Grouping advertisement subavails

• US 8,677,401 B2
• Filed: 12/27/2011
• Issued: 03/18/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/28/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Prime Research Alliance E, LLC
• Original Assignee: Prime Research Alliance E., Inc.
• Inventors: Eldering, Charles A., Flickinger, Gregory C., Blasko, John P.
• Primary Examiner(s): Bui, Kieu Oanh T
• Application Number:
  US13/337,854
• Publication Number:
  US 20120102512A1
• Time in Patent Office: 812 Days
• Field of Search: 725/32, 725 34- 36, 725/42, 725/46
• US Class Current: 725/36
• 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 21/2543 Billing , e.g. for subscription services payment schemes, architectures or protocols G06Q20/00; e-commerce G06Q30/00; arrangements for billing for the use of broadcast information or broadcast-related information H04H60/21
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25883 being end-user demographical data, e.g. age, family status or address arrangements for identifying locations of users in broadcast systems H04H60/52
• 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 21/262 Content or additional data distribution scheduling, e.g. sending additional data at off-peak times, updating software modules, calculating the carousel transmission frequency, delaying a video stream transmission, generating play-lists scheduling strategies for dispatcher in multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/4881; arrangements for scheduling broadcast services or broadcast-related services H04H60/06; flow control in packet networks H04L47/10; establishing a time schedule or organising the servicing of application requests H04L67/62
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2668 Creating a channel for a dedicated end-user group, e.g. insertion of targeted commercials based on end-user profiles information retrieval from the Internet by querying with filtering and personalisation G06F16/9535; arrangements for replacing or switching information during the broadcast H04H20/10; push services over packet-switching network H04L12/1859; adaptation of message content in packet-switching networks H04L51/063
• 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 21/6582 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 21/84 Generation or processing of descriptive data, e.g. content descriptors systems specially adapted for using meta-information in broadcast systems H04H60/73
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

Method and system for creating one or more advertising avail sections (subavails) and thereupon aggregating the subavails to form one or more groups of subavails. The advertisement opportunities (avails) may be divided into sections (subavails) with each section being directed at a particular target audience (group). The subavails are then aggregated into one or more groups of subavails so that the groups of subavails can be sold to the advertisers. The grouping of subavails is generally based on a correlation wherein the subavails are characterized based on one or more characteristics. The groups of subavails are formed based on one or more shared characteristics. The advertiser has an option to buy a group of subavails (rather than an avail in prior art), whereby the advertiser may reach a targeted group of an audience.

Claims

1. In a television network environment, the television network environment being a cable-based system, a satellite-based system or a switched digital video system, a method of managing advertisement opportunities, the method comprising:

recognizing one or more advertisement opportunities (avails) in a programming stream wherein each avail includes a time duration, bandwidth characteristics and a program linked to the avail;

creating a plurality of addressable units (subavails) from the recognized avails, wherein each recognized avail is virtually partitioned into the plurality of addressable units (subavails) such that each subavail includes one or more of a subscriber size and a statistical distribution of demographic factors, and is directed at a particular target audience group; and

aggregating the subavails to generate one or more groups of subavails.

2. The method of claim 1, further includes selling the groups of subavails to one or more prospective advertisers.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprises:

receiving one or more bids for each group of subavails; and

selling the group of subavails to the highest bidder.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

gathering one or more subscriber characteristics of the target audience group; and

correlating the subscriber characteristics to the groups of subavails.

5. The method of claim 4, further includes determining pricing for the groups of subavails based on the correlation.

6. The method of claim 5, further includes selling the groups of subavails based on the determined pricing.

7. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

transmitting the correlation results to one or more prospective advertisers;

receiving one or more bids for each group of subavails; and

selling the group of subavails to the highest bidder.

8. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

receiving information about one or more advertisements to be placed in the subavails;

characterizing the advertisements; and

correlating the advertisements and the subscriber groups, whereby the advertisements are inserted in the subavails based on the correlation.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the subavails are grouped by combining a plurality of subavails across different channels.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the subavails are gathered from the same channel.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the subavails are grouped by combining a plurality of time-sequenced subavails.