Management of television advertising

• US 20030154475A1
• Filed: 02/11/2002
• Published: 08/14/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 02/11/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Tech 5 SAS
• Original Assignee: Scientific-Atlanta Incorporated (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Rodriguez, Arturo A., West, John Eric
• Granted Patent: US 7,334,251 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/32
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0241 Advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0242 Determining effectiveness of advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0257 User requested
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/433 Content storage operation, e.g. storage operation in response to a pause request, caching operations
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4331 Caching operations, e.g. of an advertisement for later insertion during playback
• 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 21/443 OS processes, e.g. booting an STB, implementing a Java virtual machine in an STB or power management in an STB
• 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 21/4667 Processing of monitored end-user data, e.g. trend analysis based on the log file of viewer selections
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4755 for defining user preferences, e.g. favourite actors or genre retrieval personalisation and generation of user profiles for the retrieval of video data G06F16/739; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/478 Supplemental services, e.g. displaying phone caller identification, shopping application
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02

Abstract

A method for providing television advertising includes receiving user input for selecting an advertising parameter and providing a user with an advertisement corresponding to the advertising parameter.

Claims

1. A method for providing television advertising, comprising:

receiving user input for selecting an advertising parameter; and

providing a user with an advertisement corresponding to the advertising parameter.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein a television broadcast presentation is interrupted for providing the advertisement.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the user input is received significantly in advance of the advertisement being provided to the user.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing the user with a plurality of advertisements corresponding to the advertising parameter.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein a plurality of television broadcast presentations are interrupted for providing the plurality of advertisements.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the advertising parameter corresponds to one of a title for an advertisement, a type of product, a trademark, a service mark, and a company.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein a number of times that the advertisement is presented via a digital home communication terminal (DHCT) depends at least in part on a number of times that the advertisement is determined to have been viewed via the DHCT.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein a number of times that the advertisement is presented via a digital home communication terminal (DHCT) depends at least in part on a number of times that the advertisement is determined to have been viewed via a plurality of DHCTs.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein a number of times that the advertisement is presented via a digital home communication terminal (DHCT) depends at least in part on a value associated with the advertisement.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein a number of times that the advertisement is presented via a digital home communication terminal (DHCT) depends at least in part on a duration of the advertisement.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the advertisement is stored in a digital home communication terminal (DHCT).

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the advertisement is deleted from the DHCT after it is presented by the DHCT a predetermined number of times.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the advertisement is deleted from the DHCT after the DHCT receives at least a predetermined number of user inputs for confirming viewing of the advertisement.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the advertisement is deleted from the DHCT after a predetermined time period.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein the advertisement is deleted from the DHCT after it is presented at least a predetermined number of times by a plurality of DHCTs.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the advertisement is presented via a digital home communication terminal (DHCT) at least a predetermined number of times.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein the advertisement is presented via a plurality of DHCTs at least a predetermined number of times.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein the advertisement is only presented during a predetermined span of time.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein user input is received immediately prior to the advertisement being provided to the user.

20. The method of claim 1, wherein the user input is provided via a button on a remote control device.

21. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving user input selecting another advertisement parameter; and

providing a user with an advertisement corresponding to the other advertisement parameter.

22. The method of claim 1, wherein the advertisement parameter is determined by a television service provider.

23. The method of claim 1, wherein the advertisement parameter is determined by an advertisement provider.

24. The method of claim 1, wherein information identifying the advertisement parameter is stored in a database in a digital home communication terminal (DHCT).

25. The method of claim 1, wherein the advertisement is only provided to the user during an enabled viewing period.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein the enabled viewing period has a daily recurring schedule.

27. The method of claim 25, wherein the enabled viewing period has a weekly recurring schedule.

28. The method of claim 1, wherein a type of the advertisement is responsive to a type of a television program being provided to the user immediately prior to the provision of the advertisement.

29. The method of claim 1, wherein a type of the advertisement is not responsive to a type of a television program being provided to the user immediately prior to the provision of the advertisement.

