TIME SHIFTING OF ADVERTISEMENTS IN DIGITAL CONTENT DELIVERY SERVICES

• US 20160080809A1
• Filed: 11/24/2015
• Published: 03/17/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 08/15/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: OpenTV, Inc. (Kudelski SA)
• Original Assignee: OpenTV, Inc. (Kudelski SA)
• Inventors: Teixeira, John Michael, Fishwick, Nicholas
• Granted Patent: US 10,104,430 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25435 involving characteristics of content or additional data, e.g. video resolution or the amount of advertising
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/262 Content or additional data distribution scheduling, e.g. sending additional data at off-peak times, updating software modules, calculating the carousel transmission frequency, delaying a video stream transmission, generating play-lists scheduling strategies for dispatcher in multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/4881; arrangements for scheduling broadcast services or broadcast-related services H04H60/06; flow control in packet networks H04L47/10; establishing a time schedule or organising the servicing of application requests H04L67/62
• 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 21/47217 for controlling playback functions for recorded or on-demand content, e.g. using progress bars, mode or play-point indicators or bookmarks specific graphical features in visual interfaces H04N21/4312
• 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 21/8456 by decomposing the content in the time domain, e.g. in time segments

Abstract

Advertisements included in a stored digital video program are identified and indexed. A user can time shift the advertisements to play out at a different time position in the program or not play the advertisement at all. A user may incur an advertisement debt for skipping or fast forwarding an advertisement. The advertisement debt can be offset by viewing ads, trading the debt with other users or by paying for the debt in another form.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method of allowing a user to control playback of an advertisement, said method comprising:

inputting, at a processor, a playback option for time-shifting the playback of the advertisement from a first playback time, corresponding to a time in which the advertisement is to be played during playback of a program, to a second playback time;

determining, at the processor, whether time-shifting of the advertisement is allowable; and

if it is determined that time-shifting of the advertisement is allowable, generating, at the processor, program content comprising the program and the advertisement wherein the advertisement is inserted into the content at the second playback time.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining step comprises determining whether the user has an amount of credit available to control playback of the advertisement.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising increasing the credit available to the user when the advertisement is played back to the user.

4. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

allowing the user to skip playing the advertisement during playback of the generated program content when it is determined that skipping of the advertisement is allowable; and

decreasing the credit available to the user due to skipping the advertisement.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising displaying to the user visual controls for time-shifting the advertisement.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the generating step comprises:

receiving, at the processor, the program; and

generating, at the processor, a segment table for the program, wherein the segment table includes an index to the advertisement.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the advertisement is shifted such that it is at the beginning of the program content.

8. A content playback apparatus comprising:

a processor programmed to manage playback of advertisements by;

inputting a playback option for time-shifting the playback of the advertisements from an original playback time, corresponding to times in which the advertisements are to be played during playback of a program, to a second playback time;

determining whether time-shifting of the advertisements is allowable; and

if it is determined that time-shifting of the advertisements is allowable, generating program content comprising the program and the advertisements wherein the advertisements are inserted into the content at the second playback time.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the processor determines whether time-shifting of the advertisements is allowable by determining whether the user has an amount of credit available to control playback of the advertisements.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the processor is further adapted to increase the credit available to the user when the advertisements are played back to the user.

11. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the processor is further adapted to:

allow the user to skip playing the advertisements during playback of the generated program content when it is determined that skipping of the advertisements is allowable; and

decrease the credit available to the user due to skipping the advertisements.

12. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the processor is further adapted to display to the user visual controls for time-shifting the advertisements.

13. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the processor generates the program content by:

receiving the program; and

generating a segment table for the program, wherein the segment table includes indices to the advertisements.

14. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the advertisements are shifted to the beginning of the program content.

15. A content playback apparatus comprising:

a processor programmed to manage playback of stored content comprising static content and a time-shiftable content by;

inputting a playback option for time-shifting the playback of the shiftable content from a first playback time to a second playback time that is different from the first playback time;

determining whether time-shifting of the shiftable content is allowable; and

if it is determined that time-shifting of the shiftable content is allowable, generating program content comprising the static content and the shiftable content with the shiftable content inserted into the content at the second playback time.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the processor determines whether time-shifting of the shiftable content is allowable by determining whether a user associated with the apparatus has an amount of credit points available to control playback of the advertisement.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the processor is further adapted to increase the credit points available to the user when the shiftable content is played back to the user.

18. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the processor is further adapted to:

allow the user to skip playing the shiftable content during playback of the generated program content when it is determined that skipping of the shiftable content is allowable; and

decrease the credit points available to the user due to skipping the shiftable content.

19. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the processor is further adapted to display to the user visual controls for time-shifting the shiftable content.

20. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the shiftable content is shifted to the beginning of the program content.