Patent Grant
9813641
The technical field relates to a method and apparatus for providing interactive virtual objects that are targeted to subscribers. The method and apparatus specifically relate to monitoring, controlling and managing a content delivery network including an operations center, a local insertion center, or a subscriber's local terminal for the delivery of interactive virtual objects and the management of the respective responses to interactive requests.
Television as an advertising medium has undergone significant advances since its inception in 1939. Modern advances in digital technology now allow viewers to be very selective in choosing programs to watch. Other advances in digital technology have led to such programming enhancements as a “tail” on a hockey puck, or an overlaid first down marker on a football field. The same technological advances allow improvements in the way advertisements are currently presented. Many sporting events are now presented with virtual object advertisements included in the video. For example, the broadcast of a major league baseball game may include one or more virtual object spots in which an advertisement is displayed. The advertisements are then seen by television viewers, but not by fans who attend the game. However, the advertisements are fixed, and are not varied according to individual viewers.
A system and a method delivers interactive targeted virtual objects to reception sites. A virtual object is a realistic, synthetic replica of an actual object. The virtual object is viewable within video programming and may be combined with original video and audio to supplement or replace portions of the original video and audio content. Virtual objects may be overlaid on video, partially or entirely obscuring the underlying video. An overlaid object may be static in nature, such as a graphical icon or the like, or alternatively may be dynamic, such as a video clip, animation, or scrolling alphanumeric characters, for example. Overlaid objects may be limited spatially to a fixed portion of the video screen, limited temporally to a given time for display, limited by a combination of both location and time, or tied to a spatially changing portion of the screen that is moving with time. Alternatively, virtual objects may be added to and embedded within the actual video. Multiple virtual objects may be embedded in the video in a multi-layer fashion. The virtual object is indistinguishable from the other video content sharing the field of view. Virtual objects may be interactive in nature. That is, a viewer may select an object and the selection will initiate a process whereby a reception site takes some action based on the interactive virtual object or the reception site sends a command to a location designated by the interactive virtual object to initiate some action.
An interactive virtual object management center defines interactive objects, and provides the interactive objects to the operations center for delivery, and the interactive virtual objects response management guidelines to an interactive object servicing center. An operations center may process the video signal to allow for the insertion of virtual objects into the video. An object delivery center serves as a standalone or supplemental system to the operations center to deliver virtual objects independently of the video with which the virtual objects are to be associated. A delivery network includes any of a number of different delivery systems to support the delivery of video and virtual objects from the operations center and the object delivery center to a local insertion center, or directly to a reception site. The delivery network is also used to deliver video and virtual objects from the local insertion center to the reception site. The reception site receives the video and virtual objects and associates the appropriate virtual objects with the video based on targeting algorithms.
The reception site collects virtual object viewing information and makes the viewing information available to a local data collection center or a central data collection center using the delivery network. The local data collection center provides information collected from the reception site to the local insertion center to assist in the targeting of the virtual objects. The central data collection center provides information collected from the reception site to the operations center to assist in the targeting of virtual objects. Alternatively, the reception site may use the virtual object viewing information and other information stored at the reception site to locally target the virtual objects at the reception site. The reception site may provide interactive requests, which are driven by the selection of interactive virtual objects, to an interactive object servicing center using the delivery network. Interactive responses are returned by the interactive object servicing center to the requesting reception site based on the interactive virtual object response guidelines provided to the interactive object servicing center by the interactive virtual object management center.
A targeting routine makes use of a viewer's demographic information and viewing habits to determine those virtual objects that may be most effective when displayed to that particular viewer. In so doing, the targeting routine generates packages of virtual objects targeted to each viewer, or to groups of viewers.
The process of managing the content and the virtual objects to be included in the content begins with a number of configuration and set-up steps. Individual reception site address information can be collected at the operations center. This information is used to uniquely identify each reception site and to associate with that identifier necessary information to aid in the targeting process. The reception site address information may be provided to the operations center upon installation or activation of the reception site in the viewer's home. Other information may be collected from various sources, including viewer surveys and marketing databases correlated by address, zip code+4, Nielsen or Arbitron program rating services, for example.
Next, reception site groups are determined. This is needed if the management of information and targeting to individual reception sites is not practical initially, either due to lack of availability of information to the appropriate level of detail, or lack of technology to control and deliver virtual objects to an individual reception site. For a number of target categories, groups are defined. Examples of target categories include demographic targeting (age/sex/income) and location, such as Area of Dominant Influence (ADI), for example. Each target category is then segmented into appropriate groups. For example, the ADI may include Los Angeles, Calif. and Washington D.C. New target categories can be added and the groups redefined after their initial establishment. Anywhere from one to all reception sites may be assigned to a single group.
For each target category, each reception site is assigned to a group based on the information collected about the reception site. Once the reception site is assigned to a group, the group assignment is conveyed to the reception site and stored therein. Alternatively, the reception site may use information collected locally to assign the reception site to groups.
The group assignment information that is stored at the reception site is able to survive power cycling of the reception site, and other normal service interruptions. Finally, as groups are modified or group assignments change, reception sites are notified of the changes. Additionally, the group assignment information may be periodically resent to the reception sites to ensure that newly added reception sites and those that have accidentally lost their information are up-to-date.
A virtual object location definer system determines where in the content the virtual objects are to be placed and the rules associated with their placement. Content may be video programming, commercials and advertisements, or electronic program guide (EPG) information, for example. A virtual object selector system determines those available virtual objects suitable for placement in a virtual object location. A targeted virtual object management system determines which reception sites or reception site groups should receive and display which virtual object for a given virtual object location. The virtual objects and targeting information are then distributed to reception sites.
After reception sites receive and store the virtual objects and targeting information, the reception site will place the most appropriate virtual object into virtual object locations based on the targeting information, and will display the combined content with the overlaid or embedded virtual object.
The reception site stores information indicating that a virtual object was inserted. The accumulated history information may be collected from the reception site at a later time for review purposes. The unique reception site identification information may also be provided with the collected data. As mechanisms become available to identify specific viewers in a household, the system will allow for individual identification information to also be provided with collected data. Finally, after collection of the reception site viewing history data, the reception site returns used reception site memory space to the reception site.
A centralized operations center can determine virtual object locations available for virtual object placement. Alternatively, a local insertion center can determine the virtual object locations. The operations center can determine the specific virtual objects to be placed in a virtual object location. Alternatively, the local insertion center may determine the specific virtual object to be placed in a virtual object location. The reception site itself can determine which virtual object is to be placed in a virtual object location based on its own internal routines.
Content, virtual objects, and associated targeting/virtual object placement control can be relayed to reception sites and information extracted from the reception site. The reception site may reside within a digital cable set top box that has access to a delivery network. Alternately, the reception site may be components of digital television satellite receivers. The reception site may be incorporated into the circuitry of a television, thereby eliminating the need for a separate control device attached to the television. Alternatively, the reception site may be incorporated into a personal computer, personal data device, smart phone with a display, or electronic book device
The detailed description will refer to the following drawings in which like numerals refer to like items, and in which:
An overview of the interactive virtual object delivery and targeting system is depicted in
The reception site 30 receives the content 36 and virtual objects and associates the appropriate virtual objects with the content 36 based on targeting algorithms. The reception site 30 may collect virtual object viewing information and make the viewing information available to a local data collection center 40 or a central data collection center 50 using a delivery network 13. Alternatively, the reception site 30 may retain all virtual object viewing information and use the information to target virtual objects locally without control from the operations center 10. The local data collection center 40 provides information collected from the reception site 30 to the local insertion center 20 to assist in the targeting of virtual objects. The central data collection center 50 provides information collected from the reception site 30 to the operations center 10 to assist in the targeting of virtual objects. The interactive virtual object management center 55 provides for the creation and definition of interactive virtual objects. An interactive virtual object, discussed in more detail below, contains virtual object identifying information, the actual virtual object, an interactive virtual object trigger action 56, and virtual object response management guidelines 57. An interactive virtual object trigger action 56 defines those actions which the reception site 30 takes once an interactive virtual object is selected at the reception site. An interactive virtual object response management guideline 57 may be provided to the interactive object servicing center 60 by the interactive virtual object management center 55 and used by the interactive object servicing center 60 to determine the appropriate response upon receipt of an interactive request from a reception site 30. The reception site 30 provides interactive requests, which are driven by the selection of interactive virtual objects, to an interactive object servicing center 60 using a delivery network 14. Interactive responses are returned by the interactive object servicing center 60 to the requesting reception site 30.
