Advertisements in an end-user controlled playback environment

• US 20080127251A1
• Filed: 01/02/2008
• Published: 05/29/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 01/14/2000
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: NDS Limited (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: NDS Limited (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Kipnis, Shlomo, Shlissel, Moshe, Darshan, Ezra, Epstein, Steve, Wachtfogel, Reuven, Tsuria, Yossi, Krause, Mika, Handelman, Doron, Shen-Orr, Chaim, Michelson, Sam, Katz, Ron, Kranc, Moshe, Richardson, David, Maissel, Jonathan
• Application Number:
  US12/006,392
• Publication Number:
  US 20080127251A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/34
• 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 21/25435 involving characteristics of content or additional data, e.g. video resolution or the amount of advertising
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2547 Third Party Billing, e.g. billing of advertiser
• 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 21/4181 for conditional access
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4331 Caching operations, e.g. of an advertisement for later insertion during playback
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4333 Processing operations in response to a pause request
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4353 involving decryption of additional data arrangements using cryptography for the use of broadcast information or broadcast-related information H04H60/23
• 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 21/4532 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 21/458 Scheduling content for creating a personalised stream, e.g. by combining a locally stored advertisement with an incoming stream; Updating operations, e.g. for OS modules ; time-related management operations arrangements for replacing or switching information during the broadcast or during the distribution H04H20/10
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47815 Electronic shopping payment schemes, payment architectures or payment protocols for electronic shopping systems G06Q20/12
• 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 21/84 Generation or processing of descriptive data, e.g. content descriptors systems specially adapted for using meta-information in broadcast systems H04H60/73
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/76 Television signal recording
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17354 in an intermediate station common to a plurality of user terminals

Abstract

This invention discloses a method for displaying advertisements transmitted to a user unit, the method includes receiving, at the user unit, at least one advertisement tagged with a delay tag indicating whether display of the at least one advertisement can be delayed and only if the delay tag allows delaying display of the at least one advertisement, storing the at least one advertisement at the user unit, retrieving the at least one advertisement and displaying the at least one advertisement. A billing system for reporting a commercial broadcast to a multiplicity of users is also disclosed.

Claims

1-84. -84. (canceled)

85. A personal advertisement method for enabling a user of a broadcast system which comprises a headend to transmit an advertisement message to a targeted audience, the method comprising:

the user of the broadcast system performing the following;

creating an advertisement message;

associating the advertisement message with at least one targeted audience selection parameter; and

transmitting said advertisement message and said at least one targeted audience selection parameter to the headend; and

performing the following at the headend;

processing the advertisement message and the at least one targeted audience selection parameter to create an advertisement transmission program for broadcast to the targeted audience; and

broadcasting the advertisement transmission program to the targeted audience based, at least in part, on the at least one targeted audience selection parameter.

86. The method according to claim 85 and also comprising:

the user also performing the following;

associating the advertisement message with at least one parameter determining at least one of the following;

an expiration date of the advertisement message;

a delivery mode determining a priority of broadcast of the advertisement transmission program; and

a method of payment for broadcasting the advertisement transmission program.

87. The method according to claim 85 and wherein said at least one targeted audience selection parameter comprises at least one of the following:

an age group of viewers;

a residence area of a viewer;

a pre-specified field of interest of viewers;

an income level of viewers;

gender of viewers; and

types of programs being watched by viewers.

88. The method according to claim 86 and wherein said method of payment comprises one of the following:

payment from a bank account;

payment by a credit card; and

payment by debiting a debit card.

89. The method according to claim 88 and wherein the debit card comprises a smart card.

90. The method according to claim 85 and wherein the advertisement message comprises at least one of the following:

a video clip;

a still image; and

audio.

91. The method according to claim 85 and wherein the advertisement message comprises a combination comprising at least two of the following:

a video clip;

a still image; and

audio.

92. A user unit for enabling a user of a broadcast system which comprises a headend to transmit an advertisement message to a targeted audience, the user unit comprising:

an input/output (I/O) interface;

a processor operatively associated with the I/O interface and operative to create an advertisement message in response to user input received via the I/O interface and to associate the advertisement message with at least one targeted audience selection parameter; and

a communication interface operatively associated with the processor and operative to transmit said advertisement message and said at least one targeted audience selection parameter to the headend for creating an advertisement transmission program for broadcast to the targeted audience based, at least in part, on the at least one targeted audience selection parameter.

93. The user unit according to claim 92 and wherein said processor is also operative to associate the advertisement message with at least one parameter determining at least one of the following:

an expiration date of the advertisement message;

a delivery mode determining a priority of broadcast of the advertisement transmission program; and

a method of payment for broadcasting the advertisement transmission program.

94. The user unit according to claim 92 and wherein said at least one targeted audience selection parameter comprises at least one of the following:

an age group of viewers;

a residence area of a viewer;

a pre-specified field of interest of viewers;

an income level of viewers;

gender of viewers; and

types of programs being watched by viewers.

95. The user unit according to claim 93 and wherein said method of payment comprises one of the following:

payment from a bank account;

payment by a credit card; and

payment by debiting a debit card.

96. The user unit according to claim 95 and wherein the debit card comprises a smart card.

97. The user unit according to claim 92 and wherein the advertisement message comprises at least one of the following:

a video clip;

a still image; and

audio.

98. The user unit according to claim 92 and wherein the advertisement message comprises a combination comprising at least two of the following:

a video clip;

a still image; and

audio.

99. A user unit for enabling a user of a broadcast system which comprises a headend to transmit an advertisement message to a targeted audience, the user unit comprising:

means for input/output;

means for creating an advertisement message in response to user input received via the means for input/output and for associating the advertisement message with at least one targeted audience selection parameter; and

means for transmitting said advertisement message and said at least one targeted audience selection parameter to the headend for creating an advertisement transmission program for broadcast to the targeted audience based, at least in part, on the at least one targeted audience selection parameter.