Targeted television advertising based on a profile linked to an online device associated with a content-selecting device

• US 9,071,886 B2
• Filed: 05/30/2013
• Issued: 06/30/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 06/05/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AlmondNet, Inc.
• Original Assignee: AlmondNet, Inc.
• Inventors: Shkedi, Roy
• Primary Examiner(s): HANCE, ROBERT J
• Application Number:
  US13/906,211
• Publication Number:
  US 20130326554A1
• Time in Patent Office: 761 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0261 based on user location
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0269 based on user profile or attribute
• 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 21/25808 Management of client data terminal profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/303
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25825 involving client display capabilities, e.g. screen resolution of a mobile phone optimising the visualisation of content during browsing in the Internet G06F16/9577; processing of terminal status or physical abilities in wireless networks H04W8/22; authentication in wireless network security H04W12/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25841 involving the geographical location of the client retrieval from the Internet by querying based on geographical locations G06F16/9537; arrangements for identifying locations of receiving stations in broadcast systems H04H60/51; location of the user terminal in data switching networks H04L67/52; services making use of the location of users or terminals in wireless networks H04W4/02; locating users or terminals in wireless networks H04W64/00
• 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 21/4516 involving client characteristics, e.g. Set-Top-Box type, software version or amount of memory available
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4524 involving the geographical location of the client retrieval from the Internet by querying based on geographical locations G06F16/9537; systems specially adapted for using geographical information in broadcast systems H04H60/70; protocols in which the network application is adapted for the location of the user terminal in communication control or processing H04L67/52; services making use of the location of users or terminals in wireless networks H04W4/02; locating users or terminals in wireless networks H04W64/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02

Abstract

A profile provider: (i) associates a set of devices (including two or more online devices and possibly a set-top box); and (ii) delivers an advertisement targeted using profile information associated with one of the online devices. The advertisement is presented along with media content. If the media content is viewed using a single-viewer display, then profile information is used that is associated with an online device used to select or receive the media content. If the media content is viewed using a multiple-viewer display, then profile information is used that is associated with an online device used to select, receive, or present the media content or with an online device associated with one or more of those online devices.

Claims

1. A method implemented using a programmed hardware computer system, the method comprising:

(a) using the computer system, selecting, based at least in part on a display type, a user profile from among a set of user profiles that are associated with respective devices of a set of two or more online devices associated with one another based on proxy location, which set includes a content-selecting device, wherein the selected user profile is not associated with the content-selecting device;

(b) using the computer system, causing a television advertisement to be (i) selected, based on the selected user profile, and (ii) directed to a content-receiving device;

(c) wherein the display type of part (a) is the display type of a display used to present the television advertisement in combination with media content selected by the content-selecting device and received by the content-receiving device; and

(d) wherein the device association based on proxy location of part (a) is indicated by stored electronic indicia generated as a result of one or more online devices of the set being estimated to have been at a location shared with the content-selecting device; and

(e) using the computer system, inferring the suitability of the display for viewing by multiple viewers based on screen resolution of the display or if the received media content.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the content-receiving device and the content-selecting device are the same online device.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the causing of part (b) comprises, using the computer system, selecting the television advertisement based on the selected user profile and directing the selected television advertisement to the content-receiving device for presentation in combination with the media content.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the selection of the user profile is based at least in part on an estimate that the corresponding online device is at the proxy location when the received media content is presented.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the selection of the user profile is based at least in part on an identified correlation between the received media content and information in the selected user profile.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising, using the computer system, selecting a second television advertisement, different from the first television advertisement, to be directed to and presented by the content-selecting device or the content-receiving device using a dedicated display thereof during presentation of the received media content using the multiple-viewer display, wherein the second television advertisement is selected based at least in part on information in the user profile associated with the device used to present the second television advertisement.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the stored electronic indicia comprise data generated as a result of the online devices of the set sharing a connection to the Internet at the shared location.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the stored electronic indicia comprise data generated as a result of the online devices of the set sharing an estimated geographic location at the shared location.

