U.S. patent application number 15/583674 was filed with the patent office on 2018-03-01 for selective advertising in media content.
This patent application is currently assigned to INTEL CORPORATION. The applicant listed for this patent is INTEL CORPORATION. Invention is credited to Jeffrey Ayars, Adam Cappio.
Application Number | 20180060880 15/583674 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 40952733 |
Filed Date | 2018-03-01 |
United States Patent
Application |
20180060880 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Cappio; Adam ; et
al. |
March 1, 2018 |
SELECTIVE ADVERTISING IN MEDIA CONTENT
Abstract
Embodiments of techniques for distributing and rendering media
content are provided. In response to a request for a first media
file, a combined media file is generated having first and second
segments that together include data from the first media file and
from a second media file. The combined media file is then provided
to a player module operable to render only data from the first
media file during a first operating mode, and operable to render
data from both the first and second media files during a second
operating mode. For example, the first media file may be a music
file, and the second media file an advertisement. A consumer may
play the music portion without special software or a license, but
the advertisement will be rendered as well. Alternatively, the
consumer may purchase a license and use special playback software
to render the music without the advertisement.
Inventors: |
Cappio; Adam; (Seattle,
WA) ; Ayars; Jeffrey; (North Bend, WA) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
INTEL CORPORATION |
Santa Clara |
CA |
US |
|
|
Assignee: |
INTEL CORPORATION
Santa Clara
CA
|
Family ID: |
40952733 |
Appl. No.: |
15/583674 |
Filed: |
May 1, 2017 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
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12853153 |
Aug 9, 2010 |
9652774 |
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15583674 |
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PCT/US09/33539 |
Feb 9, 2009 |
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12853153 |
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61065053 |
Feb 7, 2008 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G06Q 30/02 20130101 |
International
Class: |
G06Q 30/02 20120101
G06Q030/02 |
Claims
1-37. (canceled)
38. At least one computer readable storage device having stored
thereon instructions that, when executed on a system, result in
operations, comprising: receive media content; generate combined
media content, wherein the combined media content includes one or
more media content segments, one or more advertisement content
segments, and advertisement location information for the one or
more advertisement segments; play the one or more media content
segments; and skip the one or more advertisement content segments
at least partially based on the advertisement location information
for the one or more advertisement content segments.
39. The at least one computer readable storage device of claim 38,
wherein the operations include: identify a license, wherein skip
the one or more advertisement content segments in response to
identification of the license.
40. The at least one computer readable storage device of claim 39,
wherein the license is a subscription to an advertisement-free
media playback service.
41. The at least one computer readable storage device of claim 38,
wherein the one or more advertisement content segments are a
plurality of advertisement content segments, wherein the plurality
of advertisement content segments are interleaved within the one or
more media content segments.
42. The at least one computer readable storage device of claim 38,
wherein the system is a second computing device, wherein the
operations include: store the combined media content to a first
computing storage device to enable play of the combined media on
the second computing device.
43. The at least one computer readable storage device of claim 38,
wherein the operations include: play the one or more advertisement
content segments if a license is expired, unpaid, or invalid.
44. The at least one computer readable storage device of claim 38,
wherein the one or more media content segments include one or more
of video data, audio data, or text data.
45. The at least one computer readable storage device of claim 38,
wherein the system is a local computing system, wherein the
operations include: store the combined media content to remote
computing device storage to enable play of the combined media
content by streaming the combined media content to the local
computing system.
46. A method, comprising: receiving media content; generating
combined media content, wherein the combined media content includes
one or more media content segments, one or more advertisement
content segments, and advertisement location information for the
one or more advertisement segments; playing the one or more media
content segments; and skipping the one or more advertisement
content segments at least partially based on the advertisement
location information for the one or more advertisement content
segments.
47. The method of claim 46, including: identifying a license; and
skipping the one or more advertisement content segments in response
to identifying the license.
48. The method of claim 47, wherein the license is a subscription
to an advertisement-free media playback service.
49. The method of claim 46, wherein the one or more advertisement
content segments are a plurality of advertisement content segments,
wherein the plurality of advertisement content segments are
interleaved within the one or more media content segments.
