WO2013192127A1 - Serving content with reduced latency - Google Patents

Description

SERVING CONTENT WITH REDUCED LATENCY

Background

[0001] Content may be distributed to provide many types of information including news, entertainment, business, and finance. Some of this content provides information that may relate to products and services available to individuals who view the content. One form of content includes electronic content distributed over the Internet.

[0002] Content may be distributed over the Internet using one of many possible publishing options. For example, a Web site owner or publisher may offer content in the form of videos for display on Web pages of a Web site, and may include space on the Web pages for other content that provides information about products and services potentially of interest to an individual viewing the displayed video. Each time an instantiation of the Web page is generated, the publisher has an opportunity to serve product or services information in the space. However, the publisher may face several challenges in serving this information, including ensuring the information is of interest to the individual viewing the video and that the information is served in a timely manner. To ensure the information is of interest to the individual, the publisher may serve information that in some fashion relates to the displayed video. For example, if the displayed video is a Formula 1 race video, the served content might be for a European sports car. Even if the information is relevant to the video, the publisher also may need to ensure it is served with very low latency. Otherwise, the individual may become annoyed if the Web page is "frozen" for several seconds while relevant information to be served is fetched from a remote server. Thus, a content publisher faces these two, sometimes competing challenges of relevancy and latency, when attempting to serve information in conjunction with display of the video.

Description of the Drawings

[0003] The detailed description refers to the following drawings, in which like numerals refer to like items, and in which: [0004] Figure 1 illustrates an example environment in which relevant content may be served with reduced latency;

[0005] Figure 2 illustrates an example Web page that may be used to serve content segments with reduced latency;

[0006] Figure 3 illustrates an example of a content delivery system;

[0007] Figure 4 illustrates an example of a content delivery program;

[0008] Figures 5 illustrates an example of a media device that facilitates serving content with reduced latency; and

[0009] Figure 6 is a flowchart that illustrates an example method for serving content with reduced latency.

Detailed Description

[0010] In a content delivery system, individuals may operate media devices that receive content segments in response to activity occurring on the media devices. The content segments being served to the media devices may bear some relationship to the activity. For example, a smart phone may include an Internet browser that allows an individual to browse Web sites. A Web site being accessed may display a video program for which the individual was specifically searching. The presentation of the video program on the Web page presents an opportunity for a content publisher to provide information in the form of a content segment about a company's products and services.

[0011] The content publisher may be compensated by a company each time the company's product or services information is served on a Web page. The publisher may be further compensated if the individual viewing the Web page evidences some interest in the information by, for example, clicking on a link provided with the company's information. Thus, the publisher has an incentive to provide, on the Web page, information that is most likely to elicit a favorable response from the individual. However, if the information is not served in a timely manner, the individual may become annoyed, and may navigate away from the Web page. Thus, the publisher also has an incentive to serve the information with a low latency.

[0012] One content delivery system provides a primary content segment, such as a video, on a Web page with one or more spaces for serving secondary content segments, where the secondary content segments may relate to the primary content segment. When an individual, using a media device, accesses the Web page, a signal is sent to a server to provide secondary content segments for display in the spaces. However, if the server is remote from the media device, some delay may occur between the time the individual accesses the Web page and the time the secondary content segments are served. Furthermore, the primary content segment may not be displayed until after at least some of the secondary content segments are displayed, which may annoy the individual.

[0013] To improve serving secondary content segments in response to a display of a primary content segment, disclosed herein are a low latency content delivery systems and related methods. The low latency content delivery systems and methods are described herein with respect to delivery of content over the Internet. However, the systems and methods are not limited to content delivery over the Internet. Furthermore, the low latency content delivery systems and methods are described herein with emphasis on delivery of video as a primary content segment and video as a secondary content segment. However, the systems and method also are not limited to delivery of video content.

[0014] In an embodiment, the primary content segment may be a streaming video shown on a Web page of an Internet Web site, and the secondary content segment may be a video advertisement, commercial, or infomercial, or a static, display advertisement. The static advertisement may relate to the video advertisement. Hereafter, the primary content segment generally will be referred to a video program and the secondary content segment as a video advertisement. The video advertisement may bear some relationship to the primary content segment. The video advertisement may be served at the Web page when an individual requesting the primary content segment accesses the Web page.

