US 8,555,309 B2 · Converged communication server with transaction management

Abstract

A communications server increases the value of cable and communication services by enabling the integration of packet network content with directed advertising in a managed environment. Such services may include Video On Demand and videoconferencing running on a Converged Communication Platform. Content processing within the server enables the combining of streaming content with different types of ads. Content integration is controlled through software negotiations between subscriber, advertiser, and content provider software agents. The rate, selection, placement, and number of advertisements within a television program or videoconference can also be determined. The ability to custom tailor content and advertisements increases the value of advertising, lowers costs to subscribers, improves the viewing experience, and disburdens transaction participants from the manual tasks that would otherwise be required during transaction setup.

Claims13

Dependent claims

A converged communication server, comprising:

an Application Server having a Transaction Management Application to perform transaction management;
a buffer to store streams of video data packets and advertising data packets;
a Media Server having a software application to perform integration of the streams of video data packets and advertising data packets, and to distribute a stream of integrated video and advertising data packets to a subscriber, wherein the transaction management application determines a minimum number of ads to be integrated into the streams of video data packets based on video content cost as identified in a content profile.

A converged communication server, comprising:

an Application Server having a Transaction Management Application (TMA) to perform transaction management, the TMA receiving a content selection and subscriber information;
a buffer to store streams of advertising data packets;
a Media Server having a Content Processing Application to receive encoded video data packets, decode the received video data packets and store the received decoded video data packets in the buffer, and a Video Processing Application, when ad integration conditions are met, to 1) mix decoded advertising data packets with the received decoded video data packets to generate a stream of integrated video data and advertising data packets when a, 2) compress and encode the stream of integrated video data packets and advertising data packets and 3) distribute the encoded stream of integrated video data packets and advertising data packets to a subscriber, wherein the transaction management application determines a minimum number of ads to be integrated into the streams of video data packets based on content cost of the content selection as identified in a content profile.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Converged communication server with transaction management

Life of this patent

Converged communication server with transaction management

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims13