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 - 22 . (canceled) 
     
     
         23 . A method comprising
 at a mobile device, downloading a video item from a first server,   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 providing an indication to the user about the downloading of the video item,   before, during, or after downloading the video item, the mobile device reporting information to a second server from which the second server can select one or more commercials,   at the mobile device, downloading at least one of the selected commercials,   the mobile device providing no indication to the user about the downloading of the commercials,   presenting the video item from a storage of the mobile device at a time when the mobile device is offline,   when the video item is presented on the mobile device, the mobile device presenting at least one of the downloaded commercials,   the mobile device storing information about when the commercial was presented,   the stored information comprising information about at least one of the presented video item, the presented commercials, or the mobile device.   
     
     
         24 . (canceled) 
     
     
         25 . The method of  claim 23  comprising storing, in the storage of the mobile device, the information about when the commercial was presented, 
     
     
         26 . The method of  claim 23  comprising preventing the presentation of the video item if the number of downloaded commercials stored in the storage of the device is insufficient. 
     
     
         27 . The method of  claim 23  in which the commercial is associated with a date, and the mobile device will not present the video item at a time related to the date. 
     
     
         28 . The method of  claim 27  in which the date comprises an expiry date, and the mobile device will not present the video item at any time after the expiry date. 
     
     
         29 . The method of  claim 28  in which at least one of the commercials downloaded to the mobile device does not have an expiry date, and the mobile device inserts the commercial that does not have the expiry date instead of a commercial that has an expiry date. 
     
     
         30 . The method of  claim 28  in which, based on the expiry date of the commercial, the mobile device downloads another commercial having a later expiry date. 
     
     
         31 . The method of  claim 23  in which the commercial is associated with a date, and the mobile device marks the commercial as expired based on the date. 
     
     
         32 . The method of  claim 23  in which the mobile device marks the commercial as expired a predetermined amount of time after the commercial has been downloaded. 
     
     
         33 . The method of  claim 23  in which the commercial is associated with a number of impressions, and the mobile device determines whether to insert the commercial based on an actual number of presentations of the commercial and the associated number of impressions. 
     
     
         34 . The method of  claim 23  comprising
 the mobile device downloading another commercial depending on a condition-associated with a downloaded commercial. 
 
     
     
         35 . The method of  claim 34  in which the condition comprises a number of impressions allowable for each downloaded commercial. 
     
     
         36 . The method of  claim 34  in which the condition comprises a time period. 
     
     
         37 . The method of  claim 36  in which the time period comprises a use by date. 
     
     
         38 . The method of  claim 36  in which the time period comprises a passage of time after an initial time. 
     
     
         39 . The method of  claim 38  in which the initial time comprises a time when the commercial was downloaded. 
     
     
         40 . The method of  claim 34  in which the condition comprises a geographic location of the mobile device. 
     
     
         41 . (canceled) 
     
     
         42 . (canceled) 
     
     
         43 . (canceled) 
     
     
         44 . (canceled) 
     
     
         45 . (canceled) 
     
     
         46 . (canceled) 
     
     
         47 . (canceled) 
     
     
         48 . (canceled) 
     
     
         49 . (canceled)