Video ad delivery using configurable video ad policies

• US 8,914,824 B2
• Filed: 01/07/2009
• Issued: 12/16/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 01/07/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Zhigu Holdings Limited
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Braun, David A., Masterson, Mark H., Gupta, Ashish, Schwesinger, Mark D., Shi, Tianjun, Vetticappallil, Xavier John
• Primary Examiner(s): Pendleton, Brian T
• Assistant Examiner(s): Saint Cyr, Jean D
• Application Number:
  US12/350,128
• Publication Number:
  US 20100175079A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,169 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 725/32
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25833 involving client hardware characteristics, e.g. manufacturer, processing or storage capabilities allocation of resources considering hardware capabilities in multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/5044; allocation of resources considering software capabilities in multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/5055
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/262 Content or additional data distribution scheduling, e.g. sending additional data at off-peak times, updating software modules, calculating the carousel transmission frequency, delaying a video stream transmission, generating play-lists scheduling strategies for dispatcher in multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/4881; arrangements for scheduling broadcast services or broadcast-related services H04H60/06; flow control in packet networks H04L47/10; establishing a time schedule or organising the servicing of application requests H04L67/62
• 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 21/84 Generation or processing of descriptive data, e.g. content descriptors systems specially adapted for using meta-information in broadcast systems H04H60/73
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

Systems and methods for video ad delivery using configurable dynamic video ad policies are provided. A system for delivering video ads to a video client may include an ad platform service. The ad platform service may have a media registration module configured to receive input data including a video ad policy and associated metadata and digital video content from a digital video content client. The ad platform service may further include a registration database configured to store input data received from the media registration module. The ad platform service may further include a manifest service and an associated manifest generation engine, wherein the manifest service may be configured to receive an ad manifest request from a video client. In response, the manifest generation engine may be configured to generate a manifest instance based on input data received at the manifest service, the manifest service being configured to send the manifest instance to the video client.

Claims

1. A system for delivering video ads to a video client, the system comprising an ad platform service executable on an advertising server, the ad platform service including:

a media registration module configured to receive input data including a video ad policy and associated metadata and digital video content from a digital video content client of a content provider, the video ad policy defined based on a plurality of video client parameters and a plurality of ad policy parameters, the plurality of video client parameters including a number of video clients and a type of viewer device on which the video client is configured to be executed, wherein the number of video clients includes one or more of a number of concurrent video clients, a number of aggregate video clients, and a number of video clients over a predetermined time period, and wherein the associated metadata specifies an ad placement position in the digital video content and one or more conditions that trigger a dynamic change in one or more of the plurality of ad policy parameters that define the video ad policy;

a registration database configured to store input data received from the media registration module; and

a manifest service and an associated manifest generation engine, wherein the manifest service is configured to receive an ad manifest request from a video client executed on a viewer device of a user, where the ad manifest request is received from the video client after the video client has received user input to download or stream the digital video content, and in response to receiving the ad manifest request, the manifest generation engine is configured to generate an ad manifest instance based on the type of the viewer device of the user, the ad manifest instance specifying device-specific ad functionality included or omitted in an ad based on the type of viewer device, and the input data received at the media registration module from the content provider and stored in the registration database, wherein if the one or more conditions have occurred, the ad manifest instance is generated to include an updated video ad policy having one or more dynamically changed ad policy parameters that govern display of ads on the video client for a particular viewing instance of the digital video content, and wherein if the one or more conditions have not occurred, the ad manifest instance is generated to include the video ad policy including the plurality of ad policy parameters originally specified at registration of the digital video content that governs display of ads on the video client for a particular viewing instance of the digital video content, the manifest service being configured to send the ad manifest instance to the video client;

wherein the ad manifest instance sent to the video client enables the video client to send an ad request to an ad delivery engine associated with the ad platform service and further enables the video client to receive one or more ads from the ad delivery engine responsive to the ad request, where the one or more ads are based on the manifest instance sent to the video client.

2. The ad platform service of claim 1, wherein the ad policy parameters include one or more of ad/program ratio, ad duration, ad type, ad replay policy, maximum number of ad pods, maximum ads per ad pod, pre-roll and post-roll enablement, sponsored ad rules, “

click to continue”

option, and ad skip threshold.

3. The ad platform service of claim 2, wherein dynamically changing the one or more dynamically changed ad policy parameters does not conflict with a pre-existing video ad policy.

4. The ad platform service of claim 3, wherein the ad policy parameters are defined based on temporal parameters.

5. The ad platform service of claim 1, wherein the type is one or more of a set-top box, a mobile phone, a personal computer, a gaming system, and a handheld personal digital assistant.

6. The ad platform service of claim 1, wherein the plurality of video client parameters further include one or more of user characteristics associated with the video client and a digital video content replay policy, wherein the digital video content replay policy may include an aggregate number of replays of the digital video content.

7. The ad platform service of claim 1 wherein metadata includes ad type information.

15. The ad platform service of claim 1, wherein the one or more conditions include a total viewership of the digital video content exceeding a viewership threshold, a time since release of the digital video content exceeding a time threshold, and a time of day being within a designated time range.

