Patent 7861260

Derivative works

Defensive disclosure: derivative variations of each claim designed to render future incremental improvements obvious or non-novel.

Active provider: Google · gemini-2.5-pro

Derivative works

Defensive disclosure: derivative variations of each claim designed to render future incremental improvements obvious or non-novel.

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Defensive Disclosure: Targeted Cross-Media Advertising

Publication Date: May 3, 2026
Reference Technology: U.S. Patent 7,861,260

This document describes methods, systems, and architectures for delivering targeted advertisements to television-like display devices based on a user's online activities. The disclosures herein are intended to enter the public domain as prior art.

Derivative Set 1: Common Provider Association (Ref: Claims 1 & 7)

1.1. Component Substitution: Secure Enclave-Based IP Association

  • Enabling Description: To enhance privacy and security within an ISP/TVP infrastructure, the process of associating an online access IP address with a set-top box (STB) IP address is performed within a secure hardware enclave, such as one based on Intel SGX or AMD SEV technology. The provider's core network equipment (e.g., CMTS, DSLAM, or BNG) is equipped with a trusted execution environment (TEE). A certified application running inside this enclave receives subscriber session data, which includes both the public-facing IP address and internal identifiers linking to specific STBs. The enclave generates a temporary, encrypted pseudonym or token that represents the association. This token is then passed to the Central Ad Server (CAS). The CAS only ever sees the public IP and the encrypted token, while the raw PII-to-STB mapping is never exposed to the provider's general-purpose operating systems or personnel, thus providing hardware-level privacy guarantees.

  • Diagram:

    sequenceDiagram
    participant UserDevice as User Device (PC/Phone)
    participant C_MTS as CMTS/BNG (ISP Edge)
    participant TEE as Secure Enclave (within CMTS)
    participant CAS as Central Ad Server
    participant Website as Profile Provider

    UserDevice->>C_MTS: Initiate Online Session (DHCP/PPPoE)
    C_MTS->>TEE: Pass Session Data {OnlineIP, STB_ID}
    TEE-->>TEE: Generate Encrypted_Token for {OnlineIP, STB_ID}
    TEE->>CAS: Register Association {OnlineIP, Encrypted_Token}
    UserDevice->>Website: Browse Website
    Website->>CAS: Ad Request for User at OnlineIP
    CAS-->>CAS: Match OnlineIP to Encrypted_Token
    CAS->>C_MTS: Instruct Ad Delivery to Token_Holder
    C_MTS->>TEE: Resolve Token to STB_ID
    TEE-->>C_MTS: Return STB_ID
    C_MTS->>UserDevice: Deliver Targeted Ad to STB

1.2. Operational Parameter Expansion: Ultra-Low Latency Live Event Targeting

  • Enabling Description: The system is scaled for national-level, real-time ad replacement during live broadcasts, such as major sporting events, where latency is critical. The architecture is decentralized by deploying lightweight instances of the CAS at the ISP's edge computing nodes, located within regional data centers or central offices. These edge-CAS nodes maintain a synchronized, geo-sharded database of IP associations for users in their respective regions. When a user visits a website, the ad request is routed to the nearest edge-CAS. This edge-CAS resolves the IP association and triggers ad delivery from a co-located ad-creative cache, all within the same metropolitan area network. This architecture reduces round-trip time for the entire targeting and delivery process to under 10 milliseconds, enabling seamless replacement of national broadcast ads with locally targeted ads during the short ad-break windows of live television.

  • Diagram:

    flowchart TD
    subgraph User Household
        A[User PC - Browsing]
        B[Set-Top Box]
    end

    subgraph ISP Edge Node (e.g., a Central Office)
        C[Edge Router/BNG]
        D[Edge CAS Node]
        E[Edge Ad Cache]
    end

    subgraph Central Infrastructure
        F[Master CAS Database]
        G[National Ad Servers]
    end

    A --> C
    B --> C
    C -- IP & STB Association --> D
    F -- Syncs Associations --> D
    G -- Pushes Ad Creatives --> E

    A -- Visits sports blog --> H{Internet}
    H -- Ad Request (User IP) --> D
    D -- Match IP, Select Ad --> E
    E -- Stream Ad --> C
    C --> B

    style F fill:#f9f,stroke:#333,stroke-width:2px
    style G fill:#f9f,stroke:#333,stroke-width:2px

