U.S. patent application number 12/390422 was filed with the patent office on 2009-06-18 for interactive consumption of advertisements with respectively value levels.
Invention is credited to Arturo A. Rodriguez, John Eric West.
Application Number | 20090158335 12/390422 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 27659773 |
Filed Date | 2009-06-18 |
United States Patent
Application |
20090158335 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Rodriguez; Arturo A. ; et
al. |
June 18, 2009 |
Interactive Consumption of Advertisements with Respectively Value
Levels
Abstract
Systems and methods of interactive consumption of advertisements
in a digital home communication terminal are disclosed. One such
method comprises: presenting a plurality of advertisements, each
advertisement associated with a value; and tracking a total value
of the presented advertisements, wherein the frequency or duration
of the presented advertisements is inversely proportional to the
total value.
Inventors: |
Rodriguez; Arturo A.;
(Norcross, GA) ; West; John Eric; (Roswell,
GA) |
Correspondence
Address: |
THOMAS, KAYDEN, HORSTEMEYER & RISLEY;SCIENTIFIC ATLANTA, A CISCO COMPANY
600 GALLERIA PKWY SE, SUITE 1500
ATLANTA
GA
30339-5994
US
|
Family ID: |
27659773 |
Appl. No.: |
12/390422 |
Filed: |
February 21, 2009 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
|
|
|
|
|
|
Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
11963951 |
Dec 24, 2007 |
|
|
|
12390422 |
|
|
|
|
10073842 |
Feb 11, 2002 |
7334251 |
|
|
11963951 |
|
|
|
|
Current U.S.
Class: |
725/42 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G06Q 30/0242 20130101;
H04N 21/443 20130101; H04N 21/4755 20130101; H04N 21/4532 20130101;
H04N 21/478 20130101; H04N 21/4667 20130101; H04N 21/4335 20130101;
H04N 21/812 20130101; G06Q 30/0241 20130101; H04N 21/4331 20130101;
G06Q 30/0257 20130101; H04N 21/433 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
725/42 |
International
Class: |
H04N 5/445 20060101
H04N005/445 |
Claims
1. A method of interactive consumption of advertisements in a
digital home communication terminal, the method comprising:
presenting a plurality of advertisements, each advertisement
associated with a value; and tracking a total value of the
presented advertisements, wherein the frequency or duration of the
presented advertisements is inversely proportional to the total
value.
2. The method of claim 1, wherein the tracking comprises: tracking
the total value of advertisements presented over a first period of
time.
3. The method of claim 1, further comprising: selecting for the
plurality of advertisements those advertisements having a value
which matches advertisement categories specified by a user.
4. The method of claim 1, wherein the presenting further comprises:
presenting the plurality of advertisements and an indicator of the
value of each of the presented advertisements.
5. The method of claim 1, wherein a first one of the presented
advertisements, corresponding to a first advertiser, changes in a
following time period to a second one of the presented
advertisements, corresponding to a second advertiser, based on the
respective values of the first and second advertisements.
6. A method of interactive consumption of advertisements in a
digital home communication terminal, the method comprising:
presenting a plurality of advertisements, each advertisement
associated with a value, the presentation occurring over a first
period of time; determining a total value of the advertisements
presented over the first period of time; and managing presentation
of advertisements over a second period of time, following the first
period of time, based on the determined total value.
7. The method of claim 6, wherein the managing comprises:
preventing the presentation of advertisements in the second period
of time responsive to the total value exceeding a threshold.
8. The method of claim 6, wherein the managing comprises:
responsive to the total value exceeding a threshold, preventing the
presentation of advertisements in the second period of time and
resuming presentation of advertisements in a third period of time
following the second period of time.
9. The method of claim 6, further comprising: receiving the values
associated with the advertisements.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application is a continuation of copending U.S. utility
application entitled, "Selective Advertising Presentations," having
Ser. No. 11/963,951, filed Dec. 24, 2007, which is a continuation
of U.S. utility application entitled, "Management of Television
Advertising," having Ser. No. 10/073,842, filed Feb. 11, 2002, each
of which is entirely incorporated herein by reference.
[0002] This application is related to copending U.S. Utility patent
application entitled "Triggering of Television Advertisements,"
having Ser No. 11/963,945, filed Dec. 24, 2007, which is entirely
incorporated herein by reference.
[0003] This application is related to copending U.S. Utility patent
application entitled "User Preference Television Advertising,",
having Ser. No. 11/963,942, filed Dec. 24, 2007, which is entirely
incorporated herein by reference.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0004] This invention relates in general to television systems, and
more particularly, to the field of subscriber television
systems.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0005] Cable television systems are now capable of providing many
services in addition to analog broadcast video. In implementing
enhanced programming, the home communication terminal ("HCT"),
otherwise known as the settop box, has become an important
computing device for accessing various video services. In addition
to supporting traditional analog broadcast video functionality,
digital HCTs (or "DHCTs") now also support an increasing number of
two-way digital services such as video-on-demand.
