Advertisements in an end-user controlled playback environment

• US 7,340,760 B2
• Filed: 01/14/2001
• Issued: 03/04/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 01/14/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Synamedia Limited
• Original Assignee: NDS Limited (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Kipnis, Shlomo, Shlissel, Moshe, Darshan, Ezra, Epstein, Steve, Wachtfogel, Reuven, Tsuria, Yossi, Krause, Mika, Handelman, Doron, Shen-Orr, Chaim, Michelson, Sam, Katz, Ron, Kranc, Moshe, Richardson, David, Maissel, Jonathan
• Primary Examiner(s): Koenig; Andrew Y.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Chowdhury; Sumaiya A.
• Application Number:
  US09/914,747
• Publication Number:
  US 20020138831A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,606 Days
• Field of Search: 725 34- 36
• US Class Current: 725/34
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23424 involving splicing one content stream with another content stream, e.g. for inserting or substituting an advertisement
• 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 21/2547 Third Party Billing, e.g. billing of advertiser
• 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 21/4181 for conditional access
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4331 Caching operations, e.g. of an advertisement for later insertion during playback
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4333 Processing operations in response to a pause request
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4353 involving decryption of additional data arrangements using cryptography for the use of broadcast information or broadcast-related information H04H60/23
• 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 21/4532 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 21/458 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 21/47815 Electronic shopping payment schemes, payment architectures or payment protocols for electronic shopping systems G06Q20/12
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6543 for forcing some client operations, e.g. recording remote booting in general G06F9/4416
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/84 Generation or processing of descriptive data, e.g. content descriptors systems specially adapted for using meta-information in broadcast systems H04H60/73
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/76 Television signal recording
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17354 in an intermediate station common to a plurality of user terminals

Abstract

This invention discloses a method for displaying advertisements transmitted to a user unit, the method includes receiving, at the user unit, at least one advertisement tagged with a delay tag indicating whether display of the at least one advertisement can be delayed and only if the delay tag allows delaying display of the at least one advertisement, storing the at least one advertisement at the user unit, retrieving the at least one advertisement and displaying the at least one advertisement. A billing system for reporting a commercial broadcast to a multiplicity of users is also disclosed.

Claims

1. A method for displaying advertisements transmitted to a user unit, the method comprising:

receiving, at the user unit, at least one advertisement tagged with a delay tag indicating the following;

whether display of the at least one advertisement can be delayed;

whether a user of the user unit can control display of said at least one advertisement; and

a non-advertising programming (NAP) threshold defining a maximum amount of NAP that may be displayed to the user of the user unit before the at least one advertisement must be displayed to the user of the user unit;

determining, at a first time, at the user unit, a first amount of NAP that has already been displayed to the user of the user unit;

displaying said at least one advertisement without delay if at least one of the following is true;

said delay tag does not allow delaying display of said at least one advertisement; and

said first amount of NAP is greater than or equal to said NAP threshold; and

determining whether said delay tag allows delaying display of said at least one advertisement, and if so performing the following;

a) storing said at least one advertisement at the user unit; and

b) determining, at a second time, later than said first time, at the user unit, a second amount of NAP that has already been displayed to the user of the user unit, and retrieving and displaying said at least one advertisement if said second amount of NAP that has already been displayed to the user of the user unit is greater than or equal to the NAP threshold.

2. The method according to claim 1 and wherein said delay tag also indicates a maximum allowed delay time period for displaying said at least one advertisement, and the method also comprises:

retrieving and displaying said at least one advertisement after said maximum allowed delay time period elapses if said at least one advertisement had not been displayed before said maximum allowed delay time period elapsed.

3. The method according to claim 1 and wherein each of said first amount of NAP and said second amount of NAP is defined by an accumulated time of display of NAP.

4. The method according to claim 1 and wherein said delay tag is assigned a guaranteed delivery attribute that forces the at least one advertisement to be displayed eventually.

5. The method according to claim 4 and wherein said delay tag is assigned the guaranteed delivery attribute in response to a payment for assigning the guaranteed delivery attribute.

6. The method according to claim 1 and wherein the at least one advertisement comprises at least one of the following:

a video clip;

a still image;

audio; and

a combination comprising at least two of the following;

a video clip;

a still image; and

audio.

7. The method according to claim 1 and also comprising:

assigning the delay tag a value which is dependent on a length of the at least one advertisement.

8. The method according to claim 1 and wherein the delay tag indicates that display of the at least one advertisement can be delayed when the at least one advertisement is 30 seconds long.

9. The method according to claim 1 and wherein the delay tag indicates that display of the at least one advertisement cannot be delayed when the at least one advertisement is less than 30 seconds long.

10. The method according to claim 1 and also comprising:

associating the delay tag with a commercial length tag which defines a length of the at least one advertisement.

11. The method according to claim 1 and also comprising enabling the user of the user unit to determine for how long the user wishes to delay display of the at least one advertisement if a user delay option is allowed.

12. The method according to claim 1 and also comprising storing configuration information of the user unit.

13. The method according to claim 12 and wherein the configuration information comprises an indication of whether a user delay option is allowed.

14. The method according to claim 12 and wherein the configuration information comprises an indication of a maximum number of user delays per day.

15. The method according to claim 1 and also comprising storing current user interactivity information.

16. The method according to claim 15 and wherein the current user interactivity information comprises a number of advertisement delays executed in a current day.

17. The method according to claim 15 and wherein the current user interactivity information comprises a number of delays executed upon the at least one advertisement.

