WO2008116305A1

WO2008116305A1 - Method and system for targeted advertising in a distributed network

Info

Publication number: WO2008116305A1
Application number: PCT/CA2008/000564
Authority: WO
Inventors: Mathieu Giguere; Marc-André FORGET; Ronald Brisebois
Original assignee: Technologies Ezoom Exponentiel Inc.
Priority date: 2007-03-26
Filing date: 2008-03-26
Publication date: 2008-10-02

Abstract

A method and system for targeted advertising to end users in a distributed communication network for media streams using a unicast protocol comprise: a main media stream generator of a set of first media streams and a plurality of regional media stream generators, each associated respectively with each of a plurality of regions, for receiving at least one of the first media streams and for generating from the received at least one media stream, a set of second media streams to be delivered to the end users through the distributed communication network using the unicast protocol. Furthermore, the plurality of regional media streams generators each comprise an integrator for integrating region-specific advertising streams, provided by an advertising source, into the second media streams to thereby produce region-targeted advertising delivered to the end users.

Description

TITLE

METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR TARGETED ADVERTISING IN A DISTRIBUTED NETWORK

FIELD

[0001] The present invention generally relates to advertising networks. More specifically, the present invention is concerned with a method and system for targeted advertising in a distributed network.

BACKGROUND

[0002] For the past few decades, Internet has experienced an incredible growth and expansion. Technologies have changed from centralized computing to personalized computing, to mobile computing and now to intelligent services with a convergence of networks, devices and services.

[0003] Indeed, with the introduction of broadband Internet and highspeed Internet access, many new services have been offered to the consumers, such as Internet Protocol TV (IPTV), using video streaming over IP.

[0004] Also major worldwide television broadcasters are now transmitting their broadcast signals over the Internet. The streaming applications can be also deployed over some private networks such as cable TV networks, or cellular networks, for example.

[0005] Streaming applications generally consist of streaming medias that are consumed, i.e. heard or viewed while they are being delivered to a consumer. Each media stream, either audio or video, is delivered to the consumer using the Internet Protocol (IP). Furthermore, two IP based protocols can be used when broadcasting to a large audience over a network: Unicast or Multicast.

[0006] Unicast protocols send a distinct copy of the media stream from the server to each client. This is simple, but can lead to a massive duplication of data or media streams in the network, which implies the use of many servers for providing a distinct copy of the media stream to each client.

[0007] Multicast protocols send only one copy of the media stream over any given network connection, i.e. along the path between any two network routers. This is a more efficient use of the network capacity and it keeps the number of servers to a minimum, but it is much more complex to implement. Furthermore, multicast protocols are generally implemented in the network routers, as well as in the servers. Forwarding multicast traffic also requires a great deal of protocol complexity, particularly when knowing and satisfying in real-time the profile of each client of the audience, such as personalized content, interactions, billing, Quality-of-Service (QoS), etc. Thus, the multicast protocol suffers from deployment problems and complexity. Usually, the few networks that use multicast protocols are complex and expensive, and they are also generally difficult to install and maintain.

[0008] IPTV is becoming more and more attractive to consumers and grows rapidly; it evolved from broadcast TV to Video on Demand, then to Interactive TV and finally to personal communications with personal TV channels, using unicast content. With opportunities of offering interactive and personalized services, this field constitutes a huge market for generating large potential revenues for the telecommunication companies. Especially, personalized services, such as personalized advertising, show very promising results. Indeed, each user can receive different advertisements according to the user's profile and interests. Therefore, the users will not skip the targeted advertising segment since it is relevant and customized.

[0009] Since advertising often involves money and transactions, which are mostly performed online and through machines, security is of capital importance.

[0010] To achieve such services, an efficient system for allowing, distributing and performing targeted advertising, along with a security system for protecting transactions and promotions should be available.

[0011] Therefore, there is a need for overcoming the above discussed problems related to deploying secure targeted advertisement in broadcasting networks using the unicast protocol. Accordingly, a method and system for targeted advertising delivered to users over a distributed network, using the unicast protocol are sought.

OBJECTS

[0012] An object of the present invention is therefore to provide a method and system for targeted advertising in a distributed network.

SUMMARY

[0013] More specifically, in accordance with a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a system for targeted advertising to end users in a distributed communication network for media streams using a unicast protocol. The system comprises a first means for generating a set of first media streams, and a plurality of second means, each associated respectively with one of a plurality of regions, for receiving at least one of the first media streams and for generating from the received at least one media stream, a set of second media streams to be delivered to the end users through the distributed communication network using the unicast protocol. The plurality of second means each comprise means for integrating at least one region- specific advertising stream, provided by an advertising source, into the set of second media streams to thereby produce region-targeted advertising delivered to the end users.

[0014] According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a system for targeted advertising to end users in a distributed communication network for media streams using a unicast protocol. The system comprises a main media stream generator of a set of first media streams and a plurality of regional media stream generators, each associated respectively with one of a plurality of regions, for receiving at least one of the first media streams and for generating from the received at least one media stream, a set of second media streams to be delivered to the end users through the distributed communication network using the unicast protocol. The plurality of regional media streams generators each comprise an integrator for integrating at least one region-specific advertising stream, provided by an advertising source, into the second media streams to thereby produce region- targeted advertising delivered to the end users.

