Tvworks, LLC

Comcast Cable Communications Management, LLC

Samuel Moreau

John Carney

David De Andrade

Georgia Gibbs

Donald Ahrens

Matt Marenghi

Lena Chane

Darrell Haber

Tyson Singer

Srikanth Ganapavarapu

Alex Chung

Ty O Ahmad-Taylor

Prakash Hegde

Darrel Haber

Viva Chu

Greg Thomson

Elliot Poger

Kathryn Jaroneski

Christine Hirsch

Don Ahrnes

A contextual navigational control for digital television is described. An apparatus, comprises a contextual navigation control interface (CNCI). The CNCI includes a first area that represents a plurality of cable television programs having a first level of relevance. A second area represents a first group of the plurality of programs having a second level of relevance. A third area represents a first subgroup of the first group having a third level of relevance. A fourth area represents a second subgroup of the first group having a fourth level of relevance. There may be additional areas representing additional sub-groups of relevance to the current viewing context.

Contextual navigational control for digital television

A user interface allows for blending of television program choices from which a viewer may select, the blending representing options for linear and non-linear programming presented together within a single hierarchy of a designated category. The blending may further include managed content relevant to the designated category, where desired. Such designated categories may include television programming categories and/or content categories. The options for linear and non-linear programming may be presented together within a single screen of the user interface.

Causing display of user-selectable content types

A user interface by which network operators, programmers, broadcasters and advertisers can deploy and make accessible libraries of available content and allow viewers of iTV services to customize the presentation and content of the information being presented thereto includes one or more screens each having one or more navigable and selectable elements through which the viewers are permitted to customize presentation and content of iTV application environments other than those associated with the user interface.

User customization of user interfaces for interactive television

System and method for blending linear content, non-linear content, or managed content

An iTV user interface includes a navigable menu area through which a user can select from among a variety of services and a content display area in which formatted data associated with a selected menu service are displayed to the user. The formatted data is displayed in a rotating or ticker fashion having both a passive mode, in which the formatted data is displayed in a sequence independent of any selection operations by a television viewer, and active mode, in which the formatted data is displayed in a sequence that depends on selection operations by the television viewer. Advertisements and/or promotions may be interspersed among the content items. The navigable menu area and the content display area may be displayed to the viewer at the same time as television programming is displayed on the television.

Interactive user interface for television applications

Preferred placement of programming content is provided by a system and method to organize or sequence the display of a set of programmable content elements of an iTV application to a viewer, using business rules that describe the preferred placement conditions or criteria. Such criteria include brand, content owner, application location, current channel, current channel family, current channel category, time of day, content category, current program, current program genre, current iTV application, current content type, and/or subscriber and set-top box profile and behavior data. In one implementation, the present invention allows for managing the 'shelf space' within and for iTV applications.

Prioritized placement of content elements for iTV application

System and method for blending linear content, non-linear content or managed content

Guide menu based on a repeatedly-rotating sequence

Prioritized placement of content elements for iTV applications

System and method for construction, delivery and display of iTV applications that blend programming information of on-demand and broadcast service offerings

Embodiments of the invention provide systems and methods for the dynamic creation and presentation of user-specified VOD content consisting of multiple VOD clips as a passive viewing experience. For one embodiment, a user selects a set of VOD clips from a list or other selection presentation and the selected VOD clips are presented back-to-back. For one embodiment of the invention, the user may reorder the presentation sequence of the selected VOD clips. Embodiments of the invention thereby allow a user to dynamically create and present a user-specific, passive viewing presentation.

System and method for creating and presenting composite video-on-demand content

Growing community of inventors

Mill Valley, CA, United States of America

Samuel Moreau