System and method for inserting advertising content in broadcast programming

• US 6,978,470 B2
• Filed: 12/26/2001
• Issued: 12/20/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 12/26/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Alphonso, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Bellsouth Intellectual Property Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Gray, James H., Watson, Paul T., Swix, Scott R.
• Primary Examiner(s): BUI, KIEU OANH T
• Application Number:
  US10/034,654
• Publication Number:
  US 20030121037A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,455 Days
• Field of Search: 725/32, 725/34, 725/35, 725/46, 725/68, 725/70, 725/85, 709217-219, 705/3, 705/10, 705/14, 705/51
• US Class Current: 725/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/10 Arrangements for replacing or switching information during the broadcast or the distribution
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/106 Receiver-side switching
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/33 Arrangements for monitoring the users' behaviour or opinions
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/45 for identifying users
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/76 Arrangements characterised by transmission systems other than for broadcast, e.g. the Internet for broadcast H04H20/65
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25883 being end-user demographical data, e.g. age, family status or address arrangements for identifying locations of users in broadcast systems H04H60/52
• 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 21/4331 Caching operations, e.g. of an advertisement for later insertion during playback
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44016 involving splicing one content stream with another content stream, e.g. for substituting a video clip
• 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 21/4532 involving end-user characteristics, e.g. viewer profile, preferences monitoring of user activities for profile generation for accessing a video database G06F16/739; 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 21/454 Content or additional data filtering, e.g. blocking advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4622 Retrieving content or additional data from different sources, e.g. from a broadcast channel and the Internet web site content organization and management for information retrieval from the Internet G06F16/958; transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82; stock exchange data over packet-switching network H04L12/1804; push services including data channel over packet-switching network H04L12/1859
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4667 Processing of monitored end-user data, e.g. trend analysis based on the log file of viewer selections
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4758 for providing answers, e.g. voting
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6582 Data stored in the client, e.g. viewing habits, hardware capabilities, credit card number arrangements where receivers interact with the broadcast H04H20/38
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/163 by receiver means only
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/165 Centralised control of user terminal subsequent to an upstream request signal H04N7/17345; Registering at central by two-way working H04N7/17309

Abstract

A system for inserting viewer-specific advertising content comprises a viewer device. The viewer device identifies viewer characteristics regarding the viewer. Upon receipt of advertising content, the viewer device identifies advertisements matching the viewer characteristics. The viewer device inserts the advertisements matching the viewer characteristics into broadcast content.

Claims

1. A method for inserting advertising content in broadcast programming, comprising the steps of:

gathering at a viewer device data identifying characteristics of a viewer that is confined to the viewer device;

receiving at the viewer device advertising content;

identifying at the viewer device advertising content corresponding to the confined characteristics of the viewer;

receiving at the viewer device broadcast content;

inserting at the viewer device into the broadcast content the advertising content corresponding to the confined characteristics of the viewer;

displaying at the viewer device the broadcast content with the advertising content matching the confined characteristics of the viewer inserted therein; and

gathering at the viewer device data identifying whether the advertising content matching the confined characteristics of the viewer has been displayed by the viewer device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said step of gathering at a viewer device data identifying characteristics of a viewer comprises gathering data regarding at least one of the following:

age;

address;

marital status;

income;

interests;

hobbies;

purchasing habits;

location; and

television viewing habits.

3. A method as in claim 1, wherein the step of gathering at a viewer device data identifying characteristics of a viewer comprises the steps of:

identifying a plurality of categories into which broadcast programming may be grouped; and

recording the frequency and duration with which the viewer is tuned to broadcast programming in each of said plurality of categories.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of identifying at the viewer device advertising content corresponding to the characteristics of the viewer comprises matching data identifying the target audience for advertising content to the characteristics of the viewer.

5. A method as in claim 1, wherein said step of receiving at the viewer device broadcast content comprises receiving broadcast content from one of a direct to home satellite distribution network and a cable television network.

6. A method as in claim 1, wherein said step of receiving at the viewer device advertising content comprises receiving at the viewer device advertising content from a digital subscriber line (DSL) broadband network.

7. A method as in claim 1, further comprising the step of storing at the viewer device advertising content for insertion into broadcast content at a later time.

8. A method as in claim 1, wherein said step of receiving at the viewer device advertising content is performed simultaneously with said step of inserting at the viewer device into the broadcast content advertising content corresponding to the confined characteristics of a viewer.

9. A method as in claim 1, further comprising detecting at the viewer device cue tones in the broadcast content identifying locations where advertising content may be inserted.

10. A computer readable medium having stored thereon computer executable instructions for performing the method as recited in claim 1.