Process for providing targeted user content blended with a media stream

• US 7,610,597 B1
• Filed: 01/08/2000
• Issued: 10/27/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 01/08/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Yahoo AD Tech LLC
• Original Assignee: Lightningcast, Inc. (Apollo Global Management, Inc.)
• Inventors: Johnson, Jayne F., DesJardins, G. Thomas
• Primary Examiner(s): Myhre; James W.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Lastra; Daniel
• Application Number:
  US09/479,807
• Time in Patent Office: 3,580 Days
• Field of Search: 705/14, 725/34, 725/29, 725/35, 725/36, 725/32, 709/217, 709/218, 709/219, 370/352, 370/353, 455/130
• US Class Current: 725/32
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/68 Retrieval characterised by using metadata, e.g. metadata not derived from the content or metadata generated manually
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• 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 21/4331 Caching operations, e.g. of an advertisement for later insertion during playback
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/438 Interfacing the downstream path of the transmission network originating from a server, e.g. retrieving encoded video stream packets from an IP network
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4524 involving the geographical location of the client retrieval from the Internet by querying based on geographical locations G06F16/9537; systems specially adapted for using geographical information in broadcast systems H04H60/70; protocols in which the network application is adapted for the location of the user terminal in communication control or processing H04L67/52; services making use of the location of users or terminals in wireless networks H04W4/02; locating users or terminals in wireless networks H04W64/00
• 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 21/812 involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8455 involving pointers to the content, e.g. pointers to the I-frames of the video stream
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/163 by receiver means only

Abstract

A network system provides delivery of customized target content, such as advertising, to individual users. There is transmission of a common spot content stream to a large group of the users. Each home client user communicates through a telecommunications network, such as the Internet, for connection to a portal to receive continuing media, such as streaming audio or video. The user installs receiver software at his home client processor for receiving both the streaming media and a content stream. The media stream includes spot markers placed at appropriate locations in the media stream by the publisher to designate locations for insertion of spot content and optionally to identify specific characteristics of the media stream. The content stream includes content units, such as audio advertising, together with spot content frames, which include parameters having values designated by the spot content provider to be the target audience. A profile is produced at the home client having parameters with values associated with the home client user, such as geographic and demographic information. The receiver software at the home client matches the spot content frame for each spot content to the profile of the user to select those spot content units which have a match. These selected spot content units are stored at the home user and are blended into the media stream at the locations of the spot markers to produce an information data stream for the user that is customized for that user. A spot auditor at the home client measures the type and quantity of play back of the spot content received by the home user and this is reported to the spot content provider for measurement of the effectiveness in the distribution of the spot content.

Claims

1. A method for providing spot content, the method comprising the steps of:

providing a media stream interspersed with spot markers to processors for a plurality of users, each spot marker indicating a type of spot content for insertion at a position of said spot marker;

producing a user profile at each of said processors, each of said user profiles having one or more parameters associated with a user of the processor, each said parameter having a value;

providing a stream of spot contents to said processors, each spot content having an associated frame which indicates a type of said spot content and includes at least one of said parameters and a value thereof;

at each said processor, selecting ones of said spot contents which have values for one or more of said spot content frame parameters which match values for one or more of the corresponding parameters of said user profile associated with the processor; and

generating at each said processor a user information stream comprising said media stream with said selected spot contents having a type matching said type indicated by said spot marker inserted at positions of said spot markers,

wherein;

said media stream comprises a plurality of media units each corresponding to one of said spot markers,

each spot marker includes a categorization of the corresponding one of said media units, and the method further comprises selecting a spot content for each spot marker based on the categorization of the spot marker, and

generating the user information stream comprises inserting the selected spot content into the media stream at the position of the spot marker, and retaining the corresponding media unit in the media stream.