Virtual objects may be realistic, synthetic replicas of actual objects. Virtual objects may also be caricatures of actual individuals, photographs or other life-like renderings of actual individuals, cartoon figures, text objects, graphical renderings, or icons, for example. The virtual objects may be animated or fixed. The virtual objects are combined with video and audio to supplement or replace portions of video and audio in original content 36. As shown in
As shown in
Alternatively, as shown in
In an embodiment, virtual reality and animation technologies are combined with advanced digital video techniques to provide realistic interaction of virtual objects within video. Combining these technologies, a soda can may be synthetically placed in the video, and may then be made to change over time. This placement and subsequent modification can occur at the video's source, at an intermediate point within the distribution and delivery path, or at the reception site 30. Combining the placement of virtual objects with the ability to target specific virtual objects to specific viewers or groups of viewers allows one household to see a scene with the soda can for cola, while the next door neighbor sees a root beer soda can, for example.
Virtual objects may be interactive in nature, where a viewer can select a virtual object 35 and this selection will initiate a process whereby the reception site 30 initiates some action or the reception site 30 sends a command to the location designated by the interactive virtual object 38 to initiate some action. Actions may include linking to a Web site to display content related to the interactive virtual object 38, initiating a purchase transaction, or initiating a request for more information about the selected virtual object 38.
The operations center 10 shown in
Placement of virtual objects can be explicitly selected by the operations center 10, resulting in the specific selection and placement of virtual objects into content 36. Alternatively, the placement may be generically defined by the operations center 10. In this alternative, the reception site 30 performs all the processing associated with selecting the appropriate virtual object 38 to be placed in the content 36 based on basic guidelines provided by the operations center 10 and algorithms operating at the reception site 30.
As shown in
Techniques for pattern recognition used by the location selector processor 140 to facilitate the creation of the matte 16 and the identification of the pixels within the frame that the matte 16 is to be associated with for that frame are described in detail in U.S. Pat. No. 5,808,695, to Rosser, Roy J.; Das, Subhodev; and Tan, Yi; entitled Method of Tracking Scene Motion for Live Video Insertion; U.S. Pat. No. 5,903,317, to Sharir, Avi; and Tamir, Michael; entitled Apparatus and method for Detecting, Identifying, and Incorporating Advertisements in a Video; U.S. Pat. No. 5,524,065, to Yagasaki, Toshiaki; entitled Method and Apparatus for Pattern Recognition; U.S. Pat. No. 5,627,915, to Rosser, Roy J.; Das, Subhodev; and Tan, Yi; von Kaenel, Peter; entitled Pattern Recognition System Employing Unlike Templates to Detect Objects Having Distinctive Features in a Video Field; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,817,171, to Stentiford, Frederick; entitled Pattern Recognition System, the disclosures of which are hereby incorporated by reference.
When the area is selected by the location selector processor 140 and the overlay matte 16 for the initial video frame N 141 is created, a video object marker processor 160 creates the transparent overlay matte 16 that is associated with the selected area for subsequent frames, for example frame N+1 142 and frame N+2 143 of the processed content 36′, for the duration of frames designated, as shown in
Simultaneously with the selection of the virtual object location 37 and the creation of the mattes, a virtual object rules processor 170 allows for the entry of rules that govern the types of virtual objects and other relevant placement guidelines associated with the virtual object location 37. These rules allow for the selection of characteristics such as the duration of the virtual object location 37, and viewing overlay characteristics such as transparency of the overlay virtual object, and whether the virtual object location 37 is suitable for an interactive virtual object. The operations center 10 processes the stored, non-realtime processed content 36′ and the real-time (live) processed content 36′. For real-time processed content 36′ the content buffer 120 serves as a short buffer, and predefined rules are pre-loaded into the virtual object rules processor 170. Additionally, the video object marker processor 160 is pre-loaded with the directions as to which locations within the processed content 36′ are to be treated as virtual object locations. The video object marker processor 160 then automatically searches the real-time processed content 36′ using pattern recognition technologies presented above, or other technologies, and automatically creates the mattes required for each virtual object location. Once the video object marker processor 160 creates the mattes and the associated controls, the mattes are associated with the actual processed content 36′ in the content buffer 120. The processed content 36′, along with the mattes are then optionally processed using the optional video processor 150, which performs any necessary content encoding (e.g., MPEG4, or digitalization), and makes the content 36′ available to a rules application processor 180. The rules application processor 180 creates metadata packets that carry the virtual object placement rules information and mattes and associates these packets with the processed content 36′ for each virtual object location 37 selected in the virtual object location definer 100.
Virtual objects may be processed and stored in the available virtual objects database 220 before they are used. Processing of the virtual objects includes digitizing the virtual object 38 to and associating the virtual object with those virtual object 38 placement guidelines and rules that must be followed to place the virtual object 38 within virtual object locations. The rules and guidelines may include product categories with which the virtual object 38 should be associated, or in contrast, cannot be associated with, the type of virtual object 38, the duration that the virtual object 38 is valid to be used, the number of times the virtual object 38 may be used, and whether the virtual object 38 is interactive and any interactive virtual object trigger action 56 or optional virtual object software applet 152 associated with an interactive virtual object 38.
In a non-realtime environment, an optional post viewer processor 260, which is preceded by a virtual object insertion processor 250, is used to view the content 36 and insert each virtual object 38 that was matched to the content 36 by the object matcher processor 230 in the corresponding virtual object location 37. Techniques for insertion of overlaid virtual objects are described in detail in U.S. Pat. No. 4,319,266 to Bannister, Richard S.; entitled Chroma Keying System; U.S. Pat. No. 4,999,709 to Yamazaki, Hiroshi; and Okazaki, Sakae; entitled Apparatus for Inserting Title Pictures; U.S. Pat. No. 5,249,039, to Chaplin, Daniel J.; entitled Chroma Key Method and Apparatus; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,233,423 to Jernigan, Forest E.; and Bingham, Joseph; entitled Embedded Commercials within a Television Receiver using an Integrated Electronic Billboard, the disclosures of which are hereby incorporated by reference.
Techniques for the insertion of embedded virtual objects are described in detail in U.S. Pat. No. 5,953,076, to Astle, Brian; and Das, Subhodev; titled System and Method of Real Time Insertions into Video Using Adaptive Occlusion with a Synthetic Reference Image; U.S. Pat. No. 5,892,554, to DiCicco, Darrell; and Fant, Karl; entitled System and Method for Inserting Static and Dynamic Images into a Live Video Broadcast; U.S. Pat. No. 5,515,485, to Luquet, Andre; and Rebuffet, Michel; entitled Method and Device for Modifying a Zone in Successive Images; U.S. Pat. No. 5,903,317, to Sharir, Avi; and Tamir, Michael; entitled Apparatus and Method for Detecting, Identifying and Incorporation Advertisements in a Video; and the MPEG4 standard, the disclosure of which are hereby incorporated by reference.
