recorded as appropriate. 6. Recording on Digital Video Discs (DVD).

The viewer can instruct the electronic program guide to record programs on Digital Video Discs (DVD). Thanks to the extended storage capacity of DVDs, the viewer can instruct the electronic program guide to record an index "over an extended period of programming, for example, the viewer can instruct the electronic programming guide to record. an index, for example, four hours of a certain number of news broadcasts on CNN.When the viewer is ready to watch the recording on the DVD, the electronic programming guide displays an index on the DVD screen. The viewer can then select to watch both the entire DVD, and only those portions of the recording in which the viewer is interested. In one mode, the program level indexing of the recorded programs is created. In another embodiment, intra-program indexing is created by using information transmitted in the vertical suppression interval of the transmitted video signal. In this mode, a CNN recording is likely to show indexing cuts that include topics such as "International News.", "Not Nationals", "Sports", "Entertainment", "Business and Finance" and "State of Time". In yet another embodiment of the invention, intra-program indexing is created using some constant time interval. The index shows a start and end time interval, and selections with audio content. In still another embodiment of the invention, a software or indexing only analyzes the audio content of a recorded program ("Content Analysis Program"). This is typically, in addition to using all of the cut information from Indexing transmitted in the program's vertical blanking interval. The Content Analysis Program uses speech recognition theology to analyze, among other things, variables such as: announcement changes, pitch changes, speed changes, words of a specific subject, geographical locations, substantive words. The Content Analysis Program then creates an index of specific topics, in addition to the thematic index described above. 7. Ability to Use Speed Sensing Tapes.

The Recording Function of the electronic program guide provides a Recording List that identifies the titles of the programs that the viewer has selected to be recorded. The ability to use speed sensitive tapes feature a color coding to identify in a color, the titles that can fit on a tape even at a fast speed and to identify separately, with another color, the titles that can fit in a at low speed. 8. Resolution of Conflicts of Recording Instructions.

The Recording Function recognizes the conflicts that are presented in the viewer's recording instructions. In one modality, the recording function of the electronic program guide warns the viewer to resolve the conflict. For example, in the Recording Function, the electronic program guide can accept the viewer's instructions to record a particular program. The electronic program guide compares the recording instruction that has just been received, as if it were not completely executed, or as if it had not been executed, with the recording instructions in the Recording List. If the electronic program guide detects an overlap of date, time and duration between an instruction that has just been received on the one hand and one or more remaining recording instructions on the recording list, the electronic program guide will format a message for that the viewer is described the conflict. The message describes to the user that the instruction that has just been received records a particular program and recording instructions that create conflict within of .the Record List. In the Recording Function, the electronic programming guide will prevent an entry of any instruction that creates conflict within the Recording List. The electronic program guide will require the viewer to review the recording instructions to eliminate the conflict. In - a modality, if the electronic programming guide detects that a recording instruction belongs to a program of "an occurrence" that creates conflict with a date, time and duration with a recording instruction to record a program "recorded regularly", The electronic programming guide will format an on-screen message that may suggest to the viewer that it select the "one occurrence" program for it. seize. In another modality, the electronic programming guide "decides" to automatically ignore the "record regularly" instruction and record the "one occurrence" program, without the viewer having to intervene additionally. One way to resolve a conflict of recording instructions is to choose an alternate occurrence of the conflicting program to be recorded. In a modality of the electronic program guide, the viewer can highlight a particular program within the electronic program guide, and require a list of all occurrences of this program during the week. The viewer can then instruct the electronic programming guide to record an alternative occurrence of the program. In an alternative mode, the viewer can see a list in alphabetical order of all the programs that pass during the week. The viewer can mark a program to be seen or recorded, from the list in alphabetical order. 9. Recording from Thematic Guides The electronic program guide provides several Thematic Guides, for example, sports, movies, news, etc. When the viewer selects a particular Thematic Guide, for example, The Sports Thematic Guide, the viewer can instruct the electronic program guide to record an event while it is in the Thematic Guide, without having to leave the Guide Theme and go to the Reticular Guide of the program. For example, in the Sports Thematic Guide, the viewer instructs the electronic programming guide to add a sporting event to the Recording List by clicking on the scoreboard for a particular sporting event and / or list of sports programs in the Sports Thematic Guide.

C. IMPROVED CAPABILITIES FOR THE DEPLOYMENT AND NAVIGATION OF THE ELECTRONIC PROGRAMMING GUIDE, WHICH INCLUDES: 1. Email.

In the preferred mode, the electronic programming guide interfaces with the Internet / the World Wide Web. In the preferred mode, the viewer can access the Internet to send and receive electronic mail. In another embodiment, the television terminal is addressable and the main terminal controls the electronic mail traffic among the viewers on its own network. To facilitate two-way transmission, a 900 or toll-free number is used as an auxiliary link. The email can then be sent to the appropriate viewer through the vertical blanking interval to the addressable television separately from the viewer.

Multiple "Windows" Visible.

The user interface screen of the electronic program guide provides multiple visible "windows". A window presents the Reticular Guide of the electronic programming guide. Another window presents the PIP window from image to image, in which the currently tuned program is displayed. Another window displays ad information (the "Ads Window"). The ads can be in the form of graphic or text information. Alternatively, the ads may be in the form of video display. In one modality, the Ad windows are interactive. While the viewer enters the electronic program guide from television mode, the PIP Window is highlighted. The viewer can block the PIP Window. Locking the PIP Window allows the viewer to continue watching the television program that is being displayed in the PIP Window, while the viewer scrolls through the Reticular Program Guide of the electronic program guide. Unlocking the PIP Window causes the video for the program title highlighted in the Reticular Guide, be displayed in the PIP Window. As described further below, the viewer can also highlight the Ads Window. Doing this will cause an additional text to be displayed that describes the product that will be displayed in the detail table of the Reticular Guide of the electronic programming guide. If the Ads Window displays information about a particular product, pressing a record button will instruct the electronic programming guide to record an information commercial, up to the limit it is programmed for now. Alternatively, the Ads Window can display information about a future scheduled television program or about a series of programs that will be broadcast for a period of time. In this case, when you press a record button, the electronic programming guide will be instructed to record the program programmed for the future. Alternatively, the viewer can designate the program for the Display List. In one modality, the viewer navigates from the Reticular Guide to the PIP Window by means of press the left arrow key until the cursor / highlight reaches the PIP Window. From the PIP Window the viewer uses the right direction key to move again towards the Reticular Guide. In one mode, moving from the PIP Window to the Reticular Guide causes the cursor to move to the top edge of the Reticular Guide. From the top edge of the Reticular Guide, pressing the up arrow key moves the cursor to the navigation bar. The electronic program guide provides several possible destinations on the navigation bar, for example information center, sports, news, configuration, help, etc. From the PIP Window, pressing the down arrow key moves the cursor to the Announcement Window. The viewer can set a default option, or allow the system ions by default, to highlight the destination of the navigation bar when the viewer initially enters the Reticular Guide. 3. Translucent screen effects In one embodiment, the electronic program guide creates special translucent visual effects. To create the translucent effect, the system alternates the display format pixel by pixel - one pixel is the color of the overlay and the next pixel is transparent. 4. Onscreen.

The electronic programming guide formats on-screen notifications for the viewer and displays this notification to the viewer. The screen notifications can be used to alert the viewer with any number of possible information items. For example, the electronic program guide may notify the viewer that the electronic program guide will begin recording a particular program within a certain amount of time, for example, 2 minutes. The recording notification may additionally ask the viewer, to know if it is going to switch to a cable television decoder to record the program. If the viewer has indicated that the viewer does not want the electronic program guide to switch to the cable box for record the program, then the electronic program guide can delete the program from the recording list. Another example can be, notifying the viewer with a program that may be of interest (for example, as determined by analyzing the Viewer Profile) will be broadcast on another channel within a certain amount of time, for example, in 2 minutes . The electronic program guide can then ask if the viewer wants to see the program on the other channel. If the viewer indicates that the viewer wants to watch the program on the other channel, then the electronic program guide will automatically tune to the other channel at the appropriate time. Alternatively, the electronic program guide can ask the viewer, if the viewer wants to record the program that is on the other channel and could then record that program in the appropriate time if the viewer answers affirmatively. If the TV is in TV mode, the notification will be displayed on the screen. The notification can be displayed in a large number of ways, including: 1.) A full-screen overlay; 2.) A partial screen overlay; 3.) the video signal of the program in time real is automatically changed to image-on-image (PIP) format, and notification is displayed outside the PIP window; 4.) the video signal of the program in real time is automatically changed to the image on image (PIP) format and the notification is displayed inside the PIP Window; 5.) as a "watermark" somewhere on the screen; 6.) an icon on the screen is displayed and which can be "pressed" by the viewer who is using the navigation keys on the remote control device of the viewer and which, if pressed, displays the notification in one of the previous formats; 7.) The video signal of the program is compressed slightly to fit within a certain percentage, for example, in 90% of the upper part of the screen and the notification is displayed as a horizontally deployable message, at the bottom of the screen. screen; 8.) the video signal of the program is compressed slightly to fit within a certain percentage, for example, in 90% of the lower part of the screen and the notification is displayed as a horizontally deployable message, in the upper part of the screen. screen. If the television is in a different mode than television mode, the electronic program guide You can notify the viewer through some modification of one of the formats described above. For example, if the television is in the Reticle Guide mode in a PIP format, then the electronic program guide can use any of the format numbers 1.), 2.), 5.), 6.), 7. ), 8.) or, the electronic program guide may notify the viewer by displaying the notification in the Announcement Window, a virtual commercial channel compartment, in the details information window, or in a horizontally expandable message in the top or bottom of the screen.

. Thematic Navigation Bar.

The thematic screen is on top of the Reticular Guide. In one modality, the Reticular Guide deployment provides a "page feed" on-screen button. In one embodiment, the Reticular Guide deployment also provides a "menu" button. The viewer can move to the top of the Reticular Guide by "pressing" the button on the page advance screen, or by "pressing" the menu button. 6. Improved displacement through the electronic program guide and Smooth Displacement.