50. The method of claim 46, including: storing the combined media
content to a first computing storage device to enable play of the
combined media on a second computing device.
51. The method of claim 46, including: playing the one or more
advertisement content segments if a license is expired, unpaid, or
invalid.
52. The method of claim 46, including: storing the combined media
content to remote computing device storage to enable play of the
combined media content by streaming the combined media content to a
local computing system.
53. A system, comprising: means for receiving media content; means
for generating combined media content, wherein the combined media
content includes one or more media content segments, one or more
advertisement content segments, and advertisement location
information for the one or more advertisement segments; means for
playing the one or more media content segments; and means for
skipping the one or more advertisement content segments at least
partially based on the advertisement location information for the
one or more advertisement content segments.
54. The system of claim 53, including: means for identifying a
license, wherein means for skipping the one or more advertisement
content segments skips the one or more advertisement content
segments in response to identifying the license.
55. The system of claim 54, wherein the license is a subscription
to an advertisement-free media playback service.
56. The system of claim 53, including: means for storing the
combined media content to a first computing storage device to
enable playing of the combined media on a second computing
device.
57. A consumer computing system, comprising: a network device; a
keyboard; a screen; and at least one computer readable storage
device having stored thereon instructions that, when executed on a
system, result in operations, comprising: receive media content;
generate combined media content, wherein the combined media content
includes one or more media content segments, one or more
advertisement content segments, and advertisement location
information for the one or more advertisement segments; play the
one or more media content segments on the screen; and skip the one
or more advertisement content segments at least partially based on
the advertisement location information for the one or more
advertisement content segments.
58. The consumer computing system of claim 57, wherein the
operations include: identify a license, wherein skip the one or
more advertisement content segments in response to identification
of the license.
59. The consumer computing system of claim 58, wherein the license
is a subscription to an advertisement-free media playback
service.
60. The consumer computing system of claim 57, wherein the
operations include: play the one or more advertisement content
segments if a license is expired, unpaid, or invalid.
Description
PRIORITY
[0001] The present application claims the benefit of copending U.S.
Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/065,053, filed Feb. 7,
2008, which application is incorporated herein by reference in its
entirety.
BACKGROUND
[0002] A provider of digital media content may allow a consumer to
purchase the right to use the media content in a particular
authorized manner, and may employ a content-protection scheme to
prevent the consumer from using the content in an unauthorized
manner.
[0003] Examples of media content include content digitally
represented by a media file contains video data, audio data, text
data, or any combination thereof, and that may be accessed or
distributed as a single digital file, a group of digital files, or
as a data stream, i.e., via streaming.
[0004] Examples of an authorized manner in which a consumer may use
a media file include immediate audio or video playback (e.g.,
streaming) and copying and storing the file (e.g., on a computer
disk, MP3 player, or other storage device) for future playback.
[0005] An example of a content-protection scheme includes providing
the media file in a proprietary format that can be rendered only by
special playback software, for example software supplied by the
provider. Examples of such file formats and corresponding playback
software include Apple's.RTM. Apple Lossless.RTM. format, which
only Apple's.RTM. iTunes.RTM. software can render, and
RealNetworks'.RTM. RealAudio.RTM. format, which only
RealNetworks'.RTM. RealPlayer.RTM. can render. The types of
protection provided by this scheme may include ensuring that the
content provider has paid a fee to encode files in the proprietary
format, that the consumer has paid a fee for the rendering software
or rendering device, or that both the provider and consumer have
respectively paid these fees.
[0006] Another example of a content-protection scheme is a
digital-rights-management (DRM) system, which includes a license
for an authorized use of the media file, and DRM software that
compares the consumer's attempted use of the media file with the
use authorized by the license. If the consumer's attempted use of
the media file is not authorized, then the DRM software prevents
the attempted use. The DRM system is typically incorporated within
the consumer's playback device.
[0007] Protection schemes such as those discussed above are
designed to ensure that the content provider is compensated for all
of a consumers uses of a media file by preventing uses for which
the consumer has not paid.