[0006] A DHCT is typically connected to a cable or satellite
television network and includes hardware and software necessary to
provide various services and functionality. Preferably, some of the
software executed by a DHCT is downloaded and/or updated via the
cable television network. Each DHCT also typically includes a
processor, communication components and memory, and is connected to
a television or other display device. While many conventional DHCTs
are stand-alone devices that are externally connected to a
television, a DHCT and/or its functionality may be integrated into
a television or personal computer, as will be appreciated by those
of ordinary skill in the art.
[0007] A DHCT provides users with television programming and
television advertising. Many DHCT users, however, often avoid
viewing television advertisements. Television advertisements may be
avoided in a number of ways including, for example, by switching
television channels during an advertisement or by recording a
television program and then using trick mode functionality to skip
recorded advertisements. One reason for why a viewer may avoid
viewing an advertisement is because the viewer may not be
interested in the product or service being advertised.
Advertisement avoidance results in lower advertisement exposure for
advertisers and, therefore, in lower potential revenue for
television service providers. Therefore, there is a need for
systems and methods for increasing the viewing of television
advertisements.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0008] The invention can be better understood with reference to the
following drawings. The components in the drawings are not
necessarily drawn to scale, emphasis instead being placed upon
clearly illustrating the principles of the present invention. In
the drawings, like reference numerals designate corresponding parts
throughout the several views.
[0009] FIG. 1 is a block diagram depicting a non-limiting example
of a television services system.
[0010] FIG. 2 is a block diagram depicting a non-limiting example
of the internal configuration of the DHCT depicted in FIG. 1.
[0011] FIG. 3 depicts a non-limiting example of a remote control
device that may be used to provide user input to the DHCT depicted
in FIG. 2.
[0012] FIG. 4 depicts a non-limiting example of an advertisement
category selection screen which may be provided in response to user
input such as, for example, the activation of the "ADS" key
depicted in FIG. 3.
[0013] FIG. 5 depicts a non-limiting example of an advertisement
sub-category selection screen which may, in one embodiment, be
provided in response to the selection of an advertisement category
via the advertisement category selection screen depicted in FIG.
4.
[0014] FIG. 6 depicts a non-limiting example of an advertisement
source selection screen which may be provided in response to the
selection of an advertisement sub-category via the advertisement
sub-category selection screen depicted in FIG. 5.
[0015] FIG. 7 depicts a non-limiting example of a product
preference selection screen which may be provided in response to
the selection of an advertisement source option via the
advertisement source selection screen depicted in FIG. 6.
[0016] FIG. 8 depicts a non-limiting example of an advertisement
selection screen which may be provided during a television
presentation.
[0017] FIG. 9 is a flow chart depicting a non-limiting example of
steps for tracking the presentation of advertisements in accordance
with one embodiment of the invention.
[0018] FIG. 10 is flow chart depicting a non-limiting example of a
routine that may be used to determine a number of advertisements
that are presented to a user.
[0019] FIG. 11 is a flow chart depicting a non-limiting example of
steps for providing a user with advertisements in accordance with
one embodiment of the invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0020] Systems and methods are provided herein for managing the
presentation of television advertisements. As a non-limiting
example, among others, a television advertisement may be an
audio/video television commercial. In one embodiment of the
invention, a DHCT receives user input for selecting an
advertisement or type of advertisement, and then presents the user
with an advertisement that corresponds to the user's selection. The
advertisement may be presented to the user immediately after the
user's selection or may be presented to the user at subsequent
times during interruptions in television broadcast
presentations.
[0021] In another embodiment, a DHCT may keep track of the number
of times that an advertisement is presented to a user in order to
determine whether the advertisement is to continue being presented.
The DHCT may also keep track of the total number of advertisements
that have been presented over a predetermined period of time in
order to determine whether to present an additional advertisement
at a current time.
[0022] In yet another embodiment of the invention, an advertisement
or type of advertisement is assigned a value by a system operator.
A user may then select advertisements and/or types of
advertisements based their respective assigned values as shown via
an advertisement selection screen. A DHCT may then manage the
presentation of advertisements based on their individual and/or
cumulative values. As a non-limiting example, the frequency and/or
duration of an advertisement or plurality of advertisements may be
inversely correlated to the value of the advertisement(s).
[0023] The preferred embodiments of the present invention now will
be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the
accompanying drawings. These embodiments are examples, among
others, of systems and methods of the present invention. Therefore,
the present invention, which may be embodied in many different
forms, should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set
forth herein.
[0024] FIG. 1 is a block diagram depicting a non-limiting example
of a television services system 100. In this example, the
television services system 100 includes a headend 110 and a DHCT
200 that are coupled via a network 130. The DHCT 200 is typically
situated at a user's residence or place of business and may be a
stand-alone unit or integrated into another device such as, for
example, the television 140 or a personal computer (not shown). The
DHCT 200 receives signals (video, audio and/or other data) from the
headend 110 through the network 130 and provides any reverse
information to the headend 110 through the network 130. The network
130 may be any suitable means for communicating television services
data including, for example, a cable television network, a public
switched telephone network (PSTN), a satellite communication
network, the internet, etc. The headend 110 may include one or more
server devices (not shown) for providing video, audio, and textual
data to client devices such as DHCT 200. The headend 110 and the
DHCT 200 cooperate to provide a user with television services
including, for example, television programs, an interactive program
guide (IPG), and/or video-on-demand (VOD) presentations. The
television services may be provided via a television 140.
