Microsoft patents system that pauses apps to show ads at the right moment
Microsoft describes a system that monitors an app for a specific moment to pause the user's activity and play a video ad. After the ad finishes, the system grants the user a time credit that delays the next ad break.
In the filing’s own words
A content management system may obtain a promoted content trigger event from an interactive software application based at least partially on content of the interactive software application. A content management system may suspend a user's interaction with the interactive software application based on the promoted content trigger event. A content management system may obtain promoted audiovisual content. A content management system may present the promoted audiovisual content to the user. A content management system may commence the user's interaction with the interactive software application. A content management system may establish a credit based at least partially on the promoted audiovisual content, wherein the credit delays suspension of the user's interaction with the interactive software application during a credit duration.
What exactly they claim (claim 1)
1. A method of managing access to an interactive software application, the method comprising: at a content management system: providing access to the interactive software application for an interactive software application usage to a user based on a credit duration; establishing a promoted content window at an end of the credit duration, the promoted content window being a period of time having a window start, a window end, and a window duration between the window start and the window end; obtaining a promoted content hint from the interactive software application based at least partially on content of the interactive software application; when the promoted content hint is obtained before the start of the promoted content window: ignoring the promoted content hint, and continuing providing access to the interactive software application; when the promoted content hint is obtained during the promoted content window: interpreting the promoted content hint as a promoted content trigger event; suspending access to the interactive software application based on the promoted content trigger event; obtaining promoted audiovisual content from a promoted content server; presenting the promoted audiovisual content to the user during suspension of the user’s interaction with the interactive software application; commencing the user’s interaction with the interactive software application; and establishing a credit based at least partially on the promoted audiovisual content, wherein the credit establishes a second credit duration.
Facts
- Company
- Microsoft (Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC)
- Official title
- CONTEXTUALLY AWARE MANAGEMENT OF INTERACTIVE SOFTWARE APPLICATION ACCESS
- Publication number
- US20260260258A1
- Application number
- 19656138
- Filed
- Apr 23, 2026
- Published
- Sep 3, 2026
- Inventors
- 7
- Claims
- 20
Classified under
G06Q 30/0217 Physics & computingG06F 9/451 Physics & computingG06F 9/542 Physics & computingMore from Microsoft in AI & software
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Summaries are simplified from the filing’s own abstract and first claim. A patent filing is not a product announcement.
Patent data and drawings: U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). Nebula is not affiliated with or endorsed by the USPTO.