# US 11,122,316 B2 · Methods and apparatus for targeted secondary content insertion

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- Number: US 11,122,316 B2
- Document ID: US11122316B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 16/102,506
- Filed: 2018-08-13
- Published: 2019-01-03
- Granted: 2021-09-14
- Earliest claimed: 2009-07-15
- Assignees: Time Warner Cable Enterprises LLC
- Applicants: Time Warner Cable Enterprises LLC
- Inventors: Justin Tidwell; Eduardo G. Samame; Bryan Santangelo
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11122316B2

## CPC

- H04N 21/2668: Creating a channel for a dedicated end-user group, e.g. insertion of targeted commercials based on end-user profiles {(information retrieval from the Internet by querying with filtering and personalisation G06F16/9535; arrangements for replacing or switching information during the broadcast H04H20/10; push services over packet-switching network H04L12/1859; adaptation of message content in packet-switching networks H04L51/063)}
- G06Q 30/02: Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
- H04H 20/103: {Transmitter-side switching}
- H04N 21/25883: {being end-user demographical data, e.g. age, family status or address (arrangements for identifying locations of users in broadcast systems H04H60/52)}
- H04N 21/25891: {being end-user preferences (retrieval of video data in a video database based on user preferences G06F16/739; arrangements for recognizing users' preferences H04H60/46; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306; processing of user preferences or user profiles in wireless networks H04W8/18)}
- H04N 21/26241: {involving the time of distribution, e.g. the best time of the day for inserting an advertisement or airing a children programme}
- H04N 21/44213: {Monitoring of end-user related data (arrangements for monitoring the users' behaviour or opinions in broadcast systems H04H60/33)}
- H04N 21/6582: {Data stored in the client, e.g. viewing habits, hardware capabilities, credit card number (arrangements where receivers interact with the broadcast H04H20/38)}
- H04N 21/812: {involving advertisement data (advertising per se G06Q30/02)}
- H04H 60/45: for identifying users
- H04N: PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION
- G06Q: INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES; SYSTEMS OR METHODS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- H04H: BROADCAST COMMUNICATION (multiplex communication H04J; pictorial communication aspects of broadcast systems H04N)

## Abstract

Methods and apparatus for identification and insertion of content targeted to a particular audience within a content-based network, such as a cable television or satellite network. In one embodiment of the invention, audience qualities are identified and distributed to an advertisement decision maker, which uses the information to fulfill advertisement placement opportunities. Qualifiers about an existing or projected audience are classified utilizing an algorithm for qualifier weight and variance in order to determine the proximity any given qualifier may be to a target audience for an advertisement. Subscriber privacy and anonymity is also optionally maintained via e.g., hashing or encrypting data relating to the CPE and/or subscriber, thus ensuring that audience data is not traceable to a specific user account. Business methods are also disclosed.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A computerized method of providing digitally rendered content in a content distribution network, the computerized method comprising:
receiving, at a computerized secondary content management apparatus of the content distribution network, data relating to a request for at least one digitally rendered programming segment at a placement opportunity;
utilizing the computerized secondary content management apparatus to algorithmically characterize the placement opportunity and generate data relating to the characterization;
obtaining a plurality of attribute data related to a then-existing audience associated with the placement opportunity;
generating a user profile based at least on one or more respective averaged values of one or more of the plurality of attribute data related to the then-existing audience;
identifying individual ones of a plurality of digitally rendered programming segments which have at least a threshold level of similarity to the placement opportunity based at least on the data relating to the characterization and the generated user profile;
selecting at least one of the identified individual ones of the plurality of digitally rendered programming segments for insertion at the placement opportunity; and
causing inserting, via a computerized insertion process, the selected at least one of the identified individual ones of the plurality of digitally rendered programming segments at the placement opportunity.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The computerized method of claim 1, wherein the utilizing the computerized secondary content management apparatus to algorithmically characterize the placement opportunity comprises collecting data associated with at least one Customer Premises Equipment (CPE) associated with the placement opportunity.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The computerized method of claim 1, wherein the obtaining the plurality of attribute data comprises applying a plurality of respective weighing factors to the plurality of attribute data, the plurality of respective weighing factors each (i) based at least in part on historical usage of the user profile for the identifying the individual ones of the plurality of digitally rendered programming segments, and (ii) utilized for updating the user profile.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The computerized method of claim 1, wherein:
the obtaining the plurality of attribute data comprises identifying at least one of the plurality of attribute data as comprising at least a threshold level of association with a prescribed portion of the audience; and
the generating the user profile comprises utilizing only the identified at least one of the plurality of attribute data for the generating.

### Claim 5 (depends on 2)

The computerized method of claim 2, wherein the collecting the data associated with the at least one CPE comprises determining one or more patterns of interest associated with use of the at least one CPE.

### Claim 6 (depends on 5)

The computerized method of claim 5, further comprising receiving affirmation that the at least one CPE opts in to the collecting of the data.

### Claim 7 (depends on 5)

The computerized method of claim 5, wherein the determining the one or more patterns of interest comprises determining one or more user behaviors which can be used in the selecting the at least one of the identified individual ones of the plurality of digitally rendered programming segments.

### Claim 8 (depends on 5)

The computerized method of claim 5, wherein the determining the one or more patterns of interest is based at least in part on at least one predetermined association between a user behavior and at least one of a demographic or psychographic factor.

