Method and system for dynamic ad placement

• US 8,571,934 B2
• Filed: 10/15/2001
• Issued: 10/29/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 10/15/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DIRECTV, LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: The DIRECTV Group, Inc. (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Rosenberg, Scott A., Self, Matthew H.
• Primary Examiner(s): Bekerman, Michael
• Application Number:
  US09/978,144
• Publication Number:
  US 20020097235A1
• Time in Patent Office: 4,397 Days
• Field of Search: 705/14.61, 705/14.49, 705/14.4
• US Class Current: 705/14.61
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0241 Advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0251 Targeted advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0264 based upon schedule
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0269 based on user profile or attribute
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0277 Online advertisement
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/032 on tapes G11B27/036, G11B27/038 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/034 on discs G11B27/036, G11B27/038 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/036 Insert-editing
• 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 21/26283 for associating distribution time parameters to content, e.g. to generate electronic program guide data
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4147 PVR [Personal Video Recorder] H04N5/76 takes precedence ; arrangements for broadcast with accumulation-type receivers H04H20/40
• 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 21/4331 Caching operations, e.g. of an advertisement for later insertion during playback
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4333 Processing operations in response to a pause request
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4334 Recording operations recording of a television signal H04N5/76; arrangements for recording or accumulating broadcast information or broadcast-related information H04H60/27
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44224 Monitoring of user activity on external systems, e.g. Internet browsing
• 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 21/458 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 21/812 : 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 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 7/17318 : Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17327 : with deferred transmission or handling of upstream communications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/8227 : the additional signal being at least another television signal

Abstract

A system and method for placing ads on a client-side video replay system. The described embodiments of the present invention allow a client to make a determination of ad placement priority separately from the function of serving ads to a requesting application. A described dynamic ad placement engine reorders ads when the context of the system is changed to yield a next ad to be placed. Thus, at a later time, when an application sends an ad request, the dynamic ad placement engine can quickly respond with the ad to be placed. The ads also are preferably reordered after an ad is placed. Placement of ads is controlled in the described embodiment by interpreted rules for each ad.

Claims

1. A method of re-evaluating an order of a plurality of ads, the method comprising:

a client-side machine receiving from a remote server the plurality of ads and a plurality of ad control files, wherein each of the ad control files is associated with a respective ad of the plurality of ads, wherein at least one of the ad control files includes a trigger parameter, wherein each of the ads is associated with a respective placement value, and wherein at least one of the ads is associated with a respective weight value;

the client-side machine determining the respective weight value for each ad that is associated with a respective weight value, wherein the client-side machine uses a weight rule contained in the ad control file associated with the ad so as to determine the weight value associated with the ad, and wherein the weight rule of at least one of the ad control files comprises an equation for calculating a weight value that increases proportionately to time passed;

the client-side machine maintaining a trigger table that includes at least one trigger parameter added to the trigger table from the ad control files, wherein each trigger parameter of the trigger table is associated with one or more ads of the plurality of ads; and

the client-side machine updating a parameter, checking the trigger table to determine if the updated parameter is a trigger parameter for any ad of the plurality of ads, and if so, re-evaluating the placement value of each ad of the plurality of ads, and thereafter the client-side machine re-evaluating the order of the plurality of ads to determine a next ad to be displayed,

wherein the order of the plurality of ads is indicated by a data structure, and

wherein the client-side machine re-evaluating the order of the plurality of ads includes (i) for each of the at least one of the ads associated with a respective weight value, the client-side machine multiplying the re-evaluated placement value associated with that ad by the weight value associated with that ad so as to determine a weighted placement value for that ad, and (ii) the client-side machine placing each ad associated with a weight value on the data structure in accordance with the weighted placement value for that ad.

2. The method of claim 1,

wherein re-evaluating the order of the plurality of ads includes re-ordering the data structure, and

wherein the data structure contains pointers to ads of the plurality of ads.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein re-evaluating the order of the plurality of ads further includes evaluating an interpreted placement rule for at least some of the ads.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the client-side machine is a video replay system.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the next ad to be displayed is an ad at the top of the data structure after re-evaluating the order of the plurality of ads.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the next ad to be displayed is a full-page ad.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the next ad to be displayed is a banner ad.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the next ad to be displayed is an ad displayable in a predetermined location on a display device.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein each ad of the plurality of ads has an associated rule set containing a placement rule and at least one local parameter value.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one ad of the plurality of ads has an associated placement rule.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one ad of the plurality of ads has an associated expiration rule.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving an ad request from a requesting application; and

in response to receiving the ad request, sending to the requesting application the determined next ad to be displayed.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein receiving the ad request includes receiving the ad request asynchronously to receiving a notification of a change of viewing context in the client-side machine.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the change of viewing context in the client-side machine reflects a change in a video stream being provided by the client-side machine.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the change of viewing context in the client-side machine includes a channel change.

