METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR BROWSER BASED ADVERTISEMENT INSERTION

• US 20130185158A1
• Filed: 03/08/2013
• Published: 07/18/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 10/29/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GoldSpot Media, Inc. (Japan) (Dentsu Group, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: GoldSpot Media, Inc. (Japan) (Dentsu Group, Inc.)
• Inventors: FENG, Xin, DHARMAJI, Srinivasa
• Granted Patent: US 8,997,140 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/14.64
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0267 Wireless devices
• 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 21/4325 by playing back content from the storage medium reproduction of recorded television signals H04N5/76; reproduction of recorded television signals H04N9/79
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4331 Caching operations, e.g. of an advertisement for later insertion during playback
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44004 involving video buffer management, e.g. video decoder buffer or video display buffer
• 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 21/44209 Monitoring of downstream path of the transmission network originating from a server, e.g. bandwidth variations of a wireless network arrangements for maintenance or administration in data switching networks involving bandwidth and capacity management H04L41/0896
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4424 Monitoring of the internal components or processes of the client device, e.g. CPU or memory load, processing speed, timer, counter or percentage of the hard disk space used error monitoring in general G06F11/30; arrangements for monitoring conditions of receiving stations in broadcast systems H04H60/32; diagnosis, testing or measuring for television receivers H04N17/04
• 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 21/6131 involving transmission via a mobile phone network wireless downlink channel access H04W74/006
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6473 Monitoring network processes errors for recovering from a failure of a protocol instance or entity H04L69/40
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/165 Centralised control of user terminal subsequent to an upstream request signal H04N7/17345; Registering at central by two-way working H04N7/17309

Abstract

Content is downloaded to a mobile handheld device (MHD) and buffered on the MHD prior to, and during, viewing. Normal wireless bandwidth varies with atmospheric conditions, distance, obstructions in the path, etc. and hence the speed at which a content-buffer (CB) on the MHD is replenished changes. Because this can result in very low quality viewing experience for the user, the capability for alternate content scheduling provided a micro-splicer is used to enable stored alternate content or advertisement insertion during periods of low viewing quality, when the CB does not hold sufficient content during the viewing period. This alternate content insertion allows the CB to be refilled before the user resumes content viewing.

Claims

1. A method for improving viewing quality on a mobile handheld device (MHD) comprising the steps of:

preloading the MHD with alternate content into a first buffer;

receiving content in real-time from a remote source over a wireless medium and loading said received content into a second buffer;

displaying said preloaded alternate content from said first buffer when said second buffer is filled below a first threshold level; and

displaying said real-time content from said second buffer when said second buffer is filled above a second threshold value.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said alternate content was pre-downloaded to a storage on said MHD.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein determining whether said second buffer is filled below a first threshold level or is filled above a second threshold value is continuously performed by a threshold checker on said MHD.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said MHD comprises a micro-splicer and wherein said micro-splicer stops displaying said real-time content from said second buffer and starts displaying said preloaded alternate content from said first buffer when the second buffer reaches the second threshold.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein a threshold checker on said MHD checks for an end-of-content-file (EOCF) data block in the second buffer and wherein if at any time the EOCF is recognized while said preloaded alternate content is being displayed, a micro-splicer on said MHD stops displaying said preloaded alternate content and starts displaying said real-time content after the completion of a current advertisement of said preloaded alternate content and to EOCF.

6. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium containing computer executable instructions which, when executed by a computer, implement the method of claim 1.

7. A method for downloading and buffering content on a mobile handheld device (MHD) prior to and during viewing of the content, comprising the steps of:

buffering stored alternate content for insertion during periods of low viewing quality, when a content buffer does not hold sufficient content during viewing of the content; and

using an interval of said periods of low viewing quality when said buffered alternate content is inserted for viewing to refill the content buffer.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein said alternate content was pre-downloaded to a storage on said MHD before said content was downloaded and buffered.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein said MHD stops displaying said content and inserts said alternate content when the content buffer does not hold sufficient content.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein an end-of-content-file (EOCF) data block is checked for in said content buffer and wherein if at any time the EOCF is recognized while said alternate content is being inserted, the content is viewed to EOCF after completion of the inserted alternate content.

11. A mobile handheld device, comprising:

a display;

a display buffer coupled to said display;

a first content buffer for buffering a received content stream, said content buffer coupled to said display buffer via a switch;

a second content buffer for buffering an alternate content stream for display on said display, said second content buffer coupled to said display buffer via said switch;

a storage unit for storing preloaded content, said storage unit coupled to said second content buffer;

a threshold checker for checking any of a fill and an empty status of said first content buffer, for identifying an end-of-content-file, and for outputting a control signal responsive thereof; and

a micro-splicer coupled to said first content buffer, said second content buffer, said storage unit, and said switch, said micro-splicer configured to operate said switch in response to said control signal to provide alternate content from said second content buffer to said display buffer when said first content buffer has insufficient content to ensure good quality display on said handheld display;

wherein viewing quality on the mobile handheld device is improved.