Dynamic metadata for media content delivery

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10104443-B2
Application number	US-201414490073-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 18, 2014
Priority date	Sep 18, 2014
Publication date	Oct 16, 2018
Grant date	Oct 16, 2018

Abstract

Systems and methods for providing estimates of duration of media content requested by a user are disclosed. The estimates of the duration may be updated as advertisements are identified and/or updated for insertion in media content signals to be provided to a client device of the user. The advertisements may be targeted to the user from an inventory of available advertisements based on a variety of factors. While a session is active to provide the client device with the user requested media content new duration estimates corresponding to updates to advertisements targeted for delivery to the user may be provided to the client device via messages and/or metadata. In some cases, this information may be provided by messages sent responsive to a trick play request form the client device. In other cases, an asynchronous message carrying updated duration information may be sent to the client device.

First claim

The claimed invention is:

1. A method, comprising:
receiving, by a video system comprising one or more computer processors from a client device, a request for a media content;
receiving, by the video system from an advertisement system, an estimated duration associated with a media content signal associated with the media content to be delivered to a client device, wherein the estimated duration is based at least in part on:
a first duration of the media content, and
a time estimate of the advertisement insertion opportunities within the media content;

generating, by the video system, metadata associated with the media content signal based at least in part on the estimated duration associated with the media content signal;
initiating, by the video system, a session with the client device to provide the media content signal associated with the media content, wherein initiating the session with the client device comprises providing the client device with the metadata associated with the media content signal;
receiving, by the video system, an identification of a post-roll content to be provided to the client device after a conclusion of the media content;
determining, by the video system, a time interval based at least upon a time difference calculated between:
the estimated duration, and
an actual duration of the media content, wherein the actual duration is a sum of the first duration of the media content and a second duration of advertisement insertion opportunities within the media content;

selecting, by the video system, the post-roll content based at least in part on the determined time interval, wherein the post-roll content extends at least the entire determined time interval; and
directing, by the video system, a transmission of the post-roll content to the client device.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the estimated duration is an estimate of the maximum duration of the media content signal based at least in part on the duration of the media content and the time estimate of the advertisement insertion opportunities prior to identifying advertisements corresponding to one or more of the advertisement insertion opportunities.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the estimated duration is a first estimated duration and the method further comprises receiving, by the video system, a second estimated duration of the media content signal from the advertisement system, wherein the second estimated duration is based at least in part on the duration of the media content and respective duration corresponding to at least one advertisement associated with the media content signal, wherein each of the at least one advertisement is to be provided with the media content to the client device.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the second estimated duration comprises a sum of the duration of the media content and a duration corresponding to each of the at least one advertisement associated with the media content signal.

5. The method of claim 3 , further comprising:
identifying, by the video system, a trick play request from the client device; and
directing, by the video system and responsive to the trick play request, transferring the second estimated duration to the client device.

6. The method of claim 3 , further comprising directing, by the video system, providing the second estimated duration as an asynchronous message to the client device.

7. A system, comprising:
at least one memory for storing computer-executable instructions;
at least one processor in communication with the at least one memory, wherein the at least one processor is configured to execute the computer-executable instructions perform a method comprising:
receiving, from a client device, a request for a media content;
receiving, from an advertisement system, an estimated duration associated with a media content signal associated with the media content to be delivered to a client device, wherein the estimated duration is based at least in part on:
a first duration of the media content, and
a time estimate of the advertisement insertion opportunities within the media content;

generating metadata associated with the media content signal based at least in part on the estimated duration associated with the media content signal;
initiating a session with the client device to provide the media content signal associated with the media content, wherein initiating the session with the client device comprises providing the client device with the metadata associated with the media content signal;
receiving an identification of a post-roll content to be provided to the client device after a conclusion of the media content;
determining, by the video system, a time interval based at least upon a time difference calculated between:
the estimated duration, and
an actual duration of the media content, wherein the actual duration is a sum of the first duration of the media content and a second duration of advertisement insertion opportunities within the media content;

selecting the post-roll content based at least in part on the determined time interval, wherein the post-roll content extends at least the entire determined time interval; and
directing a transmission of the post-roll content to the client device.

8. The system of claim 7 , wherein the estimated duration is an estimate of the maximum duration of the media content signal based at least in part on the duration of the media content and the time estimate of the advertisement insertion opportunities prior to identifying advertisements corresponding to one or more of the advertisement insertion opportunities.

9. The system of claim 7 , wherein the estimated duration is a first estimated duration and the method further comprises receiving a second estimated duration of the media content signal from the advertisement system, wherein the second estimated duration is based at least in part on the duration of the media content and respective duration corresponding to at least one advertisement associated with the media content signal, wherein each of the at least one advertisement is to be provided with the media content to the client device.

10. The system of claim 9 , wherein the second estimated duration comprises a sum of the duration of the media content and a duration corresponding to each of the at least one advertisement associated with the media content signal.

11. The system of claim 9 , wherein the method further comprises:
identifying a trick play request from the client device; and
directing, responsive to the trick play request, transferring the second estimated duration to the client device.

12. The system of claim 9 , wherein the method further comprises directing providing the second estimated duration as an asynchronous message to the client device.

13. A system, comprising:
at least one memory for storing computer-executable instructions;
at least one processor in communication with the at least one memory, wherein the at least one processor is configured to execute the computer-executable instructions perform a method comprising:
identifying a user requested media content;
identifying a first duration of the user requested media content and one or more advertisement insertion opportunities;
determining a first estimated maximum duration of a media content signal associated with the media content based at least in part on the first duration of the user requested media content and the one or more advertisement insertion opportunities;
providing the first estimated maximum duration to a video system;
identifying at least one advertisement to insert in the one or more advertisement insertion oppo

Assignees

• Cox Communications Inc

Inventors

• Killick Ray
• Warren Luke Allen

Classifications

• H04N21/2387

  Stream processing in response to a playback request from an end-user, e.g. for trick-play · CPC title

• H04N21/23424

  involving splicing one content stream with another content stream, e.g. for inserting or substituting an advertisement · CPC title

• H04N21/84

  Generation or processing of descriptive data, e.g. content descriptors {(systems specially adapted for using meta-information in broadcast systems H04H60/73)} · CPC title

• H04N21/8456

  by decomposing the content in the time domain, e.g. in time segments · CPC title

• H04N21/812 Primary

  involving advertisement data (advertising per se G06Q30/02) · CPC title