Method and system for automatically substituting media content

• US 20060253330A1
• Filed: 06/30/2006
• Published: 11/09/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 10/12/2000
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Media IP Holdings LLC
• Original Assignee: Media IP Holdings LLC
• Inventors: Maggio, Frank S., Gasquez, Timothy Blair
• Application Number:
  US11/479,709
• Publication Number:
  US 20060253330A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/14.200
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0218 based on score
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0257 User requested
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4223 Cameras H04N23/00 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4394 involving operations for analysing the audio stream, e.g. detecting features or characteristics in audio streams arrangements characterised by components specially adapted for monitoring, identification or recognition of audio in broadcast systems H04H60/58
• 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 21/44218 Detecting physical presence or behaviour of the user, e.g. using sensors to detect if the user is leaving the room or changes his face expression during a TV program methods or arrangements for recognising human body or animal bodies or body parts G06V40/10; methods or arrangements for acquiring or recognising human faces, facial parts, facial sketches, facial expressions G06V40/16; methods or arrangements for recognising movements or behaviour G06V40/20; arrangements for identifying users in broadcast systems H04H60/45
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4755 for defining user preferences, e.g. favourite actors or genre retrieval personalisation and generation of user profiles for the retrieval of video data G06F16/739; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4758 for providing answers, e.g. voting
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4882 for displaying messages, e.g. warnings, reminders arrangements for providing short real-time information to substation in data switching networks H04L12/1895
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/173 with two-way working, e.g. subscriber sending a programme selection signal

Abstract

Signals associated with a media channel can convey programming to a television system. The programming can comprise segments of entertainment content and segments of commercial or advertising content. The signals can comprise distinctive waveform features between the segments of entertainment content and advertising content. For example, an abrupt change in the amplitude or phase of the waveform can provide an indication of a transition between a segment of entertainment content and a segment of advertising content. A signal processing system can monitor or analyze the signals to detect the distinctive waveform features. In response to detecting a feature and determining that the media channel has transitioned between conveying entertainment content and conveying commercial content, a media control system can present alternative or replacement content on the television system. The alternative content can comprise interactive advertising, for example.

Claims

1. A method for presenting content on a television screen, comprising the steps of:

monitoring signals associated with a plurality of channels to detect a signal feature indicative of an appearance of advertising content on one of the channels; and

in response to detecting the signal feature, presenting the advertising content on a first area of the television screen and presenting alternative content on a second area of the television screen.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the alternative content comprises a pod of advertisements and a question about one of the advertisements,

wherein the monitoring step further comprises receiving the signals from a first network, segregated from a second network,

wherein the television screen is disposed at a premises, and

wherein the method further comprises the steps of:

transmitting the alternative content over the second network to a storage unit disposed at the premises; and

accessing the alternative content from the storage unit for the presentation on the second area of the television.

3. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of

associating a first occurrence of the waveform feature with a beginning of an advertising segment and a second occurrence of the waveform feature with a conclusion of the advertising segment.

4. A method for providing alternative media content during a commercial event, comprising the steps of:

monitoring signals of a media channel for a signal feature indicating an occurrence of the commercial event; and

in response to detecting the signal feature, accessing the alternative media content from a storage device for presentation during the commercial event.

5. The method according to claim 4, further comprising the steps of:

presenting commercial content associated with the commercial event in a first area of a television monitor; and

presenting the alternative media content in a second area, surrounding the first area, of the television monitor.

6. The method according to claim 4, wherein the alternative content comprises an interactive advertisement comprising a question, and wherein the method further comprises the step of offering a user a reward for submitting a correct response to the question.

7. The method according to claim 4, wherein the accessed alternative content comprises a pod of interactive advertisements and a query about at least one of the interactive advertisements.

8. The method according to claim 4, wherein the step of monitoring signals further comprises receiving the signals from a first network, and

wherein the method further comprises the step of transmitting the alternative content to the storage device via a second network segregated from the first network.

9. The method according to claim 4, wherein the signal feature comprises an abrupt signal change.

10. The method according to claim 4, further comprising the step of presenting the accessed alternative content at a residence, wherein the storage device is located at the residence.

11. A method for controlling content presentation at a video monitor, comprising the steps of:

receiving input from a user selecting a plurality of media channels;

receiving signals on each of the selected plurality of media channels;

processing each of the received signals to identify a first media channel, of the selected plurality of media channels, carrying commercial content and a second media channel, of the selected plurality of media channels, carrying entertainment content; and

in response to the step of processing each of the received signals, presenting the entertainment content on a first area of the video monitor and the commercial content on a second area of the video monitor.

12. The method according to claim 11, further comprising the steps of:

while presenting the entertainment content on the first area of the video monitor and the commercial content on the second area of the video monitor, processing each of the received signals to determine whether the first media channel carries second entertainment content and the second media channel carries second commercial content; and

in response to the determination, if the first media channel carries the second entertainment content and the second media channel carries the second commercial content, presenting the second entertainment content on the first area of the video monitor and the second commercial content on the second area of the video monitor.

13. The method according to claim 11, wherein the plurality of media channels comprises at least three media channels.

14. The method according to claim 11, wherein the first area of the video monitor surrounds and is larger than the second area of the video monitor.

15. The method according to claim 11, wherein the step of processing each of the received signals comprises determining whether each of the received signals comprises an abrupt waveform change.

16. The method according to claim 11, wherein the step of processing each of the received signals comprise determining whether each of the received signals exhibits an abrupt change in phase.

17. The method according to claim 11, wherein the step of processing each of the received signals further comprises identifying a third media channel of the selected plurality of media channels carrying second commercial content,

wherein the step of presenting the entertainment content further comprises presenting the second commercial content on a third area of the video monitor, and

wherein the first area of the video monitor is larger than each of the second area of the video monitor and the third area of the video monitor.

18. The method according to claim 17, further comprising the step of

if the second media channel transitions from carrying the entertainment content to carrying third commercial content, presenting the third commercial content in one of the second area and the third area.

19. The method according to claim 17, further comprising the step of

if the second media channel transitions from carrying the entertainment content to carrying third commercial content and the third media channel transitions from carrying the second commercial content to carrying second entertainment content, presenting the third commercial content on the third area and the second entertainment content on the first area in response to the processing of each of the received signals.

20. The method according to claim 11, wherein the step of receiving the signals comprises receiving first signals from a first network, and

wherein the method further comprises the steps of:

receiving second signals, conveying interactive advertising content, from a second network; and

presenting the interactive advertising content on a third area of the video monitor in response to processing the received second signals.