Inserting advertising content

• US 20040003118A1
• Filed: 06/28/2002
• Published: 01/01/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 06/28/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AOL Inc. (Apollo Global Management, Inc.)
• Inventors: Brown, Scott K., Manchester, Eric Adam, Gorman, Bradley Paul, Patterson, Brooke Lamont, Mason, Kevin Eugene, Filteau, Mark Lionel
• Granted Patent: US 8,028,092 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/246
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0251 Targeted advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23424 involving splicing one content stream with another content stream, e.g. for inserting or substituting an advertisement
• 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 21/812 involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02

Abstract

Content may be inserted at a duplicating device by inserting advertising content into a duplicated feed, and transmitting the duplicated feed to the terminal. The transmission of the duplicated feed is performed in response to a state of the terminal.

Claims

1. A method of inserting advertising content in a feed, the method comprising:

receiving a first feed of one or more data units, the data units comprising an attribute portion and a payload portion;

duplicating the first feed for transmission as at least one duplicated feed;

inserting advertising content into the duplicated feed prior to transmission; and

transmitting the duplicated feed to a terminal, wherein the transmission of the duplicated feed is performed in response to a state of the terminal.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the advertising content is selected based on a profile for the terminal.

3. The method of claim 2 further comprising loading the advertising content upon determining that the terminal profile relates to an advertising content profile associated with the advertising content.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the terminal profile relates to one or more preferences associated with a user of the terminal.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the state of the terminal comprises the temporal location of the terminal in receiving the duplicated feed.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the first feed includes regularly scheduled programming.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the advertising content is associated with one or more categories.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein the categories include a local requirement.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the advertising content comprises a stream of data units.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the advertising content is inserted upon reaching a metatag.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein the metatag indicates a level of parental control.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein the advertising content is stored prior to inserting the advertising content.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein storing the advertising content includes storing the advertising content in an advertising buffer structured and arranged to be transmitted in the duplicated feed upon the occurrence of a predetermined event.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein the predetermined event comprises reaching a metatag in the first feed, the metatag indicating that the advertising content should be inserted in the duplicated feed.

15. The method of claim 1 wherein inserting advertising content includes comparing a local metatag with a national metatag to determine whether to insert a piece of local advertising content instead of a piece of national advertising content.

16. The method of claim 1 further comprising inserting content from the first feed in the event of an interruption.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein the interruption comprises a loss of service in accessing the advertising content.

18. The method of claim 16 wherein the interruption comprises receiving an emergency message indicating that emergency programming requires transmission.

19. The method of claim 1 wherein transmitting the duplicated feed to the terminal includes transmitting the duplicated feed with an address corresponding to the terminal.

20. The method of claim 1 wherein the data unit includes an Internet Protocol packet.

21. The method of claim 20 wherein the attribute portion of the data unit includes an Internet Protocol header.

22. The method of claim 1 wherein the attribute portion of the data unit specifies one or more pieces of layer-three information.

23. The method of claim 1 further comprising generating and associating different attribute portions with duplicates of the payload portion generated in the duplicated feed.

24. The method of claim 23 wherein associating different attribute portions with the data unit and duplicates of the payload portion includes specifying destination information that differs among the duplicates of the payload portion.

25. The method of claim 23 wherein generating and associating different attribute portions includes changing an IP destination address.

26. A method of inserting advertising content in a feed, the method comprising:

receiving a first feed at a duplicating device, the duplicating device being structured and arranged to;

receive a stream of data units including a payload portion and an attribute portion,

duplicate at least the payload portion of a data unit within the stream of data units, and

enable access to the duplicated payload portion of the data unit by a terminal;

duplicating the first feed at the duplicating device for transmission as at least one duplicated feed;

inserting advertising content into the duplicated feed prior to transmission; and

transmitting the duplicated feed to a terminal, wherein the transmission of the duplicated feed is performed in response to a state of the terminal.

27. The method of claim 26 wherein the advertising content is selected based on a profile for the terminal.

28. The method of claim 27 further comprising loading the advertising content upon determining that the terminal profile relates to an advertising content profile associated with the advertising content.

29. The method of claim 28 wherein the terminal profile relates to one or more preferences associated with a user of the terminal.

30. The method of claim 26 wherein the state of the terminal comprises the temporal location of the terminal in receiving the duplicated feed.

31. The method of claim 26 wherein the first feed includes regularly scheduled programming.

32. The method of claim 26 wherein the advertising content is associated with one or more categories.

33. The method of claim 32 wherein the categories include a local requirement.

34. The method of claim 26 wherein the advertising content comprises a stream of data units.

35. The method of claim 26 wherein the advertising content is inserted upon reaching a metatag.

36. The method of claim 26 wherein the metatag indicates a level of parental control.

37. The method of claim 26 wherein the duplicating device is structured and arranged to store the advertising content prior to inserting the advertising content.

