Contextual television advertisement delivery

• US 8,375,405 B2
• Filed: 03/13/2007
• Issued: 02/12/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 03/13/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Morris, Ronald A., Barrett, Peter, Sloo, David, Ludvig, Ted, Lin, Wieyang
• Primary Examiner(s): Srivastava, Vivek
• Assistant Examiner(s): Le, Rong
• Application Number:
  US11/717,458
• Publication Number:
  US 20080229354A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,163 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 725/34
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/26603 for automatically generating descriptors from content, e.g. when it is not made available by its provider, using content analysis techniques
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6581 Reference data, e.g. a movie identifier for ordering a movie or a product identifier in a home shopping application
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

Various technologies for delivering contextual television advertisement are described. A user selection of a media title is received. The media title has an associated set of contextual metadata that includes information regarding the media title. A request for the media title is forwarded to a first server and an advertisement request including the set of contextual metadata is forwarded to a second server. The second server uses the set of contextual metadata to retrieve contextual television advertisement information. The contextual television advertisement information and the media title are received from the second server and the first server respectively. Also, the contextual television advertisement information and the media title are played.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving data indicating selection of a media title;

forwarding a request for the media title to a first server;

obtaining contextual metadata associated with the media title, the contextual metadata indicating a product appearing in the media title and title information indicating a title of the media title;

forwarding an advertisement request comprising the contextual metadata to a second server;

receiving, from the second server,

a first contextual advertisement relating to the product and the title information and comprising information relating to the product, and

a second contextual advertisement relating to the product and the title information, the second contextual advertisement comprising an extended version of the first version of the contextual advertisement information and comprising additional information associated with the product;

receiving the media title from the first server;

playing the first contextual advertisement;

displaying, with the first contextual advertisement, a first option for terminating playing of the first contextual advertisement and playing the media title, and a second option for accessing the additional information associated with the product;

upon completion of playing the first contextual advertisement, playing the media title;

upon completion of playing the media title, playing the second contextual advertisement; and

displaying with the second contextual advertisement a third option for purchasing the product, wherein the contextual metadata further comprises data identifying a movie contextually associated with the media title, and wherein playing the second contextual advertisement comprises displaying a fourth option for purchasing the movie.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a user selection of the third option;

forwarding a purchase request to a third server;

forwarding payment information to the third server; and

receiving confirmation information regarding the purchase request from the third server.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein completion of the first contextual advertisement comprises selection of the first option.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the first contextual advertisement is played immediately prior to playing the media title.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the media title is a first motion picture, and wherein the movie is a second motion picture that is contextually related to the first motion picture.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising displaying an option to view a trailer relating to the second motion picture.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the contextual metadata further comprises demographic information corresponding to a user associated with the request to play the media title, order history information corresponding to the user, geographic information corresponding to the user, and navigational history associated with the user.

8. A computer storage medium that is not a signal, the computer storage medium having computer-executable instructions stored thereon that, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to:

receive a request to play a media title;

forward, to a first server, a request for the media title;

obtain contextual metadata associated with the media title, the contextual metadata indicating a product appearing in the media title and title information indicating a title of the media title;

generate an advertisement request comprising the contextual metadata to a second server;

receive, from the second server, a first contextual advertisement relating to the product and the title information and comprising information relating to the product, and a second contextual advertisement relating to the product and the title information, the second contextual advertisement comprising an extended version of the first version of the contextual advertisement information and comprising additional information associated with the product;

receive the media title from the first server;

play the first contextual advertisement;

display, with the first contextual advertisement, a first option for terminating playing of the first contextual advertisement and playing the media title, and a second option for accessing the additional information associated with the product;

upon completion of playing the first contextual advertisement, play the media title;

and

upon completion of playing the media title, play the second contextual advertisement;

and

display with the second contextual advertisement a third option for purchasing the product, wherein the contextual metadata further comprises data identifying a movie contextually associated with the media title, and wherein playing the second contextual advertisement comprises displaying a fourth option for purchasing the movie.

9. The computer storage medium of claim 8, wherein the first contextual advertisement comprises a video advertisement relating to the product.

10. The computer storage medium of claim 8, wherein the first contextual advertisement comprises a still image advertisement relating to the product.

11. The computer storage medium of claim 8, wherein the contextual metadata further comprises demographic information corresponding to a user associated with the request to play the media title.

12. The computer storage medium of claim 8, wherein the set of contextual metadata further comprises order history information of a user associated with the request to play the media title.

13. The computer storage medium of claim 8, wherein the set of contextual metadata further comprises geographic information corresponding to a user associated with the request to play the media title.

14. The computer storage medium of claim 8, wherein the set of contextual metadata further comprises navigational history associated with a user associated with the request to play the media title.

15. The computer storage medium of claim 8, wherein the contextual metadata further comprises demographic information corresponding to a user associated with the request to play the media title, order history information corresponding to the user, geographic information corresponding to the user, and navigational history associated with the user.

16. A method comprising:

receiving, at a set top box, data indicating selection of a motion picture;

forwarding a request for the motion picture to a video on demand server;

obtaining contextual metadata associated with the motion picture, the contextual metadata indicating a product appearing in the motion picture, motion picture title information, and geographic information corresponding to a user associated with the set top box;

forwarding an advertisement request comprising the contextual metadata to an advertisement server;

receiving, from the advertisement server,

a first contextual advertisement relating to the product and the motion picture title information and comprising information relating to the product, the first contextual advertisement comprising a video advertisement, and

a second contextual advertisement relating to the product and the motion picture title information, the second contextual advertisement comprising an extended version of the first version of the contextual advertisement information and comprising additional information associated with the product;

receiving the motion picture from the video on demand server;

playing the first contextual advertisement;

displaying, with the first contextual advertisement, a first option for terminating playing of the first contextual advertisement and playing the motion picture, and a second option for accessing the additional information associated with the product;

in response to receiving selection of the first option, immediately terminating playing of the first contextual advertisement and playing the motion picture;

upon completion of playing the motion picture, playing the second contextual advertisement; and

displaying with the second contextual advertisement a third option for purchasing the product, wherein the contextual metadata further comprises data identifying a movie contextually associated with the media title, and wherein playing the second contextual advertisement comprises displaying a fourth option for purchasing the movie.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

receiving data corresponding to a selection of the third option; and

forwarding a purchase request to a third server.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the contextual metadata further comprises demographic information corresponding to the user, order history information corresponding to the user, and navigational history associated with the user.