Patents by Inventor THOMAS C. TATE

THOMAS C. TATE 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: 10506299
    Abstract: A method transmits configuration information including a set of events that define when a media program player should send information regarding playback of an advertisement during an advertisement break in a media program. Also, the method transmits, to the user device, advertising control options configured to be output on the user device. A user selection for a control option in the advertising control options is received from the user device, wherein the control option controls sending of an advertisement to the user device during the advertisement break. The method then receives advertisement viewing data describing a viewing of the advertisement on the user device, wherein sending of the advertisement viewing data by the media program player is triggered based on an event in the set of events occurring at the media program player.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 24, 2016
    Date of Patent: December 10, 2019
    Assignee: HULU, LLC.
    Inventors: Jason A. Kilar, Brian Soebekti, Thomas C. Tate, Wing Chit Mak, Richard W. Tom, Eric I. Feng, Hua Zheng, Jean-Paul Colaco, Xin Jin
  • Publication number: 20160241927
    Abstract: A method transmits configuration information including a set of events that define when a media program player should send information regarding playback of an advertisement during an advertisement break in a media program. Also, the method transmits, to the user device, advertising control options configured to be output on the user device. A user selection for a control option in the advertising control options is received from the user device, wherein the control option controls sending of an advertisement to the user device during the advertisement break. The method then receives advertisement viewing data describing a viewing of the advertisement on the user device, wherein sending of the advertisement viewing data by the media program player is triggered based on an event in the set of events occurring at the media program player.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 24, 2016
    Publication date: August 18, 2016
    Inventors: Jason A. Kilar, Brian Soebekti, Thomas C. Tate, Wing Chit Mak, Richard W. Tom, Eric I. Feng, Hua Zheng, Jean-Paul Colaco, Xin Jin
  • Patent number: 9358452
    Abstract: Configuration of advertisements in a streaming video segment from a serving node is based on a result of an interactive game process executing on a client device. A configuration of advertisements in the streaming video is determined based on the game result. The configuration may include which advertisements are selected to play during ad slots to be included in the video segment, or a number of ad slots to be provided in the video segment. The serving node may configure the video segment with the advertisements selected based on the game result in the determined number of ad slots so that the selected advertisements are played during the ad slots when the video segment is streamed to the client device. If the video segment is configured with no ad slots based on the game result, then the video segment may be streamed to the client device without advertisements.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 24, 2013
    Date of Patent: June 7, 2016
    Assignee: HULU, LLC
    Inventors: Jean-Paul Colaco, Jessica P. Ivy, Arash Nikkar, Thomas C. Tate
  • Patent number: 9286616
    Abstract: A method, apparatus, article of manufacture, and a memory structure for providing advertisements with a media program transmitted to a user device are described. The method permits the user to control the presentation of advertisements. In one embodiment, the method receives an identification of the media program to be sent to the user device, transmits metadata defining an advertising break having at least one advertisement opportunity within the media program, at the advertisement opportunity, transmits advertising control options, receives a user selection for the advertising control options, sends the advertisement to the user device according to the user selection for the advertising control options, receives advertising viewing data describing the streaming of the advertisement to the user device, and stores the advertisement viewing data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 27, 2011
    Date of Patent: March 15, 2016
    Assignee: HULU, LLC
    Inventors: Jason A. Kilar, Brian Soebekti, Thomas C. Tate, Wing Chit Mak, Richard W. Tom, Eric I. Feng, Hua Zheng, Jean-Paul Colaco, Xin Jin
  • Patent number: 9199163
    Abstract: Configuration of advertisements in a streaming video segment from a serving node is based on a result of an interactive game process executing on a client device. A configuration of advertisements in the streaming video is determined based on the game result. The configuration may include which advertisements are selected to play during ad slots to be included in the video segment, or a number of ad slots to be provided in the video segment. The serving node may configure the video segment with the advertisements selected based on the game result in the determined number of ad slots so that the selected advertisements are played during the ad slots when the video segment is streamed to the client device. If the video segment is configured with no ad slots based on the game result, then the video segment may be streamed to the client device without advertisements.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 29, 2013
    Date of Patent: December 1, 2015
    Assignee: HULU, LLC
    Inventors: Jean-Paul Colaco, Jessica P. Ivy, Arash Nikkar, Thomas C. Tate
  • Publication number: 20140024451
    Abstract: Configuration of advertisements in a streaming video segment from a serving node is based on a result of an interactive game process executing on a client device. A configuration of advertisements in the streaming video is determined based on the game result. The configuration may include which advertisements are selected to play during ad slots to be included in the video segment, or a number of ad slots to be provided in the video segment. The serving node may configure the video segment with the advertisements selected based on the game result in the determined number of ad slots so that the selected advertisements are played during the ad slots when the video segment is streamed to the client device. If the video segment is configured with no ad slots based on the game result, then the video segment may be streamed to the client device without advertisements.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 24, 2013
    Publication date: January 23, 2014
    Applicant: Hulu, LLC
    Inventors: Jean-Paul Colaco, Jessica P. Ivy, Arash Nikkar, Thomas C. Tate
  • Publication number: 20130237318
    Abstract: Configuration of advertisements in a streaming video segment from a serving node is based on a result of an interactive game process executing on a client device. A configuration of advertisements in the streaming video is determined based on the game result. The configuration may include which advertisements are selected to play during ad slots to be included in the video segment, or a number of ad slots to be provided in the video segment. The serving node may configure the video segment with the advertisements selected based on the game result in the determined number of ad slots so that the selected advertisements are played during the ad slots when the video segment is streamed to the client device. If the video segment is configured with no ad slots based on the game result, then the video segment may be streamed to the client device without advertisements.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 29, 2013
    Publication date: September 12, 2013
    Applicant: Hulu, LLC
    Inventors: Jean-Paul Colaco, Jessica P. Ivy, Arash Nikkar, Thomas C. Tate
  • Patent number: 8409000
    Abstract: Configuration of advertisements in a streaming video segment from a serving node is based on a result of an interactive game process executing on a client device. A configuration of advertisements in the streaming video is determined based on the game result. The configuration may include which advertisements are selected to play during ad slots to be included in the video segment, or a number of ad slots to be provided in the video segment. The serving node may configure the video segment with the advertisements selected based on the game result in the determined number of ad slots so that the selected advertisements are played during the ad slots when the video segment is streamed to the client device. If the video segment is configured with no ad slots based on the game result, then the video segment may be streamed to the client device without advertisements.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 9, 2012
    Date of Patent: April 2, 2013
    Assignee: Hulu LLC
    Inventors: Jean-Paul Colaco, Jessica P. Ivy, Arash Nikkar, Thomas C. Tate
  • Publication number: 20120110618
    Abstract: A method, apparatus, article of manufacture, and a memory structure for providing advertisements with a media program transmitted to a user device are described. The method permits the user to control the presentation of advertisements.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 27, 2011
    Publication date: May 3, 2012
    Applicant: HULU LLC
    Inventors: JASON A. KILAR, BRIAN SOEBEKTI, THOMAS C. TATE, WING CHIT MAK, RICHARD W. TOM, ERIC I. FENG, HUA ZHENG, JEAN-PAUL COLACO, XIN JIN