In the top-level screen of the electronic program guide within the Reticular Guide mode, the viewer user can jump directly to a next day in the schedule information. In one modality, the Reticular Guide screen provides a "page advance" on-screen button. The program schedule information for a plurality of channels is displayed on a screen of the electronic program guide within the Reticular Guide mode. The titles are cut out to be represented in the Reticular Guide, to conserve space. The complete title is available for the system and is represented in the detailed description area of the Reticular Guide, when the viewer highlights a block within the Reticular Guide for the corresponding program listing. Even so, the electronic programming guide cuts the titles, according to a set of rules to trim titles, in such a way that the titles fit within the blocks, programming of the Reticular Guide. The viewer can scroll up or down through the listings of the programs. When scrolling, titles are not represented until the scrolling stops. This delay in the representation of the titles, accelerates the processing and makes the appearance of the screen less confusing. When moving, the cursor will not highlight the upper or lower block on the screen, unless the channel is the top or bottom with respect to the edge. The absence of signals alerts the viewer that more channels remain in the direction of travel. A further improvement for the user interface ("Ul") of the electronic programming guide is the development of "Smooth Displacement". When the cursor reaches the second block from bottom to top, and the new block appears below, the entire block and its content, for example, the title of the program, gradually grows in height until the block that is appearing reaches the total height of the block. block. At the same time, the block that is disappearing from the top of the screen, and the content of this upper block, is reduced in height until the block has vanished. This provides a smooth transition in the full-screen representation, but in fact it is not perceptible as it changes to 1/60 per second. Smooth scrolling is less disconcerting to the viewer than a page-per-page screen change, which is the scrolling technique used in existing on-screen guides. The entire bitmap does not have to be represented again while a block is moving - only the upper block is shrunk or compressed in its vertical dimension. In a modality, when moving slowly, the new block that is appearing on the screen is not represented until the displacement stops. By quickly moving multiple blocks, the processor stops the representation of the block in any of the blocks during the displacement; the processor waits until the scrolling stops or slows down to represent the blocks. This allows a faster movement, since the blocks do not have to be removed until the screen reaches the desired point. Representing the data is an intensive task for the processor. A special interaction between the software of microprogram { firmware) and physical equipment (hardware) is required to minimize the representation of the .bits map and remove data from memory. This applies to both vertical and horizontal displacement. The user can stay oriented as the channel identifiers and schedules remain displayed. 7. "Jump" function in the electronic program guide.

The viewer can "jump" to the desired action or location within the electronic program guide, in a large number of ways. In the Reticular Guide, the viewer can jump to a channel compartment for a particular channel by entering the digits of the channel identification number on the remote control device keyboard of the viewer. The electronic programming guide interprets the number and calculates the appropriate position for the cursor of the electronic programming guide. The electronic program guide then displays the cursor on the screen in an appropriate channel compartment.

In one modality, the favorite and / or most viewed channels of the viewer are displayed as buttons in a selection bar of favorite channels that is somewhere in the electronic guide of programming of the Reticular Guide. The viewer can jump to one of their favorite channels by "pressing" the appropriate channel button. In another embodiment, the remote-controlled device of the viewer displays the letters associated with the keyboard numbers. The viewer can use a special "Alt" key, to allow the viewer to press the keys as if it were in an alphabetic and / or alphanumeric way. In this way, the viewer can enter a channel identifier, such as "CNN". In another modality, the viewer can request a drop-down menu of the favorite channel identifiers and can select a channel from the drop-down menu. In yet another modality, the viewer can establish "markers" in the electronic program guide, by means of using a "marker" key on the remote control device of the viewer, or alternatively, a "marker" button on the television screen. electronic guide of programming. The viewer can press the "bookmark" key when the user wants to mark a current location to return later. The viewer can scroll, jump, or otherwise navigate to any other location within the electronic program guide. When the viewer wants to return to the marked location, the viewer can press the "last mark" key (on, either the remote control device of the viewer, or alternatively on the screen of the electronic program guide). The electronic program guide can record a plurality of marked locations. In one embodiment, the electronic program guide may remember the locations marked after the viewer has turned off the television and then turned on the television multiple times. 8. Thematic coding by color of the programming schedule.

The electronic program guide categorizes the programs according to a plurality of topics. In one modality, the electronic programming guide codes with color the presentation of the program in the Reticular Guide, according to the categorization of the theme assigned to the program. 9. Controllable number of programming days.

Typically, the electronic program guide will provide only 2 days of program listings. To the selection of the viewer, the electronic programming guide can present only a single day of program listings. The one-day option provides a smaller range of program listings, but increases the response time. Alternatively, the viewer may select to present any number of days of program listings, up to the number of days that is provided by the particular configuration, which is set by the corresponding amount of available storage memory.

D. CONTROL OF THE DEPLOYMENT OF THE ELECTRONIC PROGRAMMING GUIDE FOR PARENTS; The viewer Family Father initially enters the Control Function for Parents during the configuration procedures initials of the electronic program guide. In the configuration procedure of the electronic programming guide, the Father identifies all television viewers and assigns individual viewer identifiers. The viewer Father also establishes a password for said viewer Father, the Provisional US Patent Application Serial Number 60 / 085,401. { "V-CHIP Pl us-t-: In-Guide User Interface Appara t us and Methos for progammabl e Blocking of Tel evisi on and other viewa g Programming such as Parental Control of Television Recei ver") Describes the Installation Procedures of the Control for parents to identify individual viewers and password protection settings, whose publication is incorporated here for your reference, as it is stated here in its entirety. In the Control Function for Parents, the Parent selects the channels and programs that may be visible in the ReticuGuide for a particuviewer and selects channels and / or programs that should be blocked in their visualization. Children's viewers, as identified during setup procedure / will see a simplified ReticuGuide and will be blocked to see the programs so marked by the Father. In one modality, the individual viewers are identified by means of a viewer identifier and a password. In another embodiment, individual viewers have different remote control devices, whose use is also protected by means of a password.

E. IMPROVED INFORMATION ACCESS FOR PROGRAMS OF TELEVISION BY TELEVISION, INCLUDING: 1. Virtual Channel Announcements Compartments and Ads Ads Programming Ads As will be described further on, the electronic program guide provides the viewer with multiple opportunities to obtain detailed information about the television programs. As will be described later, the electronic program guide provides the viewer with the opportunity to select Commercial Channel Screens or Ads Window screens that advertise future-programmed television programs and get additional information in the form of text or video clips. . 2. Additional detailed information for access by the viewer that includes a link to the Internet.

The electronic programming guide displays detailed information relevant to the program listings in the detailed information area of the ReticuGuide. Detailed information may include, among other things, a detailed textual description of the program, information about the actors and actresses, information about the production of the program, information related to products, identification of Internet websites and online chat rooms Internet -relevant. The electronic program guide provides the viewer with the ability to require detailed information of said guides / data services in a e number of ways, including when the viewer points out: a particuprogram in the ReticuGuide, the Advertizing Window , or A Commercial Compartment of Virtual Channel. In one embodiment, the viewer's remote control device has an "Information" power key. When the viewer has navigated on the screen to the cursor / highlighted To a particublock or window on the screen of the electronic programming guide, the viewer can press the "Information" key of the device to remote control, to require additional information. In a modalityWhen the viewer highlights a particular program in the Reticular Guide, the Ads Window, a Virtual Channel Commercial Compartment, or another one requests access to detailed information related to the program, the electronic programming guide that connects to the viewer with an external database of information, such as with a particular website on the Internet. The viewer can instruct the electronic programming guide to connect the user with specialized and detailed information services / information guides, such as sports, news or other guides / data services. In one modality, the links to an external data source are made by storing an address of a website with the announcement of the Ads Window or the Commercial Compartment of the Virtual Channel in the RAM of the User's Terminal. A sports program listed in the Reticular Guide provides an illustrative example of how the Viewer interacts with a detailed specialized information / services guide like this one. When the viewer highlights a soccer game listed in the Reticular Guide, the normal details concerning the program are displayed in the detailed information area of the Reticular Guide. Moreover, multiple icons related to the program highlighted in the Reticular Guide can be displayed. An icon alerts the user that the game is already happening. Another icon indicates the availability of specialized guide information. The viewer can select the program from the Reticular Guide to view and / or record it. In addition, the viewer can select the specialized guide icon. In the case of a sports program, the selection of a specialized guide icon can show, for example, a team marker for the game, if the game is already in progress in the detailed information area of the Reticular Guide. If the program was scheduled at a future time, then selecting the specialized guide icon can show, for example, information about the players, the teams and perhaps the ephemeris of the game. Another icon, displayed for example, on the game guide screen of the sports guide, provides the user with the option to connect to the Internet, for example, to a particular website that provides additional information about the game, possibly including an online chat about the game. In one modality, the electronic programming guide is changed to the full screen to display the Internet website. In another modality, the electronic programming guide displays the Internet website in the area of the screen previously occupied by the Reticular Guide and / or the Reticular Guide and the Ads Window, at the same time continuing to display the video screen in Actual time of the television program currently tuned in the PIP Window. Alternatively, the electronic program guide can be displayed to the Internet web site in the PIP Window, and display to the television program currently tuned to the screen area previously occupied by the Reticular Guide and / or the Reticular Guide and the Window Advertisements. The Internet website to which the electronic programming guide is initially connected (the "contact website") can be a specialized director, using hyperlinks predetermined to the viewer, for other sites of interest. The contact website can, or as an alternative, offer additional Search capabilities for the viewer to locate the information of interest. Once the viewer is already connected to a specialized information / data service guide, the viewer can use the guide / data service to direct the viewer to make a particular information contained within the Reticular Guide of the electronic programming guide . For example, a viewer selects a news program to watch it. While you are watching the news program, the news commentator describes an event that involves some stars not. The viewer selects the icon from the news / data service guide and connects to a website on the Internet that describes, among other things, additional information about the particular event involving the astronauts. The viewer uses a search engine offered by the contact website, to locate additional information about the astronauts themselves. In the subsequent websites, a Di scovery Channel program is mentioned that concerns something of the astronauts themselves. The viewer instructs the electronic programming guide to locate any occurrence of the program referred to and to program that the program has been recorded. In one mode, an address of type PLUS CODE is used to link to, or record to the programmed program. The viewer can search in an index, available on the Internet and created by a news data service, recorded television news programs and reports. The viewer can search the index. If the viewer selects one of the indexed reports, a video report clip indexed in the area of the screen occupied by the Internet website screen, or any area or alternative portion of the screen display will be displayed. The viewer can instruct the electronic programming guide to record the video clip. The electronic program guide is capable of integrating additional information, provided by the special data services, on the screen of the electronic program guide. For example, in the case of a sports data service, the electronic program guide can format the program listing screen and / or sports results for a game with a special color coding, depending on the stage of the game. game. For example, if the game is already in progress, the electronic program guide will format the program listing and / or sports results for this game, with one color, for example, green: if the game has already been finished, the listing. of programs and / or the final results may be in a different color, for example, in blue. If the game is in progress, the viewer can highlight and select the scoreboard to move from the scoreboard to the game shown on the television. In one modality, the selected television sports program appears in the PIP Window or the 7? Nuncio Window, allowing the viewer to read the story related to the sports program in the sports guide, while watching the sports television program correspondent. The electronic program guide is additionally able to link news articles in a special news guide and related television program. The viewer can link to a news program to watch or record this program by highlighting and selecting a news article in a news guide. In one modality, the selected television news program appears in the PIP Window or the Ads Window allowing the viewer to read the story in the news guide, while watching the news program on television that corresponds to the event. In one embodiment, the vertical blanking interval for selected channels is dedicated to providing a special data service. For example, the ESPN vertical blanking interval can provide sports data services only. In one modality, as an incentive to present this data, the data service can be deployed to the ESPN television program in the PIP Window. Since the tuner must be set to ESPN to capture the data, the television signal is available to be displayed in the PIP Window.

