United States Patent Application |
20120304206
|
Kind Code
|
A1
|
Roberts; Brian F.
; et al.
|
November 29, 2012
|
Methods and Systems for Presenting an Advertisement Associated with an
Ambient Action of a User
Abstract
Exemplary targeted advertising systems and methods are disclosed herein.
An exemplary method includes a media content presentation system
presenting a media content program comprising an advertisement break,
detecting an ambient action performed by a user during the presentation
of the media content program, selecting an advertisement associated with
the detected ambient action, and presenting the selected advertisement
during the advertisement break. Corresponding methods and systems are
also disclosed.
Inventors: |
Roberts; Brian F.; (Dallas, TX)
; Lemus; Anthony M.; (Irving, TX)
; D'Argenio; Michael; (Green Brook, NJ)
; Relyea; Donald H.; (Dallas, TX)
|
Assignee: |
VERIZON PATENT AND LICENSING, INC.
Basking Ridge
NJ
|
Family ID:
|
47220186
|
Appl. No.:
|
13/116784
|
Filed:
|
May 26, 2011 |
Current U.S. Class: |
725/12 ; 725/10 |
Current CPC Class: |
H04H 60/33 20130101; H04H 60/56 20130101; H04H 60/45 20130101; H04H 60/52 20130101 |
Class at Publication: |
725/12 ; 725/10 |
International Class: |
H04H 60/56 20080101 H04H060/56; H04H 60/33 20080101 H04H060/33 |
Claims
1. A method comprising: presenting, by a media content presentation
system, a media content program comprising an advertisement break;
detecting, by the media content presentation system, an ambient action
performed by a user during the presentation of the media content program
and within a detection zone associated with the media content
presentation system; selecting, by the media content presentation system,
an advertisement associated with the detected ambient action; and
presenting, by the media content presentation system, the selected
advertisement during the advertisement break.
2. The method of claim 1, wherein the ambient action comprises at least
one of eating, exercising, laughing, reading, sleeping, talking, singing,
humming, cleaning, and playing a musical instrument.
3. The method of claim 1, wherein the ambient action comprises an
interaction between the user and another user.
4. The method of claim 3, wherein the interaction between the user and
the another user comprises at least one of cuddling, fighting,
participating in a game or sporting event, and talking.
5. The method of claim 1, wherein the ambient action comprises an
interaction by the user with a separate mobile device.
6. The method of claim 5, wherein the presenting of the selected
advertisement comprises directing the separate mobile device to present
the selected advertisement.
7. The method of claim 5, wherein the detecting of the ambient action
comprises communicating with the separate mobile device to obtain
information associated with the user's interaction with the separate
mobile device; and the selecting comprises utilizing the information
obtained from the separate mobile device to select the advertisement.
8. The method of claim 1, wherein the detecting comprises utilizing at
least one of a gesture recognition technology, a profile recognition
technology, a facial recognition technology, and a voice recognition
technology.
9. The method of claim 1, further comprising: identifying, by the media
content presentation system, the user; wherein the selecting of the
advertisement is based at least partially on a user profile associated
with the identified user.
10. The method of claim 1, further comprising: determining, by the media
content presentation system, a mood of the user in accordance with the
detected ambient action; wherein the selecting of the advertisement
comprises selecting the advertisement based on the determined mood of the
user.
11. The method of claim 1, further comprising identifying, by the media
content presentation system, one or more physical attributes associated
with the user.
12. The method of claim 11, wherein the selecting of the advertisement is
at least partially based on the identified one or more physical
attributes associated with the user.
13. The method of claim 11, further comprising selectively activating, by
the media content presentation system, one or more parental control
features in response to the identifying of the one or more physical
attributes associated with the user.
14. The method of claim 1, wherein: the detecting of the ambient action
comprises detecting at least one word spoken by the user; and the
selected advertisement is associated with the at least one word spoken by
the user.
15. The method of claim 1, further comprising detecting, by the media
content presentation system, a presence of a physical object within the
detection zone, wherein the advertisement is further associated with the
detected physical object.
16. The method of claim 1, embodied as computer-executable instructions
on at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium.
17. A method comprising: presenting, by a media content presentation
system, a media content program comprising an advertisement break;
detecting, by the media content presentation system by way of a detection
device, an interaction between a plurality of users during the
presentation of the media content program and within a detection zone
associated with the media content presentation system; selecting, by the
media content presentation system, an advertisement associated with the
detected interaction; and presenting, by the media content presentation
system, the selected advertisement during the advertisement break.
18. The method of claim 17, embodied as computer-executable instructions
on at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium.
19. A system comprising: a presentation facility configured to present a
media program comprising an advertisement break; a detection facility
communicatively coupled to the presentation facility and configured to
detect an ambient action performed by a user during the presentation of
the media content program and within a detection zone; and a targeted
advertising facility communicatively coupled to the detection facility
and configured to select an advertisement associated with the detected
ambient action, and direct the presentation facility to present the
selected advertisement during the advertisement break.
