Methods and systems for recovering from errors associated with advertisement streams

• US 8,141,113 B2
• Filed: 06/04/2009
• Issued: 03/20/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 06/04/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: Bassali, Harpal S., Ruffini, Michael P., Lechner, Marcelo D., Stettner, Armando P.
• Primary Examiner(s): Kincaid, Kristine
• Assistant Examiner(s): HANCE, ROBERT J
• Application Number:
  US12/478,256
• Publication Number:
  US 20100313217A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,020 Days
• Field of Search: 725/22, 725/32, 375/240.27
• US Class Current: 725/32
• 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 21/4425 Monitoring of client processing errors or hardware failure
• 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

Abstract

An exemplary method includes switching, by a media content access subsystem, from a program stream to an advertisement stream in response to a switching instruction received by the media content access subsystem, detecting, by the media content access subsystem, a predetermined number of markers included within the advertisement stream, the predetermined number of markers indicative of an error associated with the advertisement stream, and switching, by the media content access subsystem, from the advertisement stream to another media content stream in response to the detecting of the predetermined number of markers. Corresponding methods and systems are also disclosed.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

switching, by a media content access subsystem, from a program stream to an advertisement stream in response to a switching instruction received by the media content access subsystem;

detecting, by the media content access subsystem, a predetermined number of markers included within the advertisement stream, the predetermined number of markers indicative of an error associated with the advertisement stream; and

switching, by the media content access subsystem, from the advertisement stream to another media content stream in response to the detecting of the predetermined number of markers.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the another media content stream comprises the program stream.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the another media content stream comprises another advertisement stream.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the error comprises a failure to include data representative of at least one advertisement in the advertisement stream.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the predetermined number of markers comprises at least two markers.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the advertisement stream comprises a plurality of elementary streams, and wherein the predetermined number of markers are included within one of the elementary streams.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the plurality of elementary streams comprises at least a video stream and a data stream, and wherein the predetermined number of markers are included within the data stream.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the plurality of elementary streams comprises at least an audio stream and a data stream, and wherein the predetermined number of markers are included within the data stream.

9. A non-transitory computer-readable medium tangibly embodying computer-executable instructions configured to direct at least one computing device to:

switch from a program stream to an advertisement stream in response to a received switching instruction;

detect a predetermined number of markers included within the advertisement stream, the predetermined number of markers indicative of an error associated with the advertisement stream; and

switch from the advertisement stream to another media content stream in response to the detecting of the predetermined number of markers.

10. A method comprising:

switching, by a media content access subsystem, from a program stream to an advertisement stream in response to a switching instruction received by the media content access subsystem;

determining, by the media content access subsystem, whether a predetermined number of markers are included within the advertisement stream, the predetermined number of markers indicative of an error associated with the advertisement stream;

switching, by the media content access subsystem, to another media content stream if the media content access subsystem determines that the predetermined number of markers are included within the advertisement stream; and

presenting, by the media content access subsystem, an advertisement represented by the advertisement stream if the predetermined number of markers are not included within the advertisement stream.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the another media content stream comprises the program stream.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the another media content stream comprises another advertisement stream.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein the determining comprises detecting at least two markers included within the advertisement stream.

14. A method comprising:

generating, by a content delivery subsystem, an advertisement stream with a plurality of markers included therein, the plurality of markers configured to indicate an error associated with the advertisement stream if detected by a media content access subsystem;

replacing, by the content delivery subsystem, at least one of the markers within the advertisement stream with advertisement data; and

providing, by the content delivery subsystem, the advertisement stream to the media content access subsystem.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the advertisement stream comprises a plurality of elementary streams, and wherein the generating comprises including the plurality of markers within one of the elementary streams.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the plurality of elementary streams comprises at least a video stream and a data stream, and wherein the generating comprises including the plurality of markers within the data stream.

17. A system comprising:

a media content stream switching facility configured to switch from a program stream to an advertisement stream in response to a switching instruction; and

an error detection facility selectively and communicatively coupled to the switching facility and configured to detect a predetermined number of markers indicative of an error associated with the advertisement stream;

wherein the media content stream switching facility is further configured to switch from the advertisement stream to another media content stream in response to the detection of the predetermined number of markers.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the another media content stream comprises the program stream.

19. The system of claim 17, wherein the another media content stream comprises another advertisement stream.

20. The system of claim 17, wherein the advertisement stream comprises a plurality of elementary streams, and wherein the predetermined number of markers are included within one of the elementary streams.

21. The system of claim 17, wherein the media content stream switching facility and the error detection facility are implemented on a set-top box.