38. The method of claim 37 wherein the duplicating device includes an advertising buffer structured and arranged to store the advertising content for transmission in the duplicated feed upon the occurrence of a predetermined event.

39. The method of claim 38 wherein the predetermined event comprises reaching a metatag in the first feed, the metatag indicating that the advertising content should be inserted in the duplicated feed.

40. The method of claim 26 wherein inserting advertising content includes comparing a local metatag with a national metatag to determine whether to insert a piece of local advertising content instead of a piece of national advertising content.

41. The method of claim 26 further comprising inserting content from the first feed in the event of an interruption.

42. The method of claim 41 wherein the interruption comprises a loss of service in accessing the advertising content.

43. The method of claim 41 wherein the interruption comprises receiving an emergency message indicating that emergency programming requires transmission.

44. The method of claim 26 wherein transmitting the duplicated feed to the terminal includes transmitting the duplicated feed with an address corresponding to the terminal.

45. The method of claim 26 further comprising using the duplicating device to generate and associate different attribute portions with duplicates of the payload portion generated by the duplicating device.

46. The method of claim 45 wherein using the duplicating device to associate different attribute portions with the data unit and duplicates of the payload portion includes specifying destination information that differs among the duplicates of the payload portion.

47. A content insertion device comprising:

a first communications interface structured and arranged to receive a first feed of data units, the data units comprising an attribute portion and a payload portion;

a replicator structured and arranged to duplicate the first feed as at least one duplicated feed;

an advertising processor structured and arranged to insert advertising content into the duplicated feed prior to transmission; and

a second communications interface structured and arranged to transmit the duplicated feed to a terminal, wherein the transmission of the duplicated feed is preformed in response to a state of the terminal.

48. The device of claim 47 wherein the advertising content is selected based on a profile for the terminal.

49. The device of claim 48 further comprising a retrieval processor structured and arranged to load the advertising content upon determining that the terminal profile relates to an advertising content profile associated with the advertising content.

50. The device of claim 49 wherein the terminal profile relates to one or more preferences associated with a user of the terminal.

51. The device of claim 47 wherein the state of the terminal comprises the temporal location of the terminal in receiving the duplicated feed.

52. The device of claim 47 wherein the advertising content is inserted upon reaching a metatag.

53. The device of claim 52 wherein the metatag indicates a level of parental control.

54. The device of claim 47 wherein the advertising processor is structured and arranged to store the advertising content prior to inserting the advertising content.

55. The device of claim 54 wherein the device includes an advertising buffer structured and arranged to store the advertising content for transmission in the duplicated feed upon the occurrence of a predetermined event.

56. The device of claim 55 wherein the predetermined event comprises reaching a metatag in the first feed, the metatag indicating that the advertising content should be inserted in the duplicated feed.

57. The device of claim 47 further comprising an interruption processor structured and arranged to insert content from the first feed in the event of an interruption.

58. The device of claim 57 wherein the interruption comprises a loss of service in accessing the advertising content.

59. The device of claim 57 wherein the interruption comprises receiving an emergency message indicating that emergency programming requires transmission.

60. A content insertion program comprising:

a first communications code segment structured and arranged to receive a first feed of data units, the data units comprising an attribute portion and a payload portion;

a replicator code segment structured and arranged to duplicate the first feed as at least one duplicated feed;

an insertion code segment structured and arranged to insert advertising content into the duplicated feed prior to transmission; and

a second communications interface structured and arranged to transmit the duplicated feed to a terminal, wherein the transmission of the duplicated feed is performed in response to a state of the terminal.

61. The program of claim 60 wherein the advertising content is selected based on a profile for the terminal.

62. The program of claim 61 further comprising a retrieval code segment structured and arranged to load the advertising content upon determining that the terminal profile relates to an advertising content profile associated with the advertising content.

63. The program of claim 62 wherein the terminal profile relates to one or more preferences associated with a user of the terminal.

64. The program of claim 60 wherein the state of the terminal comprises where the terminal is at in receiving a duplicated feed.

65. An advertising content insertion program comprising:

means for receiving a first feed of one or more data units comprising an attribute portion and a payload portion;

means for duplicating the first feed as at least one duplicated feed;

means for inserting advertising content into the duplicated feed prior to transmission; and

means for transmitting the duplicated feed to a terminal, wherein the transmission of the duplicated feed is performed in response to a state of the terminal.