System and method of selective advertising on a TV channel

• US 20020087978A1
• Filed: 12/30/2000
• Published: 07/04/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 12/30/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Time Warner Cable Internet LLC (Charter Communications Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Road Runner Holdco, LLC (Charter Communications Incorporated)
• Inventors: Nicholson, Robert D., Saunders, Barrie A.
• Granted Patent: US 7,856,644 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/34
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/21 Server components or server architectures
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23 Processing of content or additional data; Elementary server operations; Server middleware
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2408 Monitoring of the upstream path of the transmission network, e.g. client requests monitoring data switching networks utilization H04L43/0876; scheduling or organising the servicing of application requests H04L67/60
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/254 Management at additional data server, e.g. shopping server, rights management server arrangements for maintenance or administration in data networks H04L41/00; network services using third party service providers H04L67/53
• 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 21/4331 Caching operations, e.g. of an advertisement for later insertion during playback
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/437 Interfacing the upstream path of the transmission network, e.g. for transmitting client requests to a VOD server flow control in data networks H04L47/10; streaming protocols, e.g. RTP or RTCP, H04L65/65; scheduling or organising the servicing of application requests in data packet switching networks H04L67/60
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44213 Monitoring of end-user related data arrangements for monitoring the users' behaviour or opinions in broadcast systems H04H60/33
• 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 21/454 Content or additional data filtering, e.g. blocking advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4622 Retrieving content or additional data from different sources, e.g. from a broadcast channel and the Internet web site content organization and management for information retrieval from the Internet G06F16/958; transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82; stock exchange data over packet-switching network H04L12/1804; push services including data channel over packet-switching network H04L12/1859
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4667 Processing of monitored end-user data, e.g. trend analysis based on the log file of viewer selections
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4782 Web browsing , e.g. WebTV
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6118 involving cable transmission, e.g. using a cable modem
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6156 specially adapted to the upstream path of the transmission network
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6543 for forcing some client operations, e.g. recording remote booting in general G06F9/4416
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6581 Reference data, e.g. a movie identifier for ordering a movie or a product identifier in a home shopping application
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6582 Data stored in the client, e.g. viewing habits, hardware capabilities, credit card number arrangements where receivers interact with the broadcast H04H20/38
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/173 : with two-way working, e.g. subscriber sending a programme selection signal

Abstract

A method and system for providing selective advertising on a television channel is accomplished by downloading appropriate advertisements from an advertising server to a subscriber'"'"'s set top box over an out-of-band channel. The set top box monitors for triggers to provide advertisements to the subscriber'"'"'s television. The advertisements can be downloaded in advance of any ad opportunity triggers to a local storage means associated with the set top box, if available.

Claims

1. A method of providing selective advertising on a television channel, comprising:

receiving a signal sent from a cable television subscriber'"'"'s set top box at a cable television operator head end that a television subscriber has initiated television viewing;

retrieving advertisements appropriate to the subscriber'"'"'s subscribed television channels from an advertising server at the cable television operator head end;

delivering said advertisements to the subscriber'"'"'s set top box a cable television network; and

having said set top box provide advertisements appropriate to a viewed channel on said subscriber'"'"'s television in response to sensing of a trigger.

2. The method of providing selective advertising on a television channel of claim 1, further comprising local storage of the advertisements by said set top box in advance of any triggers.

3. The method of providing selective advertising on a television channel of claim 1, wherein said signal and said delivering said advertisements are accomplished over an out-of-band channel.

4. The method of providing selective advertising on a television channel of claim 1, wherein the advertisements are tagged for particular channels and said tags are used to determine appropriate advertisements.

5. A system for providing selective advertising on a television channel, comprising:

a cable television network including;

a cable television operator head end;

an advertising server at said cable television operator head end; and

a plurality of subscriber set top boxes, wherein

said set top boxes each include a CPU and instructions to signal said cable operator head end when television is being viewed and to insert appropriate advertisements delivered by said advertising server over said cable television network upon detection of a trigger.

6. The system for providing selective advertising on a television channel of claim 5, wherein the set top box further includes local storage and instructions to receive advertisements from said advertising server in advance of any triggers.

7. The system for providing selective advertising on a television channel of claim 6, further comprising means to send said signal and receive said advertisements via an out-of-band channel.

8. The system for providing selective advertising on a television channel of claim 5, further comprising channel tags for each advertisement and instructions on said set top box to insert advertisements with channel tags that match a channel being viewed at the time of the trigger.