Method of targeted ad insertion using HTTP live streaming protocol

• US 9,578,389 B2
• Filed: 02/17/2016
• Issued: 02/21/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 11/30/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google Technology Holdings LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Technology Holdings LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Sun, Wendell
• Primary Examiner(s): Roberts, Brian
• Assistant Examiner(s): HAQUE, ABUSAYEED M
• Application Number:
  US15/046,101
• Publication Number:
  US 20160165319A1
• Time in Patent Office: 370 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/10 Indexing; Addressing; Timing or synchronising; Measuring tape travel
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/612 for unicast
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/14 Session management for real-time applications in data packet communications networks H04L65/1066
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23109 by placing content in organized collections, e.g. EPG data repository details of retrieval of video data and associated meta data in video databases G06F16/739
• 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 21/25891 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 21/26258 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 21/44016 involving splicing one content stream with another content stream, e.g. for substituting a video clip
• 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 21/4825 using a list of items to be played back in a given order, e.g. playlists
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6125 involving transmission via Internet transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8456 by decomposing the content in the time domain, e.g. in time segments

Abstract

A content delivery system and method that receives a request for a content stream that includes splice points. The method receives a playlist that includes an ordered list of media segment files that represent the content stream, and splice point tags, where generation of the media segment files aligns segment boundaries with the splice points in the content stream, and where each splice point tag is in a location in the playlist that corresponds to the position of one of the splice points in the content stream. The method identifies an insertion position in the playlist based on the location of the splice point tags, selects an advertisement segment, inserts the advertisement segment at the insertion position to create a modified playlist, removes the splice point tags from the modified playlist, and sends the modified playlist to the video display device.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving, at a content manager having a hardware processor, a playlist that includes an ordered list of identifiers associated with media segment files, wherein the received playlist includes a plurality of duration tags that each indicate a duration of a media segment file and a plurality of splice point tags that each indicate a location of a splice point in the playlist;

identifying, at the content manager, an insertion position in the received playlist based on the plurality of splice point tags, wherein the insertion position corresponds to a media segment file in the playlist that is to be replaced with at least one advertisement segment file;

in response to identifying the insertion position in the received playlist, selecting, at the content manager, an advertisement segment file from a plurality of advertisement segment files based at least in part on a duration tag associated with the media segment file that is to be replaced;

in response to selecting the advertisement segment file from the plurality of advertisement segment files, causing, at the content manager, the advertisement segment file to replace the media segment file at the insertion position to create a modified playlist; and

transmitting, at the content manager, the modified playlist to one or more client devices.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving, from the one or more client devices, a request for a content stream that includes splice points, wherein each of the splice points is associated with a position in the content stream and wherein the content stream is segmented into the media segment files and the splice points in the content stream are aligned with segment boundaries of the media segment files.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising segmenting the content stream into the media segment files to align the segment boundaries for the media segments files with the splice points in the content stream.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the inserting the advertisement segment file at the insertion position further comprises removing the media segment file that is to be replaced.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the inserting the advertisement segment file at the insertion position further comprises:

scanning the plurality of splice point tags in the playlist;

identifying a start of the insertion position by locating a first splice point tag of the plurality of splice point tags that is associated with an out point; and

identifying an end of the insertion position by locating a second splice point tag of the plurality of splice points tags that is associated with an in point.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

retrieving the media segment files and the advertisement segment file in accordance with the modified playlist; and

transmitting the media segment files and the advertisement segment file to the one or more client devices.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the selecting the advertisement segment file is based at least in part on a characteristic or a preference of a subscriber and wherein a duration of the advertisement segment file matches a duration of play time indicated by the duration tag of the media segment file that is to be replaced by the advertisement segment file.

