Patent Application
20090216630
Not applicable.
Not applicable.
Users playing content on a device can receive incentives to perform specific actions by varying the quantity and selection of advertising that they receive, or varying the content options that users may have. The incentives also benefit content providers by providing revenues.
A standard “one size fits all” approach for ad insertion into content is not the most consumer-friendly method to regulate all commercial content. Reducing the number of ads incorporated into commercial content can serve as an incentive for users to perform desirable actions. These actions might include purchasing a product, enrolling into a subscription service, sharing content with others, or performing another action that benefits the content producer.
Dynamically varying how a user may consume content can provide an incentive to perform desirable actions. These actions might include restricting playback controls such as rewind, fast-forward, or skip. These actions might also include limiting how much content can be consumed such as how many times the content can be viewed or how much of the content can be viewed before additional funding or licensing is required from the user.
The present invention is defined by the claims below. Embodiments of the present invention solve at least the above problems by providing a medium, system, and apparatus for regulating advertisement delivered with content and controlling a use of the content.
A user's experience with content delivered to a device can vary depending on the licensing status of the content. For content with no license, a complement of advertisements can play with the content or a default set of rules can be applied by a monetization engine. In addition, the user can have limited or no control of the device or content while the advertisement or content plays. For content with a license, little or no advertisement can play with the content or another set of rules can be applied by the monetization engine. In addition, the user can have full control of the device or content. The number of advertisements and range of control can vary depending on the licensing status of the content as well as the amount of times the content has been played. All aspects of the number of advertisements, verification of licensing status, the loading of advertisements and content on the device can be governed by rules operated by a monetization service.
Illustrative embodiments of the present invention are described in detail below with reference to the attached drawing figures, which are incorporated by reference herein and wherein:
Embodiments of the present invention provide a medium, system, and apparatus for regulating advertisement delivered with content and controlling a use of the content.
Many different arrangements of the various components depicted, as well as components not shown, are possible without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Embodiments of the present invention will be described with the intent to be illustrative rather than restrictive. Alternative embodiments will become apparent to those skilled in the art. A skilled artisan may develop alternative means of implementing improvements without departing from the scope of the present invention.
Throughout the description of the present invention, several acronyms and shorthand notations are used to aid the understanding of certain concepts pertaining to the associated system and services. These acronyms and shorthand notations are solely intended for the purpose of providing an easy methodology of communicating the ideas expressed herein and are in no way meant to limit the scope of the present invention. The following is a list of these acronyms:
Further, various technical terms are used throughout this description. A definition of such terms can be found in Newton's Telecom Dictionary by H. Newton, 23rd Edition (2007). These definitions are intended to provide a clearer understanding of the ideas disclosed herein but are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention. The definitions and terms should be interpreted broadly and liberally to the extent allowed the meaning of the words offered in the above-cited reference.
As one skilled in the art will appreciate, embodiments of the present invention may be embodied as, among other things: a method, system, or computer-program product. Accordingly, the embodiments may take the form of a hardware embodiment, a software embodiment, or an embodiment combining software and hardware. In one embodiment, the present invention takes the form of a computer-program product that includes computer-useable instructions embodied on one or more computer-readable media.
Computer-readable media include both volatile and nonvolatile media, removable and nonremovable media, and contemplates media readable by a database, a switch, and various other network devices. Network switches, routers, and related components are conventional in nature, as are means of communicating with the same. By way of example, and not limitation, computer-readable media comprise computer-storage media and communications media.
Computer-storage media, or machine-readable media, include media implemented in any method or technology for storing information. Examples of stored information include computer-useable instructions, data structures, program modules, and other data representations. Computer-storage media include, but are not limited to RAM, ROM, EEPROM, flash memory or other memory technology, CD-ROM, digital versatile discs (DVD), holographic media or other optical disc storage, magnetic cassettes, magnetic tape, magnetic disk storage, and other magnetic storage devices. These memory components can store data momentarily, temporarily, or permanently.
