Apparatus and methods for dynamic secondary content and data insertion and delivery

Abstract

Apparatus and methods for providing primary and secondary content and data to users. In one embodiment, management entities at a content delivery network core cooperate to provide primary content with contextually related or germane inserted secondary content to user devices. Inserted secondary content may include e.g., advertisements, multimedia applications, interactive programming, and scheduled programming. A network entity monitors user-specific data such as demographics, geographic location, and viewing patterns, and facilitates content selection and delivery based thereon. Content insertion may further be managed by a campaign manager according to business rules. In another embodiment, the primary and secondary content is pushed to a device at or near the network edge based on the applicability thereof to devices serviced by the edge device.

1 . A method for providing targeted secondary content to a subscriber of a content-delivery network, the method comprising:
 receiving a request for on-demand content from said subscriber;   determining whether said subscriber is entitled to receive said requested on-demand content; and   if said subscriber is entitled to receive said requested content:
 evaluating the requested on-demand content to identify an insertion opportunity; 
 identifying at least one secondary content element targeted to said insertion opportunity; 
 inserting said at least one secondary content element into said requested on-demand content at said opportunity; and 
 delivering said on-demand content and said at least one secondary content element inserted therein via an on-demand session. 
   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said request is received from a mobile client device in data communication with a packet-switched network, the packet-switched network being in data communication with the content-delivery network, and said method further comprises determining an association of said mobile client device to said subscriber via a subscriber account within said content-delivery network. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein said requested on-demand content and said inserted at least one secondary content element are delivered to said client device over at least said packet-switched network according to the Internet Protocol (IP). 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising receiving a plurality of information relating to one or more activities of said subscriber, and said secondary content element targeted to said opportunity comprises secondary content selected at least in part based on said one or more activities. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said act of inserting said at least one secondary content element comprises removing at least a portion of said requested on-demand content, and replacing said at least portion with said at least one secondary content element. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 5 , wherein said at least portion of said requested content comprises advertisement content. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said act of inserting at least one secondary content element comprises inserting said secondary content at regular intervals within said requested on-demand content. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said act of inserting at least one secondary content element is performed dynamically upon a user-initiated event. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 8 , wherein said user-initiated event comprises an on-demand “pause” or “stop” event. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein at least one campaign management entity is configured to mange said act of identifying said at least one secondary content element according to one or more business rules. 
     
     
         11 . A method for providing on-demand content to a personal mobile device (PMD), the method comprising:
 providing a listing of a plurality of available on-demand content to said PMD;   receiving a request for a selected one of said available on-demand content from said PMD, said request including information identifying said PMD and information identifying said selected content; and   identifying, based at least in part on said information identifying said PMD, one or more secondary content elements for insertion into said selected one of said plurality of on-demand content;   wherein said on-demand content comprises content not originally intended to have secondary content inserted therein.   
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 11 , further comprising generating a playlist of said identified one or more secondary content elements. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 12 , further comprising:
 utilizing said playlist to selectively insert one or more of said secondary content elements into said selected one of said available on-demand content; and   transmitting said selected one of said available on-demand content having said one or more secondary content elements inserted therein to said PMD.   
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 12 , further comprising:
 transmitting said playlist and said selected one of said available on-demand content to said PMD;   wherein said PMD is configured to utilize said playlist to select one or more secondary content elements for insertion into said selected one of said available on-demand content.   
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 11 , further comprising:
 inserting said identified one or more secondary content elements into said selected one of said plurality of on-demand content; and   transmitting said selected one of said plurality of on-demand content having said one or more secondary content elements inserted therein to said PMD.   
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 15 , wherein said act of inserting said identified one or more secondary content elements into said selected one of said plurality of on-demand content comprises inserting upon the occurrence of a user-initiated event. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein said user-initiated event comprises one of: (i) a command to begin playback of said selected one of said plurality of on-demand content, (ii) a stop command, and (iii) a pause command. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein said act of identifying comprises:
 using said information identifying said PMD to associate said PMD to a user account;   determining a geographic area associated with said user account; and   identifying content targeted to said geographic area.   
     
     
         19 . In a content delivery network, apparatus configured to deliver content to a plurality of user devices, said apparatus comprising:
 at least one interface for receiving a plurality of primary and secondary content;   a storage apparatus configured to at least temporarily store said plurality of primary and secondary content;   at least one interface for transmitting selected ones of said plurality of primary and secondary content to said plurality of user devices; and   a processor, said processor configured to run at least one computer program thereon, said computer program configured to:
 receive a request for an individual one of said plurality of primary content from at least one of said plurality of user devices; 
 select one or more of said plurality of secondary content for insertion into said individual one of said primary content; and 
 cause transmission of said selected one or more of said plurality of secondary content and said individual one of said plurality of primary content in a substantially coordinated fashion. 
   
     
     
         20 . The apparatus of  claim 19 , wherein said apparatus comprises a server entity located at local service node of said network and configured to service a portion of a plurality of network subscribers. 
     
     
         21 . The apparatus of  claim 19 , wherein:
 said apparatus comprises an on-demand server;   said primary content comprises on-demand content;   said secondary content comprises advertisement content; and   said transmission of said selected one or more of said plurality of secondary content and said individual one of said plurality of primary content comprises a session-based transmission thereof.   
     
     
         22 . The apparatus of  claim 19 , wherein said transmission of said selected one or more of said plurality of secondary content and said individual one of said plurality of primary content in a substantially coordinated fashion comprises transmission of said individual one of said plurality of primary content having said selected one or more of said plurality of secondary content inserted therein. 
     