20. The system of claim 19, wherein the detection facility is implemented
by a detection device comprising at least one of a depth sensor, an image
sensor, an audio sensor, and a thermal sensor.
Description
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
[0001] The advent of set-top box devices and other media content access
devices ("access devices") has provided users with access to a large
number and variety of media content choices. For example, a user may
choose to experience a variety of broadcast television programs,
pay-per-view services, video-on-demand programming, Internet services,
and audio programming via a set-top box device. Such access devices have
also provided service providers (e.g., television service providers) with
an ability to present advertising to users. For example, designated
advertisement channels may be used to deliver various advertisements to
an access device for presentation to one or more users. In some examples,
advertising may be targeted to a specific user or group of users of an
access device.
[0002] However, traditional targeted advertising systems and methods may
base targeted advertising solely on user profile information associated
with a media content access device and/or user interactions directly with
the media content access device. Accordingly, traditional targeted
advertising systems and methods fail to account for one or more ambient
actions of a user while the user is experiencing media content using a
media content access device. For example, if a user is watching a
television program, a traditional targeted advertising system fails to
account for what the user is doing (e.g., eating, interacting with
another user, sleeping, etc.) while the user is watching the television
program. This limits the effectiveness, personalization, and/or
adaptability of the targeted advertising.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0003] The accompanying drawings illustrate various embodiments and are a
part of the specification. The illustrated embodiments are merely
examples and do not limit the scope of the disclosure. Throughout the
drawings, identical or similar reference numbers designate identical or
similar elements.
[0004] FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary media content presentation system
according to principles described herein.
[0005] FIG. 2 illustrates an exemplary implementation of the system of
FIG. 1 according to principles described herein.
[0006] FIG. 3 illustrates an exemplary targeted advertising method
according to principles described herein.
[0007] FIG. 4 illustrates an exemplary implementation of the system of
FIG. 1 according to principles described herein.
[0008] FIG. 5 illustrates another exemplary targeted advertising method
according to principles described herein.
[0009] FIG. 6 illustrates an exemplary computing device according to
principles described herein.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0010] Exemplary targeted advertisement methods and systems are disclosed
herein. In accordance with principles described herein, an exemplary
media content presentation system may be configured to provide targeted
advertising in a personalized and dynamically adapting manner. In certain
examples, the targeted advertising may be based on one or more ambient
actions performed by one or more users of an access device. As described
in more detail below, the media content presentation system may be
configured to present a media content program comprising an advertisement
break, detect an ambient action performed by a user during the
presentation of the media content and within a detection zone associated
with the media content presentation system, select an advertisement
associated with the detected ambient action, and present the selected
advertisement during the advertisement break. Accordingly, for example, a
user may be presented with targeted advertising in accordance with the
user's specific situation and/or actions.
[0011] FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary media content presentation system
100 (or simply "system 100"). As shown, system 100 may include, without
limitation, a presentation facility 102, a detection facility 104, a
targeted advertising facility 106 (or simply "advertising facility 106"),
and a storage facility 108 selectively and communicatively coupled to one
another. It will be recognized that although facilities 102-108 are shown
to be separate facilities in FIG. 1, any of facilities 102-108 may be
combined into fewer facilities, such as into a single facility, or
divided into more facilities as may serve a particular implementation.
Any suitable communication technologies, including any of the
communication technologies mentioned herein, may be employed to
facilitate communications between facilities 102-108.
[0012] Presentation facility 102 may be configured to present media
content for experiencing by a user. A presentation of media content may
be performed in any suitable way such as by generating and/or providing
output signals representative of the media content to a display device
(e.g., a television) and/or an audio output device (e.g., a speaker).
Additionally or alternatively, presentation facility 102 may present
media content by providing data representative of the media content to a
media content access device (e.g., a set-top box device) configured to
present (e.g., display) the media content.
[0013] As used herein, "media content" may refer generally to any media
content accessible via a media content access device. The term "media
content instance" and "media content program" will be used herein to
refer to any television program, on-demand media program, pay-per-view
media program, broadcast media program (e.g., broadcast television
program), multicast media program (e.g., multicast television program),
narrowcast media program (e.g., narrowcast video-on-demand program), IPTV
media content, advertisement (e.g., commercial), video, movie, or any
segment, component, or combination of these or other forms of media
content that may be processed by a media content access device for
experiencing by a user.
[0014] In some examples, presentation facility 102 may present a media
content program (e.g., a television program) including one or more
advertisement breaks during which presentation facility 102 may present
one or more advertisements (e.g., commercials), as will be explained in
more detail below.