[0015] In accordance with a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a system for region-targeted advertising to end users, through integration of at least one region-specific advertising stream, provided by an advertising source, into media streams of a distributed communication network using a unicast protocol. The system comprises a main media stream generator of a set of first media streams and a plurality of regional media stream generators, each associated respectively with one of a plurality of regions, for receiving at least one of the first media streams and for generating from the received at least one media stream, a set of second media streams to be delivered to the end users through the distributed communication network using the unicast protocol. The plurality of regional media streams generators each comprise an integrator for integrating the at least one region-specific advertising stream into the second media streams to thereby produce region- targeted advertising delivered to the end users.

[0016] According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for targeted advertising to end users in a distributed communication network for media streams using a unicast protocol. The method comprises generating, through a main media stream generator, a set of first media streams delivered to a plurality of regional media stream generators each in communication with the main media stream generator; generating, from the first media streams and through the plurality of regional media stream generators, a set of second media streams to be delivered to the end users through the distributed communication network using the unicast protocol; and integrating at least one region-specific advertising stream, provided by an advertising source, into the set of second media streams to thereby produce region-targeted advertising to the end users.

[0017] The foregoing and other objects, advantages and features of the present invention will become more apparent upon reading of the following non-restrictive description of any illustrative embodiments thereof, given by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0018] In the appended drawings: [0019] Figure 1 illustrates a schematic view of a broadcasting network, comprising a main Cooperative Streaming Accelerator (CSA) and a regional CSA, according to a non-restrictive illustrative embodiment of the present invention;

[0020] Figure 2 illustrates a block-diagram of a CSA used in the broadcasting network of Figure 1 ;

[0021] Figure 3 is a flow chart illustrating a method of targeted advertising according to a non-restrictive illustrative embodiment of the present invention; and

[0022] Figure 4 is a flow chart illustrating a method for handling transactions in a promotional campaign.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0023] In the following description, an illustrative embodiment of the present invention will be described in the context of IPTV. However embodiments of the present invention are not restricted to IPTV applications only and may be applied to other broadcasting networks.

[0024] Furthermore, in IPTV applications, the Real-Time Protocol

(RTP) is generally used. However, many other protocols, such as some proprietary protocols, can be used and are within the scope and nature of the present invention.

[0025] A method and system for targeted advertising according to a non-restrictive illustrative embodiment of the present invention will now be described with reference to Figures 1 and 2. The system is in the form of a distributed network 10.

[0026] Now turning to Figure 1 , a distributed broadcast network 10 will be described. The network 10 comprises a main office 12, which includes a main cooperative streaming accelerator (CSA) 14, connected to a plurality of regional offices 16, each of them including a regional CSA 18 (only one such regional office 16 is illustrated in Figure 1). As a non-limitative example, such broadcasting network can be an internet TV broadcasting network.

[0027] Generally stated, a streaming accelerator (SA) rationalizes and accelerates non-intrusively the delivery of streaming media to remote users, while lowering deployment costs and operating expenses, improving streaming Quality-of-Service (QoS) and opening the feasibility of new TV and Audio related applications over an IP network. The SA uses standard networking equipments and is compatible with the Internet Protocol (IP). The SA can duplicate, control and deliver media streams to an unlimited number of destinations using the unicast protocol. It also uses standard Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) protocols and it is not bound to any streaming audio or video CODEC. Furthermore, it can also use proprietary protocols, specific to different elements in the network.

[0028] The SA can be, for example, an embedded piece of software implemented directly in a network processor unit (NPU) or can use a specially designed chip or a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) or a network processor unit inside a switch.

[0029] In addition, a plurality of SAs can be implemented for handling a large network, and for duplicating and delivering media streams through the large network. Such infrastructure, comprising the plurality of streaming accelerators, allows for a huge deployment of a distributed media stream delivery network using a unicast infrastructure, such as for an IPTV private network that offers TV channels over DSL access.

[0030] Generally stated, the concept of a plurality of SAs working together is to better distribute and thus accelerate the streaming delivery over a large network. When only one SA for duplicating media streams is used, all the duplicated media streams go through a same path in the network until the last segment of the network, where it is delivered to the destination of each user. But when a plurality of SAs, with one main SA working in cooperation with some regional SAs connected thereto, is used, only the duplicated media streams requested by a whole region go through the main path between the main SA and a regional SA. When those media streams arrive to the regional SA, they are then duplicated and sent to all the destinations, that requested the media streams and that are included in that particular region. Therefore, efficiency of media stream delivery is increased. In such configurations, each SA working with one another is referred to as a CSA.

[0031] Returning to Figure 1 , the main office 12 is connected to different receiving systems for receiving broadcast media, such as a satellite 20 or an antenna 22. The receiving systems can include analog and/or digital devices. Of course, the main office 12 can be connected to more than two devices.

[0032] Furthermore, the main office 12 can be directly connected to a source server, such as an interactive content authority server 24. In addition, the main office 12 can be also connected to an advertising server 33 for receiving advertising streams. [0033] More specifically, the main office 12 comprises the main CSA

14 and a plurality of elements connected thereto. The main CSA can be viewed as a main media stream generator.

[0034] For example, an encoder 26 is connected to an input of the main CSA 14, for converting analog media streams, received from the analog receiving systems such as 20 and 22, into digital media streams and for encoding them. However, before entering the encoder 26, the media streams coming from the receiving systems 20 and 22 are first processed through a decoder 28 and a demodulator 30, respectively, which are both connected as input to the encoder 26. The decoder 26 can be an integrated receive decoder for decoding the analog media streams coming from the satellite 20. The demodulator 30 allows for demodulating the analog modulated media streams received from the antenna 22.

