Delivering targeted advertisements to the set-top-box

Abstract

A system and a method for delivering targeted advertisements to the set-top box (STB). The targeted advertisements may be delivered to the STB in a low bandwidth channel or in a high bandwidth channel as an ad channel. The ad channel may be an analog channel wherein the advertisements are transmitted as analog video. Alternatively, the advertisement channel may be a digital channel, and the advertisements may be encoded and transported in the same way as conventional programming. In digital cases, a 6 MHz digital channel may carry several digital advertisement channels. Moreover, other services (e.g., data may be carried within the 6 MHz digital channel). Alternatively, the ad channel may share a 6 MHz bandwidth with one or more other programming channels.

What is claimed is:  
     
         1 . In a television network environment, a method for delivering targeted advertisements to one or more subscribers, the method comprising: 
 selecting one or more targeted advertisements to be transmitted to a group of subscribers;    organizing the selected advertisements in an advertisement (ad) channel; and    transmitting the ad channel to subscriber equipment.    
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the ad channel is a high-speed channel.  
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the ad channel is a 6 MHz analog channel.  
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 3 , wherein the targeted advertisements are transmitted as analog video.  
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the ad channel is a 6 MHz digital channel.  
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the targeted advertisements are encoded and transmitted as conventional programming.  
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein a plurality of ad channels are transmitted within a single 6 MHz digital channel.  
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the ad channel shares bandwidth with other channels within a single 6 MHz digital channel.  
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein a plurality of digital ad channels are transmitted along with a plurality of digital video signals within one 6 MHz channel.  
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the ad channel is a constant bit rate dedicated channel.  
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the ad channel is a variable bit dedicated channel.  
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the ad channel fluctuates responsive to a system channel.  
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 12 , wherein the system channel is a programming channel.  
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 13 , wherein bandwidth supplied to the ad channel is inversely proportional to bandwidth used by the programming channel.  
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the ad channel is an off-peak download channel.  
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 15 , wherein the off-peak download channel is a high bandwidth channel.