Queue-based head-end advertisement scheduling method and apparatus

• US 10,206,012 B2
• Filed: 01/10/2017
• Issued: 02/12/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 08/31/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Prime Research Alliance E, LLC
• Original Assignee: Prime Research Alliance E., Inc.
• Inventors: Eldering, Charles A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Sheleheda, James R
• Application Number:
  US15/402,798
• Publication Number:
  US 20170127149A1
• Time in Patent Office: 763 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0254 based on statistics
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23424 involving splicing one content stream with another content stream, e.g. for inserting or substituting an advertisement
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/252 Processing of multiple end-users' preferences to derive collaborative data
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25883 being end-user demographical data, e.g. age, family status or address arrangements for identifying locations of users in broadcast systems H04H60/52
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25891 being end-user preferences retrieval of video data in a video database based on user preferences G06F16/739; arrangements for recognizing users' preferences H04H60/46; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306; processing of user preferences or user profiles in wireless networks H04W8/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/26225 involving billing parameters, e.g. priority for subscribers of premium services
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/26233 involving content or additional data duration or size, e.g. length of a movie, size of an executable file
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/26241 involving the time of distribution, e.g. the best time of the day for inserting an advertisement or airing a children program
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2668 Creating a channel for a dedicated end-user group, e.g. insertion of targeted commercials based on end-user profiles information retrieval from the Internet by querying with filtering and personalisation G06F16/9535; arrangements for replacing or switching information during the broadcast H04H20/10; push services over packet-switching network H04L12/1859; adaptation of message content in packet-switching networks H04L51/063
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42684 Client identification by a unique number or address, e.g. serial number, MAC address, socket ID network arrangements, protocols or services for addressing or naming H04L61/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4532 involving end-user characteristics, e.g. viewer profile, preferences monitoring of user activities for profile generation for accessing a video database G06F16/739; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306; processing of user preferences or user profiles in wireless networks H04W8/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6125 involving transmission via Internet transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/85406 involving a specific file format, e.g. MP4 format
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/165 Centralised control of user terminal subsequent to an upstream request signal H04N7/17345; Registering at central by two-way working H04N7/17309

Abstract

In one embodiment, a method of transmitting streaming media and advertisements to viewers at a plurality of viewer nodes is disclosed in which a plurality of viewer groups are created. Each viewer node is assigned to one of the plurality of viewer groups, wherein the assigning includes creating an advertising group map disclosing an advertising group to which each viewer belongs and transmitting the advertising group map to each viewer node. At the head end, at least one media stream is received including media content. A plurality of presentation streams is formed, each presentation channel corresponding to one of the viewer groups, by replicating the at least one media stream, each presentation channel including the media content and advertisements, wherein the advertisements replace previously scheduled advertisements. Each of the presentation channels is transmitted to at least one viewer node in said viewer group corresponding to said presentation channel.

Claims

1. A method of transmitting streaming media and advertisements from at least one server to viewers at a plurality of viewer nodes, the method comprising:

creating a plurality of viewer groups, members of the viewer groups being based on at least one characteristic of the viewers, the at least one characteristic being relevant to advertising;

assigning each viewer node to one of the plurality of viewer groups, wherein the assigning includes creating an advertising group map disclosing an advertising group to which each viewer belongs and transmitting the advertising group map to each viewer node;

receiving at the at least one server at least one media stream including television programming;

forming a plurality of presentation channels, each presentation channel corresponding to one of the viewer groups, by replicating the at least one media stream, each presentation channel including the television programming and advertisements, wherein the advertisements replace previously scheduled advertisements; and

transmitting each of the presentation channels to at least one viewer node in the viewer group corresponding to the respective presentation channel.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein each viewer group comprises a set of viewers that is mutually exclusive of each other viewer group.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the advertisements included in one of the plurality of presentation channels is selected from a queue of advertisements corresponding to the assigned viewer group of the viewer node that requested the television programming.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one viewer node includes a set top box through which the request for the television programming is made.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one characteristic includes probabilistic demographic information of the viewers.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one characteristic is based in part on the address of the viewers.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one characteristic is based in part on socio-economic characteristics of the viewers.