30. The method of claim 1, wherein the advertisement comprises graphical data.

31. The method of claim 1, wherein the advertisement comprises textual data.

32. The method of claim 1, wherein the advertisement comprises video data.

33. The method of claim 1, wherein the advertisement comprises audio data.

34. The method of claim 1, wherein the advertisement is provided to the user by a digital home communication terminal (DHCT).

35. The method of claim 34, wherein the advertisement is received by the DHCT via a subscriber television network.

36. The method of claim 34, wherein the advertisement is provided to the user immediately after the advertisement is received by the DHCT.

37. The method of claim 34,wherein the advertisement is stored in DHCT memory so that the advertisement may be provided to the user at a later time.

38. The method of claim 34, wherein the advertisement is transmitted to the DHCT via a broadcast file system (BFS).

39. The method of claim 34, wherein the advertisement is categorized in a BFS subdirectory.

40. A method for providing television advertising, comprising:

determining a number of times that an advertisement has been viewed via a digital home communication terminal (DHCT); and

presenting the advertisement only if it is determined that the advertisement has been viewed less than a predetermined number of times.

41. The method of claim 40, wherein determining the number of times that the advertisement has been viewed via the DHCT is based on determining whether user input is received when the advertisement is presented.

42. A method for providing television advertising via a digital home communication terminal (DHCT), comprising:

receiving user input for selecting an advertising parameter;

providing a user with an advertisement corresponding to the advertising parameter;

wherein a television broadcast presentation is interrupted for providing the advertisement;

wherein the user input is received significantly in advance of the advertisement being provided to the user;

wherein the advertising parameter corresponds to one of a title for an advertisement, a type of product, a trademark, a service mark, and a company.

43. A method for providing television advertising, comprising:

determining a number of advertisements that have been viewed via a digital home communication terminal (DHCT) over a period of time; and

presenting an advertisement only if it is determined that the number of advertisement that have been viewed over the period of time is less than a predetermined value.

44. The method of claim 43, wherein determining the number of advertisements that have been viewed is based on user input that is received when an advertisement is presented.

45. A method for providing television advertising, comprising:

associating a value with an advertisement;

presenting the advertisement via a digital home communication terminal (DHCT); and

determining a total value for a plurality of advertisements that are presented via the DHCT.

46. The method of claim 45, wherein the user is provided with information about the value associated with the advertisement.

47. The method of claim 45, wherein the total value is inversely correlated to a total duration of the advertisements.

48. The method of claim 45, wherein the value associated with the advertisement is determined based on a desired level of exposure for the advertisement.

49. The method of claim 45, wherein an amount that a television service provider charges an advertiser in connection with the advertisement is responsive to the value associated with the advertisement.

50. The method of claim 45, wherein the total value is for a plurality of advertisements that are presented via the DHCT over a certain period of time.

51. The method of claim 45, wherein the advertisement is selected by a user based on the value associated with the advertisement.

52. The method of claim 45, further comprising:

selecting an advertisement for presentation via the DHCT based at least in part on the total value of the advertisements that have been presented via the DHCT over the period of time.

53. The method of claim 45, further comprising:

determining whether to present an advertisement based at least in part on the total value of the advertisements that have been presented via the DHCT over the period of time.

54. A system for providing television advertising, comprising:

memory for story data identifying an advertising parameter that is selected by a user; and

logic that is configured to provide a user with an advertisement corresponding to the advertising parameter.

55. The system of claim 54, wherein the advertising parameter corresponds to one of a title for an advertisement, a type of product, a trademark, a service mark, and a company.

56. The system of claim 54, wherein a number of times that the advertisement is presented via a digital home communication terminal (DHCT) depends at least in part on a number of times that the advertisement is determined to have been viewed via the DHCT.

57. The system of claim 54, wherein a number of times that the advertisement is presented via a digital home communication terminal (DHCT) depends at least in part on a number of times that the advertisement is determined to have been viewed via a plurality of DHCTs.

58. The system of claim 54, wherein a number of times that the advertisement is presented via a digital home communication terminal (DHCT) depends at least in part on a value associated with the advertisement.

