Methods for Transmitting Multimedia Files and Advertisements

• US 20100070355A1
• Filed: 11/20/2009
• Published: 03/18/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 03/18/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Tamiras Per Pte Ltd LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Clarity Systems
• Inventors: Fernandez, Alvaro
• Granted Patent: US 7,966,411 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/14.400
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0241 Advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0272 Period of advertisement exposure
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0277 Online advertisement
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/612 for unicast
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/762 at the source reformatting of additional data in video distribution servers H04N21/2355
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/53 using third party service providers
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2387 Stream processing in response to a playback request from an end-user, e.g. for trick-play
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6437 Real-time Transport Protocol [RTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6581 Reference data, e.g. a movie identifier for ordering a movie or a product identifier in a home shopping application
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6587 Control parameters, e.g. trick play commands, viewpoint selection
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02

Abstract

The invention is directed to a method of transmitting a file having an advertising portion and a requested portion different from the advertising portion. The method includes receiving a request to transmit the file, via a streaming protocol allowing non-sequential access, transmitting the advertising portion of the file, receiving a request to transmit a portion of the requested portion of the file prior to completing transmitting the advertising portion of the file, completing the transmission of the advertising portion of the file, and transmitting the requested portion of the file.

Claims

1-34. -34. (canceled)

35. A method comprising storing in a storage medium of a streaming server advertising-sponsored content, receiving in the streaming server a request message from a multimedia player to transmit the advertising-sponsored content to the multimedia player, the streaming server determining if the multimedia player is an unauthorized type of multimedia player that may be used to avoid viewing of advertising content sponsoring the advertising-sponsored content;

and either transmitting the advertising-sponsored content to the multimedia player if the multimedia player is determined not to be an unauthorized type of multimedia player or not transmitting the advertising-sponsored content to the multimedia player if the multimedia player is determined to be an unauthorized type of multimedia player.

36. A method according to claim 35 wherein the streaming server sends to the multimedia player an error message upon determining that the multimedia player is an unauthorized type of multimedia player.

37. A method according to claim 35 wherein the streaming server does not process the request message of the multimedia player upon determining that the multimedia player is an unauthorized type of multimedia player.

38. A method according to claim 35 wherein the streaming server terminates communication with the multimedia player upon determining that the multimedia player is an unauthorized type of multimedia player.

39. A method according to claim 35 wherein the request message comprises a header, the streaming server determining the type of multimedia player by reading the header of the request message.

40. A method according to claim 39 wherein the streaming server receives the request message via the Real Time Streaming Protocol and the type of multimedia player is determined by the streaming server by reading a header called “

User-Agent”

in the request message.

41. A method according to claim 35 wherein information about unauthorized types of multimedia players is stored in a database of the streaming server.

42. A method according to claim 35 wherein the streaming server sends a message to the multimedia player acknowledging receipt of the request message without transmitting the advertising-sponsored content to the multimedia player upon the streaming server determining that the multimedia player is an unauthorized type of multimedia player.

43. A method according to claim 35 wherein the streaming server determines if the multimedia player is an unauthorized type multimedia player by identifying if the multimedia player is a plug-in of an Internet browser.

44. A method according to claim 35 wherein the streaming server determines if the multimedia player is an unauthorized type multimedia player by identifying if the multimedia player is a plug-in of an Internet browser and if the advertising-sponsored content is being saved using the browser'"'"'s “

Save As”

or similar type option.

45. A method according to claim 44 wherein the streaming server communicates with the multimedia player using a streaming protocol, the streaming server analyzing the control messages sent from the multimedia player to determine if the browser'"'"'s “

Save As”

or similar type option is being used.

46. A method according to claim 35 wherein the streaming server determines a multimedia player to be an unauthorized type multimedia player upon detecting an unauthorized application installed on the same equipment as the multimedia player.

47. A method according to claim 46 wherein the unauthorized application is a plug-in of an Internet browser.

48. A streaming server having a storage medium that stores advertising-sponsored content, the streaming server storing executable instructions for 1) receiving a request message from a multimedia player to transmit the advertising-sponsored content to the multimedia player, 2) determining if the multimedia player is an unauthorized type of multimedia player that may be used to avoid viewing of advertising content sponsoring the advertising-sponsored content, and 3) either transmitting the advertising-sponsored content to the multimedia player if the multimedia player is determined not to be an unauthorized type of multimedia player or not transmitting the advertising-sponsored content to the multimedia player if the multimedia player is determined to be an unauthorized type of multimedia player.

49. A streaming server according to claim 48 wherein the streaming server stores executable instructions for sending to the multimedia player an error message upon determining that the multimedia player is an unauthorized type of multimedia player.

50. A streaming server according to claim 48 wherein the streaming server stores executable instructions that cause the streaming server not to process the request message of the multimedia player upon determining that the multimedia player is an unauthorized type of multimedia player.

51. A streaming server according to claim 48 wherein the streaming server stores executable instructions for terminating communication with the multimedia player upon determining that the multimedia player is an unauthorized type of multimedia player.

52. A streaming server according to claim 48 wherein the request message comprises a header, the streaming server storing executable instructions for determining the type of multimedia player by reading the header of the request message.

53. A streaming server according to claim 52 wherein the streaming server receives the request message via the Real Time Streaming Protocol and the type of multimedia player is determined by the streaming server by reading a header called “

User-Agent”

in the request message.

54. A streaming server according to claim 48 wherein information about unauthorized types of multimedia players is stored in a database of the server.

55. A streaming server according to claim 48 wherein the streaming server stores executable instructions to send a message to the multimedia player acknowledging receipt of the request message without transmitting the advertising-sponsored content to the multimedia player upon the streaming server determining that the multimedia player is an unauthorized type of multimedia player.

56. A streaming server according to claim 48 wherein the streaming server determines if the multimedia player is an unauthorized type multimedia player by identifying if the multimedia player is a plug-in of an Internet browser.

57. A streaming server according to claim 48 wherein the streaming server determines if the multimedia player is an unauthorized type multimedia player by identifying if the multimedia player is a plug-in of an Internet browser and if the advertising-sponsored content is being saved using the browser'"'"'s “

Save As”

or similar type option.

58. A streaming server according to claim 57 wherein the streaming server communicates with the multimedia player using a streaming protocol, the streaming server analyzing the control messages sent from the multimedia player to determine if the browser'"'"'s “

Save As”

or similar type option is being used.

59. A streaming server according to claim 48 wherein the streaming server determines a multimedia player to be an unauthorized type multimedia player upon detecting an unauthorized application installed on the same equipment as the multimedia player.

60. A streaming server according to claim 59 wherein the unauthorized application is a plug-in of an Internet browser.