Video-on-demand purchasing and escrowing system

• US 20030206720A1
• Filed: 04/21/2003
• Published: 11/06/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 02/07/1992
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nissim Corp.
• Original Assignee: Max Abecassis
• Inventors: Abecassis, Max
• Granted Patent: US 6,714,723 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 386/83
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/61 using advertising information
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/63 by the player, e.g. authoring using a level editor
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/792 for payment purposes, e.g. monthly subscriptions
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/409 Data transfer via television network
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/63 for controlling the execution of the game in time
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/632 by branching, e.g. choosing one of several possible story developments at a given point in time
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/807 Role playing or strategy games
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 19/02 Control of operating function, e.g. switching from recording to reproducing
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 19/022 Control panels
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 19/04 Arrangements for preventing, inhibiting, or warning against double recording on the same blank or against other recording or reproducing malfunctions
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 19/12 by sensing distinguishing features of or on records, e.g. diameter end mark
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/20 Disc-shaped record carriers
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/2587 Laser Discs; Optical disc using analog recording
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/034 on discs G11B27/036, G11B27/038 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/105 of operating discs
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/34 Indicating arrangements indicating means incorporated in magazine or cassette G11B23/046 and G11B23/0875; indicating measured values in general G01D
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 7/14 specially adapted to record on, or to reproduce from, more than one track simultaneously
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/10 Arrangements for replacing or switching information during the broadcast or the distribution
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/103 Transmitter-side switching
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/28 Arrangements for simultaneous broadcast of plural pieces of information
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/38 : Arrangements for distribution where lower stations, e.g. receivers, interact with the broadcast
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/16 : on playing information
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/22 : per use
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/37 : for identifying segments of broadcast information, e.g. scenes or extracting programme ID
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/46 : for recognising users' preferences
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/48 : for recognising items expressed in broadcast information
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/59 : of video recognising characters or patterns in general G06F18/00, G06V20/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/65 : for using the result on users' side
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/66 : for using the result on distributors' side
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/73 : using meta-information
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23 : Processing of content or additional data; Elementary server operations; Server middleware
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/234318 : by decomposing into objects, e.g. MPEG-4 objects
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/235 : Processing of additional data, e.g. scrambling of additional data or processing content descriptors
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2543 : Billing , e.g. for subscription services payment schemes, architectures or protocols G06Q20/00; e-commerce G06Q30/00; arrangements for billing for the use of broadcast information or broadcast-related information H04H60/21
• 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 21/426 : Internal components of the client ; Characteristics thereof H04N5/44 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4334 : Recording operations recording of a television signal H04N5/76; arrangements for recording or accumulating broadcast information or broadcast-related information H04H60/27
• 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 21/44016 : involving splicing one content stream with another content stream, e.g. for substituting a video clip
• 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 21/4532 : 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 21/4542 : Blocking scenes or portions of the received content, e.g. censoring scenes
• 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 21/47 : End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/472 : End-user interface for requesting content, additional data or services; End-user interface for interacting with content, e.g. for content reservation or setting reminders, for requesting event notification, for manipulating displayed content end-user interfaces for retrieving video data from a database G06F16/739; network services for supporting unicast streaming H04L65/612
• 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 21/4784 : receiving rewards
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6543 : for forcing some client operations, e.g. recording remote booting in general G06F9/4416
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 : involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02
• 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 21/8405 : represented by keywords
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8456 : by decomposing the content in the time domain, e.g. in time segments
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/4448 : for frame-grabbing
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/85 : on discs or drums
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/163 : by receiver means only
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 : Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17336 : Handling of requests in head-ends
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17354 : in an intermediate station common to a plurality of user terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/8227 : the additional signal being at least another television signal

Abstract

A random access pointcast video delivery system provides the means for a viewer to select a video advertisement. The video advertisement is automatically customized responsive to the application of the viewer'"'"'s video content preferences to a video segment map defining a plurality of video segments. The viewer is compensated for the verified apparent viewing of the selected advertisement independently of the purchase of the advertised product or service. Where the advertisement is associated with a credit, the viewing of the advertisement subsidizes the viewer'"'"'s receipt of other video and communication services. Where a viewing of a video results in a purchase, a deposit in the purchase is automatically escrowed until after the buyer has received satisfactory delivery of the purchase.

Claims

1. A video system comprising:

storing means for storing a plurality of video advertisements;

communicating means for communicating with a viewing system accessible by a viewer;

processing means for selecting a video advertisement from said plurality of video advertisements responsive to a communication with said viewing system;

retrieving means for retrieving the selected video advertisement;

transmitting means for transmitting the retrieved video advertisement to said viewing system;

verifying means for verifying an apparent viewing, by said viewer, of the transmitted video advertisement; and

compensating means for compensating said viewer, responsive to said verifying means, for the apparent viewing of the transmitted video advertisement.

2. The video system of claim 1, wherein said compensating means comprises accounting means for crediting an account of said viewer with a credit associated with the apparent viewing of the transmitted video advertisement.

