US Patent No: 5,818,438

Number of patents in Portfolio can not be more than 2000

System and method for providing television services

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ATTORNEY / AGENT: (SPONSORED)
 

Importance

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Abstract

A system and method are described for providing interactive television services and for switching between television programs, such as to an interactive program session from another program. An interactive server, capable of providing requested interactive video services to a set of subscribers in a given geographic area, is coupled to a network to which subscriber set top boxes are also coupled. Television programming, which may be furnished by any number of sources, is accompanied by a signal that indicates the availability of other programming, such as interactive television service related to the program being viewed, as well as information to be used in requesting such service. The user, when notified by this signal, may input to the set top box a request for a second program, such as an interactive program or application. The identity of the original program channel is stored, and a session with the video service provider is established over the network. When the session is terminated, the set top box re-tunes the television signal to the original program channel.

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First Claim

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Patent Owner(s)

Patent OwnerAddressTotal Patents
BELLSOUTH INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY CORPORATIONWILMINGTON, DE1862

International Classification(s)

  • [Classification Symbol]
  • [Patents Count]

Inventor(s)

Inventor Name Address # of filed Patents Total Citations
Danner, III Fred Thomas Colo. SP., CO 7 562
Howe, Wayne R Dublin, OH 17 596
Mauney, John R Jefferson, GA 8 415

Cited Art

Patent Info (Count) # Cites Year
 
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Patent Citation Ranking

Forward Cites

Patent Info (Count) # Cites Year
 
UNITED VIDEO PROPERTIES, INC. (41)
7,694,319 Interactive program guide with continuous data stream and client-server data supplementation 4 1999
6,898,762 Client-server electronic program guide 150 1999
7,895,624 Interactive media guide with media guidance interface 3 2001
8,255,961 Systems and methods for caching data in media-on-demand systems 0 2001
7,650,621 Systems and methods for providing storage of data on servers in an on-demand media delivery system 14 2001
7,065,709 Client-server electronic program guide 36 2002
7,398,541 Electronic television program guide schedule system and method 11 2003
7,493,646 Interactive television systems with digital video recording and adjustable reminders 6 2003
7,761,892 Client server based interactive television program guide system with remote server recording 3 2003
8,082,568 Electronic program guide with integrated program listings 0 2003
8,001,564 Electronic program guide with digital storage directory 0 2003
8,046,801 Interactive television program guide with remote access 12 2004
7,802,285 Client-server based interactive television program guide with server recording 1 2005
8,006,263 Interactive television program guide with remote access 1 2005
7,735,107 Client-server based interactive television program guide system with remote server recording 0 2007
7,739,709 Client-server based interactive television program guide system with remote server recording 1 2007
7,913,278 Interactive television program guide with remote access 5 2007
8,087,048 Television program guide with a digital storage device 1 2007
8,087,050 Client-server electronic program guide 0 2007
7,870,585 Client-server based interactive television program guide system with remote server recording 1 2007
7,624,411 Client-server based interactive television program guide system with remote server recording 0 2007
8,327,402 Methods and devices for presenting an interactive media guidance application 0 2008
7,917,933 Systems and methods for relocating media 3 2008
7,779,445 Interactive television systems with digital video recording and adjustable reminders 14 2009
7,673,314 Client-server based interactive television program guide system with remote server recording 37 2009
8,352,978 Systems and methods for advertising television networks, channels, and programs 0 2009
8,359,616 Systems and methods for automatically generating advertisements using a media guidance application 0 2009
8,001,563 Interactive program guide system and method 1 2009
8,291,461 Systems and methods for managing the distribution of on-demand media 0 2009
8,151,296 Interactive program guide with continuous data stream and client-server data supplementation 0 2010
8,176,521 Client server based interactive television program guide system with remote server recording 0 2010
7,895,622 Client-server based interactive television program guide system with remote server recording 0 2010
7,873,978 Client-server based interactive television program guide system with remote server recording 0 2010
8,272,019 Client-server based interactive television program guide system with remote server recording 2010
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8,413,191 Program guide with a digital storage device 0 2010
8,370,884 Interactive television systems with digital video recording and adjustable reminders 0 2010
7,971,222 Interactive television systems with digital video recording and adjustable reminders 7 2010
8,424,038 Interactive media guide with media guidance interface 0 2011
8,413,193 Program guide with a digital storage device 0 2011
 
