Patent ID: 7844994

Claim:
A method for persistent storage of common user information for interactive television providing multiple disparate interactive television applications, said method comprising the steps of: (a) providing a user with television channels and a plurality of interactive multiple disparate television applications; (b) providing a single centrally located data repository for storing user records including user input information about a plurality of users; (c) providing an additional data repository in a set top box at each said user's location for storing frequently accessed data, the frequently accessed data comprising a portion of said user record and including only common user input information shared by the disparate television applications; (d) providing a registration application on the set-top box for each said user that allows for collecting user input information for at least one account and storing only common user input information in said additional data repository for said user, and for replicating changes to said user input information into the user record stored at said single centrally located data repository; and (e) providing an application programming interface (API) on the set-top box for each said user that allows the television applications to search the additional data repository and retrieve common user input information so that the user does not have to repeatedly enter the same information required by each different television application or connect to the central repository when common user input information is required, said television applications only connecting to the central repository when other information not stored as common user input information in the additional data repository is required, wherein said television applications include a user interface that directs the user to the registration application if additional common user input information is required by the television applications for an existing account so that the next time the user uses a television application that requires the additional common user input information that information will already be available in the additional data repository.