Asset qualification for content on demand insertion

• US 9,398,340 B2
• Filed: 09/27/2012
• Issued: 07/19/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 09/27/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Comcast Cable Communications LLC (Comcast Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Canoe Ventures, LLC
• Inventors: Farb, Jonathan E., Moretto, Thomas M., Dilger, Bruce C., Whitton, Timothy R, Rippe, Christopher M
• Primary Examiner(s): Featherstone, Mark D
• Application Number:
  US13/628,360
• Publication Number:
  US 20140089989A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,391 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0241 Advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/612 for unicast
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2221 being a cable television head-end CATV in broadcast systems H04H20/78
• 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 21/2543 Billing , e.g. for subscription services payment schemes, architectures or protocols G06Q20/00; e-commerce G06Q30/00; arrangements for billing for the use of broadcast information or broadcast-related information H04H60/21
• 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 21/478 Supplemental services, e.g. displaying phone caller identification, shopping application
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02

Abstract

Systems and methods presented herein provide for qualifying assets for insertion into selected COD content. In one embodiment, a system is operable to select from a plurality of assets for insertion into a Content On Demand (COD) content selection. The system includes an interface operable to process a request for asset insertion into the COD content selection to extract information of the COD content selection including a provider of the COD content selection (e.g., a head end). The system also includes an asset qualification module operable to communicate with the provider of the COD content selection to validate the request, to analyze the information of the COD content selection to validate the assets for insertion into the COD content selection, and to remove one or more of the assets from insertion selection based on the validation of the assets.

Claims

1. A system operable to select from a plurality of assets for insertion into a Content On Demand (COD) content selection, the system remotely located from a provider of the COD content selection and comprising:

an interface operable to communicate with a plurality of content providers, and to receive a request for asset insertion into the COD content selection; and

a processor operable to implement an asset qualification module, wherein the asset qualification module is operable to evaluate a format of the request, to parse the request for a first identifier that correlates the request with an authorized provider and a second identifier that indicates whether an account of the authorized provider is current, and to validate the provider based on the first identifier and the second identifier to enable the provider to receive a selection of assets validated for insertion into the COD content selection by the asset qualification module.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein:

the asset qualification module is further operable to validate insertion times for the assets based on content of the assets to validate the assets for insertion into the COD content selection.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein:

the asset qualification module is further operable to validate the assets based on metadata that indicates an actor in the COD content selection, a product category in the COD content selection, a genre of the COD content selection, or a combination thereof.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein:

the asset qualification module is further operable to deny the provider access to asset insertion features of the system when the format is invalid or when the provider is invalid based on the first identifier or the second identifier.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein:

the asset qualification module is further operable to evaluate a format of the assets and the COD content selection to validate the assets for insertion into the COD content selection.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein:

the asset qualification module is further operable to retrieve a list of active campaigns and to loop through the active campaigns to validate campaign items of the campaigns.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein:

the asset qualification module is further operable to generate an empty asset placement and to report the empty asset placement to the provider of the COD content selection.

8. A method of selecting from a plurality of assets for insertion into a Content On Demand (COD) content selection for a remotely located COD content provider, the method comprising:

receiving a request for asset insertion into the COD content selection;

evaluating a format of the request;

parsing the request for a first identifier that correlates the request with an authorized provider and a second identifier that indicates whether an account of the authorized provider is current; and

validating the provider based on the first identifier and the second identifier to enable the provider to receive a selection of assets validated for insertion into the COD content selection.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

validating insertion times for the assets based on content of the assets to validate the assets for insertion into the COD content selection.

10. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

validating the assets based on metadata that indicates an actor in the COD content selection, a product category in the COD content selection, a genre of the COD content selection, or a combination thereof.

11. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

denying the provider access to asset insertion features when the format is invalid or when the provider is invalid based on the first identifier or the second identifier.

12. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

evaluating a format of the assets and the COD content selection to validate the assets for insertion into the COD content selection.

13. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

retrieving a list of active campaigns; and

looping through the active campaigns to validate campaign items of the campaigns.

14. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

generating an empty asset placement; and

reporting the empty asset placement to the provider of the COD content selection.

15. A non transitory computer readable medium comprising instructions that, when executed by a processor, direct the processor to select from a plurality of assets for insertion into a Content On Demand (COD) content selection for a remotely located COD content provider, the instructions further directing the processor to:

receive a request for asset insertion into the COD content selection;

evaluate a format of the request;

parse the request for a first identifier that correlates the request with an authorized provider and a second identifier that indicates whether an account of the authorized provider is current; and

validate the provider based on the first identifier and the second identifier to enable the provider to receive a selection of assets validated for insertion into the COD content selection.

16. The computer readable medium of claim 15, the instructions further directing the processor to:

validate insertion times for the assets based on content of the assets to validate the assets for insertion into the COD content selection.

17. The computer readable medium of claim 15, the instructions further directing the processor to:

validate the assets based on metadata that indicates an actor in the COD content selection, a product category in the COD content selection, a genre of the COD content selection, or a combination thereof.

18. The computer readable medium of claim 15, the instructions further directing the processor to:

deny the provider access to asset insertion features when the format is invalid or when the provider is invalid based on the first identifier or the second identifier.

19. The computer readable medium of claim 15, the instructions further directing the processor to:

evaluate a format of the assets and the COD content selection to validate the assets for insertion into the COD content selection.

20. The computer readable medium of claim 15, the instructions further directing the processor to:

retrieve a list of active campaigns; and

loop through the active campaigns to validate campaign items of the campaigns.

21. The computer readable medium of claim 15, the instructions further directing the processor to:

generate an empty asset placement; and

report the empty asset placement to the provider of the COD content selection.