Video advertising

• US 20040030599A1
• Filed: 06/11/2003
• Published: 02/12/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 06/25/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Starz Entertainment, LLC (Lions Gate Entertainment Corporation)
• Original Assignee: SVOD LLC
• Inventors: Beyler, John C., Sie, John J., DePrez, Gregory R.
• Granted Patent: US 7,818,763 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/14
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0241 Advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0272 Period of advertisement exposure
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0273 Determination of fees for advertising
• 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 21/42201 biosensors, e.g. heat sensor for presence detection, EEG sensors or any limb activity sensors worn by the user input arrangements for interaction with the human body based on nervous system activity detection G06F3/015
• 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 21/4331 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 21/440281 by altering the temporal resolution, e.g. by frame skipping television signal recording using magnetic recording on tape for reproducing at a rate different from the recording rate H04N5/783
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44224 Monitoring of user activity on external systems, e.g. Internet browsing
• 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 21/4668 for recommending content, e.g. movies
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47202 for requesting content on demand, e.g. video on demand
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4751 for defining user accounts, e.g. accounts for children
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4753 for user identification, e.g. by entering a PIN or password cryptographic authentication protocols H04L9/32; networks authentication protocols H04L63/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4758 for providing answers, e.g. voting
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4821 using a grid, e.g. sorted out by channel and broadcast time
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6582 Data stored in the client, e.g. viewing habits, hardware capabilities, credit card number arrangements where receivers interact with the broadcast H04H20/38
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/76 : Television signal recording
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/163 : by receiver means only

Abstract

According to the invention, a method is disclosed for playing a video program for a user that has an associated commercial that can be avoided to some extent if the user is authorized. In one step, the video program is received with the associated commercial and made available for display. An attempt by the user to avoid normal playback is detected. A playback point in the video program for the associated commercial is determined. The attempt is correlated to the playback point in the video program for the associated commercial. It is determined whether the user is authorized to avoid normal playback of the associated commercial. If the user is not authorized to avoid normal playback of the associated commercial, the attempt is thwarted.

Claims

1. A method for playing a video program for a user that has an associated commercial that can be avoided to some extent if the user is authorized, the method comprising steps of:

receiving the video program;

providing the video program for display with a video screen;

detecting an attempt by the user to avoid normal playback;

determining a playback point in the video program for the associated commercial;

correlating the attempt to the playback point in the video program for the associated commercial;

determining if the user is authorized to avoid normal playback of the associated commercial; and

thwarting the attempt of the user if the user is not authorized to avoid normal playback of the associated commercial.

2. The method for playing the video program for the user that has the associated commercial that can be avoided to some extent if the user is authorized as recited in claim 1, further comprising a step of receiving control information for the associated commercial, wherein the control information indicates placement of the associated commercial in the video program.

3. The method for playing the video program for the user that has the associated commercial that can be avoided to some extent if the user is authorized as recited in claim 2, wherein the control information at least partially is encrypted.

4. The method for playing the video program for the user that has the associated commercial that can be avoided to some extent if the user is authorized as recited in claim 1, wherein the receiving and providing steps are at least partially coincident.

5. The method for playing the video program for the user that has the associated commercial that can be avoided to some extent if the user is authorized as recited in claim 1, further comprising a step of auditing interaction of the user with the associated commercial.

6. The method for playing the video program for the user that has the associated commercial that can be avoided to some extent if the user is authorized as recited in claim 5, further comprising a step of reporting the interaction away from a user location.

7. The method for playing the video program for the user that has the associated commercial that can be avoided to some extent if the user is authorized as recited in claim 1, wherein the thwarting step comprises a step of curtailing advertisement chosen from a group consisting of:

removal of all advertising,

removal of certain classes of advertising,

removal of ads for certain products,

removal of superimposed commercials,

removal of interlineated commercials during the video program,

removal of commercials during temporal manipulation,

removal of commercials at a beginning of the video program,

removal of commercials at an end of the video program,

removal of cross-promotion menus,

allowing skipping of a single commercial,

allowing skipping of a whole commercial break,

allowing some or all temporal manipulation commands during a commercial,

allowing or preventing targeted advertising customized for the user,

allowing the opening or closing credits of a video program to be skipped or temporally manipulated, and

allowing removal of some or all windowed commercials.

8. The method for playing the video program for the user that has the associated commercial that can be avoided to some extent if the user is authorized as recited in claim 1, wherein the attempt is a skip or a fast-forward function.

9. The method for playing the video program for the user that has the associated commercial that can be avoided to some extent if the user is authorized as recited in claim 1, further comprising a step of removing a plurality of commercials from the normal playback.

10. A computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions for performing the computer-implementable method for playing the video program for the user that has the associated commercial that can be avoided to some extent if the user is authorized of claim 1.

11. A computer system adapted to perform the computer-implementable method for playing the video program for the user that has the associated commercial that can be avoided to some extent if the user is authorized of claim 1.

12. A method for providing a video program to a user for playback with a content delivery system having multiple video programming channels available simultaneously, the method comprising steps of:

receiving a video program electronically from a point remote to where playback is performed;

storing the video program in a compressed digital format;

identifying a plurality of portions of the video program;

determining advertising options applicable to the video program;

playing the video program with the advertising options applied; and

modifying how a temporal manipulation of playback is acted upon during playback of the plurality of portions.

13. The method for providing the video program to the user for playback as recited in claim 12, further comprising steps of:

determining audit information indicative of the modifying step; and

accounting for credits and debits corresponding to the audit information.

14. The method for providing the video program to the user for playback as recited in claim 12, wherein the modifying step comprises one of the following steps:

ignoring the temporal manipulation during playback of the plurality of portions;

initially honoring the temporal manipulation until one of the plurality of portions is reached;

ignoring the temporal manipulation if a particular portion does not belong to a predetermined category of portions;

15. The method for providing the video program to the user for playback as recited in claim 12, wherein the plurality of portions are chosen from a group consisting of commercials, credits, warning messages, and previews.

16. The method for providing the video program to the user for playback as recited in claim 12, further comprising steps of:

retrieving information on the user;

modifying one of the plurality of portions in a manner consistent with the information.

17. The method for providing the video program to the user for playback as recited in claim 12, wherein the storing step is performed remote to a location of the user.

18. A method for playing a video program for a user that has an associated commercial, the method comprising steps of:

receiving the video program;

providing the video program for display with a video screen;

retrieving advertising options relevant to the video program;

determining if the user is authorized to avoid normal playback of the associated commercial based, at least in part, on the advertising options;

determining a location of the associated commercial in the video program; and

skipping the associated commercial if the user is authorized.

19. The method for playing the video program for the user that has the associated commercial as recited in claim 18, wherein the skipping step is performed without requiring any action by the user during playback of the video program.

20. The method for playing the video program for the user that has the associated commercial as recited in claim 18, wherein the advertising options include categories of advertisement to skip.

21. The method for playing the video program for the user that has the associated commercial as recited in claim 18, further comprising a step of noting performance of the skipping step in audit information reported to a headend.

22. The method for playing the video program for the user that has the associated commercial as recited in claim 18, further comprising a step of inserting an alternative commercial to replace the associated commercial that was skipped.