Method and system for delivery of targeted programming

• US 20030097657A1
• Filed: 09/14/2001
• Published: 05/22/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 09/14/2000
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Thomson Licensing SAS (Vantiva SA)
• Original Assignee: Thomson Licensing SAS (Vantiva SA)
• Inventors: Ismail, Labeeb, Kaushal, Kulbhushan, Humpleman, Richard, Zhou, Yiming, Bentolila, Ariel
• Application Number:
  US09/953,327
• Publication Number:
  US 20030097657A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/46
• 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 21/4335 Housekeeping operations, e.g. prioritizing content for deletion because of storage space restrictions storage management, e.g. defragmentation G06F3/0604; unloading stored programs G06F9/445; storage management in file systems G06F16/10; buffering arrangements in a network node or in an end terminal in packet networks H04L49/90
• 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 21/458 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 21/466 Learning process for intelligent management, e.g. learning user preferences for recommending movies services using the results of monitoring in broadcast systems H04H60/61
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/84 Generation or processing of descriptive data, e.g. content descriptors systems specially adapted for using meta-information in broadcast systems H04H60/73
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/163 by receiver means only

Abstract

A method for displaying a TV program to a viewer comprising receiving a plurality of TV programs, allowing the viewer to select one of the plurality of received TV programs for viewing, and responding to the viewer selection by displaying the viewer selected program and displaying additional programs in accordance with previously specified display criteria, the additional programs selected in accordance with the previously determined viewing preferences of the viewer. The display criteria are specified by the head-end operator and may include display schedule criteria, selected program criteria, and previously determined viewing preferences criteria. The additional programs may include advertisements.

Claims

1. A method for displaying a TV program to a viewer, comprising:

receiving a plurality of TV programs;

allowing the viewer to select one of the plurality of received TV programs for viewing; and

responding to the viewer selection by;

displaying the viewer selected program; and

displaying additional programs in accordance with previously specified display criteria, the additional programs selected in accordance with the previously determined viewing preferences of the viewer.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the display criteria include any one or more of display schedule criteria, selected program criteria, and previously determined viewing preferences criteria.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the additional programs are displayed with the viewer selected program.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the display criteria are previously specified for each individual additional program.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

receiving a plurality of additional programs;

receiving the display criteria for each additional program together with each respective additional program; and

storing a plurality of additional programs selected in accordance with the previously determined viewing preferences.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the display criteria include any one or more of display schedule criteria, selected program criteria, and previously determined viewing preferences criteria.

7. The method of claim 2, wherein displaying additional programs comprises:

displaying one or more advertisements.

8. The method of claim 5, wherein controlling the programming displayed to the viewer further comprises:

selecting one or more of the stored additional programs in accordance with the display criteria for display to the viewer.

9. The method of claim 5, wherein receiving the plurality of TV programs and additional programs comprises:

receiving the plurality of programs through one or more broadcast televisions signals, cable television networks, computer networks, or telephone networks.

10. The method of claim 6, wherein receiving the plurality of additional programs comprises:

receiving a plurality of additional programs including targeting parameters related to the previously determined viewing preferences of the viewer, the targeting parameters including one or both of TV viewing preferences and demographic information.

11. A method for displaying a TV program to a viewer, comprising:

transmitting a plurality of TV programs for selection therebetween by the viewer; and

transmitting a plurality of additional programs for selection therebetween in accordance with previously determined viewing preferences of the viewer, the selected additional programs for display to the viewer in accordance with previously specified display criteria.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the display criteria include any one or more of display schedule criteria, selected program criteria, and previously determined viewing preferences criteria.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the additional programs are displayed with the viewer selected program.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the display criteria are previously specified for each individual additional program.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

transmitting a plurality of additional programs; and

transmitting the display criteria for each additional program together with each respective additional program.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the display criteria include any one or more of display schedule criteria, selected program criteria, and previously determined viewing preferences criteria.

17. The method of claim 12, wherein displaying additional programs comprises:

displaying one or more advertisements.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein transmitting the plurality of TV programs and additional programs comprises:

transmitting the plurality of programs through one or more broadcast televisions signals, cable television networks, computer networks, or telephone networks.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein transmitting the plurality of additional programs comprises:

transmitting a plurality of additional programs including targeting parameters related to the previously determined viewing preferences of the viewer, the targeting parameters including one or both of TV viewing preferences and demographic information.