Unified onscreen advertisement system for CE devices

• US 8,438,057 B2
• Filed: 03/28/2011
• Issued: 05/07/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 11/09/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Saturn Licensing LLC (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Schupp, William Arthur, Rebong, Nicole, Douillet, Ludovic Etienne, Hofrichter, Klaus, Sadja, Aran London, Miller, Philip Carl
• Primary Examiner(s): Boveja, Namrata (Pinky)
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nguyen, Thuy N
• Application Number:
  US13/073,146
• Publication Number:
  US 20120116877A1
• Time in Patent Office: 771 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 705/14.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0251 Targeted advertisements

Abstract

A client-server architecture allows consumer electronics (CE) devices to obtain advertisements, including TV and network content recommendations, via a unified application programming interface (API). A gateway server between online advertisement providers and CE devices prioritizes and personalizes the advertisements and recommendations for a requesting CE device. This architecture scales over time and evolves more functionality without requiring CE device software updates.

Claims

1. Consumer electronics (CE) device comprising:

processor;

computer readable storage medium bearing instructions executable by the processor to;

send at least a model number of the CE device to a gateway server, the model number being a first model number;

receive from the gateway server a list of advertisements, the list indicating an order of the advertisements for display, the order being based on the first model number of the CE device; and

present the list on the CE device according to the order, the CE device being a first CE device, such that the first CE device presents a first ad according to a first location in the order that is different from a location that the first ad is presented in accordance with an order of ads presented by a second CE device having a second model number different from the first model number.

2. The CE device of claim 1, wherein the processor sends to the gateway server an identification of a user interface (UI) currently invoked by the processor for presentation of the UI on a display of the CE device, the order being further based on the identification of the UI.

3. The CE device of claim 1, wherein the processor sends to the gateway server an identification of a TV channel currently being displayed by the CE device, the order being further based on the identification of the TV channel.

4. The CE device of claim 1, wherein the processor sends to the gateway server a title of an audio video content currently being displayed by the CE device, the order being further based on the title of the audio video content.

5. The CE device of claim 1, wherein the processor further sends an address of the CE device to the gateway server to obtain the list.

6. The CE device of claim 1, wherein the processor responsive to a user of the CE device selecting an item from the list executes an application programming interface (API) to obtain a full ad corresponding to the selected item.

7. The CE device of claim 6, wherein the full ad is received by the CE device along with client action/auditing URLs which upload subsequent user actions on the CE device as audit reports to the URLs.

8. Method comprising:

receiving, by a computer, first and second model information of respective first and second consumer electronics (CE) devices, the first CE device not being the same model as the second CE device;

associating by the computer a first list of advertisements (ads) with the first model information, the first list of ads having a first order among the ads on the first list, the first order being based on a model of the first CE device and defining a first priority in which ads on the first list are presented on the first CE device, the first order including a first ad located in a first position in the first order; and

associating by the computer a second list of ads with the second model information, the second list of ads having a second order among the ads on the second list, the second order being based on a model of the second CE device and defining a second priority in which ads on the second list are presented on the second CE device, the second order including the first ad located in a second position in the second order, the second position in the second order being different than the first position such that the first ad appears lower in the second order than the first ad appears in the first order.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising deriving the priorities based at least in part on TV channels.

10. The method of claim 8, further comprising deriving the priorities based at least in part on content titles.

11. The method of claim 8, further comprising deriving the priorities based at least in part on user interfaces (UI) configured for being presented on displays of CE devices.

12. The method of claim 8, further comprising sending the first list of ads to the first CE device and the second list of ads to the second CE device.

13. Server comprising:

processor;

computer readable storage medium bearing instructions executable by the processor to;

receive from a first consumer electronics (CE) device at least a first model identification of the first CE device;

using the first model identification establish for advertisements (ads) a first order that is based at least in part on the first model identification, wherein a first ad is associated in a first position of the first order;

send ads to the first CE device for presentation thereof by the first CE device according to the first order;

receive from a second CE device at least a second model identification of the second CE device, the second model identification being different from the first model identification;

using the second model identification, establish for ads a second order that is based at least in part by the second model identification, wherein the first ad is associated in a second position of the second order, the first position being different from the second position; and

send ads to the second CE device for presentation thereof by the second CE device according to the second order.

14. The server of claim 13, wherein the processor establishes the order at least in part on a user interface (UI) identification received from the CE device, the UI identification representing a UI presentable on a display of the CE device.

15. The server of claim 13, wherein the processor establishes the order at least in part on an identification of a TV channel received from the CE device.

16. The server of claim 13, wherein the processor establishes the order at least in part on a title of an audio video content received from the CE device.

17. The server of claim 13, wherein the processor further receive from the CE device an address of the CE device.

18. The server of claim 13, wherein a server responsive to an indication from the CE device of a user of the CE device selecting an item from a list of ads sends a full ad corresponding to the selected item to the CE device.

19. The server of claim 18, wherein the server sends along with the full ad client action/auditing URLs which upload subsequent user actions on the CE device as audit reports to the URLs.