[0015] Detection facility 104 may be configured to detect an ambient
action performed by a user during the presentation of a media content
program (e.g., by presentation facility 102). As used herein, the term
"ambient action" may refer to any action performed by a user that is
independent of and/or not directed at a media content access device
presenting media content. For example, an ambient action may include any
suitable action of a user during a presentation of a media content
program by a media content access device, whether the user is actively
experiencing (e.g., actively viewing) or passively experiencing (e.g.,
passively viewing and/or listening while the user is doing something
else) the media content being presented.
[0016] To illustrate, an exemplary ambient action may include the user
eating, exercising, laughing, reading, sleeping, talking, singing,
humming, cleaning, playing a musical instrument, performing any other
suitable action, and/or engaging in any other physical activity during
the presentation of the media content. In certain examples, the ambient
action may include an interaction by the user with another user (e.g.,
another user physically located in the same room as the user). To
illustrate, the ambient action may include the user talking to, cuddling
with, fighting with, wrestling with, playing a game with, competing with,
and/or otherwise interacting with the other user. In further examples,
the ambient action may include the user interacting with a separate media
content access device (e.g., a media content access device separate from
the media content access device presenting the media content). For
example, the ambient action may include the user interacting with a
mobile device (e.g., a mobile phone device, a tablet computer, a laptop
computer, etc.) during the presentation of a media content program by a
set-top box ("STB") device.
[0017] Detection facility 104 may be configured to detect the ambient
action in any suitable manner. In certain examples, detection facility
104 may utilize, implement, and/or be implemented by a detection device
configured to detect one or more attributes of an ambient action, a user,
and/or a user's surroundings. An exemplary detection device may include
one or more sensor devices, such as an image sensor device (e.g., a
camera device, such as a red green blue ("RGB") camera or any other
suitable camera device), a depth sensor device (e.g., an infrared laser
projector combined with a complementary metal-oxide semiconductor
("CMOS") sensor or any other suitable depth sensor and/or 3D imaging
device), an audio sensor device (e.g., a microphone device such as a
multi-array microphone or any other suitable microphone device), a
thermal sensor device (e.g., a thermographic camera device or any other
suitable thermal sensor device), and/or any other suitable sensor device
or combination of sensor devices, as may serve a particular
implementation. In certain examples, a detection device may be associated
with a detection zone. As used herein, the term "detection zone" may
refer to any suitable physical space, area, and/or range associated with
a detection device, and within which the detection device may detect an
ambient action, a user, and/or a user's surroundings.
[0018] In certain examples, detection facility 104 may be configured to
obtain data (e.g., image data, audio data, 3D spatial data, thermal image
data, etc.) by way of a detection device. For example, detection facility
104 may be configured to utilize a detection device to receive an RGB
video stream, a monochrome depth sensing video stream, and/or a
multi-array audio stream representative of persons, objects, movements,
gestures, and/or sounds from a detection zone associated with the
detection device.
[0019] Detection facility 104 may be additionally or alternatively
configured to analyze data received by way of a detection device in order
to obtain information associated with a user, an ambient action of the
user, a user's surroundings, and/or any other information obtainable by
way of the data. For example, detection facility 104 may analyze the
received data utilizing one or more motion capture technologies, motion
analysis technologies, gesture recognition technologies, facial
recognition technologies, voice recognition technologies, acoustic source
localization technologies, and/or any other suitable technologies to
detect one or more actions (e.g., movements, motions, gestures,
mannerisms, etc.) of the user, a location of the user, a proximity of the
user to another user, one or more physical attributes (e.g., size, build,
skin color, hair length, facial features, and/or any other suitable
physical attributes) of the user, one or more voice attributes (e.g.,
tone, pitch, inflection, language, accent, amplification, and/or any
other suitable voice attributes) associated with the user's voice, one or
more physical surroundings of the user (e.g., one or more physical
objects proximate to and/or held by the user), and/or any other suitable
information associated with the user.
[0020] Detection facility 104 may be further configured to utilize the
detected data to determine an ambient action of the user (e.g., based on
the actions, motions, and/or gestures of the user), determine whether the
user is an adult or a child (e.g., based on the physical attributes of
the user), determine an identity of the user (e.g., based on the physical
and/or voice attributes of the user and/or a user profile associated with
the user), determine a user's mood (e.g., based on the user's tone of
voice, mannerisms, demeanor, etc.), and/or make any other suitable
determination associated with the user, the user's identity, the user's
actions, and/or the user's surroundings. If multiple users are present,
detection facility 104 may analyze the received data to obtain
information associated with each user individually and/or the group of
users as a whole.
[0021] To illustrate, detection facility 104 may detect that a user is
singing or humming a song. Using any suitable signal processing
heuristic, detection facility 104 may identify a name, genre, and/or type
of the song. Based on this information, detection facility 104 may
determine that the user is in a particular mood. For example, the user
may be singing or humming a generally "happy" song. In response,
detection facility 104 may determine that the user is in a cheerful mood.
