Delivering content

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10595082-B2
Application number	US-201515531347-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 26, 2015
Priority date	Nov 26, 2014
Publication date	Mar 17, 2020
Grant date	Mar 17, 2020

Abstract

In one embodiment there is disclosed a content delivery system comprising: a communications network; a media component connected to the communications network, the media component configured to deliver media content for playout at a user device; an auxiliary content component connected to the communications network for providing auxiliary content for playout at a user device; an engagement monitoring component configured to monitor user engagement with auxiliary content played out at the user device; a storage component which holds engagement monitoring data in association with user identifiers; a content control module configured to receive, from a user device, a request for auxiliary content to be inserted in a playout session for playout at the user device, and selectively control delivery of the auxiliary content based on the engagement monitoring data associated with a user identifier for the user device.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A content delivery system comprising:
a communications network;
a media component connected to the communications network, the media component configured to deliver media content for playout at a user device;
an auxiliary content component connected to the communications network for providing auxiliary content for playout at a user device, wherein each piece of auxiliary content is associated with a score and a weighting;
an engagement monitoring component configured to monitor user engagement with the auxiliary content played out at the user device;
a storage component which holds engagement monitoring data in association with user identifiers; and
a content control module configured to:
receive, from the user device, a request for the auxiliary content to be inserted in a playout session for playout at the user device;
selectively control delivery of the auxiliary content by transmission of a response over the communications network to the user device, based on the engagement monitoring data associated with a user identifier for the user device;
evaluate the engagement monitoring data to determine, for each piece of auxiliary content played out at the user device, if a user of the user device has engaged with the auxiliary content, in accordance with an expected user activity;
in response to a detection that the user has engaged with the piece of auxiliary content in accordance with the expected user activity, adjust the score associated with the piece of auxiliary content and decrease the weighting associated with the piece of auxiliary content and the user identifier for the user device; and
in response to a detection that the user has not engaged with the piece of auxiliary content in accordance with the expected user activity, adjust the score associated with the piece of auxiliary content and determine if users usually engage with the piece of auxiliary content in accordance with the expected user activity, wherein if they do, increase the weighting associated with the piece of auxiliary content and the user identifier for the user device, and if they do not, reduce the weighting associated with the piece of auxiliary content and the user identifier for the user device,
wherein the score of each piece of auxiliary content is indicative of successful user engagement with the piece of auxiliary content for all users, the weighting is indicative of successful user engagement for specific users, and the weighting determines the delivery frequency of the piece of auxiliary content to that user device.

2. The content delivery system of claim 1 , further comprising a reward point storage component which holds a reward point balance in association with said user identifiers, wherein the reward point balance associated with the user identifier for the user device is based on user engagement with the auxiliary content played out at the user device, wherein the reward point balance influences delivery of auxiliary content to the user.

3. The content delivery system of claim 2 , wherein the reward point storage component is configured to transmit reward point balance information associated with the user identifier for the user device, to the user device.

4. The content delivery system of claim 3 , wherein the control module is further configured to evaluate the engagement monitoring data and transmit a balance adjustment request to the reward point storage component to adjust the reward point balance associated with the user identifier for the user device.

5. The content delivery system of claim 3 , further comprising a rewards service component which holds a list of rewards available for redemption and a user profile service component which holds purchased reward information in association with said user identifiers, wherein the reward service component is configured to:
transmit the list of rewards to the user device;
receive from the user device a request to purchase a reward in said list using the reward point balance associated with the user identifier for the user device;
and in response to receipt of said request, (i) transmit a balance adjustment request to the reward point storage component to adjust the reward point balance associated with the user identifier for the user device, and (ii) transmit an indication of the purchased reward to the user profile service component.

6. The content delivery system of claim 5 , wherein the content control module is configured in response to receiving the request for auxiliary content to be inserted in the playout session for playout at the user device, to (i) transmit a request to the user profile service component for information on purchased rewards associated with the user identifier for the user device; and (ii) receive a response from the user profile service component, said response including information on purchased rewards associated with the user identifier for the user device, wherein contents of the response that is transmitted over the communications network to the user device is based on the response received from the user profile service component.

7. The content delivery system of claim 6 , wherein the content control module is configured to determine based on the response received from the user profile service component whether a user of the user device has purchased a reward that relates to auxiliary content that is to be inserted in the playout session at the user device before the media content, and
in response to the user of the device having purchased the reward, control delivery of the auxiliary content by generating said response to not comprise any identifier of auxiliary content that is to be inserted in the playout session at the user device before the media content, and
in response to the user of the device having not purchased the reward, control delivery of the auxiliary content by generating said response to comprise at least one identifier of auxiliary content that is to be inserted in the playout session at the user device before the media content.

8. The content delivery system of claim 6 , wherein the content control module is configured to determine based on the response received from the user profile service component whether a user of the user device has purchased a reward that relates to auxiliary content that is to be inserted in the playout session at the user device during the media content, and
in response to the user of the device having purchased the reward, control delivery of the auxiliary content by generating said response to not comprise any identifier of auxiliary content that is to be inserted in the playout session at the user device during the media content; and
in response to the user of the device having not purchased the reward, control delivery of the auxiliary content by generating said response to comprise at least one identifier of auxiliary content that is to be inserted in the playout session at the user device during the media content.

9. The content delivery system of claim 6 , wherein the content control module is configured to determine based on the response received from the user profile service component that a user of the user device has purchased a reward that relates to auxiliary content that is to be inserted in the playout session at the user device after the media content, and
in response to the user of the device having purchased the reward, control delivery of the auxiliary content by generating said response to not comprise any identifier of auxiliary content that is to be inserted in the playout session at the user device after the media content; and
in response to the user of the device having not purchased the reward, control delivery of the auxiliary content by generating sa

Assignees

• Piksel Inc

Inventors

• Shaw Philip
• Maas Hans-Jurgen

Classifications

• H04N21/44218

  Detecting physical presence or behaviour of the user, e.g. using sensors to detect if the user is leaving the room or changes his face expression during a TV programme (methods or arrangements for recognising human body or animal bodies or body parts G06V40/10; methods or arrangements for acquiring or recognising human faces, facial parts, facial sketches, facial expressions G06V40/16; methods or arrangements for recognising movements or behaviour G06V40/20; arrangements for identifying users in broadcast systems H04H60/45) · CPC title

• H04N21/4621

  Controlling the complexity of the content stream or additional data, e.g. lowering the resolution or bit-rate of the video stream for a mobile client with a small screen (arrangements for using the results of monitoring on user's side in broadcast systems H04H60/65; flow control in packet networks H04L47/10) · CPC title

• H04N21/8453

  by locking or enabling a set of features, e.g. optional functionalities in an executable program · CPC title

• H04N21/44204

  Monitoring of content usage, e.g. the number of times a movie has been viewed, copied or the amount which has been watched (monitoring of user activities for profile generation for accessing a video database G06F16/739; protecting generic digital content where the protection is independent of the precise nature of the content G06F21/10; arrangements for monitoring the use made of the broadcast services in broadcast systems H04H60/31) · CPC title

• H04N21/454

  Content {or additional data} filtering, e.g. blocking advertisements · CPC title