Method for inserting an advertisement into a video stream of an application on demand (AoD) service, AoD processing device and AoD server

• US 9,832,505 B2
• Filed: 09/24/2013
• Issued: 11/28/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 09/24/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Original Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Inventors: Yang, Arnold, Jamal-Syed, Shaheer, Xiao, Shiyuan
• Primary Examiner(s): FLYNN, RANDY A
• Application Number:
  US15/027,392
• Publication Number:
  US 20160255387A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,526 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23412 for generating or manipulating the scene composition of objects, e.g. MPEG-4 objects
• 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 21/2387 Stream processing in response to a playback request from an end-user, e.g. for trick-play
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2393 involving handling client requests scheduling or organising the servicing of application requests H04L67/60
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2547 Third Party Billing, e.g. billing of advertiser
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2665 Gathering content from different sources, e.g. Internet and satellite
• 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 21/4781 Games
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6587 Control parameters, e.g. trick play commands, viewpoint selection
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8173 End-user applications, e.g. Web browser, game
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8545 for generating interactive applications

Abstract

The disclosure provides a method (300) for inserting an advertisement into a video stream of an AoD service. The method is performed by an AoD processing device and includes steps of: acquiring (S310), from the AoD server, advertisement configuration information; determining (S320) an advertisement to be inserted based on the advertisement configuration information; receiving (S330), from the AoD server, a notification that a triggering condition for inserting an advertisement is satisfied, the triggering condition being associated with an interaction between the AoD server and a client device to which the AoD service is provided; transmitting (S340) to the AoD server an instruction to cause the AoD server to render a combined picture of the application and the advertisement based on the advertisement configuration information; and receiving (S350), from the AoD server, the combined picture and converting it into a frame in the video stream for transmission to the client device.

Claims

1. A method performed by an Application on Demand (AoD) processing device for inserting an advertisement into a video stream of an AoD service associated with an application hosted on an AoD server, the method comprising steps of:

acquiring, from the AoD server, advertisement configuration information;

determining an advertisement to be inserted based on the advertisement configuration information;

receiving a notification transmitted by the AoD server indicating that a triggering condition for inserting an advertisement is satisfied, the triggering condition being associated with an interaction between the AoD server and a client device to which the AoD service is provided;

as a result of receiving the notification, transmitting to the AoD server an instruction to cause the AoD server to render a combined picture of the application and the advertisement based on the advertisement configuration information; and

receiving the combined picture from the AoD server and converting the combined picture into a frame in the video stream for transmission to the client device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein

the advertisement configuration information specifies an area in a picture of the application where a picture of the advertisement is to be inserted, and

the combined picture is rendered by replacing the area in the picture of the application with the picture of the advertisement.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the area is represented by coordinates in pixels, width and height.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the triggering condition is satisfied when:

the application is paused by the client device and waits for an input from the client device;

the application is loaded or reloaded in response to an interaction with the client device;

or

an ending picture of the application is to be rendered in response to an interaction with the client device.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the advertisement is determined further based on one or more of a priority dependent on a price its advertiser is willing to pay and an associated click-through rate.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the AoD processing device and the AoD server are implemented on a single physical entity.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the AoD processing device and the AoD server are implemented on separate physical entities.

8. A method performed by an Application on Demand (AoD) server for inserting an advertisement into a video stream of an AoD service associated with an application hosted on the AoD server, the method comprising steps of:

detecting, by the AoD server, that a triggering condition for inserting an advertisement is satisfied;

the AoD server transmitting a notification to an AoD processing device indicating that the triggering condition for inserting an advertisement is satisfied, the triggering condition being associated with an interaction between the AoD server and a client device to which the AoD service is provided;

the AoD server obtaining an advertisement to be inserted;

the AoD server rendering a combined picture of the application and the advertisement; and

the AoD server transmitting the combined picture to the AoD processing device such that it is converted into a frame in the video stream for transmission to the client device.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein

said rendering is performed based on advertisement configuration information specifying an area in a picture of the application where a picture of the advertisement is to be inserted, and

said rendering comprises replacing the area in the picture of the application with the picture of the advertisement.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the area is represented by coordinates in pixels, width and height.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the triggering condition is satisfied when:

the application is paused by the client device and waits for an input from the client device;

the application is loaded or reloaded in response to an interaction with the client device;

or

an ending picture of the application is to be rendered in response to an interaction with the client device.

