Method of replacing content

• US 20060031415A1
• Filed: 06/28/2005
• Published: 02/09/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 02/22/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Serena, Frank David
• Granted Patent: US 7,516,215 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/219
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0241 Advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0258 Registration

Abstract

A computer-implemented method of controlling content includes receiving an input from the user and monitoring content in an application program or content exchanged between the application program and an operating system residing at the user'"'"'s computer system. The method includes determining whether monitored content corresponds to a predetermined advertisement. If the monitored content corresponds to the predetermined advertisement, the predetermined advertisement is replaced with another predetermined advertisement based on the user input.

Claims

1-34. -34. (canceled)

35. An observation device comprising:

an input to receive a stream of multimedia content, the multimedia content including a first advertisement;

a processor to observe the stream of multimedia content to detect the first advertisement;

to remove the detected first advertisement from the stream of multimedia content, and to replace the removed first advertisement by inserting a second advertisement; and

an output to provide the observed stream of multimedia content including the second advertisement to a client device for presentation to a user.

36. The device of claim 35 wherein the processor is configured to apply replacement rules to the multimedia content stream.

37. The device of claim 36 wherein the processor is configured to activate the replacement rules based on content preferences associated with a user.

38. The device of claim 35 wherein the processor is configured to replace the first advertisement with a second advertisement using an automatically generated designator string unique to the content and a user identification to indicate the second advertisement to replace the first advertisement.

39. The device of claim 35 wherein the device is a set top device.

40. The device of claim 35 wherein the multimedia content stream includes television signals.

41. The device of claim 35 wherein the multimedia content stream includes satellite signals.

42. An observation program stored in a computer interpretable medium, comprising instructions to cause a processor to:

receive a stream of multimedia content, the multimedia content including a first advertisement;

observe the stream of multimedia content to detect the first advertisement;

remove the detected first advertisement from the stream of multimedia content;

replace the removed first advertisement by inserting a second advertisement; and

provide the observed stream of multimedia content including the second advertisement to a client device for presentation to a user.

43. The program of claim 42 wherein the instructions to observe the stream include instructions to apply replacement rules to the multimedia content stream.

44. The program of claim 43 wherein the instructions to apply the replacement rules include instructions to activate the replacement rules based on content preferences associated with a user.

45. The program of claim 42 wherein the instructions to replace the first advertisement with a second advertisement include instructions to use automatically generated designator strings unique to the content and a user identification to indicate the second advertisement to replace the first advertisement.

46. The program of claim 42 wherein the instructions to receive the multimedia content stream include instructions to receive television signals.

47. The program of claim 42 wherein the instructions to receive the multimedia content stream include instructions to receive satellite signals.

48. A method of replacing multimedia content, the method comprising:

receiving a stream of multimedia content, the multimedia content including a first advertisement;

observing the stream of multimedia content to detect the first advertisement;

removing the detected first advertisement from the stream of multimedia content;

replacing the removed first advertisement by inserting a second advertisement; and

providing the observed stream of multimedia content including the second advertisement to a client device for presentation to a user.

49. The method of claim 48 wherein observing the stream includes applying replacement rules to the multimedia content stream.

50. The method of claim 49 wherein applying the replacement rules includes activating the replacement rules based on content preferences associated with a user.

51. The method of claim 48 wherein replacing the first advertisement with a second advertisement includes using automatically generated designator strings unique to the content and a user identification to indicate the second advertisement to replace the first advertisement.

52. The method of claim 48 wherein receiving the multimedia content stream includes receiving television signals.

53. The method of claim 48 wherein receiving the multimedia content stream includes receiving satellite signals.

54. A multimedia network comprising:

a content provider for generating a stream of multimedia content including a first advertisement;

a server to receive the stream of multimedia content including the first advertisement, to observe the stream of multimedia content to detect the first advertisement, to remove the detected first advertisement from the stream of multimedia content, to replace the removed first

advertisement by inserting a second advertisement, and to transmit the observed stream of multimedia content including the second advertisement; and

a client device to receive the multimedia content and present the multimedia content including the second advertisement for a user.

55. A multimedia network comprising:

a content provider for generating a stream of multimedia content including a first advertisement; and

a client device including an observation program to receive the stream of multimedia content including the first advertisement, to observe the stream of multimedia content to detect the first advertisement, to remove the detected first advertisement from the stream of multimedia content, to replace the removed first advertisement by inserting a second advertisement, and to provide the observed stream of multimedia content including the second advertisement to an application program of the client device, wherein the application program presents the multimedia content including the second advertisement to a user.