SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR INSERTING ADVERTISING CONTENT IN BROADCAST PROGRAMMING

• US 20070234382A1
• Filed: 06/11/2007
• Published: 10/04/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 12/26/2001
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Hat Trick, Series 83 of Allied Security Trust (Allied Security Trust)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property, Inc. (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Swix, Scott, Gray, James, Watson, Paul
• Application Number:
  US11/760,860
• Publication Number:
  US 20070234382A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/34
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/10 Arrangements for replacing or switching information during the broadcast or the distribution
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/106 Receiver-side switching
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/33 Arrangements for monitoring the users' behaviour or opinions
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/45 for identifying users
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/76 Arrangements characterised by transmission systems other than for broadcast, e.g. the Internet for broadcast H04H20/65
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25883 being end-user demographical data, e.g. age, family status or address arrangements for identifying locations of users in broadcast systems H04H60/52
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25891 being end-user preferences retrieval of video data in a video database based on user preferences G06F16/739; arrangements for recognizing users' preferences H04H60/46; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306; processing of user preferences or user profiles in wireless networks H04W8/18
• 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 21/44222 Analytics of user selections, e.g. selection of programs or purchase activity monitoring of user selections in data processing systems G06F11/34; arrangements for monitoring the user's behaviour or opinions in broadcast systems H04H60/33
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4532 involving end-user characteristics, e.g. viewer profile, preferences monitoring of user activities for profile generation for accessing a video database G06F16/739; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306; processing of user preferences or user profiles in wireless networks H04W8/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/454 Content or additional data filtering, e.g. blocking advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4622 Retrieving content or additional data from different sources, e.g. from a broadcast channel and the Internet web site content organization and management for information retrieval from the Internet G06F16/958; transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82; stock exchange data over packet-switching network H04L12/1804; push services including data channel over packet-switching network H04L12/1859
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4667 Processing of monitored end-user data, e.g. trend analysis based on the log file of viewer selections
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4758 for providing answers, e.g. voting
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6582 Data stored in the client, e.g. viewing habits, hardware capabilities, credit card number arrangements where receivers interact with the broadcast H04H20/38
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/163 by receiver means only
• 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 system for inserting viewer-specific advertising content comprises a viewer device. The viewer device identifies viewer characteristics regarding the viewer. Upon receipt of advertising content, the viewer device identifies advertisements matching the viewer characteristics. The viewer device inserts the advertisements matching the viewer characteristics into broadcast content.

Claims

1. A method for inserting targeted advertisements into broadcast programming, comprising:

gathering at an end user device, viewing habits data that characterizes broadcast programming that was presented by the end user device;

receiving at the end user device, a plurality of targeted advertisements for insertion within broadcast programming;

identifying at the end user device, at least one targeted advertisement corresponding to the viewing habits data that was gathered at the end user device, for insertion within broadcast programming;

receiving at the end user device, broadcast programming; and

inserting into the broadcast programming that is received at the end user device, the at least one targeted advertisement corresponding to the viewing habits data that was gathered at the end user device, for presentation by the end user device.

2. A method according to claim 1 wherein identifying at the end user device, at least one targeted advertisement corresponding to the viewing habits data that was gathered at the end user device, for insertion within broadcast programming, comprises:

receiving at the end user device, data identifying target audiences for the plurality of targeted advertisements; and

matching, at the end user device, the viewing habits data that was gathered at the end user device, and the data identifying target audiences for the plurality of targeted advertisements that was received at the end user device, to identify the at least one targeted advertisement corresponding to the viewing habits data that was gathered at the end user device.

3. A method according to claim 1 wherein identifying at the end user device, at least one targeted advertisement corresponding to the viewing habits data that was gathered at the end user device, for insertion within broadcast programming, comprises identifying at the end user device, at least one targeted advertisement corresponding to the viewing habits data that was gathered at the end user device, and further corresponding to a geographic location of the end user device.