[0008] Unfortunately, the proprietary nature of many of today's
protection schemes may limit the applications in which they may be
used, and may limit content choices for consumers. For example,
Apple's.RTM. iTunes.RTM. software cannot render media files that
are in another proprietary format, such as RealNetworks'.RTM.
RealAudio.RTM. format, and iTunes.RTM.-compatible content libraries
may not have the same content available that
RealAudio.RTM.-compatible content libraries have available.
Therefore, if a specific media content item, such as a music
recording, is unavailable as an iTunes.RTM.-compatible media file,
an iTunes.RTM. user may be unable to purchase the music recording
for use with iTunes.RTM.. Furthermore, certain DRM systems may need
to communicate with the content provider or other external
authority to confirm or update the consumer's license with respect
to a media file, and may do so using encryption and/or other
validation techniques. If a communication path between the content
renderer and the external authority is unavailable, then a consumer
may be unable to use the media file until a communication path
becomes available. And even if a communication path is available,
the time required to execute the decryption and/or validation may
cause a noticeable delay to the consumer when he or she attempts to
use the media file.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0009] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an embodiment of a system
for distributing and rendering digital media content.
[0010] FIG. 2 is a diagram of an embodiment of media content in the
form of a combined audio file, and of an embodiment of a program
that can generate the audio file.
[0011] FIG. 3 is a flowchart depicting an embodiment of a method
for rendering the audio file of FIG. 2.
[0012] FIGS. 4A and 4B are diagrams of the rendering modes of FIG.
3.
[0013] FIG. 5 is a diagram of an embodiment of media content in the
form of a combined video file, and of an embodiment of a program
that can generate the video file.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0014] In an embodiment, a combined media file includes a first
segment having data that represents media content that a consumer
desires to use, and includes a second segment having data that
represents advertising content that the provider (or the advertiser
who paid the provider to include the advertising content in the
combined media file) wants the consumer to perceive. For example,
if the combined media file is an audio file, then the data in the
first segment may represent a song, and the second segment may
represent an audio advertisement for a consumer product (e.g., soda
or an automobile) such as one would hear on the radio.
[0015] When the combined media file is played, either the first
segment is played alone, or both the first and second segments are
played in a predetermined order (e.g., the second, advertising
segment first). If the consumer utilizes a special playback program
and has purchased or has otherwise acquired a license to play the
first segment (the music) alone, then the special playback program
suppresses the second segment (the advertising content) when
rendering the combined media file. For example, such a license may
be included with membership in a content subscription service
offered by the provider. If, however, the consumer does not have a
license to play the first segment alone, or does not utilize the
special playback program, then both the first and second segments
of the media file are played.
[0016] Such a combined media file may benefit both the content
provider and the consumer.
[0017] Because the combined media file may be rendered by either
the special playback program or by a standard playback program, and
may be rendered with or without the advertising content in the
second segment depending on the existence of a user's license, the
content provider may derive revenue in either circumstance. That
is, if a consumer utilizes the special playback program and has
purchased a license to enable playback without the advertising
content, then the content provider derives revenue in the form of
the consumer's license fee. If, however, the consumer utilizes a
standard playback program to render the combined media file, and/or
has not purchased a license, then the content provider derives
revenue from selling the advertising content rendered when the
second segment of the media file is played.
[0018] Furthermore, because more consumers may choose to use a
media file when there is a no-license option, the content provider
may experience an overall increase in revenue from use of the media
file as compared to license-only access.
[0019] But by also allowing a consumer the option to suppress the
advertising, the provider may still retain higher-end customers who
are both willing to pay (or to pay more) for a license to use the
media file and to use a dedicated renderer, i.e., a special
playback program, to do so.
[0020] Moreover, by including the advertising content in the media
file but allowing suppression of that content under certain
circumstances, the provider need not make available multiple
versions (i.e., separate versions with and without the advertising
content) of the media file.
[0021] A consumer may also benefit from a combined media file,
because the media content he desires may be rendered even in the
absence of special playback software or of a purchased license. So,
for the "price" of perceiving advertising, the consumer may render
a media file that he might otherwise have been unable to render
without special playback software or a license. In addition,
consumer frustration may be mitigated by not preventing a
consumer's use of a media file merely because a standard playback
program is being used or because a license has not been
purchased.
