METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR USER SELECTION OF ADVERTISING COMBINATIONS

• US 20120110620A1
• Filed: 09/27/2011
• Published: 05/03/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 03/10/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hulu LLC (The Walt Disney Company)
• Original Assignee: Hulu LLC (The Walt Disney Company)
• Inventors: KILAR, JASON A., TOM, RICHARD W., ZHENG, HUA, COLACO, JEAN-PAUL, FENG, ERIC I., JIN, XIN
• Granted Patent: US 8,713,603 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: H04N 21/23424 involving splicing one content stream with another content stream, e.g. for inserting or substituting an advertisement
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23439 for generating different versions
• 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 21/4532 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 21/4755 for defining user preferences, e.g. favourite actors or genre retrieval personalisation and generation of user profiles for the retrieval of video data G06F16/739; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306
• 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 7/163 by receiver means only
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

A method, apparatus, article of manufacture, and a memory structure for providing advertisements with a media program transmitted to a user device are described. The method permits the user to control the presentation of advertisements to select prefacing advertisements in lieu of more time consuming or more numerous intervening advertisements presented during the media program.

Claims

1. A method of providing advertisements with a streamed media program having media program content, comprising the steps of:

receiving first data from a user device in a media program provider, the first data identifying the media program to be streamed to the user device;

before streaming the media program content to the user device, and automatically upon receipt of a request for a media program transmitting second data comprising advertising control options to the user device, the advertising control options comprising of a choice consisting essentially of;

streaming the media program in conjunction with a first advertising experience in exchange for the streaming of a first number of prefacing advertisements;

streaming the media program in conjunction with a second advertising experience comprising a second number of intervening advertisements, wherein the first advertising experience is different than the second advertising experience;

receiving third data from the user device, the third data comprising the user-selected advertising control options; and

streaming the media program and the advertisements according to the user-selected advertising control options.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the first advertising experience is described by a total temporal length of the first number of prefacing advertisements plus a total temporal length of a third number of intervening advertisements; and

the second advertising experience is described by the total temporal length of the second number of intervening advertisements.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein:

the step of streaming the media program in conjunction with a first advertising experience in exchange for the streaming of a first number of prefacing advertisements comprises the step of;

streaming the first number of prefacing advertisements of the first total temporal length before the beginning streaming of the requested media program and the third number of intervening advertisements of a second total temporal length during the one or more advertising breaks; and

the step of streaming the media program in conjunction with the second advertising experience comprising the second number of advertisements comprises the step of;

after beginning streaming of the requested media program, streaming the second number of intervening advertisements of a third total temporal length, the third total temporal length greater than a sum of the first temporal length and the second total temporal length.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein:

the first number of prefacing advertisements comprises only a single prefacing advertisement and the second data specifically identifies the single prefacing advertisement.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the step of streaming the media program and the advertisements according to the user-selected advertising control options comprises the steps of:

upon receipt of the user-selected advertising control options, identifying the one or more prefacing advertisements from a set of candidate advertisements according to advertisements previously directly selected by the user.

6. The method of claim 3, wherein the third number of intervening advertisements is zero.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the first advertising experience is described by a total temporal length of a third number of intervening advertisements; and

the second advertising experience is described by a total temporal length of the second number of intervening advertisements.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein:

the first number of prefacing advertisements comprises only a single prefacing advertisement and the second data specifically identifies the single prefacing advertisement.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the step of streaming the media program and the advertisements according to the user-selected advertising control options comprises the steps of:

upon receipt of the user-selected advertising control options, identifying the one or more prefacing advertisements from a set of candidate advertisements according to advertisements previously directly selected by the user.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein the third number of intervening advertisements is zero.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the first total advertising experience is described by the first number of prefacing advertisements plus a third number of intervening advertisements; and

the second total advertising experience is described by the second number of intervening advertisements.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein:

the first number of prefacing advertisements comprises only a single prefacing advertisement and the second data specifically identifies the single prefacing advertisement.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the step of streaming the media program and the advertisements according to the user-selected advertising control options comprises the steps of:

upon receipt of the user-selected advertising control options, identifying the one or more prefacing advertisements from a set of candidate advertisements according to advertisements previously directly selected by the user.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the third number of intervening advertisements is zero.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the first total advertising experience is described by a third number of intervening advertisements; and

the second total advertising experience is described by the second number of intervening advertisements.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein:

the first number of prefacing advertisements comprises only a single prefacing advertisement and the second data specifically identifies the single prefacing advertisement.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the step of streaming the media program and the advertisements according to the user-selected advertising control options comprises the steps of:

upon receipt of the user-selected advertising control options, identifying the one or more prefacing advertisements from a set of candidate advertisements according to advertisements previously directly selected by the user.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein the third number of intervening advertisements is zero.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the media program comprises one or more advertising breaks;

the first advertising experience is described by a first number of advertising breaks; and

the second advertising experience is described by second number advertising breaks greater than the first number of advertising breaks.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein:

the first number of prefacing advertisements comprises only a single prefacing advertisement and the second data specifically identifies the single prefacing advertisement.

21. The method of claim 19, wherein the step of streaming the media program and the advertisements according to the user-selected advertising control options comprises the steps of:

upon receipt of the user-selected advertising control options, identifying the one or more prefacing advertisements from a set of candidate advertisements according to advertisements previously directly selected by the user.

22. The method of claim 19, wherein the first number of advertising breaks is zero and the third number of intervening advertisements is zero.

23. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

deriving and storing advertisement viewing data from fifth data comprising the streaming of the advertisements to the user device.

24. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of:

determining an advertising resource locator for each of the one or more prefacing advertisements;

transmitting the advertisement resource locators for each of the one or more prefacing advertisements to the user device;

receiving one or more requests having one or more of the advertising resource locators to stream the one or more advertisements to the user device; and

streaming the one or more prefacing advertisements according to the user selected advertising options.

