System and method for personal video recording system advertisements

• US 20040003404A1
• Filed: 06/27/2002
• Published: 01/01/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 06/27/2002
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Paolini, Michael A., Brown, Michael Wayne, Boston, Stephen B., Hately, Andrew Douglas
• Application Number:
  US10/185,138
• Publication Number:
  US 20040003404A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/55
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• 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 21/25891 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 21/4147 PVR [Personal Video Recorder] H04N5/76 takes precedence ; arrangements for broadcast with accumulation-type receivers H04H20/40
• 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 21/4622 Retrieving content or additional data from different sources, e.g. from a broadcast channel and the Internet web site content organization and management for information retrieval from the Internet G06F16/958; transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82; stock exchange data over packet-switching network H04L12/1804; push services including data channel over packet-switching network H04L12/1859
• 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 21/47 End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4826 using recommendation lists, e.g. of programs or channels sorted out according to their score
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/76 Television signal recording
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/782 on tape

Abstract

A system and method is provided where a DVR service provider receives program sponsorship requests from sponsors and transmits the sponsorship information to the provider'"'"'s clients. The sponsors pay the provider for including the sponsored programs as starting points in the on-screen guides that are used by the provider'"'"'s clients. The user requests an on-screen guide and the DVR selects a sponsored program to use as the guide'"'"'s starting point. The selected program is displayed and highlighted in the resulting on-screen guide display. The DVR keeps track of the number of times each sponsored program is used as the on-screen guide anchor as well as the number of times the user performs the sponsored program. Usage data, along with demographic data regarding the user, are periodically transmitted to the DVR service provider which creates reports for sponsors showing which programs were watched or recorded by different groups of people.

Claims

1. A method for providing an on-screen program guide, said method comprising:

receiving one or more program sponsor requests from one or more sponsors;

creating a sponsored program list that includes one or more program listings corresponding to the program sponsor requests; and

transmitting the sponsored program list to one or more digital video recorders over a network, wherein the digital video recorders are adapted to display the on-screen program guide and select one of the program listings from the sponsored program list in response to a user guide request.

2. The method as described in claim 1 further comprising:

receiving usage data from one or more of the digital video recorders, the usage data including a tally for each of the selected program listings;

creating one or more reports based on the usage data; and

sending the reports to at least one of the sponsors.

3. The method as described in claim 2 wherein the usage data is selected from the group consisting of:

a tally for the number of times the selected program listings was recorded by the digital video recorders, a tally for the number of times the selected program listings was viewed by a user of the digital video recorder, a tally for the number of times a description for the selected program listings was requested by a user of the digital video recorder, and a tally for the number of times the sponsored program corresponding to the selected program listings were requested by a user of the digital video recorder.

4. The method as described in claim 2 further comprising:

retrieving demographic data corresponding to users of the digital video recorders, wherein the creating includes the demographic data.

5. The method as described in claim 1 wherein the digital video recorders are further adapted for:

selecting one or more of the sponsored programs that are scheduled for the near future;

comparing a description of each of the selected programs with one or more user profile elements;

selecting the program listing corresponding to the sponsored program that most closely matches the user profile elements;

displaying a program guide with the selected program listing on a display screen; and

highlighting the selected program listing on the display screen.

6. The method as described in claim 5 wherein at least one of the profile elements is selected from the group consisting of one or more user interests, one or more user preferences, and one or more identified favorite programs.

7. The method as described in claim 1 further comprising:

sending an edit schedule to the digital video recorders, wherein the edit schedule includes one or more of the sponsored programs.

8. An information handling system comprising:

one or more processors;

a memory accessible by the processors;

a network interface connecting the information handling system to a computer network; and

a guide sponsorship tool for sponsoring programs in an on-screen guide, the guide sponsorship tool including;

means for receiving one or more program sponsor requests from one or more sponsors; and

means for transmitting the program sponsorship request over the computer network to one or more digital video recorders, wherein the digital video recorders are adapted to display the on-screen program guide and select a program listing corresponding to one of the sponsored programs in response to a user guide request.

9. The information handling system as described in claim 8 further comprising:

means for receiving usage data from one or more of the digital video recorders, the usage data including a tally for each of the selected program listings;

means for creating one or more reports based on the usage data; and

means for sending the reports to at least one of the sponsors.

10. The information handling system as described in claim 9 wherein the usage data is selected from the group consisting of:

a tally for the number of times the selected program listings was recorded by the digital video recorders, a tally for the number of times the selected program listings was viewed by a user of the digital video recorder, a tally for the number of times a description for the selected program listings was requested by a user of the digital video recorder, and a tally for the number of times the sponsored program corresponding to the selected program listings were requested by a user of the digital video recorder.

11. The information handling system as described in claim 9 further comprising:

means for retrieving demographic data corresponding to users of the digital video recorders, wherein the creating includes the demographic data.

12. The information handling system as described in claim 8 wherein the digital video recorders are further adapted for:

means for selecting one or more of the sponsored programs that are scheduled for the near future;

means for comparing a description of each of the selected programs with one or more user profile elements;

means for selecting the program listing corresponding to the sponsored program that most closely matches the user profile elements;

means for displaying a program guide with the selected program listing on a display screen; and

means for highlighting the selected program listing on the display screen.

13. The information handling system as described in claim 8 further comprising:

means for sending an edit schedule to the digital video recorders, wherein the edit schedule includes one or more of the sponsored programs.

14. A computer program product stored in a computer operable media for providing an on-screen program guide, said computer program product comprising:

means for receiving one or more program sponsor requests from one or more sponsors; and

means for transmitting the program sponsorship request to one or more digital video recorders over a network, wherein the digital video recorders are adapted to display the on-screen program guide and select a program listing corresponding to one of the sponsored programs in response to a user guide request.

15. The computer program product as described in claim 14 further comprising:

means for receiving usage data from one or more of the digital video recorders, the usage data including a tally for each of the selected program listings;

means for creating one or more reports based on the usage data; and

means for sending the reports to at least one of the sponsors.

16. The computer program product as described in claim 15 wherein the usage data is selected from the group consisting of:

a tally for the number of times the selected program listings was recorded by the digital video recorders, a tally for the number of times the selected program listings was viewed by a user of the digital video recorder, a tally for the number of times a description for the selected program listings was requested by a user of the digital video recorder, and a tally for the number of times the sponsored program corresponding to the selected program listings were requested by a user of the digital video recorder.

17. The computer program product as described in claim 15 further comprising:

means for retrieving demographic data corresponding to users of the digital video recorders, wherein the creating includes the demographic data.

18. The computer program product as described in claim 14 wherein the digital video recorders are further adapted for:

means for selecting one or more of the sponsored programs that are scheduled for the near future;

means for comparing a description of each of the selected programs with one or more user profile elements;

means for selecting the program listing corresponding to the sponsored program that most closely matches the user profile elements;

means for displaying a program guide with the selected program listing on a display screen; and

means for highlighting the selected program listing on the display screen.

19. The computer program product as described in claim 18 wherein at least one of the profile elements is selected from the group consisting of one or more user interests, one or more user preferences, and one or more identified favorite programs.

20. The computer program product as described in claim 14 further comprising:

means for sending an edit schedule to the digital video recorders, wherein the edit schedule includes one or more of the sponsored programs.