SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR INSERTING ADVERTISEMENTS DURING COMMERCIAL SKIP

• US 20100166389A1
• Filed: 11/12/2009
• Published: 07/01/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/22/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Rovi Guides, Inc. (Adeia Inc.)
• Original Assignee: GuideWorks, LLC (Comcast Corporation)
• Inventors: Knee, Robert A., Craner, Michael L.
• Application Number:
  US12/616,875
• Publication Number:
  US 20100166389A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 386/241
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/005 Reproducing at a different information rate from the information rate of recording for television signals H04N5/783
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/036 Insert-editing
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4312 involving specific graphical features, e.g. screen layout, special fonts or colors, blinking icons, highlights or animations
• 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 21/432 Content retrieval operation from a local storage medium, e.g. hard-disk details of retrieval of video data and associated meta data in video databases G06F16/739
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4331 Caching operations, e.g. of an advertisement for later insertion during playback
• 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 21/47217 for controlling playback functions for recorded or on-demand content, e.g. using progress bars, mode or play-point indicators or bookmarks specific graphical features in visual interfaces H04N21/4312
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/76 Television signal recording
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/783 Adaptations for reproducing at a rate different from the recording rate
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/85 on discs or drums
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/7921 for more than one processing mode

Abstract

Systems and methods for skipping advertisements while playing back a video that includes at least one advertisement are provided. When a user reaches the advertisement, the user may select to skip the advertisement. In response to the skip instruction, the interactive media guidance application may identify and display substitute media instead of the advertisement. The substitute media may be an image, a video frame, a video clip, a graphic, or any other suitable media. The interactive media guidance application may identify the substitute media to display from advertisement data associated with the skipped advertisement. The substitute media may be displayed for a designated length of time (e.g., less than the time it would take to fast forward past the advertisement). Once the time for displaying the substitute media has lapsed, the interactive media guidance application may resume playback of the video following the end of the advertisement.

Claims

1. A method for skipping advertisements, comprising:

playing back video stored at least partially on a storage device, wherein the video includes at least one advertisement;

receiving a user instruction to skip the advertisement;

displaying, in response to receiving the user instruction, substitute media instead of the advertisement; and

automatically resuming playback of the recording from a point that follows the end of the advertisement.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein playing back video stored at least partially on a storage device comprises playing back video partially stored in a cache.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein playing back video stored at least partially on a storage device comprises playing back video entirely stored in a cache.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein playing back video stored at least partially on a storage device comprises playing back a recording entirely stored in a recording device.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein playing back video stored at least partially on a storage device comprises playing back an on-demand video entirely stored on the storage device.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

retrieving a length of time for displaying the substitute media; and

displaying the substitute media for the retrieved length of time.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the length of time for displaying the substitute media does not exceed the time necessary to fast forward past the advertisement.

8. The method of claim 6 wherein retrieving a length of time for displaying the substitute media comprises retrieving the length of time from advertisement data associated with the video.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the substitute media is one of an image, a single video frame, a graphic, an icon, and a video clip.

10. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

identifying advertisement data associated with the advertisement; and

identifying substitute media from the identified advertisement data.

11. The method of claim 10 further comprising extracting the advertisement data from the video.

12. The method of claim 10 further comprising extracting advertisement data from a data stream associated with the video.

13. The method of claim 10 wherein the advertisement data specifies a layout for displaying the substitute media.

14. The method of claim 1 wherein the substitute media is related to the skipped advertisement.

15. The method of claim 1 wherein the substitute media is not related to the skipped advertisement.

16. The method of claim 1 wherein the substitute media is derived from the video.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein the substitute media includes fewer than all the frames of the advertisement.

18. A system for skipping advertisements, the system comprising a storage device, a display device, and control circuitry, the control circuitry configured to:

direct the storage device to play back video stored at least partially on the storage device, wherein the video includes at least one advertisement;

receive a user instruction to skip the advertisement;

direct the display device to display, in response to receiving the user instruction, substitute media instead of the advertisement; and

direct the storage device to automatically resume playback of the recording from a point that follows the end of the advertisement.

19. The system of claim 18 wherein the control circuitry is further configured to direct the storage device to play back video partially stored in a cache.

20. The system of claim 18 wherein the control circuitry is further configured to direct the storage device to play back video entirely stored in a cache.

21. The system of claim 18 wherein the control circuitry is further configured to direct the storage device to play back a recording entirely stored in a recording device.

22. The system of claim 18 wherein the control circuitry is further configured to direct the storage device to play back an on-demand video entirely stored on the storage device.

23. The system of claim 18 wherein the control circuitry is further configured to:

retrieve a length of time for displaying the substitute media; and

direct the display device to display the substitute media for the retrieved length of time.

24. The system of claim 23 wherein the length of time for displaying the substitute media does not exceed the time necessary to fast forward past the advertisement.

25. The system of claim 23 wherein the control circuitry is further configured to retrieve the length of time from advertisement data associated with the video.

26. The system of claim 18, wherein the substitute media is one of an image, a single video frame, a graphic, an icon, and a video clip.

27. The system of claim 18 wherein the control circuitry is further configured to:

identify advertisement data associated with the advertisement; and

identify substitute media from the identified advertisement data.

28. The system of claim 27 wherein the control circuitry is further configured to extract the advertisement data from the video.

29. The system of claim 27 wherein the control circuitry is further configured to extract advertisement data from a data stream associated with the video.

30. The system of claim 27 wherein the advertisement data specifies a layout for displaying the substitute media.

31. The system of claim 18 wherein the substitute media is related to the skipped advertisement.

32. The system of claim 18 wherein the substitute media is not related to the skipped advertisement.

33. The system of claim 18 wherein the substitute media is derived from the video.

34. The system of claim 33 wherein the substitute media includes fewer than all the frames of the advertisement.