Synchronizing an advertisement stream with a video source

• US 8,799,951 B1
• Filed: 09/30/2011
• Issued: 08/05/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/07/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Hamilton, Jeffrey William, Plotnikov, Dmitri
• Primary Examiner(s): Zhong, Jun Fei
• Application Number:
  US13/250,912
• Time in Patent Office: 1,040 Days
• Field of Search: 725/9, 725/12, 725/18
• US Class Current: 725/43
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0267 Wireless devices
• 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 21/4126 The peripheral being portable, e.g. PDAs or mobile phones
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44218 Detecting physical presence or behaviour of the user, e.g. using sensors to detect if the user is leaving the room or changes his face expression during a TV program methods or arrangements for recognising human body or animal bodies or body parts G06V40/10; methods or arrangements for acquiring or recognising human faces, facial parts, facial sketches, facial expressions G06V40/16; methods or arrangements for recognising movements or behaviour G06V40/20; arrangements for identifying users in broadcast systems H04H60/45
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02

Abstract

In general, embodiments of the present disclosure are directed to a system for synchronizing an advertisement stream on a mobile device with the contents of a video source that includes audio data. In one example, the method includes receiving a mobile device identifier of a mobile device of the at least one user; receiving a television event identifier from the television platform, wherein the television event identifier is associated with a television event included in the television program content; selecting marketing information associated with the television event based on the television event identifier, wherein the television event identifier and the mobile device identifier are usable by the network server to determine that the television program content is provided to the at least one user associated with the mobile device; and transmitting a message that includes the marketing information from the network server to the mobile device.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

responsive to a television platform detecting that a mobile device is in physical proximity to the television platform based on the television platform periodically requesting a mobile device identifier of the mobile device, receiving, by a network server and from the television platform that manages television program content provided to at least one user, a mobile device identifier of the mobile device associated with the at least one user, wherein the mobile device identifier is at least one of a telephone number and an identifier that uniquely identifies the mobile device, wherein the at least one of the telephone number and the identifier that uniquely identifies the mobile device has been previously received by the television platform in response to the television platform having detected that the mobile device is in physical proximity to the television platform, wherein the television platform is implemented at a television peripheral device that is external to the mobile device;

responsive to the television platform identifying a television event within the television program content based on processing the television program content as the television program content is displayed, receiving, by the network server, a television event identifier from the television platform, wherein the television event identifier is associated with the television event included in the television program content;

determining, by the network server, that the television event identifier associated with the television event corresponds to a television event identifier of a marketing information database, wherein marketing information is associated with the television event identifier of the marketing information database;

selecting, by the network server, the marketing information associated with the television event identifier of the marketing information database, wherein the television event identifier associated with the television event and the mobile device identifier are usable by the network server to determine that the television program content is provided to the at least one user associated with the mobile device; and

using the mobile device identifier received from the television platform to transmit, by the network server, a message that includes the marketing information from the network server to the mobile device identified by the mobile device identifier, such that the marketing information is displayable to the at least one user.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the television event comprises a product placement, trade symbol display, or live performance.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein a product placement comprises a product displayed in the television program content.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the television event comprises the product placement or the live performance, and wherein the method further comprises:

responsive to transmitting the message, receiving, by the network server, a request from the mobile device to purchase a product associated with the product placement or the live performance based on the marketing information.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein the television event comprises the trade symbol display, and wherein the method further comprises:

receiving, by the network server, a request from the mobile device to make a donation associated with the trade symbol display.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the marketing information includes one or more advertisements.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the one or more advertisements comprise audio, video, graphical or sensory content.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the marketing information comprises a price, a product specification, a vendor, or product media.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the mobile device of the at least one user is in physical proximity to the television platform.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the television event identifier associated with the television event further comprises a product name corresponding to the television event, a manufacturer name corresponding to the television event, a timestamp corresponding to the television program content, or a channel identifier corresponding to the television program content.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein transmitting, by the network server, the message that includes the marketing information from the network server to the mobile device further comprises:

determining, by the network server, that the mobile device is identified by the mobile device identifier; and

sending, by the network server, the message to the mobile device.

12. A computer-readable storage device encoded with instructions that cause one or more processors of a computing device to:

responsive to a television platform automatically detected that a mobile device is in physical proximity to the television platform based on the television platform periodically requesting a mobile device identifier of the mobile device, receive, by a network server and from the television platform that manages television program content provided to at least one user, a mobile device identifier of the mobile device associated with the at least one user, wherein the mobile device identifier is at least one of a telephone number and an identifier that uniquely identifies the mobile device, wherein the at least one of the telephone number and the identifier that uniquely identifies the mobile device has been previously received by the television platform in response to the television platform having detected that the mobile device is in physical proximity to the television platform, wherein the television platform is implemented at a television peripheral device that is external to the mobile device;

responsive to the television platform identifying a television event within the television program content based on processing the television program content in real-time as the television program content is displayed, receive, by the network server, a television event identifier generated by the television platform, wherein the television event identifier is associated with the television event included in the television program content;

determine, by the network server and based on data of the television event identifier indicating at least one of a television event context and the television program content, that the television event identifier associated with the television event corresponds to a television event identifier of a marketing information database;

select, by the network server, a portion of most relevant marketing information from marketing information that is associated with the television event identifier of the marketing information database, wherein the television event identifier associated with the television event and the mobile device identifier are usable by the network server to determine that the television program content is provided to the at least one user associated with the mobile device; and

responsive to processing the portion of the most relevant marketing information for display at the mobile device, using the mobile device identifier received from the television platform to transmit, by the network server, a message that includes the portion of the most relevant marketing information from the network server to the mobile device identified by the mobile device identifier, such that the marketing information is displayable to the at least one user.

13. A computing device, comprising:

one or more processors;

a synchronization application operable by the one or more processors to;

responsive to a television platform detecting that a mobile device is in physical proximity to the television platform based on the television platform periodically requesting a mobile device identifier of the mobile device, receive from the television platform a mobile device identifier of the mobile device associated with at least one user, wherein the mobile device identifier is at least one of a telephone number and an identifier that uniquely identifies the mobile device, wherein the at least one of the telephone number and the identifier that uniquely identifies the mobile device has been previously received by the television platform in response to the television platform having detected that the mobile device is in physical proximity to the television platform, wherein the television platform is implemented at a television peripheral device that is external to the mobile device;

responsive to the television platform identifying a television event within the television program content based on processing the television program content in real-time as the television program content is displayed, receive a television event identifier from a television platform, wherein the television event identifier is associated with the television event included in the television program content;

determine that the television event identifier associated with the television event corresponds to a television event identifier of a marketing information database;

select most relevant marketing information from marketing information that is associated with the television event identifier of the marketing information database, wherein the television event identifier associated with the television event and the mobile device identifier are usable by the computing device to determine that the television program content is provided to the at least one user associated with the mobile device; and

using the mobile device identifier received from the television platform to transmit a message that includes the most relevant marketing information from the computing device to the mobile device identified by the mobile device identifier, such that the marketing information is displayable to the at least one user.