Method for displaying audiovisual sequences at receiver level and receiver for displaying said sequences

• US 8,291,447 B2
• Filed: 06/28/2005
• Issued: 10/16/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: InterDigital Patent Holdings, Inc. (InterDigital, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Thomson Licensing (Vantiva SA)
• Inventors: Hiron, Franck, Maetz, Yves
• Primary Examiner(s): Salce, Jason
• Assistant Examiner(s): Dubasky, Gigi L
• Application Number:
  US11/629,924
• Publication Number:
  US 20070256090A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,667 Days
• Field of Search: 725/32, 725 34- 36, 725/42, 725/44, 725/46
• US Class Current: 725/22
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4331 Caching operations, e.g. of an advertisement for later insertion during playback
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44016 involving splicing one content stream with another content stream, e.g. for substituting a video clip
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44204 Monitoring of content usage, e.g. the number of times a movie has been viewed, copied or the amount which has been watched monitoring of user activities for profile generation for accessing a video database G06F16/739; protecting generic digital content where the protection is independent of the precise nature of the content G06F21/10; arrangements for monitoring the use made of the broadcast services in broadcast systems H04H60/31
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4753 for user identification, e.g. by entering a PIN or password cryptographic authentication protocols H04L9/32; networks authentication protocols H04L63/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6543 for forcing some client operations, e.g. recording remote booting in general G06F9/4416
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6582 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 21/8355 involving usage data, e.g. number of copies or viewings allowed
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/76 Television signal recording
• 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

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for displaying audiovisual sequences, typically advertisements, carried out by a device provided with means for the reception and recording of said sequences. A display scenario is sent to the device. Said scenario comprises groups of data made up of sequence identifiers and at least one time display window. Following the reception of a signal which typically announces an advertising spot, the device selects a sequence whose associated time display window includes the present moment and displays it. Usual behavior of the user is stored by the device which plans the display of said sequences when the user is not normally present during the planned time window.

In an advanced form, the time window is broken down into periods and the scenario specifies a number of displays of the sequence during said period.

The invention also relates to a device which can receive a scenario and run it in order to select sequences and display them according to the display method.

Claims

1. A method for displaying audiovisual sequences by a device provided with a means of receiving and recording said audiovisual sequences, and a generator of displaying signal, wherein it comprises the following steps executed by said device:

receiving and recording in said device a display scenario comprising groups of data defining a plurality of time display windows, wherein, for each audiovisual sequence to display, said data combine at least one identifier of said audiovisual sequence with at least one time display window for displaying this audiovisual sequence;

establishing a forecast time band usage calendar specifying when said device will be used for viewing the audiovisual sequences and when said device will not be used for viewing the audiovisual sequences by compiling usage data of said device in according with a user'"'"'s habits of watching television;

selecting at least one audiovisual sequence associated with a first time display window defined by the data included in the recorded display scenario, said first time display window falling into forecast time band usage calendar specifying when said device will not be used for viewing the audiovisual sequences;

modifying the display scenario recorded in said device in order to display the at least one selected audiovisual sequence associated with the first time display window, during a second time display window falling into forecast time band usage calendar specifying when said device will be used for viewing the audiovisual sequences, such that the second time display window is before the first time display window, and such that a chronological order of the plurality of time display windows of the recorded display scenario is preserved; and

following a reception of a trigger indication originating from a broadcast network, displaying each selected audiovisual sequence during the second time display window associated with the selected audiovisual sequence in the modified display scenario.

2. The method for displaying audiovisual sequences as claimed in claim 1, wherein it comprises a step for selecting at least one audiovisual sequence, the associated time display window of which corresponds to a present moment, the audiovisual sequence selection being repeated as long as a number of displays of said audiovisual sequence has not reached a maximum value, said value being transmitted in the display scenario.

3. The method for displaying audiovisual sequences as claimed in claim 2, wherein the time display windows are divided into a plurality of periods, and the associated audiovisual sequence no longer being displayed during a predetermined period when a maximum number of displays for this period is reached.

