Menu promotions user interface

Abstract

A system includes a processor and a memory coupled to the processor. The memory includes instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform operations including initiating display of a user interface that includes a plurality of menu items, where a first menu item of the plurality of menu items is associated with a first media content item of a plurality of media content items. The operations also include selectively enabling a movement operation based on a promotion being displayed at a display device. The promotion is associated with the first menu item and the movement operation moves a cursor position from a second menu item of the plurality of menu items to the first menu item.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A system comprising:
 a processor; and   a memory coupled to the processor, the memory including instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform operations comprising:
 initiating display of a user interface that includes a plurality of menu items, wherein a first menu item of the plurality of menu items is associated with a first media content item of a plurality of media content items; and 
 selectively enabling a movement operation based on a promotion being displayed at a display device, wherein the promotion is associated with the first menu item, and wherein the movement operation moves a cursor position from a second menu item of the plurality of menu items to the first menu item. 
   
     
     
         2 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the first media content item is a video-on-demand item, a broadcast video item, an audio item, or a combination thereof. 
     
     
         3 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the operations further comprise, prior to selectively enabling the movement operation, determining whether to initiate display of the promotion wherein the movement operation is enabled based on a determination to initiate display of the promotion at the display device, and wherein the user interface is displayed at the display device concurrently with display of the promotion. 
     
     
         4 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the user interface further includes an indication that the movement operation is enabled. 
     
     
         5 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the operations further comprise receiving the promotion from an external content source. 
     
     
         6 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the promotion includes an image, text, or both, that identifies a relationship of the first media content item to the first menu item. 
     
     
         7 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the user interface further includes a border that encompasses the promotion and that encompasses the first menu item, wherein the border encloses the promotion and the first menu item, and wherein the border does not enclose the second menu item. 
     
     
         8 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein a third menu item of the plurality of menu items is positioned in the user interface between the first menu item and the second menu item, and wherein the movement operation causes the cursor position to move from the second menu item directly to the first menu item without the cursor position transitioning to the third menu item. 
     
     
         9 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the operations further comprise:
 performing the movement operation in response to a movement command received via an input device, wherein, based on the movement operation being completed, the first menu item has a first visual characteristic identifying the cursor position, and wherein the first visual characteristic indicates an association between the promotion and the first menu item;   enabling a second movement operation in response to receiving the movement command via an input device; and   performing the second movement operation responsive to a second movement command, wherein the second movement operation causes the cursor position to move from the first menu item to the second menu item.   
     
     
         10 . The system of  claim 9 , wherein the operations further comprise, in response to performing the second movement operation:
 modifying the user interface to display the first menu item and the promotion with a second visual characteristic, wherein the second visual characteristic does not visually indicate the association between the promotion and the first menu item; and   modifying the user interface to display the second menu item with a third visual characteristic that identifies the cursor position.   
     
     
         11 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the operations further comprise, in response to initiating display of the user interface that includes the first menu item, selecting the promotion from a plurality of promotions. 
     
     
         12 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the processor and the memory are integrated in a computing device, and wherein a movement command is received from a remote device that is communicatively coupled to the computing device. 
     
     
         13 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein, regardless of the movement operation being selectively enabled, a default movement operation is enabled to sequentially move the cursor position between adjacent menu items of the plurality of menu items included in the user interface. 
     
     
         14 . A method comprising:
 initiating, at a computing device, display of a user interface that includes a plurality of menu items, wherein a first menu item of the plurality of menu items is associated with a first media content item of a plurality of media content items; and   selectively enabling a movement operation based on a promotion displayed at a display device, wherein the promotion is associated with the first menu item, and wherein the movement operation moves a cursor position from a second menu item of the plurality of menu items to the first menu item.   
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 14 , further comprising:
 identifying a time period associated with the promotion, wherein the time period indicates when the promotion is available to be included in the user interface; and   determining whether to include the promotion in the user interface based on the time period.   
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 15 , further comprising:
 when the promotion is included in the user interface, determining whether the time period has expired; and   removing the promotion from the user interface based on a determination that the time period has expired.   
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 16 , further comprising disabling the movement operation based on the determination that the time period has expired. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 14 , further comprising receiving the promotion from a content source associated with the first media content item. 
     
     
         19 . A computer-readable storage device comprising instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform operations comprising:
 initiating, at a computing device, presentation of a user interface that includes a plurality of menu items, wherein a first menu item of the plurality of menu items is associated with a first content item of a plurality of content items; and   selectively enabling a movement operation based on a promotion that is included in the user interface associated with the first menu item, wherein the movement operation moves a cursor position from a second menu item of the plurality of menu items to the first menu item.   
     
     
         20 . The computer-readable storage device of  claim 19 , wherein the operations further comprise initiating a second promotion to be concurrently presented with the promotion, wherein the second promotion is associated with a second menu item of the plurality of menu items, and wherein the second menu item is associated with a second content item of the plurality of content items.