Advertisement subgroups for digital streams

• US 20050193410A1
• Filed: 05/02/2005
• Published: 09/01/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 05/10/1999
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Prime Research Alliance E, LLC
• Original Assignee: Prime Research Alliance E, LLC
• Inventors: Eldering, Charles A.
• Application Number:
  US11/120,274
• Publication Number:
  US 20050193410A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/34
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/222 Secondary servers, e.g. proxy server, cable television Head-end provisioning of proxy services in data packet switching networks H04L67/56
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2221 being a cable television head-end CATV in broadcast systems H04H20/78
• 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 21/235 Processing of additional data, e.g. scrambling of additional data or processing content descriptors
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/252 Processing of multiple end-users' preferences to derive collaborative data
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25841 involving the geographical location of the client retrieval from the Internet by querying based on geographical locations G06F16/9537; arrangements for identifying locations of receiving stations in broadcast systems H04H60/51; location of the user terminal in data switching networks H04L67/52; services making use of the location of users or terminals in wireless networks H04W4/02; locating users or terminals in wireless networks H04W64/00
• 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 21/2668 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 21/43072 of multiple content streams on the same device
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4331 Caching operations, e.g. of an advertisement for later insertion during playback
• 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 21/4622 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 21/6118 involving cable transmission, e.g. using a cable modem
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6125 involving transmission via Internet transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/64 Addressing network arrangements, protocols or services for addressing or naming H04L61/00; support for multicast or broadcast of one-way stream services H04L65/611
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6405 Multicasting data broadcast and multicast in packet switching networks H04L12/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8455 involving pointers to the content, e.g. pointers to the I-frames of the video stream
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8456 : by decomposing the content in the time domain, e.g. in time segments
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/165 : Centralised control of user terminal subsequent to an upstream request signal H04N7/17345; Registering at central by two-way working H04N7/17309

Abstract

A targeted advertising system based on subgroups. Different subgroups are formed based on one or more subscriber characteristics, and different targeted advertisements transmitted to the different subgroups. In the Internet-environment, the subgroups are formed by utilizing multicast addresses. In cable-based and satellite-based systems, the subgroups are formed by node configurations. The targeted advertisements are inserted in the program streams at a centralized distribution point such as a router or a cable television head-end. An apparatus is presented which receives m program streams, n advertisements, and creates p presentation streams containing targeted advertisements, where p is greater than m.

Claims

1. A method of presenting targeted advertisements to subscribers in a packetized video environment, the method comprising:

(a) retrieving, from a plurality of subscriber locations, data characterizing subscribers associated with the subscriber locations;

(b) forming, based on at least one subscriber characteristic obtained from data, a set of addressable subgroups, each addressable subgroup being characterized by one or more of the subscriber characteristics and including one or more of the subscribers;

(c) receiving, at a centralized location, a program stream containing at least one advertising opportunity;

(d) retrieving, at the centralized location, a plurality of targeted advertisements;

(e) creating, at the centralized location, a set of targeted advertisement streams from the plurality of targeted advertisements, the set of targeted advertisement streams corresponding to set of addressable subgroups;

(f) transmitting the set of targeted advertisement streams from the centralized location to the addressable subgroups;

(g) storing, at the subscriber locations, at least one targeted advertisement from the targeted advertisement stream transmitted to the associated subgroup;

(h) transmitting the program stream from the centralized location to the addressable subgroups;

(i) receiving the program stream at the subscriber locations; and

(j) creating a set of presentation streams containing different targeted advertisements by inserting, at the subscriber locations, at least one stored targeted advertisement into the at least one advertising opportunity of the received program stream.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the subgroups are formed based on geographic location.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the data includes at least one demographic parameter.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the subscribers of the addressable subgroups are served by different delivery networks.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the subscriber locations are geographically dispersed.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the set of presentation streams are continuous presentable streams containing content and at least one targeted advertisement.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein each presentation stream in the set of presentation streams includes a different targeted advertisement.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the at least one advertising opportunity includes at least one default advertisement.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the at least one targeted advertisement stored at the subscriber location corresponds to the one or more subscriber characteristics of the associated subgroup.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the targeted advertisements are not synchronized with the at least one advertising opportunity.