System and method for advertisement delivery within a video time shifting architecture

• US 20050060745A1
• Filed: 09/15/2003
• Published: 03/17/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 09/15/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Time Warner Cable Enterprises LLC (Charter Communications Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Time Warner Cable Enterprises LLC (Charter Communications Incorporated)
• Inventors: Jordan, Brad, Santangelo, Bryan, Gonder, Tom, Riedl, Steven, Urdang, Erik
• Granted Patent: US 8,214,256 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/42
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0255 based on user history
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0258 Registration
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0264 based upon schedule
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0272 Period of advertisement exposure
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0276 Advertisement creation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0277 Online advertisement
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2407 Monitoring of transmitted content, e.g. distribution time, number of downloads arrangements for monitoring programmes for broadcast or for distribution combined with broadcast H04H20/14
• 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 21/26258 for generating a list of items to be played back in a given order, e.g. playlist, or scheduling item distribution according to such list retrieval of multimedia data based on playlists G06F16/40
• 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 21/2747 Remote storage of video programs received via the downstream path, e.g. from the server
• 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 21/6582 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 21/6587 Control parameters, e.g. trick play commands, viewpoint selection
• 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 21/854 Content authoring
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8543 using a description language, e.g. Multimedia and Hypermedia information coding Expert Group [MHEG], eXtensible Markup Language [XML] information retrieval of semistructured data, the underlying structure being taken into account, e.g. mark-up language structure data G06F16/80
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 : Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

The present invention is directed to systems and methods for creating a program for delivery to a client in a video time shifting architecture. The system of the present comprises an advertisement selection system (ADS) operative to select one or more advertisements and transmit one or more identifiers that uniquely identify the selected advertisements and an advertisement management system (AMS) operative to generate a playlist that identifies content. The playlist includes a user requested time shifted program and the one or more selected advertisements. A video server is operative to interpret the playlist and deliver the content to the user.

Claims

1. A system for creating a program for delivery to a client in a video time shifting architecture, the system comprising:

an advertisement selection system (ADS) operative to select one or more advertisements and transmit one or more identifiers that uniquely identify the selected advertisements;

an advertisement management system (AMS) operative to generate a playlist that identifies content, including a user requested time shifted program and the one or more selected advertisements; and

a video server operative to interpret the playlist and deliver the content to the user.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the AMS generates a playlist that identifies a given one of the one or more selected advertisements as a bumper advertisement for delivery by the video server prior to the user requested program.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein the AMS generates a playlist that identifies a given one of the one or more selected advertisements as a pause teaser advertisement for delivery by the video server upon receipt of a pause control command.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein the AMS generates a playlist that identifies a given one of the one or more selected advertisements as a pause advertisement for delivery by the video server upon receipt of a pause advertisement control command.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein the playlist is indexed according to Normal Play Time (NPT).

6. The system of claim 1 wherein the video server is operative to receive a pause control command from a client, mark the location in the playlist that corresponds to a point in time when the video server receives the pause command and advance to an advertisement in the playlist.

7. The system of claim 6 wherein the client displays a pause video still overlay upon transmission of a pause control command.

8. The system of claim 7 wherein the pause video still overlay comprises operating instructions.

9. The system of claim 6 wherein the video server advances to a pause teaser advertisement in the playlist and begins delivery of the pause teaser advertisement.

10. The system of claim 9 comprising delivering the pause teaser advertisement to the client for display.

11. The system of claim 6 wherein the video server returns to the location in the playlist that corresponds to a point in time when the video server receives the pause command and commences delivery of the user requested program.

12. The system of claim 6 wherein the video server advances to and begins delivery of a pause advertisement in response to receipt of a pause advertisement control command.

13. The system of claim 1 wherein the ADS is operative to select one or more advertisements according to a targeting algorithm.

17. The system of claim 1 wherein the ADS transmits advertisements and advertisement metadata to the ADM for storage in a content storage device.

18. The system of claim 17 wherein the ADM transmits an acknowledgement to the ADS upon receipt of the advertisement and advertisement metadata.

19. The system of claim 1 wherein the video server receives control commands from the user.

20. The system of claim 19 wherein the video server requests a new playlist from the ADM upon receipt of a new program initiation command from the user.

21. The system of claim 19 wherein the ADM determines whether the user is requesting a program with expired local advertising.

22. The system claim 21 wherein the ADM transmits a request to the ADS to select one or more advertisements for replacement of expired local advertising within the playlist.

23. The system of claim 20 wherein the ADM transmits a request the ADS to select one or more local advertisements included in the program as originally broadcast.

