Media Content Gating Segments for Ad Exposure

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Solution Overview

Problem

The evolution of digital media distribution has made it challenging for advertisers to ensure that users view advertisements, as users can easily skip or bypass ads in downloaded content, reducing the value of advertising revenue for sponsors.

Innovation Solution

A system that partitions media content into gating and protected segments, where users must access a gating segment, such as an advertisement, to gain access to a protected segment, ensuring exposure to advertisements before accessing desired content.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of operation

If users download digital media content for local playback, then convenience and accessibility are improved, but advertisers cannot guarantee ad exposure as users can bypass commercials

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveconvenience of media playbackVSAvoidad exposure guarantee

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent segments media content into distinct components: protected content segments and gating segments (advertisements). This segmentation allows the system to enforce ad exposure by requiring users to access gating segments before obtaining access keys for protected content, thereby resolving the contradiction between playback convenience and ad exposure reliability

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The system requires preliminary action by users to view gating segments (advertisements) before they can access protected content. The gating segments are presented first, and only after completion do users receive decryption keys or access credentials, ensuring ad exposure occurs before content access

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

2Loss of energy

If traditional broadcast advertising is used, then ad revenue is generated, but users can skip or record commercials using DVRs and fast-forward features

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveadvertising revenue valueVSAvoiduser ability to bypass ads

Core Design Contradiction:

Loss of energyVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The patent introduces an intermediary mechanism (gating segment with embedded access keys) between the advertisement and the protected content. This intermediary ensures that ad exposure is a prerequisite for content access, preventing users from bypassing advertisements through recording or fast-forwarding while preserving advertising revenue value

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

3Reliability

If media content is encrypted to protect copyrighted material, then content piracy is prevented, but users cannot access legitimate content without proper authorization

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecontent protectionVSAvoidlegitimate content access

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The system requires preliminary action (viewing gating segments) before providing access keys for encrypted content. This ensures that only users who have completed the required gating segment viewing receive decryption credentials, maintaining content protection while enabling legitimate access through the prescribed process

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Data Source

PatentUS9438966B2System and/or method for distributing media content and providing an option to maintain an advertising experience

Publication Date: 2016.09.06 DISNEY ENTERPRISES INC

AI summary

The subject matter disclosed herein relates to distribution of media content and a system and method for presenting a user-selectable option to permit a user to change a setting for an advertising experience during presentation of such an advertising experience.