USER CONTROL OF AD SELECTION FOR SUBSEQUENT AD BREAK OF A STREAMING VIDEO

• US 20140115631A1
• Filed: 10/23/2012
• Published: 04/24/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 10/23/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hulu LLC (The Walt Disney Company)
• Original Assignee: Hulu LLC (The Walt Disney Company)
• Inventors: Mak, Wing Chit
• Granted Patent: US 9,066,159 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/42
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0257 User requested
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0267 Wireless devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/10 Arrangements for replacing or switching information during the broadcast or the distribution
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/38 Arrangements for distribution where lower stations, e.g. receivers, interact with the broadcast
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/82 using signals not modulated onto a carrier
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/612 for unicast
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/762 at the source reformatting of additional data in video distribution servers H04N21/2355
• 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 21/25891 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 21/26241 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 21/2668 Creating a channel for a dedicated end-user group, e.g. insertion of targeted commercials based on end-user profiles information retrieval from the Internet by querying with filtering and personalisation G06F16/9535; arrangements for replacing or switching information during the broadcast H04H20/10; push services over packet-switching network H04L12/1859; adaptation of message content in packet-switching networks H04L51/063
• 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 21/4331 Caching operations, e.g. of an advertisement for later insertion during playback
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44008 involving operations for analysing video streams, e.g. detecting features or characteristics in the video stream arrangements characterised by components specially adapted for monitoring, identification or recognition of video in broadcast systems H04H60/59
• 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 21/4826 using recommendation lists, e.g. of programs or channels sorted out according to their score
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6543 for forcing some client operations, e.g. recording remote booting in general G06F9/4416
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6587 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 21/8173 : End-user applications, e.g. Web browser, game
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8456 : by decomposing the content in the time domain, e.g. in time segments

Abstract

During or prior to streaming of video content to a client device, a server provides data configuring an interactive object on the client device. When activated by user input, the interactive object enables a user to select one or more video ads to be streamed to the client device during an upcoming ad break, during play of the streaming video. The interactive object enables the user to perform the selection without interrupting viewing of the video.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

sending video content having a defined video ad break at a designated location from a computer server, wherein the defined video ad break is configured for a first non-zero number of video ads;

providing an identifier for each video ad included in a second number of video ads to a client device that is receiving the video content, prior to the defined video ad break, wherein the second number is greater than the first number, and wherein information for the second number of video ads is concurrently displayed at the client device during playing of the video content;

receiving, during the sending and prior to the defined video ad break, an indication of at least one selected video ad selected based on the information for the second number of video ads in response to a user input; and

sending the at least one selected video ad to the client device during the defined video ad break.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising configuring an interactive object for operating on the client device during the sending video to display the information for the second number of video ads and process the indication based on the user input.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising serving the interactive object to the client device during the sending.

4. The method of claim 2, further comprising serving the interactive object to the client device prior to the sending, configured to be activated after the sending is initiated.

5. The method of claim 2, further comprising configuring the interactive object to appear as a selectable object near a window in which the video content is being displayed on the client device.

6. The method of claim 2, further comprising configuring the interactive object to appear as a selectable object overlying the video content on the client device.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising selecting, prior to the defined video ad break, the second number of video ads for play in the defined video ad break.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the selecting the second number of video ads further comprises eliminating one or more video ads played during a prior ad break of the video content.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the selecting the second number of video ads further comprises selecting at least a portion of the second number of video ads based on user profile information from the client device.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising storing the indication of at least one selected video ad in a computer memory;

and selecting one or more alternative video ads presented for user selection after the defined ad break and prior to a following ad break, based on the indication.

11. An apparatus, comprising:

at least one computer processor configured for;

sending video content having a defined video ad break at a designated location from a computer server, wherein the defined video ad break is configured for a first non-zero number of video ads;

providing an identifier for each video ad included in a second number of video ads to a client device that is receiving the video content, prior to the defined video ad break, wherein the second number is greater than the first number, and wherein information for the second number of video ads is concurrently displayed at the client device during playing of the video content;

receiving, during the sending and prior to the defined video ad break, an indication of at least one selected video ad selected based on the information for the second number of video ads in response to a user input; and

sending the at least one selected video ad to the client device during the defined video ad break; and

a memory coupled to the at least one computer processor for storing data.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the at least one computer processor is further configured for configuring an interactive object for operating on the client device during the sending video to display the information for the second number of video ads and process the indication based on the user input.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the at least one computer processor is further configured for serving the interactive object to the client device during the sending.

14. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the at least one computer processor is further configured for serving the interactive object to the client device prior to the sending, configured to be activated after the sending is initiated.

15. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the at least one computer processor is further configured for configuring the interactive object to appear as a selectable object near a window in which the video content is being displayed on the client device.

16. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the at least one computer processor is further configured for configuring the interactive object to appear as a selectable object overlying the video content on the client device.

17. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the at least one computer processor is further configured for selecting, prior to the defined video ad break, the second number of video ads for play in the defined video ad break.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the at least one computer processor is further configured for selecting the second number of video ads comprising eliminating one or more video ads played during a prior ad break of the video content.

19. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the at least one computer processor is further configured for selecting the second number of video ads comprising selecting at least a portion of the second number of video ads based on user profile information from the client device.

20. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the at least one computer processor is further configured for storing the indication of at least one selected video ad;

and selecting one or more alternative video ads presented for user selection after the defined ad break and prior to a following ad break, based on the indication.

21. A computer program product, comprising:

a non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising code for;

sending video content having a defined video ad break at a designated location from a computer server, wherein the defined video ad break is configured for a first non-zero number of video ads;

providing an identifier for each video ad included in a second number of video ads to a client device that is receiving the video content, prior to the defined video ad break, wherein the second number is greater than the first number and wherein information for the second number of video ads is concurrently displayed at the client device during playing of the video content;

receiving, during the sending and prior to the defined video ad break, an indication of at least one selected video ad selected based on the information for the second number of video ads in response to a user input; and

sending the at least one selected video ad to the client device during the defined video ad break.

22. A method, comprising:

receiving, at a client device, video content sent from a computer server, the video content including a video ad break configured to initiate at a future point of the video content;

enabling, concurrently during play of the video content, display of multiple alternative video ads;

enabling, during play of the video content, user selection of at least one selected video ad from the multiple alternative video ads in response to a user input;

transmitting an identifier for the at least one selected video ad prior to initiation of the video ad break;

receiving the at least one selected video ad; and

playing the at least one selected video ad on the client device during the defined video ad break.

23. The method of claim 22, further comprising displaying an interactive object on the client device while playing the video content and prior to the video ad break, the interactive object configured for displaying the multiple alternative ads and processing of the user input.

24. The method of claim 23, further comprising receiving the interactive object from the server while receiving the video content.

25. The method of claim 23, further comprising receiving the interactive object from the server prior to receiving the video content, wherein the interactive object is configured to be activated after play of the video content is initiated on the client device.

26. The method of claim 23, further comprising displaying the interactive object configured as a selectable object near a window in which the video content is being displayed on the client device.

27. The method of claim 23, further comprising displaying the interactive object configured as a selectable object overlying the video content on the client device.

28. An apparatus, comprising:

at least one computer processor configured for;

receiving video content sent from a computer server, the video content including a video ad break configured to initiate at a future point of the video content;

enabling, concurrently during play of the video content, display of multiple alternative video ads;

enabling, during play of the video content, user selection of at least one selected video ad from the multiple alternative video ads in response to a user input;

transmitting an identifier for the at least one selected video ad prior to initiation of the video ad break;

receiving the at least one selected video ad;

playing the at least one selected video ad during the defined video ad break; and

a memory coupled to the at least one computer processor for storing data.

29. The apparatus of claim 28, wherein the at least one computer processor is further configured for displaying an interactive object on the client device while playing the video content and prior to the video ad break, the interactive object configured for displaying the multiple alternative ads and processing of the user input.

30. The apparatus of claim 29, wherein the at least one computer processor is further configured for receiving the interactive object from the server while receiving the video content.

31. The apparatus of claim 29, wherein the at least one computer processor is further configured for receiving the interactive object from the server prior to receiving the video content, wherein the interactive object is configured to be activated after play of the video content is initiated on the client device.

32. The apparatus of claim 29, wherein the at least one computer processor is further configured for displaying the interactive object configured as a selectable object near a window in which the video content is being displayed on the client device.

33. The apparatus of claim 29, wherein the at least one computer processor is further configured for displaying the interactive object configured as a selectable object overlying the video content on the client device.

34. A computer program product, comprising:

a non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising code for;

receiving video content sent from a computer server, the video content including a video ad break configured to initiate at a future point of the video content;

enabling, concurrently during play of the video content, display of multiple alternative video ads;

receiving video content streamed from a computer server, the video content including a video ad break configured to initiate at a future frame of the video content;

enabling, during play of the video content, user selection of at least one selected video ad from the multiple alternative video ads in response to a user input;

transmitting an identifier for the at least one selected video ad prior to initiation of the video ad break;

receiving the at least one selected video ad; and

playing the at least one selected video ad during the defined video ad break.