[0015] The video advertisements to be served on the Web page may be stored on a remote server, and may be selected for display on the Web page when the Web page is accessed by the individual. However, a number of the video advertisements also may be stored, temporarily, on a media device the individual uses to access the Web site. When the Web page is accessed, an application, or local advertisement (ad) server, on the media device first determines if locally-stored video advertisements are available for display in an advertisement space on the Web page, and if so, displays a locally-stored video advertisement. Optionally, the local ad server may determine if any of the locally stored video advertisements is suitable for display, meaning the video advertisements match some scheduling criteria established for the video program being displayed on the Web page. In an embodiment, if no locally stored video advertisement is available, or optionally suitable, the local ad server sends an advertisement request to a remote advertisement (ad) server to serve an advertisement. Even if no locally stored video advertisement matches any of the scheduling criteria, the local ad server may select one of the locally stored video advertisements for display in the first ad space of the video program. In another embodiment, the local ad server always sends an advertisement request to remote servers after or in parallel with displaying a locally stored video advertisement. For example, if a primary video may run for twenty minutes and have opportunities (spaces) for three video advertisements to be served, the local ad server may identify one of the locally-stored video advertisements as for a pre-roll display but may request additional video advertisements from the remote ad server for the other two video advertisement spaces. The two requested video advertisements may replace existing locally- stored video advertisements. The local ad server also periodically replaces the locally stored video advertisements based on certain criteria. For example, the local ad server may replace the locally stored video advertisements on a weekly basis, when a history of video programs watched on the media device changes, and other criteria.

[0016] The low latency content delivery system also may push video advertisements to the media device. For example, the low latency content delivery system may determine a viewing profile for the media device and may place video advertisements on the media device that are suited to this viewing profile. In another example, video advertisements may change over time, and the system may replace existing locally-stored video advertisements with the changed video advertisements.

[0017] To implement the above-described functions, the local ad server may monitor requests for display of the video programs. Each such video program may include one or more keywords or other criteria that the local server may use to determine if one or more of the locally-stored secondary content segments would be suitable for display with the video program. The local ad server also can provide the keywords to a remote content server, where the remote content server uses the keywords to select a number of video advertisements and static advertisements to serve to the media device. The local ad server then may display one of these recently received video or static advertisements at appropriate times during the display of the video program. Following display, the local ad server may delete the video and static advertisements. When the video program concludes, the local ad server may delete some or all remaining locally-stored video and static advertisements and pre-fetch new advertisements. During display of the video program, the local ad server also may monitor a number of un-played video and static advertisements remaining in local storage, and fetch additional video advertisements to maintain a specified number of advertisements in local storage at the media device. For example, the local ad server may query a local store of the advertisements every five minutes, and fetch additional advertisements as appropriate.

[0018] Figure 1 illustrates an example environment in which content may be delivered with reduced latency. In Figure 1 , environment 10 includes promoter 20, content supplier 30, publisher 40, and viewers 60, all of whom communicate over network 50. The promoter 20 presents products and services for sale and may wish to publicize the products and services over the network 50. The content supplier 30 produces content that may be displayed to the viewers 60 over the network 50. The content supplier 30 sends the content to the publisher 40. The publisher 40 includes content delivery system 100, which is described with respect to Figures 3 and 4. The publisher 40 provides a mechanism for broadcast of the content to be seen or heard by the viewers 60. For example, the publisher 40 may operate over-the-air broadcast, cable, and satellite distribution systems. The publisher 40 may operate its own content servers, such as the server 70 and the server 80. In an embodiment, the servers 70 and 80 broadcast both primary content segments (e.g., the content, such as video programs, produced by the content supplier 30) and secondary content segments (e.g., video and static advertisements (ads)). Thus, the servers 70 and 80 also operate as ad servers. In an embodiment, the ad servers 70 and 80 are operated by entities (not shown) that are independent of the publisher 40. In another embodiment, dedicated ad servers serve the advertisements and other servers provide the video programs. In another embodiment, the ad server 70 functions as a super server: when an ad request is sent from a media device, the request initially is received at the ad server 70. If the ad server 70 is unable to fulfill the ad request, the ad server 70 forwards the ad request to the ad server 80. In an embodiment, the environment 10 may include additional ad servers, and the ad server 70 may send the ad request to the additional ad servers, either in parallel with sending the request to the ad server 80, or in a serial manner.