F. IMPROVED OPPORTUNITY FOR THE COMMERCIAL ADVERTISER, TO ARRIVE AT TELEVIDENT, INCLUDING: 1. Video clips related to the product in the Announcements Window and recording informative commercials.

The electronic program guide provides producers of commercial information, extended capabilities to reach viewers through the Ads window. Because of the cost of time to buy advertising, a growing number of manufacturers and marketers of products, produce informative commercials about their products and then buy relatively cheap airtime for their news commercials, according to non-stellar schedules, often in non-stellar channels. The electronic program guide provides the producers of commercial information, the opportunity to provide the viewer with the opportunity to record an informative commercial that is broadcast in an hour or a channel, which may be inconvenient for the viewer to see in time real. If the Ads Window displays information about a particular product, when you press a record button, the electronic programming guide will be instructed to record an informational commercial or announcement, at the limit that it is programmed for a certain time. future. Alternatively, the viewer may designate the informational commercial or the advertisement for the Display List. Alternatively, the electronic program guide provides producers of news commercials with the opportunity to provide the viewer with an opportunity to see an video clip about the product that is being announced. In one modality, the video clip associated with the product and / or program displayed in the Announcement Window is displayed when the viewer highlights the Ads Window. Depending on the modality and / or option selections of the viewer, the video clips are displayed in the PIP Window, in the Ads Window or in the full screen. At the conclusion of the video clip, the electronic program guide will typically return to the mode in which the viewer was operating immediately before selecting the option that triggered the video clip screen. 2. Recording related to the program in the Ads Window.

The electronic program guide provides television programming distributors with additional opportunities to reach the viewer. The Ads Window can display information about a television program scheduled in the future. If the viewer is interested in recording the program, the viewer can take a number of alternative actions For example, in one modality, the viewer can instruct the electronic programming guide to record a program scheduled for the future. In one modality, the viewer presses the recording button on the remote control device, to instruct the electronic programming guide to record the program programmed in the future. Alternatively, the viewer can instruct the electronic program guide to add a program to the Display List. Alternatively, the viewer can instruct the electronic programming guide to display a video clip about the program. Moreover, the viewer can instruct the electronic programming guide to connect the user with information guides / specialized data services, such as sports, news, other guides / data services. The electronic program guide provides the viewer with the ability to request detailed information from said guides / data services, in a large number of ways, including when the viewer points out: a particular program in the Reticular Guide, the Window of Ads, or a Commercial Compartment of Virtual Channel. In one modality, the electronic guide of programming displays relevant detailed information in the detailed information area of the Reticular Guide. In another modality, the electronic programming guide connects the viewer with an external information database, such as with a particular website on the Internet. 3. Advertisements in Panels.

In one mode, panel ads occupy a fixed area within the Guide and are usually filled with paid ads. Located directly below the PIP Window in an Ad Window, a space is available in the Guide for 2 Panel announcements. Each Panel ad occupies approximately 1/9 of the total area of the screen. The usable area of a Panel ad is 132 pixels high by 160 pixels wide, with 2 wide black edges of 2 pixels, around a gray portion 2 pixels wide on the left and right sides. In one modality, all the screens in the Guide are made up of "support pages". A support page is defined as an area comprising nine channel compartments. Each time a user Scroll down to the 9 * x Channel compartment, a new "support page" appears. Scrolling back will bring back to the previous support page. Each support page may have different Panel ads associated with it. In one modality, the support pages are defined distinctly in the Classification screens. Each category of classification (for example, Movies, Sports, Children) will be considered as a support page, regardless of the number of items that are vertically on the list. As long as the user moves horizontally from one category to the next, the panel ads will change. The number of sports pages available depends on the size of the user's edge and the number of channels turned on and off. In the event that there are not enough channels to support the number of support pages required by the number of Panel ads sold, all panel announcements will not be displayed. For example, let's assume that 4 pairs of Panel announcements and 4 Channel announcements are stored in memory. Additionally, let's assume that a particular user It has 20 active channels in its channel alignment. Then the announcements could be presented as follows: Ad pair in Panel 1 with channels 1-8 and the first Channel announcement. Ad pair in Panel 2 with channels 9-16 and the second Channel announcement. Ad pair in Panel 3 with channels 17-20 and the third and fourth Channel announcements.

If the user turned on more channels that require the addition of a fourth support page, then the fourth Ad pair in Panel would be visible. In one modality, the user can highlight these ads, resulting in the automatic display of an expanded information box. This expanded information box covers two thirds of the right side of the Reticle. The user closes the expanded information box by highlighting the Panel announcement or by pressing the information button, after the last screen of the related information box has been presented. Figures 10a and 10b are representations graphs of a sample on screen of some deployments of the electronic programming guide that illustrates a feature modality to present additional information, concerning the subject matter of a highlighted Panel Announcement Window.

In one mode, Panel ads are surrounded by black flat edges. When a panel ad is highlighted, the border becomes yellow. When a program is set to record, the edge becomes red (dark red when the Panel announcement is not highlighted, light red / bright when highlighted). When a program is programmed to be viewed, the border becomes orange (dark orange when the Panel announcement is not highlighted, light orange / bright, when it is highlighted). In one embodiment, there may be multiple information "screens" displayed sequentially in the expanded information box. When you press the information button while an ad is highlighted, you enter these additional screens. There is no finite limit for the number of additional screens; Memory limitations and sales requirements will limit this number. In a modality, if a Panel ad is highlighted and has shown information associated with it, and if the announced program is currently on, the user can tune directly to the related program by means of the Left Action button (the Blue button that is labeled "View") or by pressing the Enter / Select button on the remote control . Pressing the Display button also places the program in the Recording / Display Schedule for the duration of the program, to allow the user to set the frequency to daily or weekly. If the program is not currently on, pressing the Left Action button places the program in the Recording / Display Schedule or; Pressing the Enter / Select button tunes to the channel related to the program that is in the ad. The programs added to the Schedule of Recording / Visualization can be put or seen only once, daily or weekly. The Clock feature and the related Active button labels operate in the same way as if you were programming a program to be viewed from the Reticle. In a modality, if a Panel ad has shown information associated with it, the program can be recorded by highlighting the ad and pressing the Right Active button (the Green button, labeled as ("Record"). If the program is aired at this time, recording starts immediately and the program is placed in the Recording / Display Schedule for the duration of the program, to allow the user to set the frequency to daily, or weekly. If the program is going to be aired in the future, this program is added to the Record / Display Schedule to self-record. Programs added to the Schedule of Recording / Visualization can be configured to be recorded: once, daily, or weekly. The Recording feature and the labels of the Active button operate in the same way as if you were programming to record a program from the Grid. In one mode, Panel ads can be dynamic. There are two areas that can be dynamic: 1.) Panel announcement space; and / or 2.) the Information box. The Panel announcement area can be changed over time, for example, every x seconds, rotating through a plurality of different text or graphics executions within the Panel announcement space. When a Panel ad is highlighted, the rotation of the ad is in the image of the ad currently displayed. Dynamic rotation does not Restart until the Panel announcement is no longer highlighted. The text of the information box associated with the Panel announcement may change over time, for example, every second is rotated through a plurality of different text screens. Screen rotation stops if a user presses the Information Button, displaying the first page of the information text. This option is available for advertisers to rotate different headers in the information box. The user can see consistent pages by pressing the information button again. Screen rotation does not restart until the Panel announcement is no longer highlighted. 4. Commercial Compartments of Virtual Channels.