Alternatively, the DHCT 200 may provide television services via a
display device other than the television 140.
[0025] In one embodiment of the invention, an advertising counter
may be used to track a number of times that a television
advertisement is presented by a DHCT 200. In one implementation, an
advertisement continues to be presented via a DHCT 200 until it has
been presented a predetermined number of times via the DHCT 200 or
via a plurality of DHCTs. If the advertisement is stored in a DHCT
200, then it may be deleted from the DHCT 200 after it is presented
a predetermined number of times. An "electronic advertisement
information" (EAI) database 228 may be used to keep track of
advertisements that are to be stored in or deleted from a DHCT 200.
If the advertisement is stored at the headend 110, then the headend
110 may discontinue broadcasting the advertisement after it is
presented a predetermined number of times. For example, a certain
advertisement may be deleted or discontinued after it is presented
10 times by a single DHCT 200 and/or after it is presented 15,000
times by a group of DHCTs. In one possible implementation, the
advertising counter in a DHCT 200 may track the number of times
that an advertisement is presented to a user or a group of users of
a particular DHCT 200 by soliciting certain user input during,
before, or after the presentation of the advertisement and then
determining if the solicited input is received. In another
implementation, the advertising counter may track the number of
times that an advertisement is presented to a user based on whether
the television 140 is turned on while the advertisement is being
presented by the DHCT 200; if the television is not turned on, then
the counter is not incremented. In one possible implementation, a
television may be determined to be turned on if certain user input
related to the operation of the television (e.g., volume control,
channel navigation, among others) had been received by the DHCT 200
within a preceding predetermined period of time.
[0026] In another embodiment, a television advertisement continues
to be presented intermittently via a DHCT 200 until it has been
presented a predetermined number of times via the DHCT 200 or until
an expiration date. In yet another embodiment, an advertisement is
only shown during enabled viewing periods associated with the
advertisement and/or according to the program category that the
viewer is watching at a current time. Hence, an advertisement may
feature a set of flags in an EAI database record that indicates
when the respective advertisement is enabled for viewing. For
example, a car or truck advertisement may be enabled for viewing
during periods when a sports or news program is being watched
and/or during certain times of the day. The enabled viewing periods
occur between the advertisement's introduction date and the
advertisement's expiration date. The enabled viewing periods, the
introduction date, and the expiration date may be received from the
headend 110 and stored in the EAI database 228 in DRAM 220.
[0027] A enabled viewing period associated with a television
advertisement may have a recurring schedule such as, for example,
among others, a daily recurring schedule and/or a weekly recurring
schedule. As a non-limiting example, liquor or beer advertisements
may have enabled viewing periods of 9:00 p.m. to 5:00 a.m. during
weekdays and 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 a.m. during weekend days (weekly
recurring schedule); adult movies and products advertisements may
have enabled viewing periods from 10:00 p.m. to 5:00 a.m. every day
(daily recurring scheduled); and football advertisements may have
enabled viewing periods from 1:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. on weekend days
only (weekly recurring schedule).
[0028] In another embodiment of the invention, a user is presented
with an advertisement that corresponds to an advertisement or type
of advertisement that is selected by the user. An advertisement or
type of advertisement may be selected by a user significantly in
advance (e.g., an hour, a day, a week, a month, or a year in
advance) and/or immediately prior to the presentation of a
corresponding advertisement. Furthermore, an advertisement
selection screen may be provided to a user in response to user
input and/or during an advertisement interruption in a television
broadcast presentation. Selection options in an advertisement
selection screen may be retrieved from the EAI database 228.
[0029] In yet another embodiment of the invention, an advertisement
is associated with a value or weight. The DHCT 200 may keep track
of the total value of the advertisements that are presented via
DHCT 200 based on the value of the individual advertisements that
are presented. For example, if the DHCT 200 presents ten
advertisements having a value of 1, ten advertisements having a
value of 2, and ten advertisements having a value of 3 over a
certain period of time, then the total value of the advertisements
presented over that period of time is equal to 60.
[0030] A user may be informed of the value of each of a plurality
of advertisements and/or types of advertisements and may be
provided with an option of selecting the advertisements and/or
types of advertisements that the user desires to watch. In one
implementation, the higher the total value of advertisements that
are presented to a user over a certain period of time, the less the
total number and/or duration of advertisements will be. For
example, a user who is presented with advertisements having a total
value of 1V may be presented with advertisements having a total
duration of 2 T, and another user who is presented advertisements
having a value of 2V may be presented with advertisements having a
total duration of 1T, where V represents a certain total value and
T represents a certain total duration. Although the total value of
advertisements presented over a certain period of time may be
inversely correlated to the total duration of the advertisements,
the correlation coefficient is not necessarily -1. In this manner,
a Multiple System Operator (MSO) may assign values to
advertisements based on the levels of advertisement exposure that
are desired by the respective advertisers. An MSO may charge
advertisers based on the value that is associated with their
respective advertisements and/or based on the estimated number of
times that their respective advertisements are presented to viewers
via DHCTs that receive the MSO's television programming. In one
implementation, an estimated number of times that an advertisement
is presented to a user may be based on user inputs that are
received by the DHCTs confirming that the advertisement has been,
is being, and/or will be viewed.
