Patent ID: 8151295
Filing Date: 2012-04-03
Classification: H04N

Abstract:
1. A method of selectively inserting advertisements into a programming stream at different receiving nodes of a communications network, said method comprising: (a) transmitting the programming stream from a central location to one or more receiving nodes; (b) storing advertisements at a node of said network, each advertisement being previously matched to one or more subscribers associated with one of said receiving nodes; (c) storing one or more queues, each of said queues corresponding to a subset of said receiving nodes, said queues comprising an ordered list of advertisement resource locators (ARLs) and a plurality of queue slots, each of said ARLs comprising data disclosing a location of a corresponding advertisement; (d) selling specific queue slots, wherein the sold specific queue slots at least partially determine the order of the ARLs in said ordered list; (e) determining, at each of said receiving nodes, one or more intervals in said programming stream within which advertisements may be inserted; (f) responsive to said determination, retrieving from said queue corresponding to said receiving node one of said ARLs in accordance with said ordered list; and (g) inserting said advertisement corresponding to said retrieved ARL into said programming stream at said receiving node within said determined one or more intervals.