[0022] As used herein, the term "license" generally refers to any
access control mechanism or policy, including requirements for use
and/or the scope of the use, associated with access to a media
file. A license may be defined or created with the aid of a DRM
system. In such cases, the license may be referred to as being
predefined or preconfigured under the DRM system, and the media
file associated with the license may be referred to as being
governed by the license or DRM system. The license, as well as any
media files governed thereby, may or may not be encrypted.
Furthermore, the license may be stored in the same system as a
media file governed by the license, or in a different system. For
example, the license may be created remotely and then delivered to
a consumer's computer or other playback device and stored locally.
In another example, the license may be stored on a remote system,
and the consumer's computer or other playback device may thereafter
verify with the remote system the appropriate permission to render
the associated media file.
[0023] FIG. 1 is a diagram of an embodiment of a system 10 for
distributing and rendering media content. The system 10 includes a
consumer computer 14, and includes a server 16 for storing a
plurality of media files 18 and 20. Consumer computer 14 and server
16 are connected to each other via a computing network 28, where
the connectivity between the network and the server, and between
the network and the consumer computer, may be, for example, via
modem, Ethernet (IEEE 802.3), Token Ring (IEEE 802.5), Fiber
Distributed Datalink Interface (FDDI), or Asynchronous Transfer
Mode (ATM). The connectivity between the server 16 and the network
28 need not be via the same device or protocol as the connectivity
between the consumer computer 14 and the network. Furthermore,
computing devices in the network 28, the consumer computer 14, and
the server 16 may be desktop, server, portable, hand-held, set-top,
or any other desired type of device configuration.
[0024] The consumer computer 14 and the server 16 may each have one
or more input devices. Examples of such input devices include a
keyboard, trackball, pen and stylus, mouse, voice-recognition
system, a touch screen, or any combination thereof.
[0025] Furthermore, the consumer computer 14 and the server 16 may
be used in connection with various operating systems such as: UNIX,
LINUX, Disk Operating System (DOS), OS/2, Palm OS, the Macintosh
operating system, OSX, VxWorks, Windows 3.X, Windows 95, Windows
98, Windows NT, Windows ME, Windows Mobile, Windows XP, and Windows
Vista.
[0026] The network 28 may include the public Internet, a private
network within or outside of the Internet, a secure network within
or outside of the Internet, a public network, a value-added
network, an Intranet, and the like. Examples of networks other than
the Internet include a local area network (LAN) and a wide area
network (WAN).
[0027] Each media file 18 includes digital data that represents
consumer-desired content, such as audio (e.g., music) or
audiovisual content, and each media file 20 includes digital data
that represents advertising content.
[0028] The server 16 includes and is operable to execute a
generator program 22, which is operable to combine one or more of
the consumer-desired media files 18 with a respective one or more
of the advertising media files 20 to generate a combined media file
12 containing both a content media file 18 and an advertising media
file 20. That is, the media file 18 composes a first segment of the
combined media file 12, and the advertising media file 20 composes
a second segment of the combined media file. The media files 18 and
20 and the combined media file 12 may include any media content in
any desired form such as video, audio, graphics, text, or any
combination thereof. Examples of the combined media file 12 are
discussed below in conjunction with FIGS. 2, 3, and 5.
[0029] The consumer computer 14 includes a special playback program
24 to render the combined media file 12 received from the server
16. The special playback program 24 includes an authorization
module 25 for determining whether the consumer has a valid license
for the combined media file 12, and therefore whether the special
playback program is to play the second segment of the combined
media file (corresponding to advertising media file 20) when the
special playback program renders the combined media file. In an
embodiment, the consumer computer 14 may also include a standard
playback program 27, or may include the standard playback program
without also including the special playback program 24. While both
the special playback program 24 and the standard playback program
27 are operable to render the combined media file 12, the standard
playback program does not include the authorization module 25.
