Targeted television advertisements selected on the basis of an online user profile and presented with television programs or channels related to that profile

• US 8,051,444 B2
• Filed: 06/02/2008
• Issued: 11/01/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 06/02/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intent IQ, LLC (AlmondNet, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Intent IQ, LLC (AlmondNet, Inc.)
• Inventors: Shkedi, Roy
• Primary Examiner(s): Hirl, Joseph P
• Assistant Examiner(s): RABOVIANSKI, JIVKA A
• Application Number:
  US12/131,824
• Publication Number:
  US 20090299843A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,247 Days
• Field of Search: 725/34, 725/9, 725/10, 725/42, 725/35, 725/46, 725/32, 725/16, 725/13
• US Class Current: 725/34
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0224 based on user history
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0239 Online discounts or incentives
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0277 Online advertisement
• 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 21/252 Processing of multiple end-users' preferences to derive collaborative data
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25808 Management of client data terminal profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/303
• 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 21/2668 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 21/42684 Client identification by a unique number or address, e.g. serial number, MAC address, socket ID network arrangements, protocols or services for addressing or naming H04L61/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4316 for displaying supplemental content in a region of the screen, e.g. an advertisement in a separate window
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/435 Processing of additional data, e.g. decrypting of additional data, reconstructing software from modules extracted from the transport stream
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44224 Monitoring of user activity on external systems, e.g. Internet browsing
• 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 21/4667 Processing of monitored end-user data, e.g. trend analysis based on the log file of viewer selections
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47 End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47815 Electronic shopping payment schemes, payment architectures or payment protocols for electronic shopping systems G06Q20/12
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4782 Web browsing , e.g. WebTV
• 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

Abstract

In an automatic, computer-implemented method, a selected television advertisement is presented automatically in association with a television program or channel. A relationship is identified between an online user profile and the television program or channel, and the television advertisement is selected based at least in part on information from the online user profile. The selected television advertisement is presented, in association with the television program or channel that is identified as being related to the online user profile, via a set-top box having a corresponding set-top box identifier that is associated with the online user profile.

Claims

1. An automatic, computer-implemented method comprising:

(a) automatically arranging for presenting, in association with presentation of a first television program or channel, a first selected television advertisement, wherein;

(i) a relationship, between the first television program or channel and a first online user profile, is identified automatically based at least in part on information from the first online user profile;

(ii) the first television advertisement is selected automatically based at least in part on information from the first online user profile;

(iii) the first online user profile is associated with a first device that is an online user interface device;

(iv) the first selected television advertisement and the first television program or channel are presented via a second device that is a set-top box having a corresponding set-top box identifier that is associated with the first online user profile; and

(b) automatically arranging for presenting, in association with presentation of a second television program or channel, a second selected television advertisement, wherein;

(i) a relationship, between the second television program or channel and a second online user profile, is identified automatically based at least in part on information from the second online user profile;

(ii) the second television advertisement is selected automatically based at least in part on information from the second online user profile;

(iii) the second online user profile is associated with a third device that is an online user interface device;

(iv) the second selected television advertisement and the second television program or channel are presented via the set-top box, the corresponding set-top box identifier being associated with the second online user profile; and

(v) which television advertisement is selected for presentation in association with which television program or channel depends on differences between the first online user profile and the second online user profile.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein, upon presentation of the first television program via the set-top box, the first online user profile is automatically identified, from among multiple online user profiles associated with the set-top box identifier, as having information more closely related to the first television program than information from the other associated online user profiles.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the information from the first online user profile that is related to the first television program or channel includes demographic information concerning the user.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the information from the first online user profile that is related to the first television program or channel includes information concerning online activity of the user using the first device.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the information from the first online user profile that is related to the first television program or channel includes declared information concerning the user received through the user'"'"'s use of the first device.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the information from the first online user profile that is used to select the first television advertisement includes demographic information concerning the user.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the information from the first online user profile that is used to select the first television advertisement includes information concerning online activity of the user using the first device.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the information from the first online user profile that is used to select the first television advertisement includes declared information concerning the user received through the user'"'"'s use of the first device.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the first online user profile and the set-top box identifier are associated by each being associated with a common online access identifier.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein the online access identifier and the set-top box identifier are associated by the online access identifier being referenced or included in the first online user profile.

