Ad monitoring and indication

• US 20060242667A1
• Filed: 04/22/2005
• Published: 10/26/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 04/22/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Video Identification Discoveries LLC
• Original Assignee: Video Identification Discoveries LLC
• Inventors: Petersen, Erin L., Eldering, Charles A.
• Application Number:
  US11/112,529
• Publication Number:
  US 20060242667A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/42
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44008 involving operations for analysing video streams, e.g. detecting features or characteristics in the video stream arrangements characterised by components specially adapted for monitoring, identification or recognition of video in broadcast systems H04H60/59
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44213 Monitoring of end-user related data arrangements for monitoring the users' behaviour or opinions in broadcast systems H04H60/33
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/466 Learning process for intelligent management, e.g. learning user preferences for recommending movies services using the results of monitoring in broadcast systems H04H60/61
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47 End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/478 Supplemental services, e.g. displaying phone caller identification, shopping application
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02

Abstract

A method and system are presented for indicating the termination of an advertisement break to a viewer. A program of interest on a first channel is determined and while the user watches other programming on alternate channels the first channel is monitored to determine when the advertisement break is over. Upon completion of the advertisement break, the viewer is notified via an on-screen icon.

Claims

1. A computer-based method for indicating that a channel has returned to programming after an advertisement break comprising:

determining a program of interest to a subscriber;

monitoring an advertisement break on the channel containing the program of interest;

determining that an advertisement break has concluded on the channel containing the program of interest based on the lack of recognizable advertisement; and

displaying an indication that a return to programming has occurred.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the determining a program of interest to the subscriber occurs through a subscriber selection.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the determining a program of interest to the subscriber occurs based on a time duration associated with the viewing of the channel containing the program of interest.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the determining that an advertisement break has concluded on the channel containing the program of interest based on the lack of recognizable advertisement is accomplished by use of advertisement fingerprint matching.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the displaying occurs through a screen-displayed icon.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the screen-displayed icon is displayed over programming on an alternate channel being viewed wherein the alternate channel does not contain the programming of interest.

7. A system for determining when an advertisement break has ended on a channel containing programming of interest comprising:

a program of interest monitoring system for receiving an indication that a channel is the channel containing programming of interest;

a channel monitoring system for determining that an alternate channel not containing the programming of interest is being viewed;

an advertisement monitoring system for monitoring the channel containing programming of interest to determine if a recognizable advertisement is present;

a display system for generating a message indicating that the channel containing programming of interest has returned to programming due to the lack of recognizable advertisement.

8. The system of claim 7 wherein the advertisement monitoring system further contains an advertisement fingerprint library for comparison of advertisements on the channel containing programming of interest to known advertisements.

9. The system of claim 8 wherein the fingerprint library receives periodic updates.

10. The system of claim 9 wherein the program of interest monitoring system for receiving an indication that a channel is the channel containing programming of interest further contains a receiver for receiving a command indicating that the channel is the channel containing programming of interest.

11. The system of claim 9 wherein the program of interest monitoring system for receiving an indication that a channel is the channel containing programming of interest further contains a time base for determining that a channel being viewed is the channel containing programming of interest.

12. A system for indicating that a channel has returned to programming after an advertisement break comprising:

means for determining a program of interest to a subscriber;

means for monitoring an advertisement break on the channel containing the program of interest while the subscriber is viewing an alternate channel;

means for determining that an advertisement break has concluded on the channel containing the program of interest based on the lack of recognizable advertisement; and

means for displaying an indication that a return to programming has occurred.

13. The system of claim 12 wherein the means for determining a program of interest to the subscriber includes a sub-system for receiving a subscriber selection indicating the program of interest.

14. The system of claim 12 wherein the means for determining a program of interest to the subscriber contains a time base for measuring the amount of time a channel is viewed and for determining that after a sufficient time being viewed the channel contains the program of interest.

15. The system of claim 12 wherein the means for determining that an advertisement break has concluded on the channel containing the program of interest based on the lack of recognizable advertisement includes an advertisement fingerprint library.

16. The method of claim 12 wherein the means for displaying includes an on-screen icon display system.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein the on-screen display system includes an overlay system for displaying the icon over programming on the alternate channel.