[0030] The generator program 22, the special playback program 24,
the authorization module 25, and the standard playback program 27
may each comprise a plurality of components or modules implemented
in hardware, in firmware, and/or in software that is embodied in
hardware, firmware, or a tangible computer-readable medium. These
components or modules may comprise various sub-routines,
procedures, definitional statements, and macros. If the components
or modules are implemented in software embodiments, they may be
written in any scripting or programming language such as C, C++,
BASIC, Pascal, Java, JavaScript, Perl, Ruby, Python, and Fortran
and executed by any appropriate operating system. The processes
associated with these components or modules may be arbitrarily
redistributed to other components or modules, combined together in
a single component or module, or made available in a shareable
dynamic link library.
[0031] Still referring to FIG. 1, in operation of the system 10,
when a consumer requests a desired media file 18, the generator
program 22 combines one or more advertising media files 20 with the
desired media file 18 to generate the combined media file 12 for
providing to the consumer. Determining which advertising media
file(s) 20 is (are) combined with the requested media file 18 may
be accomplished in a variety of ways. For example, the generator
program 22 may randomly select the advertising media file 20 at the
time that the combined media file 12 is generated. Alternatively,
advertisers may pay different amounts for the placement of an
advertising media file 20 based on the popularity of a particular
media file 18 with which it is combined. For example, a content
provider may charge an advertiser a higher fee for combining an
advertising media file 20 with a media file 18 when that media file
represents a song that is listed within the Billboard.RTM. Top Ten
(a prominent tracking service for popular music) for the previous
week or month. The generator program 22 therefore selects one of
these higher-fee media files 20 for combining with a top-ten song.
In addition, the matching of an advertising media file 20 with a
particular media file 18 may be based on a perceived or
previously-determined correlation between audience characteristics
for the media file 18 and a targeted demographic group for a
particular advertising media file 20. For instance, a song from the
teen band "The Jonas Brothers" may be intentionally paired with an
advertisement for a brand of hair spray marketed to teen-aged
female consumers.
[0032] The consumer request for a media file 18 is transmitted from
the consumer computer 14 to the server 16 via the computer network
28. Similarly, the combined media file 12 is distributed to the
consumer computer 14 from the server 16 via the computer network
28. The server 18 may provide the combined media file 12 to the
consumer upon the consumer's request alone, or after the consumer
submits money, information, or any other specified items to the
provider. Once the server 16 transmits the combined media file 12,
the special playback program 24 may render the combined media file
either by playing only the first segment of the combined media file
(the segment that includes the data representing requested media
file 18), or by playing back both the first segment and the second
segment (which includes the data representing advertising media
file 20) as discussed below in conjunction with FIGS. 3-5.
Alternatively, the standard playback program 27 may render the
combined media file 12 by playing both segments of the file.
[0033] Other techniques for distributing the combined media file 12
are possible. For example, the file may be streamed to the consumer
computer 14 while either the special playback program 24 or the
standard playback program 27 is rendering the file. As another
example, the combined media file 12 may be distributed via a
removable storage medium such as a compact disc, floppy disk,
MiniDisc, DAT, removable hard drive, portable flash drive, and the
like. The combined media file 12 may also be distributed by a
peer-to-peer file sharing system, such as Gnutella.RTM.,
Limewire.RTM., BitTorrent.RTM., or other such systems.
[0034] FIG. 2 is a diagram of an embodiment where the combined
media file 12 of FIG. 1 is a combined audio file 30 in the MP3
format, and of an embodiment of a generator program 32 that
generates the combined audio file.
[0035] The combined audio file 30 includes a first segment 34 with
data representing a consumer-desired music file 40, a second
segment 36 with data representing an audio advertising file 42, and
a third segment 38 with data that identifies the location, in the
form of an offset address, of the music segment 34 within the
combined audio file 30. The offset address data in the third
segment 38 may be encrypted or otherwise protected to hinder a
consumer's attempt to extract the offset data, to discover the
location of the music segment 34, and to suppress the advertising
segment 36 without authorization.
