Zone control methods and apparatus

• US 8,701,138 B2
• Filed: 04/23/2010
• Issued: 04/15/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 04/23/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Time Warner Cable Enterprises LLC (Charter Communications Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Time Warner Cable Enterprises LLC (Charter Communications Incorporated)
• Inventors: Stern, Peter, Gould, Kenneth
• Primary Examiner(s): Kumar, Pankaj
• Assistant Examiner(s): BAIG, SAHAR A
• Application Number:
  US12/766,753
• Publication Number:
  US 20110265116A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,453 Days
• Field of Search: 725/31, 725/32, 725/34, 725/35
• US Class Current: 725/35
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2801 Broadband local area networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2225 Local VOD servers
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2547 Third Party Billing, e.g. billing of advertiser
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4524 involving the geographical location of the client retrieval from the Internet by querying based on geographical locations G06F16/9537; systems specially adapted for using geographical information in broadcast systems H04H60/70; protocols in which the network application is adapted for the location of the user terminal in communication control or processing H04L67/52; services making use of the location of users or terminals in wireless networks H04W4/02; locating users or terminals in wireless networks H04W64/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6118 involving cable transmission, e.g. using a cable modem
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6125 involving transmission via Internet transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02

Abstract

Methods and apparatus for providing control over targeted secondary content based on a zone associated with a user. In one exemplary embodiment, a user request for primary content from a non-legacy device results in the delivery of the same secondary content which would have been provided had the request been generated at a legacy device (so-called “zone preservation”). To accomplish this, the devices are associated with a user'"'"'s zone at a zone preservation server in communication with the server providing content to the devices. The zone preservation server associates each user with an advertisement zone identifier, and utilizes the identifier to direct the delivery of primary and secondary content. In another embodiment, a prescribed rule set for one or more zones is employed, such as where certain types of advertisements or secondary content are inserted given a particular device or user context.

Claims

1. A method of ensuring delivery of program content and advertising content on-demand from a content delivery network to an Internet Protocol (IP)-capable user device, said advertising content being selected based at least in part on an advertisement zone of a user of said IP-capable user device, said method comprising:

receiving a request for said program content from said IP-capable user device, said request comprising at least a user identifier (UID);

forwarding said UID to an entity of said network, said entity determining at least a Media Access Control (MAC) address of said IP-capable user device from said UID;

receiving from said entity said MAC address;

forwarding said MAC address to a network controller of said network, said network controller determining at least a quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM) identifier using said MAC address;

receiving from said network controller said QAM identifier;

associating said QAM identifier to said advertisement zone; and

providing information regarding said advertisement zone to a content server of said network, said content server providing said program content and said advertising content to said IP-capable user device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said user of said IP-capable user device is configured to receive identical advertising content that said user would receive had said request originated from a non-IP device associated to said user.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said content server comprises at least one of:

(i) a video on-demand (VOD) server, and/or (ii) a web server.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said entity of said network comprises a billing system entity.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein said QAM identifier comprises an edge QAM (eQAM) identifier.

6. In a content delivery network capable of providing program and advertising content to a plurality of legacy and non-legacy devices, a method of ensuring delivery of zone-preserved advertising content, said method comprising:

receiving a request for program content from a non-legacy device, said non-legacy device being associated with a user, said request comprising at least infolination identifying said user;

forwarding said information identifying said user to at least one entity of said network, said at least one entity being configured to associate said information to an address of said user;

receiving an indicator of said address from said at least one entity;

associating said indicator to at least one advertising zone; and

providing information regarding said at least one advertising zone to a content server of said network, said content server being configured to provide said program and said advertising content to said plurality of legacy and non-legacy devices;

wherein said advertising content received at said non-legacy device located at a first address comprises identical content to that which would have been received by said user at a legacy device located at a second address, said first and second addresses being otherwise associated to different advertising zones.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein said non-legacy device comprises an Internet Protocol (IP) capable device, and said legacy device comprises a non-IP capable device.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein said indicator of said address comprises a Zone Improvement Plan (ZIP) code.

9. The method of claim 6, wherein said at least one entity comprises a billing system entity, and said address comprises a billing address.

10. In a content distribution network comprising at least a content server and a plurality of user devices configured to receive primary and secondary content therefrom, a secondary content zone preservation server apparatus, said zone preservation server apparatus comprising:

a first interface configured to receive a request from at least one of said plurality of user devices, said request comprising at least user identification information;

a storage entity configured to store a plurality of records thereon, said plurality of records configured to indicate at least one secondary content zone applicable to individual ones of a plurality of device indicators;

a digital processor, said processor configured to run at least one computer program thereon, said computer program comprising a plurality of instructions which are configured to, when executed;

forward said user identification information to a network entity configured to provide a device indicator;

receive said device indicator; and

compare said device indicator to said plurality of records to identify at least one secondary content zone associated therewith; and

a second interface configured to provide data related to said at least one secondary content zone to said content server.

11. The sever apparatus of claim 10, wherein said plurality of device indicators comprise a plurality of edge quadrature amplitude modulation (eQAM) identifiers, and said network entity configured to provide said eQAM identifier comprises a network controller entity.

12. The server apparatus of claim 10, wherein said plurality of device indicators comprise a plurality of billing address identifiers and said network entity configured to provide said billing address identifier comprises a billing entity.

