Time Warner Cable Enterprises LLC

Time Warner Cable Inc.

Time Warner Interactive Video Group, Inc.

Level 3 Communications, LLC

Other

U S West, Inc.

Mediaone Group, Inc.

Time Warner Entertainment Company, L.p.

Aol Time Warner Interactive Video Group, Inc.

Twc Interactive Video Group, Inc.

Erik Gwyn Urdang

John B Carlucci

Louis Dew Williamson

Joseph G Buehl

David M Kimble

John Callahan

Thomas L Gonder

Bryan Santangelo

Tom Gonder

Steve Riedl

Brad Jordan

Darryl Lanay DeFreese

David Bell

Robert M Fein

John W Callahan

The present invention discloses a system and method for providing targeted advertising in a television distribution system, without the disclosure of personally identifiable information. The system of the present invention comprises an advertisement management system (AMS) operative to monitor the state of one or more clients in the television distribution system and determine when a advertisement is required. The AMS is operative to select one or more features that do not comprise personally identifiable information from a feature repository. The system also comprises an advertisement selection system (ADS) operative to receive the one or more features from the AMS and select an advertisement targeted according to the one or more features.

System and method for targeted distribution of advertising without disclosure of personally identifiable information

Segmentation messages indicative of locations of upcoming events, such as the start and end of programs and program portions, and/or rights related to the programs and program portions, are used by cable systems and the like to store programs and program portions for later retrieval and transmission to customers on request. Storage, retrieval and management of programming is thereby facilitated. Methods and systems are disclosed.

Program storage, retrieval and management based on segmentation messages

Implementations of the present disclosure involve an apparatus and/or method for a network topology discovery engine that detects one or more network elements and/or one or more connections between a plurality of network elements. The network topology discovery engine transmits a request for operational and connection information from at least one network element. In response, network topology information is received by the network topology discovery engine by one or more elements of the network that provide information on the topology and operational state of the telecommunications network. The received information may then be stored in a network topology database. This network topology database may be utilized by the network or a related component for information or maintenance of the telecommunications network, such as an obsolescence tracker to detect one or more network elements that could be replaced or upgraded.

Network topology discovery and obsolescence reporting

Aspects of the present disclosure disclose systems and methods for consolidating business assets currently being employed by the enterprise to perform business tasks. In various aspects, a well defined application programming interface ('API') may be generated or otherwise provided that enables access to portions of an enterprise's assets and subsequently exposes such business assets in a standard format to requesting applications.

Systems and methods for system consolidation

A method of generating a program signal stream comprises creating a sequence of serial programs that include a first event and a second, later occurring event and inserting a plurality of messages in the sequence of serial programs, between the first event and the 5 second event. The messages may be indicative of a time to the second event, as measured from each respective message of an elapsed time since the first event, to each respective message. Alternatively or in addition, the messages may be at equal time intervals between the first event and second events. The first and second events may be the start and end of a program or a program portion, such as a chapter, an advertisement, unscheduled content or an 10 entire program, for example. At least one message indicative of the time to the second event may be inserted in the sequence of serial programs prior to the first event.

Use of multiple embedded messages in program signal streams

In a broadband communications system, information is collected which relates to user-issued commands for accessing programming content and manipulating recorded programming content. The commands are monitored to determine when such content is accessed (i.e., requested, selected or played) and manipulated (i.e., rewound, fast-forwarded, paused, etc.) by a user. Data associated with a command to request, select or manipulate programming content is read from the user-issued command and forwarded to a processor for presentation of the programming content. The read data is stored and made available for analyzing user activity respecting programming content provided by the broadband communication system. Such analysis may relate to the popularity of specific programs, the frequency in which specific commercials are skipped or played, the most popular times that a specific program or type of program is accessed, and the like.

Technique for collecting data relating to activity of a user receiving entertainment programs through a communications network

The present invention is directed to systems and methods for employing canonical metadata to describe advertisements comprising an advertiser storing an advertisement and arbitrarily complex metadata that is descriptive of the advertisement, which is received at a control center. At the control center, the advertisement is mapped to canonical metadata. The advertisement and canonical metadata are stored at the control center for use in discriminating between advertisements from a plurality of advertisers.

System and method for advertisement delivery within a video time shifting architecture

The present invention is directed to systems and methods for creating a program for delivery to a client in a video time shifting architecture. The system of the present comprises an advertisement selection system (ADS) operative to select one or more advertisements and transmit one or more identifiers that uniquely identify the selected advertisements and an advertisement management system (AMS) operative to generate a playlist that identifies content. The playlist includes a user requested time shifted program and the one or more selected advertisements. A video server is operative to interpret the playlist and deliver the content to the user.

Program content is received at a headend of a broadband communication system, along with data concerning scheduled start and end times of the program derived from electronic program guide (EPG) data. After the program is broadcast, the actual broadcast start and end times of the program are compared with the corresponding scheduled times to determine whether there is any start and/or end time variance. If a time variance is determined, the content of the program is redefined to include only its supposed content. The redefined content is then made part of an asset for later retrieval and distribution.

Growing community of inventors

Boulder, CO, United States of America

Erik Gwyn Urdang