Apparatus and method for replacing a broadcasted advertisement based on both heuristic information and attempts in altering the playback of the advertisement

• US 9,237,294 B2
• Filed: 05/03/2010
• Issued: 01/12/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/05/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Saturn Licensing LLC (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Candelore, Brant L., Zustak, Frederick J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Kumar, Pankaj
• Assistant Examiner(s): Newlin, Timothy
• Application Number:
  US12/772,544
• Publication Number:
  US 20110219401A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,080 Days
• Field of Search: 725/14, 725/21, 725/32, 725/34, 725/35
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• 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 21/4532 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 21/458 Scheduling content for creating a personalised stream, e.g. by combining a locally stored advertisement with an incoming stream; Updating operations, e.g. for OS modules ; time-related management operations arrangements for replacing or switching information during the broadcast or during the distribution H04H20/10
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4751 for defining user accounts, e.g. accounts for children
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4755 for defining user preferences, e.g. favourite actors or genre retrieval personalisation and generation of user profiles for the retrieval of video data G06F16/739; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4756 for rating content, e.g. scoring a recommended movie
• 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 5/445 for displaying additional information H04N5/50 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/91 Television signal processing therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/025 Systems for the transmission of digital non-picture data, e.g. of text during the active part of a television frame transmission of digital non-picture data during the vertical blanking interval only H04N7/088

Abstract

According to one embodiment of the invention, an apparatus comprises a data storage unit and a data processing unit. The data storage unit is adapted to store a plurality of advertisements. Coupled to the data storage unit, the data processing unit is adapted to detect an operation that alters playback of an advertisement being part of downloaded digital content, and in response to detecting the operation, to select one of the stored advertisements. The selection is based on heuristic information that is maintained for each of the plurality of stored advertisements.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

a computer memory that is not a transitory signal and that includes instructions executable by at least one processor to;

receive advertisements from a broadcast source;

receive first control information for a first advertisement indicating that fast forwarding through the first advertisement is permitted at all rates of fast forward, skipping the first advertisement is permitted, muting first advertisement volume is permitted, and pausing the first advertisement is permitted;

receive second control information for a second advertisement indicating that fast forwarding through the second advertisement is permitted at some but not all rates of fast forward, skipping the second advertisement is not permitted, muting second advertisement volume is not permitted, and pausing the second advertisement is not permitted;

receive third control information for a third advertisement indicating that fast forwarding through the third advertisement is permitted at all rates of fast forward, skipping the third advertisement is permitted, muting third advertisement volume is not permitted, and pausing the third advertisement is permitted;

control playback of the first, second, and third advertisements according to the first, second, and third control information.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising the display coupled to the processor and the processor displaying an advertisement upon detecting a permitted operation that alters playback.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 being a portable cellular telephone with the computer memory and the processor encased within a casing and display integrated as part of the casing.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 being a television including a detector to receive a command remotely and to send a signal associated with the command to the processor located within a back cabinet of the television situated behind the display.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 being a set-top box that receives digital content including an audiovisual program and a plurality of broadcast advertisements interspersed between segments of the audiovisual program and substitutes one of a plurality of stored advertisements in response to the processor detecting the operation that is a fast-forwarding operation being conducted on the one of the plurality of broadcast advertisements.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the instructions are executable to:

select an advertisement for presentation based on heuristic information maintained for each of a plurality of advertisements, wherein the heuristic information, used by the processor to select the one of the advertisements stored within the computer memory, further includes feedback from the viewer for the one of the advertisements.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein a selection of an advertisement is conducted by logic within the apparatus and is based on heuristic information maintained for each of a plurality of advertisements, wherein the heuristic information, used by the processor to select the advertisements, further includes a rating for each genre of advertisement selected by a viewer.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein a selection of an advertisement is conducted by logic within the apparatus and is based on heuristic information maintained for each of a plurality of advertisements stored within the computer memory, the heuristic information, used by the processor to select the one of the advertisements stored within the computer memory, further includes a count value indicating the number of times that each of the plurality of advertisements stored in the computer memory has been selected.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the logic further determines whether a playback period for an advertisement has elapsed, and responsive to determining that the playback period has elapsed, selects another advertisement for subsequent determination as to whether the another advertisement is current with a playback period that has not elapsed.

