Prior art

To identify the most relevant prior art for US Patent 9510040, I will search the USPTO database for the patent and then analyze its cited references.

Here's an analysis of relevant prior art for US Patent 9510040, based on the citations within the patent itself:

Understanding Prior Art Relevance

Under 35 U.S.C. § 102 (Anticipation), a claim is anticipated if every element of the claim is found, either explicitly or inherently, in a single prior art reference. While a comprehensive anticipation analysis would require a deep dive into each reference's full content and comparison with every claim limitation, I will provide a high-level assessment of potential relevance for the independent claims (Claims 1, 11, and 12), given the information available.

Cited References and Potential Anticipation:

The patent US9510040 itself lists a number of prior art documents in its "References Cited" section. I will focus on the U.S. Patent Documents as primary sources of potential anticipation.

Here are some of the most relevant prior art documents cited in US9510040:

1. US 7,725,892 B2 to Kulas et al.

   • Full Citation: US 7,725,892 B2 (Kulas et al.)
   • Publication/Filing Date: Publication: May 25, 2010.
   • Brief Description: This patent generally describes systems and methods for presenting a user interface on a display, particularly in a television environment, where content (like television programming) is modified to incorporate additional information. It discusses displaying multiple information elements within a television program, including interactive overlays or menus.
   • Potential Anticipation (Claims 1, 11, 12): This reference is highly relevant as it addresses displaying content and user interfaces on a television. It could potentially anticipate the elements of "receiving an indication associated with a selection by a user," "determining... a global panel to display," "retrieving... content information," and "displaying... the retrieved content information in the specified global panel" if its described "multiple information elements" or "interactive overlays" are considered equivalent to a "global panel" displaying "content information" in response to user selection. Specifically, the concept of modifying displayed content to include additional information, and user interaction with these elements, directly relates to the core of the independent claims.

2. US 8,631,424 B2 to Niu et al.

   • Full Citation: US 8,631,424 B2 (Niu et al.)
   • Publication/Filing Date: Publication: January 14, 2014.
   • Brief Description: This patent focuses on providing an interactive program guide (IPG) with supplementary information and the ability for users to interact with that information. It describes a client device displaying an IPG along with auxiliary content related to a program.
   • Potential Anticipation (Claims 1, 11, 12): Niu et al. is relevant to "displaying content on a television" and "retrieving... content information for display in the global panel." An interactive program guide is a form of a "panel" displaying "content information." If the IPG, or parts of it, is presented as a consistent, accessible interface across different functions, it could potentially anticipate the "global panel" concept. The user's selection and the subsequent display of content are central to an IPG.

3. US 2007/0079326 A1 to Park et al.

   • Full Citation: US 2007/0079326 A1 (Park et al.)
   • Publication/Filing Date: Publication: April 5, 2007.
   • Brief Description: This application describes a method for providing content in a broadcasting system, including displaying a main image and a sub-image on a display device. It also details receiving user input to control the display of these images.
   • Potential Anticipation (Claims 1, 11, 12): This reference directly addresses displaying multiple content elements ("main image" and "sub-image") and user interaction. The "sub-image" could be analogous to the "global panel" displaying "first content information." The control of these images based on user input aligns with "receiving an indication associated with a selection by a user" and "displaying... the retrieved content information in the specified global panel."

4. US 2007/0107021 A1 to Lee et al.

   • Full Citation: US 2007/0107021 A1 (Lee et al.)
   • Publication/Filing Date: Publication: May 10, 2007.
   • Brief Description: This patent application describes an apparatus and method for providing services related to broadcast programs, which includes displaying various types of information (e.g., related content, interactive menus) on a screen alongside the main broadcast. User interaction for selecting and displaying this information is also discussed.
   • Potential Anticipation (Claims 1, 11, 12): Similar to Park et al., this reference's focus on displaying additional information or interactive menus alongside a main broadcast, and the user's ability to select and interact with these, makes it relevant. The "interactive menus" or "various types of information" could potentially serve as a "global panel" concept, displaying "content information" based on user "selection."

5. US 2007/0118861 A1 to Lee et al.

   • Full Citation: US 2007/0118861 A1 (Lee et al.)
   • Publication/Filing Date: Publication: May 24, 2007.
   • Brief Description: This patent application describes a digital television and method for providing additional services, where a broadcast signal is processed to display various types of information, potentially in multiple windows or regions, and responsive to user commands.
   • Potential Anticipation (Claims 1, 11, 12): This is another strong contender as it explicitly mentions displaying information in "multiple windows or regions" and being "responsive to user commands." This directly maps to the "global panel" and user selection elements of the independent claims. The "additional services" and the information displayed within them are forms of "content information."

These cited U.S. patents and applications demonstrate existing solutions for displaying supplementary content on televisions, managing user interaction with on-screen elements, and integrating different information sources. A thorough analysis against these references would be crucial to determine the precise scope of anticipation for each limitation in the independent claims of US9510040.