VOTING AND HEADEND INSERTION MODEL FOR TARGETING CONTENT IN A BROADCAST NETWORK

• US 20080276271A1
• Filed: 07/22/2008
• Published: 11/06/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 01/12/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Invidi Technologies Corporation
• Original Assignee: Invidi Technologies Corporation
• Inventors: Boulet, Daniel A., Wilson, Daniel C., ANDERSON, BRUCE J.
• Granted Patent: US 7,546,619 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/34
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0207 Discounts or incentives, e.g. coupons or rebates
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0241 Advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0242 Determining effectiveness of advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0254 based on statistics
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0264 based upon schedule
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0269 based on user profile or attribute
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0272 Period of advertisement exposure
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0273 Determination of fees for advertising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/00 Finance; Insurance; Tax strategies; Processing of corporate or income taxes
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/103 Transmitter-side switching
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/106 Receiver-side switching
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/18 Arrangements for synchronising broadcast or distribution via plural systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/22 Arrangements for broadcast of identical information via plural broadcast systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/26 Arrangements for switching distribution systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/31 using in-band signals, e.g. subsonic or cue signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/33 by plural channels
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/38 Arrangements for distribution where lower stations, e.g. receivers, interact with the broadcast
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/40 Arrangements for broadcast specially adapted for accumulation-type receivers
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 2201/30 characterised by the use of a return channel, e.g. for collecting users' opinions, for returning broadcast space/time information or for requesting data
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 2201/70 : characterised in that receivers can be addressed
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 2201/80 : characterised in that motion picture association of America [MPAA] ratings are used
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/06 : Arrangements for scheduling broadcast services or broadcast-related services
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/13 : Arrangements for device control affected by the broadcast information
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/16 : on playing information
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/17 : on recording information
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/27 : Arrangements for recording or accumulating broadcast information or broadcast-related information
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/32 : Arrangements for monitoring conditions of receiving stations, e.g. malfunction or breakdown of receiving stations
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/33 : Arrangements for monitoring the users' behaviour or opinions
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/37 : for identifying segments of broadcast information, e.g. scenes or extracting programme ID
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/375 : Commercial
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/40 : for identifying broadcast time
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/43 : for identifying broadcast channels
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/45 : for identifying users
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/46 : for recognising users' preferences
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/47 : for recognising genres
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/51 : of receiving stations
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/63 : for services of sales data processing systems or methods specially adapted for electronic commerce G06Q30/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/66 : for using the result on distributors' side
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/82 : the transmission system being the Internet
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/97 : using uplink of the CATV systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/14 : Charging , metering or billing arrangements for data wireline or wireless communications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/18 : Delegation of network management function, e.g. customer network management [CNM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5054 : Automatic deployment of services triggered by the service manager, e.g. service implementation by automatic configuration of network components
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/509 : wherein the managed service relates to media content delivery, e.g. audio, video or TV
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2221 : being a cable television head-end CATV in broadcast systems H04H20/78
• 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 21/2365 : Multiplexing of several video streams
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2407 : Monitoring of transmitted content, e.g. distribution time, number of downloads arrangements for monitoring programmes for broadcast or for distribution combined with broadcast H04H20/14
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/252 : Processing of multiple end-users' preferences to derive collaborative data
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2543 : Billing , e.g. for subscription services payment schemes, architectures or protocols G06Q20/00; e-commerce G06Q30/00; arrangements for billing for the use of broadcast information or broadcast-related information H04H60/21
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2547 : Third Party Billing, e.g. billing of advertiser
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25866 : Management of end-user data customer care in data networks H04L41/5077
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25883 : being end-user demographical data, e.g. age, family status or address arrangements for identifying locations of users in broadcast systems H04H60/52
• 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 21/262 : Content or additional data distribution scheduling, e.g. sending additional data at off-peak times, updating software modules, calculating the carousel transmission frequency, delaying a video stream transmission, generating play-lists scheduling strategies for dispatcher in multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/4881; arrangements for scheduling broadcast services or broadcast-related services H04H60/06; flow control in packet networks H04L47/10; establishing a time schedule or organising the servicing of application requests H04L67/62
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/26208 : the scheduling operation being performed under constraints
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/26216 : involving the channel capacity, e.g. network bandwidth admission control, resource allocation in open networks H04L12/5692; flow control in packet networks H04L47/10; establishing a schedule or organising the servicing of application requests taking into account QoS H04L67/61
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/26225 : involving billing parameters, e.g. priority for subscribers of premium services
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/26233 : involving content or additional data duration or size, e.g. length of a movie, size of an executable file
• 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 21/44016 : involving splicing one content stream with another content stream, e.g. for substituting a video clip
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44224 : Monitoring of user activity on external systems, e.g. Internet browsing
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4667 : Processing of monitored end-user data, e.g. trend analysis based on the log file of viewer selections
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47202 : for requesting content on demand, e.g. video on demand
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4756 : for rating content, e.g. scoring a recommended movie
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6582 : Data stored in the client, e.g. viewing habits, hardware capabilities, credit card number arrangements where receivers interact with the broadcast H04H20/38
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 : involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/173 : with two-way working, e.g. subscriber sending a programme selection signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 : Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

