Schedule template for a digital display

• US 10,491,933 B2
• Filed: 12/08/2015
• Issued: 11/26/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 12/17/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Clear Channel IP, LLC
• Original Assignee: Clear Channel IP, LLC
• Inventors: Wilson, David E., Shannon, Joe M., McClure, Barry W., Leary, William P., Myrick, Justin B., MacKenzie, Christopher D., Hooper, Darin L., Moser, Peter M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Vanderhorst, Maria V
• Application Number:
  US14/963,166
• Publication Number:
  US 20160094867A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,449 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0254 based on statistics
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0276 Advertisement creation
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/26241 involving the time of distribution, e.g. the best time of the day for inserting an advertisement or airing a children program
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/26258 for generating a list of items to be played back in a given order, e.g. playlist, or scheduling item distribution according to such list retrieval of multimedia data based on playlists G06F16/40
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/41415 involving a public display, viewable by several users in a public space outside their home, e.g. movie theatre, information kiosk
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 90/02 Total factory control, e.g. smart factories, flexible manufacturing systems [FMS] or integrated manufacturing systems [IMS]

Abstract

A method includes generating, by a server, an inventory corresponding to a plurality of time slots. The method also includes receiving data corresponding to a plurality of inventory bookings associated with the inventory. A subset of time slots that are assigned to a digital display of a plurality of networked digital displays may be identified by the server based on the data corresponding to the plurality of bookings. Media content that is assigned to each slot of the subset of time slots is identified by the server. The method may further include generating, based on slot criteria corresponding to the subset of time slots, a schedule template that defines a rotation loop. The media content is displayable on the digital display at times defined by the display rotation loop. The schedule template is transmitted to the digital display via a network.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

generating, by a server comprising a processor, inventory data indicating an inventory corresponding to a plurality of time blocks;

receiving, at the server, data corresponding to a plurality of inventory bookings associated with the inventory;

identifying, by the server based on the data corresponding to the plurality of inventory bookings, a first time block of the time blocks that is assigned to a digital display of a plurality of networked digital displays;

assigning a schedule template to the digital display for the first time block, the schedule template defining a display rotation loop based on a plurality of content slots, wherein the plurality of content slots is associated with slot criteria;

identifying, by the server based on the data corresponding to the plurality of inventory bookings, first media content assigned to a first content slot of the plurality of content slots, the first media content comprising image data, text data, video data, or a combination thereof, wherein the slot criteria includes first slot criteria of the first content slot;

identifying, by the server based on the data corresponding to the plurality of inventory bookings, a content location assigned to a second content slot of the plurality of content slots, wherein the slot criteria includes second slot criteria of the second content slot

generating, by the server, schedule data that indicates the display rotation loop, the content location, and the slot criteria, wherein the first media content is displayable at the digital display at a first time based on the first slot criteria of the first content slot, and wherein dynamic content retrievable from the content location is displayable at the digital display at a second time, and wherein the second time is based on the second slot criteria of the second content slot; and

transmitting, by the server, the schedule data via a network to the digital display.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the slot criteria comprise second data corresponding to one or more of a rotation frequency, dayparts, slices, duration, or frame specifications associated with each of the plurality of content slots.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising generating a graphical representation of the inventory indicating status information associated with the plurality of time blocks.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, at the server, input indicating that second media content is assigned to the first content slot;

generating modified first slot criteria based on the input; and

transmitting, by the server via the network to the digital display, the modified first slot criteria to the digital display.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the modified first slot criteria is transmitted to the digital display during display of the first media content by the digital display in a first rotation of the display rotation loop without interrupting the display, wherein the second media content is displayable, based on the modified first slot criteria, at the digital display during a second rotation of the display rotation loop, and wherein the second rotation is subsequent to the first rotation.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the first slot criteria indicates that the first content slot includes a first slice and a second slice, wherein the first media content is assigned to the first slice and second media content is assigned to the second slice, and wherein the first media content and the second media content are scheduled to be displayed during different rotations of the display rotation loop.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the first slot criteria indicates that the first content slot includes a first daypart and a second daypart, wherein the first media content is assigned to the first daypart and second media content is assigned to the second daypart, wherein the first daypart corresponds to a first period of time during a day and the second daypart corresponds to a second period of time during the day, and wherein the first media content is scheduled to be displayed during each display rotation of the first content slot during the first daypart and the second media content is scheduled to be displayed during each display rotation of the first content slot during the second daypart.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the first media content comprises second data corresponding to one or more of text data, design data, photograph data, animated image data, or video data.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the schedule data further indicates default media content, and wherein the default media content is displayable at the digital display at the second time responsive to an error in retrieving the dynamic content from the content location.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the dynamic content comprises at least one of a thermometer image, a camera image, or a clock image.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the first media content assigned to the first content slot is scheduled to be displayed during each rotation of the display rotation loop.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, from a feedback camera, an image of the first media content displayed on the digital display; and

displaying the image to indicate a display status of the digital display.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the image comprises one of a still image or a frame of video.

14. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

detecting one or more performance indications corresponding to the digital display, the one or more performance indications comprising display brightness, billboard temperature, environmental temperature, power supply status, light emitting diode (LED) activity, ambient light level, fan speed, or any combination thereof; and

displaying the one or more performance indications to indicate a performance status of the digital display.

15. An apparatus comprising:

a processor; and

at least one memory storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform operations comprising;

generating inventory data indicating an inventory corresponding to a plurality of time blocks;

receiving data corresponding to a plurality of inventory bookings associated with the inventory;

identifying, based on the data corresponding to the plurality of inventory bookings, a first time block of the time blocks that is assigned to a digital display of a plurality of networked digital displays;

assigning a schedule template to the digital display for the first time block, the schedule template defining a display rotation loop based on a plurality of content slots, wherein the plurality of content slots is associated with slot criteria;

identifying, based on the data corresponding to the plurality of inventory bookings, first media content assigned to a first content slot of the plurality of content slots, the first media content comprising image data, text data, video data, or a combination thereof, wherein the slot criteria includes first slot criteria of the first content slot;

identifying, by the server based on the data corresponding to the plurality of inventory bookings, a content location assigned to a second content slot of the plurality of content slots, wherein the slot criteria includes second slot criteria of the second content slot

generating schedule data that indicates the display rotation loop, the content location, and the slot criteria, wherein the first media content is displayable at the digital display at a first time based on the first slot criteria of the first content slot, and wherein dynamic content retrievable from the content location is displayable at the digital display at a second time, and wherein the second time is based on the second slot criteria of the second content slot; and

transmitting the schedule data via a network to the digital display.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the slot criteria comprise second data corresponding to one or more of a rotation frequency, dayparts, slices, duration, or frame specifications associated with each of the plurality of content slots.

17. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the operations further comprise:

receiving input indicating that second media content is assigned to the first content slot;

generating modified first slot criteria based on the input; and

transmitting the modified first slot criteria via the network to the digital display.

18. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the first slot criteria indicates that the first content slot includes a first daypart and a second daypart, wherein the first media content is assigned to the first daypart and second media content is assigned to the second daypart, wherein the first daypart corresponds to a first period of time during a day and the second daypart corresponds to a second period of time during the day, and wherein the first media content is scheduled to be displayed during each display rotation of the first content slot during the first daypart and the second media content is scheduled to be displayed during each display rotation of the first content slot during the second daypart.

19. A system comprising:

a digital display of a plurality of networked digital displays; and

a scheduling processor configured to;

receive, via a network, schedule data that indicates a display rotation loop, a content location, and slot criteria of a plurality of content slots of the display rotation loop, wherein the slot criteria includes first slot criteria associated with a first content slot of the plurality of content slots, and wherein second slot criteria is associated with a second content slot of the plurality of content slots, and wherein the content location is assigned to the second content slot;

determine, based on the first slot criteria, that first media content assigned to the first content slot is scheduled to be displayed at a first time during a display rotation, the first media content comprising image data, text data, video data, or a combination thereof;

output the first media content to the digital display for display at the first time;

determine a second time based on the second slot criteria of the second content slot;

initiate retrieval of dynamic content from the content location; and

based on retrieving the dynamic content from the content location, output the dynamic content to the digital display for display at the second time.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the schedule data further indicates default media content, and wherein the scheduling processor is further configured to, based on detecting an error in retrieving the dynamic content from the content location, output the default media content to the digital display for display at the second time.