Commercials on mobile devices

Abstract

Among other things, a video item is downloaded to a mobile device from a digital video recorder. The video item includes a video program and commercials that have been previously embedded within the video item. Before, during, or after the download of the video item, information is reported from the mobile device to a server about the video item, from which the server can select a set of substitute commercials. One or more of these substitute commercials are downloaded from the server. When the video item is presented on the mobile device, the mobile device replaces at least one of the original commercials that has been previously embedded within the video item by a substitute commercial that has been downloaded to the mobile device.

1 - 24 . (canceled) 
     
     
         25 . The method of  claim 36  in which the information reported about the presentation of the original commercial of the substitute commercial includes the time when the commercial was presented. 
     
     
         26 . The method of  claim 36  in which the substitute commercial is of higher value than the embedded commercial. 
     
     
         27 . The method of  claim 36  in which the predetermined condition comprises the sufficiency of a number of downloaded commercials that are stored in the storage of the mobile device. 
     
     
         28 . The method of  claim 36  in which the downloading of the video item that occurs automatically, without requiring any explicit action by a user of the mobile device. 
     
     
         29 . The method of  claim 36  in which the predetermined condition comprises whether a predetermined period of time has elapsed after the video item had been recorded on the digital video recorder. 
     
     
         30 . The method of  claim 29  in which the period of time is based on a value of the commercial during the period of time. 
     
     
         31 . The method of  claim 36  comprising maintaining the substitute commercial in a cache at the mobile device. 
     
     
         32 . The method of  claim 36  in which the predetermined condition comprises a location of the mobile device. 
     
     
         33 . The method of  claim 36  in which the predetermined condition, comprises a representation of the timeliness of the embedded commercial. 
     
     
         34 . The method of  claim 36  in which the digital video recorder comprises a conventional digital video recorder. 
     
     
         35 . The method of  claim 36  in which the digital video recorder comprises a cloud digital video recorder. 
     
     
         36 . A method comprising
 presenting from a storage of a mobile device a video item that was downloaded at the mobile device from a digital video recorder, the video item including a video program and at least one commercial within the video item,   the downloading complying with a rule governing when downloading is permitted, the rule permitting downloading only when a WiFi connection is available,   the mobile device replacing at least one of the commercials within the video item with a substitute commercial, depending on a predetermined condition,   at the time the video is presented, the mobile device obtaining the substitute commercial from storage of the mobile device.   the mobile device reporting information about the time of the presentation of the substitute commercial to the first server or another server when the mobile device has adequate connectivity,   the mobile device sending information about the download of the video item to the digital video recorder.   
     
     
         37 . (canceled)