Information appliance cost subsidy

• US 20020007310A1
• Filed: 05/01/2001
• Published: 01/17/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 05/08/2000
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Long, Timothy Merrick
• Application Number:
  US09/845,267
• Publication Number:
  US 20020007310A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/14
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0207 Discounts or incentives, e.g. coupons or rebates
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0273 Determination of fees for advertising

Abstract

A video information display business system is disclosed. In accordance with the system an information appliance (300) having an advertising display area (202) permanently disposed within a working display area (200) is provided. Advertising information is displayed in the advertising display area (202) and is not dependent upon a non-advertising application being run on the information appliance (300). The system comprises a software upgrade of the non-advertising application, the upgrade has an upgrade cost and is offered to an owner of the information appliance (300) for an upgrade price. The software upgrade has space for the advertising information. The system also comprises an advertising space cost determination means which is adapted to determine an advertising space cost for an amount of the space to be offered to an advertiser. The upgrade price determination means is adapted to determine the upgrade price dependent upon a difference between the advertising space cost and the upgrade cost. A price adjusting means is also provided and is adapted to adjust the advertising space cost in order to decrease the upgrade price.

Claims

1. An information appliance, comprising:

a display incorporating an advertising display area disposed within a working display area, wherein display of advertising information within said advertising display area is independent of a non-advertising application being run on the information appliance, and wherein upgrade software for upgrading said non-advertising application and for providing said advertising information, has an upgrade price for purchase by an owner of the information appliance, said upgrade price being dependent upon a difference between an advertising cost for an amount of said advertising display area and an upgrade cost for producing said upgrade software, and wherein said upgrade price is dependent on said advertising cost.

2. An information appliance according to claim 1, wherein said upgrade price is reduced by an amount equal to said advertising cost and wherein said upgrade cost includes a profit, respectively.

3. An information appliance according to claim 1, wherein said amount of said advertising cost is determined in accordance with at least one of (i) viewing time, and (ii) area within said advertising display area, respectively.

4. An information appliance, comprising:

an advertising display area disposed within a working display area, wherein display of advertising information in said advertising display area is independent of a non-advertising application being run on the information appliance, said advertising information being disposed within the information appliance and said advertising display area being provided in the context of said non-advertising application, and wherein said information appliance has a terminal price for purchase by a consumer, said terminal price being dependent upon a difference between an advertising cost to an advertiser for an amount of said advertising display area and a manufacturing cost of said information appliance, said terminal price being dependent on said advertising cost.

5. An information appliance according to claim 4, wherein said terminal price is reduced by an amount equal to said advertising cost, respectively.

6. An information appliance according to claim 4, wherein said manufacturing cost includes a profit, respectively.

7. A method of reducing a price of an information appliance having a display incorporating an advertising display area disposed within a working display area of the information appliance, said method comprising the steps of:

determining a manufacturing cost of the information appliance;

selling a portion of the advertising display area to an advertiser for an advertising cost;

determining a terminal price dependent upon a difference between said advertising cost and said information appliance manufacturing cost; and

adjusting said advertising cost to decrease said terminal price.

8. A method of reducing a price of a software upgrade for an information appliance, said information appliance having a display incorporating an advertising display area disposed within a working display area of the display, said method comprising the steps of:

selling a first use of the advertising display area to a first advertiser for a first advertising cost, said first use being to display a first set of advertising material during a period commencing with a first use of the appliance by a user after purchase of the appliance, and terminating with a last use of the appliance by the user prior to installation of a software upgrade;

determining a development cost of the software upgrade;

selling a further use of the advertising display area to a further advertiser for a further advertising cost, said further use being to display a further set of advertising material during a period commencing with a first use of the appliance by a user after installation of the software upgrade, and terminating with a last use of the appliance by the user prior to installation of a further software upgrade;

determining a price of the software upgrade dependent upon a difference between at least one of (i) said first advertising cost and said further advertising cost, and (ii) said development cost; and

adjusting said further advertising cost to decrease said price of the software upgrade.

