Patent application number | Description | Published |
20090150934 | Electronic Programming Guide - An electronic programming guide (“EPG”) provides pictograms and/or logos, to indicate to a television viewer the programs being displayed on a television. The EPG information display format is thus easier to recognize than prior EPG formats. The EPG pictograms may have 3D characteristics. The EPG information can be displayed in a window within a television screen while a program is being shown on the remainder of the screen. The EPG comprises a set of geometric surfaces located in virtual 3D space. The pictograms and/or logos, along with alpha-numeric text data and video clips are applied to the geometric surfaces using a 3D graphics pipeline. The appearance of the pictograms, logos, alpha-numeric data and/or video clips can be modified in response to a user actuating a control element on a remote controller. In one embodiment, internet HTML pages are parsed and applied to geometric surfaces in | 06-11-2009 |
20100138792 | NAVIGATING CONTENT - One embodiment of the invention involves a computer-implemented method in which information obtained from a uniform resource locator is converted into at least one texture. The texture is mapped onto a surface of a three-dimensional object located in the virtual three-dimensional space thereby forming a three-dimensional navigation mechanism. | 06-03-2010 |
20100287581 | METHOD FOR USING BANNER ADVERTISEMENTS DURING COMMERCIAL BREAKS - Apparatus is provided by which a television viewer can view other images e.g. during commercials or main program. For example, during a commercial, a viewer may channel surf or surf the internet. A banner is provided on a viewing screen while the viewer watches these other images. In this way the advertiser providing those commercials can still reach those viewers who are channel or internet surfing. Also, the banner will indicate to the viewer when the commercial is over and the normal programming has resumed. In another embodiment, during the main program user can activate one or more small commercial windows and position them on the screen based on his preference, e.g. using a remote device. Information is communicated to a broadcaster by the viewer's video system indicating the above-mentioned commercial windows are open on the viewer's screen. When each commercial window is positioned on the screen the viewer receives compensation based on the amount of time the commercial windows are displaying commercials to the viewer. All or part of commercial windows automatically close when a main commercial block starts. The commercial windows automatically open when the main commercial block finishes. In one embodiment, the viewer can turn the commercial windows ON/OFF on his discretion | 11-11-2010 |
20120185898 | METHOD FOR USING BANNER ADVERTISEMENTS DURING COMMERCIAL BREAKS - A method, non-transitory computer readable media, and Apparatus is provided for viewing a second content item while a first content item plays an advertisement. When the first content item is changed to a second content item on a display, a window region displays an advertising item related to the advertisement. The advertising item in the window region is modified when the advertisement has ended, alerting the user the advertisement is over. In another embodiment, the advertisement comprises a first and second commercial played in succession, and the advertising item in the window region comprises a first and second product item. In this embodiment, the window region displays the first product item when the first commercial is played in the advertisement, and the second product item when the second commercial plays in the advertisement. | 07-19-2012 |