# US 6,487,721 B1 · Apparatus and method for digital advertisement insertion in a bitstream > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 6,487,721 B1 - Document ID: US6487721B1 - Status: Granted - Kind: B1 - Application number: 09/227,793 - Filed: 1999-01-08 - Granted: 2002-11-26 - Earliest claimed: 1998-01-30 - Assignees: General Instrument Corporation - Inventors: Reem Safadi - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US6487721B1 ## CPC - H04N 21/234354: {by altering signal-to-noise ratio parameters, e.g. requantization} - H04N 7/165: {Centralised control of user terminal (subsequent to an upstream request signal H04N7/17345); Registering at central (by two-way working H04N7/17309)} - H04N 21/23418: {involving operations for analysing video streams, e.g. detecting features or characteristics (television picture signal circuitry for scene change detection H04N5/147; filtering for image enhancement G06T5/00; methods or arrangements for recognising scenes G06V20/00; arrangements characterised by components specially adapted for monitoring, identification or recognition of video in broadcast systems H04H60/59)} - H04N 21/23424: {involving splicing one content stream with another content stream, e.g. for inserting or substituting an advertisement} - H04N 21/44016: {involving splicing one content stream with another content stream, e.g. for substituting a video clip} - H04N 21/6543: for forcing some client operations, e.g. recording {(remote booting in general G06F9/4416)} - H04N 21/812: {involving advertisement data (advertising per se G06Q30/02)} - H04N: PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION ## Abstract A system for inserting commercials into an audiovisual bit stream by providing cue commands in response to cue tones in a pre-existing analog signal, and/or in response to control signals from an uplink (/programmer/network) site or headend (/affiliate). Firmware upgrades are provided to a digital encoder to facilitate generating spliceable bit streams and generation of cue_commands. This enables commercial insertion at an uplink site (/programmer/network) as well as at a cable television headend (/affiliate). The system provides functional compatibility between a digital bit stream and the analog cue tones. The cue commands are preferably carried in the transport layer of the bit stream so there is no need to decode and process several layers of the bit stream. Accordingly, a new commercial insertion capability can be added to existing uplink and headend equipment in a backward compatible manner minimizing upgrade-related expenses, yet allowing different splicing techniques to be employed depending on cost-performance tradeoffs in terms of desired post-splicing audiovisual quality. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method for inserting digital commercials into a digital audiovisual bitstream, comprising the steps of: processing a first analog audiovisual signal to determine whether analog cue tones are present therein; encoding said first analog audiovisual signal as a digital spliceable data stream; providing digital cue commands corresponding to said analog cue tones, if present, in said digital spliceable data stream; said digital cue commands being provided in the form of a digital message in said digital spliceable data stream and indicating splicing points for splicing a digital commercial into the digital spliceable data stream; and forwarding the digital spliceable data stream to a commercial inserter; wherein: said commercial inserter detects said digital cue commands and inserts a commercial into said digital spliceable data stream in response thereto at a splice point designated by a first detected digital cue command; and said commercial inserter monitors said digital spliceable data stream for a subsequent digital cue command to splice back from the inserted commercial to the digital spliceable data stream. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, comprising the further steps of: multiplexing a plurality of single video program transport streams including said digital spliceable data stream into a multi-program transport stream; and forwarding the multi-program transport stream to the commercial inserter. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The method of claim 2, wherein: said digital cue commands are provided in said digital spliceable data stream at an uplink site; said plurality of single video program transport streams including said digital spliceable data stream are multiplexed into the multi-program transport stream at said uplink site; and multi-program transport stream is forwarded from said uplink site to said commercial inserter at a headend. ### Claim 4 (depends on 2) The method of claim 2, wherein: said digital cue commands are provided in said digital spliceable data stream at an uplink site; said plurality of single video program transport streams including said digital spliceable data stream are multiplexed into the multi-program transport stream at said uplink site; and the multi-program transport stream is forwarded to said commercial inserter at said uplink site. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein: said digital cue commands are provided in a transport layer of said digital spliceable data stream. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein: digital cue commands are provided in said digital spliceable data stream regardless of a presence of said analog cue tones according to a real-time trigger or a scheduler/controller. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein: said digital cue commands designate at least one desired program attribute of the inserted commercial. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) A method in accordance with claim 7, wherein: said at least one desired program attribute comprises at least one of bit rate and stream construct. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein: the digital spliceable data stream is a constant bit rate or a variable bit rate stream. ### Claim 10 An apparatus for inserting digital commercials into a digital audiovisual bitstream, comprising: a cue tone detector for processing a first analog audiovisual signal to determine whether analog cue tones are present therein; an encoder for encoding said first analog audiovisual signal as a digital spliceable data stream; control responsive to said cue tone detector for providing digital cue commands corresponding to said analog cue tones, if present, in said digital spliceable data stream; said digital cue commands being provided in the form of a digital message in said digital spliceable data stream and indicating splicing points for splicing a digital commercial into the digital spliceable data stream; a commercial inserter; and means for forwarding the digital spliceable data stream to said commercial inserter; wherein: said commercial inserter detects said digital cue commands and inserts a commercial into said digital spliceable data stream in response thereto at a splice point designated by a first detected digital cue command; and said commercial inserter monitors said digital spliceable data stream for a subsequent digital cue command to splice back from the inserted commercial to the digital spliceable data stream. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The apparatus of claim 10, further comprising: a multiplexer for multiplexing a plurality of single video program transport streams including said digital spliceable data stream into a multi-program transport stream; and means for forwarding the multi-program transport stream to the commercial inserter. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The apparatus of claim 11, wherein: said control and said multiplexer are provided at an uplink site; and said commercial inserter is provided at a headend. ### Claim 13 (depends on 11) The apparatus of claim 11, wherein: said control, said multiplexer, and said commercial inserter are provided at an uplink site. ### Claim 14 (depends on 10) The apparatus of claim 10, wherein: said digital cue commands are provided in a transport layer of said digital spliceable data stream thereof. ### Claim 15 (depends on 10) The apparatus of claim 10, wherein: digital cue commands are provided in said digital spliceable data stream regardless of a presence of said analog cue tones according to a real-time trigger or a scheduler/controller. ### Claim 16 (depends on 10) The apparatus of claim 10, wherein: said digital cue commands designate at least one desired program attribute of the inserted commercial. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The apparatus of claim 16, wherein; said at least one desired program attribute comprises at least one of bit rate and stream construct. ### Claim 18 (depends on 10) The apparatus of claim 10, wherein: the digital spliceable data stream is a constant bit rate or a variable bit rate stream.