Method and apparatus for displaying branded video tags

• US 20060136980A1
• Filed: 11/21/2005
• Published: 06/22/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 11/19/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: TiVo Solutions Inc. (Adeia Inc.)
• Original Assignee: TiVo Inc. (Adeia Inc.)
• Inventors: Schmidt, Margret, Pope, David E., Fulcher, Richard
• Granted Patent: US 7,934,170 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/134
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0481 based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04817 using icons graphical or visual programming using iconic symbols G06F8/34
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/32 on separate auxiliary tracks of the same or an auxiliary record carrier
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/2112 using still video cameras
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2005/91335 the copy protection signal being a watermark
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2005/91364 the video signal being scrambled
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/21 Server components or server architectures
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2343 involving reformatting operations of video signals for distribution or compliance with end-user requests or end-user device requirements video transcoding H04N19/40; media packet handling at the source H04L65/762
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2393 involving handling client requests scheduling or organising the servicing of application requests H04L67/60
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2543 Billing , e.g. for subscription services payment schemes, architectures or protocols G06Q20/00; e-commerce G06Q30/00; arrangements for billing for the use of broadcast information or broadcast-related information H04H60/21
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25816 involving client authentication restricting access to computer systems by authenticating users using a predetermined code G06F21/33; cryptographic authentication protocols H04L9/32; networks authentication protocols H04L63/08; authentication in wireless network security H04W12/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4112 having fewer capabilities than the client, e.g. thin client having less processing power or no tuning capabilities
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4122 additional display device, e.g. video projector digital output for controlling a plurality of local displays G06F3/1423
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4135 external recorder interface circuits between an apparatus for recording television signals and a television receiver H04N5/775
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/41407 embedded in a portable device, e.g. video client on a mobile phone, PDA, laptop constructional details of equipment or arrangements specially adapted for portable computer application G06F1/1626; arrangements specially adapted for mobile receivers in broadcast systems H04H20/57
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4143 embedded in a Personal Computer [PC]
• 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 21/4227 Providing Remote input by a user located remotely from the client device, e.g. at work
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4312 involving specific graphical features, e.g. screen layout, special fonts or colors, blinking icons, highlights or animations
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4314 for fitting data in a restricted space on the screen, e.g. EPG data in a rectangular grid
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4331 : Caching operations, e.g. of an advertisement for later insertion during playback
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4334 : Recording operations recording of a television signal H04N5/76; arrangements for recording or accumulating broadcast information or broadcast-related information H04H60/27
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/43615 : Interfacing a Home Network, e.g. for connecting the client to a plurality of peripherals home Audio Video Interoperability [HAVI] data switching networks H04L12/2805
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/43622 : Interfacing an external recording device
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4367 : Establishing a secure communication between the client and a peripheral device or smart card
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/440236 : by media transcoding, e.g. video is transformed into a slideshow of still pictures, audio is converted into text
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4405 : involving video stream decryption
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4408 : involving video stream encryption, e.g. re-encrypting a decrypted video stream for redistribution in a home network
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44204 : Monitoring of content usage, e.g. the number of times a movie has been viewed, copied or the amount which has been watched monitoring of user activities for profile generation for accessing a video database G06F16/739; protecting generic digital content where the protection is independent of the precise nature of the content G06F21/10; arrangements for monitoring the use made of the broadcast services in broadcast systems H04H60/31
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/454 : Content or additional data filtering, e.g. blocking advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/472 : End-user interface for requesting content, additional data or services; End-user interface for interacting with content, e.g. for content reservation or setting reminders, for requesting event notification, for manipulating displayed content end-user interfaces for retrieving video data from a database G06F16/739; network services for supporting unicast streaming H04L65/612
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4722 : for requesting additional data associated with the content
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/478 : Supplemental services, e.g. displaying phone caller identification, shopping application
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47815 : Electronic shopping payment schemes, payment architectures or payment protocols for electronic shopping systems G06Q20/12
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4788 : communicating with other users, e.g. chatting arrangements for providing for computer conferences, e.g. chat rooms, to substation in data switching networks H04L12/1813; distributed application using peer-to-peer [P2P] networks H04L67/104
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/482 : End-user interface for program selection broadcast systems using EPGs H04H60/72
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6175 : involving transmission via Internet broadcast-related systems characterised by the transmission system being the Internet H04H60/82
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/632 : using a connection between clients on a wide area network, e.g. setting up a peer-to-peer communication via Internet for retrieving video segments from the hard-disk of other client devices broadcast-related systems characterised by transmission among terminal devices H04H60/80; distributed application using peer-to-peer [P2P] networks H04L67/104
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6543 : for forcing some client operations, e.g. recording remote booting in general G06F9/4416
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 : involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/858 : Linking data to content, e.g. by linking an URL to a video object, by creating a hotspot
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/76 : Television signal recording
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/765 : Interface circuits between an apparatus for recording and another apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/775 : between a recording apparatus and a television receiver
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/7755 : the recorder being connected to, or coupled with, the antenna of the television receiver
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/781 : on disks or drums
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/85 : on discs or drums
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/913 : for scrambling ; for copy protection
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/95 : Time-base error compensation H04N5/932 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/088 : the inserted signal being digital
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/173 : with two-way working, e.g. subscriber sending a programme selection signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17309 : Transmission or handling of upstream communications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 : Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/8042 : involving data reduction
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/8205 : involving the multiplexing of an additional signal and the colour video signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/83 : the recorded chrominance signal occupying a frequency band under the frequency band of the recorded brightness signal

