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US 8,276,173 B2Granted
System and method for processing program including advertisements
AssigneeAlpha Networks Inc.
InventorDong-Jie Tsai
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A system and a method for processing a program with inserted advertisements are provided. The system includes a plurality of program subscriber apparatuses, an advertising time server and a program-processing device, all of which are in communication with a network. At first, the program subscriber apparatuses generate a plurality of advertising time information in response to the operations of the program subscriber apparatuses by users. Then, the advertising time database integrated the advertising time information to provide an advertising time database having therein a plurality of representative advertising time information. The program-processing apparatus can process a specific program according to the representative advertising time information.
Claims15
A program-processing system operated with a network, comprising:
- a plurality of program subscriber apparatuses in communication with the network and generating a plurality of advertising time information of a specific program on a particular channel, in response to the operations of the program subscriber apparatuses;
- an advertising time server in communication with the network for providing an advertising time database having therein a plurality of representative advertising time information obtained according to the plurality of advertising time information;
- and
- a program-processing device in communication with the network for accessing the representative advertising time information corresponding to the specific program from the advertising time database through the network and processing the specific program according to the corresponding representative advertising time information;
- wherein each of the plurality of program subscriber apparatuses is equipped with a picture-in-picture (PIP) button used to toggle a PIP mode on the respective program subscriber apparatus upon actuation by a user, said PIP mode comprising the steps of:
- displaying the specific program in a sub frame of the respective program subscriber apparatus;
- displaying alternative programming in a main frame of the respective program subscriber apparatus while the PIP mode is in effect;
- and
- upon actuation of the PIP button, generating and transmitting the representative advertising time information to the advertising time server through the network, restoring the specific program to the main frame of the respective program subscriber apparatus, and terminating said PIP mode;
- wherein the representative advertising time information comprises:
- a start time of an advertisement on the particular channel, corresponding to the initiation of the PIP mode;
- an end time of an advertisement on the particular channel, corresponding to the termination of the PIP mode;
- and
- a channel number, corresponding to the particular channel of the specific program.
11 more elements
A program-processing method used with a network, comprising steps of:
- providing an advertising time database having therein a plurality of representative advertising time information obtained according to a plurality of advertising time information of a specific program on a particular channel;
- and
- accessing the representative advertising time information corresponding to the specific program from the advertising time database through the network and processing the specific program according to the corresponding representative advertising time information;
- toggling a PIP mode on a plurality of the respective program subscriber apparatus upon actuation of a picture-in-picture (PIP) button by a user, said PIP mode comprising the steps of:
- displaying the specific program in a sub frame of the respective program subscriber apparatus;
- displaying alternative programming in a main frame of the respective program subscriber apparatus while the PIP mode is in effect;
- and
- upon actuation of the PIP button, generating and transmitting the representative advertising time information to the advertising time database through the network, restoring the specific program to the main frame of the respective program subscriber apparatus, and terminating said PIP mode;
- wherein the representative advertising time information comprises:
- a start time of an advertisement on the particular channel, corresponding to the initiation of the PIP mode;
- an end time of an advertisement on the particular channel, corresponding to the termination of the PIP mode;
- and
- a channel number, corresponding to the particular channel of the specific program.
10 more elements
An advertisement detection system operated with a network, comprising:
- a plurality of program subscriber apparatuses in communication with the network and generating a plurality of advertising time information of a specific program on a particular channel, in response to the operations of the program subscriber apparatuses;
- and
- an advertising time server in communication with the network for providing an advertising time database having therein a plurality of representative advertising time information by integrating the plurality of advertising time information;
- wherein each of the plurality of program subscriber apparatuses is equipped with a picture-in-picture (PIP) button used to toggle a PIP mode on the respective program subscriber apparatus upon actuation by a user, said PIP mode comprising the steps of:
- displaying the specific program in a sub frame of the respective program subscriber apparatus;
- displaying alternative programming in a main frame of the respective program subscriber apparatus while the PIP mode is in effect;
- and
- upon actuation of the PIP button, generating and transmitting the representative advertising time information to the advertising time server through the network, restoring the specific program to the main frame of the respective program subscriber apparatus, and terminating said PIP mode;
- wherein the representative advertising time information comprises:
- a start time of an advertisement on the particular channel, corresponding to the initiation of the PIP mode;
- an end time of an advertisement on the particular channel, corresponding to the termination of the PIP mode;
- and
- a channel number, corresponding to the particular channel of the specific program.
10 more elements
An advertisement detection method used with a network, comprising steps of:
- generating a plurality of advertising time information of a specific program on a particular channel, in response to the operations of a plurality of program subscriber apparatuses;
- and
- providing an advertising time database having therein a plurality of representative advertising time information by integrating the plurality of advertising time information;
- toggling a PIP mode on a plurality of the respective program subscriber apparatus upon actuation of a picture-in-picture (PIP) button by a user, said PIP mode comprising the steps of:
- displaying the specific program in a sub frame of the respective program subscriber apparatus;
- displaying alternative programming in a main frame of the respective program subscriber apparatus while the PIP mode is in effect;
- and
- upon actuation of the PIP button, generating and transmitting the representative advertising time information to the advertising time database through the network, restoring the specific program to the main frame of the respective program subscriber apparatus, and terminating said PIP mode;
- wherein the representative advertising time information comprises:
- a start time of an advertisement on the particular channel, corresponding to the initiation of the PIP mode;
- an end time of an advertisement on the particular channel, corresponding to the termination of the PIP mode;
- and
- a channel number, corresponding to the particular channel of the specific program.
10 more elements
A method for determining an advertising time of an advertisement inserted in a TV program broadcast on a program subscriber apparatus, comprising steps of:
- toggling a PIP mode on the program subscriber apparatus upon actuation of a picture-in-picture (PIP) button by a user, said PIP mode comprising the steps of:
- displaying the specific program in a sub frame of the program subscriber apparatus;
- displaying alternative programming in a main frame of the program subscriber apparatus while the PIP mode is in effect;
- and
- upon actuation of the PIP button, generating and transmitting the representative advertising time information to an advertising time database through the network, restoring the specific program to the main frame on the program subscriber apparatus, and terminating said PIP mode;
- wherein the representative advertising time information comprises:
- a start time of an advertisement on the particular broadcast channel, corresponding to the initiation of the PIP mode;
- an end time of an advertisement on the particular broadcast channel, corresponding to the termination of the PIP mode;
- and
- a channel number, corresponding to the particular broadcast channel of the specific program.
7 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.