Meta channel media system control and advertisement technology

• US 9,451,295 B2
• Filed: 01/15/2016
• Issued: 09/20/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 02/05/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: PurpleComm Incorporated
• Original Assignee: PurpleComm Incorporated
• Inventors: Chang, Jack H., Sheu, William H., Tuan, Sherman
• Primary Examiner(s): Chin, Ricky
• Application Number:
  US14/997,215
• Publication Number:
  US 20160134935A1
• Time in Patent Office: 249 Days
• Field of Search: 725 32- 36
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 21/2668 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 21/435 Processing of additional data, e.g. decrypting of additional data, reconstructing software from modules extracted from the transport stream
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44016 involving splicing one content stream with another content stream, e.g. for substituting a video clip
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44204 Monitoring of content usage, e.g. the number of times a movie has been viewed, copied or the amount which has been watched monitoring of user activities for profile generation for accessing a video database G06F16/739; protecting generic digital content where the protection is independent of the precise nature of the content G06F21/10; arrangements for monitoring the use made of the broadcast services in broadcast systems H04H60/31
• 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 21/454 Content or additional data filtering, e.g. blocking advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4622 Retrieving content or additional data from different sources, e.g. from a broadcast channel and the Internet web site content organization and management for information retrieval from the Internet G06F16/958; transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82; stock exchange data over packet-switching network H04L12/1804; push services including data channel over packet-switching network H04L12/1859
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4755 for defining user preferences, e.g. favourite actors or genre retrieval personalisation and generation of user profiles for the retrieval of video data G06F16/739; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4821 using a grid, e.g. sorted out by channel and broadcast time
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

Media system control technology, in which an advertisement on a selected content channel being experienced by a user using a media system is detected, advertisement preferences of the user are accessed from electronic storage, and secondary content is selected based on the accessed advertisement preferences of the user. The secondary content is substituted for the advertisement on the selected content channel, and the media system is controlled to output the secondary content instead of the advertisement.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a monitoring server; and

a meta-channel base station,

wherein the monitoring server is configured to detect an advertisement on a selected content channel being experienced by a user;

wherein the meta-channel base station is configured to control an output device to output secondary content based on the advertisement being detected on the selected content channel being experienced by a user;

wherein the monitoring server is configured to monitor for completion of the advertisement on the selected content channel and detect completion of the advertisement as a result of the monitoring; and

wherein the meta-channel base station is configured to control, based on the detection of completion of the advertisement on the selected content channel, the output device based on an advertisement return preferences profile of the user that includes the options of a preference to return to the selected content channel upon completion of the detected advertisement, a preference to maintain presentation of a secondary content channel until an advertisement is detected on the secondary content channel, and a preference to maintain presentation of a secondary content channel and to provide a notification to the user that the detected advertisement programming on the selected content channel has completed.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the monitoring server is configured to detect the advertisement on the channel being experienced by the user by detecting the advertisement based on an increase in volume correlating to a start of the advertisement.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the monitoring server is configured to detect completion of the detected advertisement as a result of the monitoring by detecting the completion of the detected advertisement based on a decrease in volume as non-advertising content resumes.

4. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a meta-channel server configured to access advertisement preferences of the user and identify secondary content for the advertisement based on the accessed advertisement preferences of the user.

5. The system of claim 4:

wherein the meta-channel server is configured to access advertisement preferences of the user by accessing advertisement preferences that indicate that the user prefers local advertisements; and

wherein the meta-channel server is configured to identify secondary content for the detected advertisement based on the accessed advertisement preferences of the user by identifying a local advertisement for the user based on the advertisement preferences that indicate that the user prefers local advertisements.

6. The system of claim 4:

wherein the meta-channel server is configured to access advertisement preferences of the user by accessing advertisement preferences that indicate that the user prefers advertisements related to a specific geographic region; and

wherein the meta-channel server is configured to identify secondary content for the detected advertisement based on the accessed advertisement preferences of the user by identifying an advertisement that is related to the specific geographic region preferred by the user based on the advertisement preferences that indicate that the user prefers advertisements related to the specific geographic region.