In a realtime environment, the optional post viewer processor 260 is bypassed, and the default virtual object 38 is placed in the virtual object location 37 by a default virtual object insertion processor 270, which includes (not shown) a virtual object insertion processor 250.
The targeted virtual object management system (TVOMS) 300 shown in
Virtual objects may also be targeted to reception sites on various levels. At a highest level, virtual objects can be delivered to all reception sites viewing content 36, with no targeting of the virtual objects to the subscriber, but with the virtual objects displayed in the content 36 that are determined to be most relevant to the content 36. That is, the virtual objects are placed in the virtual object location 37 without the use of an individual or group targeting algorithm. Alternatively, some level of targeting may occur based on, for example, ADI, zip code+4, geographical data and other similar criteria known about a reception site 30. In this alternative embodiment, the virtual objects are sent to a reception site 30, and a local insertion routine in the reception site 30 controls placement of the virtual objects into the virtual object locations 37 in the content 36. The virtual objects may be stored at the reception site 30 and may be periodically refreshed. To account for reception sites that do not have virtual objects available for insertion, the content 36 may be provided with a default virtual object 38 embedded in the content 36. Upon receipt of the content 36 at a reception site 30, the reception site 30, using the local insertion routine, determines if the default virtual object 38 should be replaced with another virtual object 38 residing in the reception site's memory or being delivered concurrently with the content 36.
Alternatively, virtual objects may be targeted to groups of reception sites, with the groups of reception sites categorized based on some other common subscriber characteristics such as programs watched data or interactive virtual objects selected data, for example. Finally, virtual objects may also be targeted to specific subscribers that share the use of a reception site 30 based on their unique subscriber characteristics.
To target virtual objects, the TVOMS 300 may make use of information from numerous sources. These sources include collected programs watched data that are stored in the reception site 30, and periodically uploaded to the central data collection center 50 or the local data collection center 40, and from past virtual objects viewed information or past interactive virtual objects selected that is stored in the reception site 30 and periodically uploaded to the data collection centers. Additionally, these sources may include information from marketing databases and past television programs watched data, as described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,798,785, entitled TERMINAL FOR SUGGESTING PROGRAMS OFFERED ON A TELEVISION PROGRAM DELIVERY SYSTEM, filed Dec. 2, 1993, incorporated herein by reference.
The TVOMS 300 provides the management of information required to support each of the following: (1) delivery of targeted virtual objects along with content 36 being broadcast; (2) delivery of targeted virtual objects to subscribers independent of any content 36 being broadcast; and (3) delivery of TVOMS-related subscriber-specific information and commands.
A subscriber information database 1210 contains subscriber information collected from numerous sources for each subscriber or reception site 30. The subscriber information may then be used by a virtual object targeting system 1220 to determine the best virtual objects to be distributed for inclusion in the content 36. Additionally, the information collected may be used to determine if the subscriber information has changed to the point that refreshed virtual objects should be delivered to a subscriber or, alternatively, whether a subscriber's group assignments should be updated. The virtual object targeting system 1220 determines the optimum subset of virtual objects to be associated with the content 36 based on the selected object metadata provided by the virtual object selector 200 (
As an alternative to delivering virtual objects with associated content 36, virtual objects can be delivered independently to individual subscribers or groups of subscribers based on updated subscriber information, modified group assignments, or the need for refreshed virtual objects at the reception site 30. Initiation could be automatic based on a scheduled cycle or by TVOMS operator direction. Upon delivery initiation, the virtual object targeting system 1220 uses subscriber information from the subscriber information database 1210, information about available virtual objects from the available virtual objects database 1265, and information about previously delivered virtual objects from the subscriber information database 1210, to select the appropriate virtual objects to be packaged and delivered to a reception site 30. Once the virtual object targeting system 1220 determines the appropriate virtual objects, the content and virtual object packager 1260 retrieves the appropriate virtual objects, packages the virtual objects with reception site configuration information, addresses the information either to a single subscriber or group of subscribers, and delivers the information to the appropriate reception site 30 using a delivery processor 1300. This delivery can be done in broadcast fashion or by communicating to reception sites directly. Virtual objects may be broadcast to all reception sites, and a reception site 30 may store only the virtual objects that are associated with groups to which the reception site 30 belongs. Alternatively content 36, virtual objects, and other information destined to reception sites may be provided to the object delivery center 15 (
The databases addressed in
For each pending command:
Within the TVOMS 300, the virtual object targeting system 1220 is responsible for the intelligent and rapid selection of virtual objects for placement in content 36. Category and group targeting is managed in a manner similar to that described in co-pending U.S. application Ser. No. 09/597,893 entitled METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR TARGETING VIRTUAL OBJECTS, filed Jun. 19, 2000, and in co-pending U.S. application Ser. No. 09/054,419 entitled TARGETED ADVERTISEMENT USING TELEVISION DELIVERY SYSTEM, filed Apr. 3, 1998, and in co-pending U.S. application Ser. No. 09/328,672 entitled ELECTRONIC BOOK SELECTION AND DELIVERY SYSTEM WITH TARGETED ADVERTISING, filed on Jun. 9, 1999, each of which are incorporated herein by reference.
Careful management of the virtual objects within the content 36, based on information known about the demographics and viewing habits of subscribers, for example, can greatly increase both the advertisers' likelihood of reaching an interested subscriber, and the likelihood a subscriber will be interested in a specific virtual object 38. Each virtual object location 37 within the content 36 is assigned a series of virtual objects by the TVOMS 300, and when multiple virtual objects are delivered for a given virtual object location 37 in the content 36, a retrieval plan is developed that directs which virtual objects should be displayed for a given subscriber or reception site 30, a group of subscribers or reception sites, or the entire subscriber population.
The process of managing the targeted virtual objects may consist of a number of configuration and set-up steps shown in
Next, a number of target categories are defined as shown in block 7013. Examples of target categories include demographic targeting (age/sex/income) and location, such as Area of Dominant Influence (ADI). Next, as shown in block 7014, each target category is then segmented into appropriate groups. For example, the ADI may include Los Angeles, Calif. and Washington D.C. New target categories can be added and the groups comprising the target category redefined after their initial establishment.
Next, as shown in block 7015, for each target category, each reception site 30 is assigned to a group based on the information collected about the subscriber. Once each subscriber is assigned to a group, the group assignments are conveyed to the reception site 30 and stored therein, as shown in block 7016. As groups are modified or group assignments change, the reception sites are provided with the changes. Additionally, the group assignment information is periodically resent to the reception sites to ensure that newly added reception sites and those reception sites that have accidentally lost their information are up-to-date. Alternatively, the reception site 30 may perform the processing of information about the characteristics of the subscriber, and generation of the group assignment information internal to the reception site as presented in co-pending U.S. application Ser. No. 09/628,805 entitled METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR LOCALLY TARGETING VIRTUAL OBJECTS WITHIN A TERMINAL, filed Jul. 28, 2000, which is incorporated herein by reference.
Returning to
Once specific virtual objects are selected for one or more available virtual object locations 37, the groups that should view each virtual object 38 are determined, based on the target category of interest. The selected virtual object locations 37 may include all virtual object locations, or a subset of all the virtual object locations. A retrieval plan is generated by the retrieval plan generator 1275 that provides information concerning which target category and groups are assigned to each virtual object 38 associated with each virtual object location 37. The retrieval plan may provide information for one virtual object location 37 or multiple virtual object locations within content 36, where one or more virtual objects, target categories, and the groups to which each virtual object 38 is targeted within each virtual object location 37 is also provided. An example retrieval plan is provided in Table C below. Alternatively, the retrieval plan providing virtual object assignments to virtual object locations may be sent independently from the retrieval plan providing virtual objects, target categories, and the groups to which each virtual object 38 may be targeted. Retrieval plans may be distributed along with the virtual objects and the associated content 36 directly to the reception sites by the delivery processor 1300 or using the object delivery center 15. Alternatively, a retrieval plan may be distributed by the delivery processor 1300 or using the object delivery center 15 independent of the associated content 36 or virtual objects.