Accordingly, one or more advertisements may be selected for presentation
to the user that are configured to target happy people. It will be
recognized that additional or alternative ambient actions performed by a
user (e.g., eating, exercising, laughing, reading, cleaning, playing a
musical instrument, etc.) may be used to determine a mood of the user and
thereby select an appropriate advertisement for presentation to the user.
[0022] In some examples, detection facility 104 may determine, based on
data received by way of a detection device, that a user is holding and/or
interacting with a mobile device. For example, detection facility 104 may
determine that the user is sitting on a couch and interacting with a
tablet computer during the presentation of a television program being
presented by a STB device. In some examples, detection facility 104 may
be configured to communicate with the mobile device in order to receive
data indicating what the user is doing with the mobile device (e.g., data
indicating that the user is utilizing the mobile device to browse the
web, draft an email, review a document, read an e-book, etc.) and/or
representative of content that the user is interacting with (e.g.,
representative of one or more web pages browsed by the user, an email
drafted by the user, a document reviewed by the user, an e-book read by
the user, etc.).
[0023] Additionally or alternatively, detection facility 104 may be
configured to detect and/or identify any other suitable animate and/or
inanimate objects. For example, detection facility 104 may be configured
to detect and/or identify an animal (e.g., a dog, cat, bird, etc.), a
retail product (e.g., a soft drink can, a bag of chips, etc.), furniture
(e.g., a couch, a chair, etc.), a decoration (e.g., a painting, a
photograph, etc.), and/or any other suitable animate and/or inanimate
objects.
[0024] Advertising facility 106 may be configured to select an
advertisement based on information obtained by detection facility 104.
For example, advertising facility 106 may be configured to select an
advertisement based on an ambient action of a user, an identified mood of
a user, an identity of a user, and/or any other suitable information
detected/obtained by detection facility 104, as explained above.
Advertising facility 106 may select an advertisement for presentation to
a user in any suitable manner. For example, advertising facility 106 may
perform one or more searches of an advertisement database to select an
advertisement based on information received from detection facility 104.
Additionally or alternatively, advertising facility 106 may analyze
metadata associated with one or more advertisements to select an
advertisement based on information obtained by detection facility 104.
[0025] To illustrate the foregoing, in some examples, each ambient action
may be associated with one or more terms or keywords (e.g., as stored in
a reference table that associates ambient actions with corresponding
terms/keywords). As a result, upon a detection of a particular ambient
action, advertising facility 106 may utilize the terms and/or keywords
associated with the detected ambient action to search the metadata of
and/or search a reference table associated with one or more
advertisements. Based on the search results, advertising facility 106 may
select one or more advertisements (e.g., one or more advertisements
having one or more metadata values matching a term/keyword associated
with the detected ambient action). In additional or alternative examples,
a particular ambient action may be directly associated with one or more
advertisements (e.g., by way of an advertiser agreement). For example, an
advertiser may designate a particular ambient action to be associated
with the advertiser's advertisement and, upon a detection of the
particular ambient action, advertising facility 106 may select the
advertiser's advertisement for presentation to the user. Additionally or
alternatively, the advertisement selections of advertising facility 106
may be based on a user profile associated with an identified user, one or
more words spoken by a user, a name or description of a detected object
(e.g., a detected retail product, a detected animal, etc.), and/or any
other suitable information, terms, and/or keywords detected and/or
resulting from the detections of detection facility 104.
[0026] In accordance with the foregoing, advertising facility 106 may
select an advertisement that is specifically targeted to the user based
on what the user is doing, who the user is, the user's surroundings,
and/or any other suitable information associated with the user, thereby
providing the user with advertising content that is relevant to the
user's current situation and/or likely to be of interest to the user. If
a plurality of users are present, advertising facility 106 may select an
advertisement targeted to a particular user in the group based on
information associated with and/or an ambient action of the particular
user and/or select an advertisement targeted to the group as a whole
based on the combined information associated with each of the users
and/or their interaction with each other.
[0027] Various examples of advertisement selections by advertising
facility 106 will now be provided. While certain examples are provided
herein for illustrative purposes, one will appreciate that advertising
facility 106 may be configured to select any suitable advertisement based
on any suitable information obtained from detection facility 104 and/or
associated with a user.
[0028] In some examples, if detection facility 104 determines that a user
is exercising (e.g., running on a treadmill, doing aerobics, lifting
weights, etc.), advertising facility 106 may select an advertisement
associated with exercise in general, a specific exercise being performed
by the user, and/or any other advertisement (e.g., an advertisement for
health food) that may be intended for people who exercise. Additionally
or alternatively, if detection facility 104 detects that a user is
playing with a dog, advertising facility 106 may select an advertisement
associated with dogs (e.g., a dog food commercial, a flea treatment
commercial, etc.). Additionally or alternatively, if detection facility
104 detects one or more words spoken by a user (e.g., while talking to
another user within the same room or on the telephone), advertising
facility 106 may utilize the one or more words spoken by the user to
search for and/or select an advertisement associated with the one or more
words. Additionally or alternatively, if detection facility 104 detects
that a couple is arguing/fighting with each other, advertising facility
106 may select an advertisement associated marriage/relationship
counseling. Additionally or alternatively, if detection facility 104
identifies a user, advertising facility 106 may select an advertisement
based on user profile information associated with the user (e.g.,
information associated with the user's preferences, traits, tendencies,
etc.). Additionally or alternatively, if detection facility 104 detects
that a user is a young child, advertising facility 106 may select one or
more advertisements targeted to and/or appropriate for young children.