3. The video system of claim 1, wherein the transmitted video advertisement is interactive, and wherein said verifying means is responsive to the interactive viewing.

4. The video system of claim 1, further comprising:

purchasing means for processing a purchase by said viewer; and

wherein said compensating means is further responsive to said purchase by said viewer.

5. The video system of claim 1, further comprising:

purchasing means for processing a purchase by said viewer; and

escrowing means for automatically escrowing a deposit for said purchase until after said viewer has received satisfactory delivery of said purchase.

6. The video system of claim 1, wherein said processing means automatically customizes the selected video advertisement responsive to an application of a video content preferences of said viewer to a video segment map defining a plurality of segments of the selected video advertisement;

and wherein said retrieving means and said transmitting means are responsive to the automatic customization of the selected video advertisement.

7. A video system comprising:

storing means for storing a plurality of videos, said plurality of videos including at least one video comprising a debit or a credit;

communicating means for communicating with a viewing system accessible by a viewer;

processing means for selecting a video from said plurality of videos responsive to a communication with said viewing system;

retrieving means for retrieving the selected video;

transmitting means for transmitting the retrieved video to said viewing system; and

accounting means for debiting or crediting an account of said viewer responsive to the selected video comprising a debit or a credit.

8. The video system of claim 7, further comprising:

verifying means for selectively verifying an apparent viewing, by said viewer, of the selected video.

9. The video system of claim 7, further comprising:

purchasing means for processing a purchase by said viewer; and

escrowing means for automatically escrowing a deposit for said purchase until after said viewer has received satisfactory delivery of said purchase.

10. A video system comprising:

storing means for storing a plurality of videos, said plurality of videos including at least one video comprising a debit or a credit, said plurality of videos including at least one video comprising a video segment map defining a plurality of segments;

communicating means for communicating with a viewing system accessible by a viewer;

preferencing means for establishing a video preference and video content preferences of said viewer;

processing means for selecting a video from said plurality of videos responsive to said video preference, and, responsive to the selected video comprising a video segment map, for automatically selecting video segments from a plurality of video segments of the selected video responsive to an application of said video content preferences to a video segment map of the selected video;

random accessing means for retrieving the selected video segments;

transmitting means for transmitting, as a customized video, the retrieved video segments to said viewing system; and

accounting means for debiting or crediting an account of said viewer responsive to the selected video comprising a debit or a credit.

11. The video system of claim 10, further comprising:

verifying means for selectively verifying an apparent viewing, by said viewer, of the transmitted customized video.

12. The video system of claim 10, further comprising:

purchasing means for processing a purchase by said viewer; and

wherein said accounting means is further responsive to said purchase by said viewer.

13. The video system of claim 10, further comprising:

purchasing means for processing a purchase by said viewer; and

escrowing means for automatically escrowing a deposit for said purchase until after said viewer has received satisfactory delivery of said purchase.

14. A method of transmitting videos comprising the steps of:

storing a plurality of video advertisements;

communicating with a viewing system accessible by a viewer;

selecting a video advertisement from said plurality of video advertisements responsive to a communication with said viewing system;

retrieving the selected video advertisement;

transmitting the retrieved video advertisement to said viewing system;

verifying an apparent viewing, by said viewer, of the transmitted video advertisement; and

compensating said viewer, responsive to said verifying means, for the apparent viewing of the transmitted video advertisement.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

processing a purchase by said viewer; and

automatically escrowing a deposit for said purchase until after said viewer has received satisfactory delivery of said purchase.

16. A method of transmitting videos comprising the steps of:

storing a plurality of videos, said plurality of videos including at least one video comprising a debit or a credit;

communicating with a viewing system accessible by a viewer;

selecting a video from said plurality of videos responsive to a communication with said viewing system;

retrieving the selected video;

transmitting the retrieved video to said viewing system; and

debiting or crediting an account of said viewer responsive to the selected video comprising a debit or a credit.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein crediting said account of said viewer is responsive to verifying an apparent viewing, by said viewer, of the transmitted video.

18. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

processing a purchase by said viewer; and

automatically escrowing a deposit for said purchase until after said viewer has received satisfactory delivery of said purchase.

19. A method of transmitting videos comprising the steps of:

storing a plurality of videos, said plurality of videos including at least one video comprising a debit or a credit, said plurality of videos including at least one video comprising a video segment map defining a plurality of segments;

communicating with a viewing system accessible by a viewer;

establishing a video preference and video content preferences of said viewer;

selecting a video from said plurality of videos responsive to said video preference, and, responsive to the selected video comprising a video segment map, automatically selecting video segments from a plurality of video segments of the selected video responsive to an application of said video content preferences to a video segment map of the selected video;

retrieving the selected video segments;

transmitting, as a customized video, the retrieved video segments to said viewing system; and

debiting or crediting an account of said viewer responsive to the selected video comprising a debit or a credit.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

processing a purchase by said viewer; and

automatically escrowing a deposit for said purchase until after said viewer has received satisfactory delivery of said purchase.