[0031] FIG. 2 is a block diagram depicting a non-limiting example
of a DHCT 200. The DHCT 200 described herein is merely illustrative
and should not be construed as implying any limitations upon the
scope of the present invention. In an alternative embodiment, the
DHCT 200 may have different, fewer, or additional components than
those shown in FIG. 2. The DHCT 200 includes a communications
interface 205 for receiving signals (video, audio and/or other
data) from the headend 110, at least one processor 240 for
controlling operations of the DHCT 200, an output system 280 for
driving the television 140, and a tuner system 250 for tuning to a
particular television channel to be displayed. The tuner system 250
includes, in one implementation, an out-of-band tuner for
bi-directional quadrature phase shift keying (QPSK) data
communication and a quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM) tuner for
receiving television signals and data. Data received via either
tuner may comprise electronic program information and/or EAI data.
A receiver 260 receives externally-generated user inputs or
commands from an input device such as, for example, a remote
control device.
[0032] The DHCT 200 may include one or more wireless or wired
interfaces (not shown), also called ports, for receiving and/or
transmitting data to other devices. For instance, the DHCT 200 may
feature a USB (Universal Serial Bus), an Ethernet port (for
connection to a computer), an IEEE-1394 connection (for connecting
to consumer electronics equipment), a serial port, a parallel port,
a radio frequency (RF) interface, and/or an infra-red (IR)
interface. In this manner, user inputs may be provided via, for
example, a personal computer, buttons or keys located on the
exterior of the DHCT 200, a hand-held remote control device, and/or
a keyboard that includes user-actuated keys, etc.
[0033] The DHCT 200 may include an advertisement storage unit 295
for storing advertisements. Stored advertisements are generally
referred to herein as advertisement clips or advertisement media
streams. The storage unit 295 may incorporate electronic, magnetic,
optical, and/or other types of storage media. An advertisement
management application 225 may be used for managing advertisements,
including managing content stored in the storage unit 295.
Advertisements may be received from a headend 110 (FIG. 1) and
stored in the storage unit 295 based on instructions contained in
the advertisement management application 225. Electronic
advertisement information, or EAI data, associated with stored
advertisements may be stored in DRAM 220 or in storage unit 295.
Although shown as residing within the DHCT 200, the storage unit
295 may alternatively be located outside the DHCT 200 and coupled
thereto using a wired or wireless connection. In an alternative
embodiment, an advertisement storage unit 295 is not used in
connection with the DHCT 200, in which case, an advertisement may
be presented to a user as it is being received from the headend
110.
[0034] System memory 210 includes flash memory 230 and dynamic
random access memory (DRAM) 220 for storing various applications,
modules and data for execution and use by the processor 240. Basic
functionality of the DHCT 200 is provided by an operating system
234 that is primarily stored in flash memory 230. The operating
system 234 includes at least one resource manager 235 that provides
an interface to and coordination of resources of the DHCT 200 such
as, for example, computing resources.
[0035] One or more programmed software applications, herein
referred to as applications, are executed by utilizing the
computing resources in the DHCT 200. Applications stored in flash
memory 230 or DRAM 220 are executed by processor 240 under the
auspices of the operating system 234. Data required as input by an
application is stored in DRAM 220 or flash memory 230 and read by
processor 240 as needed during the course of the application's
execution. Input data may be data stored in DRAM 220 by a secondary
application or other source, either internal or external to the
DHCT 200, or possibly anticipated by the application and thus
created with the application at the time it was generated as a
software application, in which case it is stored in flash memory
230. Data generated by an application is stored in DRAM 220 by
processor 240 during the course of the application's execution.
[0036] An application referred to as navigator 236 is also resident
in flash memory 230 and provides a navigation framework for
services provided by the DHCT 200. The navigator 236 registers for
and in some cases reserves certain user inputs related to
navigational keys such as television channel up/down, last
television channel, favorite television channel, etc. The client
applications may be resident in flash memory 230 or downloaded into
DRAM 220.
[0037] The flash memory 230 also contains a platform library 231.
The platform library 231 is a collection of utilities useful to
applications, such as a timer manager, a compression manager, a
configuration manager, an HTML parser, a database manager, a widget
toolkit, a string manager, and other utilities (not shown). These
utilities are accessed by applications via application programming
interfaces (APIs) as necessary so that each application does not
have to contain these utilities. Two components of the platform
library 231 that are shown in FIG. 2 are a window manager 233 and a
service application manager (SAM) client 232.
[0038] The window manager 233 provides a mechanism for implementing
the sharing of the screen regions and user input. The window
manager 233 is also responsible for, as directed by one or more
applications, implementing the creation, display, and allocation of
the limited DHCT 200 screen resources. Window manager 233 allows
multiple applications to share the screen by assigning ownership of
screen regions, or windows. Window manager 233 communicates with
resource manager 235 to coordinate available resources (such as
display memory) among different resource-consuming processes. Such
processes may be directly or indirectly invoked by one or more
applications.