2. A method as recited in claim 1 wherein said media stream comprises audio.

3. A method as recited in claim 1 wherein said media stream comprises video.

4. A method as recited in claim 1 wherein said media stream comprises text.

5. A method as recited in claim 1 wherein said spot contents comprise advertisements.

6. A method as recited in claim 1 wherein said user profile includes geographic information.

7. A method as recited in claim 1 wherein said user profile includes demographic information.

8. A method as recited in claim 1 further comprising:

recording the identities of the spot contents included in said user information stream; and

transmitting a record of such identities to a selected entity.

9. A method as recited in claim 1 wherein each of the processors is part of a home client device.

10. A method as recited in claim 1 wherein each spot marker indicates a duration for the spot content that is to be inserted at the position of the spot marker.

11. A method as recited in claim 1 wherein the type of spot content comprises a type selected from a group consisting of an advertisement, a weather report, a news report, a traffic report, a stock quote report, and a public service report.

12. A method for transmitting spot content, the method comprising:

selecting, by one or more processors, a plurality of spot contents;

producing, by the one or more processors, a spot content frame for each of said spot contents, wherein each spot content frame indicates a type of said spot content and has a plurality of parameters including parameters associated with users, said spot contents being adapted for insertion in a media stream at positions designated by spot markers in the media stream based on said type of said spot contents, and said parameters of a given spot content frame including at least one parameter for identification of a category of substantive media content describing a portion of the media stream that remains in the media stream after the spot content is inserted;

assigning, by the one or more processors, values to said parameters that are associated with users, the assigning representing targeting of said spot content to particular users;

producing, by the one or more processors, a sequential content stream comprising said plurality of said spot contents and said corresponding spot content frames; and

transmitting said sequential content stream to each of a plurality of client device, each of said client devices being associated with a different user.

13. A method as recited in claim 12 wherein said spot content and said spot content frames are transmitted alternately in said sequential content stream.

14. A method as recited in claim 12 wherein said spot content is an audio stream.

15. A method as recited in claim 12 wherein said spot content is a video stream.

16. A method as recited in claim 12 wherein said spot content is a text stream.

17. A method as recited in claim 12 wherein transmitting said sequential content stream to each of the plurality of processors comprises transmitting said sequential content stream in response to request of a media selection by each of the plurality of processors, wherein each of the plurality of processors requests the same media selection.

18. A method as recited in claim 17 wherein said sequential content stream is associated with the media selection.

19. A method as recited in claim 18 further comprising transmitting a second sequential content stream to one of the processors in response to a request by the one of the processors for a second media selection, the second sequential content stream being associated with the second media selection.

20. A method for producing a media stream, the method comprising:

selecting, by one or more processors, streaming media for distribution in a media stream;

selecting, by one or more processors, a plurality of insertion points in the media stream for incorporation of spot content into the media stream along with the selected streaming media;

generating, by one or more processors, a spot marker corresponding to each of said insertion points, each said spot marker (i) indicating a type of spot content for insertion at said corresponding insertion point, and (ii) including a parameter that identifies a category of substantive content of a portion of the selected streaming media that remains in the media stream after the spot content is incorporated into the media stream; and

producing, by one or more processors, the media stream comprising said selected streaming media and said spot markers, said spot markers being positioned in the media stream at said selected insertion points.

21. A method as recited in claim 20 further comprising transmitting the media stream to a plurality of processors in response to request of the media stream by each of the plurality of processors.

22. A method as recited in claim 21 further comprising verifying, before transmitting the media stream to a given processor of the plurality of processors, that the given processor has received spot content.

23. A method as recited in claim 20 wherein the parameter identifies a category of substantive content of a portion of the selected streaming media that would be adjacent to the spot content in the media stream after the spot content is incorporated into the media stream.

24. A method as recited in claim 20 wherein the parameter identifies a category of substantive content of a portion of the selected streaming media that would be spaced from the spot content in the media stream after the spot content is incorporated into the media stream.

