Method and Apparatus for Inserting Advertisements in Content

• US 20120185895A1
• Filed: 01/13/2011
• Published: 07/19/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 01/13/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: BlackArrow Inc.
• Original Assignee: BlackArrow Inc.
• Inventors: Wong, Marshall, Sun, Hsisheng Mark, Huang, Yun
• Granted Patent: US 9,137,585 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/32
• 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 21/47202 for requesting content on demand, e.g. video on demand
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4825 using a list of items to be played back in a given order, e.g. playlists
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02

Abstract

In accordance with some embodiments, advertisements may be inserted into ongoing content using predefined break points within that content. For example, the break points may be defined by times within the content and specify advantageous situations for the interruption of the ongoing content and the insertion of commercials. In some embodiments, conditions may be placed on the activities which may occur during the playback of commercials, including the disabling of fast forwarding. In addition, commercials may be automatically inserted in the predetermined content break point based on user provided criteria. In some embodiments, the user criteria may be applicable generally to all assets and, in other cases, the user criteria may be specific to a particular asset, but, in both cases, in some embodiments, the advertisements may be populated within the content automatically.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

disabling fast forwarding during commercials; and

allowing fast forwarding during play of content.

2. The method of claim 1 including providing a plurality of indications of time periods within content to insert advertisements.

3. The method of claim 2 including indicating for each of said time periods whether or not fast forwarding is permitted.

4. The method of claim 1 including selectively enabling and disabling at least one of fast forwarding, pause, and rewind during the play of commercials.

5. The method of claim 1 including always enabling fast forwarding during the play of content other than commercials.

6. The method of claim 1 including inserting commercials at predefined times within video on demand content.

7. The method of claim 6 including disabling fast forwarding during the play of commercials in video on demand.

8. The method of claim 1 including receiving information in advance of playback of content about whether fast forwarding will be permitted during the play of commercials.

9. A method comprising:

receiving a user criteria for advertising placement; and

based on said criteria, automatically inserting advertisements in predetermined content break points.

10. The method of claim 9 including receiving user criteria through a graphical user interface.

11. The method of claim 9 including enabling a user to specify criteria for advertising insertion for any entertainment asset.

12. The method of claim 11 including enabling a user to specify the nature of advertising insertion for a particular entertainment asset.

13. The method of claim 9 including enabling the user to specify conditions that determine which advertisement is played.

14. The method of claim 13 including enabling the user to specify time conditions that control which advertisements are played at particular times.

15. The method of claim 9 including enabling the user to insert certain advertisements for a given time after original broadcast and then thereafter to insert additional replacement advertisements.

16. The method of claim 9 including receiving a specification of said break points with content.

17. The method of claim 16 including specifying break points using times within content.

18. A method comprising:

receiving information about where to place advertisements in content generally; and

automatically determining where to insert advertisements in specific content based on said information.

19. The method of claim 18 including receiving indications of whether to place an advertisement in at least one of the pre-roll, mid-roll, or post-roll.

20. The method of claim 19 including receiving indications about conditions for advertisement insertion.

21. The method of claim 20 including receiving a time condition for advertising insertion.

22. The method of claim 21 including receiving a time condition such that static advertisements are maintained for a period after original broadcast and thereafter the static advertisements are replaced.

23. A video on demand server comprising:

a video pump; and

ad management system interface to disable fast forwarding during commercials and allow fast forwarding during play of content.

24. The server of claim 23, said server to selectively prevent fast forwarding during time periods allocated to commercials.

25. The server of claim 23, said server to selectively enable and disable at least one of fast forwarding, pause, and rewind during the play of commercials.

26. The server of claim 23, said server to always enable fast forwarding during the play of content other than commercials.

27. The server of claim 23, said server to insert commercials at predefined times within video on demand content.

28. The server of claim 23, said server to receive information in advance of playback of content about whether fast forwarding will be permitted during the play of commercials.

29. A non-transitory computer readable medium storing instructions to enable a computer to:

receive a user criteria for advertising placement; and

based on said criteria, automatically insert advertisements in predetermined content break points.

30. The medium of claim 29, said medium storing instructions to receive user criteria through a graphical user interface.

31. The medium of claim 29, said medium storing instructions to enable a user to specify criteria for advertising insertion for any entertainment asset.

32. The medium of claim 31, said medium storing instructions to enable a user to specify the nature of advertising insertion for a particular entertainment asset.

33. The medium of claim 29, said medium storing instructions to enable the user to specify conditions that determine which advertisement is played.

34. The medium of claim 33, said medium storing instructions to enable the user to specify time conditions that control which advertisements are played at particular times.

35. The medium of claim 29, said medium storing instructions to enable the user to insert certain advertisements for a given time after original broadcast and then thereafter to insert additional replacement advertisements.

36. The medium of claim 29, said medium storing instructions to receive a specification of said break points with content.

37. The medium of claim 36, said medium storing instructions to specify break points using times within content.

38. A non-transitory computer readable medium storing instructions to enable a computer to:

receive information about where to place advertisements in content generally; and

automatically determine where to insert advertisements in specific content based on said information.

39. The medium of claim 38, said medium storing instructions to receive indications of whether to place an advertisement in at least one of the pre-roll, mid-roll, or post-roll.

40. The medium of claim 39, said medium storing instructions to receive indications about conditions for advertisement insertion.

41. The medium of claim 40, said medium storing instructions to receive a time condition for advertising insertion.

42. The medium of claim 41, said medium storing instructions to receive a time condition such that static advertisements are maintained for a period after original broadcast and thereafter the static advertisements are replaced.