Communicating and displaying an advertisement using a personal video recorder

• US 20030154128A1
• Filed: 02/11/2002
• Published: 08/14/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 02/11/2002
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: ACTV, Inc. (Kudelski SA)
• Original Assignee: ACTV, Inc. (Kudelski SA)
• Inventors: Greenberg, Arthur L., Liga, Kevin M., Deo, Frank P., Cristofalo, Michael G.
• Application Number:
  US10/074,530
• Publication Number:
  US 20030154128A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/14
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0208 Trade or exchange of goods or services in exchange for incentives or rewards
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0241 Advertisements
• 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 21/4147 PVR [Personal Video Recorder] H04N5/76 takes precedence ; arrangements for broadcast with accumulation-type receivers H04H20/40
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4325 by playing back content from the storage medium reproduction of recorded television signals H04N5/76; reproduction of recorded television signals H04N9/79
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/435 Processing of additional data, e.g. decrypting of additional data, reconstructing software from modules extracted from the transport stream
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44222 Analytics of user selections, e.g. selection of programs or purchase activity monitoring of user selections in data processing systems G06F11/34; arrangements for monitoring the user's behaviour or opinions in broadcast systems H04H60/33
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8146 involving graphical data, e.g. 3D object, 2D graphics
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/76 Television signal recording
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/765 Interface circuits between an apparatus for recording and another apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/775 between a recording apparatus and a television receiver
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/781 on disks or drums
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/783 Adaptations for reproducing at a rate different from the recording rate
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/084 with signal insertion during the horizontal blanking interval only
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/088 the inserted signal being digital
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/8042 involving data reduction

Abstract

A method and system for displaying updated, targeted, and/or alternately formatted advertisements to a consumer. The invention may use targeted ads in conjunction with consumer profile information to reach interested consumers. The invention may further detect stale advertisements and replace them with updated advertisements having timely information. The updated advertisements are displayed in place of the stale commercials. The invention may also display alternately formatted advertisements in place of speeded-up advertisements during a fast-forward operation on a personal video recorder. Reward-based content may also be provided, wherein the content is viewable only after one or more advertisements are viewed at normal playback speed. All of these functions are operable with a personal video recorder.

Claims

1. A method for providing reward-based content, comprising:

downloading reward-based content having an embedded advertisement stream comprising at least one advertisement within the reward-based content;

playing the reward-based content;

detecting the beginning of the advertisement stream;

in response to detecting the beginning of the advertisement stream, disabling a remote control; and

detecting the end of the advertisement stream.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of playing the reward-based content comprises playing the reward-base content on a personal video recorder.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

recording the reward-based content as a stored recording on the personal video recorder; and

the step of playing the reward based-content on the personal video recorder comprises playing the reward-based content from the stored recording on the personal video recorder.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the step of disabling a remote control comprises disabling via a software command a remote control associated with the personal video recorder.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the software command is transmitted from a transmission center.

6. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

determining that the entire advertisement stream was shown at a normal playback speed;

in response to determining that the entire advertisement stream was shown at a normal playback speed, continuing to play the reward-based content; and

otherwise, terminating the reward-based content.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of detecting the beginning of the advertisement stream comprises locating embedded data placed within a non-visible portion of the advertising stream.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the embedded data comprises an indication that the reward-based content has ended.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the remote control is associated with a receiver.

10. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

in response to determining that the entire advertisement stream was not shown at a normal playback speed, barring all further downloads of reward-based content for a period of time.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of detecting the beginning of the advertisement stream comprises locating embedded data transmitted as a dedicated data packet.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of detecting the beginning of the advertisement stream comprises locating embedded data contained within the vertical blanking interval of the advertisement stream.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of detecting the beginning of the advertisement stream comprises locating embedded data contained within the horizontal overscan of the advertisement stream.

14. A method for detecting and replacing stale advertisements, comprising:

detecting the beginning of a first advertisement contained in a programming signal;

determining that the first advertisement is stale;

in response to determining that the first advertisement is stale, requesting an updated advertisement;

receiving the updated advertisement; and

playing the updated advertisement.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the step of playing the updated advertisement is performed substantially immediately after the step of detecting the beginning of a first advertisement contained in a programming signal.