After the reception site 30 receives and stores the virtual objects and the retrieval plan, the reception site 30 inserts those virtual objects into the appropriate virtual object locations in the content 36 based on the retrieval plan. The reception site 30 may retrieve and store only those virtual objects associated with that reception site's group assignment for that virtual object location 37. Alternatively, the reception site 30 may retrieve and store all virtual objects but only insert those virtual objects into virtual object locations as dictated by the retrieval plan.
When the virtual objects are displayed within the content 36, the reception site 30 will store virtual objects viewed data indicating that a virtual object 38 was shown. In an embodiment, the reception site 30 will store this virtual object viewed data only if the virtual objects are displayed for a predetermined time, or only if the subscriber takes an action to indicate the virtual object 38 has been viewed, such as by selecting an interactive virtual object 38, for example. Accumulated virtual objects viewed data may be collected from a reception site 30 at a later time for review purposes. Unique reception site identification information also may be provided with the collected virtual objects viewed data. Upon collection of the virtual objects viewed data, the reception site 30 may return the used memory space to available pools for future use.
The virtual object targeting system 1220 receives requests from the metadata extractor processor 1200 to initiate the determination of virtual objects to be placed. The metadata extractor processor 1200 receives content 36 and associated virtual object information from the virtual object selector 200 (
A part of the TVOMS 300 operation is the retrieval of subscriber data, and the assimilation of the subscriber data into the virtual objects selection method. This operation typically includes two steps. First, subscriber data is retrieved from the reception sites by the central data collection center 50 or the local data collection center 40 (
The data gathered includes:
Subscriber profile information may be collected and stored for one or more subscribers for the purposes of virtual objects targeting. The subscriber profile may include demographic information that may be gathered in a number of ways. The reception site 30 builds the subscriber profile for each subscriber and stores the information in a memory file by subscriber name. The file may be uploaded to the central data collection center 50 or the local data collection center 40 and provided to subscriber data collection engine 1202 periodically. Subscriber preference information may be collected using on screen menus at the reception site 30, including information such as name, sex, age, place of birth, place of lower school education, employment type, level of education, amount of television program viewing per week, and the number of television shows in particular categories that the subscriber watches in a given week such as, sports, movies, documentaries, sitcoms, amount of Internet use and favorite web sites, etc. Any demographic information that will assist the TVOMS 300 in targeting virtual objects may be used.
In addition to demographic information gathered at the reception site 30, the subscriber profile can be compiled using other methods. For instance, subscriber information can be gathered using questionnaires sent by mail and subsequently entered in the subscriber information database 1210.
As an alternative to gathering demographic data, a simulated subscriber profile can be generated using an algorithm that analyzes subscriber access history and subscriber habits. Using test information generated from a statistically significant number of subscribers, the simulated subscriber profile algorithm estimates the subscriber's age, education, sex and other relevant information. The analysis then compares information about the subscriber, for example the subscriber's programs watched information, with that of the test group. An example of the type of information maintained for a subscriber profile is presented below.
The subscriber profile data fields are an example of typical fields that can be used in the databases. Definitions of various fields are listed below. The primary purpose of profiling the subscriber is to acquire marketing information on the subscriber's likely response to available virtual objects. Ancillary information may be available including actual program selections or interactive virtual objects selections. Information tracked within the subscriber's profile includes:
A demographic profile may be constructed for each subscriber from questionnaires or other sources. The following fields represent this demographic information:
These subscriber profile inputs may assist in the assignment of reception sites to groups for each target category. There are numerous variations to the field definitions listed above, such as different age groupings, for example. Other subscriber profile data fields may also be specified.
Marketing information, such as the demographics of subscribers, may be received from a central data collection center 50, a local data collection center 40, other external sources, or directly from the reception sites using the subscriber data collection engine 1202. To effectively manage the virtual objects targeting operations, marketing information, such as the existence of markets for certain products, may be provided to the TVOMS 300. The following examples of information may be maintained in the subscriber information database 1210: subscriber demographic profile, subscriber buy information, and correlation of demographic information with buy information. The subscriber data collection engine 1202 gathers the marketing information from the various sources and indexes the information for inclusion in the subscriber information database 1210.
To maintain the subscriber information database 1210 within the TVOMS 300, a database server 1190, communications server 1191, subscriber workstation 1192 or stations, or the suitable equivalents thereof, may be used, as depicted in
The communications server 1191 performs the following functions on database data: integrity check, filtering, processing, downloading to reception sites using the pending commands database 1215, and uploading subscriber data from reception sites using the subscriber data collection engine 1202. The subscriber workstation 1192 allows for operator viewing and entry of subscriber data into the subscriber information database 1210.
The information used by the processor 1207 to create a database of the Category/Group Definition and Group Assignment matrices includes, for example, the reception site identifier, subscriber identifier, zip code+4 data, household income, and age and sex of the subscribers, for example. The information gathered by the configuration set-up system 1205 can come from a variety of sources including marketing databases, direct inputs from the subscribers, data collected by the subscriber data collection engine 1202, a central data collection center 50, a local data collection center 40, and other sources. The processor 1207 will assign category numbers to target categories. For example, the ADI could be assigned category 1 and household (HH) income could be assigned category 2. Next, the configuration set-up system 1205 creates a number of non-overlapping groups for each category. For example, ADI can be broken down into Seattle, Wash., Washington D.C., Denver Colo., Los Angeles Calif., etc. Similarly, HH income can be broken down into a number of income groups such as no income, 20-40K, 40-60K, 60-120K, and over 120K. Then, the configuration set-up system 1205 assigns a “group mask representation” for each group within every category. The group mask representation may be simply a binary number that can be used to identify a particular group. Table A shows a completed Category/Group Definition matrix that could be used by the virtual object targeting system 1220 to assign targeted virtual objects to groups of reception sites or to individual reception sites.
The processor 1207 also creates the Group Assignment matrix. The Group Assignment matrix, shown in Table B, assigns to each reception site 30, for each category, its corresponding group number. Associated with each group number is the group definition and the group mask representation. For example, the reception site 30 identified by the address 12311 is assigned group number 2 (i.e., Washington D.C.) for ADI, and group number 3 (i.e., 40-60K) for household income. The Group Assignment matrix is updated periodically as categories and group definitions change, and as data related to individual reception sites or groups of reception sites change. Many other ways of organizing the information in a database for later use are possible.
The configuration set-up system 1205 also delivers the group configuration (i.e., information specific to an individual reception site 30, from the Group Assignment matrix) to
each reception site 30. For example, the reception site 30 assigned the address 12311 is sent for category 1, group mask representation 01000000000, indicating group 2 assignment.
The group configuration information can be stored in the pending commands database 1215 to be transmitted directly to each reception site 30 periodically or the next time the reception site 30 establishes communications operations center 10. Each time a group configuration message is generated, the message is stored in the pending commands database 1215.
Alternatively to the TVOMS 300 assigning the reception site 30 to individual groups for each category, the TVOMS 300 could deliver the group definitions and category definitions to the all reception sites. Each reception site 30 could then assign itself to the appropriate groups for each category based on internal processing algorithms.
The resource management engine 1305 functions to divide available delivery bandwidth among multiple virtual objects for a given virtual object location 37 in the content 36. Because there may be a limited amount of resources on the delivery network 11 to deliver virtual objects with the content 36, the resource management engine 1305 may assign the available bandwidth optimally for the virtual objects associated with the individual virtual object locations within the content 36 being delivered over the communication channels. Some virtual object locations may be assigned multiple virtual objects, each targeted to a different group or groups, whereas other virtual object locations may be assigned only a single virtual object 38.
