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US 8,276,174 B2Granted
Displaying advertisements on blank television output
AssigneeGoogle Inc.
InventorSimon M. Rowe
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on a computer storage medium, for providing television advertisements while a viewing device is tuning to a channel. In one aspect, a viewing device, in response to receiving a signal to tune to a channel, selects advertisement data for an advertisement from a data storage device storing advertisement data for one or more advertisements, and generates a video signal when tuning to the channel, the video signal generated only for the duration that the viewing device is tuning to the channel and for displaying on the television device, and the video signal causing the advertisement to be displayed on the television device.
Claims17
A method implemented in a viewing device, comprising:
- receiving, at the viewing device, a first signal indicating a television channel change to a first channel from a second channel;
- determining that the viewing device has been tuned to the second channel for a threshold period of time and in response to the determination, selecting, by the viewing device, advertisement data for an advertisement from a data storage device storing advertisement data for one or more advertisements, the selection of the advertisement data for the advertisement based on a category to which the second channel belongs;
- generating, by the viewing device, a video signal from the advertisement data for the advertisement that causes the advertisement to be displayed on a television display device;
- monitoring, by the viewing device, for the reception of a second signal, the second signal indicating that the viewing device is tuned to the first channel;
- and
- providing, by the viewing device, the video signal to the television device until the reception of the second signal is monitored.
3 more elements
A method implemented in a viewing device, comprising:
- receiving, at the viewing device, a plurality of first signals, each first signal respectively indicating a television channel change to a respective first channel from a respective second channel;
- for each first signal, determining whether the viewing device has been tuned to the respective second channel for a threshold period of time;
- for each first signal for which the viewing device has been tuned to the respective second channel for the threshold period of time, selecting advertisement data for an advertisement based on a category to which the respective second channel belongs;
- for each first signal for which the viewing device has not been tuned to the respective second channel for the threshold period of time, selecting the advertisement data based on a category to which the respective first channel belongs;
- for each first signal:
- generating, by the viewing device, a video signal from the advertisement data for the advertisement that causes the advertisement to be displayed on a television display device;
- monitoring, by the viewing device, for a reception of a second signal, the second signal indicating that the viewing device is tuned to the first channel;
- and
- providing, by the viewing device, the video signal to the television device until the reception of the second signal is monitored.
6 more elements
A viewing device, comprising:
- a data storage device storing advertisement data for one or more advertisements;
- and
- television signal processing circuitry that performs operations comprising:
- receive a television broadcast signal for television programming when tuned to a first channel and generate a first video signal for displaying the television programming on a television device;
- and
- in response to receiving a tuning signal to tune to a second channel:
- determine that the viewing device has been tuned to the first channel for a threshold period of time;
- in response to determining that the viewing device has been tuned to the first channel for the threshold period of time, select advertisement data for and advertisement from the data storage device, the selection based on a category to which the first channel belongs;
- and
- generate a second video signal when tuning to the second channel, the second video signal generated only for the duration that the viewing device is tuning to the second channel, and the second video signal causing the advertisement to be displayed on the television device.
7 more elements
A method implemented in a viewing device, comprising:
- receiving, at the viewing device, a first signal indicating a television channel change to a first channel from a second channel;
- determining that the viewing device has been tuned to the second channel for a threshold period of time and in response to the determination, selecting, by the viewing device, advertisement data for an advertisement from a data storage device storing advertisement data for one or more advertisements, the selection of the advertisement data for the advertisement based on a category to which the second channel belongs;
- generating, by the viewing device, a video signal from the advertisement data for the advertisement that causes the advertisement to be displayed on a television display device;
- tuning the viewing device to the first channel;
- and
- providing, by the viewing device, the video signal to the television device while viewing device is tuning to the first channel.
3 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.