System and method for an adaptive scheduling system architecture

• US 20080189734A1
• Filed: 02/02/2007
• Published: 08/07/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 02/02/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: HBC Solutions Incorporated (AEG Holdings, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: HBC Solutions Incorporated (AEG Holdings, Inc.)
• Inventors: Schepers, Trisha, Falk, Stephen
• Granted Patent: US 8,326,685 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/32
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0631 Resource planning, allocation, distributing or scheduling for enterprises or organisations
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 99/00 Subject matter not provided for in other groups of this subclass
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/06 Arrangements for scheduling broadcast services or broadcast-related services
• 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 21/26208 the scheduling operation being performed under constraints
• 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 21/44016 involving splicing one content stream with another content stream, e.g. for substituting a video clip
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8455 involving pointers to the content, e.g. pointers to the I-frames of the video stream
• 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

The disclosed embodiments describe an automatic, adaptive system and method for efficiently and effectively scheduling advertising spots in commercial break locations across various networks, zones, channels, dates, times, and specific products, for example. The disclosed embodiments make use of fixed and relative factors, that may be user-defined, which assign a “cost” to one or more particular breaks which thereby allow for quick and accurate scheduling of spots. The “costs” may represent a value, or desirability, of a break for the advertiser and may be a function of both the fixed and relative factors. The fixed and relative factors may be configurable and may change for different advertising clients, different contract lines, different networks, different spot placement, etc.

The placement of spots may be accomplished through the use of an ordered list which may be generated based on a number of inputs that may be user-selected. A non-limiting example of user inputs may include: spot length, spot cost, contract line priority, beginning date/time of contract line, ending date/time of contract line, a predefined value index for the client, and contract line number, among others.

Claims

1. A method of scheduling, comprising:

(a) generating an ordered list of advertising spots (“

spots”

) from a select group of spots to be scheduled, wherein each of said spots has an associated scheduling factor;

(b) selecting a first one of said spots;

(c) assigning said first spot to a first commercial break location (“

first break”

) chosen from plural breaks as a function of a first cost assigned to each of said plural breaks, wherein each of said first costs is a function of a predetermined fixed parameter and wherein said fixed parameter is user defined.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein said fixed parameter is selected from the group consisting of:

day of the week, day part, availability of a commercial break location, and combinations thereof.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein said day part parameter is selected from the group consisting of:

an overnight parameter, a morning parameter, an afternoon parameter, a prime parameter, and combinations thereof.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

(d) removing said first spot from said ordered list of spots.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein said scheduling factor is selected from the group consisting of:

ranking identification, product type, stop time, start, time, stop date, start date, cost, contract line identification number, line number, client value, and combinations thereof.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

(d) selecting a second one of said spots;

(e) determining a second cost for each unassigned break of said plural breaks, said second cost determined as a function of said first cost and as a function of a predetermined relative parameter; and

(f) assigning said second spot to one of said unassigned breaks (“

second break”

) as a function of said second cost.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein the assigning of said second spot is replaced with:

(f) determining that no unassigned breaks have a second cost less than a predetermined amount thereby preventing said second spot from being assigned to one of said unassigned breaks;

(g) determining that said second spot has a ranking greater than a ranking for said first spot;

(h) bumping said first spot from said first break; and

(i) assigning said second spot to said first break.

9. The method of claim 7 wherein the assigning of said second spot is replaced with:

(f) determining that no unassigned breaks have a second cost less than a second predetermined amount thereby preventing said second spot from being assigned to one of said unassigned breaks;

(g) determining that said second spot has a ranking less than a ranking for said first spot; and

(h) placing said second spot on an exceptions list and removing said second spot from said ordered list of spots.

10. The method of claim 9 further comprising:

(i) assigning said second spot to any one of said unassigned breaks.

11. The method of claim 7 wherein said relative parameter is selected from the group consisting of:

interval of time between said first break and said second break, difference in day part of said first break and day part of said second break, difference between day of the week of said first break and day of the week of said second break, difference between a first product associated with said first spot and a second product associated with said second spot, and combinations thereof.

12. The method of claim 7 further comprising:

(g) assigning ad copy to each of said first and second spots.

13. The method of claim 7 wherein said first spot is associated with a first client and said second spot is associated with a second client.

14. The method of claim 7 wherein said first and second spots are the same.

15. The method of claim 7 wherein said first and second spot are associated with a same contract line.

16. The method of claim 7 wherein said relative parameter is user defined.

2. (canceled)

17. A method for scheduling, comprising:

(a) prioritizing a list of networks for scheduling advertising spots (“

spots”

);

(b) determining if one or more networks on said list of networks requires spot scheduling;

(A) if none of said networks requires spot scheduling, displaying a network spot schedule;

(B) if one of said networks requires spot scheduling;

selecting a first network;

(C) obtaining scheduling information;

(D) generating an ordered list of spots;

(E) selecting a first contract line from said ordered list, said first contract line containing one or more spots to be scheduled; and

(F) selecting a first one of said spots (“

first spot”

);

(c) based on said scheduling information, determining if one or more commercial break locations (“

breaks”

) on said selected network are acceptable for placing said first spot, wherein each of said breaks has an assigned first cost which is a function of a predetermined fixed parameter, and wherein said fixed parameter is user defined;

(A) if one or more acceptable breaks is determined to exist, scheduling said first spot in one of the acceptable breaks; and

(B) if one or more acceptable breaks is determined to not exist;

(1) determining if a bump candidate exists;

(2) if no bump candidate exists;

logging said first spot as an exception; and

(3) if a bump candidate exists;

bumping said bump candidate from its associated break, placing said bump candidate on said ordered list of spots, and scheduling said first spot in said break associated with the bump candidate;

(d) determining if there are any additional spots associated with said contract line;

(A) if there are additional spots associated with said contract line, selecting a second spot from said first contract line and repeating (c) through (d) for said second spot in place of said first spot; and

(B) if there are no additional spots associated with said first contract line, check and assign ad copy to all scheduled spots; and

(e) determining if there are additional contract lines;

(A) if there are additional contract lines, selecting a second contract line and repeating (c) through (e) for said second contract line in place of said first contract line; and

(B) if there are no additional contract lines, placing spots logged as exceptions and repeating (b) through (e) for a second network in place of said first network.