Additionally or alternatively, if detection facility 104 detects a
particular object (e.g., a Budweiser can) within a user's surroundings,
advertising facility 106 may select an advertisement associated with the
detected object (e.g., a Budweiser commercial). Additionally or
alternatively, if detection facility 104 detects a mood of a user (e.g.,
that the user is stressed), advertising facility 106 may select an
advertisement associated with the detected mood (e.g., a commercial for a
stress-relief product such as aromatherapy candles, a vacation resort,
etc.).
[0029] Advertising facility 106 may be configured to direct presentation
facility 102 to present a selected advertisement during an advertisement
break. In certain examples, advertising facility 106 may be configured to
detect an upcoming advertisement break and direct presentation facility
102 to present the selected advertisement during the detected
advertisement break in any suitable manner. For example, advertising
facility 106 may be configured to transmit data representative of a
selected advertisement to presentation facility 102, dynamically insert
the selected advertisement onto an advertisement channel accessible by
presentation facility 102, and/or direct presentation facility 102 to
tune to an advertisement channel carrying the selected advertisement.
[0030] In some examples, advertising facility 106 may be configured to
direct a mobile device associated with the user to present a selected
advertisement. For example, if detection facility 104 detects that the
user is holding a mobile device, advertising facility 106 may be
configured to communicate with the mobile device to direct the mobile
device to present the selected advertisement. Accordingly, not only may
the selected advertisement be specifically targeted to the user, but it
may also be delivered right to the user's hands.
[0031] System 100 may be configured to perform any other suitable
operations in accordance with information detected or otherwise obtained
by detection facility 104. For example, system 100 may be configured to
selectively activate one or more parental control features in accordance
with information detected by detection facility 104. To illustrate, if
detection facility 104 detects that a small child is present and/or
interacting with a mobile device, system 100 may automatically activate
one or more parental control features associated with presentation
facility 102 and/or the mobile device. For example, system 100 may limit
the media content presented by presentation facility 102 and/or
communicate with the mobile device to limit the content accessible by way
of the mobile device (e.g., so that the child is not presented with or
able to access content that is not age appropriate). In certain examples,
system 100 may lock presentation facility 102, a corresponding media
content access device, and/or the mobile device completely. Additionally
or alternatively, system 100 may be configured to dynamically adjust
parental control features as children of different ages enter and/or
leave a room (e.g., as detected by detection facility 104).
[0032] Additionally or alternatively, system 100 may utilize the
information detected or otherwise obtained by detection facility 104 to
provide one or more media content recommendations to a user. For example,
system 100 may suggest one or more television programs, movies, and/or
any other suitable media content as possibly being of interest to the
user based on the information obtained by detection facility 104. If
multiple users are present, system 100 may provide personalized media
content recommendations for each user present. In certain examples,
system 100 may be configured to provide the media content recommendations
by way of a mobile device being utilized by a user.
[0033] Storage facility 108 may be configured to maintain media program
data 110 representative of one or more media content programs, detection
data 112 representative of data and/or information detected/obtained by
detection facility 104, user profile data 114 representative of user
profile information associated with one or more users, and advertisement
data 116 representative of one or more advertisements. Storage facility
108 may be configured to maintain additional or alternative data as may
serve a particular implementation.
[0034] FIG. 2 illustrates an exemplary implementation 200 of system 100
wherein a media content provider subsystem 202 (or simply "provider
subsystem 202") is communicatively coupled to a media content access
subsystem 204 (or simply "access subsystem 204"). As will be described in
more detail below, presentation facility 102, detection facility 104,
advertising facility 106, and storage facility 108 may each be
implemented on one or both of provider subsystem 202 and access subsystem
204.
[0035] Provider subsystem 202 and access subsystem 204 may communicate
using any communication platforms and technologies suitable for
transporting data and/or communication signals, including known
communication technologies, devices, media, and protocols supportive of
remote data communications, examples of which include, but are not
limited to, data transmission media, communications devices, Transmission
Control Protocol ("TCP"), Internet Protocol ("IP"), File Transfer
Protocol ("FTP"), Telnet, Hypertext Transfer Protocol ("HTTP"), Hypertext
Transfer Protocol Secure ("HTTPS"), Session Initiation Protocol ("SIP"),
Simple Object Access Protocol ("SOAP"), Extensible Mark-up Language
("XML") and variations thereof, Simple Mail Transfer Protocol ("SMTP"),
Real-Time Transport Protocol ("RTP"), User Datagram Protocol ("UDP"),
Global System for Mobile Communications ("GSM") technologies, Code
Division Multiple Access ("CDMA") technologies, Time Division Multiple
Access ("TDMA") technologies, Short Message Service ("SMS"), Multimedia
Message Service ("MMS"), radio frequency ("RF") signaling technologies,
Long Term Evolution ("LTE") technologies, wireless communication
technologies, in-band and out-of-band signaling technologies, and other
suitable communications networks and technologies.
