Method and Apparatus for Selection of Advertisements to Fill a Commercial Break of an Unknown Duration

• US 20140068662A1
• Filed: 08/29/2013
• Published: 03/06/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/03/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Synamedia Limited
• Original Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Kumar, Hemant
• Granted Patent: US 9,883,211 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/34
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0241 Advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0251 Targeted advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/37 for identifying segments of broadcast information, e.g. scenes or extracting programme ID
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23424 involving splicing one content stream with another content stream, e.g. for inserting or substituting an advertisement
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/26233 involving content or additional data duration or size, e.g. length of a movie, size of an executable file
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/26241 involving the time of distribution, e.g. the best time of the day for inserting an advertisement or airing a children program
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/458 Scheduling content for creating a personalised stream, e.g. by combining a locally stored advertisement with an incoming stream; Updating operations, e.g. for OS modules ; time-related management operations arrangements for replacing or switching information during the broadcast or during the distribution H04H20/10
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02

Abstract

In one embodiment, a method includes: receiving a user input requesting an event to be displayed; playing out the requested event; identifying a type of the requested event; estimating a duration of a next commercial break occurring in the requested event according to the type; selecting at least one advertisement having a duration corresponding to the estimated duration of the next commercial break; and playing out the at least one advertisement. Related systems, apparatus and methods are also described.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving a user input requesting an event to be displayed;

playing out said requested event;

identifying a type of said requested event;

estimating a duration of a next commercial break occurring in said requested event according to said type;

selecting at least one advertisement having a duration corresponding to said estimated duration of said next commercial break; and

playing out said at least one advertisement.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said identifying a type of said requested event comprises using one or more of:

genre information;

subgenre information; and

metadata information of said requested event to identify said type of said requested event.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said estimating further comprises:

retrieving a set of parameters for each past event of a plurality of past events;

categorizing past events according to said set of parameters, wherein past events having similar sets of parameters are grouped into a same category;

generating, for each category, a plurality of estimates that specifically characterize commercial break durations of said past events grouped into a same category;

identifying a category relevant to said identified type of said requested event; and

selecting an estimate from said plurality of estimates related to said identified relevant category.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein said retrieving a set of parameters comprises:

retrieving commercial break durations for each of said past events;

retrieving a total duration for each of said past events; and

retrieving an importance of an audio video content item for each of said past events.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein said categorizing comprises grouping past events having same sets of parameters into a same category.

6. The method of claim 3, wherein said identifying a category comprises using one or more of:

genre information;

subgenre information; and

metadata information of each of said past events grouped in a same category to identify said type of said category.

7. The method of claim 3, wherein said generating comprises generating, for each category, an estimate that best models commercial break durations of said past events grouped into said same category.

8. The method of claim 3, wherein said generating comprises using said sets of parameters of said past events grouped into a same category to generate said plurality of estimates.

9. The method of claim 3, wherein said identifying a category comprises comparing said type of said requested event to said types of said categories to identify a category relevant to said requested event.

10. The method of claim 3, said method further comprising:

estimating a duration of a next commercial break using said selected estimate.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein said estimating further comprises reducing said selected estimate by a configurable guard time.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein said selecting at least one advertisement comprises:

determining durations of a plurality of advertisements available to be played out;

generating a plurality of advertisement lists using said determined durations of said available advertisements, wherein each of said advertisement lists comprises at least one advertisement; and

wherein each of said advertisement lists has a duration corresponding to said estimated duration of said next commercial break; and

selecting an advertisement list to be played out.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein said determining further comprises:

grouping advertisements having a similar determined duration into a same group, thereby forming a plurality of advertisement duration lists; and

sorting each advertisement duration list of said plurality of advertisement duration lists.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein said grouping advertisements comprises grouping advertisements having a same determined duration into a same group, thereby forming a plurality of advertisement duration lists.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein said sorting comprises placing advertisements generating most revenue to a service provider and/or a platform operator at the beginning of an advertisement duration list.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein said sorting comprises placing advertisements most relevant to said requested event at the beginning of an advertisement duration list.

17. The method of claim 13, wherein said sorting comprises placing advertisements most relevant to user preferences at the beginning of an advertisement duration list.

18. The method of claim 12, wherein said selecting comprises selecting an advertisement duration list having a duration that is less than said estimated duration for said next commercial break.

19. The method of claim 12, wherein said selecting comprises selecting an advertisement duration list having a duration that is more than said estimated duration for said next commercial break.

20. The method of claim 3, said method further comprising:

receiving an expiration time of said commercial break;

determining an end time for said estimated duration of said commercial break; and

resuming said requested event at said expiration time when said expiration time corresponds to said end time.

21. The method of claim 3, said method further comprising:

receiving an expiration time of said commercial break;

determining an end time for said estimated duration of said commercial break; and

resuming said requested event at said end time when said expiration time is earlier than said end time.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein said resuming said requested event at said determined end time further comprises:

allowing an advertisement being played out after said expiration time to be played out in its entirety;

storing a portion of said requested event in a storage device, wherein said storing starts at said expiration time;

determining if said stored portion is important; and

resuming said requested event at said determined end time by playing out said requested event if it is determined that said stored portion is not important;

or by playing back said stored portion of said requested event if it is determined that said stored portion is important.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein said resuming said requested event at said determined end time by playing back said stored portion comprises playing back said stored portion of said requested event at a faster than real time speed.

24. The method of claim 22, said method further comprising:

reducing an estimated duration of a further commercial break by an amount of time between said expiration time and said determined end time.

25. The method of claim 20, wherein said resuming is made at said received expiration time when said expiration time is later than said determined end time.

26. The method of claim 25, said method further comprising:

estimating a remaining duration of said commercial break occurring in said requested event according to said type;

selecting at least one further advertisement having a duration corresponding to said estimated remaining duration of said commercial break; and

playing out said at least one further advertisement.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein said estimating a remaining duration comprises selecting one further estimate from said plurality of estimates.

28. The method of claim 26, wherein said selecting at least one further advertisement comprises selecting one further advertisement list to be played out.

29. A client device comprising:

a receiver operable to receive a user input requesting an event to be displayed;

a decoder operable to play out said requested event;

an advertisement system operable to;

identify a type of said requested event;

estimate a duration of a next commercial break occurring in said requested event according to said type; and

select at least one advertisement having a duration corresponding to said estimated duration of said next commercial break; and

wherein said decoder is further operable to play out said at least one advertisement.

30. A client device comprising:

means for receiving a user input requesting an event to be displayed;

means for playing out said requested event;

means for identifying a type of said requested event;

means for estimating a duration of a next commercial break occurring in said requested event according to said type;

means for selecting at least one advertisement having a duration corresponding to said estimated duration of said next commercial break; and

wherein said means for playing out is further for playing out said at least one advertisement.

31. One or more computer readable tangible storage media encoded with software comprising computer executable instructions and when software is executed operable to:

receive a user input requesting an event to be displayed;

play out said requested event;

identify a type of said requested event;

estimate a duration of a next commercial break occurring in said requested event according to said type;

select at least one advertisement having a duration corresponding to said estimated duration of said next commercial break; and

play out said at least one advertisement.