11. The method of claim 9 wherein the online access identifier and the set-top box identifier are associated in a database.

12. The method of claim 9 wherein the online access identifier and the set-top box identifier are associated by the first device, which corresponds to the online access identifier, and the set-top box being connected to a common local area network.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein the first online user profile and the set-top box identifier are associated without employing personally identifiable information concerning the user.

14. The method of claim 1 wherein the first selected advertisement is presented in association with broadcast presentation of the first television program.

15. The method of claim 1 wherein the first selected advertisement is presented in association with delayed presentation of the first television program.

16. The method of claim 1 wherein the first selected television advertisement is spatially combined or temporally interleaved with the first television program.

17. The method of claim 1 wherein the first selected television advertisement is presented immediately before or immediately after presentation of the first television program.

18. A computer-implemented method comprising automatically:

(a) identifying a relationship between a first online user profile and a first television program or channel, which relationship is based at least in part on information from the first online user profile, wherein the first online user profile is associated with a first device that is an online user interface device;

(b) selecting a first television advertisement based at least in part on information from the first online user profile;

(c) arranging for or transmitting instructions for presenting, in association with presentation of the first selected television program or channel via a second device that is a set-top box, the first selected television advertisement via the set-top box, the set-top box having a corresponding set-top box identifier that is associated with the first online user profile;

(d) identifying automatically a relationship between a second online user profile and a second television program or channel, which relationship is based at least in part on information from the second online user profile, wherein the second online user profile is associated with a second device that is an online user interface device;

(e) selecting a second television advertisement based at least in part on information from the second online user profile; and

(f) arranging for or transmitting instructions for presenting, in association with presentation of the second selected television program or channel, the second selected television advertisement via the set-top box, the corresponding set-top box identifier being associated with the second online user profile,

(g) wherein which television advertisement is selected for presentation in association with which selected television program or channel depends on differences between the first online user profile and the second online user profile.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein, upon presentation of the first television program via the first set-top box, the first online user profile is automatically identified, from among multiple online user profiles associated with the set-top box identifier, as having information more closely related to the first television program than information from the other associated online user profiles.

20. The method of claim 18 wherein the information from the first online user profile that is related to the first television program or channel includes demographic information concerning the user.

21. The method of claim 18 wherein the information from the first online user profile that is related to the first television program or channel includes information concerning online activity of the user using the first device.

22. The method of claim 18 wherein the information from the first online user profile that is related to the first television program or channel includes declared information concerning the user received through the user'"'"'s use of the first device.

23. The method of claim 18 wherein the information from the first online user profile that is used to select the first television advertisement includes demographic information concerning the user.

24. The method of claim 18 wherein the information from the first online user profile that is used to select the first television advertisement includes information concerning online activity of the user using the first device.

25. The method of claim 18 wherein the information from the first online user profile that is used to select the first television advertisement includes declared information concerning the user received through the user'"'"'s use of the first device.

26. The method of claim 18 wherein the first online user profile and the set-top box identifier are associated by each being associated with a common online access identifier.

27. The method of claim 26 wherein the online access identifier and the set-top box identifier are associated by the online access identifier being referenced or included in the first online user profile.

28. The method of claim 26 wherein the online access identifier and the set-top box identifier are associated in a database.

29. The method of claim 26 wherein the online access identifier and the set-top box identifier are associated by the first device, which corresponds to the online access identifier, and the set-top box being connected to a common local area network.

30. The method of claim 18 wherein the first online user profile and the set-top box identifier are associated without employing personally identifiable information concerning the user.

31. The method of claim 18 wherein the first selected advertisement is presented in association with broadcast presentation of the first television program.

32. The method of claim 18 wherein the first selected advertisement is presented in association with delayed presentation of the first television program.

33. The method of claim 18 wherein the first selected television advertisement is spatially combined or temporally interleaved with the first television program.

34. The method of claim 18 wherein the first selected television advertisement is presented immediately before or immediately after presentation of the first television program.