Personalized broadcast system

• US 8,990,850 B2
• Filed: 12/20/2013
• Issued: 03/24/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 09/28/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Qurio Holdings Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Qurio Holdings Incorporated
• Inventors: Evans, Gregory M., Evans, James, Walsh, Richard J.
• Primary Examiner(s): CORBO, NICHOLAS T
• Application Number:
  US14/136,553
• Publication Number:
  US 20140109136A1
• Time in Patent Office: 459 Days
• Field of Search: 725/32, 725119-120, 725/131
• US Class Current: 725/32
• 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 21/2668 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 21/4532 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 21/4755 for defining user preferences, e.g. favourite actors or genre retrieval personalisation and generation of user profiles for the retrieval of video data G06F16/739; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306
• 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 2201/3246 of data relating to permitted access or usage, e.g. level of access or usage parameters for digital rights management [DRM] related to still images

Abstract

A system and method for providing personal broadcast channels are provided. In one embodiment, one or more users interact with a local broadcast agent hosted by a local server to define profiles for a number of personal broadcast channels. The profiles include information identifying types of content to be broadcast on the personal broadcast channels and optionally formats for the personal broadcast channels. Based on the profiles for the personal broadcast channels, the local broadcast agent generates a request for content types desired for the personal broadcast channels and provides the request to a content distribution agent hosted by a master server. Based on content provided to the local server in response to the request and the profiles of the personal broadcast channels, the local broadcast agent generates the local broadcast channels.

Claims

1. A method for implementing a media server comprising:

receiving a plurality of profiles associated with users of the media server, wherein the plurality of profiles are defined by input received from the users;

storing the plurality of profiles in a first database residing on the media server;

identifying types of desired content based on the plurality of profiles;

sending a request to a first entity for identified types of the desired content, the request indicating relative amounts of the identified types of the desired content;

receiving from the first entity, content and content metadata based on the plurality of profiles from a remote content database;

receiving from the first entity, advertisements and advertisement metadata based on the plurality of profiles from a remote advertisement database;

storing the content and content metadata in a second database residing on the media server;

storing the advertisement and advertisement metadata in a third database residing on the media server;

selecting a first content item based on a first user profile of the plurality of profiles and the content metadata;

determining a first advertisement slot in the first content item;

selecting a first advertisement based on the first user profile and the advertisement metadata;

inserting the first advertisement into the first advertisement slot; and

streaming the first content item with the inserted first advertisement to a user device associated with the first user profile.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first entity is a master server that distributes the content and the advertisements.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the media server communicates with the first entity via a wide area network (WAN).

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the media server communicates with the user device second entity via a local area network (LAN).

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the content is defined based on at least one type of metadata selected from a group consisting of:

content type, genre, sub-genre, time period of release, series title, actors or actresses appearing in the content, and director of the content.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the content is video content.

7. A hardware media server comprising:

a first database;

a second database;

a third database; and

a hardware local agent communicatively coupled with the first database, the second database, and the third database, the hardware local agent configured to;

receive a plurality of profiles associated with users of the hardware media server, wherein the plurality of profiles are defined by input received from the users;

store the plurality of profiles in the first database;

identify types of desired content based on the plurality of profiles;

send a request to a first entity for identified types of the desired content, the request indicating relative amounts of the identified types of the desired content;

receive from the first entity, content and content metadata based on the plurality of profiles from a remote content database;

receive from the first entity, advertisements and advertisement metadata based on the plurality of profiles from a remote advertisement database;

store the content and content metadata in the second database;

store the advertisement and advertisement metadata in the third database;

select a first content item based on a first user profile of the plurality of profiles and the content metadata;

determine a first advertisement slot in the first content item;

select a first advertisement based on the first user profile and the advertisement metadata;

insert the first advertisement into the first advertisement slot; and

stream the first content item with the inserted first advertisement to a user device associated with the first user profile.

8. The hardware media server of claim 7, wherein the first entity is a master server that distributes the content and the advertisements.

9. The hardware media server of claim 8, wherein the media server communicates with the first entity via a wide area network (WAN).

10. The hardware media server of claim 7, wherein the media server communicates with the user device via a local area network (LAN).

11. The hardware media server of claim 7, wherein the content is defined based on at least one type of metadata selected from a group consisting of:

content type, genre, sub-genre, time period of release, series title, actors or actresses appearing in the content, and director of the content.

12. The hardware media server of claim 7, wherein the content is video content.