Tivo Corporation

Tivo Solutions Inc.

Adeia Media Solutions Inc.

Kirk D Wong

James M Barton

A method and apparatus for highlighting a program listing in a set of program listings based on selection criteria. The selection criteria may indicate that the a broadcaster has agreed to pay a service provider in return for the service provider ensuring that a program listing, corresponding to the program of the broadcaster, is highlighted in a program page that displays a set of program listings, such as television program listings. If there are multiple program listings, listed in a program page, that are to be highlighted, then details of the respective contracts may be used to determine which program listing to highlight. Such details may include the total contract value, a ratio of contract value-to-page view, and/or the time of contract formation.

Dynamic item highlighting system

While a multimedia device is fast-forwarding content, the multimedia device reads 'jump back' tags expressed in or derived from a closed-caption stream. When the multimedia device detects the presence of a 'jump back' tag while fast-forwarding, the multimedia device enters a special state. While in this special state, if the multimedia device detects that the user has instructed the multimedia device to stop fast-forwarding, the multimedia device locates a specified temporal location in a recorded commercial break. This specified temporal location may be specified by the particular tag, for example. The multimedia device stops performing whatever activity in which the multimedia device was engaged, &#x201c;jumps back&#x201d; to the specified temporal location in the recorded commercial break, and resumes playing the recorded content stream at normal speed from the specified temporal location.

Automatic commercial playback system

Techniques for scheduling content recordings at a multimedia device are described. A mobile device receives an invitational message from a local wireless network. In response to receiving the invitational message, the mobile device sends a scheduling request/instruction to a server or to the multimedia device directly. The scheduling request or instruction causes a recording of the specific media content at a multimedia device to be scheduled.

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Fremont, CA, United States of America

Kirk D Wong