| Patent application number | Description | Published |
| 20080216107 | VERIFYING AND ENCOURAGING ASSET CONSUMPTION IN A COMMUNICATIONS NETWORK - Systems and methods presented herein generally provide for the compensation of asset providers and/or communications network providers for the non-consumption of assets provided with programming In this regard when users elect not to consume the assets associated with the programming, the asset provider loses the opportunity to present their assets to such non-consuming users and is thereby injured in relation to the price they have paid for the delivery of their assets. In one arrangement, a reporting module at a customer device is operative to identify when a user skips an asset and report that skip event to the network. This information may then be utilized to adjust the bill of the asset provider and/or to bill the user associated with the skip event. | 09-04-2008 |
| 20080276271 | VOTING AND HEADEND INSERTION MODEL FOR TARGETING CONTENT IN A BROADCAST NETWORK - A system and method is provided for use in connection with delivering content that is targeted to users of a broadcast network. In order to select content that is targeted to users of the broadcast network, signals are received from a plurality of customer premise equipment devices (CPEs) of the network users via a broadcast network interface. Based on the received signals, broadcast assets (e.g., programming, advertisements etc.) are selected from a collection of available asset options. Accordingly, at least a portion of the selected assets are inserted into a content stream of the broadcast network. Once the content stream is broadcast over a broadcast network interface, at least a portion of the selected assets area available for receipt by at least a portion of the CPEs. The CPEs generate reports regarding assets delivered such that asset providers can be billed based on guaranteed targeted impressions. | 11-06-2008 |
| 20080301727 | INTELLIGENT TARGETING OF TAGS IN A BROADCAST NETWORK - A system and associated methodology are disclosed for targeting tags in a broadcast network. The tags may be associated with an ad or programming. In one implementation, the tags to be delivered at a user equipment device are selected at the user equipment device, for example, based on location or other user classification parameters. In this manner, different user equipment devices that are on the same bandwidth segment in the same network subdivision can receive different tags. | 12-04-2008 |
| 20090044246 | TARGETING CONTENT BASED ON LOCATION - Assets of broadcast network content are targeted to network users of interest based on location information regarding user equipment devices. Asset providers can specify location targeting criteria via a graphical user interface displaying mapping information. This location targeting criteria can then be compared to location information regarding user equipment devices so that assets are delivered to appropriate devices. The comparison of the location targeting criteria to the device location information can be performed at the user equipment devices or at another location. In the latter case the assets can be addressed to appropriate user equipment devices or appropriate user equipment devices can be directed to select the asset, which is broadcast via the network. In this manner, assets can be targeted to individual network users on a basis independent of network topology. | 02-12-2009 |
| 20090094640 | TARGETED ADVERTISING IN UNICAST, MULTICAST AND HYBRID DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM CONTEXTS - Systems and methods are presented for the delivery of targeted assets in a scheduled programming network in the context of several content distribution systems, including switched digital, unicast, multicast, and hybrid unicast/multicast content distribution systems. Assets may be targeted to network users in connection with the scheduled network programming, and further, successful delivery of those targeted assets may be confirmed. In this regard, the systems and methods generally select targeted assets from a remote platform and, in some instances, to deliver those targeted assets from the remote platform. The assets may be selected based on demographic or other information obtained from an external source and/or based on monitoring user inputs. In the latter regard, the classification of an audience can be based at least in part on monitoring communications to the remote platform conventionally used for other purposes. | 04-09-2009 |
| 20090288109 | REQUEST FOR INFORMATION RELATED TO BROADCAST NETWORK CONTENT - A request for information (RFI) system is provided for use in communications networks including broadcast networks and the internet. In one implementation, a viewer of a cable television network enters an RFI input ( | 11-19-2009 |
| 20100037253 | NATIONAL INSERTION OF TARGETED ADVERTISEMENT - Systems and methods are disclosed that allow for providing targeted asset/advertisements for broadcast-wide programming feeds. The systems and methods allow network platforms to select among asset options provided with a content stream and/or replace assets in the content stream. In one arrangement, after selecting an asset, the asset is inserted into the content stream and the content stream is disseminated to subsequent network platforms (e.g., local platforms). At this time, the local platforms may insert local assets into the content stream in predetermined local asset insertion spots. | 02-11-2010 |
| 20100037255 | THIRD PARTY DATA MATCHING FOR TARGETED ADVERTISING - A broadcast targeting system is provided where third party database information is utilized in conjunction with broadcast network client information to identify households within the broadcast network including one or more desired recipients of targeted assets. In instances where a user equipment device of the targeted household includes multiple users (i.e., a multiple-user device), use of third party data in conjunction with an indication of which household member is currently using the multiple user device (e.g., set top box, etc.) allows for more effectively delivering assets targeted to a specific member(s) of the household | 02-11-2010 |