Method for providing personalized, targeted advertisements during playback of media

• US 10,181,132 B1
• Filed: 11/11/2013
• Issued: 01/15/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 09/04/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: T-Mobile Innovations LLC (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Original Assignee: Sprint Communications Company LP (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Inventors: Delker, Jason R., Everson, John M., Gailloux, Michael A., Nichols, Jarrod A., Norris, James W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Felten, Daniel S
• Application Number:
  US14/077,207
• Time in Patent Office: 1,891 Days
• Field of Search: 725 32, 348 E7075, 709231
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/00 Commerce
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0251 Targeted advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0264 based upon schedule
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0272 Period of advertisement exposure
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

A media player is provided. The media player comprises a communications interface, a memory store containing a plurality of personalized advertisements, and a media playback component. The targeted advertisements are refreshed by receiving updates from the communications interface during some of the intervals when the media player is connected to a network. The targeted advertisements are indexed by a plurality of characteristics, the first characteristic being a creation date of the targeted advertisements. The media playback component is configured to play a media content, wherein the media content is stored separately from the targeted advertisements, and to play one of the targeted advertisements in the memory store selected based on the characteristics of the one of the targeted advertisements.

Claims

1. A method of operating a media player, comprising:

storing, by the media player, targeted advertisements received via a network interface of the media player in a non-transitory memory of the media player;

playing, by the media player, a media content;

subsequent to playing at least some of the media content, receiving, by the media player, a media content playback control input that comprises at least one of a pause control input, a fast forward control input, a stop control input, a skip forward control input, a rewind control input, or a slow motion control input; and

in response to receiving the media content playback control input, playing, by the media player, one of the targeted advertisements stored in the non-transitory memory of the media player based on a set of rules relating the received media content playback control input to the one of the targeted advertisements, wherein the set of rules comprises selecting a video segment as the one of the targeted advertisements when the media content playback control input is the pause control input and selecting an audio advertisement as the one of the targeted advertisements when the media control input is the fast forward control input, whereby the playing the one of the targeted advertisements does not interfere with an interaction of a user with the media player by obstructing viewing of the media content on the media player by the user when the media content will continue being displayed by the media player during playing of the targeted advertisement.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the media content is one of a multimedia content, a television show, a digital video disk, a video game disk, an on-line game, a compact disk audio recording, a streaming video, a radio broadcast, and an audio recording file.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the storing of the targeted advertisements in the memory of the media player occurs over a plurality of separate network connectivity sessions.

4. The method of claim 3, further including storing, by the media player, additional targeted advertisements received via the network interface of the media player in the memory of the media player, the storing of the additional targeted advertisements occurring over a plurality of separate network sessions, wherein the storing of the additional targeted advertisements occurs after the storing of the targeted advertisements has completed, and wherein at least some of the additional targeted advertisements replace some of the targeted advertisements.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the substantial interference with the interaction of the user with the media player is avoided by selecting one of an audio-only targeted advertisement and a scrolling message targeted advertisement.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the media content is advertisement linked content, wherein the playing the one of the targeted advertisements stored in the media player is based on the media player reading an advertisement trigger during the playing the media content, wherein the one of the targeted advertisements is selected based on an association between the media content and the one of the targeted advertisements, wherein the playing of the media content is paused during the playing of the one of the targeted advertisements, and wherein the media player ignores media content playback control inputs to stop, fast forward through, and skip over the one of the targeted advertisements during the playing of the one of the targeted advertisements.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the one of the targeted advertisements is further selected based on a usage profile associated with at least one of the media player or a user of the media player, and wherein the usage profile comprises at least one of demographics information, consumer history, or characterizing information provided by the user of the media player.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the one of the targeted advertisements is further selected based at least in part on one of a time-of-day, a mobility status of the media player, or a location of the media player.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein at least some of the targeted advertisements are refreshed daily, provided that connection with a network occurs at least daily.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the targeted advertisements are indexed by a plurality of characteristics, wherein the plurality of characteristics include one or more of an advertisement subject, an advertisement media format, an advertisement play length, and a playback history, wherein the playback history of each advertisement identifies how often the advertisement has been played on the media player, the time of the advertisement was last played on the media player, and the number of times the media player has fast-forwarded through the advertisement, and wherein the characteristics of each of the targeted advertisements are stored with the corresponding targeted advertisement in the memory of the media player.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein in response to the media content playback control input being the pause control input or the stop control input, any one of the targeted advertisements is selected to be the one of the targeted advertisements.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein in response to the media content playback control input being the fast forward control input, a non-interfering targeted advertisement is selected to be the one of the targeted advertisements.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the non-interfering targeted advertisement is an audio-only targeted advertisement.

11. A method of operating a media player, comprising:

storing, by the media player, targeted advertisements received via a network interface of the media player in a non-transitory memory of the media player;

playing, by the media player, a media content;

subsequent to playing at least some of the media content, receiving, by the media player, a media content playback control input that comprises at least one of a pause control input, a fast forward control input, a stop control input, a skip forward control input, a rewind control input, or a slow motion control input; and

in response to receiving the media content playback control input, playing, by the media player, one of the targeted advertisements stored in the non-transitory memory of the media player during an interval of disconnection from a network based on a set of rules relating the received media content playback control input to the one of the targeted advertisements, wherein the set of rules comprises selecting a video segment as the one of the targeted advertisements when the media content playback control input is the pause control input and selecting an audio advertisement as the one of the targeted advertisements when the media control input is the fast forward control input, whereby the playing the one of the targeted advertisements does not interfere with an interaction of a user with the media player by obstructing viewing of the media content on the media player by the user when the media content will continue being displayed by the media player during playing of the targeted advertisement.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

tracking, by the media player, user responses to the playing the one of the targeted advertisements; and

transmitting, by the media player, a report of the user responses.

13. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

creating a log of the media content playback control input received by the media player during the playing the one of the targeted advertisements; and

transmitting the log to a server during an interval that the media player is connected to a network for analyzing, wherein additional targeted advertisements are selected and sent to the media player based in part on the log.

14. A method of operating a media player, comprising:

storing, by the media player, targeted advertisements received via a network interface of the media player in a non-transitory memory of the media player;

playing, by the media player, a media content;

subsequent to playing at least some of the media content, receiving, by the media player, a media content playback control input that comprises at least one of a pause control input, a fast forward control input, a stop control input, a skip forward control input, a rewind control input, or a slow motion control input; and

in response to receiving the media content playback control input, playing, by the media player, one of the targeted advertisements stored in the non-transitory memory of the media player based on a set of rules relating the received media content playback control input to the one of the targeted advertisements, wherein the set of rules comprises selecting a video segment that repeatedly loops as the one of the targeted advertisements when the media content playback control input is the pause control input and selecting an audio advertisement as the one of the targeted advertisements when the media control input is the fast forward control input, whereby the playing the one of the targeted advertisements does not interfere with an interaction of a user with the media player by obstructing viewing of the media content on the media player by the user when the media content will continue being displayed by the media player during playing of the targeted advertisement.

18. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

creating a log of the media content playback control input received by the media player during the playing the one of the targeted advertisements; and

transmitting the log to a server during an interval that the media player is connected to a network for analyzing, wherein additional targeted advertisements are selected and sent to the media player based in part on the log.

19. The method of claim 14, wherein the one of the targeted advertisements is further selected based on a usage profile associated with at least one of the media player or a user of the media player and based on one of a time-of-day, a mobility status of the media player, or a location of the media player.