System and method for delivering targeted advertising data in an internet protocol television system

• US 20080060002A1
• Filed: 08/31/2006
• Published: 03/06/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 08/31/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sbc Knowledge Ventures, L.P.
• Original Assignee: Sbc Knowledge Ventures, L.P.
• Inventors: McCarthy, Mary Catherina, Weber, Jeffrey G, Noll, Roland, Pettit, Scott Alan
• Granted Patent: US 8,327,399 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/35
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0251 Targeted advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0269 based on user profile or attribute
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23424 involving splicing one content stream with another content stream, e.g. for inserting or substituting an advertisement
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2402 Monitoring of the downstream path of the transmission network, e.g. bandwidth available traffic monitoring in data switching networks H04L43/00; monitoring data switching networks utilization H04L43/0876
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25833 involving client hardware characteristics, e.g. manufacturer, processing or storage capabilities allocation of resources considering hardware capabilities in multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/5044; allocation of resources considering software capabilities in multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/5055
• 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 21/2668 Creating a channel for a dedicated end-user group, e.g. insertion of targeted commercials based on end-user profiles information retrieval from the Internet by querying with filtering and personalisation G06F16/9535; arrangements for replacing or switching information during the broadcast H04H20/10; push services over packet-switching network H04L12/1859; adaptation of message content in packet-switching networks H04L51/063
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/43 Processing of content or additional data, e.g. demultiplexing additional data from a digital video stream; Elementary client operations, e.g. monitoring of home network or synchronising decoder's clock; Client middleware real-time communication protocols in data switching networks H04L65/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4316 for displaying supplemental content in a region of the screen, e.g. an advertisement in a separate window
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6125 involving transmission via Internet transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6405 Multicasting data broadcast and multicast in packet switching networks H04L12/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/64322 IP
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/45 Picture in picture , e.g. displaying simultaneously another television channel in a region of the screen
• 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 and method for delivering targeted advertising data over an internet protocol television (IPTV) network are disclosed for multicasting from an IPTV server a group of targeted advertising data to a group of end user client devices; receiving at the IPTV server from an end user client device in the group of end user client devices selection data indicating selected targeted advertising data from the group data; and unicasting from the IPTV server to the end user client device follow-on advertising data related to the selected targeted advertising data. A client device is disclosed for receiving a multicast group of targeted advertising data, selecting one of the group of targeted advertising data and receiving follow-on advertising data related to the selected advertising data.

Claims

1. A method for delivering targeted advertising data over an Internet Protocol Television (IPTV) network comprising:

multicasting from an IPTV server a group of targeted advertising data to a group of end user client devices;

receiving at the IPTV server from an end user client device in the group of end user client devices selection data indicating a selected targeted advertising data from the group of targeted advertising data; and

unicasting from the IPTV server to the end user client device follow-on advertising data related to the selected targeted advertising data.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the group of targeted advertising data further comprises a group display queue, the group display queue comprising data indicating a display mode for the group of advertising data and wherein the follow-on advertising data further comprises a follow-on display queue, the follow-on display queue comprising data indicating display mode data for the follow-on advertising data, the method further comprising sending one of a plurality of group display queues to each of the group of end user client devices.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the display mode data indicates how the advertising data is displayed as a main screen display, an on screen picture-in-picture (PIP) displays and off screen PIPs.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the group of targeted advertising data further comprises sub-group targeted advertising data wherein the group targeted advertising data contains advertising data targeted to the group of end user client devices and the sub-group targeted advertising data contains advertising data targeted to a sub-group of end user client devices, the method further comprising multicasting the sub-group targeted advertising data to the sub-group of end user client devices.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the group data further comprises household advertising data wherein the household advertising data contains advertising data targeted to a household, the method further comprising unicasting the household advertising data to an end user client device associated with the household.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the household advertising data further comprises at least one individual viewer advertising data wherein the individual viewer data contains advertising data targeted to an individual viewer in the household, the method further comprising unicasting the individual viewer advertising data to an end user client device associated with an individual viewer.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising inserting the targeted advertising data into a video data stream at the IPTV server when a measured IPTV network value is above a predetermined value;

and

inserting the targeted advertising data at the end user client device when the measured IPTV network value is less than the predetermined value.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the measured IPTV network value is selected from the group consisting of available IPTV bandwidth between an IPTV server and the end user client device and available storage at the end user client device.

9. A computer readable medium containing a computer program for delivering targeted advertising data over an internet protocol television (IPTV) network, the computer program comprising:

instructions to multicast from an IPTV server a group of targeted advertising data to a group of end user client devices;

instructions to receive at the IPTV server from an end user client device in the group of end user client devices selection data indicating selected targeted advertising data from the group of targeted advertising data; and

instructions to unicast from the IPTV server to the end user client device follow-on advertising data related to the selected targeted advertising data.

10. The medium of claim 9, wherein the group of targeted advertising data further comprises a group display queue, the group display queue comprising data indicating a display mode for the group of advertising data and wherein the follow-on advertising data further comprises a follow-on display queue, the follow-on display queue comprising data indicating display mode data for the follow-on advertising, the computer program further comprising instructions to send one of a plurality of group display queues to each of the group of end user client devices.

11. The medium of claim 10, wherein the display mode data indicates advertising data display selected from the group consisting of a main screen display, an on screen picture-in-picture (PIP) display and off screen PIP.

12. The medium of claim 9, wherein the group of targeted advertising data further comprises sub-group targeted advertising data wherein the group targeted advertising data contains advertising data targeted to the group of end user client devices and the sub-group targeted advertising data contains advertising data targeted to a sub-group of end user client devices, the computer program further comprising instructions to multicast the sub-group targeted advertising data to the sub-group of end user client devices.