[0036] In certain embodiments, provider subsystem 202 and access subsystem
204 may communicate via a network 206, which may include one or more
networks, including, but not limited to, wireless networks (Wi-Fi
networks), wireless data communication networks (e.g., 3G and 4G
networks), mobile telephone networks (e.g., cellular telephone networks),
closed media networks, open media networks, closed communication
networks, open communication networks, satellite networks, navigation
networks, broadband networks, narrowband networks, voice communication
networks (e.g., VoIP networks), the Internet, local area networks, and
any other networks capable of carrying data and/or communications signals
between provider subsystem 202 and access subsystem 204. Communications
between provider subsystem 202 and access subsystem 204 may be
transported using any one of the above-listed networks, or any
combination or sub-combination of the above-listed networks.
[0037] While FIG. 2 shows provider subsystem 202 and access subsystem 204
communicatively coupled via network 206, it will be recognized that
provider subsystem 202 and access subsystem 204 may be configured to
communicate one with another in any other suitable manner (e.g., via a
direct connection).
[0038] Provider subsystem 202 may be configured to generate or otherwise
provide media content (e.g., in the form of one or more media content
streams including one or more media content instances) to access
subsystem 204. In certain examples, provider subsystem 202 may
additionally or alternatively be configured to provide one or more
advertisements to access subsystem 204 (e.g., by way of one or more
advertising channels). Additionally or alternatively, provider subsystem
202 may be configured to facilitate dynamic insertion of one or more
advertisements (e.g., targeted advertisements) onto one or more or
advertisement channels delivered to access subsystem 204.
[0039] Access subsystem 204 may be configured to facilitate access by a
user to media content received from provider subsystem 202. To this end,
access subsystem 204 may present the media content for experiencing
(e.g., viewing) by a user, record the media content, and/or analyze data
(e.g., metadata) associated with the media content. Presentation of the
media content may include, but is not limited to, displaying, playing, or
otherwise presenting the media content, or one or more components of the
media content, such that the media content may be experienced by the
user.
[0040] In certain embodiments, system 100 may be implemented entirely by
or within provider subsystem 202 or access subsystem 204. In other
embodiments, components of system 100 may be distributed across provider
subsystem 202 and access subsystem 204. For example, access subsystem 204
may include a client (e.g., a client application) implementing one or
more of the facilities of system 100.
[0041] Provider subsystem 202 may be implemented by one or more computing
devices. For example, provider subsystem 202 may be implemented by one or
more server devices. Additionally or alternatively, access subsystem 204
may be implemented as may suit a particular implementation. For example,
access subsystem 204 may be implemented by one or more media content
access devices, which may include, but are not limited to, a set-top box
device, a DVR device, a media content processing device, a communications
device, a mobile access device (e.g., a mobile phone device, a handheld
device, a laptop computer, a tablet computer, a personal-digital
assistant device, a camera device, etc.), a personal computer, a gaming
device, a television device, and/or any other device configured to
perform one or more of the processes and/or operations described herein.
In certain examples, access subsystem 204 may be additionally or
alternatively implemented by one or more detection and/or sensor devices.
[0042] FIG. 3 illustrates an exemplary targeted advertising method 300.
While FIG. 3 illustrates exemplary steps according to one embodiment,
other embodiments may omit, add to, reorder, and/or modify any of the
steps shown in FIG. 3. The steps shown in FIG. 3 may be performed by any
component or combination of components of system 100.
[0043] In step 302, a media content presentation system presents a media
content program comprising an advertisement break. For example,
presentation facility 102 and/or access subsystem 204 may be configured
to present the media content program in any suitable manner, such as
disclosed herein.
[0044] In step 304, the media content presentation system detects an
ambient action performed by a user during the presentation of the media
content program. For example, the ambient action may include any suitable
ambient action performed by the user, and detection facility 104 may be
configured to detect the ambient action in any suitable manner, such as
disclosed herein.
[0045] In step 306, the media content presentation system selects an
advertisement associated with the detected ambient action. For example,
advertising facility 106 may be configured to select the advertisement in
any suitable manner, such as disclosed herein.
[0046] In step 308, the media content presentation system presents the
selected advertisement during the advertisement break. For example,
presentation facility 102 may be configured to present the selected
advertisement during the advertisement break in any suitable manner, such
as disclosed herein.