Referring to Table A, four group numbers (i.e., 1-4) are shown for the category of targeted virtual objects, ADI. For a particular virtual object location 37 in the content 36, the four groups can be divided into two, one for each available virtual object 38 of two total, with groups 1 and 2 receiving virtual object A and groups 3 and 4 receiving virtual object B, as shown for virtual object location 1. A retrieval plan for this later example is shown in Table C.
After determining how many virtual objects will be needed for each virtual object location 37 within the content 36, the resource management engine 1305 may also account for the type of available targeted virtual objects for display and the variety of subscribers (according to group assignment numbers) who may be viewing the content 36. An advertiser or content provider may provide this information when forwarding virtual objects for insertion.
In an embodiment, the virtual object placement engine 1307 determines which specific virtual objects are to be placed in each available virtual object location 37 within the content 36. The virtual object placement engine 1307 first receives the list of selected available virtual objects from the metadata extractor processor 1200 (
In an embodiment, the group assignment engine 1309 receives inputs from the resource management engine 1305 and the virtual object placement engine 1307 and then determines which reception sites and target category groups will view specific targeted virtual objects. Thus, for each virtual object location 37, the group assignment engine 1309 assigns the reception sites to one of the virtual objects. The reception sites can be assigned based on their placement within a group (i.e., based on their group assignment number) or based on their individual reception site unit address. In tables B and C, the assignments are shown based on the group assignment numbers. As also shown in Table C, the group addressing for a virtual object location 37 may be based on a single category of targeting. This may avoid a conflict regarding which virtual object 38 a reception site 30 may retrieve.
The group assignment engine 1309 provides an output to the retrieval plan generator 1275. The output indicates which group assignment numbers (i.e., which groups of reception sites) are assigned to a virtual object 38 for a given virtual object location 37 in the content 36. The retrieval plan generator 1275 then generates a bit word, or group mask assignment, that is used to assign the groups to virtual objects. Once generated, the retrieval plan is provided to the delivery processor 1300 for distribution along with the content 36 and the actual virtual objects to reception sites by object delivery center 15.
In an embodiment, the virtual object targeting system 1220 provides a virtual object generation request command 1261 to the content and virtual object packager 1260. The virtual objects generation request command 1261 specifies which particular virtual objects are to be displayed in a particular virtual object location 37, and the actual location of the virtual objects. The virtual object 38 is then retrieved from the available virtual object database 1265. The virtual objects, along with the retrieval plan, and content 36 and associated metadata packets are provided to the delivery processor 1300 for delivery to the appropriate reception sites.
When a reception site 30 receives the content 36 that contains targeted virtual objects, software instructions operating on the reception site 30 analyze the contents of the retrieval plan. Then, based on the groups assigned for each virtual object 38, the reception site 30 retrieves those virtual objects that match its own group assignments for the target category being used for the virtual object location 37. The reception site 30 then associates those virtual objects retrieved with the appropriate virtual object location 37 where the virtual object 38 will be placed, so that when the content 36 is viewed, the virtual object 38 assigned to that virtual object location 37 is displayed.
An embodiment of the process for assigning targeted virtual objects using the virtual object placement engine 1307 is presented in
As discussed above, virtual object targeting uses target categories and groups within each target category to tie or relate three entities together: 1) the reception site 30; 2) virtual objects; and 3) virtual object locations in content 36. In one embodiment of block 2362 in
In one embodiment of block 2364 in
The group breakdown percentage data may be derived from a number of sources including surveys, ratings services, and virtual objects viewed data collected by the reception sites, for example. In this example, the three target categories are the same as those presented in Table B, and the group assignment numbers are the same as those presented in Table A. Thus, target categories 1 and 2 each have four groups associated with them, and target category 3 has six groups associated with it. For virtual object location 1,the target category 1 refers to ADI and under group 1, a group breakdown percentage of 25 percent is assigned for group 1 from the target category ADI since 25 percent of the subscribers reside in the Seattle, Wash. ADI. The group breakdown percentages for each target category for each virtual object location 37 may sum to 100 percent.
In an embodiment of the subroutine represented by block 2366 of
Referring to Table E, the data indicates that for virtual object 1, and target category 1 (ADI), the advertiser believes that virtual object 1 is appropriate for the subscribers in groups 1 and 2 and is not appropriate for the subscribers in groups 3 and 4. The advertiser also believes that virtual object 1 is equally appropriate for both the group 1 and the group 2 subscribers. However, if the group 1 subscribers are determined to be more likely to respond to virtual object 1 than the group 2 subscribers, then group 1 could be given a higher percentage than group 2. Table E also shows that virtual object 1 is not applicable to groups 5 and 6 because only four groups are defined for the target category ADI. Thus, all the reception sites will be grouped into one of groups 1 through 4.
Using this paradigm, virtual objects can be targeted using at least two methods. The first is a designated multi-virtual object campaign where specific unique sets of groups are assigned for each virtual object 38 of the campaign. In the second method, each virtual object 38 provided by an advertiser is independently associated with groups. Virtual objects from several different advertisers are then used together to optimize use of virtual object locations.
As depicted in
A further embodiment of a virtual objects targeting algorithm presented in
Step 1: In block 2320 in
For example, using virtual object location 1, virtual object 1:
target category 1: 50*25+50*25+0*25+0*25=25%
target category 2: 30*30+10*10+20*20+40*40=30%
target category 3: 0*10+0*10+0*20+0*20 0*20+0*20=0%
The cross-multiplied result then shows a measure of effectiveness for each virtual object 38 if displayed in the corresponding virtual object location 37. Table F below presents the results of Step 1 above for virtual object location 1
Step 2: Returning to
Step 3: In one embodiment of block 2324 in
Step 4: In one embodiment of block 2326 in
As Step 4c, as an embodiment of block 2443 in
Step 5: As an embodiment of block 2444 in
Step 6: As an embodiment of block 2446 in
Step 7: As an embodiment of block 2448 in
Step 8: As an embodiment of block 2450 in
Step 9: As Step 9a, if the number of virtual objects selected in Step 8 exceeds [MAX_VIRTUAL OBJECTS], the virtual object placement engine 1307 selects the first [MAX_VIRTUAL OBJECTS] virtual objects with the summed value as an embodiment of block 2452 in
Step 10: As an embodiment of block 2456 in
Step 11: As an embodiment of block 2458 in
Step 12: The virtual object placement engine 1307 repeats steps 4-11 above for the same selected virtual object location 37 of Step 4 using the remaining target categories, as an embodiment of block 2328 in
Step 13: As an embodiment of block 2330 in
Step 14: As an embodiment of block 2332 in
Step 15: As an embodiment of block 2334 in
Step 16: As an embodiment of block 2336 in
The above algorithm performed by the virtual object placement engine 1307 is meant to be illustrative and not limiting. Other algorithms are possible for assigning targeted virtual objects to groups of reception sites or to individual reception sites. Other targeted virtual object routines can also be used by the virtual object placement engine 1307.
The above algorithm can be simplified in the case where virtual objects are being selected to be delivered with the content 36 to be received by a single subscriber or reception site 30. In this case, prior to initiating the steps in the algorithm, the virtual object location Group Breakdown Percentages table may be modified to display a group breakdown percentage of 0 for all groups that the subscriber does not belong to for each target category.
