SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR ADVERTISING TELEVISION NETWORKS, CHANNELS, AND PROGRAMS

• US 20090228912A1
• Filed: 03/09/2009
• Published: 09/10/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 05/15/1998
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: UV Corporation (Adeia Inc.)
• Original Assignee: United Video Properties Incorporated (Adeia Inc.)
• Inventors: Ellis, Michael D., Reynolds, Steven J., Knee, Robert A.
• Granted Patent: US 8,352,978 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/25
• 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 21/47 End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/478 Supplemental services, e.g. displaying phone caller identification, shopping application
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02

Abstract

The present invention allows control of the presentation of advertisements that are associated with television networks, channels, and programs, and enables a single broadcasting of each advertisement associated with a network to be made to numerous television systems in parallel. The presentation of advertisements that are associated with television networks, channels, and programs is controlled in the present invention by determining at television viewer equipment whether the television networks, channels, or programs with which the advertisements are associated are unavailable to the television viewer or are undesirable to the television viewer. Once this determination has been made, the television viewer equipment then presents the advertisements, or selects and presents suitable alternative advertisements. A single broadcasting of each network advertisement to all television systems is enabled in the present invention by broadcasting each advertisement with a network identifier to all television systems. At the television systems, the network identifier and channel map or program guide information located in television viewer equipment are then used by an interactive program guide or other application running in the television viewer equipment to determine whether a local affiliate for that network is available and not designated as undesirable by the television viewer. If the local affiliate is available and not designated as undesirable, the advertisement is then presented to the television viewer, otherwise a suitable alternative advertisement is then identified and presented to the television viewer.

Claims

1-23. -23. (canceled)

24. A system for controlling the presentation of advertisements to a television viewer, comprising:

an advertising database that stores an advertisement, wherein the advertisement is a programming-related advertisement for a network, channel, or programming on a network or channel; and

television viewer equipment configured to;

receive the advertisement from the advertising database;

receive advertisement control information associated with the advertisement;

receive a request from a viewer to block a network, channel, or programming on a network or channel;

determine, using the advertisement control information, whether or not the advertisement from the advertising database is for a network, channel, or programming on a network or channel that is blocked by the request; and

block display of the advertisement on the television viewer equipment when the television viewer equipment determines that the advertisement is for a network, channel, or programming on a network or channel that is blocked by the request.

25. The system defined in claim 24 further comprising a program guide database that stores program guide information, wherein the television viewer equipment is further configured to receive the program guide information from the program guide database and use the program guide information to block the display of the advertisement on the television viewer equipment.

26. The system defined in claim 24 further comprising a channel map database that stores channel map information, wherein the television viewer equipment is further configured to receive the channel map information from the channel map database and use the channel map information to block the display of the advertisement on the television viewer equipment.

27. The system defined in claim 24 wherein the television viewer equipment is further configured to block the display of the advertisement on the television viewer equipment if the channel, network, or programming is unavailable to the television viewer equipment.

28. The system defined in claim 24 wherein the television viewer equipment is further configured to block the display of the advertisement on the television viewer equipment when the network, channel, or programming should have corresponding program guide information and does not have the corresponding program guide information.

29. The system defined in claim 24 wherein the advertising database is part of a television distribution facility.

30. The system defined in claim 24 wherein the advertising database is part of a main facility.

31. The system defined in claim 24 wherein the advertisement control information comprises at least a network identifier.

32. A method for controlling the presentation of advertisements to a television viewer, the method comprising:

storing an advertisement in an advertising database, wherein the advertisement is a programming-related advertisement for a network, channel or programming on a network or channel;

receiving the advertisement from the advertising database with television viewer equipment;

receiving with the television viewer equipment advertisement control information associated with the advertisement;

receiving a request from a viewer to block a network, channel, or programming on a network or channel;

determining with the television viewer equipment, using the advertisement control information, whether or not the advertisement from the advertising database is for a network, channel, or programming on a network or channel that is blocked by the request; and

blocking display of the advertisement by the television viewer equipment when the television viewer equipment determines that the advertisement is for a network, channel, or programming on a network or channel that is blocked by the request.

33. The method defined in claim 32 further comprising:

storing program guide information in a program guide database;

receiving with the television viewer equipment the program guide information from the program guide database; and

using the program guide information by the television viewer equipment to block the display of the advertisement on the television viewer equipment.

34. The method defined in claim 32 further comprising:

storing channel map information in a channel map database;

receiving with the television viewer equipment the channel map information from the channel map database; and

using the channel map information by the television viewer equipment to block the display of the advertisement on the television viewer equipment.

35. The method defined in claim 32 wherein blocking the display of the advertisement comprises blocking the display of the advertisement if the channel, network, or programming is unavailable to the television equipment.

36. The method defined in claim 32 wherein blocking the display of the advertisement comprises blocking the display of the advertisement when the network, channel, or programming should have corresponding program guide information and does not have the corresponding program guide information.

37. The method defined in claim 32 further comprising implementing the advertising database as a part of a television distribution facility.

38. The method defined in claim 32 further comprising implementing the advertising database as a part of a main data storage and control facility.

39. The method defined in claim 32 wherein the advertisement control information comprises at least a network identifier.