1.3. Cross-Domain Application: In-Flight Entertainment (IFE)

  • Enabling Description: The system is adapted for an aircraft cabin environment. The aircraft's satellite communication terminal provides a single public IP address for both the onboard Wi-Fi network and the seat-back In-Flight Entertainment (IFE) system. When a passenger connects their personal device (laptop, phone) to the in-flight Wi-Fi, the IFE system, acting as the STB, reports the shared satellite IP address and a unique seat number identifier to a CAS specialized for travel advertising. As the passenger browses the web, profile providers (websites) can request targeted ads for that satellite IP. The CAS associates the request with the specific seat number and delivers a targeted video ad to the passenger's seat-back screen, replacing a generic ad in the content stream.

  • Diagram:

    graph TD
    subgraph Aircraft
        Satcom[Satellite Modem - Public IP]
        Wifi[Onboard Wi-Fi AP]
        IFE[IFE System Server]

        subgraph Seat_1A
            Screen1A[Seat-Back Screen]
            Device1A[Passenger Laptop]
        end

        subgraph Seat_1B
            Screen1B[Seat-Back Screen]
            Device1B[Passenger Phone]
        end
    end

    subgraph Ground
        CAS[Travel Ad Server]
        Website[Booking.com]
    end

    Satcom <--> Ground
    Device1A -- Connects --> Wifi --> Satcom
    IFE -- Reports {Public IP, Seat ID: 1A} --> CAS
    Device1A -- Browses Hotels --> Website
    Website -- Ad Request for Public IP --> CAS
    CAS -- Match IP -> Find Seat 1A --> IFE
    IFE -- Display Hotel Ad --> Screen1A
    Screen1B -- Displays default ad --> IFE

1.4. Integration with Emerging Tech: Federated Learning & Blockchain Audit Trail

  • Enabling Description: To maximize user privacy, a federated learning approach is used. Instead of sending raw browsing data to a central server, a lightweight machine learning model is distributed to the ISP/TVP's edge routers. This model is trained locally on anonymized traffic patterns from the household, generating an interest vector (e.g., [0.8_auto, 0.2_travel, 0.1_finance]) without the underlying data ever leaving the edge. This interest vector, along with the associated STB identifier, is sent to the CAS. The CAS uses this vector to select an ad category. The final ad impression event—comprising the timestamp, STB anonymous ID, advertiser ID, and the price paid—is recorded as a transaction on a permissioned blockchain (e.g., Hyperledger Fabric). This creates an immutable, transparent, and auditable record for advertisers and publishers to verify ad delivery without compromising the user's browsing history.

  • Diagram:

    graph LR
    subgraph User_Premises
        A[Online Activity] --> B[ISP Edge Router];
        C[TV Viewing] --> B;
    end

    subgraph ISP_Edge
        B -- Anonymized Data --> D[Federated ML Model];
        D -- Trains Locally --> D;
        D -- Generates Interest Vector --> E[Vector & STB_ID Payload];
    end

    subgraph Ad_System
        E --> F[Central Ad Server];
        F -- Ad Selection --> G[Ad Creative Storage];
        F -- Ad Delivery Instruction --> B;
        B --> C;
    end

    subgraph Audit_System
        F -- Log Transaction --> H[Blockchain Ledger];
        I[Advertiser] --> H;
        J[Publisher] --> H;
    end

    style H fill:#bbf,stroke:#333,stroke-width:2px

Derivative Set 2: STB Self-Reporting Association (Ref: Claims 13 & 20)

2.1. Component Substitution: Lightweight Protocol for IoT-class STB

  • Enabling Description: The system is adapted for low-power, resource-constrained STBs, such as streaming sticks or smart display hubs. Instead of using heavyweight HTTP for reporting, the STB uses the Message Queuing Telemetry Transport (MQTT) protocol, a lightweight pub/sub messaging protocol common in IoT. The STB subscribes to a unique, private topic on an MQTT broker controlled by the CAS. It publishes its current public IP address to a separate "check-in" topic periodically. When the CAS wants to deliver an ad, it publishes the ad metadata (or a VAST tag) to the STB's private topic. This reduces the STB's power consumption, memory footprint, and network bandwidth usage, making the architecture suitable for devices where a full web stack is impractical.

