Method for enhancing digital video recorder television advertising viewership

• US 8,645,989 B2
• Filed: 08/11/2009
• Issued: 02/04/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/21/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: TiVo Solutions Inc. (Adeia Inc.)
• Original Assignee: TiVo Inc. (Adeia Inc.)
• Inventors: Barton, James M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Sheleheda, James R
• Application Number:
  US12/539,505
• Publication Number:
  US 20090297122A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,638 Days
• Field of Search: 725/32, 725/40, 386/249
• US Class Current: 725/32
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/735 Filtering based on additional data, e.g. user or group profiles
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/7867 using information manually generated, e.g. tags, keywords, comments, title and artist information, manually generated time, location and usage information, user ratings
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/20 Disc-shaped record carriers
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/105 of operating discs
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/34 Indicating arrangements indicating means incorporated in magazine or cassette G11B23/046 and G11B23/0875; indicating measured values in general G01D
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/252 Processing of multiple end-users' preferences to derive collaborative 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 21/4316 for displaying supplemental content in a region of the screen, e.g. an advertisement in a separate window
• 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 21/44222 Analytics of user selections, e.g. selection of programs or purchase activity monitoring of user selections in data processing systems G06F11/34; arrangements for monitoring the user's behaviour or opinions in broadcast systems H04H60/33
• 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 21/466 Learning process for intelligent management, e.g. learning user preferences for recommending movies services using the results of monitoring in broadcast systems H04H60/61
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4663 involving probabilistic networks, e.g. Bayesian networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47 End-user applications
• 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 21/4756 for rating content, e.g. scoring a recommended movie
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/478 Supplemental services, e.g. displaying phone caller identification, shopping application
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4826 using recommendation lists, e.g. of programs or channels sorted out according to their score
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4828 : for searching program descriptors retrieval of video data G06F16/739
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/485 : End-user interface for client configuration
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8166 : involving executable data, e.g. software arrangements for executing specific programs G06F9/44; broadcasting computer programmes in broadcast systems H04H20/91; involving the movement of software or configuration parameters H04L67/34
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/76 : Television signal recording
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/782 : on tape
• 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 7/17354 : in an intermediate station common to a plurality of user terminals

Abstract

A method for enhancing digital video recorder television advertising viewership provides a method wherein the first or last number of seconds of a commercial break are carefully authored to provide a “teaser” to entice the viewer to watch multiple commercials during the commercial break instead of skipping the commercial break using the fast forward or jump functions of the DVR. A bookending function displays an advertisement before and/or after a program that has been recorded on the DVR'"'"'s storage device is played to the viewer. The viewer selects a recorded program from the DVR'"'"'s storage device to playback. Before the program is played back, an advertisement is retrieved from the storage device and is displayed before the program is run. Another advertisement is retrieved and then played after the program is over.

Claims

1. A method for enhancing viewership of television, comprising:

receiving, by a digital video recorder (DVR), a program segment containing a beginning portion of a commercial at a beginning of a commercial break;

during playback of the program segment;

identifying an in-band tag in the program segment, the in-band tag including information that identifies commercials in the commercial break, and

displaying the beginning portion of the commercial contained in the program segment;

based, at least in part, on information from the in-band tag in the program segment, automatically pausing playing of the program segment, by the DVR, after displaying the beginning portion of the commercial; and

in response to a command from a viewer, performing, at the DVR, at least one of;

playing the remainder of the commercial; and

skipping the remainder of the commercial.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

in response to a command from the viewer to skip the remainder of the commercial, displaying a beginning portion of a second commercial contained in the program segment;

pausing playing of the program segment after displaying the beginning portion of the second commercial.

3. The method of claim 2 further comprising:

in response to a second command from the viewer, performing, at the DVR, at least one of;

playing the remainder of the second commercial; and

skipping the remainder of the second commercial.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein a beginning portion of a commercial introduces the commercial.

5. An apparatus, comprising:

one or more processors;

a receiving subsystem in a digital video recorder (DVR) that receives a program segment containing a beginning portion of a commercial at a beginning of a commercial break;

the one or more processors identify, during playback of the program segment, an in-band tag in the program segment, the in-band tag including information that identifies commercials in the commercial break;

a displaying subsystem that displays, during playback of the program segment, the beginning portion of the commercial contained in the program segment;

the one or more processors automatically pause, based, at least in part, on information from the in-band tag in the program segment, playing of the program segment after displaying the beginning portion of the commercial; and

the one or more processors, responsive to a command from a viewer, perform at least one of;

playing the remainder of the commercial; and

skipping the remainder of the commercial.

6. The apparatus of claim 5 further comprising:

the displaying subsystem displays, responsive to a command from the viewer to skip the remainder of the commercial, a beginning portion of a second commercial contained in the program segment;

the one or more processors pause playing of the program segment after displaying the beginning portion of the second commercial.