An alternate virtual object targeting routine 1374 is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,600,364, to Hendricks, John S, entitled NETWORK CONTROLLER FOR CABLE TELEVISION DELIVERY SYSTEM, which is hereby incorporated by reference. In this alternative, software in the virtual object targeting system 1220 generates packages of virtual objects geared towards particular subscribers and makes use of a subscriber's demographic information and viewing habits to determine those virtual objects that are of most interest to that particular subscriber. The routine 1374 then outputs packages of virtual objects targeted towards each subscriber or group of subscribers.
The process may be initiated as shown at initiation ellipse 1420. In the first subroutine, identified at block 1422, the virtual object targeting system 1220 determines the programs watched matrices stored in the subscriber information database 1210. The determine programs watched matrices subroutine 1422 uses a unique reception site ID to access a specific matrix for one reception site. These matrices are maintained and updated by periodic collections by the operations center 10 of accumulated information from the reception sites.
In the second subroutine, shown at block 1424, the virtual object targeting system 1220 develops other matrices based on other available information. To develop other matrices based on other available information subroutine 1424 is an optional subroutine not required for the functioning of the system. For groups of reception sites or for each individual reception site, matrices may be developed based on the demographic information, billing information, pricing information, age information and other information that may be stored in the subscriber information database 1210.
In the process matrices through correlation algorithms subroutine, block 1426, the virtual object targeting system 1220 processes all matrices through a set of correlation algorithms. In particular, the virtual object targeting system 1220 takes matrices developed in the first two subroutines 1422 and 1424 and processes the matrices until reaching a final matrix.
Once the programs watched information has been gathered in the database, the virtual object targeting system 1220 selects and groups, at block 1430, programs watched categories and time periods. The software initially takes each program category (e.g., sports, news, mysteries, etc.) and determines the number of programs watched for a given time. The periods may be set to any length of time, including, for example, one, two, three or four weeks. The virtual object targeting system 1220 will loop through such a counting process for each group and period and then proceed to build a programs watched matrix, at block 1432, based on the program categories and periods. Essentially, all programs watched in a particular category and time period will be entered into the programs watched matrix. Once the matrix has been built, the virtual object targeting system 1220, using matrices processing subroutine 1426, will process the matrix for a given subscriber or group of subscribers through the correlation algorithms.
A number of correlation algorithms may be used to weight each selected program category. For example, as shown at block 1434, the virtual object targeting system 1220 may use a sum of squares algorithm to determine the weighting. Once weighted, the weighted categories will be correlated by the virtual object targeting system 1220 at block 1436, with various virtual objects stored in the available virtual objects database 1265. The virtual object targeting system 1220 then selects a set of the most heavily weighted virtual objects for inclusion within the content 36 to be delivered to individual subscribers or groups of subscribers. Having determined the weightings of each group and prioritizing the groups accordingly, the virtual object targeting system 1220 returns, block 1438, to the virtual objects targeting sequence 1374 of
Referring back to
The fourth subroutine 1428, depicted in
Once the virtual objects have been weighted, the virtual object targeting system 1220 executes a correlation algorithm, at block 1450, using selected criteria (i.e., the various factors used to weight the virtual objects) as well as the output of each programs watched matrix. Any number of correlation algorithms and weighting algorithms may be used, including the sum of squares weighting algorithm described above.
The results from the correlation algorithm subsequently determine the virtual objects and program content 36 that is sent to the virtual object targeting system 1220 for distribution. Once the virtual object targeting system 1220 at the fourth subroutine 1428 completes these steps, the subscriber information database 1210 updates the subscriber record based on the virtual objects that are sent, as shown at block 1454. The database update allows the advertisers to track the costs and frequency of the virtual objects targeted to specific reception sites or groups of reception sites. Following the updates, the virtual object targeting system 1220 returns to the virtual objects targeting sequence shown in
Referring to
Referring back to
In the sixth subroutine, block 1468, the virtual object targeting system 1220 selects the targeted virtual objects. The sixth subroutine 1468 is the last decision making process in displaying a targeted virtual objects for a subscriber. As shown in block 1469, the reception site 30 then displays the targeted virtual objects with the content 36.
As noted above, targeted advertising can be based on viewing a specific program or a category of programming content 36. In an embodiment, the reception site 30 performs this last step by correlating (or matching) the program being watched by the subscriber with the reception site group information that has been previously transmitted by the TVOMS 300.
The TVOMS 300 will transmit group information to a reception site 30 shown as row names 1460 on
Upon receipt of a program request from a reception site, the virtual object targeting system 1220 reads the reception site identifier, as shown at block 1494, and the program requested. The subscriber data collection engine 1202 writes information on the program requested to the subscriber information database 1210, updating the subscriber record that contains listings of all programs requested within the past week, month or year.
With continued reference to
All rankings of programs and program categories for that reception site 30 are written to the subscriber information database 1210, as shown at block 1502.
Next, the virtual object targeting system 1220 calls a subroutine, shown at block 1504, that correlates the updated subscriber record with the available virtual objects database 1265. By correlating these two with one another, the subroutine assigns or correlates various categories of virtual objects to each ranking of programs and program categories. The categories of virtual objects that may be so assigned are found in the available virtual objects database 1265 and may include: (1) Household Goods/Products, (2) Home Improvement and Maintenance, (3) Personal Hygiene, (4) Entertainment Items and Events, (5) Sporting Goods and Events, (6) Motor Vehicles and Related Products, (7) Foodstuffs and Beverages, and (8) Miscellaneous, for example. Where, for example, the subscriber has watched a sporting program, the Sporting Goods and Events, Home Improvement and Maintenance categories may be assigned to that particular sporting event/program and Sports program category, for example.
Once the programs and program categories are correlated with the virtual objects categories in the available virtual objects database 1265, the virtual object targeting system 1220 calls a sorting subroutine 1506 that ranks the correlated virtual objects categories based on other information in the database files. In one embodiment, this ranking is primarily based on data in the updated subscriber information database 1210, as shown at block 1506. By using data on the subscriber's past program selections and demographic information, the virtual object targeting system 1220 ranks the correlated categories of virtual objects according to those likely to be of most interest to that subscriber.
After the virtual object categories have been sorted and ranked, the virtual object targeting system 1220 selects the top three virtual objects categories as the targeted categories for a given program and subscriber, block 1508. Individual virtual objects are then chosen from the available virtual objects database 1265, with all selections made from the targeted categories, at block 1510. The virtual objects that are selected are written to the subscriber information database 1210 and to the content and virtual object packager 30, from where packages can be generated, at block 1512, for ultimate delivery to the reception site.
A number of embodiments of delivery networks 11, 12, and 14 are presented below.
The embodiments presented below may use the object delivery center 15, which inserts the virtual objects into the signal for delivery over the delivery network 11 or 12. The embodiments presented below use a modular connector 700 in the reception site 30, that receives the delivered signal with virtual objects, extracts the virtual objects, and provides the virtual objects to the storage management processor 710. The modular connector 700 supports the receive functionality for each unique delivery network communication method embodiment.
In another embodiment, the signal delivered over the cable system is a video signal. In one embodiment, the video signal is an analog video signal. In another embodiment, the video signal is a digital video signal. The reception site 30 may contain an internal cable receiver/tuner/demodulator 2706 to process the signal, and provide the embedded virtual objects to the modular connector 700. A set top terminal 2703, or other device capable of receiving a cable video signal, such as a cable ready TV, or PC with cable tuner (not shown), may process the video signal and deliver the video signal to the connector 700 in the reception site 30, which extracts the embedded virtual objects. Alternately, the set top terminal 2703, or other such device, may extract the embedded virtual objects from the video signal and provide the virtual objects to the modular connector 700 in the reception site 30
In another embodiment, virtual objects may be embedded within the audio signal, requiring an appropriate audio-capable modular connector 700 in the reception site 30 to extract the virtual objects from the audio signal. In one embodiment, the audio signal is an analog audio signal. In another embodiment, the audio signal is a digital audio signal.