[0035] Also, the main CSA 14 can directly receive digital media streams from the source server 24, through a streaming server 32, interposed between the source server 24 and the main CSA 14.

[0036] Upon receiving the media streams from the analog and digital receiving systems, such as 20, 22 and 24, the main CSA 14 performs a first duplication of the media streams so as to generate a set of first media streams and then delivers the set of first media streams to the regional office 16 over a network 34, through a router 36 and a switch 38. The router 36 can be a router of layer 3 of the Open Systems Interconnections (OSI) model, using Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM) or Ethernet, for example. The switch 38 can be an ATM switch which forwards, in layer 2 of the OSI model, the set of first media streams to the regional office 16, which will then take care of a second duplication of the media streams. [0037] The router 36 can be also connected to a middleware server

40, used for connecting together different softwares and/or applications implemented in the different, above-mentioned elements of the main office 12.

[0038] Finally, the switch 38 is connected to the network 34, which uses the Synchronous Optical networking (SONET) standard over optical fibers, for example. The network 34 allows the main office 12 to route the media streams and communicate with the regional offices 16. Of course, other standards of telecommunications and networking can be used.

[0039] The main CSA 14 controls the whole system over the distributed network 10. In other words, all the configuration and key features are concentrated in the main CSA 14. Furthermore, the main CSA 14 has the responsibility of the path reservation between the main office 12 and each regional office such as 16, connected thereto. Indeed, the plurality of regional offices 16 are connected to the main office 12 through the SONET network 34. Furthermore, the main CSA 14 can also perform transcoding when needed, as will be described hereinbelow.

[0040] One regional office 16 will now be described. It includes the regional CSA 18 connected to a router 42. The regional CSA 18 can be viewed as a regional media stream generator. The router 42 is connected to the network 34 through a switch 44, which can be an ATM switch, for example. The regional CSA 18 receives the requested media streams from the main CSA 14 of the main office 12, through the network 34, the ATM switch 44 and the router 42.

[0041] The regional CSA 18 duplicates the requested media streams so as to generate a set of second media streams which is then forwarded to the users 46, through the router 42 and respective DSLAM 48. Each user's end includes, for example, a computer 50 and/or a television 52 for viewing or listening to the received requested broadcast media streams. The computer 50 and/or television 52 are connected to a DSL modem 54 for accessing the duplicated media streams or the set of second media streams, provided through the DSLAM 48 of the regional office 16. However, other types of connections between the users' end devices and the regional office 16 are also possible. For example, the users 46 can access the duplicated, requested media streams through connections, such as radio frequencies, wireless links or cable modems.

[0042] Generally stated, the regional office 16 is responsible for authentication of the users 46 and final duplication of the requested media streams, which is performed in the regional CSA 18.

[0043] As media streams are delivered through the network 10, from the main CSA 14 to the regional CSA 18, to the end devices 50, 52 of the users 46, transcoding at different points in the network 10 may be necessary for enabling compatibility and bandwidth changes between different systems and devices. Therefore, a transcoding server or transcoder can be implemented at different points of the network 10.

[0044] Accordingly, a plurality of transcoders can be implemented in different points of the distributed network 10, so that transcoding is distributed where it is needed. In the present illustrative embodiment, a transcoding server is implemented in the main CSA 14, and in each of the regional CSA 18.

[0045] However, the plurality of transcoders do not necessarily have all the same functionalities. [0046] Furthermore, transcoding for lowering media streams' bit rate is generally performed at an early stage during the transmission of the media streams, i.e. at the main CSA 14 for example, so that lower bandwidth links can be used to deliver the media streams to the regional office 16 and to the users 46. The purpose of such transcoding is to save transmission bandwidth in the distributed network 10.

[0047] Now, more specifically turning to Figure 2, a CSA 14 or 18 will be described. It should be pointed out that whether a SA is used in a single mode or as a CSA working with other CSAs₁ the SA or CSA comprises the following main elements: a plurality of processing elements 100i to 10O_n and a plurality of forwarding elements 102i to 102_m.

[0048] The plurality of processing elements 100i to 10O_n are used to implement different functionalities, according to the services offered to the users 46 by the network operators. For example, a processing element 10O₂ can be used for implementing transcoding.

[0049] It should be noted that the more functionalities are provided the more powerful processing elements are needed and therefore a greater number n of such processing elements have to be supplied.

[0050] The processing element 100i generally comprises a proxy

104 for handling the requests for media streams from the users 46. For that purpose, the proxy 104 comprises a user request handler 106 for receiving and processing the requests of the users 46, a user authentication element 108 and a streamer handler 110. [0051] First, the proxy 104 uses the user authentication element 108 for identifying each user 46 that has made a request. As an illustrative example, the user authentication element 108 can validate the username and password of the user 46. Once the user 46 has been properly identified, the request handler 106 processes his/her requests. Finally, the streamer handler 110 enters in contact with a streaming server, such as 32 of Figure 1 , in order to obtain the requested media streams for the user 46.

[0052] The processing element 100i also comprises a communication driver 112 for communicating with the plurality of forwarding elements 102i to 102_m, over a private network 114, which can be a base channel. The communication driver 112 is a layer 2 communication driver and use a Multiple Command Virtual Interface (MVIF) to exchange data with the plurality of forwarding elements 102i to 102_m. The plurality of forwarding elements 102i to 102_m is responsible of receiving and then duplicating the media streams, and will be described hereinbelow.

[0053] It should be noted that each processing element 100, for 1 ≤ i ≤ n comprises a communication driver 112 for communicating with the plurality of forwarding elements 102_j for 1 ≤j ≤ m.

