IP Verse

Content Delivery Systems And Methods

Patent No. US12125070 (titled "Content Delivery Systems And Methods") was filed by Innovation Technologies Partners Lp on Mar 6, 2023.

What is this patent about?

’070 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 ad delivery to end users. The background involves the increasing prevalence of digital content distribution and the need for effective monetization strategies beyond traditional methods.

The underlying idea behind ’070 is to create a system where content providers can define ad slots within their content and specify criteria for the types of ads that are permissible. The system then dynamically selects advertisements to insert into these slots based on a bidding process, where the bids are evaluated against an objective function. This allows for efficient matching of user-targeted ads at the point of content consumption, optimizing revenue and minimizing distribution costs.

The claims of ’070 focus on a method for managing content rendered by an electronic device. This involves receiving a content license that specifies ad insertion slots and criteria for selecting ads. The system receives multiple candidate ads, selects the best one based on evaluating the ads against the specified criteria and evaluating bids against an objective function, and then enables the rendering of the selected ad within the content.

In practice, the invention involves a trusted proxy service acting as a digital peer for the electronic device. This proxy receives the content and ad licenses, selects appropriate ads based on the specified criteria and bidding process, and then enables the rendering of the combined content and advertisement on the user's device. The selection process considers both the content provider's requirements and the advertiser's willingness to pay, aiming to maximize the objective function, which could be revenue or other defined metrics.

This approach differentiates itself from prior art by enabling dynamic ad selection based on real-time bidding and content provider preferences, all managed through a trusted proxy. Unlike traditional methods where ads are statically embedded or selected based on limited criteria, ’070 allows for a more flexible and optimized ad delivery system. The use of a digital rights management engine ensures that the process adheres to the specified criteria and maximizes the desired objective.

How does this patent fit in bigger picture?

Technical landscape at the time

In the late 2000s when ’070 was filed, content distribution was being rapidly transformed by efficient digital media formats and digital storage technologies. At a time when Internet TV and mobile TV were providing new distribution capabilities for video, systems commonly relied on linking to numerous other Internet-based services. Ad-based content distribution systems offered the hope that ads could fund not only the production of content, but also the services that distribute the content and the devices upon which the content was rendered.

Novelty and Inventive Step

The examiner allowed the claims because the closest prior art, a combination of Ahn et al., Yruski et al., and Hildreth et al., did not teach receiving one or more second content items by a trusted proxy service, where the second content items are selected based, at least in part, on at least one capability of the electronic device. The examiner also stated that even if the missing claimed elements were found in a reasonable number of references, a person of ordinary skill in the art would not have been motivated to combine the references in such a way.

Claims

This patent contains 20 claims, with claim 1 being the only independent claim. Independent claim 1 is directed to a method for managing content rendered by an electronic device using a trusted proxy service to insert content items into slots within a first content item based on criteria in an electronic content license. The dependent claims generally elaborate on and refine the method of the independent claim, adding details regarding receiving content, streaming content, types of content, objective functions, and electronic content licenses.

Key Claim Terms New

Definitions of key terms used in the patent claims.

Term (Source)Support for SpecificationInterpretation
Content insertion slots
(Claim 1)		“Content items and advertisements can be independently super-distributed, or distributed via conventional commercial methods. Efficient mechanisms are employed to ensure that when a consumer uses content, online or offline, that this usage event is funded by advertising that is well-targeted to that consumer, and that the event optimally compensates the content provider or distributor, as well as other stakeholders who participate in adding value to the system.”Specific locations within a content item where other content items can be inserted.
Digital rights management engine
(Claim 1)		“In some embodiments, efficient feedback mechanisms can be used to allow for optimization of the targeting, real-time matching, and auctioning mechanisms.”A component executed by the trusted proxy service that selects content items for insertion based on the content license.
Objective function
(Claim 1)		“Efficient mechanisms are employed to ensure that when a consumer uses content, online or offline, that this usage event is funded by advertising that is well-targeted to that consumer, and that the event optimally compensates the content provider or distributor, as well as other stakeholders who participate in adding value to the system.”A function used to evaluate bids associated with content items to determine which content item maximizes the function and is selected for insertion.
Trusted proxy service
(Claim 1)		“In preferred embodiments of the present body of work, content distribution technologies are linked to advertising services to support the distribution of digital content. Embodiments of the systems and methods described herein enable the monetization of content distribution by efficiently matching user-targeted ads at the time and/or point of content consumption.”A service that acts as a digital peer for the electronic device and is responsible for receiving content licenses and selecting content items for insertion.

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US12125070

INNOVATION TECHNOLOGIES PARTNERS LP
Application Number
US18179264
Filing Date
Mar 6, 2023
Status
Granted
Expiry Date
Apr 30, 2029
External Links
Slate, USPTO, Google Patents