Interactive television program guide system for determining user values for demographic categories

Abstract

An interactive television program guide system for determining user input values for demographic categories is provided. The system includes user television equipment having a receiver for receiving program guide information for the interactive television program guide, a user input receiver for receiving user input from user interface, such as a remote control, a microprocessor which utilizes the user input received to determine user values for demographic categories, and memory for storing the user values determined. In one illustrative use of the system for targeting advertisements to a user of the interactive television program guide, the receiver also receives advertisements, where the advertisements have preselected values for specified demographic categories. The user television equipment, preferably using microprocessor, compares the preselected values for the specified demographic categories associated with the advertisements with values of corresponding demographic categories stored in memory to determine which advertisements should be displayed. Those advertisements determined to be displayable based upon the comparison are then displayed.

What is claimed is:  
     
         1 . A system for targeting advertisements to a user of an interactive television program guide, which comprises: 
 user television equipment, including: 
 a receiver for receiving television program guide information and advertisements for said interactive television program guide, said advertisements having preselected values for specified demographic categories;  
 a user input receiver for receiving user input;  
 a microprocessor which utilizes said user input received to determine user values for demographic categories; and  
 memory for storing said user values for the demographic categories; and  
   said user television equipment comparing said preselected values for specified demographic categories associated with said advertisements with values of corresponding demographic categories stored in said memory to determine which advertisements should be displayed by said interactive television program guide.    
     
     
         2 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein said memory is non-volatile memory.  
     
     
         3 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein said user television equipment further comprises a remote control for transmitting user input for reception by said user input receiver.  
     
     
         4 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the comparison of said preselected values with said values stored in memory is performed by said microprocessor.  
     
     
         5 . A method for targeting advertisements to a user of an interactive television program guide, which comprises: 
 receiving advertisements for said interactive television program guide, said advertisements having preselected values for specified demographic categories;    receiving user input from user interface;    determining user values for demographic categories utilizing said user input;    storing said user values determined for the demographic categories;    comparing said preselected values for specified demographic categories associated with said advertisements with stored values of corresponding demographic categories to determine which advertisements should be displayed by said interactive television program guide; and    displaying the advertisements determined to be displayable based upon the comparison.    
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 5 , which further comprises storing information concerning television channels and programs necessary for determining values for demographic categories.  
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 5 , wherein determining user values for demographic categories further comprises providing to each television channel and program having a bearing on at least one demographic category a predetermined value indicative of said channel or program's indication of how well the user fits said demographic category.  
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 5 , wherein determining user values for demographic categories further comprises providing to said user input a weight value indicative of the effect said user input has on the user values for the demographic categories.  
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 5 , which further comprises providing default values for the demographic categories.  
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 5 , wherein determining user values for demographic categories further comprises providing a period for each demographic category.  
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 5 , which further comprises a decay procedure to refresh user values for the demographic categories.  
     
     
         12 . A method for targeting advertisements to a user of an interactive television program guide, which comprises: 
 providing user television equipment for receiving television program guide information and advertisements for said interactive television program guide, said advertisements having preselected values for specified demographic categories;    receiving user input;    calculating user values for demographic categories utilizing said user input;    storing said user values calculated; and    comparing said preselected values for specified demographic categories associated with said advertisements with stored user values of corresponding demographic categories to determine which advertisements should be displayed.    
     
     
         13 . A system for selectively displaying advertisements to users of user television equipment on which an interactive television program guide is implemented, comprising: 
 means for determining demographic category data for each user individually;    means for storing said demographic category data for each user in said user television equipment of that user;    means for receiving advertisements and associated demographic category data with said user television equipment; and    means for displaying certain ones of the advertisements for each user with said interactive television program guide based on a comparison between said demographic category data for the user and said demographic category data associated with said advertisements.    
     
     
         14 . A method for selectively displaying advertisements to users of user television equipment on which an interactive television program guide is implemented, comprising: 
 determining demographic category data for each user individually;    storing said demographic category data for each user in said user television equipment of that user;    receiving advertisements and associated demographic category data with said user television equipment;    comparing between said demographic category data for the user and said demographic category data associated with said advertisements; and    displaying certain ones of the advertisements for each user with said interactive television program guide based on the comparison.    
     
     
         15 . An interactive television program guide system for determining user values for demographic categories, which comprises: 
 user television equipment, including: 
 a receiver for receiving television program guide information for said interactive television program guide;  
 a user input receiver for receiving user input;  
 a microprocessor which utilizes said user input received to determine user values for demographic categories; and  
 memory for storing said user values for the demographic categories.  
   
     
     
         16 . The system of  claim 15 , wherein said memory is non-volatile memory.  
     
     
         17 . The system of  claim 15 , wherein said user television equipment further comprises a remote control for transmitting user input for reception by said user input receiver.