### Claim 9 (depends on 5)

The computerized method of claim 5, wherein the determining the one or more patterns of interest comprises receiving data relating to a notification that at least one of the one or more patterns of interest is not shared by a prescribed number of CPE.

### Claim 10 (depends on 9)

The computerized method of claim 9, further comprising adjusting the prescribed number of the CPE required based at least in part on the received data relating to the notification.

### Claim 11

A computerized network apparatus configured to provide digitally rendered content in a content distribution network, the computerized network apparatus comprising:
a digital processor apparatus; and
a storage apparatus in data communication with the digital processor apparatus and comprising a non-transitory computer-readable medium configured to store at least one computer program thereon, the at least one computer program comprising a plurality of instructions which are configured to, when executed by the digital processor apparatus, cause the computerized network apparatus to:
receive, at a secondary content management apparatus of the content distribution network, data relating to a request for at least one of a plurality of digitally rendered programming segments at a placement opportunity;
utilize the secondary content management apparatus to algorithmically evaluate the placement opportunity and generate data relating to one or more characteristics of the placement opportunity;
utilize at least the generated data to identify individual ones of the plurality of digitally rendered programming segments which meet or exceed at least one criterion relating to the one or more characteristics of the placement opportunity;
determine whether the identified individual ones of the plurality of digitally rendered programming segments have each been viewed at least a threshold number of times by an audience associated with the placement opportunity;
select at least one of the identified individual ones of the plurality of digitally rendered programming segments for insertion at the placement opportunity, the selection based at least in part on a determination that the selected at least one of the identified individual ones of the plurality of digitally rendered programming segments has not been viewed at least the threshold number of times by the audience; and
insert the selected at least one of the identified individual ones of the plurality of digitally rendered programming segments at the placement opportunity.

### Claim 12 (depends on 11)

The computerized network apparatus of claim 11, wherein the computerized network apparatus is in data communication with a collecting entity of the content distribution network, the computerized network apparatus configured to cause the collecting entity to receive and process data regarding a Customer Premises Equipment (CPE), the CPE associated with the audience, the data regarding the CPE collected at least from each of (i) one or more advertising networks, and (ii) one or more third party sources.

### Claim 13 (depends on 12)

The computerized network apparatus of claim 12, wherein the computerized network apparatus is further configured to cause the collecting entity to receive metadata regarding the plurality of digitally rendered programming segments, the metadata configured to enable at least a portion of the algorithmic evaluation.

### Claim 14

A non-transitory computer readable storage apparatus comprising media comprising at least one computer program having a plurality of instructions which, when executed on a digital processing apparatus, cause a computerized secondary content management apparatus of a content distribution network to:
receive data representative of a request for at least one digitally rendered content segment corresponding to a placement opportunity;
algorithmically characterize the placement opportunity and generate data relating to the characterization;
receive a plurality of attribute data relating to a then-existing audience associated with the placement opportunity;
generate user profile data based at least on one or more respective averaged values of one or more of the plurality of attribute data;
identify individual ones of a plurality of digitally rendered content segments which have at least a threshold level of similarity to the placement opportunity based at least on the data relating to the characterization and the user profile data;
select at least one of the identified individual ones of the plurality of digitally rendered content segments for insertion at the placement opportunity; and
cause insertion, via a computerized insertion process, of the selected at least one of the identified individual ones of the plurality of digitally rendered programming segments at the placement opportunity.

### Claim 15 (depends on 14)

The non-transitory computer readable storage apparatus of claim 14, wherein the plurality of instructions are further configured to, when executed on the digital processing apparatus, cause the computerized secondary content management apparatus to:
algorithmically evaluate historical impression data associated with the identified individual ones of the plurality of digitally rendered content segments to determine that one or more of the individual ones of the plurality of digitally rendered content segments have not met or not exceeded a threshold number of user impressions; and
wherein the threshold number of user impressions is associated with a target audience having a prescribed membership, the prescribed membership comprising a subset of the then-existing audience.

### Claim 16 (depends on 15)

The non-transitory computer readable storage apparatus of claim 15, wherein the algorithmic characterization of the placement opportunity comprises characterization of the placement opportunity in terms of one or more parameters relating to the then-existing audience of the placement opportunity, the one or more parameters relating to the then-existing audience comprising one or more parameters relating to a target audience.

### Claim 17 (depends on 16)

The non-transitory computer readable storage apparatus of claim 16, wherein the one or more parameters relating to the then-existing audience further comprise one or more parameters relating to at least one Customer Premises Equipment (CPE) associated with the then-existing audience.

### Claim 18 (depends on 17)

The non-transitory computer readable storage apparatus of claim 17, wherein the at least one CPE is associated with data indicative of one or more behavioral patterns of interest.

### Claim 19 (depends on 18)

The non-transitory computer readable storage apparatus of claim 18, wherein the at least one CPE is configured to provide data indicative of an opt-in to have data collected relating to the one or more behavioral patterns of interest.

### Claim 20 (depends on 19)

The non-transitory computer readable storage apparatus of claim 19, wherein the identification of the individual ones of the plurality of digitally rendered content segments is based at least in part on the data collected relating to one or more behavioral patterns of interest.