Systems and methods for media packaging

• US 9,854,281 B2
• Filed: 03/17/2014
• Issued: 12/26/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 09/20/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: TiVo Corporation (Adeia Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Visible World Incorporated (Comcast Corporation)
• Inventors: Van De Pol, Erik, Mak, See Wing, Jansen, Alex, Niemeijer, Gerrit, Haberman, Seth
• Primary Examiner(s): Kumar, Pankaj
• Assistant Examiner(s): BAIG, SAHAR A
• Application Number:
  US14/217,167
• Publication Number:
  US 20140201786A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,380 Days
• Field of Search: 725 32- 36
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/28 Arrangements for simultaneous broadcast of plural pieces of information
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/73 using meta-information
• 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 21/235 Processing of additional data, e.g. scrambling of additional data or processing content descriptors
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2368 Multiplexing of audio and video streams
• 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 21/4532 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 21/812 involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/84 Generation or processing of descriptive data, e.g. content descriptors systems specially adapted for using meta-information in broadcast systems H04H60/73
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8456 by decomposing the content in the time domain, e.g. in time segments
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/85406 involving a specific file format, e.g. MP4 format
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8541 involving branching, e.g. to different story endings

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for packaging media and data for transmission over a broadband communications network link for display at a terminal destination. Features of the method included creating desired media segments for transmission to the terminal destination and for creating targeting information, for example in whole or in part in the form of metadata, for transmission to the terminal destination. Other features include packaging the created media segments and the created targeting information in a single package and unpacking the single package for display of the targeted media at the terminal destination. In another aspect, the invention can provide a method for unpacking media and data for display at a terminal destination implementing, at the terminal destination, receiving a single package containing media segments and instructions regarding handling of the media segments, quickly unpacking the media segments and the instructions from the single package and, based on the unpacked instructions, assembling one or more of the media segments for display at the terminal destination.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for packaging media and data for transmission over a network to a terminal destination, comprising, by a processor:

collecting from a database of media assets a plurality of media segments configured to be assembled to form a plurality of message versions;

generating targeting information comprising;

an index table listing the collected media segments, and

assembly information indicating each of the plurality of collected media segments to assemble to form a targeted message, the targeted message comprising at least one of the plurality of message versions;

retrieving from a network database network data comprising delivery addresses of the network for each of the plurality of message versions;

assembling said plurality of collected media segments, said targeting information, and said network data in a single electronic package file; and

transmitting said single electronic package file over said network to said terminal destination,

wherein said single electronic package file is configured to be de-packaged at said terminal destination by selecting and assembling at least two media segments from said plurality of collected media segments based on said targeting information to form said targeted message for the terminal destination determined from the network data for presentation at a display device operatively coupled to said applicable terminal destination.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein said de-packaging occurs in substantially real-time responsive to an on-demand request at said terminal destination.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising, using an optimizing procedure during said packaging to optimize the size of said package.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein, said plurality of media segments are segments of advertisements.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein, said terminal destination comprises a set-top box.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising encoding the plurality of media segments in a format of the terminal destination prior to packaging the plurality of media segments in the single package file.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the plurality of media segments are configured to be concatenated to form the targeted message.

6. A system for packaging media and data for transmission over a broadband communications network link for display at a terminal destination, the system comprising:

a processor; and

a non-transitory, computer-readable storage medium in operable communication with the processor, wherein the computer-readable storage medium contains one or more programming instructions that, when executed, cause the processor to;

collect from a database of media assets a plurality of media segments configured to be assembled to form a plurality of message versions;

generate targeting information comprising;

an index table listing the collected media segments, and

assembly information indicating each of the plurality of collected media segments to assemble to form a targeted message, the targeted message comprising at least one of the plurality of message versions;

retrieve from a network database network data comprising delivery addresses of the network for each of the plurality of message versions;

assemble said plurality of media segments, said targeting information, and said network data in a single electronic package file; and

transmit said single electronic package file over said network to said terminal destination,

wherein said single electronic package file is configured to be de-packaged at said terminal destination by selecting and assembling at least two media segments from said plurality of collected media segments based on said targeting information to form said targeted message for the terminal destination determined from the network data for presentation at a display device operatively coupled to said applicable terminal destination.

7. The system of claim 6 wherein said de-packaging occurs in substantially real-time responsive to an on-demand request at said terminal destination.

8. The system of claim 6 further comprising, using an optimizing procedure during said packaging to optimize the size of said package.

9. The system of claim 6, wherein said plurality of media segments are segments of advertisements.

10. The system of claim 6 wherein said terminal destination comprises a set-top box.

13. The system of claim 6, wherein the computer-readable storage medium further contains one or more programming instructions that, when executed, cause the processor to encode the plurality of media segments in a format of the terminal destination prior to packaging the plurality of media segments in the single package file.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the plurality of media segments are configured to be concatenated to form the targeted message.

16. The system of claim 13, wherein the system is a set-top box.

17. The system of claim 13, wherein the targeting parameter comprises at least one of an Internet Protocol address or a MAC address.

15. A system for presenting media messages, the system comprising a processor;

and

a non-transitory, computer-readable storage medium in operable communication with the processor, wherein the computer-readable storage medium contains one or more programming instructions that, when executed, cause the processor to;

receive a single electronic package file comprising;

a plurality of collected media segments configured to be assembled to form a plurality of message versions;

targeting information comprising;

an index table listing the collected media segments,

assembly information indicating each of the plurality of collected media segments to assemble to form a targeted message, the targeted message comprising at least one of the plurality of message versions, and

network data comprising delivery addresses of the network for each of the plurality of message versions;

determine at least one targeting parameter associated with the system;

de-package the single electronic package file to generate the targeted message by;

determining a version of the plurality of message versions to assemble based on the at least one targeting parameter, the targeting parameter comprising a delivery address of the system determined from the network data,

determining at least two of the plurality of collected media segments required to assemble the version,

assembling the at least two of the plurality of collected media segments to form the targeted message; and

presenting the targeted message at a display device operatively coupled to the processor.