[0039] The window manager 233 also maintains, among other things, a
user input registry 221 in DRAM 220 so that when a user enters a
key or a command via a remote control device or another input
device such as a keyboard or mouse, the user input registry 221 may
be accessed to determine which of various applications running on
the DHCT 200 should receive data corresponding to the input key and
in which order. As an application is executed, it registers a
request to receive certain user input keys or commands. When the
user presses a key corresponding to one of the commands on the
remote control device, the command is received by the receiver 260
and relayed to the processor 240. The processor 240 dispatches the
event to the operating system 234 where it is forwarded to the
window manager 233. The window manager 233 then accesses the user
input registry 221 and routes data corresponding to the incoming
command to the appropriate application.
[0040] The SAM client 232 is a client component of a client-server
pair of components, with the server component being located on the
headend 110 (FIG. 1). A SAM database 222 in DRAM 220 includes a
data structure of services and a data structure of television
channels that are created and updated by the headend 110. Many
television services can be defined using the same application
component, with different parameters. Television services include,
without limitation and in accordance with one implementation, the
presentation of television broadcast programs, video-on-demand
(VOD), and interactive program guides (IPG). In general, the
identification of a service includes the identification of an
executable application that provides the service along with a set
of application-dependent parameters that indicate to the
application the service to be provided. As a non-limiting example,
a service of presenting a television program could be executed with
a set of parameters to view HBO or with a separate set of
parameters to view CNN. Each association of the application
component (tune video) and one parameter component (HBO or CNN)
represents a particular service that has a unique service I.D.
[0041] Application clients can be downloaded into DRAM 220 at the
request of the SAM client 232, typically in response to a request
by the user or in response to a message from the headend. In this
non-limiting example, DRAM 220 contains an interactive program
guide (IPG) application 224 and an advertisement management
application 225. The IPG application 224 may use IPG data stored in
IPG database 227 to determine a program's category prior to
creating and presenting a graphical user interface containing
program information sorted by category. Similarly, the
advertisement management application 225 may use EAI data stored in
an EAI database 228 to select and present an advertisement based on
a desired advertisement category previously selected by a user. It
should be clear to one with ordinary skill in the art that these
applications are not limiting and merely serve as examples for an
embodiment of the invention. Furthermore, one or more DRAM based
applications may, as an alternative embodiment, be resident in
flash memory 230. These applications, and others provided by a
television services system operator, are software entities for
providing services to the user.
[0042] A broadcast file system (BFS) client 237 has a counterpart
BFS server module (not shown) located at the headend 110. The BFS
server repeatedly sends data that is received by the BFS client 237
and stored in DRAM 220. The data is sent on a data carousel over a
period of time in cyclical repeated manner so that applications on
a DHCT 200 can use the data as needed. For example, a BFS server
may repeatedly send current IPG data and/or IPG data updates so
that an IPG application 224 is able to provide a user with current
television program listings. Likewise, a BFS server may repeatedly
send current EAI data and/or EAI data updates so that advertisement
management application 225 is able to present a user with updated
and current advertisement information. The DHCT 200 may receive EAI
data via an out-of-band channel or an in-band channel. Furthermore,
EAI data may be received by the DHCT 200 as MPEG private data in an
MPEG transport stream.
[0043] Advertisement management application 225 receives a
plurality of media types that serve as television advertisements.
Among others, a first type of advertisement comprises graphical
and/or textual information that is overlaid on a displayed video
picture. A second type of advertisement comprises video data that
is displayed in a full-screen format or in a downscaled video
window. A third type of advertisement comprises audio data. A
fourth type of advertisement comprises a combination of graphical,
textual, audio, and/or video data.
[0044] A television advertisement may be packaged into a file and
may be delivered to DHCT 200 via the BFS delivery mechanism. An
advertisement that is received by a DHCT 200 may either be
displayed immediately upon receipt or may be stored in the
advertisement storage unit 295 for presentation at a later time. In
one embodiment of the invention, a DHCT 200 receives an
advertisement file that is broadcast by the BFS regardless of
whether the advertisement corresponds to a user preference. In an
alternative embodiment, a DHCT 200 only receives advertisement
files that correspond to a user preference. For instance,
subscribers that have indicated via preferences identified by the
advertisement preference settings 229 that they wish to receive and
view advertisements related to baby products, may receive BFS files
corresponding to baby product advertisements whereas other
subscribers may not. Advertisement preference settings 229 are
preferably stored in DRAM 220, but may also be stored in
non-volatile memory so that they may be retrieved in case of a
power outage. The non-volatile memory may be flash memory 230 or
memory that is external to the DHCT 200 such as, for example, the
headend 110 or a storage device (not shown) that is coupled to the
DHCT 200. Advertisement management application 225 interprets
advertisement preferential settings stored in DRAM 220 and, in
communication with BFS client 237, effects the opening of desired
advertisement files on a periodic basis. Each advertisement
category may be assigned a respective sub-directory. A DHCT 200 may
open an advertisement category's sub-directory upon receiving a
message from the headend 110 that an update to the advertisement
category has occurred.
[0045] In one implementation, applications executing on the DHCT
200 work with the navigator 236 by abiding by several guidelines.
