Patent ID: 7120922

Claim:
A method for providing television services by a television set-top terminal (“STT”), comprising: responsive to a first user input, receiving by the STT information corresponding to a first user-defined time interval, the start and end times of the first user-defined time interval corresponding respectively to a user-selected start time and a user-selected end-time, receiving by the STT at least one parameter corresponding to a user preference, storing data in memory of the STT associating the at least one parameter with the first user-defined time interval, and enabling access to purchasable television services during the first user-defined time interval according to the at least one parameter; responsive to a second user input, receiving by the STT a request for a purchasable television service corresponding to the at least one parameter, accessing the data in memory of the STT associating the at least one parameter with the first user-defined time interval, determining whether the request is for viewing the purchasable television service during the first user-defined time interval, enabling by the STT a purchase of the purchasable television service responsive to determining that the request is for viewing the purchasable television service during the first user-defined time interval, and preventing by the STT the purchase of the purchasable television service responsive to determining that the request is for viewing the purchasable television service outside the first user-defined time interval.