# US 2014/0157310 A1 · Method and apparatus for storage and insertion of advertisements > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2014/0157310 A1 - Document ID: US20140157310A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 14/173,244 - Filed: 2014-02-05 - Published: 2014-06-05 - Earliest claimed: 2000-12-29 - Assignees: AT&T Intellectual Property I, L.P. - Applicants: AT&T Intellectual Property I, L.P. - Inventors: James M. Rogers; William C. Versteeg - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20140157310A1 ## CPC - H04N 21/812: {involving advertisement data (advertising per se G06Q30/02)} - H04N 5/76: Television signal recording - H04N 7/162: {Authorising the user terminal, e.g. by paying; Registering the use of a subscription channel, e.g. billing} - H04N 21/432: Content retrieval operation from a local storage medium, e.g. hard-disk {(details of retrieval of video data and associated meta data in video databases G06F16/739)} - H04N 21/4532: {involving end-user characteristics, e.g. viewer profile, preferences (monitoring of user activities for profile generation for accessing a video database G06F16/739; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306; processing of user preferences or user profiles in wireless networks H04W8/18)} - H04N 21/458: Scheduling content for creating a personalised stream, e.g. by combining a locally stored advertisement with an incoming stream; Updating operations, e.g. for OS modules {; time-related management operations (arrangements for replacing or switching information during the broadcast or during the distribution H04H20/10)} - H04N: PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION ## Abstract A method includes detecting a substitution signal at a device and inserting an advertisement into a media stream in response to detecting the substitution signal. The advertisement is selected based on an advertising fee associated with insertion of the advertisement into the media stream. The advertising fee is a first fee when the advertisement is a local advertisement for a provider of a product or service and the advertisement is to be inserted at a first location in the media stream that follows a national advertisement for the product or service. The first fee is distinct from a second fee that is associated with insertion of the local advertisement at a second location in the media stream. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method comprising: detecting, at a device, a substitution signal; and in response to detecting the substitution signal, inserting an advertisement into a media stream, wherein the advertisement is selected based on an advertising fee associated with insertion of the advertisement into the media stream, wherein the advertising fee is a first fee when the advertisement is a local advertisement for a provider of a product or service and the advertisement is to be inserted at a first location in the media stream that follows a national advertisement for the product or service, and wherein the first fee is distinct from a second fee that is associated with insertion of the local advertisement at a second location in the media stream. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising selecting the advertisement from a plurality of advertisements stored at a memory of the device. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The method of claim 2, wherein the device includes a set top box device and wherein the plurality of advertisements are received at the set top box device via at least one of a wired connection and a wireless connection. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The method of claim 3, further comprising: receiving at least a portion of the media stream at the set top box device prior to detecting the substitution signal, wherein the substitution signal is included in the media stream, wherein inserting the advertisement into the media stream includes substituting the advertisement for another advertisement included in the received portion of the media stream in response to detecting the substitution signal, wherein at least a portion of the media stream is presented at a display device coupled to the set top box device, and wherein the advertisement is presented at the display device. ### Claim 5 (depends on 2) The method of claim 2, wherein the advertisement is selected from the plurality of advertisements based at least in part on a frequency of insertion associated with each of the plurality of advertisements stored at the memory. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The method of claim 5, wherein advertisements associated with a lower frequency of insertion are selected over advertisements associated with a higher frequency of insertion. ### Claim 7 (depends on 2) The method of claim 2, wherein the advertisement is selected from the plurality of advertisements based at least in part on a classification of the advertisement, wherein the classification of the advertisement is based on one or more categories associated with the advertisement. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the first fee is higher than the second fee and wherein the first fee is higher than a third fee that is associated with insertion of another advertisement at the first location in the media stream. ### Claim 9 A system comprising: a processor; and a memory storing instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform operations comprising: detecting a substitution signal; and in response to detecting the substitution signal, inserting an advertisement into a media stream, wherein the advertisement is selected based on an advertising fee associated with insertion of the advertisement into the media stream, wherein the advertising fee is a first fee when the advertisement is a local advertisement for a provider of a product or service and the advertisement is to be inserted at a first location in the media stream that follows a national advertisement for the product or service, and wherein the first fee is distinct from a second fee that is associated with insertion of the local advertisement at a second location in the media stream. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The system of claim 9, wherein the media stream is associated with one of a television broadcast, a satellite broadcast, and a radio broadcast. ### Claim 11 (depends on 9) The system of claim 9, wherein the advertisement is inserted into the media stream during broadcast media programming, wherein the media stream is associated with the broadcast media programming, and wherein the substitution signal is received with the broadcast media programming. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The system of claim 11, wherein the advertisement is a targeted advertisement. ### Claim 13 (depends on 9) The system of claim 9, wherein the operations further comprise selecting the advertisement from among a plurality of advertisements stored at the memory prior to inserting the advertisement into the media stream. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The system of claim 13, wherein the advertisement is selected from among the plurality of advertisements based on a sequence of advertisements that is determined to increase fee income. ### Claim 15 (depends on 13) The system of claim 13, wherein the advertisement is selected from among the plurality of advertisements based on a set of characteristics associated with the advertisement, the set of characteristics corresponding to an advertisement classification indicated by the substitution signal. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The system of claim 15, wherein the set of characteristics includes information categorizing the advertisement within a hierarchy of categories, wherein the advertisement classification designates a location within the hierarchy of categories, and wherein the advertisement is a closest advertisement of the plurality of advertisements in the hierarchy of categories to the designated location. ### Claim 17 A device comprising: a receiver configured to receive a media stream from a media content source; a memory configured to store a plurality of advertisements; and a processor configured to: detect a substitution signal embedded in the media stream, wherein the substitution signal indicates that an advertisement is to be inserted into the media stream; and select a particular advertisement to be inserted into the media stream, wherein the particular advertisement is selected from among the plurality of advertisements based on an advertising fee associated with insertion of the particular advertisement into a particular location in the media stream, wherein the advertising fee is a first fee when the particular advertisement is a local advertisement for a provider of a product or service and the particular advertisement is to be inserted at a first location in the media stream that follows a national advertisement for the product or service, and wherein the first fee is distinct from a second fee that is associated with insertion of the local advertisement at a second location in the media stream. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) The device of claim 17, wherein the processor is further configured to initiate presentation of the particular advertisement at a display device coupled to the device in response to detecting the substitution signal, wherein the particular advertisement is substituted for another advertisement included in the media stream. ### Claim 19 (depends on 17) The device of claim 17, wherein the processor is further configured to select the particular advertisement from among the plurality of advertisements based on information included in the substitution signal. ### Claim 20 (depends on 17) The device of claim 17, wherein the processor is further configured to: gather user data; determine, based on the user data, whether the particular advertisement is ineffective; and in response to determining that the particular advertisement is ineffective, delete the particular advertisement from the memory.