13. The server apparatus of claim 10, wherein said content server comprises a video on-demand (VOD) server.

14. The server apparatus of claim 10, wherein said identification of said at least one secondary content zone comprises a service group identifier of an individual one of said plurality of devices.

15. A method of delivering primary and secondary content over a network, comprising:

receiving a request for said primary content from a packet-enabled user device;

receiving entitlement information relating to a subscriber making said request;

using said entitlement information to associate said subscriber to a subscriber account, said account indicating said subscriber is authorized to receive said requested primary content; and

delivering said primary content to said subscriber in a packetized format via said packet- enabled device, said primary content having secondary content contained therein which is zone- controlled with respect to delivery of said primary content via another non-packet enabled device of said subscriber, said zone-controlled secondary content comprises advertising which is selected irrespective of a physical geographic location of said packet-enabled user device.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein said zone-controlled secondary content comprises advertising which is selected based on a zone that is identical to a zone used for said non-packet enabled device.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein said zone that is identical to said zone used for said non-packet enabled device comprises a geographic zone.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein said zone that is identical to said zone used for said non-packet enabled device comprises a demographic or psychographic zone.

19. The method of claim 15, wherein said packet-enabled device and said non-packet enabled device are located at a common premises.

20. The method of claim 15, wherein said packet-enabled device and said non-packet enabled device are located at different premises, said non-packet enabled device being at a premises of said subscriber associated to said subscriber account.

21. The method of claim 15, wherein said network comprises (i) an operator controlled portion, and (ii) a non-operator controlled portion in communication with said operator controlled portion, said non-packet enabled device configured to access said network via only said operator controlled portion, and said packet-enabled device configured to access said network via said non-operator controlled portion.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein said packet-enabled device is configured to access said network and said primary content rendered in said packetized format via either of said operator controlled portion or said non-operator controlled portion.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein said packetized format comprises an Internet Protocol (IP)-packetized format, and said access of said packetized format of said requested primary content over said operator controlled portion comprises delivery of said IP-packetized primary content via an MPEG container structure carried upon a QAM modulated radio frequency carrier, said primary content being encoded in an MPEG-2, MPEG-4, or H.264 format.

24. The method of claim 15, wherein said operator controlled portion comprises an MSO-controlled content delivery network, and said non-operator controlled portion comprises an unmanaged internetwork.

25. The method of claim 15, wherein said operator controlled portion comprises an MSO-controlled content delivery network, and said non-operator controlled portion comprises a managed or unmanaged wireless broadband network.

26. The method of claim 15, wherein said entitlement information relating to a subscriber comprises a user login and a password.

27. The method of claim 15, wherein said entitlement information relating to a subscriber comprises a MAC address of said packet-enabled device.

28. The method of claim 15, further comprising using an IP address of said packet-enabled device to determine its location.

29. The method of claim 28, further comprising using said determined location to select said secondary content, said zone-control comprising selecting said secondary content so that it is relevant in at least one aspect to said location.

30. The method of claim 15, wherein said zone-control comprises selecting secondary content which is contextually related to said requested primary content, and identical to that which would be delivered to said non-packet enabled device.

31. A method of operating a network, comprising:

receiving a request for primary content from an Internet Protocol (IP)-enabled device of a user of said network;

determining a first location of said device; and

selecting and inserting secondary content that have one or more common attributes to secondary content that would be selected and inserted when said request was received from a non-IP enabled device of said user at a location different from said first location.

32. The method of claim 31, wherein said different location comprises a premises of said user, and said first location comprises a location somewhere outside of said premises.

33. The method of claim 31, wherein said one or more common attributes comprises a common length or runtime.

34. The method of claim 31, wherein said one or more common attributes comprises a common theme.

35. The method of claim 31, wherein said one or more common attributes comprises a common “

one-two”

sequential arrangement of first and second related advertisements.

36. The method of claim 31, further comprising determining an entitlement of said user to access said primary content based on one or more of (i) a user login;

(ii) a MAC address of said IP-enabled device, and/or (iii) an IP address from where said request originated.

37. The method of claim 36, wherein said determination of said first location is based on one or more of (i) an IP address from where said request originated;

(ii) association of said IP-enabled device with a wireless base station or access portal; and

/or (iii) GPS location data.

38. Network apparatus, comprising:

a processor;

a storage device in data communication with said processor; and

at least one computer program configured to run on said processor and stored in said storage device, said at least one program which is configured to, when executed;

receive a request for primary content originated from a user, said request comprising at least a MAC address;

when said request originated from a legacy device of said user, determine an advertising zone based on said MAC address associated with said legacy device; and

when said request originated from an IP-enabled non-legacy device of said user, apply identical rules for advertising selection or insertion that are applied for said advertising zone associated with said legacy device.

39. The apparatus of claim 38, wherein said apparatus comprises an on-demand server of a content distribution network.

40. The apparatus of claim 38, wherein said apparatus is configured to provide said requested primary content regardless of whether said request originated from said legacy device or said IP-enabled non-legacy device.

41. The apparatus of claim 40, wherein said computer program is further configured to encapsulate said primary content and selected advertising according to an Internet Protocol (IP) scheme for delivery to said IP-enabled non-legacy device.