Communications media typically store computer-useable instructions—including data structures and program modules—in a modulated data signal. The term “modulated data signal” refers to a propagated signal that has one or more of its characteristics set or changed to encode information in the signal. An exemplary modulated data signal includes a carrier wave or other transport mechanism. Communications media include any information-delivery media. By way of example but not limitation, communications media include wired media, such as a wired network or direct-wired connection, and wireless media such as acoustic, infrared, radio, microwave, spread-spectrum, and other wireless media technologies. Combinations of the above are included within the scope of computer-readable media.
In a scenario, imagine a person has compiled a digital mix-tape, a musical playlist, and has sent it to a friend. If the friend already has a license to all of the content in the mix, the friend should hear no ads and have full control over the playback. At the other extreme, if the friend does not own any of the content in the mix, the friend may be required to listen to advertisements without rewind or fast-forward controls. If the friend owns some of the content in the mix, the number of ads and playback controls can vary depending on how much is owned by the friend. This scenario represents aspects that are implemented in embodiments of the present invention.
In implementing an embodiment of the present invention, rules governing how content is monetized can be established. The rules are applied to content or stored as default in a device capable of consuming that content. When the content is consumed, the capable device dynamically adds advertising and control options. The device has an ability to report advertising statistics and obtain new advertising media from a central monetization service.
To better understand the present invention, a set of terms are defined and explained below to help the reader.
Monetization rules are a set of expressions that indicate the quantity and/or type of advertising, and/or consumption controls assigned to a specific piece of content or a set of content. Monetization rules may be “ad rules” which influence selection and quantity of advertising. Monetization rules may also be “consumption rules” which influence the behavior of device-specific consumption controls. For example, the following rules may apply to a collection of music: Unlicensed music released in the past three (3) months must be monetized at a rate of $0.25 per minute. Unlicensed music released more than three (3) months ago must be monetized at a rate of $0.30 per minute. Unlicensed music must not be played more than three (3) times. Unlicensed music may not be rewound or fast-forwarded. Unlicensed music may not be shared with users in other countries.
Consumption controls are various ways content can be consumed or not consumed on a capable device. For example, an audio player may provide controls such as skip, rewind, fast-forward, volume, and rating. A web browser may provide controls including navigational, print, bookmark, and rating.
A capable device or device may be any device that contains a monetization engine that determines how the device shall execute or obey rules. The device can directly or indirectly communicate with a monetization service to perform such functions as provide ad statistics or exchange ad media.
A monetization engine is a software component that resides within a capable device. The monetization engine is responsible for executing and applying the monetization rules. It interacts with the device so that the device can modify consumption controls and insert advertising when content is consumed. The monetization engine can obtain advertising media from a source.
A monetization service is a centralized service that sets the monetization rules, collects statistics on consumed content, collects statistics on consumed advertising, identifies available advertising media, and provides advertising media to the device.
Monetization rules are specific to an ecosystem of capable devices. The rules used to govern music monetization on a music player can be different from the rules used to govern text monetization on a portable eBook reader or rules used to govern information within a virtual gaming environment. The available set of rules can be governed by the monetization service and a default set of rules can be defined for each ecosystem of capable devices.
Monetization rules can be categorized into two classes: Ad rules influence which ads are inserted into content or how many ads are inserted into the content. Consumption rules influence how the content may be consumed. A reference to the term monetization rules includes both ad rules and consumption rules.
A content producer that desires to further monetize or control content especially beyond a level defined by the default rules can define additional rules called content-specific rules. This definition can be done through an interface into the monetization service. The rules can be applied to the content manually by the content producer. The rules can also be saved within the monetization service and applied to content served through the service automatically. The monetization service or other interface may enforce the rules such that certain minimum thresholds be met. An exemplary threshold could be that each piece of content collects a certain monetary amount in ad revenue.
If content-specific rules are not constructed in advance, the monetization service can dynamically add a default set of rules to all content served through the monetization service. The monetization service can also set the rules as defaults in the devices.
To apply monetization rules to selected content, the content producer or monetization service can encode content with the rules. DRM or a permanent watermarking technology can be used to associate the rules with the content. Specifically, watermarking can be used to apply content-specific monetization rules. Watermarking does not limit access to the content since it is acceptable to play content that is not watermarked.