25. An apparatus for providing advertisements with a streamed media program having media program content, comprising:

a processor;

a memory, communicatively coupled to the processor, the memory storing processor instructions comprising instructions for;

receiving first data from a user device in a media program provider, the first data identifying the media program to be streamed to the user device;

before streaming the media program content to the user device, and automatically upon receipt of a request for a media program transmitting second data comprising advertising control options to the user device, the advertising control options comprising of a choice consisting essentially of;

streaming the media program in conjunction with a first advertising experience in exchange for the streaming of a first number of prefacing advertisements;

streaming the media program in conjunction with a second advertising experience comprising a second number of intervening advertisements, wherein the first advertising experience is different than the second advertising experience;

receiving third data from the user device, the third data comprising the user-selected advertising control options; and

streaming the media program and the advertisements according to the user-selected advertising control options.

26. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein:

the first advertising experience is described by a total temporal length of the first number of prefacing advertisements plus a total temporal length of a third number of intervening advertisements; and

the second advertising experience is described by the total temporal length of the second number of intervening advertisements.

27. The apparatus of claim 26, wherein:

the instructions for streaming the media program in conjunction with a first advertising experience in exchange for the streaming of a first number of prefacing advertisements comprises;

instructions for streaming the first number of prefacing advertisements of the first total temporal length before the beginning streaming of the requested media program and the third number of intervening advertisements of a second total temporal length during the one or more advertising breaks; and

the instructions for streaming the media program in conjunction with the second advertising experience comprising the second number of advertisements comprises;

instructions for streaming the second number of intervening advertisements of a third total temporal length after beginning streaming of the requested media program, the third total temporal length greater than a sum of the first temporal length and the second total temporal length.

28. The apparatus of claim 27, wherein:

the first number of prefacing advertisements comprises only a single prefacing advertisement and the second data specifically identifies the single prefacing advertisement.

29. The apparatus of claim 27, wherein the instructions for streaming the media program and the advertisements according to the user-selected advertising control options comprises:

instructions for identifying the one or more prefacing advertisements from a set of candidate advertisements according to advertisements previously directly selected by the user upon receipt of the user-selected advertising control options.

30. The apparatus of claim 27, wherein the third number of intervening advertisements is zero.

31. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein:

the first advertising experience is described by a total temporal length of a third number of intervening advertisements; and

the second advertising experience is described by a total temporal length of the second number of intervening advertisements.

32. The apparatus of claim 31, wherein:

the first number of prefacing advertisements comprises only a single prefacing advertisement and the second data specifically identifies the single prefacing advertisement.

33. The apparatus of claim 31, wherein the instructions for streaming the media program and the advertisements according to the user-selected advertising control options comprises:

instructions for identifying the one or more prefacing advertisements from a set of candidate advertisements according to advertisements previously directly selected by the user upon receipt of the user-selected advertising control options.

34. The apparatus of claim 31, wherein the third number of intervening advertisements is zero.

35. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein:

the first total advertising experience is described by the first number of prefacing advertisements plus a third number of intervening advertisements; and

the second total advertising experience is described by the second number of intervening advertisements.

36. The apparatus of claim 35, wherein:

the first number of prefacing advertisements comprises only a single prefacing advertisement and the second data specifically identifies the single prefacing advertisement.

37. The apparatus of claim 35, wherein the instructions for streaming the media program and the advertisements according to the user-selected advertising control options comprises:

instructions for identifying the one or more prefacing advertisements from a set of candidate advertisements according to advertisements previously directly selected by the user upon receipt of the user-selected advertising control options.

38. The apparatus of claim 35, wherein the third number of intervening advertisements is zero.

39. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein:

the first total advertising experience is described by a third number of intervening advertisements; and

the second total advertising experience is described by the second number of intervening advertisements.

40. The apparatus of claim 39, wherein:

the first number of prefacing advertisements comprises only a single prefacing advertisement and the second data specifically identifies the single prefacing advertisement.

41. The apparatus of claim 39, wherein the instructions for streaming the media program and the advertisements according to the user-selected advertising control options comprises:

instructions for identifying the one or more prefacing advertisements from a set of candidate advertisements according to advertisements previously directly selected by the user upon receipt of the user-selected advertising control options.

42. The apparatus of claim 39, wherein the third number of intervening advertisements is zero.

43. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein:

the media program comprises one or more advertising breaks;

the first advertising experience is described by a first number of advertising breaks; and

the second advertising experience is described by second number advertising breaks greater than the first number of advertising breaks.

44. The apparatus of claim 43, wherein:

the first number of prefacing advertisements comprises only a single prefacing advertisement and the second data specifically identifies the single prefacing advertisement.

45. The apparatus of claim 43, wherein the instructions for streaming the media program and the advertisements according to the user-selected advertising control options comprises:

instructions for identifying the one or more prefacing advertisements from a set of candidate advertisements according to advertisements previously directly selected by the user upon receipt of the user-selected advertising control options.

46. The apparatus of claim 43, wherein the first number of advertising breaks is zero and the third number of intervening advertisements is zero.

47. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein the instructions further comprise:

instructions for deriving and storing advertisement viewing data from fifth data comprising the streaming of the advertisements to the user device.

48. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein the instructions further comprise:

instructions for determining an advertising resource locator for each of the one or more prefacing advertisements;

instructions for transmitting the advertisement resource locators for each of the one or more prefacing advertisements to the user device;

instructions for receiving one or more requests having one or more of the advertising resource locators to stream the one or more advertisements to the user device; and

instructions for streaming the one or more prefacing advertisements according to the user selected advertising options.