A system and method is provided for use in connection with delivering content that is targeted to users of a broadcast network. In order to select content that is targeted to users of the broadcast network, signals are received from a plurality of customer premise equipment devices (CPEs) of the network users via a broadcast network interface. Based on the received signals, broadcast assets (e.g., programming, advertisements etc.) are selected from a collection of available asset options. Accordingly, at least a portion of the selected assets are inserted into a content stream of the broadcast network. Once the content stream is broadcast over a broadcast network interface, at least a portion of the selected assets area available for receipt by at least a portion of the CPEs. The CPEs generate reports regarding assets delivered such that asset providers can be billed based on guaranteed targeted impressions.

Claims

1. A method for use in connection with delivering selected advertising content to users of a cable television network, the cable television network primarily involving synchronized distribution of broadcast programming to multiple users, the method comprising the steps of:

(a) generating a list of advertisement options corresponding to a collection of available advertisements for an upcoming advertisement insertion spot in a broadcast programming stream;

(b) broadcasting the list of advertisement options over a cable television network, wherein the list of advertisements is receivable by a plurality of customer premise equipment devices (CPEs) via the cable television network;

(c) receiving response signals via the cable television network, the response signals originating from at least a portion of the CPEs and including advertisement option votes;

(d) selecting at least a first advertisement from the collection of available advertisements based on the response signals

(e) inserting the first advertisement into a first content stream of the cable television network; and

(f) broadcasting the first content stream including the first advertisement over the cable television network, wherein said inserted first advertisement is provided in conjunction with said insertion spot in said broadcast programming stream and is available for receipt by at least a portion of the CPEs.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein inserting (e) further comprises:

(i) selecting a second advertisement from the collection of available advertisements based on the response signals;

(ii) inserting the second advertisement into a second content stream of the cable television network; and

(iii) broadcasting the second content stream including the second advertisement over the cable television network, wherein said inserted second advertisement is provided in conjunction with said insertion spot in said broadcast programming stream and is available for receipt by at least a portion of the CPEs.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein said first and second content streams are (i) parallel transmission streams and are (ii) simultaneously broadcast over the cable television network.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein (i) one of said first and second advertisements is inserted into said broadcast programming stream.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein inserting further comprising:

inserting (i) a plurality of different advertisements selected based on said response signals, into (ii) a plurality of parallel content streams, wherein said plurality of advertisements are (iii) broadcast in conjunction with said insertion spot in said broadcast programming stream.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the list of available advertisement options includes (i) at least one target parameter for each of said available advertisements, wherein (ii) at least a portion of said CPEs are operative to utilize said target parameter to generate an advertisement option vote.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein said at least one target parameter is selected from a group consisting of:

gender;

age;

income;

locale; and

personal interest.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein said step of receiving response signals comprises (i) receiving individual response signals from individual CPEs, wherein each individual response signal (ii) indicates a fit between the at least one target parameter for at least one available advertisement option and a classification parameter of an individual CPE.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein said step of receiving response signals comprises (i) receiving response signals from currently active CPEs, wherein the currently active CPEs are outputting said broadcast programming stream to a network user.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein said step of receiving response signals comprises (i) receiving the signals from a statistical sample of less than an entirety of the CPEs associated with the broadcast network.