IP Library › Granted Patent US 12,647,639
Granted Patent B2
US 12,647,639 · App. 18/107,380 · Granted Jun 2, 2026

Systems and methods for playing media assets stored on a digital video recorder

Inventors: Danny J. Minnick (Castle Rock, CO); Robert F. Percival (Carr, CO); John D. Barbieri (Littleton, CO); Mark Templeman (Parker, CO); John S. Todd (Denver, CO); Yunfeng Yang (Aurora, CO); Gowtham Ram Ramkumar (Englewood, CO)
Assignee: DISH Network L.L.C.
H04N21/4325H04N21/4147H04N21/47202H04N21/47217H04N21/812
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,647,639
App. No.
18/107,380
Granted
Jun 2, 2026
Kind
B2
Abstract

Improved technical functionality is provided to dynamically select and seamlessly play advertisements immediately before playing of a recorded program upon selection of the recorded program for playing, or upon other detected events and conditions associated with the set-top-box (STB) or user. In some embodiments, this is performed by using metadata which may be delivered to and stored on a digital video recorder (DVR) prior to recording the program, providing a technical solution to enable opportunities for additional advertisement impressions. Playing of the advertisement may also or instead occur upon the recorded program finishing playing. Thus, the technical solution provides the additional opportunity for the content creator and/or the satellite television or cable service provider to sell advertising spots in addition to those already sold for breaks within the recorded program.

Claims (37)

1 . A method in a media asset presentation system, the method comprising:

receiving, by one or more processors, an indication of a selection of a recorded program stored on a digital video recorder (DVR) for playing from a beginning of the recorded program; in response to the receiving of the indication of the selection of the recorded program for playing, determining, by one or more processors, before playing the recorded program from the beginning of the recorded program, whether to automatically play a media asset at a point before playing the recorded program from the beginning of the recorded program, wherein the media asset is stored separately from, and is not prepended to, the recorded program;

in response to the receiving of the indication of the selection of the recorded program for playing, determining to automatically play the media asset before playing the recorded program from the beginning of the recorded program, wherein automatically playing the media asset includes:

reading a cue stored on the DVR and associated with the recorded program, the cue including data that is an indication to automatically play the media asset before playing the recorded program from the beginning of the recorded program and also having a presentation time stamp set to correspond to a beginning of the recorded program, triggering the media asset to play immediately before playing the recorded program from the beginning of the recorded program;

automatically playing the media asset before playing the recorded program from the beginning of the recorded program in response to reading the cue; and

beginning to play, by one or more processors, the recorded program from the beginning of the recorded program; and

after receiving the indication of the selection of the recorded program stored on the digital video recorder (DVR) for playing from the beginning of the recorded program and before beginning to play a file including the recorded program, selecting, by one or more processors, the media asset stored separately from, and that is not prepended to, the recorded program, for playing from a plurality of media assets, wherein the selecting the media asset for playing is triggered by the receiving of the indication of the selection of the recorded program for playing and the subsequent determination of whether to automatically play a media asset before playing the recorded program.

2 . The method of claim 1 wherein the media asset for which the determination is made whether to automatically play the media asset before playing the recorded program in response to the receiving of the indication of the selection of the recorded program is in addition to any media assets to be inserted based on existing embedded breaks in the recorded program.

3 . The method of claim 1 wherein the beginning to play the recorded program from the beginning of the recorded program is in response to playing the media asset before playing the recorded program.

4 . A method in a media asset presentation system, the method comprising:

receiving, by one or more processors, an indication of a selection of a recorded program stored on a digital video recorder (DVR) for playing from a beginning of the recorded program;

in response to the receiving of the indication of the selection of the recorded program for playing, determining, by one or more processors, before playing the recorded program from the beginning of the recorded program, whether to automatically play a media asset at a point before playing the recorded program from the beginning of the recorded program, wherein the media asset is stored separately from, and is not prepended to, the recorded program, and wherein the determining whether to automatically play a media asset before playing the recorded program from the beginning of the recorded program includes determining not to play another media asset before playing the recorded program based on a criterion associated with an attribute of the recorded program;

in response to the receiving of the indication of the selection of the recorded program for playing, determining to automatically play the media asset before playing the recorded program from the beginning of the recorded program, wherein automatically playing the media asset includes:

reading a cue stored on the DVR and associated with the recorded program, the cue including data that is an indication to automatically play the media asset before playing the recorded program from the beginning of the recorded program and also having a presentation time stamp set to correspond to a beginning of the recorded program, triggering the media asset to play immediately before playing the recorded program from the beginning of the recorded program;

automatically playing the media asset before playing the recorded program from the beginning of the recorded program in response to reading the cue; and

beginning to play, by one or more processors, the recorded program from the beginning of the recorded program, wherein the attribute of the recorded program is an ability of a user of the DVR to skip over advertisements associated with the recorded program and the criterion associated with the attribute indicates to not automatically play any media assets that are advertisements before playing recorded programs for which there is the ability of a user of the DVR to skip over advertisements associated with the recorded programs.