7. The apparatus of claim 6 further comprising:

the one or more processors perform, responsive to a second command from the viewer, at least one of;

playing the remainder of the second commercial; and

skipping the remainder of the second commercial.

8. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein a beginning portion of a commercial introduces the commercial.

9. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing one or more sequences of instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, causes the one or more processors perform the steps of:

receiving, by a digital video recorder (DVR), a program segment containing a beginning portion of a commercial at a beginning of a commercial break;

during playback of the program segment;

identifying an in-band tag in the program segment, the in-band tag including information that identifies commercials in the commercial break, and

displaying the beginning portion of the commercial contained in the program segment;

based, at least in part, on information from the in-band tag in the program segment, automatically pausing playing of the program segment, by the DVR, after displaying the beginning portion of the commercial; and

in response to a command from a viewer, performing, at the DVR, at least one of;

playing the remainder of the commercial; and

skipping the remainder of the commercial.

10. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 9 further comprising:

in response to a command from the viewer to skip the remainder of the commercial, displaying a beginning portion of a second commercial contained in the program segment;

pausing playing of the program segment after displaying the beginning portion of the second commercial.

11. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 10 further comprising:

in response to a second command from the viewer, performing, at the DVR, at least one of;

playing the remainder of the second commercial; and

skipping the remainder of the second commercial.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 9, wherein a beginning portion of a commercial introduces the commercial.

13. A method for enhancing viewership of television advertisements, comprising:

receiving, by a digital video recorder (DVR), a program segment containing a commercial break that includes a plurality of commercials, at least one commercial of the plurality of commercials having a corresponding introductory portion that immediately precedes, in the program segment, the at least one commercial;

the content of an introductory portion relating to the content of a corresponding commercial;

the introductory portion comprising a multi-frame video that introduces the corresponding commercial;

identifying the plurality of commercials from information included in an in-band tag in the program segment;

during playback of the program segment, displaying a first introductory portion associated with a first commercial of the plurality of commercials identified from information included in the in-band tag;

pausing playing of the program segment after displaying the first introductory portion;

subsequent to pausing playing the program segment, displaying a second introductory portion associated with a second commercial of the plurality of commercials identified from information included in the in-band tag; and

pausing playing of the program segment after displaying the second introductory portion.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising performing, at the DVR in response to a command from a viewer, at least one of:

playing the second commercial associated with the second introductory portion; and

skipping the second commercial associated with the second introductory portion.

15. An apparatus, comprising:

one or more processors;

a receiving subsystem in a digital video recorder (DVR) that receives a program segment containing a commercial break that includes a plurality of commercials, at least one commercial of the plurality of commercials having a corresponding introductory portion that immediately precedes, in the program segment, the at least one commercial;

the content of an introductory portion relating to the content of a corresponding commercial;

the introductory portion comprising a multi-frame video that introduces the corresponding commercial;

the one or more processors identify the plurality of commercials from information included in an in-band tag in the program segment;

a displaying subsystem that displays, during playback of the program segment, a first introductory portion associated with a first commercial of the plurality of commercials identified from information included in the in-band tag;

the one or more processors pause playing of the program segment after displaying the first introductory portion;

the displaying subsystem displays, subsequent to pausing playing the program segment, a second introductory portion associated with a second commercial of the plurality of commercials identified from information included in the in-band tag; and

the one or more processors pause playing of the program segment after displaying the second introductory portion.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, further comprising the one or more processors perform, in response to a command from a viewer, at least one of:

playing the second commercial associated with the second introductory portion; and

skipping the second commercial associated with the second introductory portion.

17. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing one or more sequences of instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, causes the one or more processors perform the steps of:

receiving, by a digital video recorder (DVR), a program segment containing a commercial break that includes a plurality of commercials, at least one commercial of the plurality of commercials having a corresponding introductory portion that immediately precedes, in the program segment, the at least one commercial;

the content of an introductory portion relating to the content of a corresponding commercial;

the introductory portion comprising a multi-frame video that introduces the corresponding commercial;

identifying the plurality of commercials from information included in an in-band tag in the program segment;

during playback of the program segment, displaying a first introductory portion associated with a first commercial of the plurality of commercials identified from information included in the in-band tag;

pausing playing of the program segment after displaying the first introductory portion;

subsequent to pausing playing the program segment, displaying a second introductory portion associated with a second commercial of the plurality of commercials identified from information included in the in-band tag; and

pausing playing of the program segment after displaying the second introductory portion.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 17, further comprising performing, at the DVR in response to a command from a viewer, at least one of:

playing the second commercial associated with the second introductory portion; and

skipping the second commercial associated with the second introductory portion.