[0047] To illustrate the foregoing steps, FIG. 4 illustrates an exemplary
implementation 400 of system 100 and/or access subsystem 204. As shown,
implementation 400 may include a media content access device 402 (e.g., a
STB device) communicatively coupled to a display device 404 and a
detection device 406. As shown, detection device 406 may be associated
with a detection zone 408, within which detection device 406 may detect
an ambient action of a user and/or any other suitable information
associated with the user and/or detection zone 408. To illustrate,
detection zone 408 may include at least a portion of a room (e.g., a
living room) within a user's home where access device 402, display device
404, and/or detection device 406 are located. Detection device 406 may
include any suitable sensor devices, such as disclosed herein. In some
examples, detection device 406 may include an image sensor device, a
depth sensor device, and an audio sensor device.
[0048] Access device 402 may be configured to present a media content
program by way of display device 404. For example, access device 402 may
be configured to present a television program including one or more
advertisement breaks by way of display device 404 for experiencing by one
or more users within detection zone 408. During the presentation of the
television program, access device 402 may be configured to utilize
detection device 406 to detect an ambient action of a user watching the
television program. To illustrate, access device 402 may detect, by way
of detection device 406, that two users are cuddling on a couch during
the presentation of the television program and prior to an advertisement
break. Based on the detected ambient action, access device 402 and/or a
corresponding server device (e.g., implemented by provider subsystem 202)
may select an advertisement associated with the ambient action. In some
examples, access device 402 and/or the corresponding server device may
utilize one or more terms associated with the detected ambient action
(e.g., in accordance with a corresponding reference table) to search for
and/or select an advertisement associated with the detected ambient
action. To illustrate, access device 402 and/or the corresponding server
device may utilize one or more terms associated with cuddling (e.g., the
terms "romance," "love," "cuddle," "snuggle," etc.) to search for and/or
select a commercial associated with cuddling (e.g., a commercial for a
romantic getaway vacation, a commercial for a contraceptive, a commercial
for flowers, a commercial including a trailer for an upcoming romantic
comedy movie, etc.). Thereafter, access device 402 may present the
selected advertisement by way of display device 404 during the
advertisement break for experiencing by the users.
[0049] The foregoing example is provided for illustrative purposes only.
One will appreciate that method 300 may be implemented in any other
suitable manner, such as disclosed herein.
[0050] FIG. 5 illustrates another exemplary targeted advertising method
500. While FIG. 5 illustrates exemplary steps according to one
embodiment, other embodiments may omit, add to, reorder, and/or modify
any of the steps shown in FIG. 5. The steps shown in FIG. 5 may be
performed by any component or combination of components of system 100.
[0051] In step 502, a media content presentation system presents a media
content program comprising an advertisement break. For example,
presentation facility 102 may be configured to present the media content
program in any suitable manner, such as disclosed herein.
[0052] In step 504, the media content presentation system detects an
interaction between a plurality of users during the presentation of the
media content program. For example, detection facility 104 may detect the
interaction in any suitable manner, such as disclosed herein.
[0053] In step 506, the media content presentation system selects an
advertisement associated with the detected interaction. For example,
advertising facility 106 may be configured to select the advertisement in
any suitable manner, such as disclosed herein.
[0054] In step 508, the media content presentation system presents the
selected advertisement during the advertisement break. For example,
presentation facility 102 may be configured to present the selected
advertisement during the advertisement break in any suitable manner, such
as disclosed herein.
[0055] In certain embodiments, one or more of the processes described
herein may be implemented at least in part as instructions executable by
one or more computing devices. In general, a processor (e.g., a
microprocessor) receives instructions, from a tangible computer-readable
medium, (e.g., a memory, etc.), and executes those instructions, thereby
performing one or more processes, including one or more of the processes
described herein. Such instructions may be stored and/or transmitted
using any of a variety of known non-transitory computer-readable media.
[0056] A non-transitory computer-readable medium (also referred to as a
processor-readable medium) includes any non-transitory medium that
participates in providing data (e.g., instructions) that may be read by a
computer (e.g., by a processor of a computer). Such a non-transitory
medium may take many forms, including, but not limited to, non-volatile
media and/or volatile media. Non-volatile media may include, for example,
optical or magnetic disks and other persistent memory. Volatile media may
include, for example, dynamic random access memory ("DRAM"), which
typically constitutes a main memory. Common forms of non-transitory
computer-readable media include, for example, a floppy disk, flexible
disk, hard disk, magnetic tape, any other magnetic medium, a CD-ROM, DVD,
any other optical medium, a RAM, a PROM, an EPROM, a FLASH-EEPROM, any
other memory chip or cartridge, or any other non-transitory medium from
which a computer can read.