16. The method of claim 12, wherein sending the determined next ad to be displayed includes sending an ad on the top of the data structure.

17. The method of claim 12, wherein sending the determined next ad to be displayed includes sending a next ad having a highest weighted placement value in accordance with a placement rule and a weight rule of the ad.

18. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

re-evaluating the ordering of the plurality of ads after an ad is returned in response to the ad request.

19. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

at the client-side machine entering a pause mode to pause currently viewed programming,

wherein sending the determined next ad includes sending the determined next ad when the client-side machine enters the pause mode.

20. The method of claim 1, wherein the data structure is a heap data structure.

21. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one trigger parameter of the trigger table is associated with two or more ads.

22. The method of claim 1, wherein a trigger parameter of the plurality of trigger parameters is selected from the group consisting of (i) a parameter that indicates time of day, (ii) a parameter indicating day of week, (iii) a parameter indicating day of month, (iv) a parameter indicating day of year, and (v) a parameter indicating month of year.

23. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one ad control file of the plurality of ad control files is encoded in XML format.

24. The method of claim 1, wherein each of the ad control files comprises a rule set that describes the ad associated with the ad control file.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein a rule set of a given ad control file comprises a rule for determining an expiration date of the ad associated with the ad control file.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein the rule for determining the expiration date of the ad comprises an equation including a variable time parameter.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein the variable time parameter is specified in epoch seconds.

28. The method of claim 1,

wherein each ad control file includes an ad placement value rule, and

wherein re-evaluating the placement value of each ad is carried out in accordance with the ad placement value rule in the ad control file associated with the ad.

29. The method of claim 1,

wherein each respective weight value for at least one of the ads is a constant weight value.

30. The method of claim 1, wherein the equation for calculating the weight value comprises a variable time parameter.

31. The method of claim 30, wherein the variable time parameter is specified in epoch seconds.

32. A method of displaying an ad on a client-side machine, comprising:

storing a plurality of ads on the client-side machine, wherein each of the ads is associated with a respective placement value, and wherein at least one of the ads is associated with a respective weight value;

the client-side machine receiving from a remote server a plurality of ad control files, wherein each of the ad control files is associated with a respective ad of the plurality of ads, and wherein at least one of the ad control files includes a trigger parameter;

the client-side machine determining the respective weight value for each ad that is associated with a respective weight value, wherein the client-side machine uses a weight rule contained in the ad control file associated with the ad so as to determine the weight value associated with the ad, and wherein the weight rule of at least one of the ad control files comprises an equation for calculating a weight value that increases proportionately to time passed;

the client-side machine maintaining a trigger table that includes at least one trigger parameter added to the trigger table from the ad control files, wherein each trigger parameter of the trigger table is associated with one or more ads of the plurality of ads; and

the client-side machine updating a parameter, checking the trigger table to determine if the updated parameter is a trigger parameter for any ad of the plurality of ads, and if so, re-evaluating the placement value of each ad of the plurality of ads, and thereafter

the client-side machine re-evaluating an order of the plurality of ads so as to determine a next ad to be displayed; and

displaying the next ad to be displayed when the client-side machine encounters an ad display opportunity,

wherein the order of the plurality of ads is indicated by a data structure, and

wherein the client-side machine re-evaluating the order of the ads includes;

(i) for each of the at least one of the ads associated with a respective weight value, the client-side machine multiplying the re-evaluated placement value associated with that ad by the weight value associated with that ad so as to determine a weighted placement value for that ad, and (ii) the client-side machine placing each ad associated with a weight value on the data structure in accordance with the weighted placement value for that ad.

33. The method of claim 32, wherein the ad display opportunity occurs when a user pauses a currently viewed program.

34. The method of claim 32, wherein the data structure is a heap data structure.

35. The method of claim 32, further comprising:

after displaying the next ad to be displayed, logging information at the client-side machine, wherein the logged information indicates that next ad to be displayed has been displayed, and

passing the logged information from the client-side machine to a server that provided the plurality of ads to the client-side machine.

36. The method of claim 32,

wherein each ad control file includes an ad placement value rule, and

wherein re-evaluating the placement value of each ad is carried out in accordance with the ad placement value rule in the ad control file associated with the ad.

37. The method of claim 32, wherein the client-side machine receives the plurality of ads from the remote server.

38. The method of claim 32,

wherein each respective weight value for at least one of the ads is a constant weight value.

39. The method of claim 32, wherein the equation for calculating the weight value comprises a variable time parameter.

40. The method of claim 39, wherein the variable time parameter is specified in epoch seconds.