9. A machine comprising a hardware computer system structured and programmed to perform a method comprising:

(a) using the computer system, selecting, based at least in part on a display type, a user profile from among a set of user profiles that are associated with respective devices of a set of two or more online devices associated with one another based on proxy location, which set includes a content-selecting device, wherein the selected user profile is not associated with the content-selecting device;

(b) using the computer system, causing a television advertisement to be (i) selected, based on the selected user profile, and (ii) directed to a content-receiving device;

(c) wherein the display type of part (a) is the display type of a display used to present the television advertisement in combination with media content selected by the content-selecting device and received by the content-receiving device; and

(d) wherein the device association based on proxy location of part (a) is indicated by stored electronic indicia generated as a result of one or more online devices of the set being estimated to have been at a location shared with the content-selecting device; and

(e) using the computer system, inferring the suitability of the display for viewing by multiple viewers based on screen resolution of the display or of the received media content.

10. The machine of claim 9 wherein he content-receiving device and the content-selecting device are the same online device.

11. The machine of claim 9 wherein the causing of part (b) comprises, using the computer system, selecting the television advertisement based on the selected user profile and directing the selected television advertisement to the content-receiving device for presentation in combination with the media content.

12. The machine of claim 9 wherein the selection of the user profiled is based at least in part on an estimate that the corresponding online device is at the proxy location when the received media content is presented.

13. The machine of claim 9 wherein he selection of the user profile is based at least in part in an identified correlation between the received media content and information in the selected user profile.

14. The machine of claim 9 further comprising, using the computer system, selecting a second television advertisement, different from the first television advertisement, to be directed to and presented by the content-selecting device or the content-receiving device using a dedicated display thereof during presentation of the received media content using the multiple-viewer display, wherein the second television advertisement is selected based at least in part on information in the user profile associated with the device used to present the second television advertisement.

15. The machine of claim 9 wherein the stored electronic indicia comprise data generated as a result of the online devices of the set sharing a connection to the Internet at the shared location.

16. The machine of claim 9 wherein the stored electronic indicia comprise data generated as a result of the online devices of the set sharing an estimated geographic location at the shared location.

17. An article comprising a tangible medium that is not a transitory propagating signal encoding computer-readable instructions that, when applied to a computer system, instruct the computer system to perform a method comprising:

(a) using the computer system, selecting, based at least in part on a display type, a user profile from among a set of user profiles that are associated with respective devices of a set of two or more online devices associated with one another based on proxy location, which set includes a content-selecting device, wherein the selected user profile is not associated with the content-selecting device;

(b) using the computer system, causing a television advertisement to be (i) selected, based on the selected user profile, and (ii) directed to a content-receiving device;

(c) wherein the display type of part (a) is the display type of a display used to present the television advertisement in combination with media content selected by the content-selecting device and received by the content-receiving device; and

(d) wherein the device association based on proxy location of part (a) is indicated by stored electronic indicia generated as a result of one or more online devices of the set being estimated to have been at a location shared with the content-selecting device; and

(e) using the computer system, inferring the suitability of the display for viewing by multiple viewers based on screen resolution of the display or of the received media content.

18. The article of claim 17 wherein he content-receiving device and the content-selecting device are the same online device.

19. The article of claim 17 wherein the causing of part (b) comprises, using the computer system, selecting the television advertisement based on the selected user profile and directing the selected television advertisement to the content-receiving device for presentation in combination with the media content.

20. The article of claim 17 wherein the selection of the user profile is based at least in part on an estimate that the corresponding online device is at the proxy location when the received media content is presented.

21. The article of claim 17 wherein he selection of the user profile is based at least in part on an identified correlation between the received media content and information in the selected user profile.

22. The article of claim 17 further comprising, using the computer system, selecting a second television advertisement, different from the first television advertisement, to be directed to and presented by the content-selection device or the content-receiving device using a dedicated display thereof during presentation of the received media content using the multiple-viewer display, wherein the second television advertisement is selected based at least in part on information in the user profile associated with the device used to present the second television advertisement.

23. The article of claim 17 wherein the stored electronic indicia comprise data generated as a result of the online devices of the set sharing a connection to the Internet at the shared location.

24. The article of claim 17 wherein the stored electronic indicia comprise data generated as a result of the online devices of the set sharing an estimated geographic location at the shared location.