16. The method of claim 14, further comprising embedding embedded data in a non-visible portion of the first advertisement.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the step of detecting the beginning of a first advertisement contained in a programming signal comprises detecting the embedded data.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the non-visible portion of the first advertisement comprises the vertical blanking interval.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein the non-visible portion of the first advertisement comprises the horizontal overscan.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein the embedded data comprises a time stamp indicating the last time at which the first advertisement is to be played.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the step of requesting an updated advertisement comprises requesting from a storage location an advertisement having a time stamp later than the current time.

22. The method of claim 14, further comprising transmitting embedded data as a separate data packet in the programming signal.

23. The method of claim 21, wherein the storage location comprises a storage device located within a personal video recorder.

24. The method of claim 21, further comprising:

recording the programming signal on a storage device located within a personal video recorder; and

wherein the step of playing a programming signal comprises playing the programming signal from the storage device.

25. A method for providing targeted advertising, comprising:

compiling consumer profile information;

determining whether a first advertisement matches the consumer profile information;

in the event that the first advertisement matches the consumer profile information, recording the first advertisement; and

in the event that the first advertisement does not match the consumer profile information, ignoring the first advertisement.

26. The method of claim 25, further comprising:

determining whether the first advertisement is broadcast by a transmission center on a dedicated frequency;

in the event that the first advertisement is broadcast by the transmission center on the dedicated frequency, tuning a receiver to the dedicated frequency;

in response to tuning a receiver to the frequency, recording the first advertisement on a personal video recorder;

in the event that the first advertisement is not broadcast by the transmission center on the dedicated frequency, scanning a set of broadcast frequencies to locate the first advertisement; and

in response to locating the first advertisement, recording the first advertisement.

27. The method of claim 26, further comprising:

playing a programming signal;

detecting a second advertisement having embedded data in the programming signal;

determining whether the second advertisement matches the consumer information profile;

in response to determining that the second advertisement does not match the consumer information profile, retrieving the first advertisement;

inserting the first advertisement in the programming signal; and

playing the first advertisement.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein the embedded data comprises information indicating the contents of the second advertisement.

29. The method of claim 28, wherein the step of determining whether the second advertisement matches the consumer information profile comprises:

receiving the embedded data; and

comparing the contents of the second advertisement to the consumer information profile.

30. The method of claim 27, wherein the step of determining whether the second advertisement matches the consumer information profile comprises comparing the embedded data to the consumer information profile.

31. The method of claim 27, wherein the step of determining whether the second advertisement matches the consumer information profile comprises reviewing the embedded data.

32. A method for providing an alternate display format for an advertisement during a fast-forwarding operation, comprising:

playing on a video device the advertisement having embedded data;

detecting that the video device is replaying the advertisement at a playback speed exceeding a normal playback speed;

in response to detecting that the video device is replaying the advertisement at a playback speed exceeding a normal playback speed, retrieving the embedded data;

detecting the end of the advertisement; and

in response to detecting the end of the advertisement, terminating retrieving the embedded data.

33. The method of claim 32, wherein the embedded data comprises a single video frame.

34. The method of claim 33, further comprising:

displaying the single video frame instead of the advertisement during the fast-forward operation;

further in response to detecting the end of the advertisement, terminating displaying the single video frame.

35. The method of claim 32, wherein the embedded data comprises a plurality of storyboard frames.

36. The method of claim 35, further comprising:

in response to retrieving the embedded data, displaying the plurality of storyboard frames; and

further in response to detecting the end of the advertisement, terminating displaying the plurality of storyboard frames.

37. The method of claim 36, wherein the step of displaying the plurality of storyboard frames comprises:

retrieving a first portion of the embedded data;

displaying a first storyboard frame corresponding to the first portion of the embedded data until the first portion of the embedded data is no longer retrieved;

retrieving a second portion of the embedded data; and

displaying a second storyboard frame corresponding to the second portion of the embedded data until the second embedded datum is no longer retrieved.

38. The method of claim 32, wherein the embedded data comprises audio data.

39. The method of claim 38, wherein the audio data is a song.

40. The method of claim 39, further comprising:

playing the song;

detecting the end of the advertisement; and

terminating playing the song.

41. The method of claim 32, further comprising:

detecting the end of the fast-forward operation; and

in response to detecting the end of the fast-forward operation, terminating retrieving the embedded data.