Method and apparatus for targeting of interactive virtual objects

• US 8,117,635 B2
• Filed: 03/25/2010
• Issued: 02/14/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 06/19/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Comcast IP Holdings I LLC (Comcast Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Comcast IP Holdings I LLC (Comcast Corporation)
• Inventors: Hendricks, John S., Bonner, Alfred E., McCoskey, John S., Asmussen, Michael L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Saltarelli, Dominic D
• Application Number:
  US12/731,254
• Publication Number:
  US 20100180296A1
• Time in Patent Office: 691 Days
• Field of Search: 725/34
• US Class Current: 725/34
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0251 Targeted advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0276 Advertisement creation
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 1/60 Memory management
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/60 Editing figures and text; Combining figures or text
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/41 Higher-level, semantic clustering, classification or understanding of video scenes, e.g. detection, labelling or Markovian modelling of sport events or news items segmenting video sequences G06V20/49
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/10 Arrangements for replacing or switching information during the broadcast or the distribution
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/38 Arrangements for distribution where lower stations, e.g. receivers, interact with the broadcast
• 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: H04H 60/64 for providing detail information
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/57 Arrangements for indicating or recording the number of the calling subscriber at the called subscriber's set at the operator set in a manual exchange H04M5/20
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2221 being a cable television head-end CATV in broadcast systems H04H20/78
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/234318 by decomposing into objects, e.g. MPEG-4 objects
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/235 Processing of additional data, e.g. scrambling of additional data or processing content descriptors
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23608 Remultiplexing multiplex streams, e.g. involving modifying time stamps or remapping the packet identifiers
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2362 Generation or processing of Service Information [SI]
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2381 Adapting the multiplex stream to a specific network, e.g. an Internet Protocol [IP] network transmission of MPEG streams over ATM H04L12/5601
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2389 Multiplex stream processing, e.g. multiplex stream encrypting
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2543 Billing , e.g. for subscription services payment schemes, architectures or protocols G06Q20/00; e-commerce G06Q30/00; arrangements for billing for the use of broadcast information or broadcast-related information H04H60/21
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/258 Client or end-user data management, e.g. managing client capabilities, user preferences or demographics, processing of multiple end-users preferences to derive collaborative data arrangements for services using the result on the distributing side of broadcast systems H04H60/66; profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/30
• 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 21/25891 : being end-user preferences retrieval of video data in a video database based on user preferences G06F16/739; arrangements for recognizing users' preferences H04H60/46; 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 21/262 : 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 21/26208 : the scheduling operation being performed under constraints
• 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 21/42204 : 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 21/42653 : for processing graphics
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42684 : Client identification by a unique number or address, e.g. serial number, MAC address, socket ID network arrangements, protocols or services for addressing or naming H04L61/00
• 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 21/4316 : 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 21/4344 : Remultiplexing of multiplex streams, e.g. by modifying time stamps or remapping the packet identifiers
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4345 : Extraction or processing of SI, e.g. extracting service information from an MPEG stream
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/435 : Processing of additional data, e.g. decrypting of additional data, reconstructing software from modules extracted from the transport stream
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4383 : Accessing a communication channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4385 : Multiplex stream processing, e.g. multiplex stream decrypting
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44224 : Monitoring of user activity on external systems, e.g. Internet browsing
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/443 : OS processes, e.g. booting an STB, implementing a Java virtual machine in an STB or power management in an STB
• 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 21/45455 : applied to a region of the image
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/45457 : applied to a time segment
• 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 21/4622 : Retrieving content or additional data from different sources, e.g. from a broadcast channel and the Internet web site content organization and management for information retrieval from the Internet G06F16/958; transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82; stock exchange data over packet-switching network H04L12/1804; push services including data channel over packet-switching network H04L12/1859
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47 : End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/472 : End-user interface for requesting content, additional data or services; End-user interface for interacting with content, e.g. for content reservation or setting reminders, for requesting event notification, for manipulating displayed content end-user interfaces for retrieving video data from a database G06F16/739; network services for supporting unicast streaming H04L65/612
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47205 : for manipulating displayed content, e.g. interacting with MPEG-4 objects, editing locally
• 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 21/4725 : using interactive regions of the image, e.g. hot spots details of information retrieval from the Internet by using URLs G06F16/955; processing chained hypermedia data for information retrieval G06F16/94
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4755 : for defining user preferences, e.g. favourite actors or genre retrieval personalisation and generation of user profiles for the retrieval of video data G06F16/739; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/478 : Supplemental services, e.g. displaying phone caller identification, shopping application
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4786 : e-mailing message switching systems, e.g. electronic mail systems H04L51/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4788 : communicating with other users, e.g. chatting arrangements for providing for computer conferences, e.g. chat rooms, to substation in data switching networks H04L12/1813; distributed application using peer-to-peer [P2P] networks H04L67/104
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/482 : End-user interface for program selection broadcast systems using EPGs H04H60/72
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6405 : Multicasting data broadcast and multicast in packet switching networks H04L12/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/64307 : ATM
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6543 : for forcing some client operations, e.g. recording remote booting in general G06F9/4416
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6547 : comprising parameters, e.g. for client setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6581 : Reference data, e.g. a movie identifier for ordering a movie or a product identifier in a home shopping application
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6582 : Data stored in the client, e.g. viewing habits, hardware capabilities, credit card number arrangements where receivers interact with the broadcast H04H20/38
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 : involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8146 : involving graphical data, e.g. 3D object, 2D graphics
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8583 : by creating hot-spots
• 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 5/265 : Mixing
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/445 : for displaying additional information H04N5/50 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/44504 : Circuit details of the additional information generator, e.g. details of the character or graphics signal generator, overlay mixing circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/45 : Picture in picture , e.g. displaying simultaneously another television channel in a region of the screen
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/602 : for digital sound signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/088 : the inserted signal being digital
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/0884 : for the transmission of additional display-information, e.g. menu for programme or channel selection
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/0887 : for the transmission of programme or channel identifying signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/10 : Adaptations for transmission by electrical cable H04N7/12 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/102 : Circuits therefor, e.g. noise reducers, equalisers, amplifiers H04N7/108 takes precedence
• 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 7/173 : with two-way working, e.g. subscriber sending a programme selection signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 : Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17336 : Handling of requests in head-ends
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17354 : in an intermediate station common to a plurality of user terminals

