MULTI-PROTOCOL INTERACTIVE MOBILE VIDEO ADVERTISING

• US 20150120470A1
• Filed: 10/23/2014
• Published: 04/30/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 10/24/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Yahoo AD Tech LLC
• Original Assignee: Yahoo! Inc. (Apollo Global Management, Inc.)
• Inventors: Roever, Amanda, Collins, Richard William, Roosevelt, Daniel Lachman
• Granted Patent: US 10,643,253 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/14.73
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0267 Wireless devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0277 Online advertisement

Abstract

Techniques are provided for playback and event reporting of video advertisements on a user device. Two different event reporting protocols are simultaneously supported to enable application-based playback of video advertisements while collecting event information associated with the video playback. In some configurations, initialization of the event reporting protocols is serialized to avoid conflict conditions during the video playback.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method of presenting video advertisements on a user device, comprising:

receiving an ad creative and a video ad defined by the ad creative;

playing the video ad by;

initializing a first event tracking protocol for interfacing with an application within which the video ad is being served; and

selectively initializing a second event tracking protocol for interfacing with a video player application used for in-line playing of the video ad.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first event tracking protocol comprises a mobile rich media ad interface definition (MRAID) protocol.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the second event tracking protocol comprises a video player ad serving interface definition (VPAID) protocol.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the operation of selectively initializing the second event tracking protocol comprises initializing a subset of all functions of the second event tracking protocol due to the initializing the first event tracking protocol.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

controlling the initialization operation of the first event tracking protocol and the initialization operation of the second event tracking protocol such that the initialization operation of the second event tracking protocol is completed prior to completing the initialization operation of the first event tracking protocol.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the initializing the first event tracking protocol comprises:

checking a status of completion of initialization of a function call from the second event tracking protocol; and

refraining from indicating that the first event tracking protocol is initialized until the status indicates that initialization of the function call is complete.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

checking whether the ad creative includes a function call to the second event tracking protocol;

initializing the second event tracking protocol when the ad creative includes the function call; and

playing the video ad without initializing the second event tracking video when the ad creative does not include the function call.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

checking whether the ad creative includes a function call to the second event tracking protocol;

initializing the second event tracking protocol when the ad creative includes the function call; and

refraining from playing the video ad when the ad creative does not include the function call.

9. An apparatus for playing out a video advertisements, comprising:

a first control module that controls initialization and operation of a first application programmer'"'"'s interface (API) for generating video advertisement playback information when the video advertisement is played out in an application;

a second control module that controls initialization and operation of a second application programmer'"'"'s interface (API) for generating video advertisement playback information when the video advertisement is played out in-line with a video player; and

a container module that processes an ad creative accompanying the video advertisement.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the first event tracking protocol comprises a mobile rich media ad interface definition (MRAID) protocol.

11. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the second event tracking protocol comprises a video player ad serving interface definition (VPAID) protocol.

12. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the operation of selectively initializing the second event tracking protocol comprises initializing a subset of all functions of the second event tracking protocol due to the initializing the first event tracking protocol.

13. The apparatus of claim 9, further comprising:

a module that controls the initialization operation of the first event tracking protocol and the initialization operation of the second event tracking protocol such that the initialization operation of the second event tracking protocol is completed prior to completing the initialization operation of the first event tracking protocol.

14. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the module that initializes the first event tracking protocol comprises:

a module for checking a status of completion of initialization of a function call from the second event tracking protocol; and

a module for refraining from indicating that the first event tracking protocol is initialized until the status indicates that initialization of the function call is complete.

15. The apparatus of claim 9, further comprising:

a module for checking whether the ad creative includes a function call to the second event tracking protocol;

a module for initializing the second event tracking protocol when the ad creative includes the function call; and

a module for playing the video ad without initializing the second event tracking video when the ad creative does not include the function call.

16. The apparatus of claim 9, further comprising:

a module for checking whether the ad creative includes a function call to the second event tracking protocol;

a module for initializing the second event tracking protocol when the ad creative includes the function call; and

a module for refraining from playing the video ad when the ad creative does not include the function call.

17. A computer program product comprising a computer-readable medium having code stored thereupon, the code comprising computer-executable instructions for performing a method of presenting video advertisements, comprising:

receiving an ad creative and a video ad defined by the ad creative;

playing the video ad by;

initializing a first event tracking protocol for interfacing with an application within which the video ad is being served; and

selectively initializing a second event tracking protocol for interfacing with a video player application used for in-line playing of the video ad.

18. A method of collecting and reporting information about playback of an interactive video advertisement on a mobile device, comprising:

launching a mobile app;

receiving, within a context of the mobile app, an ad creative that includes metadata and commands related to the interactive video advertisement;

receiving content data for the interactive video advertisement;

launching an application programmers interface (API) comprising commands to control and monitor interaction between the interactive video advertisement and the mobile app;

wherein the metadata includes an autostart command that enables starting playback of the interactive video advertisement by the mobile app without user interaction.

19. A method of collecting and reporting information about playback of an interactive video advertisement on a mobile device, comprising:

launching a mobile app in a main webview;

receiving, within a context of the mobile app, an ad creative that includes metadata and commands related to the interactive video advertisement;

receiving content data for the interactive video advertisement;

launching an application programmers interface (API) comprising commands to control and monitor interaction between the interactive video advertisement and the mobile app;

wherein the API includes a first command to open an external webview during playback of the interactive video advertisement in the main webview and wherein the API further includes an isFocused command for monitoring switching between the external webview and the main webview.

20. A method of collecting and reporting information about playback of an interactive video advertisement on a mobile device, comprising:

receiving an ad creative that includes metadata and commands related to the interactive video advertisement;

receiving content data for the interactive video advertisement;

launching an application programmers interface (API) comprising commands to control and monitor playback of the interactive video advertisement; and

notifying, to the ad creative, a skip event by which playback of the interactive video advertisement is skipped or forwarded.