Movie advertising playback systems and methods

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11930227-B2
Application number	US-202318171287-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 17, 2023
Priority date	May 23, 2005
Publication date	Mar 12, 2024
Grant date	Mar 12, 2024

Abstract

An ad in a movie can be a static ad having a position in the movie that cannot be moved, or a dynamic ad having a position in the movie that can be changed. When a viewer wishes to skip a portion of the movie containing the ad, the playback system determines whether the ad is static or dynamic. If the ad is static, only the portion of the movie preceding the static ad can be skipped; the ad is unskippable. This technique is referred to as “bounceback” since the end of the skip bounces back to the start of the static ad. If the ad is dynamic, it is moved to after the end of the skip. This technique is referred to as “slip-ad” since the ad slips to later in the movie. When a movie has multiple ads, some can be static and some can be dynamic.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for guaranteed play of content, the method comprising:
receiving, by a video player executing on a processor during play of a video on a user device, a skip command to omit playing a portion of the video;
determining, by the video player, that the portion of the video comprises a proxy representing content movable from the portion of the video;
responsive to the skip command, moving, by the video player, the proxy from the portion of the video to a location in the video subsequent to the portion of the video; and
beginning at or prior to the location subsequent to the portion of the video, resuming play of the video on the user device with the content represented by the proxy.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the determining further comprises determining that the portion of the video further comprises static content that cannot be omitted, the method further comprising:
prior to resuming play of the video on the user device with the content represented by the proxy, playing the static content on the user device.

3. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising:
prior to moving the proxy from the portion of the video to the location in the video subsequent to the portion of the video, adjusting a size of the proxy.

4. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising:
receiving a second skip command to omit playing a second portion of the video;
determining that the second portion of the video comprises a second proxy and that the second skip command involves moving the second proxy to frames of the video that are ineligible to receive the second proxy;
adjusting a size of the second proxy or the second portion of the video;
determining a second location in the video that accommodates the size of the second proxy or the second portion of the video to guarantee play of content represented by the second proxy;
moving the second proxy to the second location in the video; and
resuming play of the video on the user device with the content represented by the second proxy.

5. The method according to claim 4 , wherein the second proxy is associated with a buffer zone and wherein the adjusting utilizes the buffer zone so as to avoid moving the second proxy to the frames of the video that are ineligible to receive the second proxy.

6. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising:
prior to resuming play of the video on the user device, retrieving or obtaining the content represented by the proxy.

7. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the content comprises an ad.

8. An apparatus for guaranteed play of content, the apparatus comprising:
a processor;
a non-transitory computer-readable medium; and
instructions stored on the non-transitory computer-readable medium and translatable by the processor for:
receiving, during play of a video on a user device, a skip command to omit playing a portion of the video;
determining that the portion of the video comprises a proxy representing content movable from the portion of the video;
responsive to the skip command, moving the proxy from the portion of the video to a location in the video subsequent to the portion of the video; and
beginning at or prior to the location subsequent to the portion of the video, resuming play of the video on the user device with the content represented by the proxy.

9. The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the determining further comprises determining that the portion of the video further comprises static content that cannot be omitted and wherein the instructions are further translatable by the processor for:
prior to resuming play of the video on the user device with the content represented by the proxy, playing the static content on the user device.

10. The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the instructions are further translatable by the processor for:
prior to moving the proxy from the portion of the video to the location in the video subsequent to the portion of the video, adjusting a size of the proxy.

11. The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the instructions are further translatable by the processor for:
receiving a second skip command to omit playing a second portion of the video;
determining that the second portion of the video comprises a second proxy and that the second skip command involves moving the second proxy to frames of the video that are ineligible to receive the second proxy;
adjusting a size of the second proxy or the second portion of the video;
determining a second location in the video that accommodates the size of the second proxy or the second portion of the video to guarantee play of content represented by the second proxy;
moving the second proxy to the second location in the video; and
resuming play of the video on the user device with the content represented by the second proxy.

12. The apparatus of claim 11 , wherein the second proxy is associated with a buffer zone and wherein the adjusting utilizes the buffer zone so as to avoid moving the second proxy to the frames of the video that are ineligible to receive the second proxy.

13. The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the instructions are further translatable by the processor for:
prior to resuming play of the video on the user device, retrieving or obtaining the content represented by the proxy.

14. The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the content comprises an ad.

15. A computer program product for guaranteed play of content, the computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions translatable by a processor for:
receiving, during play of a video on a user device, a skip command to omit playing a portion of the video;
determining that the portion of the video comprises a proxy representing content movable from the portion of the video;
responsive to the skip command, moving the proxy from the portion of the video to a location in the video subsequent to the portion of the video; and
beginning at or prior to the location subsequent to the portion of the video, resuming play of the video on the user device with the content represented by the proxy.

16. The computer program product of claim 15 , wherein the determining further comprises determining that the portion of the video further comprises static content that cannot be omitted and wherein the instructions are further translatable by the processor for:
prior to resuming play of the video on the user device with the content represented by the proxy, playing the static content on the user device.

17. The computer program product of claim 15 , wherein the instructions are further translatable by the processor for:
prior to moving the proxy from the portion of the video to the location in the video subsequent to the portion of the video, adjusting a size of the proxy.

18. The computer program product of claim 15 , wherein the instructions are further translatable by the processor for:
receiving a second skip command to omit playing a second portion of the video;
determining that the second portion of the video comprises a second proxy and that the second skip command involves moving the second proxy to frames of the video that are ineligible to receive the second proxy;
adjusting a size of the second proxy or the second portion of the video;
determining a second location in the video that accommodates the size of the second proxy or the second portion of the video to guarantee play of content represented by the second proxy;
moving the second proxy to the second location in the video; and
resuming play of

Assignees

• Open Text Sa Ulc

Inventors

• Gilley Thomas S
• Hoffert Eric
• Nassar Rabih
• Pomerance Brenda

Classifications

• H04N21/23424 Primary

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

• G06Q30/02

  Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising · CPC title

• G06Q30/0251

  Targeted advertisements · CPC title

• G06Q30/0253

  During e-commerce, i.e. online transactions · CPC title

• G11B27/005

  Reproducing at a different information rate from the information rate of recording (for television signals H04N5/783) · CPC title