System and method for internet TV and broadcast advertisements

• US 9,003,439 B2
• Filed: 05/29/2014
• Issued: 04/07/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 11/27/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.), Sony Electronics Inc. (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.), Sony Electronics Inc. (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: DaCosta, Behram Mario
• Primary Examiner(s): Goodarzi, Nasser
• Assistant Examiner(s): NGUYEN, AN V
• Application Number:
  US14/290,636
• Publication Number:
  US 20140282635A1
• Time in Patent Office: 313 Days
• Field of Search: 725/2, 725/32, 725/34, 725/35, 725/36, 725/51, 705/14.52, 705/26.1, 705/26, 705/7
• US Class Current: 725/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/10 Arrangements for replacing or switching information during the broadcast or the distribution
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/45 for identifying users
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/51 of receiving stations
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/63 for services of sales data processing systems or methods specially adapted for electronic commerce G06Q30/00
• 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 21/25435 involving characteristics of content or additional data, e.g. video resolution or the amount of advertising
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2547 Third Party Billing, e.g. billing of advertiser
• 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 21/2665 Gathering content from different sources, e.g. Internet and satellite
• 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 21/4667 Processing of monitored end-user data, e.g. trend analysis based on the log file of viewer selections
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6125 involving transmission via Internet transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/163 by receiver means only

Abstract

A system and method for providing targeted advertising messages to a user, in particular users viewing Internal TV or broadcast programs. Advertising data files from one or more advertising entities are stored in a centralized location, such as a server or similar platform. Data relating to the user is acquired from the user'"'"'s device settings and/or identification, so that a targeted advertising message may be selected from one of the stored advertising data files. The content data is transmitted to the user, the data having a cue for insertion of the selected targeted advertising message prior to or after the content file has been transferred.

Claims

1. A method for providing targeted advertising messages to a user, comprising:

storing a plurality of advertising data files from one or more advertising entities within a database associated with an advertising data service;

acquiring user data relating to the user within said database of said advertising data service;

selecting a targeted advertising message from one of the stored advertising data files as a function of the acquired user data and in response to which advertiser has agreed to the highest payment;

transmitting content data to an internet content provider for being directed to the user;

executing a fee payment from said advertising data service to said internet content provider in response to inclusion of said targeted advertising message to the user;

said content data is configured with a cue for insertion of data relating to the selected targeted advertising message; and

insertion of said advertising message into said content data being output to the user;

receiving a fee payment from said one or more advertising entities to said advertising data service in response to the fee payment made to said internet content provider for providing the targeted advertising message that is viewed by the user.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of advertising data files are stored in a centralized location.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein transmitting content data comprises transmitting an Internet TV program from an internet content provider.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein transmitting content data comprises transmitting a broadcast program to a set top box of the user.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein acquiring user data relating to the user comprises acquiring demographic data about the user.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the demographic data is acquired from a device used by the user for obtaining said content.

7. The system of claim 5:

wherein said user data comprises demographic data collected from the user; and

wherein said demographic data is used for selection of the advertising data file.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the insertion of data relating to the selected targeted advertising message is performed prior to transmission of said content to the user.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the insertion of data relating to the selected targeted advertising message is performed after transmission of said content to the user.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

storing data relating to one or more advertiser preferences;

wherein the advertiser preferences are used in the selection of the targeted advertising message.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein content is transmitted to the user through one of a plurality of content providers.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

storing data relating to one or more content providers;

wherein the data relating to one or more content providers is used in the selection of the targeted advertising message.

13. A system for providing targeted advertising messages to a user, comprising:

a database, within an advertising data service, comprising a plurality of advertising data files from one or more advertising entities; and

a network connection linking the database with a plurality of internet content providers;

wherein said advertising data service is configured for selecting an advertising message targeting a specific targeted user in response to a determination of an advertiser payment being made;

wherein said advertiser payment is in the form of negotiating a fee from multiple content sources capable of supplying content requested by the specific user;

wherein the negotiated fee takes into account the value of the viewer to said one or more advertising entities;

wherein said advertising data service is configured for transmitting one or more of the advertising data files through the internet content provider to a targeted user seeking transmission of content from one of the plurality of content providers; and

wherein said advertising data service is configured for executing a fee payment to the internet content provider, and receiving a fee payment from said one or more advertising entities in response to inclusion of said targeted advertising message within the transmitted content viewed by the user.

14. The system of claim 13:

wherein the database also comprises user data relating to one or more users; and

wherein said user data is used for selection of the advertising data file.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein the advertising data file is configured to be inserted at a cued location in the transmitted content.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the advertising data file is configured to be inserted at the cued location in the transmitted content prior to transmission of said content to the user.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein the advertising data file is configured to be inserted at the cued location in the transmitted content after transmission of said content to the user.

18. The system of claim 13:

wherein the database also comprises advertiser data relating to the plurality of advertisers; and

wherein said advertiser data is used for selection of the advertising data file.

19. The system of claim 13:

wherein the database also comprises content provider data relating to the plurality of content providers; and

wherein said content provider data is used for selection of the advertising data file.

20. A method for providing content to a viewer of content via a receiving device, comprising:

acquiring viewer data, relating to the viewer, from the receiving device into a database for an advertising data service;

identifying one or more sources of a content item selected by the viewer;

selecting an advertising message targeting the viewer in response to a determination of advertiser payment;

selecting a source for the content item as a function of the acquired viewer data and negotiating a fee from multiple content sources capable of supplying the content;

wherein the negotiated fee takes into account the value of the viewer to one or more advertising entities;

downloading the content item to the viewer; and

executing a fee payment from an advertising data service to the content source, and receiving a fee payment from said one or more advertising entities to the advertising data service, in response to inclusion of said targeted advertising message within the downloaded content item received by the viewer.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein acquiring viewer data comprises identifying the viewer'"'"'s receiving device, and retrieving viewer data stored on the receiving device.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein acquiring viewer data further comprises determining the geographic location of the viewer.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein acquiring viewer data further comprises obtaining a viewing history of the viewer.

24. The method of claim 20, wherein selecting a source for the content item comprises negotiating the best pay-per-view rate from the one or more sources.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein the pay-per-view rate is a function of the value of the viewer to an advertiser, as obtained from the acquired viewer data.

26. The method of claim 20, wherein downloading the content item comprises:

selecting an advertising data file for insertion at a cued location in the content item; and

downloading the advertising file and content item to the viewer.