Methods and systems for forced advertisi

• US 20010054181A1
• Filed: 02/01/2001
• Published: 12/20/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 02/01/2000
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: United Video Properties Incorporated (Adeia Inc.)
• Original Assignee: United Video Properties Incorporated (Adeia Inc.)
• Inventors: Corvin, Johnny B.
• Application Number:
  US09/775,115
• Publication Number:
  US 20010054181A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/42
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4331 Caching operations, e.g. of an advertisement for later insertion during playback
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4383 Accessing a communication channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44 Processing of video elementary streams, e.g. splicing a video clip retrieved from local storage with an incoming video stream or rendering scenes according to encoded video stream scene graphs
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44004 involving video buffer management, e.g. video decoder buffer or video display buffer
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44016 involving splicing one content stream with another content stream, e.g. for substituting a video clip
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/458 Scheduling content for creating a personalised stream, e.g. by combining a locally stored advertisement with an incoming stream; Updating operations, e.g. for OS modules ; time-related management operations arrangements for replacing or switching information during the broadcast or during the distribution H04H20/10
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/478 Supplemental services, e.g. displaying phone caller identification, shopping application
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6543 for forcing some client operations, e.g. recording remote booting in general G06F9/4416
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6587 Control parameters, e.g. trick play commands, viewpoint selection
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/445 for displaying additional information H04N5/50 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/76 Television signal recording
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/775 between a recording apparatus and a television receiver
• 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

Methods and systems for forced advertising are provided. These methods and systems determine when a forced advertisement is to be presented, determine what forced advertisement is to be presented, and control how the forced advertisement is to be presented. A forced advertisement may be received prior to the time at which the forced advertisement is to be presented or when needed. The forced advertisement may be presented when certain broadcast advertisements are being broadcast, at certain times of the day, or at certain times within a program. The forced advertisements may be selected based upon content of a replaced broadcast advertisement, content of a nearby program, or independently of any broadcast-related factors. Finally, forced advertisements may be presented so that a television viewer cannot escape viewing the advertisement by changing channels or turning off the television.

Claims

1. A method for forcing a forced advertisement during a presentation of a television program, comprising:

determining a point at which the forced advertisement is to be presented during the presentation of a television program;

selecting an advertisement to be presented as the forced advertisement; and

presenting the forced advertisement at the point in the presentation of the television program.

2. The method of

claim 1

, further comprising:

receiving the forced advertisement in advance of the point in the presentation of the television program; and

storing the forced advertisement.

3. The method of

claim 1

, further comprising requesting the forced advertisement at the point in the presentation of the television program.

4. The method of

claim 1

, wherein determining the point at which the forced advertisement is to be presented during the presentation of the television program comprises determining when a certain advertisement is being broadcast.

5. The method of

claim 1

, wherein determining the point at which the forced advertisement is to be presented during the presentation of the television program comprises determining when a certain time of day occurs.

6. The method of

claim 1

, wherein determining the point at which the forced advertisement is to be presented during the presentation of the television program comprises determining when a certain point in the television program is reached.

7. The method of

claim 1

, wherein selecting the advertisement to be presented as the forced advertisement comprises determining the content of a broadcast advertisement that is being replaced by the forced advertisement.

8. The method of

claim 1

, wherein selecting the advertisement to be presented as the forced advertisement comprises determining the content of the television program.

9. The method of

claim 1

, wherein presenting the forced advertisement at the point in the presentation of the television program comprises continuing to present the forced advertisement after a television viewer attempts to change channels.

10. The method of

claim 1

, wherein presenting the forced advertisement at the point in the presentation of the television program comprises continuing to present the forced advertisement after the television viewer turns off and on user equipment through which the television program is being presented.

11. A method of presenting a forced advertisement to a television viewer comprising:

detecting the forced advertisement in an incoming video stream;

displaying the forced advertisement; and

preventing the television viewer from changing channels during playing of the forced advertisement.

12. The method of

claim 11

, wherein presenting of the forced advertisement comprises continuing to present the forced advertisement after the television viewer turns on and off user equipment on which the forced advertisement was being presented.

13. The method of

claim 11

, wherein presenting of the forced advertisement comprises storing the forced advertisement in the user equipment on which the forced advertisement was being presented.

14. A method of presenting a forced advertisement to a television viewer comprising:

detecting the forced advertisement in an incoming video stream;

displaying the forced advertisement; and

continuing to present the forced advertisement after the television viewer turns on and off user equipment on which the forced advertisement was being presented.

15. The method of

claim 14

, wherein presenting of the forced advertisement comprises preventing the television viewer from changing channels during playing of the forced advertisement.

