Queue based advertisement scheduling and sales

Abstract

In accordance with the invention, advertisements may be inserted into a programming stream in a communications network. For example, a programming stream may be transmitted from a first location to one or more receiving nodes. One or more queues may be aggregated at a node of the network. Each queue may be associated with one or more subscribers and/or may comprise a plurality of queue locations forming an ordered list of advertisements. Each advertisement may be matched (e.g., previously matched) to one or more of the subscribers. The aggregated specific individual queue locations may determine the ordered list of the advertisements within the queues. One or more intervals may be detected in the programming stream within which advertisements may be inserted. Advertisements may be inserted from the queues into the programming stream within the detected one or more intervals. The advertisements may be inserted in accordance with the ordered list.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method of inserting advertisements into a programming stream in a communications network, the method comprising:
 transmitting said programming stream from a first location to one or more receiving nodes;   aggregating one or more queues at a node of the network, each queue associated with one or more subscribers and comprising a plurality of queue locations forming an ordered list of advertisements, each advertisement being previously matched to one or more of the subscribers, wherein the aggregated specific individual queue locations at least partially determine the ordered list of the advertisements within the queues;   detecting one or more intervals in said programming stream within which advertisements may be inserted; and   inserting advertisements from the queues into said programming stream within said detected one or more intervals, the advertisements being inserted in accordance with the ordered list.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1  wherein an order of the advertisements in the queues is independent of the substance of the programming stream. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1  wherein each of the one or more queues is associated with a channel in the programming stream. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the inserting includes inserting the advertisements from a queue associated with a selected channel into the detected intervals in the selected channel. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the queues are stored at the node of the network. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1  wherein specific queue slots are sold to advertisers. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1  wherein specific queue slots are sold based at least partially on a repetition rate within the queue of the sold specific queue slots. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 1  further comprising:
 recording a portion of the programming stream for subsequent playback. 
 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 8  wherein the advertisements are inserted into the programming stream as the stream is being recorded. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 8  wherein the advertisements are inserted into the programming stream when the stream is played back. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 8  wherein the advertisements are inserted into the programming stream between the time the stream is recorded and the time the stream is played back. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the inserted advertisement is independent of a selection of the inserted advertisement. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 1  wherein an order of the advertisements in the ordered list is independent of the substance of the advertisements in the queue. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 1  wherein an order of the advertisements in the ordered list is independent of the timing of the detected intervals.