Patent ID: 8384743

Claim:
A method comprising: receiving, by a processor of a set top box, a program from equipment of one of a plurality of channel providers that supply programs to a broadcaster; presenting, by the processor, the program at a display coupled to the set-top box, wherein the program is presented in a video display area; receiving, by the processor, an information request based on receiving an input via a remote control device; detecting, by the processor, a date and a time the information request was received, a current elapsed time into a playing of the program, and an identifier of the program; assembling, by the processor, metadata comprising the date and the time the information request was received and the identifier of the program; transmitting, by the processor, the metadata to equipment of the channel provider that supplied the program to enable the channel provider to determine the context of what was being presented by the program when the information request was received and to identify additional content related to the context of what was being presented by the program at the current elapsed time into the playing of the program; receiving, by the processor, from the equipment of the channel provider the additional content related to the context of what was being presented by the program at the date and time the request was received and at the current elapsed time into the playing of the program and obtained from one of a world wide web service associated with the channel provider and an Internet portal associated with the channel provider, wherein at least a portion of the additional content is content being currently played on another channel, and wherein the additional content includes archived television programs and geographic maps selected according to the context; presenting, by the processor, selectable links to enable a presentation of at least a portion of the additional content within the display, wherein the selectable links are presented in a link display area that is outside of the video display area; detecting, by the processor, a selection of a link from among the selectable links; acquiring, by the processor, content from among the additional content that corresponds to the selected link; presenting, by the processor, in the video display area the acquired content in response to the detecting of the selection of the link; removing, by the processor, the selected link from the link display area in response to the detecting of the selection of the link; ceasing, by the processor, to present the program in the video display area in response to the detecting of the selection of the link; in response to the detecting of the selection of the link, generating, by the processor, another selectable link for reinstating presentation of the program in the video display area upon selection of the other selectable link; and presenting, by the processor, the other selectable link with the selectable links in the link display area without presenting any images of the program.