In yet another embodiment, the signal is a spread spectrum signal containing a digital data stream, requiring an appropriate spread spectrum receiver and modular connector 700 in the reception site 30 to extract the virtual objects. In this embodiment, the spread spectrum signal is transmitted in the same bandwidth as the video or audio signal, but below the noise level.
In another embodiment, the signal delivered over the wireless broadcast system is a video signal. In one embodiment, the video signal is an analog video signal. In another embodiment, the video signal is a digital video signal. The reception site 30 may contain an internal wireless receiver/tuner/demodulator 2806 to process the signal, and provide the embedded virtual objects to the modular connector 700. A wireless set-top terminal 2803, or other device capable of receiving a wireless video signal, such as a TV, or PC with a wireless receiver and tuner, may process the video signal and deliver the video signal to the modular connector 700 in the reception site 30, which extracts the embedded virtual objects. Alternately, the set top terminal 2803, or other such device, may extract the embedded virtual objects from the video signal and provide the data to the modular connector 700 in the reception site 30.
In another embodiment, virtual objects may be embedded within the audio signal, requiring an appropriate audio-capable modular connector 700 in the reception site 30 to extract the virtual objects from the audio signal. In one embodiment, the audio signal is an analog audio signal. In another embodiment, the audio signal is a digital audio signal.
In yet another embodiment, the signal is a spread spectrum signal containing a digital data stream, requiring an appropriate spread spectrum receiver modular connector 700 in the reception site 30 to extract the virtual objects. In this embodiment, the spread spectrum signal is transmitted in the same bandwidth as the video or audio signal, but below the noise level.
In another embodiment, the signal delivered over the satellite broadcast system is a video signal. In one embodiment, the video signal is an analog video signal. In another embodiment, the video signal is a digital video signal. The reception site 30 may contain an internal satellite video receiver 2906 to process the signal, and provide the embedded virtual objects to the modular connector 700. A satellite receiver 2903, or other device capable of receiving a satellite video signal, such as a TV, or PC with satellite receiver, may process the video signal and deliver the video signal to the modular connector 700 in the reception site 30, which extracts the embedded virtual objects. Alternately, the satellite receiver 2903, or other such device, may extract the embedded virtual objects from the video signal and provide the data to the modular connector in the reception site 258.
In another embodiment, virtual objects may be embedded within the audio signal, to requiring an appropriate audio-capable modular connector 700 in the reception site 30 to extract the virtual objects from the audio signal. In one embodiment, the audio signal is an analog audio signal. In another embodiment, the audio signal is a digital audio signal.
In yet another embodiment, the signal is a spread spectrum signal containing a digital data stream, requiring an appropriate spread spectrum receiver modular connector 700 in the reception site 30 to extract the virtual objects. In this embodiment, the spread spectrum signal is transmitted in the same bandwidth as the video or audio signal, but below the noise level.
In yet another embodiment, the signal is a spread spectrum signal containing a digital data stream, requiring an appropriate spread spectrum receiver modular connector, such as the connector 700 of
Alternatively, several embodiments are associated with the delivery of virtual objects using a national or local radio broadcaster's signal. The signal from the national radio broadcaster can be delivered to the reception site 30′, 30″ or 30′″ using the satellite system 1122, or using a broadcast affiliate 1122. Alternatively, the radio broadcast affiliate 1122 can originate the signal, which can be delivered to the reception site 30′, 30″ or 30′″, terrestrially. In one embodiment, the audio signal is an analog audio signal and the virtual objects is embedded in the audio signal. In another embodiment, the audio signal is a digital audio signal and the virtual objects are carried as an independent data stream. In yet another embodiment, the virtual objects are embedded in a sub-carrier of the analog audio broadcast. In another embodiment, the signal is a spread spectrum signal containing a digital data stream, requiring an appropriate spread spectrum receiver modular connector 700 in the reception site 30′, 30″ or 30′″ to extract the virtual objects. In this embodiment, the spread spectrum signal is transmitted in the same bandwidth as the audio signal, but below the noise level.
A local insertion center 20 or multiple local insertion centers may optionally be used to insert virtual objects into content 36 provided by an operations center 10 or another local insertion center 20, and any other content source. A local insertion center 20 may perform the same functions as an operations center 10.
The programming content 36 with virtual object locations is then passed to the virtual object location detector processor 750. Information received about virtual object locations is extracted from the programming content 36 and passed to the selector processor 740 which coordinates with the storage management processor 710 to determine the appropriate virtual object 38 to place into each virtual object location 37 based on placement guidelines and available virtual objects stored in the virtual object storage 720. The storage management processor 710 retrieves the appropriate virtual object 38 for one or more virtual object locations contained in the content 36 from the virtual object storage 720. Virtual objects are passed from the storage management processor 710 to the virtual object insertion processor 760.
Programming content 36 with virtual object locations is passed from the virtual object location detector processor 750 to the content buffer 790 where the programming content 36 is stored for a fixed period of time and then played out of the content buffer 790 to the virtual object insertion processor 760. If a virtual object 38 is available for placement in a virtual object location 37, the virtual object 38 is inserted into the appropriate virtual object location 37 by the virtual object insertion processor 760.
In one embodiment, the virtual object location 37 may require that an embedded virtual object 38 be placed within the content 36. The virtual object insertion processor 760 may use techniques for the insertion of embedded virtual objects which are described in detail in U.S. Pat. No. 5,953,076, to Astle, Brian; and Das, Subhodev; titled System and Method of Real Time Insertions into Video Using Adaptive Occlusion with a Synthetic Reference Image; U.S. Pat. No. 5,892,554, to DiCicco, Darrell; and Fant, Karl; entitled System and Method for Inserting Static and Dynamic Images into a Live Video Broadcast; U.S. Pat. No. 5,515,485, to Luquet, Andre; and Rebuffet, Michel; entitled Method and Device for Modifying a Zone in Successive Images; U.S. Pat. No. 5,903,317, to Shark, Avi; and Tamir, Michael; entitled Apparatus and Method for Detecting, Identifying and Incorporation Advertisements in a Video; and the MPEG4 standard, the disclosure of which are hereby incorporated by reference.
In another embodiment, when the virtual object location 37 may require that an overlaid virtual object 38 be placed within the content 36. The virtual object insertion processor 760 may use techniques for the overlaying of virtual objects which are described in detail in U.S. Pat. No. 4,319,266 to Bannister, Richard S.; entitled Chroma Keying System; U.S. Pat. No. 4,999,709 to Yamazaki, Hiroshi; and Okazaki, Sakae; entitled Apparatus for Inserting Title Pictures; U.S. Pat. No. 5,249,039, to Chaplin, Daniel J.; entitled Chroma Key Method and Apparatus; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,233,423 to Jernigan, Forest E.; and Bingham, Joseph; entitled Embedded Commercials within a Television Receiver using an Integrated Electronic Billboard, the disclosure of which are hereby incorporated by reference. Programming content 36 with embedded and overlaid virtual objects is passed to an optional interactive object processor 770.
Preferably, when a virtual object 38 is placed into a virtual object location 37, the selector processor 740 records the event in the placement log 730. The placement log 730 provides viewing data to the local data collection center 40 or the central data collection center 50, where the information can be used for future virtual object targeting or billing of virtual object providers, for example, advertisers. The selector processor 740 can be provided targeting algorithm updates from external sources.