8. A content delivery system, the system comprising:

a memory that stores computer executable instructions; and

a hardware processor that, when executing the computer executable instructions stored in the memory, is configured to;

receive a playlist that includes an ordered list of identifiers associated with media segment files, wherein the received playlist includes a plurality of duration tags that each indicate a duration of a media segment file and a plurality of splice point tags that each indicate a location of a splice point in the playlist;

identify an insertion position in the received playlist based on the plurality of splice point tags, wherein the insertion position corresponds to a media segment file in the playlist that is to be replaced with at least one advertisement segment file;

in response to identifying the insertion position in the received playlist, select an advertisement segment file from a plurality of advertisement segment files based at least in part on a duration tag associated with the media segment file that is to be replaced;

in response to selecting the advertisement segment file from the plurality of advertisement segment files, cause the advertisement segment file to replace the media segment file at the insertion position to create a modified playlist; and

transmit the modified playlist to one or more client devices.

9. The content delivery system of claim 8, wherein the hardware processor is further configured to receive, from the one or more client devices, a request for a content stream that includes splice points, wherein each of the splice points is associated with a position in the content stream and wherein the content stream is segmented into the media segment files and the splice points in the content stream are aligned with segment boundaries of the media segment files.

10. The content delivery system of claim 9, wherein the hardware processor is further configured to segment the content stream into the media segment files to align the segment boundaries for the media segments files with the splice points in the content stream.

11. The content delivery system of claim 8, wherein the hardware processor is further configured to remove the media segment file that is to be replaced.

12. The content delivery system of claim 8, wherein the hardware processor is further configured to:

scan the plurality of splice point tags in the playlist;

identify a start of the insertion position by locating a first splice point tag of the plurality of splice point tags that is associated with an out point; and

identify an end of the insertion position by locating a second splice point tag of the plurality of splice points tags that is associated with an in point.

13. The content delivery system of claim 8, wherein the hardware processor is further configured to:

retrieve the media segment files and the advertisement segment file in accordance with the modified playlist; and

transmit the media segment files and the advertisement segment file to the one or more client devices.

14. The content delivery system of claim 8, wherein the selecting the advertisement segment file is based at least in part on a characteristic or a preference of a subscriber and wherein a duration of the advertisement segment file matches a duration of play time indicated by the duration tag of the media segment file that is to be replaced by the advertisement segment file.

15. A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising computer-executable instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform a method, the method comprising:

receiving a playlist that includes an ordered list of identifiers associated with media segment files, wherein the received playlist includes a plurality of duration tags that each indicate a duration of a media segment file and a plurality of splice point tags that each indicate a location of a splice point in the playlist;

identifying an insertion position in the received playlist based on the plurality of splice point tags, wherein the insertion position corresponds to a media segment file in the playlist that is to be replaced with at least one advertisement segment file;

in response to identifying the insertion position in the received playlist, selecting an advertisement segment file from a plurality of advertisement segment files based at least in part on a duration tag associated with the media segment file that is to be replaced;

in response to selecting the advertisement segment file from the plurality of advertisement segment files, causing the advertisement segment file to replace the media segment file at the insertion position to create a modified playlist; and

transmitting the modified playlist to one or more client devices.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the method further comprises receiving, from the one or more client devices, a request for a content stream that includes splice points, wherein each of the splice points is associated with a position in the content stream and wherein the content stream is segmented into the media segment files and the splice points in the content stream are aligned with segment boundaries of the media segment files.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein the method further comprises segmenting the content stream into the media segment files to align the segment boundaries for the media segments files with the splice points in the content stream.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the inserting the advertisement segment file at the insertion position further comprises removing the media segment file that is to be replaced.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the inserting the advertisement segment file at the insertion position further comprises:

scanning the plurality of splice point tags in the playlist;

identifying a start of the insertion position by locating a first splice point tag of the plurality of splice point tags that is associated with an out point; and

identifying an end of the insertion position by locating a second splice point tag of the plurality of splice points tags that is associated with an in point.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the method further comprises:

retrieving the media segment files and the advertisement segment file in accordance with the modified playlist; and

transmitting the media segment files and the advertisement segment file to the one or more client devices.

21. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the selecting the advertisement segment file is based at least in part on a characteristic or a preference of a subscriber and wherein a duration of the advertisement segment file matches a duration of play time indicated by the duration tag of the media segment file that is to be replaced by the advertisement segment file.