Method and apparatus for using delay time during switching events to display previously stored information elements
US7237251B1 · kind B1 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Mar 2, 2000 |
| Grant date | Jun 26, 2007 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Mar 2, 2020 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH04N21/8166
- WIPO fieldAudio-visual technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
During the several seconds of delay time that it takes for a digital set top box (“STB”) that is connected to a television or other display device to switch channels and display the next target program, other information or data can be displayed to a viewer of the television. This other data (“zap page”) can include, for example, advertising, information about the next/target program, a window showing a segment of the next/target program that is transmitted over the next/target channel, personal information associated with the viewer (e.g., notification that one or more electronic mail messages have arrived, stock prices of securities in the viewer's portfolio, etc.) and potentially based on the viewer's profile (e.g., recipes for cooking enthusiasts, news clips from preferred sources, advertisements of particular interest, etc.), and/or local and regional information (e.g., weather forecasts, etc.). The zap page also can include interactive elements that enable one-way and two-way transactions with the viewer. The zap page is pre-rendered and stored within the digital STB so that when the viewer requests a switch in channels, the zap page is displayed substantially immediately. Th…
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.