Displaying web page advertisements in online video players
View Patent ↗Many conventional advertisements designed for display as part of a web page executed by a web browser are not suitable for display in an online video player that, though included in a web page, is executed by a multimedia platform. Such conventional advertisements are referred to herein as web page advertisements. A system display a web page advertisement in the frame of such an online video player by determining characteristics of the video player in the context of the multimedia platform and converting those characteristics into a context compatible with the web browser. The system can also include a virtual web browser that executes either on the multimedia platform on a server device that is communicatively coupled to the multimedia platform. The system can also include an ad tag translator that executes either on the multimedia platform on a server device that is communicatively coupled to the multimedia platform.
1. A computer-implemented method for displaying a web page advertisement within a spatial extent associated with a video player of a client, the method comprising:
receiving, at the client, a web page including an embedded multimedia object that identifies a uniform resource locator (“URL”) location of a video to be played by the video player of the client, a Hypertext Markup Language (“HTML”) division (“DIV”) element surrounding the video player that identifies a spatial extent associated with the video player, and an ad tag that identifies the web page advertisement, the web page advertisement is configured to be displayed in the spatial extent associated with the video player and on a web browser of the client, the client includes a hybrid ad player, wherein the hybrid ad player comprises an ActionScript ad player that coordinates the display of the web page advertisement with the playback of the video by the video player, and wherein the hybrid ad player further comprises a Javascript ad player that presents the web page advertisement via the web browser of the client;
scanning, by the hybrid ad player, the web page for the HTML DIV element surrounding the video player embedded multimedia object;
determining, by the hybrid ad player, dimensional information including a location and a size describing the spatial extent associated with the video player based on the received HTML DIV element;
generating, by an ad tag translator associated with the web browser, a translated ad specification for the web page advertisement based on the ad tag;
retrieving, by the web browser from an ad server, the web page advertisement based on the translated ad specification;
generating, by the hybrid ad player, an HTML DIV element to contain the web page advertisement, a sizing and a positioning of the generated HTML DIV element overlapping the location and the size of the determined dimensional information;
displaying, by the hybrid ad player of the web browser, the web page advertisement using the generated HTML DIV element, wherein the web page advertisement is partially transparent;
receiving, by the hybrid ad player, user input signals from the web page advertisement; and
instructing, by the hybrid ad player of the web browser, the video player to modify playback of the video to be played based on the received user input signals from the web page advertisement.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the web page advertisement is partially transparent by using HTML and cascading style sheet (“CSS”) transparency.
3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
animating, by the hybrid ad player, the web page advertisement on to and off of the generated HTML DIV element via a timer-driven gradual change to cascading style sheet (“CSS”) properties of HTML elements.
4. A system for displaying a web page advertisement within a spatial extent associated with a video player of a client, the system including:
a data storage device that stores instructions system for displaying a web page advertisement within a spatial extent associated with a video player of a client; and
a processor configured to execute the instructions to perform a method including:
receiving, at the client, a web page including an embedded multimedia object that identifies a uniform resource locator (“URL”) location of a video to be played by the video player of the client, a Hypertext Markup Language (“HTML”) division (“DIV”) element surrounding the video player that identifies a spatial extent associated with the video player, and an ad tag that identifies the web page advertisement, the web page advertisement is configured to be displayed in the spatial extent associated with the video player and on a web browser of the client, the client includes a hybrid ad player, wherein the hybrid ad player comprises an ActionScript ad player that coordinates the display of the web page advertisement with the playback of the video by the video player, and wherein the hybrid ad player further comprises a Javascript ad player that presents the web page advertisement via the web browser of the client;
scanning, by the hybrid ad player, the web page for the HTML DIV element surrounding the video player embedded multimedia object;
determining, by the hybrid ad player, dimensional information including a location and a size describing the spatial extent associated with the video player based on the received HTML DIV element;
generating, by an ad tag translator associated with the web browser, a translated ad specification for the web page advertisement based on the ad tag;
retrieving, by the web browser from an ad server, the web page advertisement based on the translated ad specification;
generating, by the hybrid ad player, an HTML DIV element to contain the web page advertisement, a sizing and a positioning of the generated HTML DIV element overlapping the location and the size of the determined dimensional information;
displaying, by the hybrid ad player of the web browser, the web page advertisement using the generated HTML DIV element, wherein the web page advertisement is partially transparent;
receiving, by the hybrid ad player, user input signals from the web page advertisement; and
instructing, by the hybrid ad player of the web browser, the video player to modify playback of the video to be played based on the received user input signals from the web page advertisement.
5. The system of claim 4 , wherein the web page advertisement is partially transparent by using HTML and cascading style sheet (“CSS”) transparency.
6. The system of claim 4 , wherein the processor is further configured to execute the instructions to perform the method including:
animating, by the hybrid ad player, the web page advertisement on to and off of the generated HTML DIV element via a timer-driven gradual change to cascading style sheet (“CSS”) properties of HTML elements.
7. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions that, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to perform a method for displaying a web page advertisement within a spatial extent associated with a video player of a client, the method including:
receiving, at the client, a web page including an embedded multimedia object that identifies a uniform resource locator (“URL”) location of a video to be played by the video player of the client, a Hypertext Markup Language (“HTML”) division (“DIV”) element surrounding the video player that identifies a spatial extent associated with the video player, and an ad tag that identifies the web page advertisement, the web page advertisement is configured to be displayed in the spatial extent associated with the video player and on a web browser of the client, the client includes a hybrid ad player, wherein the hybrid ad player comprises an ActionScript ad player that coordinates the display of the web page advertisement with the playback of the video by the video player, and wherein the hybrid ad player further comprises a Javascript ad player that presents the web page advertisement via the web browser of the client;
scanning, by the hybrid ad player, the web page for the HTML DIV element surrounding the video player embedded multimedia object;
determining, by the hybrid ad player, dimensional information including a location and a size describing the spatial extent associated with the video player based on the received HTML DIV element;
generating, by an ad tag translator associated with the web browser, a translated ad specification for the web page advertisement based on the ad tag;
retrieving, by the web browser from an ad server, the web page advertisement based on the translated ad specification;
generating, by the hybrid ad player, an HTML DIV element to contain the web page advertisement, a sizing and a positioning of the generated HTML DIV element overlapping the location and the size of the determined dimensional information;
displaying, by the hybrid ad player of the web browser, the web page advertisement using the generated HTML DIV element, wherein the web page advertisement is partially transparent;
receiving, by the hybrid ad player, user input signals from the web page advertisement; and
instructing, by the hybrid ad player of the web browser, the video player to modify playback of the video to be played based on the received user input signals from the web page advertisement.
8. The computer-readable medium of claim 7 , wherein the web page advertisement is partially transparent by using HTML and cascading style sheet (“CSS”) transparency.
9. The computer-readable medium of claim 7 , further comprising:
animating, by the hybrid ad player, the web page advertisement on to and off of the generated HTML DIV element via a timer-driven gradual change to cascading style sheet (“CSS”) properties of HTML elements.