  • Diagram:

    sequenceDiagram
    participant STB as IoT STB
    participant MQTTBroker as MQTT Broker (CAS-controlled)
    participant CAS as Central Ad Server
    participant Website as Profile Provider

    STB->>+MQTTBroker: SUBSCRIBE to topic 'stb/123/ads'
    loop Every 5 minutes
        STB->>MQTTBroker: PUBLISH to 'stb/check-in', payload: {id: 123, ip: 'x.x.x.x'}
    end

    Website->>CAS: Ad Request from user at 'x.x.x.x'
    CAS-->>CAS: Match IP 'x.x.x.x' to STB ID '123'
    CAS->>+MQTTBroker: PUBLISH to 'stb/123/ads', payload: {ad_url: '...'}
    MQTTBroker-->>-STB: Forward Ad Payload
    STB->>STB: Fetch and display ad from ad_url

2.2. Cross-Domain Application: Automotive Infotainment Targeting

  • Enabling Description: The vehicle's Telematics Control Unit (TCU) contains a cellular modem with its own public IP address. The in-vehicle infotainment (IVI) system, acting as the "STB," periodically reports this public IP to an automotive-focused CAS. A passenger connects their phone to the vehicle's Wi-Fi hotspot, which is routed through the TCU. When the passenger searches for "sushi restaurants near me" on their phone, the search engine (acting as profile provider) sends an ad request to the CAS with the car's IP. The CAS identifies the active vehicle and pushes a notification to the IVI system's navigation map, suggesting a sponsored sushi restaurant on the current route. The ad is contextual not only to the browsing but also to the vehicle's real-time location and destination.

  • Diagram:

    graph TD
    subgraph Vehicle
        A[TCU with Cellular Modem - Public IP]
        B[Infotainment System]
        C[Passenger's Phone]
        D[Vehicle Wi-Fi Hotspot]
    end

    subgraph Cloud
        E[Automotive CAS]
        F[Search Engine]
    end

    C -- Connects --> D -- Tunnels through --> A
    B -- Periodically Reports IP --> E
    C -- "sushi near me" --> F
    F -- Ad Request from Car's IP --> E
    E -- Match IP & Location, Select Ad --> B
    B -- Displays "Sponsored Sushi Place Ahead" --> B

2.3. Inverse/Failure Mode: Graceful Degradation with On-Device Contextual Targeting

  • Enabling Description: This variation provides resilience against network failures. The STB is pre-loaded with a cache of generic, non-targeted advertisements. It is also equipped with a lightweight Electronic Program Guide (EPG) parser. The STB's primary function is to periodically contact the CAS for targeted ads. If the CAS is unreachable for a configurable period (e.g., 15 minutes), the STB enters "Graceful Degradation Mode." In this mode, it ceases attempts to contact the CAS. When an ad break occurs, the STB parses the EPG data for the currently tuned channel to extract program metadata (e.g., genre="Sports," title="Live Football"). It then selects an ad from its local cache that has been tagged with a matching category (e.g., a "Sports" ad for a beer company). This ensures the ad slot is filled and maintains some level of relevance, even during a complete network outage between the STB and the ad server.

  • Diagram:

    stateDiagram-v2
    [*] --> Online
    Online: STB contacts CAS for targeted ads.
    Online --> Offline: CAS unreachable for 3 attempts
    Offline: STB uses local cache and EPG data.
    Offline --> Online: CAS connection re-established

    state Offline {
        direction LR
        ParseEPG: Read current program info (e.g., "Sports")
        SelectCachedAd: Find local ad with matching tag
        DisplayAd: Play selected ad
        ParseEPG --> SelectCachedAd --> DisplayAd
    }

Derivative Set 3: Unique Identifier Association (Ref: Claims 29 & 36)

3.1. Component Substitution: Physical Unclonable Function (PUF) for STB ID

  • Enabling Description: To create a highly secure and non-transferable device identifier, a Physical Unclonable Function (PUF) is fabricated into the STB's primary System-on-Chip (SoC). A PUF leverages minute, random physical variations in the silicon microstructure to produce a unique, deterministic, but unpredictable response to a given challenge. When the STB boots, it generates a challenge, feeds it to the PUF, and receives a unique response string. This string, which acts as the device's identifier for the current session, is sent to the CAS along with the current public IP address. The ID is never stored on the device's persistent memory, making it immune to software-based cloning or theft. The CAS uses this hardware-rooted, ephemeral ID to uniquely identify the device for ad targeting.

