Method and apparatus for placing virtual objects

• US 7,743,330 B1
• Filed: 06/30/2000
• Issued: 06/22/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 06/19/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: TiVo Corporation (Adeia Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Comcast IP Holdings I LLC (Comcast Corporation)
• Inventors: Boner, Alfred E., McCoskey, John S., Hendricks, John S., Asmussen, Michael L.
• Primary Examiner(s): KE, PENG
• Application Number:
  US09/609,286
• Time in Patent Office: 3,644 Days
• Field of Search: 345/848, 345/850, 345/851, 345/852, 345/849, 345/836, 345/782, 345/757, 345/706, 715/848, 715/850, 715/851, 715/852, 715/849, 715/836, 715/782, 715/757, 715/706, 715/723
• US Class Current: 715/723
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/034 on discs G11B27/036, G11B27/038 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/28 by using information signals recorded by the same method as the main recording G11B27/22 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/30 by a single channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/93 which locates resources of other pieces of information, e.g. URL [Uniform Resource Locator]
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/33 Arrangements for monitoring the users' behaviour or opinions
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4331 Caching operations, e.g. of an advertisement for later insertion during playback
• 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 21/812 involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02
• 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 7/173 with two-way working, e.g. subscriber sending a programme selection signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/24 Systems for the transmission of television signals using pulse code modulation H04N21/00 takes precedence

Abstract

A method and an apparatus are used to place virtual objects in video programs. Programs are selected and virtual object locations are defined in the selected programs. The available virtual objects available are categorized and the categories are correlated to subscriber information. When a frame of a program includes a virtual object location, a default or an alternate virtual object is displayed. The virtual object location may change over space or time. The virtual object may be interactive, and may be used to link a subscriber to a remote location, such as an Internet web site. An operations center or a cable headend may generate a group assignment plan that assigns the subscribers'"'"' terminals to groups, based on factors such as area of dominant influence and household income. A placement plan may instruct the television terminals to display the desired virtual object. The television terminals may record which virtual objects were displayed, and may report this information to the cable headends and the operations center. The reported information is used to generate billing for commercial advertisers, and to analyze viewer watching habits. The invention uses upstream data reception hardware, databases and processing hardware and software, and corresponding features in the televisions to accomplish these functions.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving, at an operations center including one or more processors, a plurality of virtual objects targeted to a plurality of different groups of viewers, wherein said operations center is configured to communicate with a terminal;

identifying at the operations center a plurality of virtual object locations within each of a plurality of frames of a video program;

creating a plan which includes rules for selecting, for each of the virtual object locations, one of the plurality of virtual objects to display in that virtual object location, the rules based on measures of compatibility between image content surrounding that virtual object location and each of the different groups of viewers; and

transmitting, from the operations center, said video program, one or more of the plurality of virtual objects, and said plan to said terminal, wherein said one or more of the plurality of virtual objects are separate from said video program.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

generating a group assignment matrix, wherein the group assignment matrix associates the terminal with one of the different groups of viewers; and

transmitting said group assignment matrix to said terminal.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising adjusting the rules based on recorded virtual objects watched data received from the terminal.

4. An operations center, comprising:

a database for storing a plurality of virtual objects targeted to a plurality of different groups of viewers; and

one or more processors configured for;

identifying a plurality of virtual object locations within each of a plurality of frames of a video program;

creating a plan which includes rules for selecting, for each of the virtual object locations, one of the plurality of virtual objects to display in that virtual object location, the rules based on measures of compatibility between image content surrounding that virtual object location and each of the different groups of viewers; and

transmitting said video program, one or more of the plurality of virtual objects, and said plan to a terminal wherein said one or more of the plurality of virtual objects are separate from said video program.

5. The operations center of claim 4, wherein said one or more processors are further configured for:

generating a group assignment matrix, wherein the group assignment matrix associates the terminal with one of the different groups of viewers; and

transmitting said group assignment matrix to said terminal.

6. The operations center of claim 4, wherein said one or more processors are further configured for adjusting the rules based on stored virtual objects viewed data received from the terminal.