BELLSOUTH INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY CORPORATION (26)
6,567,982 System and method for providing television services 37 1998
7,587,323 System and method for developing tailored content 8 2001
7,444,658 Method and system to perform content targeting 17 2001
7,212,979 System and method for identifying desirable subscribers 15 2001
7,086,075 Method and system for managing timed responses to A/V events in television programming 15 2001
7,020,652 System and method for customizing content-access lists 21 2001
8,086,491 Method and system for targeted content distribution using tagged data streams 4 2001
7,818,764 System and method for monitoring blocked content 9 2002
7,698,720 Content blocking 5 2002
7,617,508 Methods and systems for collaborative capture of television viewer generated clickstreams 7 2003
7,860,804 Methods, systems and storage medium for providing content notification based on user communities 0 2003
8,286,203 System and method for enhanced hot key delivery 0 2003
8,132,202 Methods and systems for providing targeted content 1 2004
7,269,835 Method and system for managing timed responses to A/V events in television programming 11 2005
7,802,276 Systems, methods and products for assessing subscriber content access 1 2005
8,317,618 System, method and computer program for enabling an interactive game 0 2005
8,161,412 Systems, methods, and computer program products for providing interactive content 0 2006
8,402,503 Interactive program manager and methods for presenting program content 0 2006
8,065,710 Apparatuses and methods for interactive communication concerning multimedia content 0 2006
8,065,698 Methods, systems, and computer program products for obtaining consumer information over a communications network 1 2006
7,593,858 System and method for identifying desirable subscribers 7 2006
7,890,380 Method, system, and computer readable medium for implementing sales of products using a trace of an object 0 2007
8,219,411 Methods, systems, and products for targeting advertisements 0 2009
8,224,662 Methods, systems, and products for developing tailored content 0 2009
7,934,227 Methods and systems for capturing commands 0 2009
8,136,135 Methods, systems, and products for blocking content 0 2010
 
SBC KNOWLEDGE VENTURES, L.P. (11)
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8,434,116 Device, system, and method for managing television tuners 0 2004
7,436,346 System, method and interface for controlling multiple electronic devices of a home entertainment system via a single control device 6 2005
7,307,574 Remote control, apparatus, system and methods of using the same 5 2005
8,214,859 Automatic switching between high definition and standard definition IP television signals 2005
8,054,849 System and method of managing video content streams 1 2005
7,908,627 System and method to provide a unified video signal for diverse receiving platforms 1 2005
8,365,218 Networked television and method thereof 0 2005
8,190,688 System and method of transmitting photographs from a set top box 1 2005
7,873,102 Video quality testing by encoding aggregated clips 2 2005
8,228,224 System and method of using a remote control and apparatus 0 2007
 
L.V. PARTNERS L.P. (8)
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7,925,780 Method for connecting a wireless device to a remote location on a network 2 2007
7,908,467 Automatic configuration of equipment software 3 2007
7,819,316 Portable scanner for enabling automatic commerce transactions 3 2007
7,636,788 Method and apparatus for matching a user's use profile in commerce with a broadcast 3 2007
7,536,478 Method and apparatus for opening and launching a web browser in response to an audible signal 3 2007
7,904,344 Accessing a vendor web site using personal account information retrieved from a credit card company web site 0 2008
 
RPX CORPORATION (7)
7,392,312 Method for utilizing visual cue in conjunction with web access 7 2000
6,535,934 Transferring data from disk storage directly to a peripheral device 4 2001
6,593,929 High performance low cost video game system with coprocessor providing high speed efficient 3D graphics and digital audio signal processing 8 2002
7,548,988 Software downloading using a television broadcast channel 9 2008
7,739,353 Launching a web site using a personal device 4 2008
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7,912,760 Method and apparatus for utilizing a unique transaction code to update a magazine subscription over the internet 0 2009
 
INDEX SYSTEMS, INC. (5)
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8,134,645 Combination of recorded program index and EPG 1 2007
8,272,011 Method and system for displaying advertisements between schedule listings 2010
 
NAVIC SYSTEMS, INC. (5)
7,392,281 System and method for providing guaranteed delivery of messages to embedded devices over a data network 5 2000
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6,714,992 Method and system for embedded network device installation 63 2000
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STARSIGHT TELECAST, INC. (5)
7,487,529 Electronic program guide system with advertising messages in pop-ups 20 1998
7,421,724 Systems and methods for displaying information regions in an interactive electronic program guide 13 2002
7,493,641 Method and system for displaying advertisements in an electronic program guide 11 2003
7,480,929 Method and system for displaying advertisements in an electronic program guide 13 2003
8,181,200 Method and system for displaying advertising, video, and program schedule listing 0 2007
 
GOOGLE INC. (4)
6,100,884 Device for delivering listings of broadcast programs via network 31 1997
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6,198,478 CATV transmission center apparatus, subscriber terminal device, CATV distribution system, and method of distributing program 9 1998
7,212,730 System and method for enhanced edit list for recording options 7 2002
 
AT&T INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY I, L.P. (3)
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8,282,476 Multimedia-based video game distribution 0 2005
8,390,744 System and method of displaying a video stream 0 2009
 