18. The method according to claim 1 and wherein the delay tag is associated with the user unit.

19. The method according to claim 1 and wherein the storing comprises storing the at least one advertisement after compression and encryption of the at least one advertisement, and the retrieving and displaying comprise:

retrieving the at least one advertisement;

decrypting the at least one advertisement;

decompressing the at least one advertisement; and

displaying the at least one advertisement.

20. The method according to claim 1 and wherein said control display of said at least one advertisement comprises control delay of display of said at least one advertisement.

21. A user unit for displaying transmitted advertisements, the user unit comprising:

a receiver operative to receive at least one advertisement tagged with a delay tag indicating the following;

whether display of the at least one advertisement can be delayed;

whether a user of the user unit can control display of said at least one advertisement; and

a non-advertising programming (NAP) threshold defining a maximum amount of NAP that may be displayed to the user of the user unit before the at least one advertisement must be displayed to the user of the user unit;

a memory;

a display; and

a controller operatively associated with said receiver, said memory and said display and operative;

to determine, at a first time, at the user unit, a first amount of NAP that has already been displayed to the user of the user unit;

to provide the at least one advertisement without delay to the display for display thereby if at least one of the following is true;

the delay tag does not allow delaying display of the at least one advertisement; and

said first amount of NAP is greater than or equal to said NAP threshold; and

to determine whether said delay tag allows delaying display of said at least one advertisement, and if so to perform the following;

a) to store said at least one advertisement in said memory; and

b) to determine, at a second time, later than said first time, at the user unit, a second amount of NAP that has already been displayed to the user of the user unit, and to retrieve and display said at least one advertisement if said second amount of NAP that has already been displayed to the user of the user unit is greater than or equal to the NAP threshold.

22. The user unit according to claim 21 and wherein the delay tag also indicates a maximum allowed delay time period for displaying the at least one advertisement, and the controller retrieves the at least one advertisement from said memory and provides the at least one advertisement to the display for display thereby after the maximum allowed delay time period elapses if the at least one advertisement had not been displayed before the maximum allowed delay time period elapsed.

23. The user unit according to claim 21 and wherein each of the first amount of NAP and the second amount of NAP is defined by an accumulated time of display of NAP.

24. The user unit according to claim 21 and wherein the delay tag is assigned a guaranteed delivery attribute that forces the at least one advertisement to be displayed eventually.

25. The user unit according to claim 24 and wherein the delay tag is assigned the guaranteed delivery attribute in response to a payment for assigning the guaranteed delivery attribute.

26. The user unit according to claim 21 and wherein the at least one advertisement comprises at least one of the following:

a video clip;

a still image;

audio; and

a combination comprising at least two of the following;

a video clip;

a still image; and

audio.

27. The user unit according to claim 21 and wherein the delay tag is assigned a value which is dependent on a length of the at least one advertisement.

28. The user unit according to claim 21 and wherein the delay tag indicates that display of the at least one advertisement can be delayed when the at least one advertisement is 30 seconds long.

29. The user unit according to claim 21 and wherein the delay tag indicates that display of the at least one advertisement cannot be delayed when the at least one advertisement is less than 30 seconds long.

30. The user unit according to claim 21 and wherein the delay tag is associated with a commercial length tag which defines a length of the at least one advertisement.

31. The user unit according to claim 21 and wherein the controller is also operative to enable the user of the user unit to determine for how long the user wishes to delay display of the at least one advertisement if a user delay option is allowed.

32. The user unit according to claim 21 and wherein the controller is also operative to store configuration information of the user unit in the memory.

33. The user unit according to claim 32 and wherein the configuration information comprises an indication of whether a user delay option is allowed.

34. The user unit according to claim 32 and wherein the configuration information comprises an indication of a maximum number of user delays per day.

35. The user unit according to claim 21 and wherein the controller is also operative to store current user interactivity information in the memory.

36. The user unit according to claim 35 and wherein the current user interactivity information comprises a number of advertisement delays executed in a current day.

37. The user unit according to claim 35 and wherein the current user interactivity information comprises a number of delays executed upon the at least one advertisement.

38. The user unit according to claim 21 and wherein the delay tag is associated with the user unit.

39. The user unit according to claim 21 and also comprising:

a compressor/decompressor; and

an encryptor/decrypter,

wherein the controller is operative to store the at least one advertisement in the memory after compression and encryption of the at least one advertisement, and to decrypt and decompress the at least one advertisement after retrieval from the memory.

40. The user unit according to claim 21 and wherein said control display of said at least one advertisement comprises control delay of display of said at least one advertisement.

41. A user unit for displaying transmitted advertisements, the user unit comprising:

means for receiving at least one advertisement tagged with a delay tag indicating the following;

whether display of the at least one advertisement can be delayed;

whether a user of the user unit can control display of said at least one advertisement; and

a non-advertising programming (NAP) threshold defining a maximum amount of NAP that may be displayed to the user of the user unit before the at least one advertisement must be displayed to the user of the user unit;

means for storing;

means for displaying; and

means for controlling associated with the means for receiving, the means for storing and the means for displaying, wherein the means for controlling;

determines, at a first time, at the user unit, a first amount of NAP that has already been displayed to the user of the user unit;

provides the at least one advertisement without delay to the means for displaying for display thereby if at least one of the following is true;

the delay tag does not allow delaying display of the at least one advertisement; and

said first amount of NAP is greater than or equal to said NAP threshold; and

determines whether the delay tag allows delaying display of the at least one advertisement, and if so;

a) the means for controlling stores said at least one advertisement in said means for storing; and

b) the means for controlling determines, at a second time, later than said first time, at the user unit, a second amount of NAP that has already been displayed to the user of the user unit, and retrieves and displays said at least one advertisement if said second amount of NAP that has already been displayed to the user of the user unit is greater than or equal to the NAP threshold.