Queue-based head-end advertisement scheduling method and apparatus
First Claim
1. A method of transmitting television programming and advertising from a head end to subscribers at a plurality of subscriber nodes, the method comprising:
- (a) creating a plurality of subscriber groups, members of the subscriber groups being based on at least one characteristic of the subscribers, the at least one characteristic being relevant to advertising;
(b) assigning the subscriber node to one of the plurality of subscriber groups;
(c) receiving at the head end at least one programming channel of television programming, the at least one programming channel including programming content and advertising avails;
(d) receiving at the head end a request from the subscriber node for programming content;
(e) forming a presentation channel by replicating the at least one programming channel, the presentation channel including the programming content of the at least one programming channel and advertising corresponding to the assigned group; and
(f) transmitting the presentation channel to the subscriber node.
3 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A method and apparatus for scheduling and inserting advertisements into a plurality of presentation channels in a communications network in which the presentation channels contain the same programming, but different advertisements. A single programming channel is split into a plurality of presentation channels. Different advertisements are inserted into the different presentation channels. The advertisements to be inserted into advertising avails are they are detected are determined by utilizing queues stored in memory corresponding to each presentation channel. Each queue comprises an ordered list of advertisement resource locators (ARLs), in which the order dictates which advertisement is to be inserted in the next advertising avail and in which the ARLs indicate at least the location from which the advertisement can be retrieved.
79 Citations
19 Claims
-
1. A method of transmitting television programming and advertising from a head end to subscribers at a plurality of subscriber nodes, the method comprising:
-
(a) creating a plurality of subscriber groups, members of the subscriber groups being based on at least one characteristic of the subscribers, the at least one characteristic being relevant to advertising;
(b) assigning the subscriber node to one of the plurality of subscriber groups;
(c) receiving at the head end at least one programming channel of television programming, the at least one programming channel including programming content and advertising avails;
(d) receiving at the head end a request from the subscriber node for programming content;
(e) forming a presentation channel by replicating the at least one programming channel, the presentation channel including the programming content of the at least one programming channel and advertising corresponding to the assigned group; and
(f) transmitting the presentation channel to the subscriber node. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
-
-
10. A method of receiving at a subscriber node at least one channel of television programming and advertising from a head end of a television service delivery system, the method comprising:
-
(a) assigning the subscriber node to at least one of a plurality of advertising groups;
(b) forming a plurality of presentation channels via said television service delivery system by replicating a programming channel, the programming channel comprising television programming of the programming channel and advertising avails, wherein each of the presentation channels contains the television programming and advertising corresponding a different one of the advertising groups within said advertising avails;
(c) storing, at the subscriber node, data indicating the advertising group to which the subscriber node has been assigned; and
(d) based on the assigning, enabling said subscriber node to select, receive and cause to be displayed on a monitoring device one of the presentation channels that corresponds to the assigned advertising group. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
-
Specification