DVR-based targeted advertising

• US 20060277569A1
• Filed: 06/06/2005
• Published: 12/07/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 06/06/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Smith, Geoffrey R.
• Granted Patent: US 7,634,785 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/35
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/036 Insert-editing
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/76 Television signal recording
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/765 Interface circuits between an apparatus for recording and another apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/775 between a recording apparatus and a television receiver

Abstract

DVR-based targeted advertising is described. In an embodiment, a targeted advertisement system includes a DVR, an advertisement data store, and an advertisement manager. The DVR records media content, maintains the recorded media content for on-demand viewing, and provides the recorded media content for viewing when requested. The advertisement manager designates advertisement region(s) in the recorded media content as the media content is being recorded, where an advertisement region includes a first boundary and a second boundary to designate the advertisement region in the media content. The advertisement manager monitors a first data stream of the recorded media content when it is rendered for viewing to detect that a playback position of the first data stream has crossed an advertisement region boundary, and to initiate that an advertisement obtained from the advertisement data store be provided as a second data stream to render the advertisement for viewing.

Claims

1. A targeted advertisement system, comprising:

a digital video recorder (DVR) configured to record media content and maintain the recorded media content for on-demand viewing, the DVR further configured to provide a first data stream of the recorded media content for viewing when requested;

an advertisement data store configured to maintain advertisements;

an advertisement manager configured to;

designate one or more advertisement regions in the recorded media content as the media content is being recorded, an advertisement region including a first boundary and a second boundary to designate the advertisement region in the recorded media content;

monitor the first data stream of recorded media content when rendered for viewing; and

detect that a playback position of the first data stream has crossed at least one of the first boundary or the second boundary of the advertisement region, and initiate that an advertisement obtained from the advertisement data store be provided as a second data stream to render the advertisement for viewing.

2. A targeted advertisement system as recited in claim 1, wherein the DVR is further configured to again provide the recorded media content for viewing when requested a second time, and wherein the advertisement manager is further configured to again detect at least one of the first boundary or the second boundary in the recorded media content, and initiate that a different advertisement obtained from the advertisement data store be rendered for viewing.

3. A targeted advertisement system as recited in claim 1, wherein the advertisement manager is further configured to obtain the advertisement from the advertisement data store to target a particular viewer based on a likelihood that the particular viewer requested the recorded media content for viewing.

4. A targeted advertisement system as recited in claim 1, wherein the advertisement manager is further configured to obtain the advertisement from the advertisement data store to target a particular viewer based on at least one of a time of day, a day of the week, a subject of the recorded media content, or a location of a client device that renders the recorded media content and the advertisement for viewing.

5. A targeted advertisement system as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

a network-based content provider that includes the DVR, the advertisement data store, and the advertisement manager; and

a television-based client device configured to;

receive the recorded media content as the first data stream from the network-based content provider when requested;

decode the first data stream to render the recorded media content for viewing;

receive the advertisement as the second data stream from the network-based content provider; and

decode the second data stream to render the advertisement for viewing.

6. A targeted advertisement system as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

a network-based content provider that includes the DVR and the advertisement manager; and

a television-based client device that includes the advertisement data store, the television-based client device configured to;

receive the recorded media content from the network-based content provider when requested;

render the recorded media content for viewing;

obtain the advertisement from the advertisement data store; and

render the advertisement for viewing.

7. A targeted advertisement system as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

a network-based content provider that includes the DVR and the advertisement data store; and

a television-based client device that includes the advertisement manager, the television-based client device configured to;

receive the recorded media content as the first data stream from the network-based content provider when requested;

render the recorded media content for viewing;

request the advertisement from the network-based content provider when the advertisement manager detects that the playback position has crossed at least one of the first boundary or the second boundary in the recorded media content;

receive the advertisement as the second data stream from the network-based content provider; and

render the advertisement for viewing.

8. A targeted advertisement system as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

a television-based client device that includes the DVR, the advertisement data store, and the advertisement manager; and

a network-based content provider configured to periodically communicate different advertisements and associated advertisement playback information to the television-based client device, the different advertisements and the associated playback information being maintained in the advertisement data store.

9. A targeted advertisement system as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

a television-based client device that includes the advertisement data store; and

a network-based content provider configured to replace the advertisements in the advertisement data store with different advertisements to target one or more viewers associated with the television-based client device.

10. A targeted advertisement system as recited in claim 1, further comprising a network-based content provider configured to replace the advertisements in the advertisement data store with different advertisements to target one or more viewers that request the recorded media content for viewing.

11. A targeted advertisement system as recited in claim 1, further comprising a correspondence data file that associates a timing of the advertisement regions in the first data stream of the recorded media content with one or more content navigable streams corresponding to the recorded media content such that the advertisement manager can detect at least one of the first boundary or the second boundary of the advertisement region when the recorded media content is at least one of advanced faster than a normal playback speed, or reversed.

12. A targeted advertisement system as recited in claim 1, wherein the advertisement manager is further configured to detect that the playback position has crossed at least one of the first boundary or the second boundary in a content navigable stream corresponding to the recorded media content when the recorded media content is at least one of advanced faster than a normal playback speed, or reversed.

13. A method, comprising:

providing a first data stream of recorded media content to be rendered for viewing when requested;

detecting that an advertisement region boundary has been encountered in the first data stream of recorded media content when rendered for viewing; and

obtaining an advertisement from an advertisement data store, the advertisement being provided as a second data stream to render the advertisement for viewing when the advertisement region boundary is encountered while the recorded media content is being rendered.

14. A method as recited in claim 13, further comprising designating an advertisement region in the recorded media content while the media content is being recorded, the advertisement region including a first boundary and a second boundary to designate the advertisement region which identifies when the advertisement is to be rendered separately from the recorded media content.

15. A method as recited in claim 13, further comprising:

providing the recorded media content to be rendered for viewing when requested a second time;

detecting that the advertisement region boundary has been encountered in the recorded media content when the recorded media content is rendered for viewing the second time;

obtaining a different advertisement from the advertisement data store; and

rendering the different advertisement for viewing when the advertisement region boundary is encountered.

16. A method as recited in claim 13, wherein obtaining the advertisement includes obtaining the advertisement to target at least one of a particular viewer or group of viewers based on a likelihood that the particular viewer or group of viewers requested the recorded media content for viewing.

17. A method as recited in claim 13, wherein obtaining the advertisement includes obtaining the advertisement to target a particular viewer based on at least one of a time of day, a day of the week, a subject of the recorded media content, or a location of a client device that renders the recorded media content and the advertisement for viewing.

18. A method as recited in claim 13, further comprising:

receiving the recorded media content as the first data stream from a network-based content provider;

decoding the first data stream to render the recorded media content for viewing;

receiving the advertisement as the second data stream from the network-based content provider; and

decoding the second data stream to render the advertisement for viewing.

19. A method as recited in claim 13, further comprising replacing advertisements in the advertisement data store with different advertisements to target one or more viewers that request the recorded media content for viewing.

20. A method as recited in claim 13, wherein detecting the advertisement region boundary in the first stream of recorded media includes detecting the advertisement region boundary in a content navigable stream corresponding to the recorded media content when the recorded media content is at least one of advanced faster than a normal playback speed, or reversed.