Method and apparatus for alternate content scheduling on mobile devices

• US 9,106,941 B2
• Filed: 03/19/2015
• Issued: 08/11/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 07/29/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: GoldSpot Media, Inc. (Japan) (Dentsu Group, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: GoldSpot Media, Inc. (Japan) (Dentsu Group, Inc.)
• Inventors: Dharmaji, Srinivasa
• Primary Examiner(s): CORBO, NICHOLAS T
• Application Number:
  US14/663,159
• Publication Number:
  US 20150195615A1
• Time in Patent Office: 145 Days
• Field of Search: 725 32- 36, 455/404.1, 455/414.1
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 15/02 manually operated with input through keyboard and computation using a built-in program, e.g. pocket calculators
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/106 Receiver-side switching
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/31 Arrangements for monitoring the use made of the broadcast services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5009 Determining service level performance parameters or violations of service level contracts, e.g. violations of agreed response time or mean time between failures [MTBF]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5032 Generating service level reports
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/70 Media network packetisation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/764 at the destination reformatting of additional data in video clients H04N21/4355
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/80 Responding to QoS
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/00 Selective content distribution, e.g. interactive television or video on demand [VOD] real-time bi-directional transmission of motion video data H04N7/14 ; broadcast or conference over packet switching networks H04L12/18
• 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 21/26241 involving the time of distribution, e.g. the best time of the day for inserting an advertisement or airing a children program
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/26258 for generating a list of items to be played back in a given order, e.g. playlist, or scheduling item distribution according to such list retrieval of multimedia data based on playlists G06F16/40
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4126 The peripheral being portable, e.g. PDAs or mobile phones
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/41407 embedded in a portable device, e.g. video client on a mobile phone, PDA, laptop constructional details of equipment or arrangements specially adapted for portable computer application G06F1/1626; arrangements specially adapted for mobile receivers in broadcast systems H04H20/57
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/43072 of multiple content streams on the same device
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4331 Caching operations, e.g. of an advertisement for later insertion during playback
• 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 21/44222 Analytics of user selections, e.g. selection of programs or purchase activity monitoring of user selections in data processing systems G06F11/34; arrangements for monitoring the user's behaviour or opinions in broadcast systems H04H60/33
• 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 21/458 Scheduling content for creating a personalised stream, e.g. by combining a locally stored advertisement with an incoming stream; Updating operations, e.g. for OS modules ; time-related management operations arrangements for replacing or switching information during the broadcast or during the distribution H04H20/10
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6181 : involving transmission via a mobile phone network arrangements for providing broadcast or conference services to substation in data switching networks in combination with wireless systems H04L12/189; wireless uplink channel access H04W74/004
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6543 : for forcing some client operations, e.g. recording remote booting in general G06F9/4416
• 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 7/163 : by receiver means only
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/173 : with two-way working, e.g. subscriber sending a programme selection signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 : Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

Alternate digital content is inserted into mobile devices with a method and apparatus that comprises an alternate content scheduler, an alternate content reporter, and a micro-splicer. The alternate content scheduler further comprises a mobile network interface for interaction with a mobile data and broadcast network, a micro-splicer interface for interfacing with a micro-splicer, a rulebook that is shared with the network which provides the rules for alternate content scheduling, a preference provisioning module comprising an alternate content scheduler library for storing user or network preferences, a scheduler for providing tight synchronization between original program content and alternate content, and a metric recording interface to an alternate content reporter. The micro-splicer works in tandem with the alternate content scheduler to render synchronized display of alternate multimedia content on the mobile device.

Claims

1. An apparatus for inserting, rendering and displaying alternate content on a mobile device, the apparatus comprising:

a buffer configured to hold any of a content stream or alternate content;

a memory configured to store a plurality of digital alternate content, wherein each of the plurality of targeted digital alternate content includes an attribute that specifies whether absolute or relative timing is to be used to synchronize the corresponding digital alternate content with the content stream;

a scheduler configured to evaluate a set of rules for selecting a particular digital alternate content of the plurality of digital alternate content for rendering and display on the mobile device at a particular time, wherein the set of rules are based at least on a value of a second attribute of the particular digital alternate content; and

a switching mechanism that is configured to work in tandem with the scheduler, for;

switching from loading the buffer with the content stream for rendering and display of the content stream;

loading the selected particular digital alternate content for rendering and display; and

when rendering and display of the selected particular digital alternate content is completed, switching back to loading the content stream into the display buffer for rendering and display of the content stream.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the apparatus is configured to receive any of the content stream and the alternate content over a mobile network, wherein the mobile network comprises any of a mobile data network, an IP network, and a Wi-Fi network.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the set of rules includes local rules and global rules.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the apparatus is configured to receive the set of rules over a network.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising

a targeting content library buffer for storing targeting information on the mobile device, the targeting information including any of customer preferences, characteristics, and network provisioning preferences.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, further comprising:

a preference provisioning module coupled to the targeting content library buffer for handling any of the customer preferences, characteristics, or network provisioning preferences.

7. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the network provisioning preferences comprise any of local network preferences and global network preferences.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a reporter module configured to record metrics regarding the stored targeted digital alternate content.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the stored targeted digital alternate content comprises any local digital multimedia content and global digital multimedia content.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the scheduler is configured to rotate among the available stored targeted digital alternate content on the mobile device.

11. A method for inserting digital alternate content into a content stream to be displayed on a mobile device, the method comprising:

storing a plurality of selectively received digital alternate content, each having a plurality of attributes, on the mobile device, wherein a first attribute associated with each digital alternate content specifies whether absolute or relative timing is to be used to synchronize the corresponding digital alternate content with the content stream;

evaluating a set of rules for selecting a particular digital alternate content of the plurality of targeted digital alternate content for display on the mobile device at a particular time, wherein the set of rules are evaluated based on a second attribute associated with the particular digital alternate content;

switching from rendering and displaying the content stream to rendering and displaying the particular digital alternate content at the particular time; and

when the rendering and displaying the particular digital alternate content is completed, switching back to rendering and displaying the content stream.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

pre-storing on the mobile device targeting information including any of customer preferences, characteristics, and network provisioning preferences.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the preferences comprise preferences of the user of the mobile device, or network preferences.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

providing the user preferences through a user interface.

15. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

selectively receiving targeting information using a delivery mechanism.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the delivery mechanism comprises any of HTTP, WAP, and SMS.

17. The method of claim 12, wherein the targeted digital alternate content is selectively received over any of an IP network or a mobile data network.

18. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

rotating among the pre-stored targeted digital content.