[0036] The generator program 32 is operable to combine, as desired,
one or more consumer-desired music files 40 (only one shown) with
one or more advertising files 42 (only one shown) to generate the
combined audio file 30. For example, the generator program 32 may
combine the two media files 40 and 42 by placing the data from the
advertising file 42 before (or, in another embodiment, after) the
data from the music file 40. In this way, when a standard playback
program (such as the standard playback program 27 in FIG. 1) plays
back the combined audio file 30, it plays the contents of the
advertising file 42 before playing back the music file 40, thus
increasing the chances that the consumer will listen to the
contents of advertising file. The generator program 32 then
generates offset address data that may instruct a special playback
program (such as the special playback program 24 in FIG. 1) how to
render only the music segment 34, and creates a third segment 38
containing the offset address data.
[0037] In an embodiment, the generator program 32 receives audio
files 40 and 42 as uncompressed WAV files, encodes each WAV file
using an MP3 audio codec, concatenates the two encoded files,
determines the address in the combined audio file 30 where the
second segment 34 (containing music file 40) begins, and stores
this offset address data in the third segment 38.
[0038] In another embodiment, the consumer-desired music file 40
may be received by the generator program 32 already encoded into an
MP3 or other compressed audio format, and the advertising file 42
may similarly be encoded when received.
[0039] In still another embodiment, the generator program 32 may
encode the advertising file 42 to match the encoding of the music
file 40 before generating the combined audio file 30 from the two
component files 40 and 42.
[0040] In yet another embodiment, the generator program 32 may
combine the two audio files 40 and 42 by mixing the data from the
advertising file 42 with the data from the music file 40 so that it
may be more difficult for a consumer to locate a boundary between
the two files. For example, the combined audio file 30 may include
a series of 30-second segments, where the odd-numbered segments
each include a respective portion of the advertising file 42, and
the even-numbered segments each include a respective portion of the
music file 40. If the combined audio file 30 is mixed in this or in
a similar manner, then the location data in the third segment 38 of
the audio file includes instructions for a special playback program
to render only the segments including portions of the music file
40, and includes instructions for a standard playback program (or
unauthorized special playback program) to render either all of the
advertising content before or after all of the music content, or in
some other desired sequence.
[0041] In yet another embodiment, the third segment 38 may include
instructions such that a special playback program may render
portions of the advertising content before or after all of the
music content, or in some other desired sequence, even without the
generator program 32 explicitly sequencing the combined file 30 in
a corresponding order. For example, if a user does not possess a
valid license for the combined file 30 (and is therefore not
authorized to suppress the advertising content in segment 36), the
special playback program 24 may, according to instructions in the
third segment 38, render a portion of the advertising segment
before rendering the music segment 34 and render another portion of
advertising segment after the music segment is rendered. A standard
playback program may play back the combined file 30 in the same
manner as an unlicensed special program.
[0042] FIG. 3 is a flowchart depicting an embodiment of a method
for rendering the combined audio file 30 of FIG. 2.
[0043] FIGS. 4A and 4B are diagrams of the respective rendering
modes of FIG. 3.
[0044] Referring to FIGS. 3-4B, when a consumer wants to play the
combined audio file 30 to listen to the music in the first segment
34, the consumer can use any desired playback program. Depending on
the playback program used, and whether the consumer is authorized
to omit playing back the advertising content in the file 30, the
playback program may either render only the second segment 34
(containing data representing the music file 40), or the data in
both the first and second segments 34 and 36.
[0045] Referring to FIG. 3, beginning from START, a playback
program receives a user request to render a combined audio file 30
to which the playback program has access, either via local storage,
data streaming, or network transmission. If the playback program
has a compatible authorization module (such as authorization module
25 in FIGS. 2 and 4B), then the method proceeds to step 310 and
determines whether the user has a license for the particular
combined audio file 30 (or for the music file 40 of FIG. 2) to be
rendered. If the consumer has no such license, or if the playback
program does not possess a compatible authorization module (such as
with the standard playback program 27 depicted in FIG. 4A), then
the method proceeds to step 320.