[0019] The promoter's products and services may be publicized over the network 50 by insertion of video advertisements during breaks in the video programs. The products and services also may be publicized by static advertisements. In an embodiment, the static advertisements may be companion advertisements; i.e., the static advertisements relate to the video advertisements. The content supplier 30 generates the video programs to be broadcast or streamed by the publisher 40 over the network 50. Thus, the publisher 40 provides video programs and advertisements over the network 50 to be seen by the viewers 60. In an embodiment, the functions of the publisher 40 and the content supplier 30 may be combined into a single entity.

[0020] The network 50 may be any network over which the publisher 40 may provide, and viewers 60 may view or hear, programming and associated content segments. The network 50 may allow the transmission of signals, media, messages, voice, and data from the publisher 40 to the viewers 60, including radio, linear broadcast (over-the-air, cable, and satellite) television, on- demand channels, over-the-top media, including streaming video, movies, video clips, and games, and text, email, and still images, and transmission of signals, media, messages, voice, and data between the viewers 60 and the publisher 40. The network 50 may include the Internet, cellular systems, and other current and future mechanisms for transmission of these and other media. The network 50 may be both wired and wireless. In an embodiment, the network 50 is a television programming network over which primary and secondary content segments may be broadcast over the air, over cable, by satellite, or by streaming.

[0021] The viewers 60 may view or hear the programming and content on media devices 61 . The media devices 61 may be fixed or mobile. For example, a media device 61 may be an Internet connected "smart" television (ITV); a "basic" or "smart" television connected to a set top box (STB) or other Internet-enabled device; a Blu-ray player; a game box; and a radio, for example. Alternately, a media device 61 may be a tablet, a smart phone, a laptop computer, or a desk top computer, for example.

[0022] The media devices 61 may display video programs generated by the content supplier 30. The video programs may include slots or spaces into which content segments such as advertisements may be placed. When such a video is displayed on a media device 61 , the media device 61 may send an advertisement (ad) request, which is received at ad server 70 and 80, and which may be answered with an advertisement.

[0023] In an alternative, the publishers 40 may contract with the promoters 20 to determine to which of many viewers 60 specific video and static advertisements should be provided. This determination may be based at least in part on information voluntarily provided by a viewer 60. For example, a viewer 60 may register with the publisher 40 and may provide information such as a password and user ID. More specifically, the publisher 40 may operate a satellite television broadcast network, and the viewer 60 may subscribe to programming broadcast over the satellite television broadcast network. Upon signing up for this subscription, the viewer 60 may select a password and user name. The viewer 60 also may provide personally-identifiable information such as name and address. However, to protect the viewer's privacy, the information may be "anonymized" or "partially anonymized." Examples of partially anonymized information may include the IP address of a media device 61 or a user name provided by the viewer 60. Anonymized information is any information that sufficiently identifies the viewer 60 or media device 61 without compromising the viewer's privacy, such as a user pseudonym or other abstraction of the viewer's actual identity. Any personally-identifiable information that may be provided by the viewer 61 , either directly or indirectly, may be made anonymous. The anonymized information may include cookies, viewer/device identifiers, or other information about the viewer's identity. The publisher 40 then, with the consent of the viewer 60, and perhaps for a reduced subscription fee, may make some of this information available for the purposes of scheduling content segments and recording content segments watched. The registration may be a one-time registration or a recurring process.

[0024] Furthermore, the systems and methods disclosed herein may provide for the viewer 60 to opt in or opt out of a specific aspect of the methods at any time. For example, the viewer 60 may opt out of a method that collects information about which content segments were watched. A media device 61 may send, with the consent of the viewer 60 (e.g., via opt out, opt in, or anonymization), identification (ID) information to the publisher 40 that identifies the media device 61 and/or the viewer 60. One aspect of sending the information includes a media device 61 signing on with a service of the publisher 40. In some cases, the media device 61 may sign on automatically using previously provided and stored credentials or other automatic information.

