Presenting content-specific video advertisements upon request

• US 10,327,026 B1
• Filed: 08/03/2017
• Issued: 06/18/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 08/03/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Inventors: Mishra, Pragyana K.
• Primary Examiner(s): Chen, Cai Y
• Application Number:
  US15/668,629
• Time in Patent Office: 684 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23418 involving operations for analysing video streams, e.g. detecting features or characteristics television picture signal circuitry for scene change detection H04N5/147; filtering for image enhancement G06T5/00; methods or arrangements for recognising scenes G06V20/00; arrangements characterised by components specially adapted for monitoring, identification or recognition of video in broadcast systems H04H60/59
• 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 21/2393 involving handling client requests scheduling or organising the servicing of application requests H04L67/60
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2547 Third Party Billing, e.g. billing of advertiser
• 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 21/2668 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 21/47202 for requesting content on demand, e.g. video on demand
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02

Abstract

Advertisements may be selected for video programming based on the visual content of the video programming. Where a video stream depicts a consumer good or service in one or more video frames, an advertisement that is consistent with the consumer good or service may be inserted into the video stream following the video frames in which the consumer good or service appears. Such an advertisement may be one of a plurality of existing advertisements, or may be prepared in a native format based on the content of the video stream, and may be seamlessly integrated into the video stream with the same or a similar setting to the video stream. A viewer of a video stream may also request one or more advertisements based on the content of the video stream.

Claims

1. A video system comprising:

a server having at least one data store and at least one computer processor, wherein the server is connected to one or more networks,

wherein the at least one data store has instructions stored thereon that, when executed by the at least one computer processor, cause the server to perform a method comprising;

transmitting a first video stream for display by a television over the one or more networks, wherein the first video stream comprises a first plurality of video frames;

receiving a request for an advertisement by a viewer of the video stream, wherein the request was entered by the viewer via at least one personal device;

in response to the request,

determining at least one of a first time at which the request was entered or a first video frame displayed on the television at the first time, wherein the first video frame is one of the first plurality of video frames; and

after the first time,

identifying at least a first item displayed on the television at the first time or depicted in the first video frame;

detecting at least one of a first edge, a first contour, a first outline, a first color, a first texture, a first silhouette, or a first shape depicted in the first video frame;

selecting a second video stream comprising a second plurality of video frames, wherein the second video stream includes a first advertisement of the first item, wherein at least one of a second edge, a second contour, a second outline, a second color, a second texture, a second silhouette or a second shape depicted in at least a second video frame is similar to the at least one of the first edge, the first contour, the first outline, the first color, the first texture, the first silhouette or the first shape depicted in the first video frame, and wherein the second video frame is one of the second plurality of video frames; and

transmitting the second video stream for display by the television over the one or more networks.

2. The video system of claim 1, wherein identifying at least the first item displayed on the television at the first time or depicted in the first video frame further comprises:

after the first time,

identifying a second item displayed on the television at the first time or depicted in the first video frame;

transmitting a third video stream for display by the television over the one or more networks, wherein the third video stream includes a third plurality of video frames, and wherein the third video stream includes a menu comprising a first identifier of the first item and a second identifier of the second item; and

receiving a selection of the first identifier over the one or more networks,

wherein the second video stream is transmitted for display by the television over the one or more networks in response to the selection.

3. The video system of claim 1,

wherein the first item is identified based at least in part on the at least one of the first edge, the first contour, the first outline, the first color, the first texture, the first silhouette or the first shape.

4. A computer-implemented method comprising:

causing a display of at least a portion of a first video file on a display of at least one personal device, wherein the first video file comprises a first plurality of video frames;

receiving a request for at least one advertisement over at least one communications network from a viewer of the display of at least the first video file at a first time, wherein the request is received during the display of at least the first video file;

identifying at least one product depicted in at least one of the first plurality of video frames displayed on the display of the at least one personal device at or prior to the first time, wherein the at least one product is identified not earlier than the first time; and

causing a display of a second video file on the display of the at least one personal device at a second time, wherein the second video file comprises a second plurality of video frames, wherein the second video file contains an advertisement associated with the at least one product, and wherein the second time is later than the first time.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 4, wherein identifying the at least one product depicted in the at least one of the first plurality of video frames displayed on the display of the at least one personal device at or prior to the first time comprises:

in response to the request,

identifying a first product based at least in part on the request not earlier than the first time; and

selecting a video file comprising an advertisement for the first product, wherein the second video file is the selected video file.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 4, wherein identifying the at least one product depicted in the at least one of the first plurality of video frames displayed on the display of the at least one personal device at or prior to the first time comprises:

accessing a record of metadata associated with the first video file, wherein the record of metadata comprises at least one identifier of at least one product and at least one identifier of at least one video frame in which the at least one product is depicted or at least one time at which the at least one product is depicted; and

identifying the at least one product depicted in a first video frame of the first plurality of video frames or at the first time based at least in part on the record of metadata in response to the request,

wherein the first video frame is displayed at or prior to the first time.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 4, wherein identifying the at least one product depicted in the at least one of the first plurality of video frames displayed on the display of the at least one personal device at or prior to the first time comprises:

not earlier than the first time,

detecting at least one of a first edge, a first contour, a first outline, a first color, a first texture, a first silhouette or a first shape within the at least one of the first plurality of video frames displayed on the display of the at least one personal device at or prior to the first time; and

identifying the at least one product based at least in part on the first edge, the first contour, the first outline, the first color, the first texture, the first silhouette or the first shape.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 7, further comprising:

identifying a plurality of video files, wherein each of the plurality of video files comprises at least one advertisement associated with the at least one product; and

