Loading patent…
AssigneeUnited Video Properties, Inc.
InventorsSteven J. Reynolds, Robert A. Knee, Michael D. Ellis
Estimating the term…
The present invention allows control of the presentation of advertisements that are associated with television networks, channels, and programs, and enables a single broadcasting of each advertisement associated with a network to be made to numerous television systems in parallel. The presentation of advertisements that are associated with television networks, channels, and programs is controlled in the present invention by determining at television viewer equipment whether the television networks, channels, or programs with which the advertisements are associated are unavailable to the television viewer or are undesirable to the television viewer. Once this determination has been made, the television viewer equipment then presents the advertisements, or selects and presents suitable alternative advertisements. A single broadcasting of each network advertisement to all television systems is enabled in the present invention by broadcasting each advertisement with a network identifier to all television systems. At the television systems, the network identifier and channel map or program guide information located in television viewer equipment are then used by an interactive program guide or other application running in the television viewer equipment to determine whether a local affiliate for that network is available and not designated as undesirable by the television viewer. If the local affiliate is available and not designated as undesirable, the advertisement is then presented to the television viewer, otherwise a suitable alternative advertisement is then identified and presented to the television viewer.
A system for controlling the presentation of an advertisement to a television viewer, comprising:
A method for controlling the presentation of an advertisement to a television viewer, comprising:
A system for presenting to a television viewer an advertisement that is associated with a television network having a network identifier, said system comprising:
A method for presenting to a television viewer an advertisement that is associated with a television network having a network identifier, said method comprising:
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.