14. The system of claim 14 wherein the targeting algorithm operates on the basis of aggregate viewing information.

15. The system of claim 14 wherein the ADS comprises a connection to an external targeting system.

16. The system of claim 14 wherein the external targeting system is selected from the group comprising a PRIZM system and an AXCIOM system.

24. A method for delivering local advertising to a client in a video distribution system, the method comprising:

performing an action that invokes a request for a program;

collecting information regarding the request;

generating a playlist utilizing a correctly zoned local advertisement and the requested program; and

delivering the local advertising and program to a client for decoding and playback.

25. The method of claim 24 wherein collecting information comprises collecting client information.

26. The method of claim 25 wherein collecting information comprises collecting program information.

27. The method of claim 24 wherein the client performs an action that invokes the request.

28. The method of claim 24 comprising recording one copy of a given program for each local advertising zone that the video distribution system services.

29. The method of claim 28 comprising segmenting local advertising out of each program copy and marking each segmented program copy with a zone identifier.

30. The method of claim 29 wherein collecting information comprises collecting a zone identifier for the zone from which the request originates.

31. The method of claim 28 wherein segmenting is performed by identifying indicators for local advertising.

32. The method of claim 31 wherein identifying is conducted according to one or more of the set consisting of SCTE 35 cue packets, DTMF cues, contact closures triggered by an analog signal, network messages from an insertion system and network messages from a stat-mux/splicer.

33. The method of claim 24 comprising:

determining if a given correctly zoned local advertisement has expired; and

if the correctly zoned local advertisement has expired, generating a playlist utilizing a replacement local advertisement and the requested program.

34. A system for delivering local advertising to a client in a video distribution system, the system comprising:

a client device operative to perform an action that invokes a request for a program;

an advertisement management system (AMS) operative to collect information regarding the request and generate a playlist utilizing a correctly zoned local advertisement and the requested program; and

a video server operative to receive the playlist and deliver the local advertisement and program to the client for decoding and playback.

35. The system of claim 34 wherein the AMS is operative to collect information regarding the requesting client.

36. The system of claim 34 wherein the AMS is operative to collect information regarding the requested program.

37. The system of claim 34 wherein the video server records one copy of a given program for each local advertising zone that the video distribution system services.

38. The system of claim 37 wherein the video server segments local advertising out of each program and marks the segmented local advertising with a zone identifier.

39. The system of claim 38 wherein the video server collects a zone identifier for the zone in which the client resides.

40. The system of claim 37 wherein the video server segments the local advertising by identifying indicators for the local advertising.

41. The system of claim 40 wherein the indicators are selected from the set consisting of SCTE 35 cue packets, DTMF cues, contact closures triggered by an analog signal, network messages from an insertion system and network messages from a stat-mux/splicer.

42. The system of claim 34 comprising:

the ADM determining if a given correctly zoned local advertisement has expired; and

if the correctly zoned local advertisement has expired, the ADM generating a playlist utilizing a replacement local advertisement and the requested program.

43. A method for delivering local advertising to a client in a video distribution system, the method comprising:

receiving multiple zoned copies of a given program, each zoned copy containing proper local advertising for a given zone;

recording a properly zoned copy of a given program for each zone the video distribution system services;

determining the zone in which the client requesting a program is located; and

transmitting a properly zoned copy of the requested program to the client.

44. The method of claim 43 comprising:

receiving a request for a program from the client; and

selecting the properly zoned copy of the requested program.

45. A method for delivering local advertising to a client in a video distribution system, the method comprising:

creating a playlist with an identifiers for a given program and one or more national advertisements;

determining the zone in which a requesting client resides;

adding identifiers for one or more local advertisements to the playlist on the basis of the determined zone; and

delivering the playlist to a video server.

46. The method of claim 45 comprising the video server transmitting data identified in the playlist to a client for decoding and display.

47. The method of claim 45 comprising:

calculating the zone in which a client resides; and

selecting the proper local advertising for the zone in which the client resides.

48. The method of claim 45 comprising:

receiving a copy of a given program for each zone that the video distribution system services;

segmenting the received program into program content, national advertising and local advertising; and

discarding all but one copy of zoned programming with program content and national advertising.

49. A method for delivering local advertising to a client in a video distribution system, the method comprising:

receiving a copy of a given program for each zone that the video distribution system services;

segmenting the program into program content, national advertising and local advertising;

retaining the program content and discarding the national and local advertising;

receiving a request for the program from a client in a given zone;

creating a playlist identifying the programming content;

calculating the program advertising zone in which the requesting client resides;

adding identifiers for advertising to the playlist on the basis of the zone in which the client resides; and

delivering the playlist to a video server.

50. A method for delivering local advertising to a client in a video distribution system, the method comprising:

receiving a playlist identifying programming and advertising information;

transmitting video data identified in the playlist to a client operative to decode and display the video data;

receiving a control command from the client;

modifying the playlist in accordance with the control command; and

transmitting video data identified in the modified playlist to the client.