[0054] A second processing element, such as 10O₂, comprises a transcoding server or transcoder 116 for transcoding purposes, such as handling bit rate changes of the requested media streams.

[0055] Indeed, as a non-limitative example, the main office 12 of

Figure 1 can receive from the streaming server 32 media streams in high definition (HDTV) format. However, if a user 46, requesting the media streams, watches only standard TV (SDTV) channels, which require a lower bit rate, this person does not need to receive the media streams with a high bit rate. The main office 12 can then transcode the media streams from HDTV to SDTV format and then send it to the regional office 16. The regional office 16 receives the media streams in SDTV format and delivers the media streams in SDTV format to the users 46, belonging to its region. Therefore, since all the transmission of the media streams from the main office 12 to the user 46 is done in SDTV format, as opposed to higher bit rate format, such as HDTV, bandwidth consumption is minimized.

[0056] By using the lower bit rate when transmitting the requested media streams to the users 46, additional bandwidth becomes available for transmitting additional information, such as advertisement, along with the requested media streams. More specifically, targeted advertising, such as user- targeted advertising or region-targeted advertising, can be inserted or integrated in the media streams, as will be described hereinbelow.

[0057] More specifically, the transcoding server 116 includes a stream synchronizer 118, and a stream integrator in the form of a stream merger 120. However, the transcoding server 116 is not only restricted to those elements and can also include additional elements, for implementing further functionalities, such as codec transcoding for example.

[0058] When transcoding a media stream to a lower bit rate, the media stream is first decoded and then re-encoded with the desired lower bit rate and finally re-packeted in a media stream, similar to the original RTP media stream. The stream synchronizer 118 provides synchronization between the transcoded media stream and the original media stream for a player to play the media stream properly.

[0059] The stream merger 120 allows for inserting or integrating advertisement into the requested media streams, by merging two or a plurality of streams together. Indeed, since the transcoding server 116 has access to the decoded stream, coming from the forwarding element 102-ι, it can then easily mix a plurality of streams together, through the stream merger 118. The streams may come from different sources. For example, a content stream is generated from the streaming server, such as 32 in Figure 1 , and an advertising stream is generated from the advertising server 33 as illustrated in Figure 1.

[0060] Furthermore, a processing element 10O_n, for example, can include a transaction server 122. This transaction server is responsible for generating and validating promotional material, such as coupons, e-coupons, and gift certificates corresponding to the inserted advertising, as will be described hereinbelow. The transaction server 122 also keeps track of the coupons and promotions in a secure and reliable manner. Therefore, the transaction server 122 is designed to be very secure so as to avoid errors and prevent hacking. Also, the transaction server 122 is flexible and scalable so as to be able to perform thousand of transactions per second, for example.

[0061] It should be noted that using the speed of transactions may influence the choice of cryptography when doing encryption during a transaction process for security purposes.

[0062] Furthermore, the transaction server 122 needs to handle different types of transactions in the system, such as coupon and/or gift certificate generation and validation. For that purpose, the transaction server 122 includes a generator 124 for generating the coupons and/or gift certificates. The transaction server 122 also includes a validator 126 for validating the generated coupons and/or gift certificates. [0063] It should be noted that the transaction server 122 is preferably implemented in the main CSA 14 of the main office 12.

[0064] In addition, the processing element 10O_n can further include a statistical server 132 for gathering and collecting information related to transactions and promotional campaigns so as to build statistics for further references and processings.

[0065] Finally, the processing element 10O_n also includes a database 152 for storing the coupons and/or gift certificates generated by the generator 124.

[0066] Now, still referring to Figure 2, the forwarding element 102i will be described. It should be noted that each CSA, whether it is a main CSA , such as 14, or a regional CSA, such as 18, can include a plurality of forwarding elements 102i to 102_m for increasing the efficiency and power of the CSA.

[0067] More specifically, the forwarding element 102i includes a

NPU (Network Processing Unit) 130, which allows for duplicating media streams coming from either the streaming server 32 of Figure 1 or the main CSA 14, and a host 148.

[0068] For the purpose of duplicating media streams, the NPU 130 includes a duplicator 134, a receiver/sender 136, a stream modifier 138, a RTCP (Real-Time Control Protocol) handler 140, a packet sender 142, and a local packet handler 144.

[0069] First, the receiver/sender 136 receives the media streams coming from the streaming server such as 32 of Figure 1. Then, the receiver/sender 136 forwards the media streams to the duplicator 134, which first performs a flow matching of the received media streams. If the media streams are identified, then they are duplicated by the duplicator 134, for example, via a unicast protocol. If the media streams cannot be identified, then, they are sent to the local packet handler 144 for further processing with the help of the processing element 100i for example.

[0070] The duplicated media streams are then sent from the duplicator 134 to the stream modifier 138 for modifying the duplicated media streams according to each user's destination. The information concerning each user is looked up in the tables 146 contained in the host 148. Finally, the duplicated media streams are sent out over the network 10 through the packet sender 142.

[0071] Furthermore, the host 148 also includes a control element

150 for managing the execution of user commands, such as adding, removing or fetching a media stream. The control element 150 has a control protocol for allowing the host 148 to send requests and receive responses.

[0072] Turning now to Figures 3 and 4, a method for targeted advertising in the distributed network 10, according to a non-restrictive illustrative embodiment of this aspect of the present invention, will be described.

[0073] Generally stated, as illustrated in Figure 3, a method 200 of targeted advertising in the distributed network 10 comprises the following steps.