     
         23 . The apparatus of  claim 19 , wherein said insertion of said secondary content comprises dynamic insertion substantially in response to a user command relating to control of said primary content. 
     
     
         24 . The apparatus of  claim 22 , wherein said apparatus is configured to communicate with at least one entity for the management of said insertion of said secondary content. 
     
     
         25 . The server apparatus of  claim 19 , wherein:
 said at least one computer program is further configured to determine a subscriber account to which said request is associated; and   said selection of said one or more of said plurality of secondary content comprises selection based at least in part on said determined subscriber account.   
     
     
         26 . A method of opportunistically providing contextually relevant advertising content along with requested primary content over a content delivery network, the method comprising:
 receiving a request from a user of the network for the primary content;   determining context-specific information relating to the user based at least in part on the request;   identifying at least one advertising content element based at least in part on said context-specific information;   transmitting at least a portion of the requested primary content to the user;   dynamically identifying an insertion opportunity within said requested primary content for said at least one advertising content element; and   delivering the at least one advertising content element to the user at the identified insertion opportunity.   
     
     
         27 . The method of  claim 26 , wherein said identifying at least one advertising content element based at least in part on said context-specific information comprises identifying based at least in part on at least one of user-specific: (i) demographic information; (ii) psychographic information; and/or (iii) historical use information. 
     
     
         28 . The method of  claim 26 , wherein said identifying at least one advertising content element based at least in part on said context-specific information comprises identifying based at least in part on user-specific operational context information. 
     
     
         29 . The method of  claim 26 , wherein said identifying at least one advertising content element based at least in part on said context-specific information comprises identifying based at least in part on information identifying one or more attributes or topical contexts of the requested primary content. 
     
     
         30 . The method of  claim 26 , wherein said identifying at least one advertising content element based at least in part on said context-specific information comprises identifying based at least in part on information identifying at least one of the type or configuration of a device which will be used to play the requested primary content. 
     
     
         31 . The method of  claim 26 , wherein said dynamic identification of an insertion opportunity within said requested primary content for said at least one advertising content element comprises:
 receiving a user-invoked content control command; and   immediately initiating said delivery of said at least one advertising content element to said user.   
     
     
         32 . The method of  claim 26 , wherein said dynamic identification of an insertion opportunity within said requested primary content for said at least one advertising content element comprises:
 receiving a user-invoked content control command; and   initiating said delivery of said at least one advertising content element to said user when said user invokes a second content control command.   
     
     
         33 . A method for providing on-demand content to a client device via a content delivery network, the method comprising:
 receiving a plurality of primary and secondary content at an entity of a local service node of said network, said local service node servicing requests from a plurality of client device in communication therewith;   receiving a request for a selected one of said plurality of primary content from at least one of said plurality of client devices serviced by said local service node;   inserting one or more of said secondary content into said selected one of said plurality of primary content; and   transmitting said selected one of said plurality of primary content having said one or more secondary content inserted therein to said at least one of said plurality of client devices;   wherein said plurality of secondary content comprises content specifically targeted, based at least in part on information obtained from said local service node, to said one or more of said plurality of client devices serviced by said node.   
     
     
         34 . The method of  claim 33 , wherein said primary content comprises on-demand content not originally intended to have secondary content inserted therein, and said method further comprises processing said primary content to create one or more insertion opportunities therein. 
     
     
         35 . The method of  claim 34 , wherein said act of inserting said one or more of said secondary content into said selected one of said plurality of primary content comprises insertion occurring at operator-defined intervals. 
     
     
         36 . The method of  claim 33 , wherein said secondary content comprises advertisement content, and said specific targeting of said secondary content comprises targeting to an advertisement zone associated said local service node. 
     
     
         37 . The method of  claim 33 , wherein said primary content received at said entity of said local service node comprises content having first secondary content inserted therein, and said act of inserting said one or more of said secondary content comprises replacing said first secondary content with said secondary content received at said entity of said local service node. 
     
     
         38 . The method of  claim 33 , wherein said act of inserting said one or more of said secondary content into said selected one of said plurality of primary content comprises inserting upon receipt of at least one user-initiated interrupt request. 
     
     
         39 . The method of  claim 33 , further comprising storing said received plurality of primary and secondary content at a storage device associated with said local service node, said local storage obviating use of at least downstream bandwidth between a core element of said network and said local service node. 
     
     
         40 . An on-demand network apparatus configured to deliver on-demand content to a plurality of subscribers to a content delivery network, said apparatus comprising:
 at least one interface for receiving a plurality of on-demand content;   at least one interface for receiving a plurality of advertisement content;   a storage apparatus configured to store said plurality of on-demand content and said plurality of advertisement content;   apparatus configured to establish an on-demand session to transmit at least portions of said plurality of on-demand content and said plurality of advertisement content to said plurality of subscribers; and   a processor, said processor in data communication with said storage apparatus and configured to run at least one computer program thereon, said computer program configured to:
 receive a request for an individual one of said plurality of on-demand content from a client device associated with at least one of said plurality of subscribers; 
 utilize information regarding at least one of (i) said client device, and/or (ii) said at least one of said plurality of subscribers, in order to dynamically select one or more of said plurality of advertisement content for insertion; 
 insert said selected one or more of said plurality of advertisement content into said individual one of said plurality of on-demand content; and 
 cause transmission of said individual one of said plurality of on-demand content having said one or more of said plurality of advertisement content inserted therein. 
   
     
     
         41 . The server apparatus of  claim 40 , wherein said server apparatus is configured to communicate with at least one advertisement campaign management entity for the management of said insertion of said advertisement content.