Message presentation apparatus, systems, and methods

A system which presents messages on a presentation device, comprising:

• a receiving device comprising:
• a memory operable to store a fixed message indicator, a dynamic message indicator, and a fixed message, the fixed message stored at a location corresponding to the fixed message indicator;
• a tuner operable to receive, from a program distributor, a message presentation request having a first indicia that identifies at least one receiving device and a second indicia that specifies one of the fixed message indicator and the dynamic message indicator, wherein the first indicia and the second indicia are already included in the message presentation request at a point the message presentation request is received from the program distributor by the tuner, and wherein the tuner is operable to determine whether to retrieve the fixed message from the memory or instead receive a dynamic message via an information stream communicated from the program distributor to the tuner based on whether the second indicia specifies the fixed message indicator or the dynamic message indicator;
• and
• a processing system coupled to the tuner and the memory, and in response to the message presentation request identifying the receiving device as one of the at least one receiving device, is operable to retrieve the fixed message from the memory in response to the message presentation request having the second indicia corresponding to the fixed message indicator, to retrieve the dynamic message from an information stream in response to the message presentation request having the second indicia corresponding to the dynamic message indicator, and to present of one of the fixed message and the dynamic message on the presentation device.

A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing instructions which, when executed by a processing system in a receiving device, cause the processing system to:

• process a message presentation request received from a program distributor, the message presentation request having a first identifier that identifies at least one receiving device and a second identifier corresponding to one of a fixed message indicator and a dynamic message indicator, wherein the first identifier and the second identifier are already included in the message presentation request at a point the message presentation request is received from the program distributor, and wherein the second identifier is directly indicative of whether to retrieve a fixed message from a memory of the receiving device or instead receive a dynamic message via an information stream communicated from the program distributor;
• in response to receiving the fixed message indicator and the message presentation request identifying the receiving device as one of the at least one receiving devices, retrieve the fixed message from the memory of the receiving device based upon the fixed message indicator;
• in response to receiving the dynamic message indicator and the message presentation request identifying the receiving device as one of the at least one receiving devices, receive the dynamic message from the information stream and the service stream communicated from the program distributor;
• and
• initiate presentation of one of the fixed message and the dynamic message on the presentation device.