4. A method according to claim 1 wherein the end user device comprises a set top box.

5. A method according to claim 1 wherein gathering at an end user device, viewing habits data that characterizes broadcast programming that was presented by the end user device, comprises:

identifying a plurality of categories into which broadcast programming can be grouped; and

determining a frequency and/or duration with which the end user device is tuned to broadcast programming in the plurality of categories.

6. A method according to claim 1 wherein receiving at the end user device, a plurality of targeted advertisements for insertion within broadcast programming is performed prior to receiving at the end user device, broadcast programming, and wherein the method further comprises storing at the end user device, the plurality of targeted advertisements for insertion within broadcast programming.

7. A method according to claim 1 wherein receiving at the end user device, a plurality of targeted advertisements for insertion within broadcast programming is performed simultaneously with inserting into the broadcast programming that is received at the end user device, the at least one targeted advertisement corresponding to the viewing habits data that was gathered at the end user device, for presentation by the end user device.

8. A method according to claim 1 wherein inserting into the broadcast programming that is received at the end user device, the at least one targeted advertisement corresponding to the viewing habits data that was gathered at the end user device, for presentation by the end user device, is followed by:

gathering at the end user device, data identifying that the at least one targeted advertisement corresponding to the viewing habits data was actually presented by the end user device.

9. A method according to claim 8 wherein gathering at the end user device, data identifying that the at least one targeted advertisement corresponding to the viewing habits data was actually presented by the end user device, is followed by:

transmitting from the end user device, the data identifying that the at least one targeted advertisement corresponding to the viewing habits data was actually presented by the end user device.

10. An end user device that is configured to perform the method of claim 1.

11. A computer program product comprising a computer usable storage medium having computer-readable program code embodied in the medium, the computer-readable program code executable by a computer processor and configured to execute the method of claim 1.

12. A method for tracking targeted advertisements inserted into broadcast programming, comprising:

transmitting from an end user device, data identifying that at least one targeted advertisement inserted into the broadcast programming was actually presented by the end user device.

13. A method according to claim 12 wherein transmitting from an end user device, data identifying that at least one targeted advertisement inserted into the broadcast programming was actually presented by the end user device is preceded by:

gathering at the end user device, the data identifying that the at least one targeted advertisement inserted into the broadcast programming was actually presented by the end user device.

14. A method according to claim 13 wherein gathering at the end user device, the data identifying that the at least one targeted advertisement inserted into the broadcast programming was actually presented by the end user device comprises:

determining whether the end user device remains tuned to the broadcast programming during the at least one targeted advertisement inserted into the broadcast programming.

15. A method according to claim 13 wherein gathering at the end user device, the data identifying that the at least one targeted advertisement inserted into the broadcast programming was actually presented by the end user device is preceded by:

gathering at the end user device, viewing habits data that characterizes broadcast programming that was presented by the end user device;

receiving at the end user device, a plurality of targeted advertisements for insertion within broadcast programming;

identifying at the end user device, at least one targeted advertisement corresponding to the viewing habits data that was gathered at the end user device, for insertion within broadcast programming;

receiving at the end user device, broadcast programming; and

inserting into the broadcast programming that is received at the end user device, the at least one targeted advertisement corresponding to the viewing habits data that was gathered at the end user device, for presentation by the end user device.

16. A method according to claim 12 wherein the end user device comprises a set top box.

17. An end user device that is configured to perform the method of claim 12.

18. A computer program product comprising a computer usable storage medium having computer-readable program code embodied in the medium, the computer-readable program code executable by a computer processor and configured to execute the method of claim 12.

19. A method for inserting targeted advertisements into broadcast programming at an end user device, comprising:

inserting into the broadcast programming that is received at the end user device, at least one selected targeted advertisement that is received at the end user device, corresponding to viewing habits data that was previously gathered at the end user device, for presentation by the end user device.

20. A method according to claim 19, wherein inserting into the broadcast programming that is received at the end user device, at least one selected targeted advertisement that is received at the end user device, corresponding to viewing habits data that was previously gathered at the end user device, is followed by:

transmitting from the end user device, data identifying that the at least one selected targeted advertisement was actually presented by the end user device.