Advertising using a combination of video and banner advertisements

• US 7,117,439 B2
• Filed: 10/19/2001
• Issued: 10/03/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 10/19/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Barrett, Peter T., Danker, Daniel
• Primary Examiner(s): Hailu, Tadesse
• Assistant Examiner(s): BASOM, BLAINE T
• Application Number:
  US10/000,150
• Publication Number:
  US 20030076347A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,810 Days
• Field of Search: 345/719, 345/745, 345/738, 345/716, 345/760, 345/774, 705/14, 725/41, 725/42, 725/34, 725/35, 725/86, 725/87, 725/101, 709/231, 715/513, 715/720
• US Class Current: 715/719
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/26266 for determining content or additional data repetition rate, e.g. of a file in a DVB carousel according to its importance arrangements for broadcast or for distribution of identical information repeatedly in broadcast distribution systems H04H20/16
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42204 User interfaces specially adapted for controlling a client device through a remote control device; Remote control devices therefor constructive details of casings for the remote control device H01H9/0235; user interfaces for controlling a tuning device of a television receiver through a remote control H03J9/00; remote control of peripheral devices connected to a television receiver through the remote control device of the television receiver H04B1/205
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/426 Internal components of the client ; Characteristics thereof H04N5/44 takes precedence
• 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 21/47 End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/478 Supplemental services, e.g. displaying phone caller identification, shopping application
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4821 using a grid, e.g. sorted out by channel and broadcast time
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/163 by receiver means only

Abstract

In a system that includes a processor and a display device on which video programming can be displayed, a method for transitioning to a video advertisement by displaying a related banner advertisement. The method includes generating, on the display device, a display screen on which a video advertisement is to be displayed, the display screen being generated at a time before a time at which the video advertisement is available to be displayed. A banner advertisement is displayed on the display screen at a region that coincides with a region where the video advertisement is to be displayed. The banner advertisement can have a subject matter that is related to that of the video advertisement or alternatively have any subject matter. When the video advertisement becomes available to be displayed, the method can include replacing the banner advertisement with the video advertisement.

Claims

1. In a broadcast system that includes a program provider that distributes broadcasts to one or more terminal processing devices, wherein the terminal processing devices comprise a processor and a display device on which video programming from a video provider can be displayed, a method for transitioning to a video advertisement by displaying a related banner advertisement at a terminal processing device, the method comprising the acts of:

receiving at the terminal processing device one or more video streams containing a plurality of real-time video advertisements from a video provider which begin at a plurality of distinct times;

generating, at the terminal processing device on the display device, a display screen having an advertisement region in which one or more real-time video advertisements are to be displayed;

determining at the terminal processing device that only a tail end of a current real-time video advertisement contained within the one or more video streams is available, in that a begin time for the current real-time video advertisement has passed;

determining at the terminal processing device that a next real-time video advertisement is not yet available for display based on enhanced content received from the video provider, in that a begin time for the next real-time video advertisement has not yet been reached;

identifying at the terminal processing device a banner advertisement having subject matter that is related to that of at least one of the real-time video advertisements;

while waiting for the begin time of the next real-time video advertisement, displaying at the terminal processing device the banner advertisement within the advertisement region;

determining at the terminal processing device that the next real-time video advertisement is available for display, in that the begin time for the next real-time video advertisement has been reached; and

at the begin time of the next real-time video advertisement, replacing at the terminal processing device the banner advertisement with the next real-time video advertisement.

2. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the display screen comprises an electronic program guide.

3. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the display screen comprises a background region.

4. A method as recited in claim 3, wherein at least one of (i) another banner advertisement and (ii) the banner advertisement is displayed in the background region.

5. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the banner advertisement is selected from a plurality of banner advertisements, at least two of the plurality of banner advertisements deliverable to the processor upon different delivery streams.

6. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the banner advertisement is stored locally to the processor.

7. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the next real-time video advertisement is selected from the plurality of real-time video advertisements, at least two of the plurality of real-time video advertisements deliverable to the processor upon different delivery streams.

8. A method as recited in claim 7, wherein the processor selects the next real-time video advertisement, the processor selecting the next real-time video advertisement based upon at least one of(i) demographic information related to the viewer of the display screen and (ii) prior viewing activities of the viewer of the display screen.

9. A method as recited in claim 1, further comprising the act of:

receiving at the terminal processing device at least one video stream comprising the plurality of real-time video advertisements, each of the plurality of real-time video advertisements comprising at least one trigger; and

analyzing at the terminal processing device the at least one trigger to identify the begin time when the next real-time video advertisement is to be displayed and the subject matter of the video advertisement.

10. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the displaying act comprises:

identifying the next real-time video advertisement to be displayed;

identifying the subject matter of the next real-time video advertisement; and

selecting the banner advertisement having subject matter that is related to the subject matter of the next real-time video advertisement from a plurality of banner advertisements; and

displaying the banner advertisement on the display screen.

11. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein replacing at the terminal processing device the banner advertisement with the next real-time video advertisement comprises replacing the banner advertisement with stored video, which was stored after being received from the video provider.

12. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein replacing at the terminal processing device the banner advertisement with the next real-dine video advertisement comprises replacing the banner advertisement with a video advertisement as it is delivered via one or more data streams.

13. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the terminal processing device is a set-top box.