25. A method for generating a data stream, the method comprising:

receiving, at a client device, streaming media which includes spot markers at a plurality of locations in said streaming media, each spot marker indicating a type of spot content for insertion at a position of said spot marker;

receiving at the client device, a content stream comprising a plurality of spot contents and a plurality of spot content frames, each spot content frame identifying at least one of said spot contents by type and including parameters associated with targeted users, said parameters having specified values;

comparing, at a client device, said specified values in each spot content frame with one or more values of corresponding parameters for a user associated with said client device;

determining, based on the comparing, if the spot content frames match the user;

storing, for each spot content frame, the at least one spot content identified by the spot content frame if the spot content frame matches the user; and

generating an information data stream comprising said received streaming media with one or more of said stored spot contents inserted at the positions of said spot markers, each inserted spot content having a type matching the type indicated by the spot marker at whose position the spot content is inserted,

wherein (i) each spot marker indicates a category of substantive content for at least a portion of the streaming media, (ii) each spot content frame includes a category parameter indicating a category of substantive content for media, and (iii) generating the information data stream comprises;

determining if the category of substantive content indicated by a given spot marker, the category being for a particular portion of the streaming media, matches the category parameter of a given spot content frame;

replacing the given spot marker with the spot content identified by the given spot content frame if a match is determined; and

including in the information data stream both (a) the spot content identified by the given spot content frame and (b) the particular portion of the streaming media.

26. A method as recited in claim 25 wherein spot content comprises streaming audio.

27. A method as recited in claim 25 wherein spot content comprises streaming video.

28. A method as recited in claim 25 wherein spot content comprises text.

29. A method as recited in claim 25 wherein there is one of said spot content frames for each of said spot contents.

30. A method as recited in claim 25 further comprising:

recording the identity of the spot content included in said information data stream; and

transmitting a record of such identity to a selected entity.

31. A method as recited in claim 25 further comprising discarding, for each spot content frame, the at least one spot content identified by the spot content frame if the spot content frame does not match the user.

32. A method of presenting media content, the method comprising:

accessing, by a client device, a stream of data including multiple media units and a first marker, the first marker designating a first location for inserting content into the stream, and the first marker including a first categorization of substantive content of one or more media units associated with the first marker;

accessing, by the client device, a first content unit designated with the first categorization;

inserting, by the client device, the first content unit into the stream at the first location, such that the stream includes the first content unit and the one or more media units associated with the first marker;

providing, by the client device, the stream for presentation, the stream including the first content unit and the one or more media units associated with the first marker.

33. A method as recited in claim 32 wherein:

the accessed stream further includes a second marker designating a second location for inserting content into the stream, the second marker including a second categorization of substantive content of one or more media units associated with the second marker,

the method further comprises;

accessing, by the client device, a second content unit designated with the second categorization; and

inserting, by the client device, the second content unit into the stream at the second location, such that the stream includes the second content unit and the one or more media units associated with the second marker, and

the stream provided for presentation further includes the second content unit and the one or more media units associated with the second marker.

34. A method as recited in claim 33 wherein:

each of the media units comprises audio music,

the first content unit comprises a first advertisement, and

the second content unit comprises a second advertisement.

35. A method as recited in claim 34 wherein:

substantive content of each of the media units includes rock music,

the first categorization, of the first marker, is rock music,

the second categorization, of the second marker, is rock music,

the first advertisement is designated with the categorization of rock music, and

the second advertisement is designated with the categorization of rock music.

36. A method as recited in claim 32 further comprising:

receiving at the client device a content unit stream including the first content unit and a third content unit, each of the first and third content units including one or more target parameters indicating a target audience for the respective content unit;

accessing by the client device a user profile, the user profile including one or more user parameters describing the user;

for each of the first and third content units, comparing by the client device the one or more target parameters with the one or more user parameters;

storing the first content unit based on results of the comparing; and

discarding the third content unit based on results of the comparing.

37. A method as recited in claim 32 wherein the client device is a home client device.