8. A method for delivering video ads to a video client, the method comprising, at an advertising server:

receiving, from a digital video content client of a content provider, input data including a video ad policy and associated metadata and digital video content, at a media registration module of an ad platform service, the video ad policy being defined based on a plurality of ad policy parameters and a plurality of video client parameters, the plurality of client parameters including a number of video clients and a type of viewer device on which the video client is configured to be executed, wherein the number of video clients includes one or more of a number of concurrent video clients, a number of aggregate video clients, and a number of video clients over a predetermined time period, and wherein the associated metadata specifies an ad placement position in the digital video content and one or more conditions that trigger a dynamic change in one or more of the plurality of ad policy parameters that define the video ad policy;

storing the input data from the registration module in a registration database;

receiving, from a video client executed on a viewer device, an ad manifest request at a manifest service of the ad platform service, where the ad manifest request is received from the video client after the video client has received user input to download or stream the digital video content;

generating, in response to the ad manifest request, an ad manifest instance at the manifest service based on the type of the viewer device, the ad manifest instance specifying device-specific ad functionality included or omitted in an ad based on the type of viewer device, and the input data from the registration database associated with the ad manifest request, wherein if the one or more conditions have occurred, the ad manifest instance is generated to include an updated video ad policy having one or more dynamically changed ad policy parameters that govern display of ads for the ad manifest instance, and wherein if the one or more conditions have not occurred, the ad manifest instance is generated to include the video ad policy including the plurality of ad policy parameters originally specified at registration of the digital video content; and

sending the ad manifest instance to the video client, from the manifest service of the ad platform, responsive to the ad manifest request;

receiving, from the video client, an ad request at an ad delivery engine associated with the ad platform service, the ad request being based on the ad manifest instance; and

sending one or more ads from the ad delivery engine of the ad platform service to the video client, responsive to the ad request, where the one or more ads are based on the ad manifest instance sent to the video client.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the plurality of ad policy parameters includes one or more of ad/program ratio, ad duration, ad type, maximum number of ad pods, maximum ads per ad pod, pre-roll and post-roll enablement, sponsored ad rules, “

click to continue”

option, and ad skip threshold, and wherein the ad policy parameters are dynamically re-definable to enable the digital video content client to modify a pre-existing video ad policy by adding one or more new ad policy parameters, wherein the addition of one or more new ad policy parameters does not conflict with the pre-existing video ad policy.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the plurality of ad policy parameters are further based on temporal parameters.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the type of viewer device is one or more of a set-top box, a mobile phone, a personal computer, a gaming system, and a handheld personal digital assistant.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein the plurality of video client parameters further include one or more of user characteristics associated with the video client and a digital video content replay policy, wherein the digital video content replay policy may include an aggregate number of replays of the digital video content.

13. The method of claim 8, wherein metadata includes ad type information.

16. The method of claim 8, wherein the one or more conditions include a total viewership of the content exceeding a viewership threshold, a time since release of the content exceeding a time threshold, and a time of day being within a designated time range.

14. A method for use in display of video ads on a video client executed on a viewer device, the method comprising:

sending, in response to user input to download or stream digital content and metadata, a request to a media server, the metadata specifying an ad placement position in the digital content;

receiving a response from the media server, responsive to the request, wherein the response contains the digital content and metadata;

sending an ad manifest request to a manifest service of an ad platform service executed on an advertising server, wherein the ad manifest request is based on the digital content and metadata;

receiving an ad manifest instance from the manifest service of the ad platform service, responsive to the ad manifest request, wherein the ad manifest instance is created by the manifest service based on a type of the viewer device, the ad manifest instance specifying device-specific ad functionality included or omitted in an ad based on the type of viewer device, and input data received from a registration database, wherein the input data includes a video ad policy received from a digital video content client of a content provider and one or more conditions that trigger a dynamic change in the video ad policy,

wherein the video ad policy includes a plurality of ad policy parameters that govern display of ads with the digital content, the ad policy parameters being dynamically re-definable to enable the digital video content client to modify a pre-existing video ad policy by adding one or more new ad policy parameters, wherein the addition of one or more new ad policy parameters does not conflict with the pre-existing video ad policy, wherein if the one or more conditions have occurred, the ad manifest instance is generated to include an updated video ad policy having one or more dynamically changed ad policy parameters that govern display of ads for the ad manifest instance, and wherein if the one or more conditions have not occurred, the ad manifest instance is generated to include the video ad policy including the plurality of ad policy parameters originally specified at registration of the digital content;

sending an ad request to an ad delivery engine based on the ad manifest instance; and

receiving one or more ads from the ad delivery engine based on the ad manifest instance, responsive to the ad request.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein the one or more conditions include a total viewership of the digital content exceeding a viewership threshold, a time since release of the digital content exceeding a time threshold, and a time of day being within a designated time range.

18. The method of claim 14, wherein a plurality of ad policy parameters include one or more of an ad/program ratio, ad duration, ad type, maximum number of ad pods, maximum ads per ad pod, pre-roll and post-roll enablement, sponsored ad rules, “

click to continue”

option, and ad skip threshold.

19. The method of claim 14, wherein a plurality of ad policy parameters are defined based on a number of video clients and a type of viewer device on which a video client is configured to be executed, wherein a number of video clients includes one or more of a number of concurrent video clients, a number of aggregate video clients, and a number of video clients over a predetermined time period.