Meta channel media system control and advertisement technology

• US 8,990,852 B2
• Filed: 05/12/2014
• Issued: 03/24/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 02/05/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: PurpleComm Incorporated
• Original Assignee: PurpleComm Incorporated
• Inventors: Chang, Jack H., Sheu, William H., Tuan, Sherman
• Primary Examiner(s): Chin, Ricky
• Application Number:
  US14/275,504
• Publication Number:
  US 20140250459A1
• Time in Patent Office: 316 Days
• Field of Search: 725 32- 36
• US Class Current: 725/34
• 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 21/2668 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 21/435 Processing of additional data, e.g. decrypting of additional data, reconstructing software from modules extracted from the transport stream
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44016 involving splicing one content stream with another content stream, e.g. for substituting a video clip
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44204 Monitoring of content usage, e.g. the number of times a movie has been viewed, copied or the amount which has been watched monitoring of user activities for profile generation for accessing a video database G06F16/739; protecting generic digital content where the protection is independent of the precise nature of the content G06F21/10; arrangements for monitoring the use made of the broadcast services in broadcast systems H04H60/31
• 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 21/4622 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 21/4755 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 21/4821 using a grid, e.g. sorted out by channel and broadcast time
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

Media system control technology, in which an advertisement on a selected content channel being experienced by a user using a media system is detected, advertisement preferences of the user are accessed from electronic storage, and secondary content is selected based on the accessed advertisement preferences of the user. The secondary content is substituted for the advertisement on the selected content channel, and the media system is controlled to output the secondary content instead of the advertisement.

Claims

1. A method of controlling a media system in handling advertisements, the method comprising:

controlling a media system to output secondary content based on advertisement programming being detected on a selected content channel being experienced by a user using a media system;

monitoring for completion of the detected advertisement programming on the selected content channel;

accessing an advertisement return preferences profile of the user, the advertisement return preferences profile of the user being defined based on user input supplied by the user, the user input supplied by the user being a selection from among options including;

a first option to indicate a preference to return to the selected content channel upon completion of the detected advertisement programming,

a second option to indicate a preference to maintain presentation of a secondary content channel until an advertisement is detected on the secondary content channel, and

a third option to indicate a preference to maintain presentation of a secondary content channel and to provide a notification to the user that the detected advertisement programming on the selected content channel has completed; and

in response to identifying completion of the detected advertisement programming on the selected content channel based on the monitoring, controlling the media system based on the advertisement return preferences profile of the user.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein controlling the media system based on the advertisement return preferences profile of the user comprises:

determining, from the advertisement return preferences profile, that the user has selected the first option; and

based on the determination that the user has selected the first option, controlling the media system to return to the selected content channel and to render content defined by the selected content channel in response to identifying completion of the detected advertisement programming on the selected content channel.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein controlling the media system based on the advertisement return preferences profile of the user comprises:

determining, from the advertisement return preferences profile, that the user has selected the second option; and

based on the determination that the user has selected the second option, controlling the media system to maintain a secondary content channel providing the secondary content until detection of advertisement programming on the secondary content channel.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

in response to detection of advertisement programming on the secondary content channel, controlling the media system to return to the selected content channel and to render content defined by the selected content channel.

5. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

in response to detection of advertisement programming on the secondary content channel, accessing, from the advertisement return preferences profile, a content channel priority list that ranks alternative content channels to provide when advertisements are detected;

selecting a return content channel that is ranked highest on the content channel priority list and that is determined to be providing non-advertisement programming upon detection of the advertisement programming on the secondary content channel; and

controlling the media system to render content defined by the return content channel.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein selecting the return content channel that is ranked highest on the content channel priority list and that is determined to be providing non-advertisement programming upon detection of the advertisement on the secondary content channel comprises selecting a return content channel that is different than the selected content channel.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein controlling the media system based on the advertisement return preferences profile of the user comprises:

determining, from the advertisement return preferences profile, that the user has selected the third option; and

based on the determination that the user has selected the third option, controlling the media system to maintain a secondary content channel providing the secondary content, and controlling the media system to provide a notification to the user indicating that the detected advertisement programming on the selected content channel has completed.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

