Alternative advertising in prerecorded media

• US 7,440,674 B2
• Filed: 12/14/2004
• Issued: 10/21/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 04/03/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Prime Research Alliance E, LLC
• Original Assignee: Prime Research Alliance E., Inc.
• Inventors: Plotnick, Michael A., Deitrich, Robert F., Eldering, Charles A., Ryder, Douglas J., Lustig, Herbert M.
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, HUY THANH
• Application Number:
  US11/011,877
• Publication Number:
  US 20050097599A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,407 Days
• Field of Search: 386/46, 386/68, 386/70, 386/95, 386/96, 725/35, 725/42
• US Class Current: 386/343
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/005 Reproducing at a different information rate from the information rate of recording for television signals H04N5/783
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/036 Insert-editing
• 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 21/234381 by altering the temporal resolution, e.g. decreasing the frame rate by frame skipping
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/252 Processing of multiple end-users' preferences to derive collaborative data
• 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 21/2668 Creating a channel for a dedicated end-user group, e.g. insertion of targeted commercials based on end-user profiles information retrieval from the Internet by querying with filtering and personalisation G06F16/9535; arrangements for replacing or switching information during the broadcast H04H20/10; push services over packet-switching network H04L12/1859; adaptation of message content in packet-switching networks H04L51/063
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2747 Remote storage of video programs received via the downstream path, e.g. from the server
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4147 PVR [Personal Video Recorder] H04N5/76 takes precedence ; arrangements for broadcast with accumulation-type receivers H04H20/40
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4312 involving specific graphical features, e.g. screen layout, special fonts or colors, blinking icons, highlights or animations
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4314 for fitting data in a restricted space on the screen, e.g. EPG data in a rectangular grid
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4331 Caching operations, e.g. of an advertisement for later insertion during playback
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/440236 by media transcoding, e.g. video is transformed into a slideshow of still pictures, audio is converted into text
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/440281 by altering the temporal resolution, e.g. by frame skipping television signal recording using magnetic recording on tape for reproducing at a rate different from the recording rate H04N5/783
• 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 21/458 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 21/47202 for requesting content on demand, e.g. video on demand
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47214 for content reservation or setting reminders; for requesting event notification, e.g. of sport results or stock market stock exchange data over packet-switching network H04L12/1804; push services over packet-switching network H04L12/1859; notification of incoming messages in packet switching networks H04L51/224
• 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 21/478 : Supplemental services, e.g. displaying phone caller identification, shopping application
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/60 : Network structure or processes for video distribution between server and client or between remote clients; Control signalling between clients, server and network components; Transmission of management data between server and client , e.g. sending from server to client commands for recording incoming content stream; Communication details between server and client
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 : involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/858 : Linking data to content, e.g. by linking an URL to a video object, by creating a hotspot
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8586 : by using a URL processing chained hypermedia data for information retrieval G06F16/94; information retrieval from the Internet by using URLs G06F16/955; URL in broadcast information H04H20/93; Web-based protocols H04L67/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/445 : for displaying additional information H04N5/50 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/76 : Television signal recording
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/781 : on disks or drums
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/783 : Adaptations for reproducing at a rate different from the recording rate
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/85 : on discs or drums
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 : Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/8042 : involving data reduction
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/87 : Regeneration of colour television signals H04N9/80 takes precedence

Abstract

Presenting viewers with an alternative brief version of a recorded advertisement when they choose to fast-forward through or skip (or any other trick play event) the recorded advertisement. The alternative advertisement may be displayed instead of or in conjunction with the recorded advertisement (i.e., fast-forwarding advertisement is displayed in one portion of the screen (i.e., background or portion of a split screen) and the alternative brief version is displayed in another portion). The alternative brief version of the advertisement (trick play advertisement) may be a marketing message that is a static screen presenting a logo or a portion of the recorded advertisement, or may be a condensed version of the actual advertisement. The trick play advertisements may be targeted. An alternate or entirely unrelated advertisement can also be displayed as the trick play advertisement.

Claims

1. A method for generating an alternative advertisement for display to a subscriber when the subscriber trick plays a recorded advertisement, the method comprising:

receiving an advertisement;

recording the advertisement;

receiving a plurality of processing rules from a remote source, wherein the plurality of processing rules are specific to the advertisement, each of the processing rules corresponding to a specific subscriber type;

automatically selecting at least one processing rule from the plurality of processing rules; and

generating the alternative advertisement by applying the at least one selected processing rule to the recorded advertisement.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said recording includes recording the advertisement after detecting a pause in viewing of the advertisement.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said receiving processing rules includes receiving the processing rules as part of the advertisement.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said receiving processing rules includes receiving the processing rules as a separate file with the advertisement.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein said receiving processing rules includes receiving the processing rules separate from the advertisement.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the generated alternative advertisement is a single segment of video selected from the recorded advertisement.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the generated alternative advertisement is a collection of video segments selected from the recorded advertisement.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the generated alternative advertisement is a combination of still images and video segments from the recorded advertisement.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the generated alternative advertisement is targeted to the subscriber.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the processing rules are also associated with audio for the recorded advertisement.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the processing rules are for the advertisement is different that the processing rule for a second advertisement.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the processing rules specify how to process flagged frames of the advertisement.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the processing rules specify that the alternative advertisement includes a shortened segment of the advertisement.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the processing rules specify that the shortened segment will be played at normal speed as part of the alternative advertisement.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the shortened segment is in MPEP format and is composed of I, P, and B frames.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the processing rules specify that a plurality of still frames from the advertisement compose the alternative advertisement, wherein the still frames are presented in an order different from the order in the advertisement.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein the processing rules specify that a portion less than all of a still frame of a video composes the alternative advertisement.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the portion of the still frame is overlaid on a background.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the background is specified by the processing rules.

20. The method of claim 1, wherein the processing rule specify that a textual component is overlaid on the alternative advertisement.

21. The method of claim 1, wherein the processing rules received depend on the subscriber viewing the advertisement.

22. The method of claim 1, wherein the processing rules are based on viewing preferences of the subscriber.

23. A method for generating an alternative advertisement for display to a subscriber when the subscriber trick plays a recorded advertisement, the method comprising:

receiving an advertisement;

recording the advertisement;

receiving a plurality of processing rules from a remote source, wherein the plurality of processing rules provide rules for processing the audio and visual component of the advertisement, each of the processing rules corresponding to a specific subscriber type;

automatically selecting at least one processing rule from the plurality of processing rules; and

generating the alternative advertisement by applying the at least one selected processing rule to the recorded advertisement.

24. A method for generating an alternative advertisement for display to a subscriber when the subscriber trick plays a recorded advertisement, the method comprising:

receiving an advertisement;

recording the advertisement;

receiving a plurality of processing rules from a remote source, each of the processing rules corresponding to a specific subscriber type;

automatically selecting at least one processing rule corresponding to the subscriber type viewing the advertisement; and

generating the alternative advertisement by applying the at least one selected processing rule to the recorded advertisement, wherein the generated alternative advertisement is a continuous segment of video selected from the recorded advertisement.