Systems and methods for advertising television networks, channels, and programs

• US 6,742,183 B1
• Filed: 12/16/1998
• Issued: 05/25/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 05/15/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: UV Corporation (Adeia Inc.)
• Original Assignee: United Video Properties Incorporated (Adeia Inc.)
• Inventors: Reynolds, Steven J., Knee, Robert A., Ellis, Michael D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Srivastava, Vivek
• Application Number:
  US09/217,100
• Time in Patent Office: 1,987 Days
• Field of Search: 725/34-36, 725/27-28, 725/42, 725/32
• US Class Current: 725/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44222 Analytics of user selections, e.g. selection of programs or purchase activity monitoring of user selections in data processing systems G06F11/34; arrangements for monitoring the user's behaviour or opinions in broadcast systems H04H60/33
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47 End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/478 Supplemental services, e.g. displaying phone caller identification, shopping application
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02

Abstract

The present invention allows control of the presentation of advertisements that are associated with television networks, channels, and programs, and enables a single broadcasting of each advertisement associated with a network to be made to numerous television systems in parallel. The presentation of advertisements that are associated with television networks, channels, and programs is controlled in the present invention by determining at television viewer equipment whether the television networks, channels, or programs with which the advertisements are associated are unavailable to the television viewer or are undesirable to the television viewer. Once this determination has been made, the television viewer equipment then presents the advertisements, or selects and presents suitable alternative advertisements.

Claims

1. A system for controlling the presentation of an advertisement to a television viewer, comprising:

an advertising database that stores said advertisement; and

a processor that is a portion of one of a piece of television viewer equipment, a television set-top box, and a network node, and that receives from said advertising database said advertisement, that receives advertisement control information associated with said advertisements, wherein;

said advertisement, control information schedules said advertisements for display by said television viewer equipment;

at least some of said advertisements are programming-related advertisements for a network, channel or programming on a network or channel;

said processor determines whether or not said advertisements that are received from said advertising database are for a network, channel, or programming on a network or channel that is received by said television viewer equipment; and

for each advertisement that said processor determines is for a network, channel, or programming on a network or channel that is not received by said television viewer equipment, said processor prevents the display of said each advertisements on said television viewer equipment and selects a substitute advertisement to be displayed on said television viewer equipment instead of said each advertisement.

2. The system defined in claim 1 further comprising a program guide database that stores program guide information, wherein said processor receives from said program guide database said program guide information and uses said program guide information in preventing the display of said each advertisement on said television viewer equipment.

3. The system defined in claim 1 further comprising a channel map database that stores channel map information, wherein said processor receives from said channel map database said channel map information and uses said channel map information in preventing the display of said each advertisements on said television viewer equipment.

4. The system defined in claim 1 further comprising a substitute advertisement that is received from said advertising database, wherein said processor selects said substitute advertisement to be presented to said television viewer unless it is not possible for the television viewer to view the channel, network, or programming on the channel or network which the advertisements are for.

5. The system defined in claim 1 wherein said processor prevents the display of said each advertisements on said television viewer equipment if the channel, network, or programming is unavailable to said television viewer equipment.

6. The system defined in claim 1 wherein said processor prevents the display of said each advertisements on said television viewer equipment if the channel, network, or programming is undesired by said television viewer.

7. The system defined in claim 1 wherein said processor prevents the display of said each advertisements on said television viewer equipment when the network, channel, or programming should have corresponding program guide information and does not have said corresponding program guide information.

8. The system defined in claim 1 wherein said advertising database is part of a television distribution facility.

9. The system defined in claim 1 wherein said advertising database is part of a main facility.

10. A method for controlling the presentation of advertisements to a television viewer, comprising:

storing said advertisements in an advertising database; and

in a processor that is a portion of one of a piece of television viewer equipment, a television set-top box, and a network node;

receiving said advertisements from said advertising database;

receiving said advertisement control information associated with said advertisements, wherein said advertisement control information schedules said advertisements for display by said television viewer equipment, wherein at least some of said advertisements are programming-related advertisements for a network, channel or programming on a network or channel;

determining with said processor whether or not said advertisements that are received from said advertising database are for a network, channel, or programming on a network or channel that is received by said television viewer equipment; and

for each advertisement that said processor determines is for a network, channel, or programming on a network or channel that is not received by said television viewer equipment, preventing the display of said advertisements on said television viewer equipment and selecting a substitute advertisement to be displayed on said television viewer equipment instead of said each advertisement.

11. The method defined in claim 10 further comprising storing in a program guide database program guide information, and, in said processor, receiving from said program guide database said program guide information and using said program guide information in preventing the display of said each advertisements on said television viewer equipment.

12. The method defined in claim 10 further comprising storing in a channel map database channel map information, and, in said processor, receiving from said channel map database said channel map information and using said channel map information in preventing the display of said each advertisements on said television viewer equipment.

13. The method defined in claim 10 further comprising selecting, in said processor, a substitute advertisement to be presented to said television viewer unless it is not possible for the television viewer to view the channel, network, or programming on the channel or network which the advertisements are for.

14. The method defined in claim 10 wherein said processor prevents the display of said each advertisements on said television viewer equipment if the channel, network, or programming is unavailable to said television viewer equipment.

15. The method defined in claim 10 wherein said processor prevents the display of said each advertisements on said television viewer equipment if the channel, network, or programming is undesired by said television viewer.

16. The method defined in claim 10 wherein said processor prevents the display of said each advertisements to said television viewer equipment when the network, channel, or programming should have corresponding program guide information and does not have said corresponding program guide information.

17. The method defined in claim 10 further comprising implementing said advertising database as a part of a television distribution facility.

18. The method defined in claim 10 further comprising implementing said advertising database as a part of a main data storage and control facility.

19. A system for presenting to a television viewer advertisements that is associated with a television network having a network identifier, said system comprising:

an advertising database that stores said advertisements; and

a processor that receives from said advertising database said advertisements, and that receives advertisement control information that is associated with said advertisements, wherein;

said advertisement control information schedules said advertisements for display by said television viewer equipment and that contains said network identifier;

said processor uses said network identifier to determine whether any affiliate of said network is received by said television viewer equipment; and

for each advertisement that said processor determines is for said affiliate that is not received by said television viewer equipment, said processor prevents the display of said each advertisements on said television viewer equipment and selects a substitute advertisement to be displayed on said viewer television equipment instead of said each advertisement.

20. The system of claim 19 wherein said processor further implements a program guide application that prevents the display of said each advertisements on said television viewer equipment when said affiliate is determined not received by the television viewer equipment.

21. A method for presenting to a television viewer advertisements that is associated with a television network having a network identifier, said method comprising:

storing in an advertising database said advertisements; and

receiving from said advertising database said advertisements with a processor;

receiving advertisement control information that is associated with said advertisements and that contains said network identifier with said processor;

using said network identifier to determine with said processor whether any affiliate of said network is received by said television viewer equipment; and

for each advertisement that said processor determines is for said affiliate that is not received by said television viewer equipment, preventing the display of said advertisements on said television viewer equipment and selecting a substitute advertisement to be displayed on said viewer television equipment instead of said each advertisement.

22. The method of claim 21 further comprising implementing in said processor a program guide application that prevents the display of said each advertisements on said television viewer equipment when said affiliate is determined not received by said television viewer equipment.