[0025] Figure 2 illustrates an example Web page on which a video program may be displayed, and on which video and static advertisements may be served. In Figure 2, Web page 90 includes a display window 92 in which is shown a video program and video advertisements. The video advertisements may precede the display of the video program, and may be served during breaks in the video program. In addition to the video program display and the video advertisements, the Web page 90 may include static ad spaces 94 and 96. [0026] Figure 3 is a block diagram of an embodiment of a content delivery system that provides reduced latency delivery of content segments such as video advertisements. In Figure 3, content delivery system 100 includes data store 110. The data store 1 10 may be any appropriate computer- readable medium. The data store 1 10 includes database 1 12, which houses data related to operation of the system 100, and program 200, which contains machine instructions that are loaded into memory 130 and executed by processor 120. Finally, the system 100 includes interface 140, which allows the system 100 to communicate with other computer systems. In an embodiment, all or part of the system 100 is implemented at the publisher, as shown in Figure 1 . In another embodiment, all or part of the system 100 is implemented on media devices 61. Implementation of the system 100 on a media device 61 will be described with respect to Figure 5.

[0027] Figure 4 shows an embodiment of the content delivery program 200 as implemented at the publisher 40. The program 200 includes ad request engine 210, matching engine 220, ad server engine 230, and ad tracking engine 240. The ad request engine 210 generates ad requests to be sent to the ad servers 70 and 80. In generating the ad requests, the ad request engine 210 receives inputs from matching engine 220. The matching engine 220 identifies advertisements that are suitable for display with a video program based on matching information related to the video program with corresponding information related to the advertisements. For example, a video program may have an associated identifier. The advertisements also may have an associated identifier. Advertisements that are suitable for display with this video program may be listed in a table that cross references the video program identifies and the advertisement identifiers. Alternately, the video program may have associated key words, and the advertisements may be matched to the video program based on the key words. The ad server engine 230 provides the ad requests to the ad servers 70 and 80. The ad tracking engine determines which advertisements actually are served to specific media devices 61 . In operation, the system 100 may push advertisements to the media devices 61. Alternately, the system 100 may simply react to ad requests from the media devices 61 . In this alternative, the ad request engine functions may be carried out by corresponding components at the media devices 61. In an embodiment, the functions of the system 100 are incorporated into the ad servers 70 and 80.

[0028] Figure 5 illustrates components of a media device that operate to provide reduced latency for content served to the media device. In Figure 5, media device 61 includes display driver 62, Web application 63, machine interface 64, user interface 65, and local ad server 300. The display driver 62 forms the video and static images displayed on a viewing screen of the media device 61. The Web application 63 allows the media device 61 to access the Internet, browse Web pages, and download content from the Web pages. In an alternative, instead of a Web application, the media device 61 uses a device native application. Machine interface 64 allows the media device to communicate with other devices, such as the ad servers 70 and 80 (see Figure 1 ). The user interface 65 allows the viewer 60 to operate the media device 61. The user interface 65 may include a soft key keyboard or a voice command application, for example.

[0029] The local ad server 300 includes ad request engine 310, ad store 320, and processor 330. 320The ad request engine 310 sends ad requests to the ad servers 70 and 80. The ad request engine 310 also sends ad requests locally within the media device 61 to the ad store 320. In an embodiment, the ad request engine 310 sends an ad request to the ad store 320 before sending an ad request to the ad servers 70 and 80. In another embodiment, the ad request engine sends ad requests to the ad servers 70 and 80 in parallel with sending ad requests to the ad store 320. The ad store 320 stores advertisements sent from the ad servers 70 and 80. Alternately, the ad request engine may send ad requests to the ad store 320 and only the ad server 70, and the ad server 70 may forward the ad requests to the ad server 80. The processor 330 controls the functions of the local ad server 300, including determining if a stored advertisement is suitable for display with a video program being displayed on the media device 61 , determining if the ad store 320 has a sufficient number of ads, and directing the ad request engine 310 to pre-fetch advertisements from the ad servers 70 and 80. [0030] Figure 6 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a method for serving advertisements with reduced latency in conjunction with the display of a video program. In Figure 6, method 600 begins in block 605 when a viewer 60 operates a media device 61 to access a Web site, navigate to a Web page having video programs, and downloads a video program for display on the media device 61 . In an embodiment, the processor 330 identifies the video program including keywords associated with the video program. The processor 330 may use the keywords to determine advertisements that are suitable for display with the video program. Alternately, or in addition, the processor 330 may identify that the video program is to be served with advertisements from a specific ad server, such as the ad server 70, rather than the ad server 80. In block 610, the processor 330 identifies ad spaces that may be used to display advertisements. For example, the video program may be preceded by a space for a video ad and may have two program breaks during which a video ad may be displayed. In addition to the video ad spaces, the processor 330 may identify static ad spaces. The static ad spaces may be for companion advertisements; i.e., static advertisements that relate to the video advertisements. For example, a series of video advertisements for a new model sport utility vehicle may be accompanied with static advertisements showing the vehicle and limited text, as well as a link to a Web site for the vehicle manufacturer. The static advertisements may persist after the video advertisement has played. However, the static advertisements also may change with changing video advertisements. In an embodiment, the processor 330 only determines when each ad space becomes available, and notifies the ad request engine310, which then sends an ad request.

