At&t Intellectual Property I, LP

Bellsouth Intellectual Property Corporation

Bellsouth Corporation

Other

Fred Thomas Danner, Iii

Wayne R Howe

John R Mauney

Melvin Duane Frerking

Scott Russell Swix

John R Stefanik

Edward Irby Comer

John Christopher Batten

Craig Brent Chambers

Thomas Franklin Evans

Richard Sammis Bergen, Jr

Edward Rowland Grauch

Sidney Walker Elliott

Roy Curtis Dunn

Salvador Luis Arias

A method includes receiving an indicator from a service provider via a network. The indicator is received with first media content and includes data to cause a selectable image to be displayed with the first media content. The selectable image indicates an availability of second media content that is different than the first media content. The method includes, in response to receipt of the indicator, displaying the selectable image with the first media content at a display device. The method further includes, in response to receiving a removal message before receiving an input indicating a selection of the selectable image, removing the selectable image from display at the display device.

System and method for providing media content and interactive content

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.

System and method for providing television services

An interactive media delivery system enables interactive media programming to a multimedia device and also tracks a subscriber's use of the multimedia device. For example, the device tracks events, such as a change in programming, a change in channel selection, and/or the subscriber's interaction with a particular interactive services application. Each event may be stored as an event record in a database, and one or more of the event records may be merged with content data to form event timelines of programming or other activity to the multimedia device over a selected time period. Further, timelines may be analyzed to generate ratings and other information about programming and may also be correlated with demographics data for marketing analysis.

Method and system for tracking network use

An asymmetrical data communications system (ADCS) provides point-to-multipoint television programming including conventional television programming, near video-on-demand (NVoD) or video-on-demand (VoD), and the full variety of available programming, via a compressed, digitized UHF transmission. A program subsystem of the ADCS receives programming from content providers and processes the received signals for channel and VoD or NVoD service, then sends the aggregated signal to a transmission subsystem that modulates, channelizes, amplifies, filters and broadcasts the digital UHF signals over the air. Subscribing viewers are equipped with an intelligent control box (ICB) suitably configured to receive, demodulate, and decode the digital UHF broadcast and to transmit the resulting signal to one or more display or other terminal devices. The ICB further provides a matrix switch or gateway for receiving signals over any available transmission path. In addition to the ICBs of the subscribing viewers, a return path subsystem of the ADCS system includes a session control and administrative facility to which the ICBs are linked via the public switched telephone network or suitable wireless alternative so that transaction and viewing data can be received from the subscribing viewers. The return path subsystem, in turn, is linked to the program subsystem in order to route to that subsystem any information necessary or useful for providing programming.

Asymmetric data communications system

Growing community of inventors

Alpharetta, GA, United States of America

Fred Thomas Danner, Iii