Systems and methods for providing targeted user content blended with a media stream

• US 9,686,588 B2
• Filed: 05/02/2016
• Issued: 06/20/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 01/08/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Yahoo AD Tech LLC
• Original Assignee: Advertisingcom LLC (Apollo Global Management, Inc.)
• Inventors: Desjardins, G. Thomas, Johnson, Jayne F.
• Primary Examiner(s): Bui, Kieu Oanh T
• Application Number:
  US15/144,755
• Publication Number:
  US 20160323642A1
• Time in Patent Office: 414 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/68 Retrieval characterised by using metadata, e.g. metadata not derived from the content or metadata generated manually
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• 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 21/4331 Caching operations, e.g. of an advertisement for later insertion during playback
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/438 Interfacing the downstream path of the transmission network originating from a server, e.g. retrieving encoded video stream packets from an IP network
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4524 involving the geographical location of the client retrieval from the Internet by querying based on geographical locations G06F16/9537; systems specially adapted for using geographical information in broadcast systems H04H60/70; protocols in which the network application is adapted for the location of the user terminal in communication control or processing H04L67/52; services making use of the location of users or terminals in wireless networks H04W4/02; locating users or terminals in wireless networks H04W64/00
• 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 21/812 involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8455 involving pointers to the content, e.g. pointers to the I-frames of the video stream
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/163 by receiver means only

Abstract

A network system provides delivery of customized target content, such as advertising, to individual users. There is transmission of a common spot content stream to a large group of the users. Each home client user communicates through a telecommunications network, such as the Internet, for connection to a portal to receive continuing media, such as streaming audio or video. The user installs receiver software at his home client processor for receiving both the streaming media and a content stream. The media stream includes spot markers placed at appropriate locations in the media stream by the publisher to designate locations for insertion of spot content and optionally to identify specific characteristics of the media stream. The content stream includes content units, such as audio advertising, together with spot content frames, which include parameters having values designated by the spot content provider to be the target audience. A profile is produced at the home client having parameters with values associated with the home client user, such as geographic and demographic information. The receiver software at the home client matches the spot content frame for each spot content to the profile of the user to select those spot content units which have a match. These selected spot content units are stored at the home user and are blended into the media stream at the locations of the spot markers to produce an information data stream for the user that is customized for that user. A spot auditor at the home client measures the type and quantity of play back of the spot content received by the home user and this is reported to the spot content provider for measurement of the effectiveness in the distribution of the spot content.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising the following operations performed by at least one processor:

receiving, over an electronic network, a stream of media content comprising at least one spot marker designating a spot location at which to insert a spot content unit into the media stream;

detecting, in the received media stream, the at least one spot marker, the at least one spot marker including spot content selection information for selecting a spot content unit to insert at the spot location;

selecting at least one spot content unit based on the spot content selection information of the detected at least one spot marker;

reproducing, at a client device, the media content stream with the selected at least one spot content unit;

updating an audit log based on reproducing the selected at least one spot content unit; and

automatically sending the audit log to a server in accordance with a predetermined time interval.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein updating an audit log further comprises identifying the at least one spot content unit reproduced at the client device.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein updating an audit log further comprises recording a number of times the at least one spot content unit was inserted into the media stream.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein updating an audit log further comprises recording at least one of a genre category, demographic information of a user of the client device, or geographic information of a user of the client device.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising clearing the audit log after automatically sending the log to the server.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein automatically sending the audit log to a server further comprises:

sending the log to the server after the predetermined time interval expires; and

resetting the predetermined time interval.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein selecting at least one spot content unit further comprises:

retrieving, from the client device, a user profile including one or more parameters associated with a user; and

matching at least one detected spot content unit to the one or more parameters based on the spot content selection information.

8. An apparatus comprising:

at least one processor; and

a storage device comprising instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to perform the following operations;

receiving, over an electronic network, a stream of media content comprising at least one spot marker designating a spot location at which to insert a spot content unit into the media stream;

detecting, in the received media stream, the at least one spot marker, the at least one spot marker including spot content selection information for selecting a spot content unit to insert at the spot location;

selecting at least one spot content unit based on the spot content selection information of the detected at least one spot marker;

reproducing, at a client device, the media content stream with the selected at least one spot content unit;

updating an audit log based on reproducing the selected at least one spot content unit; and

automatically sending the audit log to a server in accordance with a predetermined time interval.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein updating an audit log further comprises identifying the at least one spot content unit reproduced at the client device.

10. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein updating an audit log further comprises recording a number of times the at least one spot content unit was inserted into the media stream.

11. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein updating an audit log further comprises recording at least one of a genre category, demographic information of a user of the client device, or geographic information of a user of the client device.

12. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the at least one processor further performs the following operation:

clearing the audit log after automatically sending the log to the server.

13. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein automatically sending the audit log to a server further comprises:

sending the log to the server after the predetermined time interval expires; and

resetting the predetermined time interval.

14. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein selecting at least one spot content unit further comprises:

retrieving, from the client device, a user profile including one or more parameters associated with a user; and

matching at least one detected spot content unit to the one or more parameters based on the spot content selection information.

15. A tangible, non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions that, when executed by at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to perform operations comprising:

receiving, over an electronic network, a stream of media content comprising at least one spot marker designating a spot location at which to insert a spot content unit into the media stream;

detecting, in the received media stream, the at least one spot marker, the at least one spot marker including spot content selection information for selecting a spot content unit to insert at the spot location;

selecting at least one spot content unit based on the spot content selection information of the detected at least one spot marker;

reproducing, at a client device, the media content stream with the selected at least one spot content unit;

updating an audit log based on reproducing the selected at least one spot content unit; and

automatically sending the audit log to a server in accordance with a predetermined time interval.

16. The medium of claim 15, wherein updating an audit log further comprises identifying the at least one spot content unit reproduced at the client device.

17. The medium of claim 15, wherein updating an audit log further comprises recording a number of times the at least one spot content unit was inserted into the media stream.

18. The medium of claim 15, wherein the instructions further cause the at least one processor to perform operations comprising:

clearing the audit log after automatically sending the log to the server.

19. The medium of claim 15, wherein automatically sending the audit log to a server further comprises:

sending the log to the server after the predetermined time interval expires; and

resetting the predetermined time interval.

20. The medium of claim 15, wherein selecting at least one spot content unit further comprises:

retrieving, from the client device, a user profile including one or more parameters associated with a user; and

matching at least one detected spot content unit to the one or more parameters based on the spot content selection information.