[0046] In step 320, the playback program renders the combined file
30 from the beginning. That is, per FIG. 4A, both the music segment
34 and the advertising segment 36 are played in sequence (with the
advertising segment playing before the music segment, after the
music segment, or in some other sequence depending on the order
determined by the generator program 32 of FIG. 2 when the combined
file 30 was created). If, however, the consumer has a license for
the combined file 30, then the special playback program 24 proceeds
to step 330, and reads (and possibly decrypts, if necessary) the
offset address data from the third segment 38 (FIGS. 2 and 4A-4B)
in the combined file. Once the special playback program 24 has read
the offset address data, it proceeds to step 340.
[0047] In step 340, and as depicted in FIG. 4B, the special
playback program renders the combined file 30, but rather than
rendering the file from the beginning, it begins playing the file
starting at the offset address, which is the start address for the
music segment 34. In this way, the special playback program 24
suppresses the content of the advertising segment 36 so that the
consumer hears only the contents of the music segment 34.
[0048] Still referring to FIGS. 2-4B, a similar protocol may apply
when a consumer wants to use the combined audio file 30 in a
different manner. For example, suppose a consumer wants to make a
copy of the combined audio file 30. If the consumer has a license
authorizing her to make a copy of the content in music file 40
(FIG. 2), and if the program used to make the copy has an
authorization module 25, then the consumer may use that program to
make a copy of the music file 40 that does not include the
advertising file 42. However, if the combined audio file 30 is not
copy-protected and the consumer uses a program with an unlicensed
authorization module or a program without an authorization module
to make the copy, then the program can make a copy of only the
entire combined audio file 30, which includes both the advertising
segment 36 and the music segment 34.
[0049] In another embodiment, a consumer may be authorized to play
the combined audio file 30 without the advertising content, but not
permitted to make a copy of the combined audio file 30 that does
not include the advertising segment 36. Any copies the consumer
makes will include the advertising content, but as long as her
license remains valid and she uses a special playback program to
render those copies, she will never actually hear that advertising
content. Of course, if at some point the consumer's license becomes
invalid (for example, if the license expires after a predetermined
time) then all of her subsequent uses of the combined audio file 30
would revert to include playback of the advertising content.
[0050] In yet another embodiment, the special playback program 24
includes a tracking module (not shown) for tracking the advertising
files 20 rendered over time as part of multiple combined audio
files 30. This module may be separate from or included within the
authorization module 25. The information tracked by the tracking
module may include the title of the rendered advertising file, an
advertising file ID, which combined file(s) 30 incorporated the
advertising file, how many times the advertising file was rendered,
with which media files 40 the advertising file 42 was paired, and
so on. This information may be sent to the content provider under a
number of circumstances. For example, the tracking module may store
such information on the consumer computer 14 or other playback
device and send such information to the content provider at regular
intervals or whenever the consumer send a request for a media file
to the server 16 (FIG. 1). If the playback device is, for example,
an MP3 player, then the tracking module may store this information
on the player, and cause the player to upload this information to
the consumer computer 14 when the MP3 player is connected to the
computer. Then, the tracking module on the MP3 player, or a similar
module on the consumer computer 14, may cause the computer to
upload this information to the server 16 the next time that the
computer is connected to the network 28.
[0051] Although the combined media file 30 is discussed as being an
audio file with music and advertising segments, other embodiments
of the combined media file are contemplated. For example, the
combined media file 30 may include a video content segment in
addition to or instead of the music segment, and may include a
video advertising segment in addition to or instead of the audio
advertising segment. The structure of such a combined media file
with one or more video segments may be similar to the structure of
the combined audio file 30 described above in conjunction with
FIGS. 2-4B, where the advertising segment 36 precedes, follows, or
is interleaved with the consumer-desired content of segment 34. In
another embodiment, such as that described below with respect to
FIG. 5, the consumer-desired video content and advertising content
may be rendered simultaneously.
[0052] FIG. 5 is a diagram of an embodiment where the combined
media file 12 of FIG. 1 is a combined video file 50, and of an
embodiment of a generator program 52 that generates the combined
video file.
[0053] The combined video file 50 includes a first segment 54,
which includes data representing a first portion of a
consumer-desired video file 60, and includes a second segment 56,
which includes data representing the remainder of the
consumer-desired video file 60 spliced with an advertising file 62.