To further understand the terms and the descriptions above,
Turning now to
A capable device uses a set of default monetization rules or content-specific monetization rules to determine how content may be consumed. The term consumed is used to denote playing, executing, or operating. As stated above, the monetization engine is used to evaluate the rules and apply consumption restrictions on the content. Or, the monetization engine can insert advertising as dictated by the rules.
The available set of rules for a group of devices relies on the abilities of the monetization engine. For example, if the monetization engine is to add advertising to unlicensed content, the monetization engine has the ability to determine the licensing status for the content. The monetization engine also has the ability to obtain and integrate advertising into the user experience. If the monetization engine is to disallow fast-forwarding, for example, the monetization engine can disable the functionality when necessary.
In
As shown in
Ad manager 340 is connected to monetization engine 320 and advertising media 350. In an implementation of embodiment of the present invention, ad manager 340 monitors the retrieval of ads that are to be integrated with the content. However, in other embodiments, ad manager 340 can perform various functions depending on the implementation of the embodiment such as managing how ads are stored or retrieved, determining how ads are replenished on capable device 310 such as when new ads are stored and when old ads are removed, selecting the appropriate ad when instructed by monetization engine 320, and determining how ads are integrated with the content.
Advertising media 350 is a type of data store that holds the ads that are delivered to capable device 310. As discussed above, typically, ads are stored in advertising media 130 in monetization system 100. At some point, based on the rules, ads in advertising media 130 are delivered to advertising media 350 on capable device 310. The selection of the ads to be stored in advertising media 350 is governed by monetization service 110. The selection of the ads to be consumed on capable device 310 is governed by monetization engine 320 and ad manager 340. If capable device 310 does not have ad manager 340 in the implementation of the embodiment, then the selection is governed by monetization engine 320 alone.
Content licenses 360 are connected to monetization engine 320. As the name implies, content licenses 360 hold licenses. The license can be a digitally signed data file, text file, or other trustworthy piece of data.
Monetization rules 370 hold the rules that govern how content is to be consumed on capable device 310. Depending on the implementation of the embodiment of the present invention, monetization rules 370 can hold default rules, content-specific rules, or both. Typically, the rules in monetization rules 370 are retrieved or received from monetization rules 150 in monetization system 100.
It is noted that capable device 310 illustrated some exemplary components in
Capable devices are able to connect to the monetization service to report monetization statistics and obtain new advertising media. A monetization rule can enforce this activity, for example, by disabling consumption of the content unless new advertising media is acquired or unless statistical information is delivered back to the monetization service. These actions insure that the capable devices periodically connect to the monetization service.
The statistical information can be provided by the component which manages advertising in capable device 310 such as the ad manager. Or, the statistical information can be provided by a separate component in capable device 310 which collects overall consumption statistics. Once the statistical information is delivered to the monetization service, the monetization service uses the statistical information to determine which advertising media should be provided to capable device 310. In the same or a different embodiment, the monetization service can determine the amount of compensation for the content producer for the consumption of his or her content.
Turning now to
In
If a license exists from the determination in step 520, in a step 540, a determination is made whether the license is a full license or a partial license. A full license provides the user with a full access to the content as determined by a content provider or monetization rules 150 or 370. A partial license provides the user with less than the full access to the content. The issue of what is less than full access is based on an implementation of an embodiment of the present invention. The understanding here is that the partial license results in some type of access to the content which is less than the access given to the user when the content has a full license.
When it is determined that a full license exists, in a step 550, either one advertisement or no advertisement is played with the content. However, when it is determined that a partial license exists, in a step 560, a subset of the advertisements is played with the content. One of ordinary skill in the art can see the correlation between the content, licenses, and advertisements. The more likely a content has a license that tends towards a full license, the less likely advertisements will be rendered with the content when played on capable device 310. In contrast, if the content has no license or a small remaining license authorization, the more likely the user may encounter advertising when the content is played.
The aspects above can be extended further in other embodiments to encompass control of capable device 310. A correlation can be made between the content, licenses, advertisements, and consumption control. In addition to the description above, a content with a full license may result in the user having full access and control over the content in capable device 310. However, the same user may have limited control with a partial license and may have no control over the content when the content has no license. The variation in control of the device and the content is determined by monetization rules 150 and 370.