[0074] First, a media stream is generally transcoded to a lower bit rate so as to save transmission bandwidth (step 202). Then, the saved bandwidth can be used for transmitting additional information, such as advertising information. Of course, it is also possible to add advertising into the media stream in real-time without transcoding. The insertion of such real-time advertising can be done in the same manner as in the case of transcoding, for example.

[0075] In step 204, at the regional CSA 18, personalized and local advertising, which is relevant to the users 46 belonging to the region covered by the regional CSA 18, is inserted or integrated into the transcoded requested media streams so as to produce region-targeted advertising, as will be explained hereinbelow.

[0076] Then, in step 206, the media streams containing the personalized advertising is delivered to the users 46 through the distributed network 10.

[0077] In step 208, using, for example, a DSL modem, the media streams containing the personalized or targeted advertising enter the user's end machines. The media streams can be then played on the TV 52 and/or a screen of the computer 50, for example.

[0078] While the user 46 is viewing the media streams, the user 46 can click on the advertising portion (step 210), which may be displayed on a bar at the bottom of the screen of the TV 52 and/or computer 50, for example.

[0079] Finally, after the user 46 has clicked on the advertising, the user 46 can access the promotional material, in step 212, as will be described in detail hereinbelow. [0080] More specifically, the stream merger 120 allows for a realtime image and/or video insertion. Accordingly, this feature is used for personalizing advertising information according to specificities of each local region. For that purpose, an original advertising stream can be replaced with a complete different advertising stream, which is more relevant and appropriate to the local region, using a unicast infrastructure, for example.

[0081] For instance, the regional office 16 can decide to introduce local additional information during the transmission of a F1 (Formula 1) racing program. The local additional information can be displayed on a bar, at the bottom of the screen of the user's TV 52 and/or computer 50, while the race is shown on the rest of the screen of the TV 52 and/or computer 50.

[0082] As mentioned hereinabove, transcoding allows for inserting additional information at the bottom of a TV or computer screen, for example. It should be noted that the original content of the requested media streams is not modified but additional pixels are added to the transcoded media streams.

[0083] Furthermore, the bar can be used for a plurality of purposes, besides promoting advertisement. The bar can show information about the currently watched program, another program or a web site on Internet, announcements and/or local news, etc.

[0084] More specifically, when publicity insertion is performed (step

204), a media stream comprises frames from a content stream and an advertising stream. When inserting advertising frames into a media stream, switching back and forth between a content stream and an advertising stream is needed. Furthermore, when switching between the two streams, a reference frame is the first frame after each transition. A transition happens when an advertising frame is inserted in the media stream. Therefore, each advertising stream begins with a reference frame. After the advertising frame has been inserted, when switching back to the content stream, the content stream starts with a reference frame.

[0085] In order to perform inserting and switching between content and advertising streams, a buffer of a few milliseconds, for example, is also used for updating some tables, such as the tables 146, located in the forwarding element 102i, in preparation for stream swapping.

[0086] When switching between content and advertising streams, the network processing unit (NPU) 130, from the forwarding element 102i, can detect the appropriate time to swap between the content stream and the advertising stream, based on information provided externally, such as timing information. The timing information is then converted into a RTP (Real-time Protocol) sequence number by the NPU 130. This sequence number is derived based on data such as the sampling rate, network time protocol (NTP) and RTP timestamps. When a higher sequence number is detected, all packets from the original stream are dropped until the end sequence number is reached.

[0087] In addition, when inserting the advertising stream into the media stream, the advertising stream is assigned with the same source IP and user datagram protocol (UDP) port source as the content stream. Furthermore, the NTP timestamp used for the advertising stream is synchronized with the content stream. However, the synchronization source (SSRC) of the content stream and the advertising stream are different so as to enable the player, implemented in the TV 52 or computer 50, to not mix data packets coming from the two different streams, i.e. the content stream and the advertising stream. [0088] NTP synchronization can be achieved by listening to real-time control protocol (RTCP) sender report messages, generated from the content stream. Then, the advertising server 33 can start streaming the advertising stream at the appropriate NTP time, so that the advertising stream is inserted properly at that NTP time in the media stream, which will then be sent to a user 46 (step 206), so that the user 46 can view the advertisement (step 208).

[0089] Finally, in order to provide the "best user experience" for the users 46, when inserting advertising in the media content, a common protocol can be used and shared across the different types of media in the network 10, so that a radio and/or TV content can use the same messages to identify cue points. As such, the MPEG-7 standard with building information modeling (BiM) compression can be selected as the protocol for defining a stream content and sending it over the network 10. Since MPEG-7 is a standard protocol, integration with external and existing softwares and networks is feasible and simple.

[0090] When using publicity insertion (step 204), the promotional information becomes an integral part of the media stream that is sent to the user 46. Furthermore, there are a plurality of ways to display or publicize this promotional material, in accordance with step 208. When using a customized player, a bar, at the bottom of the player screen, can display the promotions, which can be then clicked by the user 46. When the user 46 clicks on the bar (step 210), an application is started, which allows, for example, the user 46 to save the promotion or coupon for a later use.

[0091] More specifically, when the user 46 clicks on the advertising insertion, the user 46 may be brought to the publicity and promotion web page so as to access the promotion material (step 212). This web page also allows the user 46 to get additional information about the promotions, to process and terminate a transaction, such as subscribing, buying the promotional item or exchanging an e-coupon, for example.