First, an application utilizes the SAM client 232 for the
provision, activation, and suspension of services and service
enhancements. Second, an application shares DHCT 200 resources with
other applications and abides by the resource management policies
of the SAM client 232, the operating system 234, and the DHCT 200.
Third, an application conforms to situations where shared resources
are only accessible via the navigator 236. Fourth, when an
application loses service authorization while providing a service,
the application suspends the service via the SAM client 232 (the
navigator 236 will reactivate an individual service application
when it later becomes authorized). Finally, an application client
is designed to not have access to certain user input keys reserved
by the navigator 236 (e.g., power, channel +/-, volume +/-,
etc.).
[0046] Data and software used in providing a DHCT service to a user
may be stored in one or more of the following memory resources: a
data storage device located at a headend, a data storage device
located at a customer premises, a non-volatile memory internal to
the DHCT 200, and/or a hard drive internal to the DHCT 200. For
example, an executable program or algorithm corresponding to an
operating system (OS) component, or to a client platform component,
or to a client application (e.g. IPG application 224), or to
respective parts thereof, may reside in and/or execute out of DRAM
220 and/or flash memory 230, or may reside in a local storage
device connected to DHCT 200 and may be transferred into DRAM 220
for execution. Likewise, data input for an executable program or
algorithm may reside in DRAM 220 or in flash memory 230, or may
reside in a local storage device connected to the DHCT 200 and may
be transferred into DRAM 220 for use by an executable program or
algorithm. In addition, data output by an executable program or
algorithm may be written into DRAM 220 by the executable program or
algorithm and may be transferred to flash memory 230 or to a local
storage device for storage purposes. It should be noted, however,
that the present invention is not limited by where or how any data
and/or applications are stored or retrieved.
[0047] Each of the above mentioned applications comprises
executable instructions for implementing logical functions and can
be embodied in any computer-readable medium for use by or in
connection with an instruction execution system, apparatus, or
device, such as a computer-based system, processor-containing
system, or other system that can fetch and execute the
instructions. In the context of this document, a "computer-readable
medium" can be any means that can contain, store, communicate,
propagate, or transport the program for use by or in connection
with the instruction execution system, apparatus, or device. The
computer readable medium can be, for example but not limited to, an
electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or
semiconductor system, apparatus, device, or propagation medium.
More specific examples (a non-exhaustive list) of the
computer-readable medium would include the following: an electrical
connection (electronic) having one or more wires, a portable
computer diskette (magnetic), a random access memory (RAM)
(electronic), a read-only memory (ROM) (electronic), an erasable
programmable read-only memory (EPROM or Flash memory) (electronic),
an optical fiber (optical), and a portable compact disc read-only
memory (CDROM) (optical). Note that the computer-readable medium
could even be paper or another suitable medium upon which the
program is printed, as the program can be electronically captured,
via for instance optical scanning of the paper or other medium,
then compiled, interpreted or otherwise processed in a suitable
manner, and then stored in a computer memory.
[0048] FIG. 3 depicts a non-limiting example of a remote control
device 300 that may be used to provide user input to the DHCT 200.
The remote control device 300 described herein is merely
illustrative and should not be construed as implying any
limitations upon the scope of the present invention. Four arrow
keys 310 are provided including an up arrow key 311, a down arrow
key 312, a left arrow key 313, and a right arrow key 314. The arrow
keys 310 can be used to scroll through on-screen options and/or to
highlight an on-screen option, whereas the select key 320 may be
used to select a currently highlighted option. The advertisements
key 395 may be used to request an advertisement or an advertisement
selection menu. The function of the "A" key 371, the "B" key 372,
and the "C" key 373 varies depending on the screen being presented
to a user at the time of a key's activation. In one embodiment, the
"A" key 371 can be used to access a browse-by list for requesting
an IPG screen that contains a subset of television programs falling
under a user selected browse-by category such as, for example,
comedy, drama, action/adventure, sports, etc.; the "B" key 372 can
be used to request an IPG screen containing program listings for a
user selected date; and the "C" key 373 can be used to request an
IPG that covers a time period that includes the current time.
[0049] In an alternative embodiment of the invention, different
and/or additional systems and methods of providing user input may
be used including, for example, a remote control device having
different keys and/or key layouts, a keyboard device, a mouse, a
voice activated input system, a touch-screen display, etc. The
invention described herein is not limited by the type of device
used to provide user input.
[0050] FIGS. 4-8 depict non-limiting examples of screens that may
be used for selecting an advertisement or type of advertisement. It
should become apparent to one skilled in the art in light of the
following descriptions that additional, different, and/or fewer
selections screens may be used in an alternative embodiment of the
present invention.
[0051] FIG. 4 depicts a non-limiting example of an advertisement
category selection screen 400 which may be provided in response to
user input such as, for example, the activation of the "ADS" key
395 (FIG. 3). An advertisement category menu 401 includes
advertising category options corresponding to categories of
products and services that may be advertised via the DHCT 200.
Advertising category options may include, for example, clothes,
food, restaurants, hotels, airlines, softdrinks, cars & trucks,
stores, beer, TV programs, movies, electronics, baby products, and
toys (among others). In another embodiment of the invention, a
television advertisement category selection menu 401 may contain
fewer, additional, or different advertisement category options such
as, for example, make-up, kitchen products, household products,
furniture, health products, and VOD movies, etc. The advertisement
category options may be used to determine user preferences
regarding advertisements. A user may use the arrow keys 310 (FIG.