The electronic programming guide provides producers of commercial information, extended capabilities to reach viewers through the Virtual Channel Announcement Compartments, also referred to as Channel announcements. The Virtual Channel Announcement Compartments appear as rows in the Reticular Guide and typically show, the titles of the programs that are programmed for a particular channel. The Virtual Channel Announcement Compartments of the Reticular Guide of the electronic programming guide, provide that the announcements are displayed in the form of a line, in the program schedules of the Reticular Guide. The Virtual Channel Announcement Compartments can be used to provide multiple exposures of a particular program, within the guide. The Virtual Channel Sub-Compartments act as a channel entry in the Reticular Guide, since the viewer can record, view, schedule to view, and / or get information about the program advertised in the information detail box of the Reticular Guide. In Figure 1 of the drawing, block 52 shows an example of a Virtual Channel Announcement Compartment for an advertisement for a television program - it is a program listing that is out of place with respect to the channel and with respect to the time in Reticular Guide 22. That is, it does not appear in the channel position or the usual time position within the guide, but the title is in any way, like any other program listing block in the Reticular Guide 22 (including its height), except that it occupies the full width of the block, regardless of the program length. A block of a normal program listing scrolls off the screen while the up and down arrow keys are pressed. In contrast, in one embodiment, a Virtual Channel Announcement Compartment, such as that shown in block 52, appears on the screen at all times, while the up and down arrow keys are pressed, so that the ad remains visible at all times. Channel announcements do not occupy a fixed area. Channel announcements are inserted essentially between the channels of the Reticle. If there is no channel advertisement sold, the Reticle will simply be a continuous list of channel / program titles, without any separation. As long as these channel announcements take a channel compartment within the Reticle, it is desirable to limit how many of these would be desirable to appear on any screen, to ensure that the Guide is a useful source of information for television programming. Typically, there will be approximately one Channel per sheet ad. Channel announcements are typically the height of a channel compartment, the width of the Reticle is mixed with the channel listings. The area Usable for a Channel advertisement is typically 24 pixels high by 344 pixels wide, with a rim of 2 pixels wide, all around. There are several types of Channel announcements, including: Channel announcements Relative, Main and Fixed. The Relative Channel Announcements appear in a position relative to the top of the Reticle and are separated by each n channel compartment, where n is some number. These ads appear and disappear, as user pages through the pages of the Guide. It is anticipated that n will normally be (but not necessarily always) equal to 9, since this is the number of channels that are in the Reticle, in its version of image on image (PIP). This can provide one ad for each support page. The location for a first ad can be selected on the first sheet and subsequent announcements will follow for each n channel compartments. The same announcement is repeated every n compartment. This method for repeating every n channel compartment is true for both the PIP versions and the non-PIP versions. Typically, when the user a stops the channels, the space between these ads remains constant (each n channel compartment). In the event that there are not enough channels to continue this spacing, the announcements will appear at the end of the Reticular lists. Major Channel ads are related to a specific channel, located directly above the ad. An announcement of Main Channel is fixed to its "main" channel to adjacent (that is, the announcement follows the main channel). As it is desirable to limit the number of Channel announcements seen on any screen, the number of Main announcements will typically be limited. Additionally, if the main channel is turned off, the announcement will typically be displayed at the bottom of the grid. The Fixed Position Channel ads are located at a specific location, a and (where and is some number) channels below the top of the Grid. Yes and it is greater than the number of channels that are in the Reticle, the announcement will be located at the end of the Reticle. The channels will typically be spaced such that no more than one Channel advertisement is displayed at a time, except as denoted above, with with respect to the announcements of Channel of Fixed Position and Main. In one mode, Channel announcements are vertically aligned with the channel listing information. These ads remain in a fixed position when the Reticle is shifted horizontally. The user can highlight these Channel announcements, just as any program title can be highlighted. When they are highlighted, these Channel announcements will display additional information in the information box, such as when any channel is highlighted. Channel announcements are typically surrounded by ledges, just like any program block. The highlighting of a Channel announcement is typically similar to the highlighting of the Panel announcement. In a modality, when a user points out a Channel advertisement, the rim changes to a flat, smooth yellow (no rim). When a program of a Channel ad is set to be recorded, the edge becomes red (dark red when not highlighted, light red / bright when highlighted). When a Channel announcement program is scheduled to be seen, the border becomes orange (dark orange) when it is not highlighted, light orange / bright when highlighted). In one modality, channel announcements may have multiple sequential information box "screens" for information. The availability of this additional information is indicated by means of an "i" icon. The user can access this additional information by clicking on the information button. In a modality, if a channel announcement is highlighted, it has program information associated with it and the announced program is currently on air, the user can tune directly to the related program by pressing the Left Active button (the Blue button that is labeled "View") or by pressing the Enter / Select button on your remote control. By pressing the View button, the program is also placed in the Record / Display Schedule, for the duration of the program. If the program is not currently on the air, pressing the Left Active button places the program in the Recording / Display Schedule, for a future auto-display; When you press the Enter / Select button, you tune to the channel related to the program in the Channel announcement. The programs Aggregates to the Recording Schedule / Visualization can be configured to be viewed: once, daily, or weekly. The Display feature and the labels of the related Active button operate in the same way, if you were programming a program, to view it from the Reticle. In a modality, if the Channel announcement has certain program information associated with it, the program will be recorded by highlighting the announcement and pressing the Right Active button (the Green button labeled Record). If the program is being delivered to the television signal, the recording starts immediately and the program is placed in the Recording / Display Schedule, for the duration of the program. If the program will be aired in the future, the program will be added to the Recording / Visualization Schedule to be recorded. The programs added to the Schedule of Recording / Visualization will be configured to be recorded: once, daily, or weekly. The recording feature and the tags of the related Active button operate in the same way, thesis is recording a program from the Reticle. Channel announcements can be dyc.

. Captive Ads In a modality, when the Reticle is configured for the first time, the initial download of information has not been received. The Panel announcement spaces must be filled with captive announcements, which are stored in the ROM. These ads must be "non-time dependent" as they will appear every time the TV is set, either for the first time or after a power failure. One of the uses for the Panel ad space is the help text. The help text that makes the user select the ad space, can serve as a "tutorial", to -to know how to access Panel announcements, the additional information on the information screens, and how to View and Record from of the ads. 6. Full Screen Ads, When the viewer initially enters the electronic program guide, the electronic program guide can display a full-screen ad, such as an advertisement that can be displayed. in the Ads Window. The viewer can interact with the full-screen ad, in the same way that the viewer can interact with the Ads Window. That is, the telvider can instruct the electronic program guide to record or add to the Display List, the informational commercial or program, if there is one, that is associated with the advertisement. 7. Automatic Display Channel.

The place to have the last channel seen, like the first channel tuned the next time the viewer turns on the TV, a channel selected by the viewer can be automatically tuned. In one embodiment, the viewer indicates the Automatic display channel in the Display List Function of the electronic program guide. In another modality, one of diffuser sends a screen of consultation in screen to each viewer, to enter a command if it is that the viewer wants to see the channel of the diffuser as the first viewing channel, when the viewer initially lights up his television.

Characteristics of Ads Ads can have features, among other things, such as a field for graphics, a field for text or a combination of a field for text and graphics. Graphics are typically presented in 8-bit / pixel images (using "320 mode"), four bits / pixel (in "640 mode") and 1 bit / pixel. In some modalities, they will require memory limitations. In modalities with such memory limitations, it is expected that Panel announcements will contain graphics that are not greater than 25% of the ad area, when 4 or 8-bit / pixel graphics are used. 100% of the area can be used by a 1 bit / pixel chart. Channel announcement graphics will typically be limited, but not necessarily, to the logo portion of the ad channel. "By using the word" typically, "here and elsewhere in this application, it will mean" typically, but not necessarily. ") The remaining portion of the Channel announcement will typically be just text.The text displayed will typically have the following characteristics: Point sources 18 and 24 available normal and condensed Italic version of the fonts underlined bold centered justify to the left or right the color can be selected once per line the text can also be displayed as a bitmap image of 1 bit / pixel, only in the areas of the Panel announcement.

The background colors will have an impact on the appearance and total utilization of the Guide. The following describes a typical modality. The background colors of the Panel ads may be selected by the advertiser and will typically be subject to the lighting restrictions set forth below. Background colors of Channel announcements may be restricted. The background colors of the program blocks are used as keys for the program categories (movies, sports, etc.) and of the actions taken on a program (configured to be recorded or viewed). Although most of the background colors can be displayed, it is desirable to maintain the integrity of the color schemes of the program blocks. Therefore, it is preferable that a set of background colors or a set of colors that can not be used by advertising agencies be used to be used when an advertisement for Channel is actively developed. The background of the Channel announcement will typically be subject to the light restrictions set below. The background of the information box will typically be gray and typically can not be changed by the advertiser. There are typical limitations on the brightness of colors for advertisements. If the brightness is very high, the image on the screen will expand. When these limitations are established, according to the modality and communicated to the advertisers for what they consider in their development. Ads that do not comply with the luminosity restrictions for the particular mode will be subject to limitations of being ignored, by default.

In one modality, the. viewer can interact with the ads and television. For example, the Tuning announcements will allow the viewer to tune directly to a program that is in progress from a highlighted ad block, assuming that the ad block has program information associated with it. A program in progress associated with an ad is directly tuned by pressing either the Enter / Select button or the Left Active button (the Blue button labeled "See"). The direct recording announcements will allow the user to record or program that is in progress or that is scheduled to happen in the future, from a highlighted ad block. . No- there is no practical limitation on how far an associated program can be programmed for direct recording, which is aired in the future. A program associated with an ad is recorded by pressing the Right Active button while the ad is highlighted.

The user can select a recording frequency once, daily or weekly. From the announcement, the user presses the Right Action key (the Green button labeled "Record"). To place the announcement in the Recording Schedule. In the event in If the program is currently on the air, pressing the Right Live button while it is highlighted, allows the announcement to record the program that is in progress. The title of the program will also be placed in the Recording Schedule until the program ends, in the event in which the user wishes to modify the recording frequency daily or weekly. Display ads consist of a program advertised in any ad space. The announced program can be placed in the Display Schedule, as long as the announcement block has program information associated with it. There is no practical limitation as to how far an associated program can be programmed to be viewed in the future. The Display feature operates very similar to the Recording feature, except that it tunes the TV ("TV") to the program, the place to record it. If a user is watching television, the channel is automatically changed to a program that is placed in the Display Schedule, when the program starts. If the TV is turned off when you program that is in the Display Schedule is programmed to start, the TV will be turned on and tuned to the desired channel (only the television artifacts, not the VCR). The user can select a display frequency for a single time, daily or weekly from an announcement, the user presses the Left Active button (the Blue button labeled "View") to place the program in the Display Schedule. In the event that the program is currently on the air, pressing the Left Active button while an announcement is highlighted results in direct tuning to the program. The title of the program is also placed in the Display Schedule until the program ends, in the event in which the user wishes to modify the display frequency daily or weekly. The ads can have multiple levels of information. Typically, the First Level Information is the copy of the advertisement and / or the graphics that are represented on the screen without the user's action. This includes the areas of Channel and Panel announcements. Typically, Second Level Information (if provided by the advertiser) is automatically made visible ("Auto-Open") when the user highlights an ad unit by means of move towards this. This secondary information is presented in the information box, when the Channel announcement is selected and in an automatically expanded version of the information box that covers the entire Reticular area of the channel, when the Panel announcement is highlighted. The "i" icon above the ad, placed at the discretion of the advertiser, indicates that there is more information about the ad. The second level information may be in the form of text and / or graphics, depending on the availability of memory. Typically, the availability of Third Level Information (if provided by the advertiser) is indicated by the "i" information button on the Second Level information screen. When you press the information button, you have to cease this information and cause the information box to expand so that the Channel announcements cover the entire Reticular area. This information can be multiple pages in length. Pressing the information button successively moves the user through the multiple pages. Pressing the information button from the last available screen causes the information box to shrink to its original size for all ads. Information Third level may be in the form of text and / or graphics, depending on the capabilities of the memory. Ad Blocks can be dynamic. When the memory does not allow, that the graphics and / or the Panel ad text and the text information box can change every x (where x is some number) seconds, rotating through the n limit (where n is some number) different graphic or text executions. There is the ability to limit the number of dynamic ads displayed at any time. The duration and start / end time of an announcement can be programmed and / or dynamic. In one modality, the announcements are displayed at a given start time, with a related termination time. The time between the start and the end is the duration of the announcement. The minimum duration increase is typically 60 seconds. In one modality, an ad will not be automatically replaced when the completion of the ad is met. The ads will only change when the user's actions trigger a new "support pages", or a new section of the guide appears (for example, and from the Reticle to Classification).