[0092] Furthermore, on this web page, the user 46 can search for additional promotions and/or coupons. The user 46 has also the possibility to buy gift certificates from the different merchants participating in the promotional campaign. However, the user 46 can be also brought to the same web page through other means, such as through a search on Internet about those promotions and/or participating merchants. This means that the user 46 does not have to watch a particular program encapsulated in the media streams in order to access the promotions.

[0093] Alternatively, the promotional material can be displayed in a

"picture in picture" mode, when it is clicked. For example, when the user 46 clicks on the bar representing the promotion, the program switches in the "picture in picture" mode, with the larger picture displaying the promotional material and the recommended link, which leads to the promotion web page. The placement of the stream should be moveable in the player.

[0094] The link to the promotion web page can also be found inside a live program, encapsulated in the media streams. For example, when the user 46 sees a yellow car in the live program, the user 46 can click on that car in order to be brought to the promotion web page.

[0095] It should be noted that besides transcoding, other ways, such as post-processing can be also used for adding advertisements and promotional materials to media streams. For example, prior to the diffusion of the above-mentioned yellow car image, an external system post-processes and analyzes the image. Then at the diffusion time, the post-processed information is sent along with the media streams, using the MPEG-7 protocol for example. [0096] Since promotions imply sales and money transactions, a reliable, robust and secure system, for handling and managing the promotions and the transactions, is provided. Such a system ensures guaranteed validity and uniqueness of the generated promotions. Accordingly, as mentioned hereinabove, the transaction server 122 of Figure 2 is designed to be very secure and robust for generating and handling transactions.

[0097] Generally stated, a method 300, according to a non-restrictive illustrative embodiment of the present invention, for handing transactions is illustrated in Figure 4 and will be described now.

[0098] The coupons and/or gift certificates are first generated, using encryption keys, by the generator 124 of the processing element 10O₂ of Figure 2 (step 302). Information corresponding to the generated coupons and/or gift certificates is stored in the database 152.

[0099] When some users 46, who have received or purchased a coupon and/or gift certificate from the promotional web site, desire to use them, the users 46 first validate their coupon and/or gift certificate (step 304) to make sure that the coupon and/or gift certificate are valid. In other words, their coupon and/or gift certificate should match the information stored in the database 152.

[00100] Then, in step 306, the users 46 can go to the merchant store, which may be virtual, associated with their coupon and/or gift certificate in order to redeem the value of their coupon and/or gift certificate.

[00101] The merchants can decide to accept or refuse the coupon and/or gift certificate from the users 46. [00102] In the case where the merchants decide to accept the coupon and/or gift certificate from the users 46, the merchants further perform a validation of the coupon and/or gift certificate (step 308).

[00103] Finally, the information corresponding to the used coupon and/or gift certificate is deleted from the database 152.

[00104] More specifically, in accordance with step 302 of Figure 4, when generating coupons and/or gift certificates, by the generator 124, reusing or regenerating a same coupon should not be allowed, since reusing a coupon requires the need of keeping track of the same coupon many times. Therefore, each generated coupon is unique and a unique number is assigned to the coupon so as to identify it. Furthermore, a unique coupon allows for providing more accurate statistics, in a promotional campaign, than a general open coupon.

[00105] In order to generate a coupon, the generator 124 creates a transaction. The transaction is identified by a first bar code, referred to as the transaction number. This transaction number can represent a direct index number in the database 152, located in the transaction server 122, and containing all the transactions. This number is unique in the transaction server 122 until its associated transaction is completed or expired.

[00106] Furthermore, some promotional information is associated to each generated coupon. In order to maximize the security level, this promotional information is encrypted in the database 152 so as to avoid any kind of malicious attack. [00107] The type of encryption used is derived from a second bar code, which is a pass-code for example. In addition, this pass-code is used in combination with at least a global system password for generating a full encryption key. The key, so generated, is then used to encrypt the information involved in a transaction, such as transaction ID, merchant ID, etc. However, each entry of the database 152 and coupon generation is encrypted differently and individually. Even if a malicious attacker/hacker succeeds to log on to the transaction server 122, since the transaction server 122 does not keep the complete set of keys, the attacker/hacker cannot do anything further. Not only the combination of keys is not local at the transaction server 122, but also the pass-code is independent of a transaction. Therefore a same pass-code can be used for two transactions, for example. However, each transaction is unique and is identified with a unique number. The uniqueness of the generated coupons and/or gift certificates is derived from parameters available at the transaction server 122, such as time and date of the creation of the transaction.

[00108] Concerning the pass-code, since the pass-code is part of the encryption key, the generation of the pass-code should be as random as possible. For example, there are a plurality of ways to do so.

[00109] First, a pass-code can be generated from a merchant ID, the time in the network 10, the load on the central processing unit (CPU), the current fan revolution per minute (rpm) of the CPU, etc. The pass-code can be also generated from a non-predictable atomic randomizer (in hardware).

[00110] Also, the encryption key does not only come from the pass- code given to the user 46. More specifically, the encryption key can be derived from, for example, the pass-code, the date and hour of the creation of the transaction, which is not sent to the user 46, and the global key system. [00111] Again, it should be noted that only the combination of the two numbers, i.e. the transaction number and the pass-code, allows for accessing the information associated with the coupon and/or gift certificate. It is to be noted that other methods could be used to safely generate coupons and/or gift certificates.

[00112] Also, the transaction server 122 only uses secure connection thereto. For that purpose, for example, firewall features are placed around the transaction server 122 so as to allow a better network protection against external attacks. The features include rate-limitation and packet filtering, for example.