[0057] In certain embodiments, one or more of the processes described
herein may be implemented at least in part as instructions embodied in a
non-transitory computer-readable medium and executable by one or more
computing devices (e.g., any of the media content access devices
described herein). In general, a processor (e.g., a microprocessor)
receives instructions, from a non-transitory computer-readable medium,
(e.g., a memory, etc.), and executes those instructions, thereby
performing one or more processes, including one or more of the processes
described herein. Such instructions may be stored and/or transmitted
using any of a variety of known computer-readable media.
[0058] A computer-readable medium (also referred to as a
processor-readable medium) includes any non-transitory medium that
participates in providing data (e.g., instructions) that may be read by a
computer (e.g., by a processor of a computer). Such a medium may take
many forms, including, but not limited to, non-volatile media, and/or
volatile media. Non-volatile media may include, for example, optical or
magnetic disks and other persistent memory. Volatile media may include,
for example, dynamic random access memory ("DRAM"), which typically
constitutes a main memory. Common forms of computer-readable media
include, for example, a floppy disk, flexible disk, hard disk, magnetic
tape, any other magnetic medium, a CD-ROM, DVD, any other optical medium,
a RAM, a PROM, an EPROM, a FLASH-EEPROM, any other memory chip or
cartridge, or any other tangible medium from which a computer can read.
[0059] FIG. 6 illustrates an exemplary computing device 600 that may be
configured to perform one or more of the processes described herein. As
shown in FIG. 6, computing device 600 may include a communication
interface 602, a processor 604, a storage device 606, and an input/output
("I/O") module 608 communicatively connected via a communication
infrastructure 610. While an exemplary computing device 600 is shown in
FIG. 6, the components illustrated in FIG. 6 are not intended to be
limiting. Additional or alternative components may be used in other
embodiments. Components of computing device 600 shown in FIG. 6 will now
be described in additional detail.
[0060] Communication interface 602 may be configured to communicate with
one or more computing devices. Examples of communication interface 602
include, without limitation, a wired network interface (such as a network
interface card), a wireless network interface (such as a wireless network
interface card), a modem, and any other suitable interface. Communication
interface 602 may be configured to interface with any suitable
communication media, protocols, and formats, including any of those
mentioned above. In at least one embodiment, communication interface 602
may provide a communicative connection between mobile device 200 and one
or more separate media content access devices, a program guide
information provider, and a media content provider.
[0061] Processor 604 generally represents any type or form of processing
unit capable of processing data or interpreting, executing, and/or
directing execution of one or more of the instructions, processes, and/or
operations described herein. Processor 604 may direct execution of
operations in accordance with one or more applications 612 or other
computer-executable instructions such as may be stored in storage device
606 or another computer-readable medium.
[0062] Storage device 606 may include one or more data storage media,
devices, or configurations and may employ any type, form, and combination
of data storage media and/or device. For example, storage device 606 may
include, but is not limited to, a hard drive, network drive, flash drive,
magnetic disc, optical disc, random access memory ("RAM"), dynamic RAM
("DRAM"), other non-volatile and/or volatile data storage units, or a
combination or sub-combination thereof. Electronic data, including data
described herein, may be temporarily and/or permanently stored in storage
device 606. For example, data representative of one or more executable
applications 612 (which may include, but are not limited to, one or more
of the software applications described herein) configured to direct
processor 604 to perform any of the operations described herein may be
stored within storage device 606. In some examples, data may be arranged
in one or more databases residing within storage device 606.
[0063] I/O module 608 may be configured to receive user input and provide
user output and may include any hardware, firmware, software, or
combination thereof supportive of input and output capabilities. For
example, I/O module 608 may include hardware and/or software for
capturing user input, including, but not limited to, a keyboard or
keypad, a touch screen component (e.g., a touch screen display), a
receiver (e.g., an RF or infrared receiver), and/or one or more input
buttons.
[0064] I/O module 608 may include one or more devices for presenting
output to a user, including, but not limited to, a graphics engine, a
display (e.g., a display screen), one or more output drivers (e.g.,
display drivers), one or more audio speakers, and one or more audio
drivers. In certain embodiments, I/O module 608 is configured to provide
graphical data to a display for presentation to a user. The graphical
data may be representative of one or more graphical user interfaces
(e.g., program guide interfaces) and/or any other graphical content as
may serve a particular implementation.
[0065] In some examples, any of the features described herein may be
implemented and/or performed by one or more components of computing
device 600. For example, one or more applications 612 residing within
storage device 606 may be configured to direct processor 604 to perform
one or more processes or functions associated with presentation facility
102, detection facility 104, and/or advertising facility 106. Likewise,
storage facility 108 may be implemented by or within storage device 606.
[0066] In the preceding description, various exemplary embodiments have
been described with reference to the accompanying drawings. It will,
however, be evident that various modifications and changes may be made
thereto, and additional embodiments may be implemented, without departing
from the scope of the invention as set forth in the claims that follow.
For example, certain features of one embodiment described herein may be
combined with or substituted for features of another embodiment described
herein. The description and drawings are accordingly to be regarded in an
illustrative rather than a restrictive sense.
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