Methods and Apparatus For Selecting Advertisements For Output By A Television Receiver Based on Social Network Profile Data

• US 20110197224A1
• Filed: 02/09/2010
• Published: 08/11/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 02/09/2010
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Echostar Technologies LLC (Echostar Corporation)
• Original Assignee: EchoStar Global B.V. (Echostar Corporation)
• Inventors: Meijer, Johannes
• Application Number:
  US12/703,049
• Publication Number:
  US 20110197224A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/34
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/106 Receiver-side switching
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/46 for recognising users' preferences
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25891 being end-user preferences retrieval of video data in a video database based on user preferences G06F16/739; arrangements for recognizing users' preferences H04H60/46; 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 21/44016 involving splicing one content stream with another content stream, e.g. for substituting a video clip
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4755 for defining user preferences, e.g. favourite actors or genre retrieval personalisation and generation of user profiles for the retrieval of video data G06F16/739; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6332 directed to client
• 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

Abstract

Techniques are provided herein for selecting advertisements for output by a television receiver based on social network profile data associated with a user of the television receiver. A user of a television receiver is associated with a social network profile. Social network profile data associated with the social network profile is processed to select advertisements for output by the television receiver in association with other content output by the television receiver.

Claims

1. A method of identifying television advertisements for output by a television receiver, the method comprising:

receiving information, at a server, identifying a social network profile associated with a user of a television receiver;

receiving social network profile data, associated with the social network profile, at the server;

processing the social network profile data, at the server, to identify at least one advertisement for output by the television receiver; and

transmitting information, specifying the identified advertisement, to the television receiver, the television receiver operating to output the identified advertisement in association with other content.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

transmitting the identified advertisement, from the server to the television receiver, in association with the identifying information.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

receiving a message, at the server, from the television receiver, the message requesting specification of advertisement material for insertion within an audio/video stream;

wherein the server transmits the identified advertisement to the television receiver responsive to the message.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the television receiver outputs the identified advertisement during a live broadcast of the audio/video stream.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the television receiver stores the audio/video stream for subsequent playback and outputs the identified advertisement during output of the recorded audio/video stream.

6. A server comprising:

a communication interface that receives information identifying a social network profile associated with a user of a television receiver and that receives social network profile data associated with the social network profile from a social networking server;

a storage medium operable to store metadata associated with a plurality of advertisements; and

control logic operable to process the social network profile data to identify at least one of the advertisements for output by the television receiver and generate a message for transmission to the television receiver, the message specifying the identified advertisement for output by the television receiver;

the communication interface operable to transmit the message to the television receiver.

7. The server of claim 6, wherein the storage medium is further operable to store the plurality of advertisements and the control logic is operable to coordinate transfer of the identified advertisement from the storage medium to the television receiver via the communication interface.

8. The server of claim 6, wherein the television receiver outputs the identified advertisement in association with an audio/video stream and the control logic identifies the identified advertisement and initiates transfer of the message to the television receiver prior to output of the audio/video stream by the television receiver.

9. The server of claim 8, wherein the message identifies a temporal output location of the identified advertisement during playback of the audio/video stream by the television receiver.

10. The server of claim 6, wherein the television receiver outputs the identified advertisement in association with an audio/video stream and the control logic coordinates streaming of the identified advertisement to the television receiver during playback of the audio/video stream by the television receiver.

11. The server of claim 6, wherein the control logic identifies at least one product brand included in the social network profile data and identifies the advertisement based on a competing product of the product brand.

12. The server of claim 6, wherein the control logic identifies at least one status update included in the social network profile data and identifies the advertisement based on the status update.

13. A digital video recorder comprising:

a communication interface that receives an audio/video stream, the audio/video stream including at least one segment of a program and at least one interstitial of the program and that further receives social network profile data associated with a user of the digital video recorder;

a storage medium; and

control logic operable to;

coordinate storage of the audio/video stream onto the storage medium;

receive a request to playback the audio/video stream;

process the social network profile data to identify an advertisement for output in association with the audio/video stream;

output the audio/video stream for presentation by a presentation device; and

output the advertisement in association with the audio/video stream for presentation by the presentation device.

14. The digital video recorder of claim 13, wherein the control logic is operable to identify a temporal location, within the audio/video stream, for insertion of the advertisement and output the advertisement at the temporal location within the audio/video stream.

15. The digital video recorder of claim 13, wherein the audio/video stream includes at least one segment of a program, having a beginning temporal location and an ending temporal location and at least one original advertisement temporally adjacent to the beginning temporal location or the ending temporal location of the segment and wherein the control logic is operable to identify an intermediate temporal location in the audio/video stream, associated with the segment of the program, for insertion of the identified advertisement, the intermediate temporal location positioned in the audio/video stream between the beginning temporal location and the ending temporal location.

16. The digital video recorder of claim 13, wherein the communication interface receives the social network profile data from a social networking server.

17. The digital video recorder of claim 13, wherein the control logic is operable to output an interface, soliciting identifying information regarding the user of the digital video recorder and the communication interface is operable to transmit the identifying information to the social networking server.

18. The digital video recorder of claim 13, further comprising an input interface that receives the social network profile data from a user, the control logic operable to process the social network profile data and initiate transmission of the social network profile data to a social networking server via the communication interface.

19. The digital video recorder of claim 13, wherein the control logic is operable to disable a trick play mode during output of the identified advertisement.

20. The digital video recorder of claim 13, wherein the control logic identifies the identified advertisement prior to output of the audio/video stream by the television receiver.