Patent ID: 7934232

Claim:
A method for accessing services by a client device coupled to a server device and a display, comprising the steps of: presenting to a user a first menu on the display containing a first plurality of selectable link representations corresponding to a first plurality of services, the first plurality of selectable link representations comprising a first plurality of icons representing the first plurality of services, wherein the first plurality of services comprises a television programming service, the first menu configured to be presented to the user for repeated occurrences of a first recurring predetermined time period; presenting to the user a second menu on the display containing a second plurality of selectable link representations corresponding to a second plurality of services, the second plurality of selectable link representations comprising a second plurality of icons representing the second plurality of services, the second menu configured to be presented to the user for repeated occurrences of a second recurring predetermined time period upon expiration of the first recurring predetermined time period, wherein the second plurality of services comprises non-television programming services, the non-television programming services including at least one of: an e-mail service, a video-on-demand service, and an e-commerce service, wherein the second plurality of services are different from first plurality of services, wherein both the first and second plurality of services are available during the first and second recurring predetermined time periods, and wherein the first plurality of selectable link representations become inactive during the second recurring predetermined time period; receiving a first user input denoting a first selection which highlights a selectable link representation from the first or second recurring time period; in response to the first selection of a selectable link representation from the first or second recurring time period: waiting a programmed time delay; and upon expiration of the programmed time delay, presenting textual information about the selectable link representation, thereby confirming the user's interest in the selectable link representation, wherein presenting textual information about the selectable link representation comprises presenting a title for the textual information to be displayed in a window overlapping at least a portion of a currently displayed service from among the first or second plurality of services, the window positioned to the right of and centered vertically with respect to the selectable link representation, the title associated with at least one of the first and the second plurality of services, the title specified in an attribute of the selectable link representation; receiving a second user input denoting a subsequent selection of the selectable link representation from the first or second recurring time period; and activating a service that corresponds to the selected link representation.