Optionally, textual or graphical data from an advertising script
file 63 may be used to overlay the data in the advertising file 62
and then spliced with the consumer-desired video file 60 to form
the second segment 56. In this way, text or graphics for
advertising content may be customized without needing to utilize a
separate advertising video file 62. For example, an advertisement
for a local car dealership may include both video content from a
national automobile manufacturer, such as new car models racing
around a desert track, and static content related to the local
dealership, such as a local phone number and credit terms for
purchasing an automobile. The advertising video file 62 may contain
the video content showing the new cars from the manufacturer, while
the advertising script file 63 may contain the static textual or
graphical information regarding the local car dealership. For the
remainder of this discussion, it shall be understood that when the
advertising file 62 is used in generating the combined video file
50, the advertising file may also include data from the advertising
script 63.
[0054] The generator program 52 is operable to combine, as desired,
one or more consumer-desired video files 60 (only one shown) with
one or more advertising files 62 (only one shown) to generate the
combined video file 50. The generator program 52 may combine the
files 60 and 62 by first splitting the consumer-desired video file
60 into two portions. For example, one of the portions contains
data representing the upper half of each frame in the video file
60, and the other portion contains data representing the lower half
of each frame. The generator program 52 then combines one of the
portions of the video file 60 with the advertising file 62. For
example, the generator program 52 lays the advertising file 62 over
the lower half of the video content in the video file 60.
[0055] Next, the program 52 places data representing the portion of
the consumer-desired video file 60 that is not combined with the
advertising file 62 into the first segment 54 of the combined video
file 50, and places data representing the portion of the
consumer-desired video file that is combined with advertising file
in the second segment 56 of the combined video file.
[0056] Then, program 52 generates data that includes instructions
and possibly decryption data that enables a special playback
program (such as the special playback program 24 in FIG. 1) to
render the first video segment 54 (which contains no data from
advertising file 62). The generator program 52 adds this enabling
data to the combined video file 50 as a third segment 58. The data
in the third segment 58 may be encrypted or otherwise protected to
hinder a consumers unauthorized attempt to suppress the advertising
within the second segment 56. The data in the third segment 58 may
comprise instructions, resources (such as license and/or decryption
data and/or encoded digital audio/video data), references to
resources embodied in XML, SMIL, or another other markup language,
or any combination of the above.
[0057] When a consumer uses a standard playback program, or a
special playback program without a valid license for the combined
video file 50, the playback program renders the data in the second
segment 56 of the file 50, and the consumer perceives the video as
exemplified in the snapshot picture 64. The picture 64 includes a
portion 66 (here an upper portion) of display data from the
consumer-desired video file 60, and also includes a portion 68
(here the lower portion) of display data from containing the
advertising file 62. The portion 68 may be displayed for either the
entire duration of the consumer-desired video file 60, or may only
be displayed for a portion of that duration. Furthermore, the
portion 68 may remain in the same location relative to the portion
66 of the video frames, or the portion 68 may move relative to the
portion 66 as the video file 50 is played.
[0058] Alternatively, when the consumer is authorized to avoid
rendering the advertising file 62, a special playback program
containing authorization module 25 (FIG. 1) reads the data in the
third segment 58, and uses that data to splice the data in the
first segment 54 of the combined video file 50 with the data in the
second segment 58 to generate the video as exemplified by the
snapshot 70. That is, the playback program generates the video by
retrieving the data representing the upper frame portion 66 from
the second segment 56, and by retrieving the data representing the
lower frame portion 88 from the first segment 54. In this way, the
consumer perceives the video without any advertising, as
exemplified in the snapshot picture 70. Furthermore, storing only
the lower frame portions 68 of the video file 80 in the first
segment 54 reduces the size of the first segment as compared to
storing the frames of the video file in their entireties.
[0059] While the above detailed description has shown, described,
and pointed out novel features of the disclosed subject matter as
applied to various embodiments, it will be understood that various
omissions, substitutions, and changes in the form and details of
the device or process illustrated may be made by those skilled in
the art without departing from the spirit of the disclosed subject
matter.
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