BENEFICIAL INNOVATIONS, INC. (3)
7,496,943 Network system for presenting advertising 58 2000
6,712,702 Method and system for playing games on a network 118 2001
8,065,702 Network advertising and game playing 0 2009
 
CHANYU HOLDINGS, LLC (3)
7,310,807 System and method for local video distribution 7 2003
7,716,714 System and method for recording television content at a set top box 1 2004
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COX COMMUNICATIONS, INC. (3)
7,564,873 Method and apparatus for providing in-band messaging within a video on demand environment 1 1999
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8,191,104 Method and apparatus for providing interactive program guide (IPG) and video-on-demand (VOD) user interfaces 0 2006
 
ERICSSON TELEVISION INC. (3)
7,343,617 Method and apparatus for interaction with hyperlinks in a television broadcast 7 2000
7,120,924 Method and apparatus for receiving a hyperlinked television broadcast 14 2000
8,356,329 Method and apparatus for interaction with hyperlinks in a television broadcast 0 2007
 
GOLDPOCKET INTERACTIVE, INC. (3)
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7,117,517 Method and apparatus for generating data structures for a hyperlinked television broadcast 13 2000
7,249,367 Method and apparatus for switching between multiple programs by interacting with a hyperlinked television broadcast 14 2000
 
THOMSON LICENSING (3)
6,839,901 Multichannel digital television system 3 2000
7,774,800 Applications manager with variable management instruction set 0 2005
7,770,187 Applications manager with variable management instruction set 0 2005
 
BALLY GAMING INTERNATIONAL, INC. (2)
8,172,683 Network gaming system 1 2006
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COMCAST IP HOLDINGS I, LLC (2)
6,240,553 Method for providing scalable in-band and out-of-band access within a video-on-demand environment 117 1999
7,127,737 Bandwidth management techniques for delivery of interactive program guide 3 2000
 
CUMNOR TECHNOLOGIES LLC (2)
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GATEWAY, INC. (2)
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GEMSTAR DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION (2)
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ROVI GUIDES, INC. (2)
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ROVI SOLUTIONS CORPORATION (2)
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8,086,575 Methods and apparatus for integrating disparate media formats in a networked media system 3 2004
 
RPX-LV ACQUISITION LLC C/O CORPORATION SERVICE COMPANY (2)
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WORLDGATE SERVICE, INC. (2)
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ACTIVEVIDEO NETWORKS, INC. (1)
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BANBURY TECHNOLOGIES LLC (1)
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C.H.I DEVELOPMENT MGMT. LTD. XXVIII, LLC (1)
6,871,188 Method and arrangement for providing access to a consumer device 5 2001
 
DOSA ADVANCES LLC (1)
6,230,324 Device for transmitting broadcast-program information and allowing other information sources to be accessed 28 1997
 
GENERAL INSTRUMENT CORPORATION (1)
6,483,547 Transmission signal ID for analog television broadcasts 51 1998
 
HEWLETT-PACKARD DEVELOPMENT COMPANY, L.P. (1)
6,757,912 Channel server functionality 11 1999
 
IRDETO ACCESS, INC. (1)
7,278,152 Video pedestal network 5 1998
 
KONINKLIJKE PHILIPS ELECTRONICS N.V. (1)
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MATSUSHITA ELECTRIC INDUSTRIAL CO., LTD. (1)
6,480,707 Channel selection apparatus 5 1999
 
MICROSOFT CORPORATION (1)
7,916,631 Load balancing in set top cable box environment 0 2005
 
PHILIPS ELECTRONICS NORTH AMERICA CORPORATION (1)
6,295,647 Context life time management of a user interface in a digital TV broadcast 14 1998
 
RPX-LV ACQUISITION LLC (1)
8,069,098 Input device for allowing interface to a web site in association with a unique input code 0 2008
 
RPX—LV ACQUISITION LLC (1)
8,005,985 Method and apparatus for utilizing an audibly coded signal to conduct commerce over the internet 0 2008
 
TEXAS INSTRUMENTS INCORPORATED (1)
6,711,683 Compresses video decompression system with encryption of compressed data stored in video buffer 35 1999
 
WALT DISNEY CORPORATION (1)
5,931,908 Visual object present within live programming as an actionable event for user selection of alternate programming wherein the actionable event is selected by human operator at a head end for distributed data and programming 173 1996
 
WANTAGE TECHNOLOGIES LLC (1)
7,360,160 System and method for providing substitute content in place of blocked content 13 2002
 
OTHER [CHECK PATENT PROFILE FOR ASSIGNMENT INFORMATION] (2)
8,448,209 System and method for displaying advertisements responsive to EPG information 0 2007
8,448,215 Electronic program guide with digital storage 0 2011