51. The method of claim 50 wherein modifying comprises updating the advertising information identified in the playlist.

52. The method of claim 51 comprising updating local advertising information.

53. The method of claim 51 comprising updating national advertising information.

54. A method for displaying a program asset to a user in a video delivery system, the method comprising:

controlling a client device to display the program asset to a user;

receiving a request from the user to pause the display of the program asset;

pausing the display of the program asset;

controlling the client device to display a first advertisement to the user; and

controlling the client device to display a second advertisement to the user.

55. The method as recited in claim 54, comprising storing a command received from the user while the second advertisement is displayed to the user.

56. The method as recited in claim 54, comprising requesting the second advertisement from an advertisement source.

57. The method as recited in claim 54, wherein the first advertisement is a pause teaser advertisement.

58. The method as recited in claim 54, wherein after the pausing, the method further comprises:

storing an indication of a point in time where the program asset was paused;

recording the program asset to produce a recorded program asset; and

after the displaying beginning to display the second advertisement, controlling the client device to display the recorded program asset to the user.

59. The method as recited in claim 58, wherein the displaying the recorded program asset comprises enabling the user to perform the function of playing and at least one of the functions of stopping, rewinding, and fast forwarding the recorded program asset.

60. The method as recited in claim 54, wherein the video delivery system is a NDVR system.

61. A system for displaying a program asset to a user, the system comprising:

a client device operative to receive a program asset and a first advertisement; and

a video server in communication with the client device, the video server operative to forward the program asset over a network to a client device;

wherein

the client device receives a pause control command to pause the display of program asset, the video server forwards a second advertisement to the client device, and the client device displays the second advertisement to the user.

62. The system as recited in claim 61, wherein the video server stores a pause point in the program asset while the second advertisement is displayed to the user.

63. The system as recited in claim 61, wherein the program asset and the first advertisement form at least part of a playlist.

64. The system as recited in claim 61, wherein the video server requests the second advertisement from an advertisement source.

65. The system as recited in claim 61, wherein the video server stores an indication of the point in time where the program asset was paused, records the program asset to produce a recorded program asset, and after forwarding the second advertisement, the video server forwards the recorded program asset.

66. The system as recited in claim 65, wherein the recorded program asset is displayed to the user so that the user may perform a function of playing and at least one of the functions of stopping, rewinding, and fast forwarding the recorded program asset.

67. A method for displaying an advertisement to a user in a video delivery system, the system including a control center effective to receive a program asset, a first advertisement, and a second advertisement, and to forward the program asset and the first and second advertisements over a network to a client device, the method comprising:

controlling the client device to display the first advertisement and a prompt to the user; and

displaying the second advertisement relating to the first advertisement in response to selection of the prompt by the user.

68. The method as recited in claim 67, wherein the video delivery system is a NDVR system.

69. The method as recited in claim 67, wherein the first advertisement is a teaser advertisement.

70. The method as recited in claim 67, wherein the first advertisement is a still image.

71. The method as recited in claim 67, wherein the second advertisement is longer in duration that the first advertisement.

72. The method as recited in claim 67, wherein the prompt includes an indication of a key on a remote control to issue a proper control command.

73. A system for delivering an advertisement to a user, the system comprising:

a client device which is effective to receive a first and a second advertisement; and

a video server in communication with the client device, the video server effective to forward the first advertisement over a network to a client device;

wherein the client device is effective to display the first advertisement to a user and to display a prompt to the user for a second advertisement related to the first advertisement; and

upon receipt of a control command in response to the prompt, the video server is effective to forward the second advertisement to the client device and the client device is effective to display the second advertisement to the user.

74. The system as recited in claim 73, wherein the video server stores a command received from the user while the second advertisement is displayed to the user.

75. The system as recited in claim 73, wherein the first advertisement is a teaser advertisement.

76. The system as recited in claim 73, wherein the first advertisement is a still image.

77. The system as recited in claim 73, wherein the second advertisement is longer in duration that the first advertisement.

78. The system as recited in claim 73, wherein the prompt includes an indication of a key on a remote control to issue a proper control command.

79. A method for displaying an advertisement to a user in a video delivery system, the system including a control center effective to receive a program asset, a first advertisement, and a second advertisement and to forward the program asset and the first and second advertisements over a network to a client device, the method comprising:

controlling the client device to display the program asset to the user; and

upon receipt of a pause control command from the user,

pausing playback of the program asset,

controlling the client device to display the first advertisement to the user,

enabling the user to display the second advertisement relating to the first advertisement by selection of a prompt presented to the user, and

displaying the second advertisement to the user after receiving a control command response to the prompt.