59. The system of claim 54, wherein a number of times that the advertisement is presented via a digital home communication terminal (DHCT) depends at least in part on a duration of the advertisement.

60. The system of claim 54, wherein the advertisement is stored in a digital home communication terminal (DHCT).

61. The system of claim 60, wherein the advertisement is deleted from the DHCT after it is presented by the DHCT a predetermined number of times.

62. The system of claim 60, wherein the advertisement is deleted from the DHCT after the DHCT receives at least a predetermined number of user inputs for confirming viewing of the advertisement.

63. The system of claim 60, wherein the advertisement is deleted from the DHCT after a predetermined time period.

64. The system of claim 60, wherein the advertisement is deleted from the DHCT after it is presented at least a predetermined number of times by a plurality of DHCTs.

65. The system of claim 54, wherein the advertisement is presented via a digital home communication terminal (DHCT) at least a predetermined number of times.

66. The system of claim 54, wherein the advertisement is presented via a plurality of DHCTs at least a predetermined number of times.

67. The system of claim 54, wherein the advertisement is only presented during a predetermined span of time.

68. A system for providing television advertising, comprising:

determination logic for determining a number of times that an advertisement has been viewed via a digital home communication terminal (DHCT); and

presentation logic for presenting the advertisement responsive to the determination logic determining that the advertisement has been viewed less than a predetermined number of times.

69. The system of claim 68, wherein determining the number of times that the advertisement has been viewed via the DHCT is based on user input that is received when the advertisement is presented.

70. A system for providing television advertising, comprising:

determination logic for determining a number of advertisements that have been viewed via a digital home communication terminal (DHCT) over a period of time; and

presentation logic for presenting an advertisement responsive to the determination logic determining that the number of advertisement that have been viewed over the period of time is less than a predetermined value.

71. The system of claim 70, wherein determining the number of advertisements that have been viewed is based on user input that is received when an advertisement is presented.

72. A system for providing television advertising, comprising logic that is configured to:

associate a value with an advertisement; and

determine a total value for a plurality of advertisements that are presented via a digital home communication terminal (DHCT).

73. The system of claim 72, wherein the total value is for a plurality of advertisements that are presented via the DHCT over a certain period of time.

74. The system of claim 72, wherein the advertisement is selected by a user based on the value associated with the advertisement.

75. The system of claim 74, wherein the advertisement is presented to the user.

76. The system of claim 72, wherein the logic is further configured to select an advertisement for presentation via the DHCT based at least in part on the total value of the advertisements that have been presented via the DHCT over the period of time.

77. The system of claim 72, wherein the logic is further configured to determine whether to present an advertisement at a current time based at least in part on the total value of the advertisements that have been presented via the DHCT over the period of time.

78. A method for providing television advertising via a digital home communication terminal (DHCT), comprising:

receiving user input for selecting an advertising parameter;

providing a user with an advertisement corresponding to the advertising parameter;

wherein a television broadcast presentation is interrupted for providing the advertisement;

wherein the user input is received significantly in advance of the advertisement being provided to the user;

wherein the advertising parameter corresponds to one of a title for an advertisement, a type of product, a trademark, a service mark, and a company;

wherein a number of times that the advertisement is presented via DHCT depends at least in part on a number of times that the advertisement is determined to have been viewed via the DHCT;

wherein a number of times that the advertisement is presented via DHCT depends at least in part on a value associated with the advertisement;

wherein a number of times that the advertisement is presented via DHCT depends at least in part on a duration of the advertisement;

wherein the advertisement is stored in the DHCT;

wherein the advertisement is only presented during a predetermined span of time;

wherein information identifying the advertisement parameter is stored in a database in a digital home communication terminal (DHCT);

wherein the advertisement is only provided to the user during an enabled viewing period;

wherein the advertisement comprises video and audio data;

wherein the advertisement is received by the DHCT via a subscriber television network;

wherein the advertisement is transmitted to the DHCT using a broadcast file system (BFS).