Patent ID: 8122143

Claim:
A method of transmitting a promotional expansion comprising expansion content, one or more interactive elements and machine-executable expansion instructions to an audio and/or video player playing a main content continuous play media stream comprising: a. transmitting to a player an expansion cue that invites a user to elect presentation of a promotional expansion during playing of a main content continuous play media stream, that changes in appearance when a user has elected presentation of said promotional expansion, and that triggers the player to: i. interrupt play of the main content stream at a main content stream decision point that is at most a small amount of time after the user has elected presentation of the promotional expansion; ii. present the promotional expansion in temporal continuity with the main content stream, wherein said triggering the player to present the promotional expansion comprises triggering the player to (x) present for display expansion content, (y) execute expansion instructions and (z) present for display a transition during the passage of time from playing the main content stream to presenting for display the expansion content; and iii. prepare to play a continuing portion of the main content stream after the promotional expansion with temporal continuity, wherein the player is prepared to start playing a continuing portion of the main content stream at a main content stream time point offset by at most a small amount of time from the main content stream decision point; and b. transmitting to the player the expansion content comprising audio, video, still images and/or text and the expansion instructions comprising machine-executable instructions relating to one or more interactive elements allowing for user input.