[0031] In block 615, the ad request engine 310 sends an ad request to the ad store 320 to determine, based on the keywords, for example, if the ad store 320 contains advertisements that may be displayed with the video program. If, for example, three video spaces are identified for the video program being displayed, the ad request engine 310 would request three advertisements from the video store, and may receive, in return, identities of three video advertisements that are in the ad store 320. In block 620, the processor 330 determines if the locally available advertisements are suitable for display with the video program. If none of the locally-available video advertisements are suitable, the method 600 moves to block 620 and the processor serves the best available video advertisement. However, if one or more of the locally available video advertisements is suitable, in block 625 the processor 330 selects a local video advertisement for display in the first video ad space. The selection of a video advertisement for display in blocks 620 and 625 may be based on matching key words. The method 600 then moves to block 630 and the processor determines if the ad store 320 is empty (meaning all locally stored video advertisements have been served). If the local ad store 320 is not empty, the method returns to block 625, and the processor 330 continues to select locally available video advertisements. The process indicated by blocks 625 and 630 is repeated until all ad spaces have been served with advertisements. If in block 630 the ad store 320 is empty, the method 600 moves to block 640. The method 600 also moves to block 640 following completion of the process of block 635. In block 640, the ad request engine 310 sends an ad request to a remote ad server to fill the ad store 320 with replacement advertisements. Following block 640, the method moves to block 645 and the processor 330 receives and stores the replacement advertisements, and displays the replacement advertisements in the remaining video advertisement spaces.

[0032] The preceding disclosure refers to a number of flowcharts and accompanying descriptions to illustrate the embodiments represented in Figure 6. The disclosed devices, components, and systems contemplate using or implementing any suitable technique for performing the steps illustrated in Figure 6. Thus, Figure 6 is for illustration purposes only and the described or similar steps may be performed at any appropriate time, including concurrently, individually, or in combination. In addition, many of the steps in this flowchart may take place simultaneously and/or in different orders than as shown and described. Moreover, the disclosed systems may use processes and methods with additional, fewer, and/or different steps. [0033] Embodiments disclosed herein may be implemented in digital electronic circuitry, or in computer software, firmware, or hardware, including the herein disclosed structures and their equivalents. Embodiments may be implemented as one or more computer programs, i.e., one or more modules of computer program instructions, encoded on computer-readable storage medium for execution by one or more processors. The computer-readable storage medium may be, or may be included in, a computer-readable storage device, a computer-readable storage substrate, or a random or serial access memory. The computer-readable storage medium also may be, or may be included in, one or more separate physical components or media such as multiple CDs, disks, or other storage devices. The computer-readable storage medium does not include a signal.

