APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR REPLACING A BROADCASTED ADVERTISEMENT BASED ON HEURISTIC INFORMATION

• US 20110219402A1
• Filed: 05/03/2010
• Published: 09/08/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 03/05/2010
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Candelore, Brant L., Zustak, Frederick J.
• Application Number:
  US12/772,779
• Publication Number:
  US 20110219402A1
• 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 30/0269 based on user profile or attribute
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/106 Receiver-side switching
• 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 21/2668 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 7/025 Systems for the transmission of digital non-picture data, e.g. of text during the active part of a television frame transmission of digital non-picture data during the vertical blanking interval only H04N7/088

Abstract

According to one embodiment of the invention, an apparatus comprises a data storage unit and a data processing unit. Coupled to the data storage unit, the data processing unit is adapted to the access heuristic information stored in the data storage unit and transmitting a signal that is used to at least partially control selection of broadcast advertisements being downloaded so that the broadcast advertisements are more suited to the subject matter of interest to the user.

Claims

1. Adapted for receiving downloaded digital content, an apparatus comprising:

a data storage unit that stores heuristic information pertaining to a user of the apparatus, the heuristic information including data that identifies attributes of the user; and

a data processing unit coupled to the data storage unit, the data processing unit accessing the heuristic information and transmitting a signal that is used to at least partially control types of broadcast advertisements being downloaded so that the broadcast advertisements are more suited to subject matter of interest to the user.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the heuristic information includes data that identifies subject matter preferences for the broadcast advertisements by the user.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the data processing unit to control storage of the broadcast advertisements with the data storage unit based on the heuristic information.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the data processing unit to permit storage of a first broadcast advertisement of the broadcast advertisements when a viewing class of the first broadcast advertisement matches a viewing class of the user.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the data processing unit to substitute a second broadcast advertisement of the broadcast advertisements with a stored advertisement within the data storage unit if a viewing class of the second broadcast advertisement differs from a viewing class of the user and a viewing class of the stored advertisement is the same as the viewing class of the user.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the user is a content recipient being one or more targeted recipients of the downloaded digital content.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the data processing unit further formulating the heuristic information based at least in part on a behavior of the user of the apparatus during playback.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the behavior of the user is determined by monitoring wireless commands transmitted to the apparatus and producing the heuristic information based on the monitored wireless commands.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the signal transmitted from the data processing unit includes the heuristic information or data representative of the heuristic information.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the data storage unit further storing the downloaded broadcast advertisements that are selected based on heuristic information within the signal.

11. A method for targeting downloaded digital content to a content recipient using heuristic information, the method comprising:

storing heuristic information pertaining to the content recipient, the heuristic information at least one of attributes of the user and advertisement preferences by the user, the heuristic information being adapted to identify advertisement subject matter of interest to the content recipient; and

accessing the heuristic information and producing a signal that is used to at least partially control a type of broadcast advertisement being downloaded so that the broadcast advertisement is more suited to the subject mater of interest to the content recipient.

12. The method of claim 11 further comprising controlling storage of the broadcast advertisement based on the heuristic information.

13. The method claim 12, wherein the controlling storage of the broadcast advertisement includes permitting storage of the broadcast advertisement when a classification of the broadcast advertisement matches a classification of the content recipient.

14. The method of claim 12 further comprising substituting the broadcast advertisements with a stored advertisement if a classification of the broadcast advertisement differs from a classification of the content recipient and a classification of the stored advertisement is the same as the classification of the content recipient.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein prior to storing the heuristic information, the method further comprises formulating the heuristic information based at least in part on a behavior of the content recipient during playback.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the behavior of the content recipient is determined by monitoring wireless commands and producing the heuristic information based on the monitored wireless commands.

17. The method of claim 11, wherein the producing of the signal includes generating a message including the heuristic information or data representative of the heuristic information.

18. A method for targeting downloaded digital content to a digital device controlled by a content recipient using heuristic information, the method comprising:

computing heuristic information pertaining to the content recipient from monitored wireless commands received by the digital device;

storing the heuristic information pertaining to the content recipient, the heuristic information including at least one of attributes of the user and subject matter of advertisements preferred by the content recipient; and

altering playback of advertisements downloaded as part of the digital content using the heuristic information.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the altering of the playback of the advertisements includes accessing the heuristic information and producing a signal that is used to at least partially restrict the subject matter of broadcast advertisements being downloaded.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein the altering of the playback of the advertisements comprises:

controlling storage of a broadcast advertisement using the heuristic information; and

subsequently substituting one of the broadcast advertisements with a stored advertisement if the one of the broadcast advertisements differs from a classification of the content recipient that is formulated from the heuristic information.