Systems and methods for linking television viewers with advertisers and broadcasters
View Patent ↗The present invention provides systems and methods for providing television schedule information to a viewer, and for allowing the viewer to link, search, select and interact with information in a remote database, e.g., a database on the internet. The television schedule information can be displayed on a variety of viewer interfaces, such as television screens, computer monitors, PCTV screens and the like. The television schedule information may be stored on the viewer's computer, television, PCTV, or a remote server (e.g., a website), or the television schedule information may be downloaded from a remote database to the viewer's computer, television or PCTV.
1. A system for causing information to be displayed comprising:
a programming information database for storing programming information including program titles;
a display controller electrically coupled to programming information database for generating for display some of the programming information including program titles;
an input device that is configured to:
receive a first user selection of a displayed program title; and
receive a second user selection, while a program corresponding to the selected program title is displayed, requesting that data available on a public network and related to the selected program title be displayed;
a processor configured to:
search, over the public network, an information database to identify data that (1) is related to the program corresponding to the selected program title and (2) includes at least one item available for purchase; and
download the data identified in the search using a communications device, wherein the data comprises search results obtained from the information database; and
wherein the display controller causes, in response to the second user selection and without receiving further user input, the downloaded data related to the program corresponding to the selected program title to be displayed, and wherein the displayed data comprises a selectable option for purchasing the at least one item available for purchase.
2. The system of claim 1 wherein the programming information database resides on one or more remote file servers accessible through a communication link.
3. The system of claim 2 wherein the communication link comprises the Internet.
4. The system of claim 1 wherein the identified data comprises an advertisement.
5. The system of claim 1 wherein the processor is further configured to:
monitor and store a plurality of user selections of programs;
learn a user preference based on the plurality of user selections of programs; and
activate a program guide based on the user preference.
6. The system of claim 5 wherein the processor is further configured to store the user preference responsive to a user input.
7. The system of claim 5 wherein the user preference comprises a preferred program.
8. The system of claim 7 wherein the processor is further configured to remind a user to view a preferred program.
9. The system of claim 7 wherein the processor is further configured to cause a preferred program to be recorded.
10. The system of claim 7 wherein the processor is further configured to cause a copy of a preferred program to be downloaded to a digital storage medium.
11. The system of claim 5 wherein the user preference comprises a theme for a plurality of programs.
12. The system of claim 11 wherein the processor is further configured to:
search the programming information;
identify programs matching the theme for the plurality of programs; and
cause the programs matching the theme for the plurality of programs to be recorded.
13. The system of claim 11 wherein the processor is further configured to:
search the programming information;
identify programs matching the theme for the plurality of programs; and
cause a copy of the programs matching the theme for the plurality of programs to be downloaded to a digital storage medium.
14. The system of claim 5 wherein the processor is further configured to adapt the displayed programming information based on the user preference.
15. The system of claim 1 wherein:
the processor is further configured to:
generate a display of preview programming for the program;
identify a plurality of sources of information having data related to the program;
select an identified source of information having data related to the program; and
the communication device is further configured to establishing a link to the identified source of information; and
the display controller is further configured to cause data from the linked source of information to be displayed.
16. The system of claim 15 wherein the data related to the program comprises one or more of an advertisement, a video preview, and textual information.
17. The system of claim 1 wherein the processor is further configured to store advertisement data and cause the advertisement data to be displayed.
18. The system of claim 1 wherein the identified data comprises one or more of actors, actresses, themes, other broadcast times, other sources, and associated available products.
19. The system of claim 1 , wherein the at least one item available for purchase is not a television program.
20. The system of claim 1 , wherein the processor is configured to search the information database by being configured to search the information database based on information identifying the program corresponding to the selected program title.
21. A method for causing information to be displayed comprising:
storing programming information including program titles;
generating for display some of the programming information including program titles;
receiving a first user selection of a displayed program title;
receiving, while a program corresponding to the selected program title is displayed, a second user selection requesting that data available on a public network and related to the selected program title be displayed;
searching, over the public network, an information database to identify data that (1) is related to the program corresponding to the selected program title and (2) includes at least one item available for purchase;
downloading the data identified in the search using a communications device, wherein the data comprises search results obtained from the information database; and
causing, in response to the second user selection and without further user input, the downloaded data related to the program corresponding to the selected program title to be displayed, wherein the displayed data comprises a selectable option for purchasing the at least one item available for purchase.
22. The method of claim 21 wherein the programming information is stored in a programming information database residing on one or more remote file servers accessible through a communication link.
23. The method of claim 22 wherein the communication link comprises the Internet.
24. The method of claim 22 wherein the identified data related to the selected program comprises an advertisement.
25. The method of claim 21 further comprising:
monitoring and storing a plurality of user selections of programs;
learning a user preference based on the plurality of user selections of programs; and
activating a program guide based on the user preference.
26. The method of claim 25 wherein the learning the user preference comprises storing the user preference responsive to a user input.
27. The method of claim 25 wherein the user preference comprises a preferred program.
28. The method of claim 27 further comprising reminding a user to view a preferred program.
29. The method of claim 27 further comprising causing a preferred program to be recorded.
30. The method of claim 27 further comprising causing a copy of a preferred program to be downloaded to a digital storage medium.
31. The method of claim 25 wherein the user preference comprises a theme for a plurality of programs.
32. The method of claim 31 wherein the activating step comprises:
searching the programming information;
identifying programs matching the theme for the plurality of programs; and
causing the programs matching the theme for the plurality of programs to be recorded.
33. The method of claim 31 wherein the activating comprises:
searching the programming information;
identifying programs matching the theme for the plurality of programs; and
causing a copy of the programs matching the theme for the plurality of programs to be downloaded to a digital storage medium.
34. The method of claim 25 wherein the activating comprises adapting the displayed programming information based on the user preference.
35. The method of claim 21 further comprising:
causing preview programming for the program to be displayed;
identifying a plurality of sources of information having data related to the program;
selecting an identified source of information having data related to the program; and
responsive to the selecting step, establishing a link to the identified source of information; and
causing data from the linked source of information to be displayed.
36. The method of claim 35 wherein the data related to the program comprises one or more of actors, actresses, themes, other broadcast times, other sources, associated available products, and promotions.
37. The method of claim 35 wherein the data related to the program comprises one or more of an advertisement, a video preview, and textual information.
38. The method of claim 21 further comprising storing advertisement data and causing the advertisement data to be displayed.
39. The method of claim 21 wherein the identified data comprises one or more of actors, actresses, themes, other broadcast times, other sources, associated available products, and promotions.
40. The method of claim 21 , wherein the at least one item available for purchase is not a television program.
41. The method of claim 21 , wherein searching the information database comprises searching the information database based on information identifying the program corresponding to the selected program title.