Content Delivery Systems And Methods
Patent No. US11599912 (titled "Content Delivery Systems And Methods") was filed by Innovation Technologies Partners Lp on Aug 7, 2020.
What is this patent about?
’912 is related to the field of digital content distribution and advertising. Specifically, it addresses the problem of efficiently matching advertisements with electronic content items to maximize revenue for content providers while ensuring relevant ads are displayed to consumers. The background involves the increasing prevalence of digital content distribution and the need for effective ad-based monetization models to support content creation, distribution, and consumption.
The underlying idea behind ’912 is to create a system where content providers can define rules and criteria for ad insertion within their content. These rules are embedded in an electronic license associated with the content. When the content is rendered on a device, a digital rights management engine dynamically selects advertisements that meet the specified criteria and maximize a defined objective function, such as revenue for the content provider. This allows for targeted advertising based on user demographics, content preferences, and environmental factors, all while protecting user privacy.
The claims of ’912 focus on a method performed by an electronic device for rendering content. The method involves receiving a first content item and an associated electronic license that specifies content insertion slots and selection criteria. The device also receives one or more second content items (advertisements) selected for transmission based on device capabilities. The DRM engine then selects at least one advertisement to insert into a slot based on the license criteria and by evaluating bids against an objective function, maximizing that function. Finally, the device renders the first content item with the selected advertisement.
In practice, the invention works by allowing content providers to create a license that acts as a blueprint for ad insertion. This license specifies permitted and prohibited ad types, as well as criteria for dynamically selecting ads. The DRM engine on the user's device then evaluates available ads against these criteria, considering factors like user demographics, time of day, and location. The bidding process ensures that the selected ad not only meets the content provider's requirements but also offers the highest value, creating a win-win situation for both content providers and advertisers.
The key differentiation from prior approaches lies in the dynamic and automated nature of the ad selection process, combined with the protection of user privacy. Unlike traditional ad delivery systems where ads are pre-selected and bundled with content, ’912 allows for real-time matching based on a variety of factors, including user-specific information that is maintained locally on the device. This approach enables more targeted and relevant advertising, leading to higher revenue for content providers and a better user experience, while also addressing privacy concerns by minimizing the transmission of personal data to third parties.
How does this patent fit in bigger picture?
Technical landscape at the time
In the late 2000s when ’912 was filed, content delivery at a time when systems commonly relied on client-server architectures for distributing digital media, and when hardware or software constraints made efficient ad targeting and real-time matching non-trivial. At a time when digital rights management was typically implemented using proprietary solutions, the ability to securely manage and monetize content distribution was a significant challenge.
Novelty and Inventive Step
The examiner allowed the claims because the closest prior art (Ahn et al. in view of Yruski et al. and Hildreth et al.) did not teach receiving one or more second content items at the network interface of the electronic device, where these second content items are selected for transmission based, at least in part, on at least one capability of the electronic device. Furthermore, even if the missing elements were found in other references, a person skilled in the art would not have been motivated to combine them with the cited prior art to arrive at the claimed invention.
Claims
This patent contains 20 claims, with claim 1 being the only independent claim. Independent claim 1 is directed to a method performed by an electronic device for rendering content by receiving content and licenses, selecting content for insertion based on criteria and bids, and rendering the combined content. The dependent claims generally elaborate on and provide specific examples or limitations to the method described in the independent claim, such as the nature of the content licenses, the types of content items, and the objective function used for selection.
Key Claim Terms New
Definitions of key terms used in the patent claims.
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Date
Description
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US11599912
- Application Number
- US16988228
- Filing Date
- Aug 7, 2020
- Status
- Granted
- Expiry Date
- Aug 14, 2029
- External Links
- Slate, USPTO, Google Patents