Ads can rotate. For example, different ads may appear each time the user enters the same page / section of the Guide. There is no specific limit for the number of ads placed for rotation. Ads can be assigned naturally, with the announcement that the highest property has been displayed the first time a support page or a section is accessed. Then, the second priority ad is displayed the next time the user of this page and so on, consecutively. The priority controller depends on the pages, meaning that he is a user of the first page for a third time, he will see the announcement with the third priority on this page and if this in turn, it moves to the second page for the first time, then they will see the first priority ad on the second page. The ads may differ from section to section, in the Guide it is being viewed. For example, without a user you are viewing the Sports themed area, it may look like an ESPN Sports Center ad, where a different ad was presented when the user was in the main grid. The electronic program guide may terminate which advertisements it will display, depending on the announcements that are being displayed on the television channel that the viewer is watching immediately before entering the electronic program guide. That is, if a Toyota announcement about a channel that the viewer is watching at the time the viewer entered the electronic program guide was being displayed, then the electronic programming guide can be configured to display a relative Toyota announcement. , in some portion of the electronic programming guide, for example, the Ads Window, a television program. In one modality, the electronic program guide verifies the viewer's profile, to determine what type of ad will be displayed several times during the viewer's session with the electronic programming guide. The electronic program guide can assign priority is Ad and Page, to present the investment of the advertisers and the profile of the relative viewer. Dynamic ads graphically present typically different graphs every x seconds (where x is some number, with x being as small as 1.0 seconds), rotating in n (where n is some number) graphic or text executions. Typically, only a limited number of These ads will be displayed at any time (probably a maximum of 1 per screen) as the very busy windows will decrease the effectiveness of the ads and the usefulness of the Guide. Ads must be "identifiable" and "accessible" once they have been placed in memory, in order to allow advertisers to "post" an ad to update it, or to correct transmission errors.

G. IMPROVED ACCESS TO PRODUCT INFORMATION FOR THE TELEVIDENT, INCLUDING: 1. Product Detail in Ads Window.

The viewer can highlight the Ads Window to locate additional information about the advertised product. In one modality, the viewer makes the Ad Window stand out, by pressing the directional navigation key is the remote control device, to navigate the remote control device pointer to the location of the Ad Window that is in the screen of the TV monitor on the screen. When the pointer of the remote control device is located in the Ads Window on the TV monitor screen, the display of the Ads Window will be highlighted. In a modality, the color of the Ads Window due to cynicism will become brighter or show a clarifying effect. In another mode, the color of the border that surrounds the Ads Window will become brighter or show a lightening effect. By highlighting the Ads Window, it will cause the additional text that describes the product to be displayed in the details box of the Reticular Guide of the electronic programming guide. Alternatively, the electronic programming guide provides producers of news commercials with the opportunity to provide the viewer with the opportunity to watch a video clip about the product being advertised. The Ads Window can be optionally interactive. The Internet address of a website that contains the information relevant to the advertisement that is being displayed in the Ads Window, can be displayed in the Ads Window as 1 address of an Internet site, as an icon or in any other representation graph, such as the "i" is raised indicating the additional interactive information. Moreover, the interaction of Viewer queue Ad Window will be monitored by the electronic program guide, to be recorded as part of the viewer's profile. 2. Recording Related to the Product in the Ads Window.

The electronic program guide provides viewers with the opportunity to access extended product information in which, the viewer is interested. Because of the cost of purchasing commercial airtime, an increasing number of births that earlier and product marketers produce informational commercials about their products. Because of the cost of airtime, many manufacturers and marketers buy relatively cheap airtime for their news commercials, according to non-stellar schedules, often on non-stellar channels. The electronic program guide provides the viewer with the per unit of recording an informative commercial that is broadcast in an hour, or on a channel that could be inconvenient for the viewer to see in real time. If the Ads Window displays information about a particular product, at press the record button, the electronic programming guide will be instructed to record an informative commercial, up to the point where it is programmed to a future schedule. Alternatively, the viewer can designate the commercial information to enter it in the Display List. 3. Recording Related to the Program in the Ads Window.

The electronic program guide provides viewers with an additional opportunity to influence the electronic program guide to record or watch a scheduled television program in the future. The Ads Window can display information about a television program scheduled in the future. If the viewer is interested in recording the program, the viewer can instruct the electronic program guide to record the program scheduled in the future. In one modality, the viewer presses the recording button on his remote control device, to instruct the electronic programming guide, to to record the program scheduled in the future. Alternatively, the viewer can instruct the electronic program guide to add a program to the Programming List. Alternatively, the viewer can watch a video clip about the program.

H. CREATION OF A TELEVIDENT PROFILE, INCLUDING: 1. Collect information from the viewer's profile.

The electronic program guide requires the viewer to provide certain profile information, including but not limited to: the viewer's zip code; the television, cable and satellite services to which the viewer is subscribed; the duration of such subscriptions; the type of television; the age of the television; where the television was purchased; the favorite channels of the viewer; the types of favorite programs of the viewer; and the schedules during which, the viewer is more likely to watch television. If he viewer refuses to provide this information, the electronic programming guide will try to "learn" the information, as will be described later. In one modality, the electronic programming guide is able to distinguish individual viewers, and develop individualized profiles. For example, in one mode, each viewer has a personal identification number (PIN) or any other identification number. In another modality, each viewer uses an individualized remote control. In yet another modality, the way of distinguishing a viewer from another point in this case is absent, the profile will be developed for the "family". Each time the viewer interacts and with the electronic programming guide or the television, the electronic program guide will record the actions of the viewer and the circumstances surrounding those actions. For example, when the viewer changes channels, the electronic program guide records, among other things, information about the first channel, the channel it was changed to, the time at which the change was made, the identification of the programming that was deployed in the first channel, the identification of the programming that was deployed in the channel that was changed, the time of the change, the identification of any ad that was displayed on the first channel at the time of the change, the identification of any ad that was displayed on the channel that was changed and if the viewer changes the channels while in one of the modes of the electronic program guide, the place of having been in television mode. The electronic program guide will also record each instruction made by the viewer, to record or watch a program, whether that instruction is Once, Daily, Weekly, or Regularly. The electronic program guide will also record when the viewer changes the audio volume on the television and if so, what were the circumstances' surrounding this change in volume. If the viewer changes the channels while being in one of the modes of the electronic program guide, then the electronic program guide records the information about what was being displayed in each of the user interface windows of the electronic guide. of programming, before and after the change. The electronic program guide will also record information of when there is an absence of the interaction between the viewer and the television or the electronic programming guide. For example, the electronic program guide will record when the viewer continues to watch an advertisement, the place of changing channels. The electronic program guide calculates and records the entire duration of the time in which the television is turned on on any particular day. The electronic program guide also records information that surrounds the viewer's interaction with external sources of information, such as the Internet. For example, the electronic program guide records each one of the search criteria in a query, initiated by viewer, the Search Engine used to be this search, the articles selected by the -televidente from the response of its search, the interaction that the user had with the Internet sites, and the interactions that the viewer has with the electronic programming guide during the same time frame and time in which the viewer interacted with the Internet. An alternative to the individual viewer profile information lesson, described above, may be to provide on-screen survey queries. This is, that the electronic guide of Programming can display an on-screen promotion that can tell the viewer to call a toll-free number for the purpose of reading an encrypted screen number for a survey, exchanging it for a gift certificate. The promotion can only be made for the viewers who see a particular program or a specific announcement to a particular schedule. The survey responses can provide useful information, additional personalization of the survey, personalization of the guide and commercial objectives. 2. Analyze and classify the information of the viewer's profile.

The profile information of the viewer (the collected data that concerns and that surrounds the interaction that a television viewer has with the television, the electronic guide of programming (including the recording and the visualization of the functions), the Internet, the World Wide Web and any other source information external to the electronic programming guide, but with which, the viewer interacts)) can be sent to a computer that is in the main distribution terminal television for its analysis, or in an alternative, it can be analyzed by the electronic programming guide. The information about the viewer is calculated on a constant basis. Similarly, the profile data of the viewer is updated on a constant basis. Accordingly, the profile analysis program of the viewer (the "Profile Program"), can be repeated at certain intervals of time, that there is additional information about the viewer, that has been captured since its last analysis. Alternatively, the Profile Program is a real-time program that processes each art. of information, about a viewer, while the data is captured. The profile analysis program of the viewer (the "Profile Program") may be resident in the main terminal, on the Internet, included as part of the electronic programming guide, or distributed among these various possible locations. The Profile Program performs a variety of different types of analysis on the profile data of the viewer. For example, the Profile Program performs simple statistical analyzes of the data collected. The program of profile that Accumulates, among other things, the number of times in which the viewer: interacted with the electronic programming guide during a particular viewing session; made specific types of interactions with the electronic programming guide. And, he saw a particular channel; interacted with. the Internet during a particular viewing session, interacted with a particular website; saw and / or recorded and / or programmed the viewing of a program with a particular thematic type (for example, comedy, sports, drama, movies, shows, science and fiction, adventure, mystery, documentaries, cooking, travel, etc.); and viewed and / or recorded and / or programmed to watch a program with a particular type of subject (for example, golf, tennis, soccer, basketball, baseball, animals, food, etc.) or a particular actor or actress. The Profile Program also calculates the duration of each display and compiles, among other things, statistics about the hours of the day and the days of the week during which, the television viewer interacts with the electronic program guide, or interacts with the Internet or the World Wide Web. By using the basic viewer profile data and the simple statistics collected that About a particular viewer, the Profile Program "learns" to recognize a more precise cut about the various types of data collected and then uses the information learned to describe a "Viewer's Preference". For example, if the Profile Program detects that the viewer of sports programs and that the amount of sports program is basketball games, the Profile Program Analyzes the Teams Involved in the Programs Seen. The Profile Program is able, in this way, to determine if the viewer is an amateur of a particular team. If so, the Profile Program records affiliation to the viewer's team, such as a Viewer Preference. The Profile Program performs multiple levels of sophisticated analysis and recognition that involve numerous comparisons of basic viewer profile data and simple statistics collected about a particular viewer, to develop Viewer Features. In this way, the Profile Program develops a multidimensional profile of the viewer. For example, once the Profile Program detects Viewer Preference, the Profile Program compares, for example, the number of times the viewer interacts with the electronic programming guide or an external information source such as the Internet, during the transmission of a program that is related to the viewer's preferences (for example, a basketball game involves the favorite team of the viewer) with, for example, the number of times the viewer interacted with the electronic programming guide or with an external information source such as the Internet, during the tradition of a program that was not related to the viewer's preferences. Additionally, the types of interactions in both sets of circumstances are analyzed. In this way, the Profile Program determines the characteristics of the viewer that are related to, among other things: the attention focus; general interest in product advertisements; interest in specific types of product information; propensity to compulsive purchases; correlation of compulsive shopping habits with price ranges, types of products and advertising formats; interest in recording and / or watching programs scheduled in the future; interest in accessing additional levels of information concerning television programs; and interest in accessing additional levels of information concerning product announcements, including the correlation of said interest with the Viewer's Preferences. With time, and with enough data, the electronic program guide can characterize or identify the sense of humor of the viewer, the chronological era, the age of activities, whether the viewer is married, whether the viewer has children, whether the viewer has a pet and what kind of pet the viewer is likely to have, whether the viewer is interested in buying a specific type of device, whether the viewer is considering buying a car, the probable political affiliations of the viewer, and a wide range of other many features of the viewer. Likewise, the Profile Program analyzes the profile of the individual viewer, comparing it with the viewer profiles of other people. With this analysis of cross-comparisons, the Profile Program can determine the probability that the individual viewer prefers or is interested in an issue, product, theme, film, episode, etc. in particular, based on comparisons to similar Viewer Profiles.