7. A method comprising:

receiving a video program at a terminal, the video program including a plurality of virtual object locations within a sequence of video frames;

receiving a plurality of virtual objects at the terminal wherein the virtual objects are displayable in the virtual object locations, the virtual objects are targeted to a plurality of different groups of viewers, and the virtual objects are separate from the video program;

receiving a plan including rules for the selecting at the terminal, for each virtual object location, a virtual object of the plurality of virtual objects to display in that virtual object location based on measures of compatibility between image content surrounding that virtual object location and each of the different groups of viewers;

selecting at the terminal, for each virtual object location, the virtual object of the plurality of virtual objects to display in that virtual object location based on the plan; and

outputting the video program from the terminal with each virtual object location displaying the virtual object selected to be displayed for that virtual object location.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein the selecting is further based on a ranking of pairs of each virtual object with each of the different groups of viewers.

9. The method of claim 7 further comprising associating the terminal with one of the different groups of viewers, wherein the selecting is further based on the associating.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein one of the virtual object locations moves spatially from one frame to a next frame in the sequence of frames.

11. The method of claim 7, wherein two of the plurality of virtual object locations are in different spatial locations within a frame of the sequence of frames.

12. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

storing viewer specific data, wherein the selecting is further based on the viewer specific data.

13. The method of claim 7, wherein the outputting the video program is a first presentation of the video program, the method further comprising:

outputting the video program from the terminal as a second presentation of the video program with one of the virtual object locations displaying a different virtual object than displayed during the first presentation.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

selecting the different virtual object for display in the one virtual object location based on receiving updated virtual objects.

15. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

selecting the different virtual object for display in the one virtual objection location based on user specific data stored in the terminal.

16. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

adjusting the plan based on viewer specific data stored in the terminal.

17. A terminal comprising:

one or more receivers configured to receive;

a video program at the terminal, wherein the video program includes a plurality of virtual object locations within a sequence of video frames, a plurality of virtual objects, wherein the virtual objects are displayable in the virtual object locations, the virtual objects are targeted to a plurality of different groups of viewers, and the plurality of virtual objects are separate from the video program, and

a plan including rules for the selecting at the terminal, for each virtual object location, a virtual object of the plurality of virtual objects to display in that virtual object location based on measures of compatibility between image content surrounding that virtual object location and each of the different groups of viewers; and

one or more processors configured to;

select, for each virtual object location, the virtual object of the plurality of virtual objects to display in that virtual object location based on the plan, and

output the video program with each virtual object location displaying the virtual object selected to be displayed for that virtual object location.

18. The terminal of claim 17 wherein the selecting is further based on a ranking of pairs of each virtual object with each of the different groups of viewers.

19. The terminal of claim 17 wherein:

the one or more processors are configured to associate the terminal with one of the different groups of viewers, and

the selecting is further based on the associating of the terminal with the one of the different groups of viewers.

20. The terminal of claim 17, wherein one of the virtual object locations moves spatially from one frame to a next frame in the sequence of frames.

21. The terminal of claim 17, wherein two of the plurality of virtual object locations are in different spatial locations within a frame of the sequence of frames.

22. The terminal of claim 17, further comprising:

a memory configured to store viewer specific data, wherein the selecting is further based on the viewer specific data.

23. The terminal of claim 17, wherein:

the one or more processors are configured to output the video program in a first presentation and a second presentation of the video program, the second presentation having one of the virtual object locations displaying a different virtual object than displayed during the first presentation.

24. The terminal of claim 23, wherein:

the one or more processors are configured to select the different virtual object for display in

the one virtual object location based on receiving updated virtual objects.

25. The terminal of claim 23, wherein:

the one or more processors are configured for selecting the different virtual object for display in the one virtual objection location based on user specific data stored in the terminal.

26. The terminal of claim 17, further comprising:

a memory configured to store viewer specific data, wherein the one or more processors are configured for adjusting the plan based on the viewer specific data.

27. A method, comprising:

receiving, at an operations center including one or more processors, a plurality of virtual objects targeted to a plurality of different groups of viewers, wherein said operations center is communicatively coupled to a terminal;

identifying at the operations center a plurality of virtual object locations within each of a plurality of frames of the video program;

creating a plan which, for each of the virtual object locations within each of the plurality of frames, indicates rules for selecting one of the plurality of virtual objects to display in that virtual object location, the rules based on measures of compatibility between image content surrounding that virtual object location and each of the different groups of viewers;

transmitting, from the operations center, said video program, one or more of the plurality of virtual objects, and said plan to said terminal, wherein said one or more of the plurality of virtual objects are separate from said video program;

selecting at the terminal, for each virtual object location, a virtual object of the plurality of virtual objects to display in that virtual object location based on the plan; and

outputting the video program from the terminal with each virtual object location displaying the virtual object selected to be displayed for that virtual object location.