80. The method as recited in claim 79, wherein the video delivery system is a NDVR system.

81. The method as recited in claim 79, further comprising storing a command received from the user while the second advertisement is displayed to the user.

82. The method as recited in claim 79, wherein the first advertisement is a teaser advertisement.

83. The method as recited in claim 79, wherein the first advertisement is a still image.

84. The method as recited in claim 79, wherein the second advertisement is longer in duration that the first advertisement.

85. A system for delivering an advertisement to a user, the system comprising:

a client device which is effective to receive a program asset, a first advertisement and a second advertisement; and

a video server connected to the receiver, the video server effective to forward the program asset to a client device;

wherein

the client device is effective to display the program asset to a user; and

upon receipt of a pause control command from the user,

the client device is effective to display the first advertisement to the user and to display a prompt to the user for a second advertisement relating to the first advertisement; and

upon receipt of a control command in response to the prompt, the video server is effective to forward the second advertisement to the client device and the client device is effective to display the second advertisement to the user.

86. The system as recited in claim 85, wherein the video server stores a command received from the user while the second advertisement is displayed to the user.

87. The system as recited in claim 85, wherein the first advertisement is a teaser advertisement.

88. The system as recited in claim 85, wherein the first advertisement is a still image.

89. The system as recited in claim 85, wherein the second advertisement is longer in duration that the first advertisement.

90. The system as recited in claim 85, wherein the prompt includes an indication of a key on a remote control to issue a proper control command.

91. A method for delivering a program asset to a user in a video delivery system, the system including a control center effective to receive a program asset and an advertisement and to forward both the program asset and the advertisement over a network to a client device, the method comprising:

receiving a request from a user for the program asset;

displaying the advertisement to the user; and

after the displaying the advertisement, displaying the program asset to the user.

92. The method as recited in claim 91, wherein the video delivery system is a NDVR system.

93. A system for delivering a program asset to a user, the system comprising:

a receiver effective to receive a program asset and an advertisement; and

a video server connected to the receiver, the video server effective to forward the program asset and the advertisement over a network to a client device;

wherein the

client device is effective to receive a request for the program asset from a user, to display the advertisement to the user and, thereafter, to display the program asset to the user.

94. A method for delivering programming and advertising to a user, the method comprising:

receiving a request for a program asset;

selecting one or more advertisements;

generating a playlist data structure that indexes the program asset and one or more advertisements; and

querying the playlist data structure and transmitting the program asset or one or more advertisements based on a given index returned from the query.

95. The method of claim 94 comprising indexing pause teaser advertisements and pause advertisements.

96. The method of claim 94 comprising indexing bumper advertisements.

97. The method of claim 94 comprising indexing the playlist according the Network Play Time (NPT).

98. The method of claim 97 comprising indexing the start NPT point and the end NPT point for each of the program asset and one or more advertisements identified by the playlist.

99. The method of claim 97 wherein indexing the playlist comprises indexing from NPT zero through an NPT time point equal to the duration of time required for playback of all content that the playlist identifies.

100. The method of claim 97 wherein indexing the playlist comprises indexing from NPT zero through the largest integer supported by a system implementing the playlist.

101. The method of claim 100 wherein indexing through the largest integer supported by the system comprises indexing a playlist from NPT zero through NPT 0x7FFFFFFFF.

102. The method of claim 95 comprising:

receiving a control command from a user to pause transmission of a program asset;

marking the NPT point in the playlist to denote a pause point in the playlist;

moving to another NPT point in the playlist; and

transmitting, to the client device, content identified at the another NPT point in the playlist.

103. A method for delivering live programming and advertising to a user, the method comprising:

selecting and indexing one or more advertisements into a playlist, each of the one or more advertisements indexed according to Network Play Time (NPT) starting from NPT zero through NPT 0x7FFFFFFFF;

indexing a live program into the playlist;

transmitting the live program;

generating a control command by the client;

marking a current NPT point in the live program;

moving to an NPT point in the playlist for a given one of the one or more advertisements; and

transmitting, to the client device, the given one of the one or more advertisements at the moved to NPT point.

104. The method of claim 103 comprising indexing pause teaser advertisements and pause advertisements.

105. The method of claim 103 comprising indexing bumper advertisements.

106. The method of claim 103 wherein generating a control command by the client comprises generating a pause control command.

107. The method of claim 103 comprising:

generating a second control command;

returning to a current NPT point in the live program; and

transmitting the live program from the current NPT point.

108. The method of claim 103 comprising recording the live program to generate a recorded program.

109. The method of claim 108 comprising:

generating a second control command;

returning to the current NPT point in the recorded program; and

transmitting the recorded program from the current NPT point.