3) in order to highlight an option or to access additional options
by scrolling up or down the advertisement category menu. The select
key 320 may be used to select a currently highlighted option. An
advertisement category option that is selected from the television
advertisement category menu is added to an active selection list
403. After the user selects the desired advertisement categories,
the user can provide additional input via the remote control 300 in
order to confirm the selections. Such input may be provided via,
for example, activation of the "A" key 371 (FIG. 3). User
selections of on-screen options shown in other screen depictions
may also be performed in a similar manner. However, the selection
of any of the on-screen options discussed herein may alternatively
be performed in a different manner including for example, the use
of different user input devices.
[0052] FIG. 5 depicts a non-limiting example of an advertisement
sub-category selection screen 500 which may, in one embodiment, be
provided in response to the selection of an advertisement category
via the advertisement category selection screen 400 (FIG. 4). An
advertisement sub-category menu 501 includes advertising
sub-category options corresponding to the user selected category
which, in this example, is "Cars and Trucks" 402 (FIG. 4). In one
embodiment, if a user had selected multiple categories via the
category selection screen 400, then the sub-category menu may
include options corresponding to respective sub-categories. In an
alternative embodiment, the user may be provided with multiple
sub-category menus in succession, where each sub-category menu
corresponds to one of the multiple categories that were selected
via the category selection screen 400. Advertisement sub-category
options may be used to determine user preferences in relation to a
specific category of advertisements (e.g., cars and trucks).
Advertisement sub-category options corresponding to the cars and
trucks category 402 may include, for example, SUV, pick-up,
minivan, luxury, economy, sports, and family. A user may provide
user input in order to select one or more sub-categories form the
sub-category menu 501.
[0053] FIG. 6 depicts a non-limiting example of an advertisement
source selection screen 600 which may be provided in response to
the selection of an advertisement sub-category via the
advertisement sub-category selection screen 500 (FIG. 5). In an
alternative embodiment, the advertisement source selection screen
600 may be provided in response to the selection of the cars and
trucks option 402 via the advertisement category selection screen
400 (FIG. 4). An advertisement source menu 601 includes advertising
source options corresponding to the user selected sub-category
which, in this example, is luxury (cars & trucks) 502 (FIG. 5).
Advertisement source options may be used to determine user
preferences in relation to a source or name-brand for a certain
type of products. Advertising source options corresponding to the
luxury cars and trucks option 502 may include, for example,
Infinity, Lexus, Volvo, Acura, Audi, BMW, and Cadillac, among
others.
[0054] FIG. 7 depicts a non-limiting example of a product
preference selection screen 700 which may be provided in response
to the selection of an advertisement source option via the
advertisement source selection screen 600 (FIG. 6). A product
preference menu 701 includes product preference options
corresponding to the user selected advertisement source which, in
this example, is Acura 602 (FIG. 6). Product preference options may
be used to determine user preferences in relation to a specific
product. Product preference options corresponding to the Acura
option 602 may include, for example, the following Acura models:
Integra, MDX, NSX, CL, and Legend.
[0055] FIG. 8 depicts a non-limiting example of an advertisement
selection screen 800 which may be provided during a television
presentation. The television presentation may be, for example, a
television program, a video-on-demand presentation, or a
pay-per-view presentation. In one embodiment, the advertisement
selection screen 800 may be provided to a user in response to a
specified user input such as, for example, the activation of the
"ADS" key 395 (FIG. 3). An advertisement menu 801 includes
advertisement options corresponding to products and services that
may be advertised via the DHCT 200. A user may select an
advertisement option in order to be presented with a corresponding
advertisement. In one embodiment, a user may select several
advertisements options before being presented the corresponding
advertisements. This may achieved by, for example, providing the
user with feedback that identifies the options that are currently
selected. The feedback may be in the form of an icon, a background
color, and/or text that is associated with a selected option. After
selecting the desired advertisement options, the user may then
provide input that initiates the presentation of the selected
advertisements. In another embodiment of the invention, a value is
associated with each of the advertisements. The value of an
advertisement may be identified via an icon, a background color,
and/or text that is associated with advertisement option. A user
may be required to view, over a certain period of time, a number of
advertisements that have a certain total value. Alternatively, a
user may be rewarded for viewing advertisements having a relatively
high total value by being presented with shorter and/or fewer
advertisements and/or advertisement interruptions.
[0056] FIG. 9 is a flow chart 900 depicting a non-limiting example
of steps for tracking the presentation of advertisements in
accordance with one embodiment of the invention. In step 901, the
DHCT 200 outputs an advertisement. Then, in step 902, the DHCT 200
determines whether the advertisement has been or is being viewed.
The determination may be based on viewer input that is solicited by
the DHCT 200 during, before, and/or after the presentation of the
advertisement. In another embodiment, the determination may be
based on whether the television is turned on during the
presentation of the advertisement. A television may be determined
to be turned on if, for example, certain user input related to the
operation of the television (e.g., volume control, channel
navigation, among others) had been received by the DHCT 200 within
a preceding predetermined period of time. In yet another
embodiment, step 902 is not implemented, and step 903 is performed
after step 901.