9. A method of providing, at a reduced cost to a consumer, a device with a display capable of displaying images stored in digital form, said method comprising steps of:

providing digital storage means in said device for storing advertisement information;

storing in said digital storage means advertisement information paid for by at least one advertiser;

configuring the device to at least display said advertising information; and

providing said device to said consumer at a cost subsidised by said advertising payment.

10. A method according to claim 9, whereby said device displays said advertising information independently of other functions of the device.

11. A method according to claim 9, whereby said device displays at least a portion of said advertising information at all times it is operational.

12. A method of providing, at no cost to a consumer, software upgrades to a device with a display capable of displaying images stored in digital form, said display incorporating an advertising display area disposed within a working display area of said display, said method comprising steps of:

developing upgrade software which is configured to provide advertising information;

selling a portion of said advertising display area to at least one advertiser; and

providing, free of charge, said upgrade software to consumers, said free of charge provision being subsidised by said selling of said portion of said advertising display area.

13. A method according to claim 12, whereby said device displays advertising information independently of other functions of the device.

14. A method according to claim 12, whereby said device displays at least one advertisement at all times it is operational.

15. A method of providing software upgrades to a device configured to display advertisements independently of other functions of the device, said providing being at a reduced cost to a consumer, said method comprising steps of:

producing upgrade software which includes provision for advertising space;

selling said advertising space to at least one advertiser; and

providing said software upgrades to a consumer at cost subsidised by selling said advertising space.

16. A method of providing a software upgrade to a device configured to display an advertisement at all times the device is operational, said providing being at a reduced cost to a consumer, said method comprising steps of:

producing said upgrade software which is configured to provide advertisements for display on said device;

selling advertising time for display of said advertisement, to at least one advertiser; and

providing said software upgrade to a consumer at a cost subsidised by said advertising sale.

17. A computer readable medium having a program recorded thereon, said program comprising a plurality of software modules adapted for interactive operation on at least one computer platform, said program being adapted to reduce a price of a software upgrade for an information appliance, said program comprising:

first determining code for determining a development cost of the software upgrade, an advertising display area being disposed within a working display area of the information appliance;

selling code for selling a portion of the advertising display area to an advertiser for an advertising cost;

second determining code for determining a price of the software upgrade dependent upon a difference between said advertising cost and said development cost; and

adjusting code for adjusting said advertising cost to decrease said price of the software upgrade.

18. A computer readable medium having a program recorded thereon, said program comprising a plurality of software modules adapted for interactive operation on at least one computer platform, said program being configured to reduce a price of an information appliance, said program comprising:

first determining code for determining a manufacturing cost of the information appliance, an advertising display area being disposed within a working display area of the information appliance;

selling code for selling a portion of the advertising display area to an advertiser for an advertising cost;

second determining code for determining a terminal price dependent upon a difference between said advertising cost and said information appliance manufacturing cost; and

adjusting code for adjusting said advertising cost to decrease said terminal price.

19. A computer readable medium having a program recorded thereon, said program comprising a plurality of software modules adapted for interactive operation on at least one computer platform, said program adapted to providing, at a reduced cost to a consumer, a device with a display capable of displaying images stored in digital form, said program comprising:

first providing code for providing a digital storage area within said device for storing advertising information;

storing code for storing in said digital storage space advertisement information paid for by at least one advertiser;

configuring code for configuring the device to at least display said adverting information; and

second providing code for providing said device to said consumer at a cost subsidised by said advertising payment.

20. A computer readable medium having a program recorded thereon, said program comprising a plurality of software modules adapted for interactive operation on at least one computer platform, said program adapted to provide, at no cost to a consumer, software upgrades to a device with a display capable of displaying images stored in digital form, said program comprising:

developing code for developing upgrade software which is configured to provide advertising information;

selling code for selling said advertising display area for the display of said advertising information to at least one advertiser; and

providing code for providing, free of charge, said software upgrade to consumers, said free of charge provision being subsidised by said selling of said advertising display area.