4. The method for displaying audiovisual sequences as claimed in claim 2, wherein a plurality of audiovisual sequences are associated with a maximum number of displays and at least one time display window, the audiovisual sequences of the plurality being alternately selected when the associated time display window includes the present moment and if the maximum number of displays has not been reached.

5. The method for displaying audiovisual sequences as claimed in claim 4, wherein an order for displaying the associated audiovisual sequences is defined randomly.

6. The method for displaying audiovisual sequences as claimed in claim 1, wherein a priority value is associated with the audiovisual sequences, the audiovisual sequence having the highest priority being selected and displayed first.

7. The method for displaying audiovisual sequences as claimed in claim 1, wherein an audiovisual sequence can be selected and displayed after a time display window indicated in the display scenario if a number of displays of this sequence has not reached a minimum value.

8. The method for displaying audiovisual sequences as claimed in claim 1, wherein a number of displays of each audiovisual sequence is transmitted outside the device when the last time display window defined in the display scenario is ended.

9. The method for displaying audiovisual sequences as claimed in claim 1, wherein it includes a step for introducing a user identifier, the selection of the audiovisual sequences being performed independently for each user.

10. A receiver of audiovisual transmissions comprising a means of receiving audiovisual sequences such as advertising sequences, a memory, a means of sending display signals, wherein it comprises:

a means of receiving a display scenario comprising groups of data defining a plurality of time display windows, wherein, for each audiovisual sequence to display, said data combine at least one identifier of said audiovisual sequence with at least one time display window for displaying this audiovisual sequence, the received display scenario being recorded in the memory of the receiver;

a means of establishing a forecast time band usage calendar specifying when said device will be used for viewing the audiovisual sequences and when said device will not be used for viewing the audiovisual sequences by compiling usage data of said device in according with a user'"'"'s habits of watching television;

a means of selecting at least one audiovisual sequence associated with a first time display window defined by the data included in the recorded display scenario, said first time display window falling into forecast time band usage calendar specifying when said device will not be used for viewing the audiovisual sequences;

a means for modifying the recorded display scenario in order to display the at least one selected audiovisual sequence associated with the first time display window, during a second time display window falling into forecast time band usage calendar specifying when said device will be used for viewing the audiovisual sequences, such that the second time display window is before the first time display window, and such that a chronological order of the plurality of time display windows of the recorded display scenario is preserved; and

a means for displaying each selected audiovisual sequence activated following a reception of a sequence display trigger indication originating from a broadcast network, the selected audiovisual sequences associated with the first time display window in the recorded display scenario being displayed during the second time window associated with the selected audiovisual sequences in the modified display scenario.

11. The receiver of audiovisual transmissions as claimed in claim 10, wherein the selection means also selects at least one audiovisual sequence for which the associated time display windows corresponds to the present moment.

12. The receiver of audiovisual transmissions as claimed in claim 10, wherein the received display scenario contains a maximum number of displays associated with at least one audiovisual sequence, the receiver comprising a means of counting number of displays of at least one audiovisual sequence, the audiovisual sequence selection being repeated as long as the number of displays of said audiovisual sequence has not reached a maximum value.

13. The receiver (1) of audiovisual transmissions as claimed in claim 10, wherein the received display scenario contains a maximum number of displays associated with a plurality of audiovisual sequences, the selection means alternately selecting each audiovisual sequence when the associated time window includes a present moment and if a maximum number of displays has not been reached.

14. The receiver of audiovisual transmissions as claimed in claim 10, wherein the received display scenario contains a priority value associated with at least one audiovisual sequence, the selection means giving priority to the selection of the audiovisual sequences with the highest value.

15. The receiver of audiovisual transmissions as claimed in claim 10, wherein the selection means selects an audiovisual sequence after the time display window indicated in the display scenario if a number of displays of this audiovisual sequence has not reached a minimum value.

16. The receiver of audiovisual transmissions as claimed in claim 10, wherein it includes a means of transmitting outside the receiver at least a number of displays of each audiovisual sequence.

17. The receiver of audiovisual transmissions as claimed in claim 10, wherein it includes a means of introducing a user identifier, the selection of the audiovisual sequences being performed independently for each user.