METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR CUSTOMIZED RENDERING OF COMMERCIALS

• US 20020010930A1
• Filed: 10/30/1998
• Published: 01/24/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 10/30/1998
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: HACKSON, DAVID N., SHAH-NAZAROFF, ANTHONY A., SMITH, ERIC O., MOORE, KENNETH A., IKI, JEAN M GOLDSCHMIDT
• Granted Patent: US 6,671,880 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/42
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/106 Receiver-side switching
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/46 for recognising users' preferences
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/65 for using the result on users' side
• 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 21/458 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 21/812 involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02
• 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

An entertainment system receives entertainment programming interposed with commercials. The entertainment system selectively renders the commercial in accordance with characteristics associated with a user of the entertainment programming. In one embodiment, the entertainment system selectively renders a selected one among multiple received versions of a commercial. In another embodiment, the entertainment system selectively renders a selected one among multiple received commercials.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving entertainment programming interposed with commercials; and

selectively rendering the commercials in accordance with one or more characteristics associated with a user of the entertainment programming.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the selective rendering of the commercials includes selecting one of a plurality of received versions of a commercial based on the various received versions'"'"' interest potential to the user, with the interest potential being determined based on the one or more characteristics associated with the user, and rendering the selected one of the multiple received versions of the commercial for the user.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the selective rendering of the commercials includes selecting one of a plurality of received commercials based on the various received commercials'"'"' interest potential to the user, with the interest potential being determined based on the one or more characteristics associated with the user, and rendering the selected one of the multiple received commercials for the user.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the selective rendering of the commercials includes determining interest potential to the user for a plurality of versions of a commercial or a plurality of commercials, with the determination being made in accordance with the one or more characteristics associated with the user.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the selective rendering of the commercials includes computing interest indices for a plurality of versions of a commercial, or a plurality of commercials, with the computation being performed using selected ones of the one or more characteristics associated with the user.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the selective rendering of the commercials further conditionally includes restoring a channel/source of entertainment programming as a current channel/source for entertainment programming.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the selective rendering is performed with characteristics that include selected ones of profile characteristics and entertainment programming consumption characteristics.

8. An article of manufacture comprising a recordable medium have recorded thereon a plurality of programming instructions to be executed by a processor, wherein when executed, the programming instructions operate an entertainment system to receive entertainment programming interposed with commercials, and selectively render the received commercials in accordance with one or more characteristics associated with a user of the entertainment programming.

9. The article of claim 8, wherein the programming instructions operate the entertainment system to select one of a plurality of received versions of a commercial based on the various received versions'"'"' interest potential to the user determined in accordance with the one or more characteristics associated with the user, and render the selected one of the multiple received versions of the commercial for the user.

10. The article of claim 8, wherein the programming instructions operate the entertainment system to select one of a plurality of received commercials based on the various received commercials'"'"' interest potential to the user determined in accordance with the one or more characteristics associated with the user, and render the selected one of the multiple received commercials for the user.

11. The article of claim 8, wherein the programming instructions operate the entertainment system to determine interest potential to the user for a plurality of versions of a commercial, or a plurality of commercials, using the one or more characteristics associated with the user.

12. The article of claim 8, wherein the programming instructions operate the entertainment system to compute interest indices for a plurality of versions of a commercial, or a plurality of commercials, using selected ones of the one or more characteristics associated with the user.

13. The article of claim 8, wherein the programming instructions further conditionally operate the entertainment system to restore a channel/source of entertainment programming as a current channel/source for entertainment programming.

14. The article of claim 8, wherein the programming instructions operate the entertainment system to perform said selective commercial rendering based on characteristics that include selected ones of profile characteristics and entertainment programming consumption characteristics.

15. An entertainment system comprising

a user profiling subsystem to supply a number of characteristics associated with a user of entertainment programming;

a rendering subsystem coupled to the user profiling subsystem to render entertainment programming including commercials interposed in the entertainment programming, the commercials being rendered selectively in accordance with the gathered characteristics associated with a user of the entertainment programming.

16. The entertainment system of claim 15, wherein the rendering subsystem selects one of a plurality of received versions of a commercial based on the various received versions'"'"' interest potential to the user, with the interest potential being determined in accordance with the one or more characteristics associated with the user, and renders the selected one of the multiple received versions of the commercial for the user.

17. The entertainment system of claim 15, wherein the entertainment system selects one of a plurality of received commercials based on the various received commercials'"'"' interest potential to the user, with the interest potential being determined in accordance with the one or more characteristics associated with the user, and renders the selected one of the multiple received commercials for the user.

18. The entertainment system of claim 15, wherein the rendering subsystem determines interest potential for a plurality of versions of a commercial, or a plurality of commercials, using the one or more characteristics associated with the user.

19. The entertainment system of claim 15, wherein the rendering subsystem computes interest indices for a plurality of versions of a commercial, or a plurality of commercials, using selected ones of the one or more characteristics associated with the user.

20. The entertainment system of claim 15, wherein the entertainment system further conditionally operates itself to restore a channel/source of entertainment programming as a current channel/source for entertainment programming.

21. The entertainment system of claim 15, wherein the entertainment system selectively renders the commercials based on characteristics that include selected ones of profile characteristics and entertainment programming consumption characteristics.

22. An apparatus comprising

means for receiving entertainment programming interposed with commercials;

and

means for selectively rendering the commercials in accordance with characteristics associated with a user of the entertainment programming.

23. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein the apparatus further comprises means for selecting one of a plurality of versions of a commercial or one of a plurality of commercials based on interest potential of the various versions of the commercial or the various commercials of the channels/sources to the user, with the interest potential being determined in accordance with the characteristics associated with the user.

24. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein the apparatus further comprises means for determining interest potential for a plurality of versions of a commercial or a plurality of commercials, using the characteristics associated with the user.