5 . A media asset presentation system, the system comprising: at least one processor; and

at least one memory coupled to the at least one processor, the at least one memory having computer-executable instructions stored thereon that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the following to be performed:

receiving, by one or more processors, an indication of a selection of a recorded program stored on a digital video recorder (DVR) for playing from a beginning of the recorded program;

in response to the receiving of the indication of the selection of the recorded program for playing, determining, by one or more processors, before playing the recorded program from the beginning of the recorded program whether to automatically play a media asset at a point before playing the recorded program from the beginning of the recorded program, wherein the media asset is stored separately from, and is not prepended to, the recorded program;

in response to the receiving of the indication of the selection of the recorded program for playing, determining to automatically play the media asset before playing the recorded program from the beginning of the recorded program, wherein automatically playing the media asset includes:

reading a cue stored on the DVR and associated with the recorded program, the cue including data that is an indication to automatically play the media asset before playing the recorded program from the beginning of the recorded program and also having a presentation time stamp set to correspond to a beginning of the recorded program, triggering the media asset to play immediately before playing the recorded program from the beginning of the recorded program;

automatically playing the media asset before playing the recorded program from the beginning of the recorded program in response to reading the cue; and

beginning to play, by one or more processors, the recorded program from the beginning of the recorded program; and

after receiving the indication of the selection of the recorded program stored on the digital video recorder (DVR) for playing from the beginning of the recorded program and before beginning to play a file including the recorded program, selecting, by one or more processors, the media asset stored separately from, and that is not prepended to, the recorded program, for playing from a plurality of media assets, wherein the selecting the media asset for playing is triggered by the receiving of the indication of the selection of the recorded program for playing and the subsequent determination of whether to automatically play a media asset before playing the recorded program.

6 . The system of claim 5 wherein the media asset for which the determination is made whether to automatically play the media asset before playing the recorded program in response to the receiving of the indication of the selection of the recorded program is in addition to any media assets to be inserted based on existing embedded breaks in the recorded program.

7 . The system of claim 5 wherein the beginning to play the recorded program from the beginning of the recorded program is in response to playing the media asset before playing the recorded program.

8 . A media asset presentation system, the system comprising:

at least one processor; and

at least one memory coupled to the at least one processor, the at least one memory having computer-executable instructions stored thereon that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the following to be performed:

receiving, by one or more processors, an indication of a selection of a recorded program stored on a digital video recorder (DVR) for playing from a beginning of the recorded program;

in response to the receiving of the indication of the selection of the recorded program for playing, determining, by one or more processors, before playing the recorded program from the beginning of the recorded program whether to automatically play a media asset at a point before playing the recorded program from the beginning of the recorded program, wherein the media asset is stored separately from, and is not prepended to, the recorded program, and wherein the determining whether to automatically play a media asset before playing the recorded program from the beginning of the recorded program includes:

determining not to play another media asset before playing the recorded program based on a criterion associated with an attribute of the recorded program;

in response to the receiving of the indication of the selection of the recorded program for playing, determining to automatically play the media asset before playing the recorded program from the beginning of the recorded program, wherein automatically playing the media asset includes:

reading a cue stored on the DVR and associated with the recorded program, the cue including data that is an indication to automatically play the media asset before playing the recorded program from the beginning of the recorded program and also having a presentation time stamp set to correspond to a beginning of the recorded program, triggering the media asset to play immediately before playing the recorded program from the beginning of the recorded program;

automatically playing the media asset before playing the recorded program from the beginning of the recorded program in response to reading the cue; and

beginning to play, by one or more processors, the recorded program from the beginning of the recorded program, wherein the attribute of the recorded program is an ability of a user of the DVR to skip over advertisements associated with the recorded program and the criterion associated with the attribute indicates to not automatically play any media assets that are advertisements before playing recorded programs for which there is the ability of a user of the DVR to skip over advertisements associated with the recorded programs.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Feb 8, 2023
From: MINNICK, DANNY J.; PERCIVAL, ROBERT F.; BARBIERI, JOHN D.; TEMPLEMAN, MARK; TODD, JOHN S.; YANG, YUNFENG; RAMKUMAR, GOWTHAM RAM
To: DISH NETWORK L.L.C.
Reel/Frame 062632/0148 →
Continuity (2)
Continuation 16898128 · Jun 10, 2020
Related Publication 20230188780A1 · Jun 15, 2023
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