USE OF MULTIPLE EMBEDDED MESSAGES IN PROGRAM SIGNAL STREAMS

• US 20110243533A1
• Filed: 04/06/2010
• Published: 10/06/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 04/06/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Time Warner Cable Enterprises LLC (Charter Communications Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Time Warner Cable Enterprises LLC (Charter Communications Incorporated)
• Inventors: Witmer, Melinda, Stern, Peter
• Granted Patent: US 8,855,470 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 386/278
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2541 Rights Management protecting software against unauthorised usage in a vending or licensing environment G06F21/10; security in data switching network management H04L41/28; security management or policies for network security H04L63/20; access security in wireless networks H04W12/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25866 Management of end-user data customer care in data networks H04L41/5077
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/26258 for generating a list of items to be played back in a given order, e.g. playlist, or scheduling item distribution according to such list retrieval of multimedia data based on playlists G06F16/40
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/435 Processing of additional data, e.g. decrypting of additional data, reconstructing software from modules extracted from the transport stream
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44213 Monitoring of end-user related data arrangements for monitoring the users' behaviour or opinions in broadcast systems H04H60/33
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8355 involving usage data, e.g. number of copies or viewings allowed

Abstract

Methods of generating video streams including advertisement information sufficient to support advertisement countdown times and other functions such as advertisement auto pause functions are described. In accordance with various embodiments, advertisement duration is determined from one or more messages included in a video stream, e.g., prior to the corresponding advertising segment. A countdown timer is generated from the advertisement information and displayed along with the content of the advertisement segment. Restrictions for different subscribers may be indicated in the advertisement information messages, e.g., with some end users being permitted to fast forward or skip advertisements with other users being required to allow the full normal playback of one or more advertisement segments. The auto pause function, when activated, pauses an ad segment or set of ad segments at a predetermined time before output of the main program resumes thereby making sure none of the main program is missed.

Claims

1. A content playback method, the method comprising:

determining start and end times of an advertisement segment from messages included in a first broadcast encoded video stream prior to an advertisement segment;

generating a countdown timer indicating a time remaining until the end of the advertisement segment; and

outputting said advertisement segment for display at a normal playback rate with an indicator indicating the time remaining until the end of the advertisement segment.

2. The content playback method of claim 1, wherein determining start and end times of an advertisement segment includes determining at least one of said start and end times from a message included in said broadcast encoded video stream.

3. The content playback method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving an automatic commercial pause signal from a user control device; and

in response to said automatic commercial pause signal, pausing output of said advertisement segment at a predetermined point prior to the end of said advertisement segment.

4. The content playback method of claim 3, wherein said predetermined point is a predetermined number of seconds before the end of said advertisement segment.

5. The content playback method of claim 3, further comprising:

storing broadcast encoded video stream content corresponding to said first broadcast encoded video stream following said predetermined point in said advertisement segment; and

in response to a command from said user control device received while said output of said ad segment was paused, outputting stored program content corresponding to said first broadcast encoded video stream.

6. The content playback method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a signal indicating one of an incoming telephone call, alert and incoming E-mail; and

in response to said signal, automatically pausing output of said advertisement segment.

7. The content playback method of claim 6, wherein said advertisement segment is immediately paused in response to said received signal.

8. The content playback method of claim 2, further comprising:

monitoring for a presentation control signal while said advertisement segment is being output; and

determining if the user is authorized to skip or fast forward through said advertisement segment in response to detecting, while said advertisement segment is being output, input from a user control device indicating a skip or fast forward command.

9. The content playback method of claim 8, wherein determining if the user is authorized to skip or fast forward through said advertisement segment includes checking to determine if the advertisement segment being output was previously output within a predetermined time of said detected input from a user control device indicating a skip or fast forward command.

10. The content playback method of claim 8, wherein determining if the user is authorized to skip or fast forward through said advertisement segment includes checking advertisement presentation restriction information included in an advertisement information message which is associated with said advertisement segment.

11. The content playback method of claim 8, wherein determining if the user is authorized to skip or fast forward through said advertisement segment includes comparing subscription information corresponding to said user to information in said advertisement segment used to identify subscribers who are authorized to skip or fast forward through said advertisement segment.

12. The content playback method of claim 8,

wherein when said determining indicates that the user is not authorized to skip or fast forward, continuing to output said advertisement segment for display at a normal playback rate.

13. A content playback device, comprising:

a duration determination module for determining the duration of an advertisement segment from one or more messages included in a first broadcast encoded video stream prior to an advertisement segment;

a countdown generator module for generating a countdown timer indicating a time remaining until the end of the advertisement segment; and

an output module for outputting said advertisement segment for display at a normal playback rate with an indicator indicating the time remaining until the end of the advertisement segment.

14. The content playback device of claim 13, wherein said duration determination module determines the duration from start and end times of said advertisement segment.

15. The content playback device of claim 13, further comprising:

a receiver for receiving an automatic commercial pause signal from a user control device; and

an auto pause module responsive to the automatic commercial pause signal for pausing output of said advertisement segment at a predetermined point prior to the end of said advertisement segment.

16. The content playback device of claim 15, wherein said predetermined point is a predetermined number of seconds before the end of said advertisement segment.