controlling display of an interface that is configured to receive user selection of one advertisement return preference option from among options including;

the first option that indicates a preference to return to the selected content channel upon completion of the detected advertisement programming,

the second option that indicates a preference to maintain presentation of a secondary content channel until an advertisement is detected on the secondary content channel, and

the third option that indicates a preference to maintain presentation of a secondary content channel and to provide a notification to the user that the detected advertisement programming on the selected content channel has completed;

receiving, based on the interface and from the user, selection of an advertisement return preference option from among the options displayed in the interface; and

defining the advertisement return preferences profile of the user based on the advertisement return preference option selected from among the options displayed in the interface.

9. A system comprising:

at least one electronic storage device configured to store advertisement return preferences of a user; and

at least one processor configured to perform operations comprising;

controlling a media system to output secondary content based on advertisement programming being detected on a selected content channel being experienced by a user using a media system;

monitoring for completion of the detected advertisement programming on the selected content channel;

accessing, from the at least one electronic storage device, an advertisement return preferences profile of the user, the advertisement return preferences profile of the user being defined based on user input supplied by the user, the user input supplied by the user being a selection from among options including;

a first option to indicate a preference to return to the selected content channel upon completion of the detected advertisement programming,

a second option to indicate a preference to maintain presentation of a secondary content channel until an advertisement is detected on the secondary content channel, and

a third option to indicate a preference to maintain presentation of a secondary content channel and to provide a notification to the user that the detected advertisement programming on the selected content channel has completed; and

in response to identifying completion of the detected advertisement programming on the selected content channel based on the monitoring, controlling the media system based on the advertisement return preferences profile of the user.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein controlling the media system based on the advertisement return preferences profile of the user comprises:

determining, from the advertisement return preferences profile, that the user has selected the first option; and

based on the determination that the user has selected the first option, controlling the media system to return to the selected content channel and to render content defined by the selected content channel in response to identifying completion of the detected advertisement programming on the selected content channel.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein controlling the media system based on the advertisement return preferences profile of the user comprises:

determining, from the advertisement return preferences profile, that the user has selected the second option; and

based on the determination that the user has selected the second option, controlling the media system to maintain a secondary content channel providing the secondary content until detection of advertisement programming on the secondary content channel.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the operations further comprise:

in response to detection of advertisement programming on the secondary content channel, controlling the media system to return to the selected content channel and to render content defined by the selected content channel.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the operations further comprise:

in response to detection of advertisement programming on the secondary content channel, accessing, from the advertisement return preferences profile, a content channel priority list that ranks alternative content channels to provide when advertisements are detected;

selecting a return content channel that is ranked highest on the content channel priority list and that is determined to be providing non-advertisement programming upon detection of the advertisement programming on the secondary content channel; and

controlling the media system to render content defined by the return content channel.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein selecting the return content channel that is ranked highest on the content channel priority list and that is determined to be providing non-advertisement programming upon detection of the advertisement on the secondary content channel comprises selecting a return content channel that is different than the selected content channel.

15. The system of claim 9, wherein controlling the media system based on the advertisement return preferences profile of the user comprises:

determining, from the advertisement return preferences profile, that the user has selected the third option; and

based on the determination that the user has selected the third option, controlling the media system to maintain a secondary content channel providing the secondary content, and controlling the media system to provide a notification to the user indicating that the detected advertisement programming on the selected content channel has completed.

16. The system of claim 9, wherein the operations further comprise:

controlling display of an interface that is configured to receive user selection of one advertisement return preference option from among options including;

the first option that indicates a preference to return to the selected content channel upon completion of the detected advertisement programming,

the second option that indicates a preference to maintain presentation of a secondary content channel until an advertisement is detected on the secondary content channel, and

the third option that indicates a preference to maintain presentation of a secondary content channel and to provide a notification to the user that the detected advertisement programming on the selected content channel has completed;

receiving, based on the interface and from the user, selection of an advertisement return preference option from among the options displayed in the interface; and

defining the advertisement return preferences profile of the user based on the advertisement return preference option selected from among the options displayed in the interface.