Patents by Inventor Michael Patrick Ruffini

Michael Patrick Ruffini has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 9215492
    Abstract: A method includes receiving, from an advertisement monitor device, notification of a video stream that includes an advertisement insertion event. The advertisement insertion event includes a scheduled transition between the video program and at least one targeted advertisement associated with a corresponding target group of set top boxes. The method includes preparing resources to receive the video stream. A notification is sent to the advertisement monitor device to begin transmitting the video stream. The video stream, a unique identifier (ID) associated with the video stream and associated metadata for the video stream is received. The method includes analyzing the video stream to identify at least one issue in association with the advertisement insertion event, and generating a report that includes the identified at least one error, the unique ID, and the associated metadata for the video stream.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 14, 2012
    Date of Patent: December 15, 2015
    Assignee: VERIZON PATENT AND LICENSING INC.
    Inventors: Robin Montague Mathews, Michael Patrick Ruffini
  • Patent number: 9094734
    Abstract: A method includes identifying an advertisement break in a video program schedule. A target group of subscriber devices to receive advertisements at the advertisement break is also identified. The method includes assigning attributes associated with the target group of subscriber devices to each of a plurality of video client applications. Parameters are provided to a plurality of quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM) tuners based on each of the assigned plurality of video client applications. A video stream that includes an advertisement insertion event is received at the scheduled advertisement break from the plurality of QAM tuners. The advertisement insertion event includes an in-band signal that directs each of the assigned plurality of video client applications to tune to an advertisement feed associated with each of the at least one target group of subscriber devices for a duration of the advertisement break.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 14, 2012
    Date of Patent: July 28, 2015
    Assignee: VERIZON PATENT AND LICENSING INC.
    Inventors: Robin Montague Mathews, Michael Patrick Ruffini
  • Patent number: 8949888
    Abstract: Systems, apparatus, methods and computer readable mediums for efficient and unconstrained information distribution and IP multicasting are provided. An exemplary method may include receiving, from a set top box, information indicative of criteria associated with targeted advertisement; and determining, at a set top box, whether the criteria corresponds to a characteristic of a household at which the criteria is received. The method may also include joining, from a set top box, a multicast group associated with the criteria in the event the criteria is determined to correspond to the characteristic of the household at which the criteria is received. The method may also include receiving, via multicast, at a set top box, the targeted advertisement associated with the criteria; and displaying, at a video display device, the targeted advertisement. The exemplary method may allow efficient and unconstrained information distribution leading to improved application quality and performance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 30, 2008
    Date of Patent: February 3, 2015
    Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Inc.
    Inventors: Armando Paul Stettner, Marcelo D. Lechner, Michael Patrick Ruffini, Harpal Singh Bassali
  • Publication number: 20140173651
    Abstract: A method includes identifying an advertisement break in a video program schedule. A target group of subscriber devices to receive advertisements at the advertisement break is also identified. The method includes assigning attributes associated with the target group of subscriber devices to each of a plurality of video client applications. Parameters are provided to a plurality of quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM) tuners based on each of the assigned plurality of video client applications. A video stream that includes an advertisement insertion event is received at the scheduled advertisement break from the plurality of QAM tuners. The advertisement insertion event includes an in-band signal that directs each of the assigned plurality of video client applications to tune to an advertisement feed associated with each of the at least one target group of subscriber devices for a duration of the advertisement break.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 14, 2012
    Publication date: June 19, 2014
    Applicant: VERIZON PATENT AND LICENSING INC.
    Inventors: Robin Montague Mathews, Michael Patrick Ruffini
  • Publication number: 20140173650
    Abstract: A method includes receiving, from an advertisement monitor device, notification of a video stream that includes an advertisement insertion event. The advertisement insertion event includes a scheduled transition between the video program and at least one targeted advertisement associated with a corresponding target group of set top boxes. The method includes preparing resources to receive the video stream. A notification is sent to the advertisement monitor device to begin transmitting the video stream. The video stream, a unique identifier (ID) associated with the video stream and associated metadata for the video stream is received. The method includes analyzing the video stream to identify at least one issue in association with the advertisement insertion event, and generating a report that includes the identified at least one error, the unique ID, and the associated metadata for the video stream.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 14, 2012
    Publication date: June 19, 2014
    Applicant: VERIZON PATENT AND LICENSING INC.
    Inventors: Robin Montague Mathews, Michael Patrick Ruffini
  • Publication number: 20100169916
    Abstract: Systems, apparatus, methods and computer readable mediums for efficient and unconstrained information distribution and IP multicasting are provided. An exemplary method may include receiving, from a set top box, information indicative of criteria associated with targeted advertisement; and determining, at a set top box, whether the criteria corresponds to a characteristic of a household at which the criteria is received. The method may also include joining, from a set top box, a multicast group associated with the criteria in the event the criteria is determined to correspond to the characteristic of the household at which the criteria is received. The method may also include receiving, via multicast, at a set top box, the targeted advertisement associated with the criteria; and displaying, at a video display device, the targeted advertisement. The exemplary method may allow efficient and unconstrained information distribution leading to improved application quality and performance.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 30, 2008
    Publication date: July 1, 2010
    Applicants: Verizon Data Services LLC, Verizon Corporate Services Group
    Inventors: Armando Paul Stettner, Marcelo D. Lechner, Michael Patrick Ruffini, Harpal Singh Bassali