[00113] Finally, a further step of security can be achieved in order to discourage fraud when dealing with a transaction. For example, a user 46, who has received or bought a gift certificate, can first validate it before the user 46 can use it, as illustrated in step 304 of Figure 4. Also, the user 46 registers at the web page and system. In order to ensure that the user 46 inputs a valid mail address in the registration form, the first few gift certificates, that have been validated, will be sent to the user 46 through the post office, for example. All this information is also kept in the database 152, in case the buyer contests the payment of the gift certificates.

[00114] It should be noted then that a first transaction only allows for the validation of the gift certificates. Then after the validation has been completed, a new and second transaction is needed for using the validated gift certificates.

[00115] The validator 126 allows a user 46, having a validated coupon and/or gift certificate, to use it. In step 306, when the user 46, as a client, goes to the merchant of the store associated with the coupon and/or gift certificate, to redeem the promotional item or product, the merchant needs also a reliable manner to identify and validate the coupon and/or the gift certificate (step 308).

[00116] For example, a secure web page can be used. This web page is accessed with the store log in. When the merchant enters the numbers associated with the coupon and/or gift certificate, the web page may return the following information: "coupon and/or gift certificate valid or not". If the coupon and/or gift certificate is valid, then additional information concerning the product or the gift certificate may be also provided to the merchant. If the merchant decides to accept the valid coupon or gift certificate from the user 46, the information corresponding to this used coupon and/or gift certificate is then removed from the database 152 (step 310). As mentioned hereinabove, the only way to access the information associated with the coupon and/or gift certificate is to have an existing transaction number, which matches the associated pass-code. For example, validation information entered by the merchant can be: the store ID, the product ID, etc. All those data need to be matched in order to accept and process a transaction.

[00117] It should be noted that a standard or a proprietary protocol can be used for exchanging data between the transaction server 122 and the merchant's validation devices.

[00118] Furthermore, in an alternative embodiment of the method

300, the merchants can also first accept the coupons and/or gift certificates and then post verify them. When this option is selected, the number of times that a person has reproduced a coupon and/or gift certificate should be determined. Knowing this number allows for keeping track of the number of times that the same coupon has been re-used. In addition, for statistical purposes, keeping track of which retailer stores have received the same coupon can be useful, so as to flag potential incoherent statistics or to identify which merchants have refused a specific coupon, for example.

[00119] More specifically, for statistical purposes, the statistical system 132 allows for collecting, managing and handling the information used and involved in the transactions. It should be noted that some information is not sensitive, but some other information is sensitive and is therefore encrypted. Some examples of insensitive information are:

• Expiration of the timestamp (or expiration of the coupon and/or gift certificate);

• Date and hour of the creation of the transaction (in millisecond for key generation);

• Server location processing the request; and

• Where a user 46 clicks (channel, program, ...)

Some examples of information which needs encryption:

• Transaction ID;

• Promotion ID;

• Product ID;

• Merchant ID;

• Value (of the coupon and/or gift certificate) as a confirmation of the printed value; and

• Source IP address (user's IP address), partial location - with internet service provider (ISP) agreements, the city of the user 46, etc.

[00120] Once a coupon and/or gift certificate has been used, meaning that the transaction has been completed, the entry in the database 152 corresponding to that coupon and/or gift certificate is removed therefrom (step 310 of Figure 4). For statistical purposes, a duplication of past transactions can also be performed. Therefore, a copy of the past and removed entries are kept, for example, in a different database, together with their transaction number and pass-code. However, these entries should be eliminated after a configurable amount of time, assigned to each promotional campaign, for example.

[00121] The generation of statistics is useful, not only for the merchants. Indeed, the statistics can be used not only for a promotional purpose, such as in a promotional campaign, but also for the emitter of the coupons/gift certificates so as to track the costs of generating coupons and gift certificates.

[00122] For example, the collected statistics allow a marketing group to target and enhance the promotional campaign for some specific regions in which the promotional campaign works well. By so doing, efficiency and profitability of the promotional campaign are increased.

[00123] The coupons/gift certificates can be emitted from two different sources: the manufacturer or the retailer.

[00124] The manufacturer needs to control his promotional cost. By so doing, the retailer can be reimbursed faster, with less human's errors. When open coupons are used, all the generated and collected statistics can be used, together in combination with the manufacturer supply list, for each store, so as to detect if someone is trying to cheat, in the case when some information does not match the statistics. Thus, using a fully automatic system, such as the transaction server 122, for dealing with transactions will accelerate the manufacturer's coupon processing.

[00125] The retailer benefits can be increased with more accurately promotional information and statistics. For example, if the retailer is a big chain, the same benefits such as those of the manufacturers can be achieved for the retailer.

[00126] For example, a statistical report can be generated and can provide the following information:

• How many people see an advertising;

• How many people click on the bar to obtain a coupon;

• How many people actually use the coupon;

• In which stores the coupon was used (with the merchant ID converted into a physical address, for example);

• How many people replicate (if replication is allowed) or use (if no replication allowed) the coupon; and

• How much time has elapsed between the coupon and/or gift certificate emission time and its consumption time at the store.

[00127] Although the present invention has been described in the foregoing specification by means of a non-restrictive illustrative embodiment, this illustrative embodiment can be modified at will within the scope, spirit and nature of the subject invention.