A local data collection center 40 is depicted in
A central data collection center 50 is depicted in
Returning to
A diagrammatic representation of an interactive virtual object 38 is presented in
An interactive virtual object management center 55 is depicted in
Interactive virtual objects may be used for a variety applications resulting in the initiation of processing at the reception site 30 or initiation of processing by an external device accessible by the reception site 30. In one embodiment, selection of an interactive virtual object 38 may result in the interactive object processor 770 retrieving an optional virtual object software applet 152 from the interactive virtual object 38 and initiating the optional virtual object software applet 152 at the interactive object processor 770, or storing the optional virtual object software applet 152 in an interactive object processor storage 154 for future initiation at the reception site 30, or providing the optional virtual object software applet 152 to an external device. In another embodiment, selection of an interactive virtual object 38 may result in the interactive object processor 770 initiating an optional virtual object software applet 152 that may have been previously received and stored in an interactive object processor storage 154 or resident elsewhere at the reception site 30. In yet another embodiment, selection of an interactive virtual object 38 may result in the interactive object processor 770 generating an interactive virtual object control command 153 to be provided to a device external to the reception site 30. In one embodiment, the interactive virtual object control command 153 may notify the external device to select a different language of audio to be associated with the content 36. In another embodiment, the interactive virtual object control command 153 may notify the external device to initiate the printing of a coupon or document associated with the interactive virtual object 38. In yet another embodiment, the interactive virtual object control command 153 may notify the external device to cause the selection of a different source for content 36, a different channel of content, or different camera angle for the video content 36 being viewed.
Alternatively, in one embodiment, selection of an interactive virtual object 38 may result in the interactive object processor 770 providing interactive virtual object selection data 155 to the selector processor 740 to control which virtual objects are to be displayed at the reception site 30. In this embodiment, the selector processor 740 may control which virtual object 38 is placed in a virtual object location 37 based on the interactive virtual object 38 being selected or past interactive virtual objects selected. Virtual objects associated with a virtual object location 37 may have different fonts or font sizes, allowing the subscriber to zoom in or zoom out from textual information displayed as a virtual object 38 by selecting the appropriate interactive virtual object 38. Virtual objects associated with a virtual object location 37 may have different orientations, allowing the subscriber to select the desired orientation to display by selecting the appropriate interactive virtual object 38. Virtual objects associated with a virtual object location 37 may have multiple layers, allowing the subscriber to peel away layers one by one by selecting the appropriate interactive virtual object 38. Virtual objects associated with a virtual object location 37 may be opaque in the nature, allowing the subscriber to select whether to make the virtual object 38 transparent, displaying the underlying image by selecting the appropriate interactive virtual object 38. Selection of such an interactive virtual object 38 may be password protected, to allow, for example, a parental control feature, where an opaque virtual object 38 is not removable, exposing the content underneath, unless the appropriate password is entered by the subscriber when selecting the interactive virtual object 38.
In another embodiment, selection of an interactive virtual object 38 may result in the interactive object processor 770 providing interactive virtual object selection data 155 to the placement log 730 to record which interactive virtual objects have been viewed or selected by a subscriber. The viewing information may then be provided to the local data collection center 40 or the central data collection center 50 to be used for future virtual object targeting purposes.
In yet another embodiment, selection of an interactive virtual object 38 may result in the interactive object processor 770 providing placement control 156 to the virtual object insertion processor 760, affecting the location of placement of a virtual object 38 in content 36.
In another embodiment, selection of an interactive virtual object 38 may result in the interactive object processor 770 accessing an Internet website and displaying a Webpage on display 35 at the reception site 30 or on an external device.
An interactive object servicing center 60 is depicted in
As shown in
A variety of interactive virtual object targeting delivery systems have been described. One of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that the above description is that of preferred embodiments of the invention and the various changes and modification may be made thereto without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the following claims.
This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 13/336,399, filed Dec. 23, 2011, now U.S. Pat. No. 9,078,014, entitled METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR TARGETING OF INTERACTIVE VIRTUAL OBJECTS, which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/731,254, filed Mar. 25, 2010, now U.S. Pat. No. 8,117,635, entitled METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR TARGETING OF INTERACTIVE VIRTUAL OBJECTS, which is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 09/975,312, filed Oct. 12, 2001, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,721,307, entitled METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR TARGETING OF INTERACTIVE VIRTUAL OBJECTS.
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| 0586954 | Mar 1994 | EP |
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| 0646856 | Apr 1995 | EP |
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| 0992 922 | Apr 2000 | EP |
| 1049305 | Nov 2000 | EP |
| 01952115.2 | Jun 2001 | EP |
| 06004531.7 | Jun 2001 | EP |
| 1961749.7 | Jul 2001 | EP |
| 1133088 | Sep 2001 | EP |
| 1143728 | Oct 2001 | EP |
| 02778473.5 | Oct 2002 | EP |
| 2784096.6 | Oct 2002 | EP |
| 02800962.9 | Oct 2002 | EP |
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| 1444825 | Aug 2004 | EP |
| 11007278.2 | Sep 2011 | EP |
| 94903359.1 | Dec 1993 | FR |
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| 98100142.3 | Dec 1993 | FR |
| 65905851.2 | Dec 1994 | FR |
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| 01129426.1 | Apr 1999 | FR |
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| 235095 | Jun 1925 | GB |
| 2168227 | Jun 1986 | GB |
| 2177873 | Jan 1987 | GB |
| 2255214 | Oct 1992 | GB |
| 2259830 | Mar 1993 | GB |
| 94903359.1 | Dec 1993 | GB |
| 94903360.9 | Dec 1993 | GB |
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| 98100142.3 | Dec 1993 | GB |
| 2269302 | Feb 1994 | GB |
| 65905851.2 | Dec 1994 | GB |
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| 01129426.1 | Apr 1999 | GB |
| 01129434.5 | Apr 1999 | GB |
| 2330429 | Apr 1999 | GB |
| 2343095 | Apr 2000 | GB |
| 2344009 | May 2000 | GB |
| 2353095 | Feb 2001 | GB |
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| 2358938 | Aug 2001 | GB |
| 98113374.2 | Dec 1993 | HK |
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| 0210301.0 | Dec 1998 | HK |
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| 00100451.2 | Jan 2000 | HK |
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| 07100248.3 | Jan 2007 | HK |
| 107909 | Dec 1993 | IL |
| 120225 | Dec 1993 | IL |
| 127601 | Dec 1993 | IL |
| 127602 | Dec 1993 | IL |
| 111860 | Dec 1994 | IL |
| 123058 | Dec 1994 | IL |
| 763CAL93 | Dec 1993 | IN |
| 1010CAL94 | Dec 1994 | IN |
| 60143086 | Jul 1985 | JP |
| 61-202587 | Sep 1986 | JP |
| S64-020454 | Jan 1989 | JP |
| 1130683 | May 1989 | JP |
| 1142918 | Jun 1989 | JP |
| 3029456 | Feb 1991 | JP |
| 3114375 | May 1991 | JP |
| 3198119 | Aug 1991 | JP |
| 4233886 | Aug 1992 | JP |
| 5250106 | Sep 1993 | JP |
| 51422694 | Dec 1993 | JP |
| 6-134489 | May 1994 | JP |
| 6224777 | Aug 1994 | JP |
| H07-515761 | Dec 1994 | JP |
| 7-235909 | Sep 1995 | JP |
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| 10-1995-702346 | Dec 1993 | KR |
| 10-1996-702886 | Jun 1996 | KR |
| 94903359.1 | Dec 1993 | NL |
| 94904814.4 | Dec 1993 | NL |
| 98100142.3 | Dec 1993 | NL |
| 95903658.3 | Dec 1994 | NL |
| 95905851.2 | Dec 1994 | NL |
| 82110360 | Dec 1993 | TW |
| 83111234 | Dec 1994 | TW |
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| 20150350563 A1 | Dec 2015 | US |
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| Parent | 09975312 | Oct 2001 | US |
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