13. The medium of claim 9, wherein the group data further comprises at least one household advertising data wherein the household advertising data contains advertising data targeted to a household, the computer program further comprising instructions to unicast the household advertising data to an end user client device associated with the household.

14. The medium of claim 13, wherein the household advertising data further comprises at least one individual viewer advertising data wherein the individual viewer data contains advertising data targeted to an individual viewer in the household, the computer program further comprising instructions to unicast the individual viewer advertising data to an end user client device associated with an individual viewer.

15. The medium of claim 9, the computer program further comprising instructions to insert the targeted advertising data into a video data stream at the IPTV server when a measured IPTV network value is above a predetermined value;

and

instructions to insert the targeted advertising data at the end user client device when the measured IPTV network value is less than the predetermined value.

16. The medium of claim 15, wherein the measured IPTV network value is selected from the group consisting of available IPTV bandwidth between an IPTV server and the end user client device and available storage at the end user client device.

19. The system of claim 15, wherein the display mode data indicates advertising data display selected from the group consisting of a main screen display, on screen picture-in-picture (PIP) display and off screen PIP.

17. A system for delivering targeted advertising data over an internet protocol television (IPTV) network, the system comprising:

a processor in data communication with an end user client device;

a memory in data communication with the processor; and

a computer program stored in memory, for execution by the processor, the computer program comprising instructions to multicast from an IPTV server a group of targeted advertising data to a group of end user client devices;

instructions to receive at the IPTV server from an end user client device in the group of end user client devices selection data indicating a selected targeted advertising data from the group data; and

instructions to unicast from the IPTV server to the end user client device follow-on advertising data related to the one selected targeted advertising data.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the group of targeted advertising data further comprises a group display queue, the group display queue comprising data indicating a display mode for the group of advertising data and wherein the follow-on advertising data further comprises a follow-on display queue, the follow-on display queue comprising data indicating display mode data for the follow-on advertising, the computer program further comprising instructions to send one of a plurality of group display queues to each of the group of end user client devices.

20. The system of claim 17, wherein the group of targeted advertising data further comprises sub-group targeted advertising data wherein the group targeted advertising data contains advertising data targeted to the group of end user client devices and the sub-group targeted advertising data contains advertising data targeted to a sub-group of end user client devices, the computer program further comprising instructions to multicast the sub-group targeted advertising data to the sub-group of end user client devices.

21. The system of claim 17, wherein the group data further comprises at least one household advertising data wherein the household advertising data contains advertising data targeted to a household, the computer program further comprising instructions to unicast the household advertising data to an end user client device associated with the household.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein the household advertising data further comprises at least one individual viewer advertising data wherein the individual viewer data contains advertising data targeted to an individual viewer in the household, the computer program further comprising instructions to unicast the individual viewer advertising data to an end user client device associated with an individual viewer.

23. The system of claim 17, the computer program further comprising instructions to insert the targeted advertising data into a video data stream at the IPTV server when a measured IPTV network value is above a predetermined value;

and

instructions to insert the targeted advertising data at the end user client device when the measured IPTV network value is less than the predetermined value.

24. The system of claim 23, wherein the measured internet protocol television (IPTV) network value is selected from the group consisting of available IPTV bandwidth between an IPTV server and the end user client device and available storage at the end user client device.

25. A data structure in memory, the data structure comprising:

an advertising data field for containing advertising data indicating advertisements targeted to a group of end user client devices in an internet protocol television (IPTV) system; and

a display queue field for containing data indicating display mode data for the advertising data.

26. The data structure of claim 25, wherein the display mode data indicates advertising data display selected from the group consisting of a main screen display, an on screen picture-in-picture (PIP) display and off screen PIP.

27. The data structure of claim 25, further comprising a follow-on advertising data field for containing advertising data related to the advertising data in the advertising data field.

28. The data structure of claim 25, further comprising:

an IPTV bandwidth available field for containing data indicating available bandwidth between an IPTV server and an end user client device; and

a household storage available field for containing data indicating available storage at an end user client device associated with a household.

29. A client device for receiving targeted advertising data from an internet protocol television (IPTV) server, the client device comprising:

a processor coupled to a memory; and

a computer program stored in the memory for execution by the processor, the computer program comprising instructions to receive from an internet protocol television (IPTV) server a multicast comprising a group of targeted advertising data, instructions to send to the IPTV server selection data indicating selected targeted advertising data selected from the group of targeted advertising data and instructions to receive a unicast from the IPTV server follow-on advertising data related to the selected targeted advertising data.

30. The client device of claim 29, wherein the group of targeted advertising data further comprises group display queue data, the group display queue data comprising data indicating a display mode for the group of advertising data and wherein the follow-on advertising data further comprises a follow-on display queue, the follow-on display queue comprising data indicating a display mode for the follow-on advertising, the computer program further comprising instructions receive group display queue and display the group of targeted advertising data in the mode in the group display queue.

31. The client device of claim 29, wherein the display queue data indicates advertising data display selected from the group consisting of a main screen display, an on screen picture-in-picture (PIP) display and off screen PIP.

32. A computer readable medium containing a computer program for receiving targeted advertising from an internet protocol television (IPTV) server, the computer program comprising:

instructions to receive from an HPTV server a multicast comprising a group of targeted advertising data;

instructions to send to the IPTV server selection data indicating selected targeted advertising data from the group of targeted advertising data; and

instructions to receive from the IPTV server a unicast comprising follow-on advertising data related to the selected targeted advertising data.