Generating ad insertion metadata at program file load time

• US 20070101359A1
• Filed: 11/01/2005
• Published: 05/03/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 11/01/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ARRIS Enterprises LLC (CommScope Holding Company, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Broadband Royalty Corporation (CommScope Holding Company, Inc.)
• Inventors: Matarese, Joseph, Schiller, Jay
• Granted Patent: US 9,357,175 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/33
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/103 Transmitter-side switching
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/06 Arrangements for scheduling broadcast services or broadcast-related services
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/73 using meta-information
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2353 specifically adapted to content descriptors, e.g. coding, compressing or processing of metadata
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4331 Caching operations, e.g. of an advertisement for later insertion during playback
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44016 involving splicing one content stream with another content stream, e.g. for substituting a video clip
• 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 7/165 Centralised control of user terminal subsequent to an upstream request signal H04N7/17345; Registering at central by two-way working H04N7/17309

Abstract

A method may include and/or involve submitting one or more digital program files for storage on behalf of one or more video servers, the act of submitting the program files triggering logic to scan the program files to identify information about location and duration of ad breaks, and storing the program files and information about the location and duration of the ad breaks in a manner that associates the program files with corresponding information about the location and duration of the ad breaks, and in a manner that provides the video servers with access to both the program files and information about the location and duration of the ad breaks.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

submitting one or more digital program files for storage on behalf of one or more video servers;

the act of submitting the program files triggering logic to scan the program files to identify information about location and duration of ad breaks; and

storing the program files and information about the location and duration of the ad breaks in a manner that associates the program files with corresponding information about the location and duration of the ad breaks, and in a manner that provides the video servers with access to both the program files and information about the location and duration of the ad breaks.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the logic to scan the program files to identify information about location and duration of ad breaks further comprises:

logic to identify cue packets in the program files and to apply the cue packets to generate metadata about ad break location and duration.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the logic to identify cue packets in the program files and to apply the cue packets to generate metadata about ad break location and duration further comprises:

logic to identify SCTE-35 cue packets.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the logic to scan the program files to identify information about location and duration of ad breaks further comprises:

logic to identify the information about location and duration of ad breaks during processing to generate fast-scan information for the program files.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the storing the program files and information about the location and duration of the ad breaks in a manner that associates the program files with corresponding information about the location and duration of the ad breaks, and in a manner that provides the video servers with access to both the program files and information about the location and duration of the ad breaks further comprises:

storing the information about the location and duration of the ad breaks in a video-server accessible database.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

removing the information about location and duration of ad breaks from the digital program files.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the removing the information about location and duration of ad breaks from the digital program files further comprises:

removing cue packet information from the digital program files.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining advertising content to provide in association with the digital program files according to information of at least one order for the digital program files.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the determining advertising content to provide in association with the digital program files according to information of at least one order for the digital program files further comprises:

determining advertising content according to information of at least one subscriber placing the at least one order.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the determining advertising content to provide in association with the digital program files according to information of at least one order for the digital program files further comprises:

determining advertising content according to at least one of a time or times of day, day or days of the week and-or year, or one or more locations of subscribers placing the at least one order.

11. A video server comprising:

logic to stream one or more digital program files; and

logic to apply, while streaming the program files, ad break information derived from the program files and stored prior to streaming the program files, and to stream advertising content for the program files at locations and for durations specified by the ad break information.

12. The video server of claim 11, wherein the logic to apply, while streaming the program files, ad break information derived from the program files and stored prior to streaming the program files, and to stream advertising content for the program files at locations and for durations specified by the ad break information further comprises:

logic to splice ad content into one or more program streams at locations and for durations indicated by the ad break information.

13. A system comprising:

one or more video servers; and

logic to scan the program files to identify information about location and duration of ad breaks in response to loading the program files onto the video servers, and to store the program files on the video servers and to use one or more databases to associate the information about the location and duration of the ad breaks with corresponding program files.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the logic to scan the program files to identify information about location and duration of ad breaks further comprises:

logic to identify cue packets in the program files and to apply the cue packets to generate metadata about ad break location and duration.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the logic to identify cue packets in the program files and to apply the cue packets to generate metadata about ad break location and duration further comprises:

logic to identify SCTE-35 cue packets.

16. The system of claim 13, wherein the logic to scan the program files to identify information about location and duration of ad breaks further comprises:

logic to identify the information about location and duration of ad breaks during processing to generate fast-scan information for the program files.

17. The system of claim 13, further comprising:

one or more ad servers, and logic to select advertising to associate with a program file prior to receiving an order for the program file, and logic to stream the advertising during streaming of the program file in fulfillment of the order.

18. The system of claim 13, further comprising:

logic to select advertising based upon at least one of demographics and-or location of a subscriber placing an order, and logic to stream the advertising during streaming of the program file in fulfillment of the order.