Targeted television advertisements selected on the basis of an online user profile and presented with television programs or channels related to that profile

• US 9,226,019 B2
• Filed: 12/09/2013
• Issued: 12/29/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 06/02/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intent IQ, LLC (AlmondNet, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Intent IQ, LLC (AlmondNet, Inc.)
• Inventors: Shkedi, Roy
• Primary Examiner(s): RABOVIANSKI, JIVKA A
• Application Number:
  US14/101,156
• Publication Number:
  US 20140101693A1
• Time in Patent Office: 750 Days
• Field of Search: 725/9, 725/14, 725/19, 725/34, 725/35
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0224 based on user history
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0239 Online discounts or incentives
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0277 Online advertisement
• 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 21/252 Processing of multiple end-users' preferences to derive collaborative data
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25808 Management of client data terminal profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/303
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25866 Management of end-user data customer care in data networks H04L41/5077
• 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 21/25891 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 21/42684 Client identification by a unique number or address, e.g. serial number, MAC address, socket ID network arrangements, protocols or services for addressing or naming H04L61/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4316 for displaying supplemental content in a region of the screen, e.g. an advertisement in a separate window
• 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 21/44224 Monitoring of user activity on external systems, e.g. Internet browsing
• 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 21/47 End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47815 Electronic shopping payment schemes, payment architectures or payment protocols for electronic shopping systems G06Q20/12
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4782 Web browsing , e.g. WebTV
• 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

Abstract

In an automatic, computer-implemented method, a selected television advertisement is presented automatically in association with a television program or channel. A relationship is identified between an online user profile and the television program or channel, and the television advertisement is selected based at least in part on information from the online user profile. The selected television advertisement is presented, in association with the television program or channel that is identified as being related to the online user profile, via a set-top box having a corresponding set-top box identifier that is associated with the online user profile.

Claims

1. An automatic, computer-implemented method comprising:

automatically arranging for presenting, in association with presentation of a first television program or channel, a first television advertisement, via a first set-top box having a first set-top box identifier, wherein;

(a) a relationship, between the first television program or channel and a first online user profile, is identified automatically by a computer server, from among multiple online user profiles, each profile based on online activity from a respective online user interface device and associated with the first set-top box identifier, based at least in part on information from the first online user profile, more closely related to the first television program or channel than information from the other associated online user profiles;

(b) the first television advertisement is selected automatically by a computer server based at least in part on information from the first online user profile; and

(c) the first television advertisement and the first television program or channel are presented via the first set-top box having the corresponding first set-top box identifier that is associated with the first online user profile.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising automatically arranging for presenting, in association with presentation of a second television program or channel, a second television advertisement, wherein:

(d) a relationship, between the second television program or channel and a second online user profile of the multiple online user profiles, is identified automatically by a computer server based at least in part on information from the second online user profile more closely related to the second television program or channel than information from the other associated online user profiles;

(e) the second television advertisement is selected automatically by a computer server based at least in part on information from the second online user profile;

(f) the second television advertisement and the second television program or channel are presented via the first set-top box; and

wherein which television advertisement is selected for presentation in association with which television program or channel depends on differences between the first online user profile and the second online user profile.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the automatic identification of the relationship occurs upon presentation of the first television program via the first set-top box.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the first online user profile and the first set-top box identifier are associated by each being associated with a common online access identifier.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein the online access identifier and the first set-top box identifier are associated by the online access identifier being referenced or included in the first online user profile.

6. The method of claim 4 wherein the online access identifier and the first set-top box identifier are associated in a database.

7. The method of claim 4 wherein the online access identifier and the first set-top box identifier are associated by virtue of the online user interface device associated with the first online user profile, which corresponds to the online access identifier, and the first set-top box being connected to a common local area network.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the first online user profile and the set-top box identifier are associated without employing personally identifiable information concerning a user profiled by the first online user profile.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the first television advertisement is presented immediately before or immediately after presentation of the first television program.

10. A computer-implemented method of automatically presenting a targeted television advertisement comprising:

(a) receiving at a computer server an indication of a relationship between a first online user profile and a first television program or channel from among multiple online user profiles, each profile based on online activity from a respective online user interface device and associated with a first set-top box identifier, which relationship is based at least in part on information from the first online user profile more closely related to the first television program or channel than information from the other associated online user profiles;

(b) receiving at the computer server an indication of a selection of a first television advertisement based at least in part on information from the first online user profile; and

(c) with the computer server arranging for or transmitting instructions for presenting, in association with presentation of the first selected television program or channel via a first set-top box, the first television advertisement via the first set-top box, the first set-top box having the first set-top box identifier that is associated with the first online user profile.

11. The method of claim 10 further comprising automatically:

(d) receiving at the computer server a relationship between a second online user profile of the multiple online user profiles and a second television program or channel, which relationship is based at least in part on information from the second online user profile more closely related to the second television program or channel than information from the other associated online user profiles;

(e) receiving at the computer server a second television advertisement based at least in part on information from the second online user profile; and

(f) with the computer server arranging for or transmitting instructions for presenting, in association with presentation of the second television program or channel, the second television advertisement via the first set-top box,

wherein which television advertisement is selected for presentation in association with which selected television program or channel depends on differences between the first online user profile and the second online user profile.