21. A computer readable medium having a program recorded thereon, said program comprising a plurality of software modules adapted for interactive operation on at least one computer platform, said program adapted to provide software upgrades to a device configured to display advertisements independently of other functions of the device, said providing being at a reduced cost to a consumer, said program comprising:

producing code for producing upgrade software which is configured to provide an advertising display area;

selling code for selling said advertising display area to at least one advertiser; and

providing code for providing said software upgrades to a consumer at a cost subsidised by said sale of said advertising display area.

22. A computer readable medium having a program recorded thereon, said program comprising a plurality of software modules adapted for interactive operation on at least one computer platform, said program adapted to provide a software upgrade to a device configured to display an advertisement at all times the device is operational, said providing being at a reduced cost to a consumer, said program comprising:

producing code for producing said upgrade software which is configured to provide an advertising display area;

selling code for selling said advertising display area to at least one advertiser; and

providing code for providing said software upgrade to a consumer at a cost subsidised by said sale of said advertising display area.

23. A method of determining a value for providing advertising space to an advertiser, said advertising space being part of an intended software upgrade for an information appliance which is one of a plurality of information appliances, said method comprising steps of:

determining a consumer exposure to current advertising in said plurality of information appliances; and

ascribing a value to said intended software upgrade dependent upon said consumer exposure.

24. A computer readable medium having a program recorded thereon, said program comprising a plurality of software modules adapted for interactive operation on at least one computer platform, said program adapted to determine a value for providing advertising space to an advertiser, said advertising space being part of an intended software upgrade for an information appliance which is one of a plurality of information appliances, said program comprising:

determining code for determining a consumer exposure to current advertising in said plurality of information appliances; and

ascribing code for ascribing a value to said intended software upgrade dependent upon said consumer exposure.

25. An information appliance comprising:

a video display having a working display area incorporating a reserved advertising display area disposed within the working display area, said reserved display area being adapted to display advertising information independently of a non-advertising application being run on the information appliance; and

input means adapted to accept a software upgrade for said non-advertising application, said software upgrade being configured to update advertising information, wherein said updated advertising information is displayed, independently of a non-advertising application being run on the information appliance, when said information appliance is operating.

26. A video information display business system for supplying an information appliance having a display incorporating an advertising display area disposed within a working display area, wherein display of advertising information within said advertising display area is independent of a non-advertising application being run on the information appliance, comprising:

upgrade software for upgrading said non-advertising application, said upgrade software having an upgrade cost and being offered to an owner of the information appliance for an upgrade price, said upgrade software being configured to provide said advertising information;

advertising cost determination means adapted to determine an advertising cost for an amount of said advertising display area to be offered to an advertiser;

upgrade price determination means adapted to determine said upgrade price dependent upon a difference between said advertising cost and said upgrade cost; and

price adjusting means adapted to adjust said advertising cost in order to decrease said upgrade price.

27. A video information display business system according to claim 26, wherein said upgrade cost includes a profit.

28. A video information display business system according to claim 26, wherein said advertising cost is determined in accordance with at least one of (i) viewing time, and (ii) area within said advertising display area.

29. A video information display business system for selling an information appliance having an advertising display area disposed within a working display area, wherein display of advertising information within said advertising display area is independent of a non-advertising application being run on the information appliance, said advertising information being disposed within the information appliance and said advertising display area being provided in the context of said non-advertising application, comprising:

information appliance selling means for offering said information appliance to a consumer for a terminal price, said information appliance having a manufacturing cost;

advertising selling means adapted to offer an amount of said advertising display area to an advertiser for an advertising cost;

terminal price determination means adapted to determine said terminal price dependent upon a difference between said advertising cost and said manufacturing cost; and

price adjusting means adapted to adjust said advertising cost to decrease said terminal price.

30. A video information display business system according to claim 29, wherein said manufacturing cost includes a profit.

31. A video information display business system according to claim 29, wherein said advertising cost is determined in accordance with at least one of (i) viewing time, and (ii) area within said advertising display area.