12. An Application on Demand (AoD) processing device comprising a processor and a memory, said memory containing instructions executable by said processor whereby said AoD processing device is operative to insert an advertisement into a video stream of an AoD service associated with an application hosted on an AoD server by:

acquiring, from the AoD server, advertisement configuration information;

determining an advertisement to be inserted based on the advertisement configuration information;

receiving a notification transmitted by the AoD server indicating that a triggering condition for inserting an advertisement is satisfied, the triggering condition being associated with an interaction between the AoD server and a client device to which the AoD service is provided;

as a result of receiving the notification, transmitting to the AoD server an instruction to cause the AoD server to render a combined picture of the application and the advertisement based on the advertisement configuration information; and

receiving the combined picture from the AoD server and converting the combined picture into a frame in the video stream for transmission to the client device.

13. The AoD processing device of claim 12, wherein

the advertisement configuration information specifies an area in a picture of the application where a picture of the advertisement is to be inserted, and

the combined picture is rendered by replacing the area in the picture of the application with the picture of the advertisement.

14. The AoD processing device of claim 13, wherein the area is represented by coordinates in pixels, width and height.

15. The AoD processing device of claim 12, wherein the triggering condition is satisfied when:

the application is paused by the client device and waits for an input from the client device;

the application is loaded or reloaded in response to an interaction with the client device;

or

an ending picture of the application is to be rendered in response to an interaction with the client device.

16. The AoD processing device of claim 12, wherein the advertisement is determined further based on one or more of a priority dependent on a price its advertiser is willing to pay and an associated click-through rate.

17. The AoD processing device of claim 12, wherein the AoD processing device and the AoD server are implemented on a single physical entity.

18. The AoD processing device of claim 12, wherein the AoD processing device and the AoD server are implemented on separate physical entities.

19. An Application on Demand (AoD) server comprising a processor and a memory, said memory containing instructions executable by said processor whereby said AoD server is operative to insert an advertisement into a video stream of an AoD service associated with an application hosted on the AoD server by:

detecting that a triggering condition for inserting an advertisement is satisfied;

transmitting a notification to an AoD processing device indicating that the triggering condition for inserting an advertisement is satisfied, the triggering condition being associated with an interaction between the AoD server and a client device to which the AoD service is provided;

obtaining an advertisement to be inserted;

rendering a combined picture of the application and the advertisement; and

transmitting the combined picture to the AoD processing device such that it is converted into a frame in the video stream for transmission to the client device.

20. The AoD server of claim 19, wherein

said rendering is performed based on advertisement configuration information specifying an area in a picture of the application where a picture of the advertisement is to be inserted, and

said rendering comprises replacing the area in the picture of the application with the picture of the advertisement.

21. The AoD server of claim 20, wherein the area is represented by coordinates in pixels, width and height.

22. The AoD server of claim 19, wherein the triggering condition is satisfied when:

the application is paused by the client device and waits for an input from the client device;

the application is loaded or reloaded in response to an interaction with the client device;

or

an ending picture of the application is to be rendered in response to an interaction with the client device.

23. A computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing the computer program, wherein the computer program comprises computer readable instructions which, when run on an Application on Demand (AoD) processing device, cause the AoD processing device to insert an advertisement into a video stream of an AoD service associated with an application hosted on an AoD server, by:

acquiring, from the AoD server, advertisement configuration information;

determining an advertisement to be inserted based on the advertisement configuration information;

receiving a notification transmitted by the AoD server indicating that a triggering condition for inserting an advertisement is satisfied, the triggering condition being associated with an interaction between the AoD server and a client device to which the AoD service is provided;

as a result of receiving the notification, transmitting to the AoD server an instruction to cause the AoD server to render a combined picture of the application and the advertisement based on the advertisement configuration information; and

receiving the combined picture from the AoD server and converting the combined picture into a frame in the video stream for transmission to the client device.

24. A computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing the computer program, wherein the computer program comprises computer readable instructions which, when run on an Application on Demand (AoD) server, cause the AoD server to insert an advertisement into a video stream of an AoD service associated with an application hosted on the AoD server by:

detecting that a triggering condition for inserting an advertisement is satisfied;

transmitting a notification to an AoD processing device indicating that the triggering condition for inserting an advertisement is satisfied, the triggering condition being associated with an interaction between the AoD server and a client device to which the AoD service is provided;

obtaining an advertisement to be inserted;

rendering a combined picture of the application and the advertisement; and

transmitting the combined picture to the AoD processing device such that it is converted into a frame in the video stream for transmission to the client device.