[0057] After the DHCT 200 determines whether an advertisement has
been or is being viewed, then the DHCT 200 in step 903 updates an
advertisement tracking database accordingly. The advertising
tracking database keeps track of the number, value, type and/or
identity of the advertisements that were viewed by a household, and
may be used to determine which advertisements to present to a user.
For example, if an advertisement is viewed more than a certain
number of times by a certain household, then it would no longer be
presented by a DHCT 200 to that household.
[0058] FIG. 10 is flow chart depicting a non-limiting example of a
routine 1000 that may be used to determine a number of
advertisements that are presented to a user. The routine 1000 may
be part of the advertisement management application 225. After the
routine 1000 is initiated in step 1001, the routine 1000 determines
in step 1002 whether an advertisement tracking score is greater
than a predetermined value. The advertisement tracking score
reflects a value associated with advertisements that have been
presented to a user over a certain time period immediately prior to
the implementation of step 1002, and may be determined using an
advertisement tracking database. If the score is greater that a
predetermined value, then the routine 1000 terminates as indicated
in step 1003. However, if the score is not greater than a the
predetermined value, then the routine 1000 initiates in step 1004
the presentation of an advertisement. In one embodiment, the
advertisement may be selected in accordance with previously
determined user preferences. After the routine 1000 initiates the
presentation of the advertisement, then the routine 1000, in step
1005 updates an advertisement tracking database based on the value
that is associated with the advertisement that was presented to the
user. In an alternative embodiment, the database is only updated if
the routine 1000 determines that the advertisement was viewed. Such
a determination may be based on, for example, whether certain user
input was received during the presentation of the advertisement or
whether the television was turned on. After step 1005, the routine
1000 then returns to step 1002 and determines once again whether
the advertisement tracking score is greater than the predetermined
value.
[0059] FIG. 11 is a flow chart 1100 depicting a non-limiting
example of steps for providing a user with advertisements in
accordance with one embodiment of the invention. In step 1101, the
DHCT 200 provides the user with an advertisement selection menu.
The advertisement selection menu may be provided during the
provision of a video presentation (e.g. a television program or a
VOD movie) or in response to user input requesting the menu. The
menu may have selections that identify specific advertisements or
that identify types of products, services, and/or their sources, as
discussed above in reference to FIGS. 4-8. In step 902 the DHCT 200
receives user input identifying one or more selections from the
advertisement selection menu. After the DHCT 200 receives the user
input, it provides the user with one or more advertisements that
correspond to advertisement selection(s) identified by the user
input. In one embodiment of the invention, an advertisement
corresponding to a user selection is provided immediately after the
advertisement selection process is complete. In another embodiment
of the invention, the user selection(s) is/are used to determine
the advertisements that are intermittently presented to the user
over an extended period of time.
[0060] Steps or blocks shown in each of the flow charts illustrated
in FIGS. 9-11 represent modules, segments, or portions of code
which include one or more executable instructions for implementing
specific logical functions or steps in a process. Alternate
implementations are included within the scope of the preferred
embodiments of the present invention in which functions or steps
may be executed out of order from that shown or discussed,
including substantially concurrently or in reverse order, depending
on the functionality involved, as would be understood by those
reasonably skilled in the art.
[0061] It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the
functionality provided by each of the flow charts illustrated in
FIGS. 9-11 can also be implemented through hardware and supporting
circuitry. Each implementation has its advantages, however. For
example, hardware enjoys a speed and, arguably, a reliability
advantage over software because hardware testing and verification
methods are currently more advanced than software verification
methods. On the other hand, software can be less expensive than
customized hardware and offers greater flexibility in adding or
modifying product features. It will be also be appreciated by those
skilled in the art that the functionality provided by each of the
flow charts illustrated in FIGS. 9-11 may be implemented in a
combination of software and hardware.
[0062] Further, the functionality provided by each of the flow
charts illustrated in FIGS. 9-11, can be embodied in any
computer-readable medium for use by or in connection with a
computer-related system (e.g., an embedded system such as a modem)
or method. In this context of this document, a computer-readable
medium is an electronic, magnetic, optical, semiconductor, or other
physical device or means that can contain or store a computer
program or data for use by or in connection with a computer-related
system or method. Also, the computer program or data may be
transferred to another computer-readable medium by any suitable
process such as by scanning the computer-readable medium. Thus, the
computer-readable medium could be paper or other suitable medium
upon which the computer program can be printed, scanned with an
optical scanning device, and transferred into the computer's memory
or storage.
[0063] It should be emphasized that the above-described embodiments
of the present invention, particularly any "preferred embodiments",
are merely possible examples, among others, of the implementations,
setting forth a clear understanding of the principles of the
invention. Many variations and modifications may be made to the
above-described embodiments of the invention without departing
substantially from the principles of the invention. All such
modifications and variations are intended to be included herein
within the scope of the disclosure and present invention and
protected by the following claims. In addition, the scope of the
present invention includes embodying the functionality of the
preferred embodiments of the present invention in logic embodied in
hardware and/or software-configured mediums.
* * * * *