Turning now to
In a step 620, monetization rules 150 or 370 are applied to the content. In the context of monetization rules 150, the rules are applied to the content in monetization system 100 before the content is delivered to capable device 310. In the context of monetization rules 370, the rules are applied to the content in capable device 310. In a step 630, the content is distributed to capable device 310 where the content is played according to the rules. Step 630 is more indicative of when monetization rules 150 are applied to the content in monetization system 100. Subsequent to the action, the content is distributed to capable device 310.
In
In a step 740, monetization engine 320 operates to perform a myriad of functions on capable device 310. Monetization engine 320 operates to obtain advertising media, to integrate the advertising media with the unlicensed content or the licensed content, to establish an availability of controls of the device and the content, to evaluate the default rules or the content-specific rules, to apply use restrictions on the content, to insert advertisements during the rendering of the content, and to determine a license status for the content.
In
In a step 805, a determination is made whether content is licensed. If the content is not licensed, in a step 810, a determination is made whether a watermark exists and specifies a content-specific monetization rule. If no watermark exists or the watermark does not specify the content-specific monetization rule, default monetization rules are evaluated for the unlicensed content in a step 815. If the watermark specifies the content-specific monetization rule, both default monetization rules and content-specific monetization rules are evaluated for the unlicensed content in a step 820.
Going back to step 805, if the content is licensed, a determination is made whether the content is fully licensed in step 825. If the content is not fully licensed or is partially licensed, in a step 830, a determination is made whether a watermark exists and specifies a content-specific monetization rule. If no watermark exists or the watermark does not specify the content-specific monetization rule, default monetization rules are evaluated for the partially-licensed content in a step 835. If the watermark specifies the content-specific monetization rule, both default monetization rules and content-specific monetization rules are evaluated for the partially-licensed content in a step 840.
Going back to step 825, if the content is fully licensed, in a step 845, a determination is made whether a watermark exists and specifies a content-specific monetization rule. If no watermark exists or the watermark does not specify the content-specific monetization rule, default monetization rules are evaluated for the fully-licensed content in a step 850. If the watermark specifies the content-specific monetization rule, both default monetization rules and content-specific monetization rules are evaluated for the fully-licensed content in a step 860.
A scenario may be described that provides a better understanding to the concepts that have been discussed in this specification. Consider the ZUNE portable player and PC ZUNE application both by Microsoft Corporation of Redmond, Wash. These two capable devices could have a default set of monetization rules defined by the ZUNE service. These rules might require certain advertising be inserted for every three (3) unlicensed tracks played. This arrangement would enable users to create their own custom music playlists. The playlists could be shared with other users. Users who do not own the music would be exposed to significant advertising. Users who own some of the tracks would receive less advertising, and users who own the ZUNE subscription would hear little, if any, advertising. The ZUNE subscription would grant a license to nearly every track in the ZUNE Marketplace.
In another scenario, consider a virtual world similar to SECOND LIFE by Linden Research, Inc. of San Francisco, Calif. Users might construct virtual furniture and define a certain monetization threshold if another user decides to incorporate the furniture into their virtual home. As a home is filled with a large amount of unlicensed furniture, walls of the home could be filled with advertisements. A purchase of the furniture or perhaps an upgrade in the subscription plan could reduce or eliminate the advertising.
In yet a variation to the SECOND LIFE scenario above, a user creates a very comfortable sofa, but defines a single consumption rule that prevents people from sitting on the sofa unless they license the sofa. Other users could put the sofa in their virtual home but would be unable to sit on the sofa until they purchased a license. It is noted in this scenario that no advertising rules are used which is possible with an implementation of an embodiment of the present invention.
The prior discussion is only for illustrative purposes to convey exemplary embodiments. The steps discussed in
It will be understood that certain features and subcombinations are of utility and may be employed without reference to other features and subcombinations and are contemplated within the scope of the claims. Not all steps listed in the various figures need be carried out in the specific order described.
