Patent ID: 8522269

Claim:
An apparatus for inserting alternate content into a content stream displayed on a mobile handheld device (HHD) comprising: a display; a targeting content library buffer on the mobile HHD for storing targeting information on the mobile HHD, the targeting information including customer preferences, characteristics, and network provisioning preferences; wherein at least one customer preference, characteristic, or network provisioning preference is stored as a value of a first attribute; a digital multimedia content buffer on the mobile HHD for storing a plurality of targeted digital multimedia alternate content; wherein each alternate content of the plurality of targeted digital multimedia alternate content is associated with a plurality of attributes; wherein the first attribute is included in the plurality of attributes and a second attribute of the plurality of attributes specifies: a particular channel or group of channels on which to display said each alternate content; or a time synchronization option specifying that either absolute or relative timing should be used to synchronize said each alternate content with the content stream; a scheduler configured to evaluate a set of rules for selecting a particular alternate content of the plurality of digital multimedia alternate content for display on the mobile HHD at a particular time; wherein the set of rules are evaluated based at least on values of the first attribute and the second attribute of the particular alternate content; wherein the set of rules is configured to prevent viewer fatigue by limiting a number of times that an alternate content is displayed in a specific time period; wherein the scheduler monitors on which channel the content stream of the current program is being viewed, and selects the particular alternate content based at least on the channel and the current program; a rulebook comprising the set of rules received over the network; a micro-splicer, working in tandem with the scheduler, configured for switching from rendering the current program content stream to rendering the particular alternate content, and when rendering the particular alternate content completes, switching back to rendering the current program stream; and a mobile network interface for interfacing with the mobile HHD; wherein the apparatus embedded within the mobile HHD, enables display of the digital multimedia alternate content on the display of the mobile HHD at an appropriate time.