  • Diagram:

    classDiagram
class STB_SoC {
    +CPU
    +Memory
    +PUF_Circuit
    +getHardwareID(challenge) string
}
class CAS {
    +authenticateDevice(pufResponse, ipAddress)
    +storeAssociation(pufResponse, adProfile)
    +selectAd(pufResponse) Ad
}
class AdDeliverySystem {
    +deliver(ad, stb)
}
STB_SoC "1" -- "1" AdDeliverySystem : receives
CAS "1" -- "1" AdDeliverySystem : instructs
STB_SoC ..> CAS : reports PUF response

3.2. Integration with Emerging Tech: Self-Sovereign Identity and User-Controlled Data

  • Enabling Description: The system is integrated with a Self-Sovereign Identity (SSI) framework using W3C standards for Decentralized Identifiers (DIDs) and Verifiable Credentials (VCs). The STB is assigned a unique DID, controlled by the user's digital wallet. When browsing, the user's browser (also controlled by their wallet) generates an anonymized VC representing a "viewed content category" (e.g., "Automotive Enthusiast"). To receive targeted ads, the user's wallet presents this VC to a website. The website's ad request to the CAS includes the user's public IP and the VC. The STB, in its periodic check-in, presents its DID to the CAS. The CAS can now link the IP address from the website's request to the STB's DID, and use the interest stated in the VC to select an ad. The user retains full control, can revoke permissions at any time via their wallet, and there is no need for third-party cookies or cross-site tracking.

  • Diagram:

    sequenceDiagram
    actor User
    participant Wallet as User's Wallet
    participant STB
    participant Browser
    participant Website
    participant CAS

    User->>Wallet: Authorizes STB with DID_stb
    User->>Wallet: Authorizes Browser with DID_user

    loop On STB
        STB->>Wallet: Request cryptographic signature
        Wallet-->>STB: Sign(DID_stb, IP_address, timestamp)
        STB->>CAS: Report(signed_payload)
    end

    Browser->>Website: User visits page
    Website->>Wallet: Request Verifiable Credential for 'ad-profile'
    Wallet-->>Website: Present VC {subject: DID_user, interest: 'cars'}
    Website->>CAS: Ad Request {ip: IP_address, profile_vc: VC}

    CAS->>CAS: Match IP_address, verify VCs and signatures
    CAS->>STB: Deliver car-related Ad

Combination with Open-Source Standards

  1. DNS-based Service Discovery (DNS-SD / mDNS) & Matter Protocol: In a smart home environment operating on the open-source Matter standard, the television or STB advertises an _ad-targeting._tcp service via multicast DNS (mDNS). A browser extension or mobile app on another device within the same LAN discovers this service. Instead of relying on a public IP match at a remote server, the browser extension directly and securely transmits an anonymized interest profile (e.g., a JSON object {"interests": ["hiking", "tech"]}) to the STB's local IP address. The STB then uses this locally-received data to augment its next request to the CAS, providing a more accurate and privacy-preserving signal that never traverses the public internet.

  2. Prebid.js Header Bidding Framework: The core patent concept is integrated into the open-source advertising auction framework, Prebid.js, via a new "Cross-Media Realtime Data Provider" module. When a Prebid auction is initiated in a user's browser, this module sends the user's IP address to the CAS. The CAS checks for a recently-seen STB at that IP address. If found, the CAS returns a set of targeting keys (e.g., tv_present: true, household_id: 'anon123') to the browser. These keys are appended to all outgoing bid requests to SSPs/DSPs in the Prebid auction, allowing advertisers to specifically bid on inventory that is part of a TV-addressable household, thereby increasing the value of the publisher's ad space.

  3. Video Ad Serving Template (VAST) 4.2 Standard: The ad delivery mechanism is enhanced by leveraging the open VAST 4.2 standard. When the CAS selects a targeted ad for a specific STB (identified via its unique ID and IP), it does not send the ad directly. Instead, it generates a secure, single-use VAST URL and sends it to the STB. This URL contains an encrypted JSON Web Token (JWT) in a query parameter, which encodes the targeting criteria and a unique impression ID. The STB's VAST-compliant video player requests this URL. The VAST server validates the JWT, serves the appropriate ad creative, and uses the impression ID for standardized measurement and verification, allowing the system to seamlessly integrate with any ad server and measurement platform that uses the open VAST standard.

Generated 5/3/2026, 9:29:28 PM