Time Warner Inc.

David Alan Bryan

Gilles Boccon-Gibod

Nicol C So

Norihiro Edwin Aoki

Gene Rhough

The disclosure details the implementation of an apparatus, method, and system for brokering SmartAds. The disclosure teaches a efficient ad brokering as between advertisers, broadcast service providers, and media consumers by employing a SmartAds Client (SAC) and a SmartAds Server (SAS). The SAC may provide viewers with programming and integrate ads in an intelligent manner based on criteria supplied to it. The SAC is used to display SmartAds to television viewers. The ad brokering SAS is complementary to the SAC media consumer and provides services, ads, and ad related information to the SAC. By employing intelligence from a SAC and SAS, ads may be dynamically provided, changed, and/or augmented with programming. The SAS collects and matches media consumer profiles and advertiser bids against one another and an ad database to provide better targeted ads to media consumers. The manner and way in which this is achieved, results in the expiration of stale ads. Such stale ads are replaced with more intelligent, dynamically placed ads that are better targeted, tracked, and managed.

Apparatus, method and system for brokering and provision of intelligent advertisement

A simple, cost-effective, and robust method and system to obstruct crawls, logos, and other annoying and distracting images overlaid on a video signal and displayed on a TV set or monitor is provided. The method and system may detect the presence of the unwanted images and block them automatically, or they may accept manual input from the user via a handheld control device to block or obstruct these images.

Method and apparatus for concealing portions of a video screen

Methods and apparatuses, including computer program products, are described for authenticating the usage of an application. A request to execute an application is received from a user device. The application is executed based on the request. An application-level usage indicator is received from the user device. The application-level usage indicator corresponds to current operation of the application by a user and comprises at least (i) user input commands and (ii) passive usage metrics. The identity of the user is determined by comparing the application-level usage indicator with a pre-established user profile wherein the user profile is associated with previous operation of the application by the user and comprises at least (i) user input commands and (ii) passive usage metrics. Execution of the application is terminated at the user device if the identified user is not entitled to use the application according to the user profile.

Method and apparatus for authenticating usage of an application

Personal video recorders (PVRs) contain many desirable features, including the ability to skip undesirable portions of a recorded broadcast program. Disclosed is a method and system for a PVR user to share with other users tags identifying desirable program portions or segments ('Hot-Spots') and undesirable segments ('Cold-Spots'). Other users are able to either automatically or manually to adjust the replay of the program based on the tags.

Method and apparatus for exchanging preferences for replaying a program on a personal video recorder

Digital technology based consumer media devices have many desirable features, including the ability to easily find and watch television shows, and/or automatically record programs of interest. Disclosed is a system and method for allowing a group of television viewers to share program viewing information. This information, exchanged through various on-line community modalities (including Internet chat rooms, email, Internet Web Logs, and the like), can be used within a consumer media device, such as a Digital video Recorder to influence the decision process concerning which programs to record, buffer or view.

System and method for recommending programming to television viewing communities

A method and apparatus for determining a current user by receiving an application-level usage indicator; determining a user identifier by consulting a pre-established set of one or more user profiles according to the application-level usage indicator; and executing the application when the determined user identifier is associated with a user that is entitled to use the application.

Growing community of inventors

Carmel, NY, United States of America

David Alan Bryan