Claims

WHAT IS CLAIMED IS:

1. A system for targeted advertising to end users in a distributed communication network for media streams using a unicast protocol, the system comprising: a first means for generating a set of first media streams; and a plurality of second means, each associated respectively with one of a plurality of regions, for receiving at least one of the first media streams and for generating from the received at least one media stream, a set of second media streams to be delivered to the end users through the distributed communication network using the unicast protocol; the plurality of second means each comprise means for integrating at least one region-specific advertising stream, provided by an advertising source, into the set of second media streams to thereby produce region-targeted advertising delivered to the end users.

2. A system for targeted advertising to end users in a distributed communication network for media streams using a unicast protocol, the system comprising: a main media stream generator of a set of first media streams; and a plurality of regional media stream generators, each associated respectively with one of a plurality of regions, for receiving at least one of the first media streams and for generating from the received at least one media stream, a set of second media streams to be delivered to the end users through the distributed communication network using the unicast protocol; the plurality of regional media streams generators each comprise an integrator for integrating at least one region-specific advertising stream, provided by an advertising source, into the second media streams to thereby produce region- targeted advertising delivered to the end users.

3. A system for targeted advertising as defined in claim 2, wherein the main media stream generator and the plurality of regional media stream generators comprise a duplicator for generating the set of first and second media streams respectively.

4. A system for targeted advertising as defined in claim 2, wherein at least one of the plurality of regional media stream generators comprises a transcoder for transcoding the set of second media streams from a first bit rate to a second bit rate, wherein the second bit rate is lower than the first bit rate.

5. A system for targeted advertising as defined in claim 4, wherein the integrator comprises a stream merger for inserting the region-specific advertising streams into a set of content streams from the second media streams having the second bit rate delivered to the end users.

6. A system for targeted advertising as defined in claim 5, wherein the transcoder further comprises a stream synchronizer for synchronizing the content streams from the second media streams with the region-specific advertising streams.

7. A system for targeted advertising as defined in claim 2, further comprising a transaction server for handling transactions generated from the region-targeted advertising.

8. A system for targeted advertising as defined in claim 7, wherein the transaction server comprises a promotion generator for generating promotional material.

9. A system for targeted advertising as defined in claim 8, wherein the promotional material is selected from the group consisting of coupons, e- coupons, gift certificates and promotions, each having a unique identification.

10. A system for targeted advertising as defined in claim 8, further comprising a database for storing a copy of the generated promotion material.

11. A system for targeted advertising as defined in claim 10, wherein the transaction server comprises a validator for validating the generated promotion material within the database.

12. A system for targeted advertising as defined in claim 7, wherein the transaction server comprises a statistical server for gathering and collecting information related to transactions and promotional campaigns in at least one of the plurality of regions.

13. A system for region-targeted advertising to end users, through integration of at least one region-specific advertising stream, provided by an advertising source, into media streams of a distributed communication network using a unicast protocol, the system comprising: a main media stream generator of a set of first media streams; and a plurality of regional media stream generators, each associated respectively with one of a plurality of regions, for receiving at least one of the first media streams and for generating from the received at least one media stream, a set of second media streams to be delivered to the end users through the distributed communication network using the unicast protocol; the plurality of regional media streams generators each comprise an integrator for integrating the at least one region-specific advertising stream into the second media streams to thereby produce region-targeted advertising delivered to the end users.

14. A method for targeted advertising to end users in a distributed communication network for media streams using a unicast protocol, the method comprising: generating, through a main media stream generator, a set of first media streams delivered to a plurality of regional media stream generators each in communication with the main media stream generator; generating, from the first media streams and through the plurality of regional media stream generators, a set of second media streams to be delivered to the end users through the distributed communication network using the unicast protocol; and integrating at least one region-specific advertising stream, provided by an advertising source, into the set of second media streams to thereby produce region-targeted advertising to the end users.

15. A method for targeted advertising as defined in claim 14, wherein the first and second set of media stream generating steps comprise duplicating media streams received from a media stream source.

16. A method for targeted advertising as defined in claim 14, wherein the at least one region-specific advertising stream integrating step comprises transcoding the set of second media streams from a first bit rate into a second bit rate, wherein the second bit rate is lower than the first bit rate.

17. A method for targeted advertising as defined in claim 16, wherein the at least one region-specific advertising stream integrating step further comprises inserting the region-specific advertising streams into a set of content streams of the set of second media streams having the second bit rate.

18. A method for targeted advertising as defined in claim 14, wherein the at least one region-specific advertising stream integrating step comprises integrating at least one user-specific advertising stream provided by the advertising source to thereby produce user-targeted advertising.

19. A method for targeted advertising as defined in claim 16, further comprising synchronizing the set of content streams with the region-specific advertising streams.

20. A method for targeted advertising as defined in claim 14, further comprising handling transactions generated from the region-targeted advertising.

21. A method for targeted advertising as defined in claim 20, wherein handling the transactions generated from the region-targeted advertising comprises generating promotional material.

22. A method for targeted advertising as defined in claim 20, wherein handling the transactions generated from the region-targeted advertising comprises validating the promotional material.

23. A method for targeted advertising as defined in claim 20, wherein handling the transactions generated from the region-targeted advertising comprises deleting the promotional material once used.

24. A method for targeted advertising as defined in claim 14, further comprising collecting statistics on transactions and promotion campaigns corresponding to the region-targeted advertising.

25. A method for targeted advertising as defined in claim 14, further comprising displaying the region-targeted advertising through a bar at a bottom of a TV screen.

26. A method for targeted advertising as defined in claim 14, further comprising encapsulating the region-targeted advertising through an interactive object in a live program running on TV.