I. USE OF THE PROFILE INFORMATION OF THE TELEVIDENTE, TO CUSTOMIZE VARIOUS ASPECTS OF THE ELECTRONIC PROGRAMMING GUIDE; Y The electronic program guide and the Profile Program use basic viewer profile data, the simple statistics collected that about the viewer in particular, the Preferences of the Viewer and the Characteristics of the Viewer (from now on collectively, the "Profile of the Viewer") for person to hoist several aspects of the electronic guide of programming. The viewer has the option to block any of these automatic personalization features in the Configuration Mode of the electronic program guide. One aspect of the electronic programming guide that will be customized will be the order in which the channel compartments presented in the Reticular Guide will be. The order in which the channel compartments are presented can be customized to present the viewer's favorite channels at the top / beginning of the Reticular Guide, in descending order according to the Viewer's Profile.

In one modality, the order of the channel compartments is personalized, according to the day of the week and the time of day according to the viewer's profile. For example, if a particular viewer of frequently Nick at Ni te on weekday evenings from 7 PM to 10 PM, then the electronic programming guide, will automatically tune the television when it is on between 7 PM and 10 PM, towards the appropriate channel of Nick at Ni te and elaborates a format in the Reticular Guide to show the Ni ck channel at Ni te, first channel in the Reticular Guide. If the same viewer typically sees ESPN in the daytime hours on Saturday and Sunday, then the electronic program guide will automatically tune the television when it is turned on between, say, seven AM and 7 PM on Saturdays and Sundays , to one of the ESPN channels and format to the Reticular Guide to show the ESPN channels as to the first channels that are in the Reticular Guide when the viewer enters the Reticular Guide between, for example seven to M. 7 PM on Saturdays and Sundays. At the option of the viewer, the electronic program guide and the Profile Program use the basic viewer profile data, the statistics simple collected about a particular viewer, the viewer's preferences and the characteristics of the viewer to perform an automatic navigation. Cause of the viewer, an auto-navigation can be carried out during the real-time announcements transmissions. At the customer's additional option, auto navigation can be performed in the PIP Display Function, allowing the viewer to see the program currently being tuned in the Main Image Window. Alternatively, at the customer's option, auto navigation can be performed in the PIP Display Function, allowing the viewer to see the program currently being tuned in the PIP Window, while providing self-navigation in the Main Image Window. Additionally, the viewer can choose the option to select a different ad, or manually navigate through the channels to the viewer's option. At the option of the viewer, the electronic program guide and the Profile Program use the basic viewer profile data, the simple statistics collected about a particular viewer, the Viewer Preferences and the Characteristics of the viewer to fill the recording list and / or display list with programs that are likely to fit the interests of the viewer. In a mode of, some searches for this type of information are conducted in the central computer of the main terminal. In another dry mode, some queries flee and are fed to an Internet search engine. At the option of the viewer, the electronic program guide and the Profile Program use the basic viewer profile data, the simple statistics collected about a particular viewer, the viewer's preferences and the viewer's characteristics to search for news stories that are likely- that fit the interests of the viewer. The problem that has been solved is that the news stories of multiple news are automatically chosen (without any editorial staff) to be displayed to a particular viewer in a news service. The content of the audio portion of the news transmissions is digitalized and can be stored in a central computer, or on one or more websites, on DVDs (both video and audio recordings) that are local to the television system. of the viewer in particular, or in the memory that is in the television system of the viewer in particular. In addition to video content, video recordings of news stories can also be stored. The profile of the viewer and in certain modalities, data entered specifically by the viewer, are then used to construct search queries for data collection to locate and deliver content that matches the interests gathered in the viewer's profile and / or specific information requirements by the viewer. The news stories are then indexed (as described elsewhere in this publication). The electronic program guide presents the viewer with a personalized index. In this way, the viewer selects the news stories to see them in a way very similar to the one that the viewer selects the television programs that the viewer wants to watch or record. Moreover, websites that contain additional information, regarding indexed news stories, can be published, for example, as part of the text of the detailed description area, presented at the time the viewer makes Highlight a particular news story to see it. In one modality, the thematic guides provide "Intelligent Classification" based on the Viewer Profile (which is explained in more detail elsewhere in this application). That is, if a program is two channels, the system selects the best channel, based on which of the two channels the viewer sees most frequently. In one modality, the Thematic Guides are additionally customized according to the Viewer's Profile. For example, an information transmission package sent with sports markers is used to order the score in the sports guide contained in the Viewer Profile. For example, the game marker involving the Boston Red Sox may display markers for the Red Sox to appear at the beginning for a viewer in Boston. During the configuration procedures, the electronic program guide provides an automatic channel map selection. All channel maps that are in the zip code of the viewer are downloaded. Options related to the zip code are displayed. In one modality, the viewer relatives are consulted and that to the information-necessary for which the television selects the appropriate map option, but the television automatically selects to the appropriate channel map. For example, the viewer is consulted to identify, for example, the distribution service to which the viewer is subscribed, for example, Cablevisión, and a particular channel map, for example, if the viewer receives HBO in this channel. 43. In this way, the viewer identify the information necessary for the television to select the appropriate channel map. Alternatively, the viewer is actually consulted, to select the channel map, for example if you subscribe to Cablevision and have HBO on channel 43, select this channel map. " J. USE OF THE TELEVISION PROFILE INFORMATION, TO PROVIDE A PERSONALIZED PRESENTATION OF ADVERTISEMENTS FOR THE TELEVIDENT.

The electronic program guide and the Profile Program use the information from the viewer's profile to adjust the presentation and the ovaries of the ads for the viewer and for personalized the presentation of the electronic programming guide for the user. For example, the electronic program guide uses information from the viewer's profile to determine when to notify the viewer about the schedule of a program involving the viewer's favorite team, a guest program involving a star player of that team, and so on. . The electronic programming guide is capable of such personalized notifications / commercials through, for example, an advertisement within the Ads Window, or through an advertisement within the Virtual Channel Announcement Compartment. In addition, the electronic program guide and the Profile Program use the information of the viewer's profile to customize the presentation and / or schedules for transmission of advertisements that are visible during the transmission in real time of the television program that the viewer is watching. . An example is a personalized post about an ad, on a local geographic basis. For example, the electronic program guide knows the graphic location of the individual viewer. The radio and its or can in package to a match in the zip code to personalize the message, in such a way dried zip code obtain a different commercial message, that is, from the 3 Burger Kings that are in the local area of the viewer. In a modality, personalized messages can be preloaded by means of the postal code in the memories of the electronic programming guides of the viewers in particular. Sin messages * can be transmitted through a main terminal during non-business hours and stored in the viewer's terminal to be used when the ads run, for example during a television program or in a video that go inside the Ads Window. An electronic trigger to run the message can be transmitted along with the television signal in real time and can identify the messages stored in the user's terminal, to which they need to be applied. In another modality, the personalized messages are transmitted in narrow band together with the televised announcement. One way to transmit in narrow band to personalized messages, is to integrate the personalized information in the video stream of the advertisement. Another way is to transmit a digital "watermark" within the video stream of the advertisement.

In one modality, personalization of the real-time display of the announcements is achieved, by means of providing multiple advertising channels, by means of automatically tuning the television to the particular announcement channel at the time the television program is transmitted, when an announcement is scheduled to occur and thus, tune the television back to the television program chosen by the viewer at the conclusion of the announcement. In another mode, a service monitors ad transmissions while they are broadcast on a particular channel, inserts a channel change command in the Vertical Suppression Interval (the "VBI") when an announcement is transmitted, said command of channel change causing the TV to tune to a particular channel for the transmission of an appropriate advertisement for the Viewer's Preferences. The information of the viewer profile can be gathered in a report as well as, for example, statistical reports of information of the viewer profile for several viewers. These reports can be provided for denouncing analysts, operators of main terminals, producers of the Guide or others, to determine, among other things, the marketing customization opportunities, narrowband transmission opportunities, information requirements in detail of programs and programming requirements for the distribution of programs. The electronic program guide will attempt to capture the approximate initial purchase date (for example, the date on which the equipment is turned on for the first time) of any of the components of the television / entertainment system. The electronic programming guide may notify the user at the appropriate time after the initial purchase of opportunities such as acquiring an extended manufacturer's warranty. In one embodiment, the equipment of the terminal is addressable separately, pro and pro that said notification messages can be sent within the nipping suppression range, to the appropriate viewer. Based on the viewer's profile, the promotion of the extended warranty may be adjusted to the financial situation of the viewer. Another way in which the electronic program guide uses the information from the Viewer Profile is connected to the "access-content" personalization of the announcement messages deployed by the electronic programming guide. The viewer profile information will include the television program that the viewer was watching immediately before entering the electronic program guide. The electronic program guide may display different announcements in the Guide or Service, based on the content of the television program that the viewer was watching before entering the electronic programming guide or one of the special data services to which You can access it through the electronic program guide. The "content-access" advertising strategy provides a much more refined way to reach the consumer. For example, consider viewers who are watching television at 8:00 PM on Tuesday night. When a viewer who was watching "Nova" and initiates the electronic program guide, the electronic programming guide may display an advertisement for educational computers; where the second viewer who was watching Major League Baseball enters the electronic program guide, the electronic program guide can display an advertisement for Goodyear Tires.