16. The method of

claim 14

, wherein presenting of the forced advertisement comprises storing the forced advertisement in the user equipment.

17. A system for forcing a forced advertisement during a presentation of a television program, comprising:

a processor that determines a point at which the forced advertisement is to be presented during the presentation of the television program, and selects an advertisement to be presented as the forced advertisement; and

a display that presents the forced advertisement at the point in the presentation of the television program.

18. The system of

claim 17

, further comprising a storage device that receives the forced advertisement in advance of the point in the presentation of the television program and stores the forced advertisement.

19. The system of

claim 17

, wherein the processor requests the forced advertisement at the point in the presentation of the television program.

20. The system of

claim 17

, wherein the processor, in determining the point at which the forced advertisement is to be presented during the presentation of the television program, determines when a certain advertisement is being broadcast.

21. The system of

claim 17

, wherein the processor, in determining the point at which the forced advertisement is to be presented during the presentation of the television program, determines when a certain time of day occurs.

22. The system of

claim 17

, wherein the processor, in determining the point at which the forced advertisement is to be presented during the presentation of the television program, determines when a certain point in the television program is reached.

23. The system of

claim 17

, wherein the processor, in selecting the advertisement to be presented as the forced advertisement, determines the content of a broadcast advertisement that is being replaced by the forced advertisement.

24. The system of

claim 17

, wherein the processor, in selecting the advertisement to be presented as the forced advertisement, determines the content of the television program.

25. The system of

claim 17

, wherein the processor, in causing the display to present the forced advertisement at the point in the presentation of the television program, causes the display to continue to present the forced advertisement after a television viewer attempts to change channels.

26. The system of

claim 17

, wherein the processor, in causing the display to present the forced advertisement at the point in the presentation of the television program, causes the display to continue to present the forced advertisement after a television viewer turns processor off and on.

27. A system for forcing a forced advertisement during a presentation of a television program, comprising:

a first processor that determines a point at which the forced advertisement is to be presented during the presentation of the television program;

a second processor that selects an advertisement to be presented as the forced advertisement; and

a display that presents the forced advertisement at the point in the presentation of the television program.

28. The system of

claim 27

, further comprising a storage device that receives the forced advertisement in advance of the point in the presentation of the television program and stores the forced advertisement.

29. The system of

claim 27

, wherein at least one of the first processor and the second processor requests the forced advertisement at the point in the presentation of the television program.

30. The system of

claim 27

, wherein at least one of the first processor and the second processor, in determining the point at which the forced advertisement is to be presented during the presentation of the television program, determines when a certain advertisement is being broadcast.

31. The system of

claim 27

, wherein at least one of the first processor and the second processor, in determining the point at which the forced advertisement is to be presented during the presentation of the television program, determines when a certain time of day occurs.

32. The system of

claim 27

, wherein at least one of the first processor and the second processor, in determining the point at which the forced advertisement is to be presented during the presentation of the television program, determines when a certain point in the television program is reached.

33. The system of

claim 27

, wherein at least one of the first processor and the second processor, in selecting the advertisement to be presented as the forced advertisement, determines the content of a broadcast advertisement that is being replaced by the forced advertisement.

34. The system of

claim 27

, wherein at least one of the first processor and the second processor, in selecting the advertisement to be presented as the forced advertisement, determines the content of the television program.

35. The system of

claim 27

, wherein at least one of the first processor and the second processor, in causing the display to present the forced advertisement at the point in the presentation of the television program, causes the display to continue to present the forced advertisement after a television viewer attempts to change channels.

36. The system of

claim 27

, wherein at least one of the first processor and the second processor, in causing the display to present the forced advertisement at the point in the presentation of the television program, causes the display to continue to present the forced advertisement after a television viewer turns processor off and on.

37. A system for presenting a forced advertisement to a television viewer comprising:

a processor that determines the forced status of an incoming advertisement and that prevents the television viewer from changing channels during the play of the forced advertisement; and

a display that displays the forced advertisement.

38. The system of

claim 37

, wherein the processor also causes the display to continue to present the forced advertisement after the television viewer turns user equipment on and off on which the forced advertisement was being presented.

39. The system of

claim 37

, further comprising a storage device that receives the forced advertisement and stores the forced advertisement.

40. A system for presenting a forced advertisement to a television viewer comprising:

a processor that determines the forced status of an incoming advertisement and that continues to present the forced advertisement after the television viewer turns on and off user equipment on which the forced advertisement was being presented; and

a display that displays the forced advertisement.

41. The system of

claim 40

, wherein the processor also prevents the television viewer from changing channels during playing of the forced advertisement.