Time Warner Cable Enterprises LLC

Michael Angus

Peter Stern

Michael L LaJoie

Wilfred Jaime Miles

James S Manchester

Mark Wang

James Gutierrez

Julie Melendez

Jennifer Chun

Michael L Lajoie

Methods and apparatus for selectively enforcing required insertion or viewing of secondary content, such as advertisements or promotions, in a content distribution network. In one embodiment, the network is a managed network (e.g., cable television, satellite, or the like), and the method includes identifying secondary content with a particular attribute or property (e.g., an advertisement that a user has watched before), and selectively enabling one or more 'trick mode' functions relating to that secondary content. In one implementation, audio codes or watermarks are inserted into the secondary content and detected when the content is accessed or rendered; if the detected content matches a database or listing of previously played content for that user or premises, the trick mode functionality (e.g., FF or “skip”) is enabled, thereby allowing the user to bypass the content.

Apparatus and methods for selective enforcement of secondary content viewing

Methods and apparatus for retrieving and delivering content in a network. In one embodiment, unique data codes representative of content are generated by a network entity. The data codes are distributed to viewers either via a physical medium or on a display of similar content. The user device requests the content from the network by reading the data code. The requested content is delivered directly to the requesting device or provided to another device identified by the requesting device or user. In another alternative, the unique data code may be representative of the user or subscriber himself. This type of data code may be generated by the network or the device, and enables the user to access content he is entitled to via another device or terminal by delivery of information contained in the data code (or the code itself) to the network.

Apparatus and methods for content access, retrieval, and delivery in a content distribution network

Methods and apparatus for selectively enforcing required insertion or viewing of secondary content, such as advertisements or promotions, in a content distribution network. In one embodiment, the network is a managed network (e.g., cable television, satellite, or the like), and the method includes identifying secondary content with a particular attribute or property (e.g., an advertisement that a user has watched before), and selectively enabling one or more 'trick mode' functions relating to that secondary content. In one implementation, audio codes or watermarks are inserted into the secondary content and detected when the content is accessed or rendered; if the detected content matches a database or listing of previously played content for that user or premises, the trick mode functionality (e.g., FF or 'skip') is enabled, thereby allowing the user to bypass the content.

Apparatus and methods for selective enforcement of digital content viewing

A content delivery resource in a cable network receives a request for specified content. The content delivery resource retrieves profile information assigned to the subscriber domain. The profile information indicates multiple different playback formats assigned to the subscriber domain. To service the request, the content delivery resource utilizes the profile information associated with the subscriber domain to select versions of the specified content encoded in accordance with the multiple different playback formats. The content delivery resource then initiates transmission of the versions of the specified content in the multiple different playback formats to the subscriber domain for playback on multiple types of playback devices.

Growing community of inventors

New York, NY, United States of America

Michael Angus