In one embodiment of the present invention, a database of advertising messages and virtual channel announcements is stored in the RAM memory of the viewer's terminal, or can be accessed through a website, if the terminal of the viewer has an Internet connection. Anyways, the advertising articles that are inside the database are labeled with coded categories that correspond to the coded category labels assigned to the transmitted television programs. (Preferably, these are the same categories that are used to classify the programs in the on-screen category or the thematic guide). Category labels of television programs can be stored in the RAM memory, as part of the database of the electronic program guide and can be removed from the Program Information Package ("SIP"), based on information from the real time clock and the tuner configuration. This information identifies a time and a channel that points to the applicable SIP. After the category label of the last program that the viewer was watching in television mode is removed, from the database of the electronic guide of programming, this label matches the corresponding label within the database of the advertising messages and the virtual channel advertisements stored in the RAM. In Figure 1 of the drawing, the advertising articles to which the labels are affixed, are displayed in the advertisement windows 14 and 16 and the virtual channel announcement is displayed on the block 52, as described above. Still, another way in which the electronic program guide uses the information of the Viewer's Profile, that connection with the personalization of "access content" of the advertising messages displayed by the electronic programming guide. The viewer profile information will include an identification of the content that the viewer is currently highlighting in the electronic program guide or in any related data service. Using this method, the electronic program guide displays different announcements, EPs of, for example, what program is currently highlighted by the viewer in the Reticular Guide, which sport is highlighted in a sports data service, or what kind of news are highlighted in a news service (international, national, etc.). The electronic program guide may select advertisements from different possible locations, including but not limited to: an ad library stored in the viewer's terminal within its RAM memory, which have been downloaded through the VBI, stored in the terminal principal, or what can be accessed through a link from the electronic programming guide to the Internet / World Wide Web. The ads can be in the form of graphics, text, video clips, audio clips and combinations of these. Each advertisement can be assigned with thematic codes, profile codes or through any other selection intelligence system. In a modality, with the objective of personalized the advertising screen, the electronic programming guide searches the library for the available advertisements, to find ads that match the criteria established by the advertisers for "access content", "adjacent content" ", and / or information from the viewer's profile. In another modality, the electronic programming guide select announcements to be displayed according to pre-established selection criteria. select ads to be displayed according to pre-established selection criteria. The publications of the following patent applications are fully incorporated herein for reference: International Application WO 96/07270; Application No. 60 / 053,330 filed on July 21, 1997; Application No. 60 / 061,119 filed on October 6, 1997; and Application No. 60/055, 237 filed on August 12, 1997. In one embodiment, the advertisements that are inside the library are assigned to subjects; the history of the use of a program guide or of often thematic on screen is stored; and the story is analyzed by means of microprocessor of the electronic programming guide, to decide the announcement that will be displayed. For example, a particular advertisement for cars can be assigned to a theme of sporting events. By means of a simple implementation, this car announcement can be selected to be displayed, if users of a particular electronic programming guide, select a sports like theme more frequently than any other theme, during a pre-established period of time. Figure seven represents the screen display for the screen thematic of the highest level; and Figure 8 represents the screen display for the thematic screen of the second level. A theme selection can be stored when a viewer highlights a subject in Figure 7, such as "Sports." When selecting a theme with this, a list will be displayed, per hour, channel and title of the programs that are consistent with the selected theme, in a second level thematic screen, whose example is shown in Figure 8.1a use history can be stored in a memory to overwrite the data oldest stored in memory. If so desired, a more sophisticated analysis may be used. Thus, the frequency of selection can be measured to favor more selections. recent on the oldest selections, or themes can be combined to determine which ads to display. In another modality, the advertisements that are inside the library are assigned to specific television programs or classes of television programs; the history of the use of the information table of the electronic program guide is stored, in terms of frequency of visits, time that remained in a single visit, and / or total time of all visits; the information boxes are correlated with TV shows and results are raised to decide which ads to display. The place of the information box, can be monitored any other area of the screen of the electronic programming guide, in a similar way, to decide which ads to display. In each case, the advertisements that are inside the library are assigned to the types or subjects of information displayed in the monitored area, in such a way that focus on the best ads to the interests of the users. In another modality, the advertisements that are inside the library are also assigned to particular television programs or television program classes, in terms of channel and time; the tuner is monitored; The channel and the time are correlated to television programs and results are analyzed to decide which ads to display. For example, an advertisement for branded tennis shoes with a popular basketball star may be assigned to basketball programs. The announcement of the tennis can be selected to be displayed, if the viewer of the electronic programming guide in particular entered the guide Electronic programming when I was watching a basketball game. In another modality, the advertisers that are inside the library are also assigned to particular television programs or types of television programs; the history of television programs entered into a "recording-viewing list", as shown in Figure 6 is stored; and results are analyzed to decide which ads to display. The time of the monitored event can also be taken into account, in order to distinguish between multiple users who have the same electronic programming guide or related television receiver. It is assumed that people who use the electronic program guide and who watch television at different times of the day have different interests - housewives can use the electronic programming guide more in the morning, children can use it at the beginning of the day. late and men who work outside the house can use it on Sunday afternoons. The history of use, as described above, may be combined with the "access content" model described in Application No. 60 / 055,237 to additionally target the advertisements to the interests of the user. Consequently, if users of a particular electronic programming guide select comedies as the subject they most frequently see than any other topic during a pre-established period of time, three announcements may be made in the final selection made from and, depending on what type of program You are watching the viewer on your TV, before you switch to the electronic on-screen programming guide.

Illustrative Modalities The embodiments of the invention described herein are considered only as a reference and / or illustration of the inventive concept; the field of the invention should not be restricted to said modalities. Various and numerous different configurations can be seen by any one skilled in the art, without departing from the essence and scope of this invention. For example, alternative deployment formats may be possible.

It is noted that, with regard to this date, the best method known by the requested, to carry out the present invention, is that which is clear from the present, discovering the invention. Having described the invention as above, the content of the following is claimed as property.

Claims (76)