selecting one of the plurality of video files based at least in part on the first edge, the first contour, the first outline, the first color, the first texture, the first silhouette or the first shape,

wherein the second video file is the selected one of the plurality of video files.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 4, wherein identifying the at least one product depicted in the at least one of the first plurality of video frames displayed on the display of the at least one personal device at or prior to the first time comprises:

identifying a plurality of products depicted in the at least one of the first plurality of video frames displayed on the display of the at least one personal device at or prior to the first time, and

wherein the method further comprises;

causing a display of a menu comprising a plurality of identifiers on the display of the at least one personal device, wherein each of the plurality of products is associated with one of the plurality of identifiers;

receiving a selection of one of the plurality of identifiers over the at least one communications network from the viewer;

identifying the one of the products associated with the selected one of the plurality of identifiers; and

in response to identifying the one of the products associated with the selected one of the plurality of identifiers,

selecting one of a plurality of video files comprising an advertisement for the one of the products associated with the selected one of the plurality of identifiers,

wherein the second video file is the selected one of the plurality of video files, and

wherein the display of the second video file is caused in response to the selection of the one of the plurality of video files.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 9, further comprising:

performing an analysis of visual content of the at least one of the first plurality of video frames;

performing the analysis of the visual content of at least one video frame of each of the plurality of video files; and

calculating, for each of the plurality of video files, a similarity score based at least in part on the analysis of the visual content of the at least one of the first plurality of video frames and the analysis of the visual content of the at least one video frame of each of the plurality of video files,

wherein the one of the plurality of video files is selected based at least in part on the similarity score.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 4, wherein receiving the request for the at least one advertisement over the at least one communications network from the viewer comprises at least one of:

receiving at least one audible signal from the viewer via the at least one personal device, wherein the at least one audible signal comprises the request.

12. The computer-implemented method of claim 4, wherein causing the display of at least the first video file on the display of the at least one personal device comprises:

causing the display of at least the first video file on the display of a first personal device,

wherein the request for the at least one advertisement is received over the at least one communications network from at least one of;

the first personal device;

or

a second personal device, and

wherein the second personal device is one of;

a smart speaker;

a remote control associated with the first personal device;

or

a mobile computer device.

13. The computer-implemented method of claim 4, wherein causing the display of at least the first video file by the at least one personal device comprises:

transmitting at least the first video file to the at least one personal device over the at least one communications network prior to the first time, and

wherein causing the display of the second video file by the at least one personal device comprises;

transmitting the second video file to the at least one personal device over the at least one communications network after the first time.

14. The computer-implemented method of claim 13, wherein the at least one communications network comprises one of:

a cable television network;

or

a computer network.

15. The computer-implemented method of claim 4, wherein identifying the at least one product depicted in the at least one of the first plurality of video frames displayed on the display of the at least one personal device at or prior to the first time comprises:

identifying a first product depicted in the at least one of the first plurality of video frames displayed on the display of the at least one personal device at or prior to the first time;

determining that the first product is in a category of products;

selecting a second product, wherein the second product is in the category of products; and

selecting one of a plurality of video files, wherein each of the plurality of video files comprises an advertisement for the second product, and

wherein the second video file is the selected one of the plurality of video files.

16. The computer-implemented method of claim 15, determining at least one attribute of the viewer based at least in part on at least one of:

a browsing history of the first viewer at an online marketplace;

a purchasing history of the first viewer at the online marketplace;

or

the request for the at least one advertisement received from the viewer,

wherein at least one of the second product or the one of the plurality of video files is selected based at least in part on the at least one attribute of the viewer.

17. The computer-implemented method of claim 15, further comprising:

receiving information regarding a plurality of bids over the at least one communications network, wherein each of the bids is a sum of money offered as consideration to cause a display of one of the plurality of video files in response to requests for at least one advertisement;

determining a ranking of at least some of the plurality of video files; and

selecting the one of the plurality of video files based at least in part on the ranking.

18. A computer-implemented method comprising:

identifying a first video file comprising a first plurality of video frames;

conducting an object recognition analysis of at least some of the first plurality of video frames;

generating a record based at least in part on the object recognition analysis, wherein the record comprises a plurality of products identified during the object recognition analysis and at least one frame in which each of the plurality of products was identified;

causing the first video file to be transmitted to a first personal device of a first user over at least one computer network;

receive a request for an advertisement from the first user over the at least one computer network, wherein the request for the advertisement is received as a first video frame of the first plurality of video frames is shown on a display of the first personal device, and wherein the request is received via at least one of the first personal device or a second personal device of the first user;

in response to the request,

identifying, based at least in part on the record, a plurality of items depicted in the first video frame;

causing a display of a window on the display of the first personal device over the at least one computer network, wherein the window comprises identifiers of at least some of the plurality of items depicted in the first video frame;

receiving a selection of one of the identifiers from the first user over the at least one computer network, wherein the selection is received via at least one of the first personal device or the second personal device;

identifying a second video file based at least in part on the selection of the one of the identifiers, wherein the second video file comprises an advertisement for the one of the plurality of items associated with the selected one of the identifiers; and

causing the second video file to be transmitted to the first personal device over the at least one computer network.

19. The computer-implemented method of claim 18, wherein the first personal device is one of a television, a media player, a desktop computer, a laptop computer, a tablet computer or a smartphone, and

wherein the second personal device is one of:

a smart speaker;

a remote control associated with the first personal device;

or

a mobile device.

20. The computer-implemented method of claim 18, further comprising:

determining at least one of a color or a texture of at least one of a first background feature or a first foreground feature depicted in the first video frame; and

identifying the second video file based at least in part on the color or the texture,

wherein the second video file depicts at least one of a second background feature or a second foreground feature having the at least one of the color or the texture.