Abstract

A method and apparatus for displaying branded video tags. An advertiser provides additional content associated with broadcast advertising content to a service provider that downloads the additional content to a digital video recorder (DVR). The service provider inserts command tags into the content that are intercepted by the DVR and interpreted as commands that instruct the DVR to perform specific actions when the DVR receives the stream from a broadcaster. The DVR intercepts and translates any tags inserted into the content stream while the DVR is playing the content stream. Tags can cause the DVR to display a branded video tag to the user which is a displayed icon that requests an interaction by the user and has an advertiser'"'"'s logo(s) displayed in its vicinity.

Claims

1. A method for displaying branded video tags on a digital video recorder (DVR), comprising:

displaying a content stream to a user on a display screen;

monitoring the content stream for command tags inserted in the content stream;

interpreting command tags encountered in the content stream;

displaying an icon on a display screen in response to a command tag;

displaying an advertiser'"'"'s branding graphic in the vicinity of the displayed icon; and

wherein the displayed icon requests input by the user.

2. A method as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

storing an advertiser'"'"'s branding graphic on a local storage device at the DVR; and

retrieving the advertiser'"'"'s branding graphic in response to a command tag.

3. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the advertiser pays a fee to a service provider for the DVR to display the advertiser'"'"'s branding graphic.

4. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the monitoring step monitors the content stream as it is being received by the DVR.

5. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the content stream is stored on a local storage device at the DVR.

6. A method as recited in claim 5, wherein the monitoring step monitors the content stream as it is being retrieved from the local storage device.

7. An apparatus for displaying branded video tags on a digital video recorder (DVR), comprising:

a module for displaying a content stream to a user on a display screen;

a module for monitoring the content stream for command tags inserted in the content stream;

a module for interpreting command tags encountered in the content stream;

a module for displaying an icon on a display screen in response to a command tag;

a module for displaying an advertiser'"'"'s branding graphic in the vicinity of the displayed icon; and

wherein the displayed icon requests input by the user.

8. An apparatus as recited in claim 7, further comprising:

a module for storing an advertiser'"'"'s branding graphic on a local storage device at the DVR; and

a module for retrieving the advertiser'"'"'s branding graphic in response to a command tag.

9. An apparatus as recited in claim 7, wherein the advertiser pays a fee to a service provider for the DVR to display the advertiser'"'"'s branding graphic.

10. An apparatus as recited in claim 7, wherein the monitoring module monitors the content stream as it is being received by the DVR.

11. An apparatus as recited in claim 7, wherein the content stream is stored on a local storage device at the DVR.

12. An apparatus as recited in claim 11, wherein the monitoring step monitors the content stream as it is being retrieved from the local storage device.

13. A computer-readable medium carrying one or more sequences of instructions for displaying branded video tags on a digital video recorder (DVR), which instructions, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to carry out the steps of:

displaying a content stream to a user on a display screen;

monitoring the content stream for command tags inserted in the content stream;

interpreting command tags encountered in the content stream;

displaying an icon on a display screen in response to a command tag;

displaying an advertiser'"'"'s branding graphic in the vicinity of the displayed icon; and

wherein the displayed icon requests input by the user.

14. A computer-readable medium as recited in claim 13, further comprising:

storing an advertiser'"'"'s branding graphic on a local storage device at the DVR; and

retrieving the advertiser'"'"'s branding graphic in response to a command tag.

15. A computer-readable medium as recited in claim 13, wherein the advertiser pays a fee to a service provider for the DVR to display the advertiser'"'"'s branding graphic.

16. A computer-readable medium as recited in claim 13, wherein the monitoring step monitors the content stream as it is being received by the DVR.

17. A computer-readable medium as recited in claim 13, wherein the content stream is stored on a local storage device at the DVR.

18. A computer-readable medium as recited in claim 17, wherein the monitoring step monitors the content stream as it is being retrieved from the local storage device.

19. A method for displaying branded video tags to a user, comprising:

receiving an advertiser'"'"'s branding graphic at a service provider;

distributing the advertiser'"'"'s branding graphic to a plurality of digital video recorders (DVRs); and

charging a fee to the advertiser for the service provider'"'"'s distribution of the advertiser'"'"'s branding graphic.