Abstract

A method and an apparatus are used to target interactive virtual objects to subscribers in a television delivery system. Programs are selected and virtual object locations are defined in the selected programs. The virtual objects available for targeting are categorized and the categories are correlated to subscriber information to determine the optimum targeting of the virtual objects. Upstream data reception hardware, databases and processing hardware and software, and corresponding features in a user'"'"'s terminal are used to accomplish these functions.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

identifying a plurality of virtual object locations at different spatial positions within a video program;

generating one or more rules for selecting from one or more of a plurality of virtual objects at least one virtual object to display in each of the plurality of virtual object locations, wherein the rules are based at least in part on, for each virtual object location, image content within a video frame containing the virtual object location and spatially proximate to the virtual object location such that a relevant context is established for the virtual object location within the video frame; and

transmitting the rules to a terminal.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more rules provide targeting information relating the image content surrounding each respective virtual object location with one or more targeted groups.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the targeting information is based on comparing measures of compatibility between the image content surrounding each respective virtual object location and each of the one or more targeted groups.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising transmitting the video program to the terminal separate from the plurality of virtual objects.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising transmitting the plurality of virtual objects to the terminal.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the virtual object locations moves spatially in the video program with time.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein each virtual object location is at a different spatial position within a scene of the video program.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein each virtual object location is at a different spatial position within a frame of the video program.

9. An apparatus comprising:

a network interface; and

one or more processors configured to perform operations, the operations including;

identifying a plurality of virtual object locations at different spatial positions within a video program;

generating one or more rules for selecting from one or more of a plurality of virtual objects at least one virtual object to display in each of the plurality of virtual object locations, wherein the rules are based at least in part on, for each virtual object location, image content within a video frame containing the virtual object location and spatially proximate to the virtual object such that a relevant context is established for the virtual object location within the video frame; and

transmitting the rules to a terminal from the network interface.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the one or more rules provide targeting information relating the image content surrounding each respective virtual object location with one or more targeted groups.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the targeting information is based on comparing measures of compatibility between the image content surrounding each respective virtual object location and each of the one or more targeted groups.

12. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the operations further include transmitting the video program to the terminal separate from the plurality of virtual objects.

13. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the operations further include transmitting the plurality of virtual objects to the terminal.

14. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein at least one of the virtual object locations moves spatially in the video program with time.

15. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein each virtual object location is at a different spatial position within a scene of the video program.

16. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein each virtual object location is at a different spatial position within a frame of the video program.

17. A method comprising:

identifying a plurality of virtual object locations at different spatial positions within a video program;

receiving a plurality of virtual objects configured to be inserted into the virtual object locations; and

inserting one or more of the virtual objects into one or more of the virtual object locations according to targeting information that is based at least in part on, for each virtual object location, image content within a video frame containing the virtual object location and spatially proximate to the virtual object location such that a relevant context is established for the virtual object location within the video frame.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the identifying, receiving and inserting are performed at a terminal.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

displaying the video program having the one or more virtual objects inserted into the one or more virtual object locations.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein the identifying, receiving and inserting are performed at an insertion center prior to a transmission of the video program including the virtual objects to a terminal.

21. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

receiving the video program at the terminal separate from the plurality of virtual objects.

22. The method of claim 17, wherein at least one of the virtual object locations moves spatially in the video program with time.

23. The method of claim 17, wherein each virtual object location is at a different spatial position within a scene of the video program.

24. The method of claim 17, wherein each virtual object location is at a different spatial position within a frame of the video program.

25. An apparatus comprising:

a network interface; and

one or more processors configured to perform operations, the operations including;

identifying a plurality of virtual object locations at different spatial positions within a video program;

receiving a plurality of virtual objects configured to be inserted into the virtual object locations; and

inserting one or more of the virtual objects into one or more of the virtual object locations according to targeting information that is based at least in part on, for each virtual object location, image content within a video frame containing the virtual object location and spatially proximate to the virtual object location such that a relevant context is established for the virtual object location within the video frame.

26. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein the apparatus includes a terminal.

27. The apparatus of claim 26, wherein the operations further comprise:

displaying the video program having the one or more virtual objects inserted into the one or more virtual object locations.

28. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein the apparatus performs the identifying, receiving and inserting prior to a transmission of the video program including the virtual objects to a terminal.

29. The apparatus of claim 26, further comprising:

receiving the video program at the terminal separate from the plurality of virtual objects.

30. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein at least one of the virtual object locations moves spatially in the video program with time.

31. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein each virtual object location is at a different spatial position within a scene of the video program.

32. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein each virtual object location is at a different spatial position within a frame of the video program.