Claims

I claim:

1. A method for reduced latency serving of advertisements on a media device, comprising:

receiving an advertisement request for a program displayed on the media device;

querying a local ad server on the media device to identify advertisements stored locally on the local ad server for display with the program;

displaying an advertisement from the local ad server in a first advertisement space;

fetching one or more advertisements from a remote server;

storing the fetched advertisements at the media device; and

displaying one or more of the fetched advertisements in second and subsequent advertisement spaces.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the program is a video program and the advertisements comprise video advertisements.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the advertisements further comprise static advertisements, and wherein a static advertisement is displayed as a companion to the video advertisements.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the program comprises an identifier, and wherein the video advertisements are fetched from the remote server based on the program identifier.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the program identifier comprises program keywords.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein querying the local ad server comprises comparing the program keywords of the program identifier to advertisement keywords of each locally stored advertisement.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising selecting an advertisement from the locally stored advertisements having a best match between the program keywords and the advertisement keywords of each locally stored advertisement.

8. The method of claim 5, wherein fetching advertisements from a remote ad server comprises:

attempting to fetch suitable advertisements from a first remote ad server; and

if the first remote ad server does not contain suitable advertisements, attempting to fetch suitable advertisements from a second remote ad server.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

sending ad requests to the first and second remote ad servers, wherein the ad requests comprise the program identifier; and

receiving one or more advertisements from at least one of the first and the second ad servers, wherein the received advertisements are selected based on the program identifier.

10. The method of claim 1 , further comprising replacing the locally stored advertisements with the advertisements fetched from the remote server.

11. A computer readable storage medium having program instructions that when executed by a processor on a media device, cause the processor to:

receive an advertisement request for a program displayed on the media device;

query a local ad server on the media device to identify advertisements stored locally on the local ad server for display with the program;

display an advertisement from the local ad server in a first advertisement space;

fetch one or more advertisements from a remote server; store the fetched advertisements at the media device; and display one or more of the fetched advertisements in second and subsequent advertisement spaces.

12. The computer readable storage medium of claim 11 , wherein the program is a video program and the advertisements comprise video advertisements.

13. The computer readable storage medium of claim 12, wherein the advertisements further comprise static advertisements, and wherein the processor displays a static advertisement as a companion to the video advertisements.

14. The computer readable storage medium of claim 12, wherein the program comprises an identifier, and wherein the processor fetches the video advertisements from the remote server based on the program identifier.

15. The computer readable storage medium of claim 14, wherein the program identifier comprises program keywords.

16. The computer readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the processor in querying the local ad server compares the program keywords of the program identifier to advertisements keywords of each locally stored advertisement.

17. The computer readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein the processor selects an advertisement from the locally stored advertisements having a best match between the program keywords and the advertisement keywords of each locally stored advertisement.

18. The computer readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the processor in fetching advertisements from a remote ad server: attempts to fetch suitable advertisements from a first remote ad server; and

if the first remote ad server does not contain suitable advertisements, attempts to fetch suitable advertisements from a second remote ad server.

19. The computer readable storage medium of claim 18, wherein the processor in fetching advertisements from a remote ad server:

sends ad requests to the first and second remote servers, wherein the ad requests comprise the program identifier; and

receives one or more advertisements from at least one of the first and the second ad servers, wherein the received advertisements are selected based on the program identifier.

20. The method of claim 11 , wherein the processor replaces the locally stored advertisements with the advertisements fetched from the remote server.

21. The computer readable storage medium of claim 11 , wherein the processor:

periodically determines a quantity of locally stored advertisements; and fetches replacement advertisements when the quantity is less than a specified value.

22. The computer readable storage medium of claim 11 , wherein the media device is a tablet.

23. A system for reduced latency serving of content, comprising:

a media device, comprising:

a local content store that locally stores one or more content segments;

a computer readable medium storing a set of instructions; and a processor that executes the set of instructions to: receive an content segment request for a program displayed on the media device,

query the local content store to identify content segments for display with the program;

display a first content segment from the local ad server in a first space;

fetch one or more content segments from a remote server; and

display one or more of the fetched content segments in second and subsequent spaces.

24. The system of claim 23, wherein the processor stores the fetched content segments in the local content store.

25. The system of claim 23, wherein the program is a video, and wherein the content segments include video and static content segments.

26. A method for reduced latency display of content on a media device, comprising:

displaying a program on the media device, the program comprising a plurality of spaces for display of content related to the program;

receiving a content request;

searching a local content store on the media device and selecting a content segment to display in a first content space; and

fetching additional content segments from remote servers for display in second and subsequent content spaces.