10. A method comprising:

receiving digital content by a digital device, the digital content including segments of an audiovisual program separated by at least one broadcast advertisement;

in response to control information received in the broadcast content, determining an operation to be performed relative to the broadcast advertisement, the control information indicating;

first control information for a first advertisement indicating that fast forwarding through the first advertisement is permitted at all rates of fast forward, skipping the first advertisement is not permitted, muting first advertisement volume is permitted, and pausing the first advertisement is permitted;

second control information for a second advertisement indicating that fast forwarding through the second advertisement is permitted at all rates of fast forward, skipping the second advertisement is permitted, muting second advertisement volume is permitted, and pausing the second advertisement is not permitted;

third control information for a third advertisement indicating that fast forwarding through the third advertisement is not permitted at any rate of fast forward, skipping the third advertisement is not permitted, muting third advertisement volume is not permitted, and pausing the third advertisement is not permitted; and

determining whether to implement an operation to be performed relative to the first, second, and third advertisements based on the respective first, second, and third control information.

11. The method of claim 10, comprising:

detecting an operation that alters playback of the broadcast advertisement;

determining whether the operation to alter the playback of the broadcast advertisement is permitted;

responsive to determining that the operation to alter the playback is not permitted, not permitting the operation to alter the playback;

in response to detecting the operation that alters playback and determining that the operation is permitted to alter the playback, retrieving a stored advertisement from a local memory based on heuristic information, wherein the heuristic information, used to select the stored advertisement, further includes a genre of advertisements preferred by a viewer.

12. The method of claim 10, comprising:

detecting an operation that alters playback of the broadcast advertisement;

determining whether the operation to alter the playback of the broadcast advertisement is permitted;

responsive to determining that the operation to alter the playback is not permitted, not permitting the operation to alter the playback;

in response to detecting the operation that alters playback and determining that the operation is permitted to alter the playback, retrieving a stored advertisement from a local memory based on heuristic information, wherein the heuristic information, used to select the stored advertisement, further includes feedback information from a viewer for the stored advertisement.

13. The method of claim 10, comprising:

detecting an operation that alters playback of the broadcast advertisement;

determining whether the operation to alter the playback of the broadcast advertisement is permitted;

responsive to determining that the operation to alter the playback is not permitted, not permitting the operation to alter the playback;

in response to detecting the operation that alters playback and determining that the operation is permitted to alter the playback, retrieving a stored advertisement from a local memory based on heuristic information, wherein the heuristic information, used to select the stored advertisement, further includes a rating for each genre of advertisement selected by a viewer.

14. The method of claim 10, comprising:

detecting an operation that alters playback of the broadcast advertisement;

determining whether the operation to alter the playback of the broadcast advertisement is permitted;

responsive to determining that the operation to alter the playback is not permitted, not permitting the operation to alter the playback;

in response to detecting the operation that alters playback and determining that the operation is permitted to alter the playback, retrieving a stored advertisement from a local memory based on heuristic information, wherein the heuristic information, used to select the stored advertisement, further includes a count value indicating the number of times that each of the plurality of advertisements stored in the local memory has been selected.

15. The method of claim 10, comprising:

detecting an operation that alters playback of the broadcast advertisement;

determining whether the operation to alter the playback of the broadcast advertisement is permitted;

responsive to determining that the operation to alter the playback is not permitted, not permitting the operation to alter the playback;

in response to detecting the operation that alters playback and determining that the operation is permitted to alter the playback, retrieving a stored advertisement from a local memory based on heuristic information; and

determining whether a playback period for the stored advertisements has elapsed, and if so, selecting another stored advertisement for subsequent determination as to whether the another stored advertisement is current with a playback period that has not elapsed.