1. CLAIMS A method for navigating through an interactive guide of on-screen television programs, characterized in that it comprises the steps of: vertically display a list of television programs in a first area of the screen of a monitor; displaying an ad in a second area of the screen, located today are such a mind adjacent to the first area; vertically move a cursor on the screen, to highlight one of the television programs that are in the first area; and move the cursor horizontally from the first area to the second area to highlight the ad.
2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that it additionally comprises the step of activating a function with respect to the highlighted advertisement.
3. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that the function is to display on the screen, details about the highlighted advertisement.
4. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that the details are displayed in the second area, instead of the announcement.
5. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that the details are displayed in a third area of the screen, different from the first and second areas.
6. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that the advertisement promotes a future television program and the function is to store the time and channel of the future television program, for a recording or later viewing.
7. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that the function is to establish a link to an Internet website to display still images or video on the screen, within the second area, instead of the advertisement.
8. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that the function is to establish a link to an Internet website to display still or video images in a third area of the screen, different from the first and second areas.
9. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that the move step comprises highlighting the advertisement by deploying a border around the second area.
10. The method according to claim 9, characterized in that the move step comprises highlighting a program by displaying a color that contrasts with us programs.
11. A microprocessor characterized in that it is programmed to operate with a monitor, having a screen and a RAM memory, in such a way that signals are generated that display listings of television programs stored in the RAM memory, in a first area of the screen and other images or text stored in the RAM memory in a second area of the screen, horizontally adjacent to the first area, the second area being divided into a third, fourth and fifth areas configured vertically, each of the third, fourth and fifth areas having the same dimensional ratio of height and width that the screen and 1/9 of the screen area.
12. 12. The microprocessor according to claim 11, characterized in that it is additionally programmed to generate signals that highlight one of the program listings that are in the first area.
13. The microprocessor according to claim 12, characterized in that it is additionally programmed to configure a television tuner to generate signals that display in the third area the current television program represented by the highlighted program listing.
14. The microprocessor according to claim 13, characterized in that it is additionally programmed to generate signals that display an advertisement for a future television program in the fourth area.
15. The microprocessor according to claim 14, characterized in that it is additionally programmed to generate signals that display an advertisement for a product or service, in a fifth area.
16. The microprocessor according to claim 14, characterized in that it is additionally programmed to generate signals that link to an Internet website and display images from the website in the fifth area.
17. A television system characterized in that it comprises: a monitor that has a screen; a tuner; a microprocessor configured to display television program listings in a first area of the screen and an advertisement in a second area of the screen; and means for making a link to an Internet website to the microprocessor, to display one or more still or video images in the second area of the screen.
18. The television system according to claim 17, characterized in that it additionally comprises means for making a link to an Internet website to the microprocessor, to transmit the program listings for that are displayed in the second area of the screen to the microprocessor.
19. An interactive television system, characterized in that it comprises: means for receiving a television signal that conveys a plurality of video program channels; a monitor to display said programs in video, graphics and any other visible information; means for selecting one of the channels transported by the television signal, to display a video program on the monitor; a memory in which multiple types of data are stored, including a data database with television schedules and a database for advertising information; means for storing said database of television schedule data and said database of advertising information within the memory; means to simultaneously format and display the program in television video, television schedule data in the form of an on-screen electronic television program guide, and advertising information, on the monitor screen; means to select one of the titles of the programs displayed from the screen of the electronic television program guide on screen, to display them on the screen of the monitor.
20. 20. The interactive television system according to claim 19, characterized in that the database of the advertising information also comprises: data packages that relate to the product being announced, including graphic data, and / or text data, and / or video data, and / or audio data; the timing and the data relating to the asset by defining presentation and format relationships, sequencing and timing said graphic, text, video and audio data.
21. 21. The interactive television system according to claim 20, characterized in that the means of simultaneous formatting and display further comprises: means for deploying in a first window of fixed position on the screen of the monitor, the video signal transported by the selected channel; means for displaying in a second fixed position window on the monitor screen, advertising data in a visible way.
22. 22. The interactive television system according to claim 21, characterized in that it also comprises: means for identifying a plurality of addresses for data sources, including addresses of data sources on a computer network such as the Internet or the World Wide Web, with data related to advertising data; means for selecting one or more of the identified plurality of addresses for data sources with data related to the advertising data; means of response for the selection of data source addresses to establish a link to the corresponding data source, including addresses of data sources on a computer network such as the Internet or the World Wide Web; means for displaying data from a probability of selected addresses of data source on the monitor screen in a visible form.
23. The interactive television system according to claim 21, characterized in that it also comprises: means for collecting data pertaining to the interactions that the user has with the television and with the electronic program guide, including but not limited to the television viewing characteristics of the viewer, to the selections made in the electronic program guide; Interactions that the viewer has with the Internet, and / or interactions that the viewer has with the remote control device of the television; means for storing the collected data of viewer interaction.
24. The interactive television system according to claim 23, characterized in that it also comprises: means for personalizing the content of advertisements on the screen of the electronic on-screen programming guide of the advertising data, according to the data collected from the viewer's interaction.
25. The interactive television system according to claim 23, characterized in that it also comprises: means to customize the timing and scheduling of schedules with which, the announcements are presented on the screen of the electronic guide of on-screen programming of advertising data in accordance with the data collected from the viewer's interaction.
26. A method for customizing advertisements displayed on a television monitor on the screen of an electronic program guide, characterized in that it comprises the steps of: receiving a television signal that conveys a plurality of video program channels; receive schedule data for television programs; store in a RAM memory the programming data of television schedules; receive to that of advertising data that include graphic data, and / or text data, and / or video data, and / or audio data; store the advertising data packages in the RAM memory; selecting one of the channels transported by the television signal to display a video television program on the monitor screen; Select a subset of scheduling data. of television to display them in the form of a guide of electronic television programs on the screen, on the screen of the monitor; selecting a subset of advertising data as advertising information to display in the form of one or more on-screen advertisements on the monitor screen; format the video television program to display it on the monitor screen; format television schedule schedule data to be displayed in the form of an on-screen electronic television program guide; format the advertising information to display simultaneously to the electronic television program guide in the form of one or more on-screen advertisements.
27. The method according to claim 26, characterized in that it also comprises the step of: format the onscreen display so that the monitor screen has a first screen area on the monitor, and have a second screen area, the second area being divided into a third, fourth and fifth areas of the screen.
28. The method according to claim 27, characterized in that it also comprises the step of: simultaneously generate signals that display the programming data of television schedules in the form of a guide of electronic television screen programs within the first area of the monitor screen, which displays the video television program within the third area of the monitor screen, which displays joint use of the advertising information in the form of on-screen advertisements within the fourth area of the monitor screen, and that display a second subset of the advertising information in the form of on-screen advertisements within the fifth area of the monitor screen.
29. The method according to claim 28, characterized in that it also comprises the steps of: displaying television schedule schedule data in the form of an on-screen electronic television program guide within the first area of the monitor screen; display the video television program within the third area of the monitor screen; display a subset of the advertising information in the form of on-screen messages inside the fourth area of the monitor screen; displaying a second subset of the advertising information in the form of an advertisement on the screen within the fifth area of the monitor screen.
30. The method in accordance with the claim 29, characterized in that it also comprises the steps of: collect data that belong to the interactions that the user has with the television and with the electronic programming guide; store the data. of viewer interaction collected, within the memory RAM.
31. The method in accordance with the claim 30, characterized in that the viewer interaction data collected includes one or more of: data pertaining to the television viewing characteristics of the viewer; data belonging to the viewer's selections for the list of programs in the electronic program guide; data pertaining to the interactions that the viewer has with an electronic communications network, such as the Internet; data that belong to the interactions that the user has with a remote control device of the television.
32. 32. The method according to claim 31, characterized in that the step of selecting a subset of the advertising data as information data to be displayed in the form of one or more on-screen advertisements on the monitor, further comprises the steps of: access the viewer interaction data collected and stored; analyze the viewer interaction data collected and stored; compare the analysis of the viewer interaction data collected and stored with the advertising data; select a subset of advertising data as advertising information of according to the analysis of the viewer interaction data collected and stored, to display them in the form of one or more on-screen advertisements, on the monitor screen.
33. 33. The method in accordance with the claim 32, characterized in that the second area of the screen is behind between today are to the first area of the screen.
34. 34. The method in accordance with the claim 33, characterized in that the second area of the screen is divided into the third, fourth and fifth areas configured vertically, each of the third, fourth and fifth areas having the same dimensional relationship of height and width as the screen and 1/9 of the area of the screen.
35. 35. The method according to claim 26, characterized in that it also comprises the steps of: format advertising data packets to deliver on a communication path with one or more television receivers; delivering said formatted packets of advertising data on the communication path to one or more television receivers.
36. 36. The method in accordance with the claim 35, characterized in that the formatted packets of advertising data include one or more of the following types of data: graphic data; text data; video data; audio data.
37. 37. The method according to the claim 36, characterized in that the communications path is the vertical suppression interval of the television signal.
38. 38. The method according to claim 29, characterized in that it further comprises the step of: receive information entered by the viewer from a viewer's input device.
39. 39. The method in accordance with the claim 38, characterized in that the viewer's entry identifies advertisement that is within the fourth area of the screen, as it was selected.
40. 40. The method in accordance with the claim 39, characterized in that it also comprises the steps of: selecting a second subset of the advertising information corresponding to the selected advertisement; format the second subset of the advertising information to display it in the form of on-screen advertisements.
41. 41. The method in accordance with the claim 40, characterized in that it also comprises the step of: generating signals that display the second subset of the advertising information within the third area of the monitor screen; display the second subset of the advertising information within the third area of the monitor screen.
42. 42. The method in accordance with the claim 41, characterized in that it also comprises the step of: generating signals that display the second subset of the advertising information within the fourth area of the monitor screen; deploy to the second subset of the • advertising information within the fourth area of the monitor screen.
43. 43. The method in accordance with the claim 42, characterized in that the second subset of the advertising information is a video clip.
44. 44. The method according to claim 43, characterized in that the entrance of the television and entity identifies the subject matter of the announcement that is within the fourth area of the screen, as it was selected to be added yet to list of video recording.
45. 45. The method according to claim 44, characterized in that the subject matter of the advertisement is a television program programmed in the future in which, the advertising information contains the programming information of upcoming times to record the future scheduled television program.
46. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that the first area of the screen includes program titles and one or more ad titles, the titles of programs for displaying the list of television programs and the ad titles for displaying advertisements. of upcoming television programs.
47. The method according to claim 46, characterized in that the title of the advertisement remains in a fixed location on the screen, while the viewer scrolls through the list of television programs.
48. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that the step of displaying the advertisement further comprises: create a profile information for the viewer; Y customize an ad according to the information of the viewer's profile.
49. The method according to claim 48, characterized in that the information of the The profile of the viewer includes the information selected from the group consisting of user interactions with the interactive program guide, television viewing characteristics of the viewer, viewer interactions with a remote-controlled device, and viewer interactions with a network of television viewers. computers.
50. The method according to claim 48, characterized in that the personalization includes tuning to an ad channel that conveys an ad adjusted to the preferences of the viewer.
51. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that the advertisement is based on a television channel that was tuned before displaying the interactive program guide.
52. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that the advertisement is associated with a particular subset of television program listings, and the advertisement screen varies based on the subset of the television program listings, displayed on the first area from the screen.
53. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that the advertisement is displayed in a predetermined amount of time, and a different advertisement is displayed after the expiration of the predetermined amount of time.
54. The method according to claim 53, characterized in that the different advertisement is not displayed after the expiration of the predetermined amount of time, if the announcement is highlighted.
55. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that the advertisement promotes a product or a service, and the function is to display an hour and a channel of a television program associated with the product or service.
56. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that the advertisement promotes a product or a service, and the function is to display on the screen the details about the product or service.
57. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that the function is to display in the screen a video clip about the highlighted ad.
58. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that the function is to establish a link to an Internet website to access additional information about the highlighted advertisement.
59. The microprocessor according to claim 11, characterized in that it is additionally programmed to generate signals that display an advertisement for a future television program, in an advertisement block within the first area.
60. The television system according to claim 17, characterized in that the advertisement is an advertisement for a future television program.
61. The television system according to claim 17, characterized in that the advertisement is an advertisement for a product or service.
62. The television system according to claim 17, characterized in that the 1 advertisement is personalized, according to the profile information of the viewer.
63. The interactive television system according to claim 21, characterized in that the simultaneous formatting and displaying means comprise, in addition: means for displaying a portion of the television schedule programming data in a first area of the monitor screen; means for deploying the video television program on a second area of the monitor screen; and means for displaying a portion of the advertising data in a third area of the monitor screen, the third area being located horizontally adjacent to the first area.
64. The interactive television system according to claim 63, characterized in that it also comprises the means for displaying an announcement for the future of a television program in an ad unit within the first area.
65. The interactive television system according to claim 63, characterized in that the means for displaying a portion of the advertising data further comprises means for displaying an advertisement for a product or service.
66. The interactive television system according to claim 63, characterized in that the means for displaying a portion of the advertising data further comprises means for displaying an advertisement for a future television program.
67. The interactive television system according to claim 63, characterized in that it further comprises: means for highlighting the advertising data that are within the third area of the monitor screen; and means for the one function with respect to the highlighted advertising data.
68. The interactive television system according to claim 24, characterized in that the means for personalization also comprises means for tuning to An ad channel that carries an ad based on the viewer interaction data collected.
69. The method according to claim 32, characterized in that it also comprises tuning to an advertisement channel that transports the selected subset of advertising data.
70. A method for operating a television system having a television display mode for displaying a full-screen television program and an electronic program guide mode for displaying an electronic program guide screen, characterized in that the method comprises: display the screen of the electronic programming guide in the electronic programming guide mode, until the television system is turned on, the screen of the electronic program guide including: a first area to display vertically to a list of television programs; Y a second area located horizontally adjacent to the first area, to display an advertisement.
71. A method for recording a television program in a VCR from a screen of an electronic programming guide, the method characterized in that it comprises: select the title of the television program from the screen of the electronic program guide; select a recording schedule of the selected television program; compare the title of the television program with a title of a program that is being broadcast; determine if the program that is being broadcast is a repeat, until a match with the title of the television program with the title of the program being broadcast; Y cause the coffee route to record the program that is being transmitted, if the program is not a repetition.
72. 72. The method according to claim 71, characterized in that it also comprises notifying a viewer before recording a program that is being broadcast.
73. 73. A method for navigating through an interactive television program guide on screen, the method characterized in that it comprises: displaying a predetermined number of television programs in a plurality of program blocks vertically, within a first area of a screen of the monitor; move the cursor vertically on the screen from the bottom of the first area, to see a new program block; unfold the new program block at the bottom of the first area, with the new program title gradually increasing in height until the new block reaches the total block height; Y hide a block of last program in the upper part of the first area, while the new program block is displayed, the last program block shrinking gradually in its height, until the last block disappears.
74. 74. The method according to claim 73, characterized in that it also comprises: enter a channel identifier through a user interface unit; Y jump to a program block associated with the channel identifier to display it over the first area.
75. 75. The method according to claim 73, characterized in that it also comprises: make a current list of television programs displayed in the first area; navigate to a different location from the program guide; Y automatically return to the marked list of television programs, to be displayed in the first area.
76. 76. A method for operating a television system having an electronic program guide, the method characterized in that it comprises: assign a viewer identifier to television system viewers, the viewer identifier identifying one of the viewers, as a viewer parent; set a password for the viewer parent; select a channel to be blocked for a particular viewer from the television system; and block the selected channel so that it is not seen by the particular viewer.