7. The system of claim 4:

wherein the meta-channel server is configured to access advertisement preferences of the user by accessing advertisement preferences that indicate that the user prefers non-advertising content; and

wherein the meta-channel server is configured to identify secondary content for the detected advertisement based on the accessed advertisement preferences of the user by identifying, from a channel priority list, a highest-priority channel that is not currently presenting advertising content based on the advertisement preferences that indicate that the user prefers non-advertising content.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the meta-channel base station is configured to send, to a remote control associated with the output device, a control command that causes the remote control to control the output device.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the meta-channel base station is configured to send, to a remote control associated with the output device, a control command that causes the remote control to change an input source of the output device to an Internet digital media adapter and send, to the Internet digital media adapter, an additional control command that causes the Internet digital media adapter to begin streaming, over a network, secondary content.

10. The system of claim 1:

wherein the meta-channel base station is configured to determine that the advertisement return preferences result in a change to the output device.

11. The system of claim 10:

wherein the meta-channel base station is configured to determine that the advertisement return preferences result in a change to the output device by determining that the advertisement return preferences result in a change of input source for the output device.

12. The system of claim 1:

wherein the meta-channel base station is configured to determine that the advertisement return preferences result in a change to the output device by determining that the advertisement return preferences indicate that the user prefers to return to a prior content channel immediately upon completion of detected advertisements.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein the meta-channel base station is configured to control the output device based on the advertisement return preferences profile of the user by:

determining, from the advertisement return preferences profile, that the user has selected the preference to return to the selected content channel upon completion of the detected advertisement; and

based on the determination that the user has selected the preference to return to the selected content channel upon completion of the detected advertisement, controlling the output device to return to the selected content channel and to render content defined by the selected content channel.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein the meta-channel base station is configured to control the output device based on the advertisement return preferences profile of the user by:

determining, from the advertisement return preferences profile, that the user has selected the preference to maintain presentation of the secondary content channel until an advertisement is detected on the secondary content channel; and

based on the determination that the user has selected the preference to maintain presentation of the secondary content channel until an advertisement is detected on the secondary content channel, controlling the output device to maintain a secondary content channel providing the secondary content until detection of an advertisement on the secondary content channel.

15. The system of claim 14:

wherein the meta-channel base station is configured to, in response to detection of an advertisement on the secondary content channel, control the output device to return to the selected content channel and to render content defined by the selected content channel.

16. The system of claim 14:

wherein the meta-channel base station is configured to, in response to detection of an advertisement on the secondary content channel, access, from the advertisement return preferences profile, a content channel priority list that ranks alternative content channels to provide when advertisements are detected, selecting a return content channel that is ranked highest on the content channel priority list and that is determined to be providing non-advertisement programming upon detection of the advertisement on the secondary content channel; and

control the output device to render content defined by the return content channel.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the meta-channel base station is configured to select the return content channel that is ranked highest on the content channel priority list and that is determined to be providing non-advertisement programming upon detection of the advertisement on the secondary content channel by selecting a return content channel that is different than the selected content channel.

18. The system of claim 1, wherein the meta-channel base station is configured to control the output device based on the advertisement return preferences profile of the user by:

determining, from the advertisement return preferences profile, that the user has selected the preference to maintain presentation of the secondary content channel and to provide a notification to the user that the detected advertisement programming on the selected content channel has completed; and

based on the determination that the user has selected the preference to maintain presentation of the secondary content channel and to provide a notification to the user that the detected advertisement programming on the selected content channel has completed, controlling the output device to maintain a secondary content channel providing the secondary content, and controlling the output device to provide a notification to the user indicating that the detected advertisement programming on the selected content channel has completed.

19. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a meta-channel server configured to control display of an interface that is configured to receive user selection of one advertisement return preference option from among options by;

a first option that indicates a preference to return to the selected content channel upon completion of the detected advertisement programming,

a second option that indicates a preference to maintain presentation of a secondary content channel until an advertisement is detected on the secondary content channel, and

a third option that indicates a preference to maintain presentation of a secondary content channel and to provide a notification to the user that the detected advertisement programming on the selected content channel has completed;

receiving, based on the interface and from the user, selection of an advertisement return preference option from among the options displayed in the interface; and

defining the advertisement return preferences profile of the user based on the advertisement return preference option selected from among the options displayed in the interface.