System and method for establishing incentives for promoting the exchange of personal information and targeted advertising

• US 20020019769A1
• Filed: 01/19/2001
• Published: 02/14/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 01/19/2000
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Robert Barritz, Steven Barritz
• Original Assignee: Robert Barritz, Steven Barritz
• Inventors: Barritz, Steven, Barritz, Robert
• Application Number:
  US09/766,438
• Publication Number:
  US 20020019769A1
• 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 30/0235 constrained by time limit or expiration date

Abstract

A system and method for over-the-air and/or other types of broadcasting which creates incentives that promote the exchange of personal information of viewers in return for a more viewer-tailored program content as well as advertising content. The invention includes a content selector that selects program content, and an advertising inserter that is controlled by reference to viewers'"'"' personal profiles.

Claims

1. A public broadcasting system operable with a facility for collecting viewers'"'"' profile data and for controlling program and/or advertisement content delivery to customers based on the viewers'"'"' profile data, the system comprising:

viewer profile data and a facility for gathering said viewer profile data and for providing the viewer profile data to a content controlling facility;

a content selector that selects for viewers program content; and

an advertising inserter which selects alternate advertising that is intended to selectively replace or supplement commonly provided advertising content, based on the viewer profile data.

2. The system of claim 1, in which the broadcasters include point-to-one broadcasters.

3. The system of claim 1, in which the broadcasters include point-to-few broadcasters.

4. The system of claim 1, in which the broadcasters include point-to-many broadcasters.

5. The system of claim 1, including a facility that sets rewards to viewers who provide viewer profile information.

6. The system of claim 5, in which the rewards comprise modifications to the commonly provided advertising content.

7. The system of claim 5, in which the rewards comprise the alternate advertising having reduced time durations.

8. The system of claim 5, in which the rewards comprise the provision of different types of advertisements.

9. The system of claim 5, in which the rewards comprise the replacement of the commonly provided advertising content with brief program material.

10. The system of claim 5, in which the rewards comprise the selection of advertising that are tailored to viewers, based on the viewers'"'"' profile information.

11. The system of claim 1, in which the viewers profile data is provided by viewers in accordance with different levels of specified viewer profile detail so as to enable providing different reward levels.

12. The system of claim 1, in which insertion of the alternate advertising is effected at an interface facility.

13. The system of claim 12, in which the interface facility is a central facility which is operated outside of viewers'"'"' homes.

14. The system of claim 12, in which the interface device is a gathering device.

15. The system of claim 14, in which the gathering device incorporates internal cellular telephone circuitry that automatically communicates with the broadcasters.

16. The system of claim 15, in which internal cellular telephones associated with a plurality of viewers are operated as party line telephones.

17. The system of claim 14, in which the gathering device comprises internal storage for storing program content and a facility that plays program content after a delay.

18. The system of claim 12, in which the interface facility comprises a device located in the home of the viewer.

19. The system of claim 18, in which the device is selected from a group consisting of:

settop box, descrambler, VCR, GD, PTV, television receiver, Web browser and Internet appliance.

20. The system of claim 1, in which the broadcasters comprises a Web TV deliverer or a real television or a video-on-demand provider.

21. The system of claim 5, in which the rewards comprise a cash award.

22. The system of claim 5, in which the rewards comprise a reduction in the frequency or duration of television commercials.

23. The system of claim 5, in which the rewards comprise a combination of advertisements in advertising pods.

24. The system of claim 5, in which the rewards comprise the playing of only such commercials that are matched with the viewers'"'"' profile data.

25. The system of claim 1, in which the viewer profile information is communicated to broadcasters via viewer responses to questionnaires.

26. The system of claim 18, in which the viewer profile information is communicated to broadcasters via remote controller messages transmitted to the respective interface facility located at the respective homes of the viewers.

27. The system of claim 1, in which the viewer profile information is communicated to the broadcasters via the Internet.

28. The system of claim 1, in which the viewer profile information is communicated to the broadcasters through authorized release of data from financial institutions.

29. The system of claim 1, including a facility that selects either the program content or the alternate advertising by means of a server database.

30. The system of claim 1, including a facility that selects either the program content or the alternate advertising by downloading over the Internet.

31. The system of claim 1, including a facility that selects either the program content or the alternate advertising by Cable TV or satellite signals transmitted to addressable converters.

32. The system of claim 1, including a facility that selects either the program content or the alternate advertising by signals transmitted over the air.

33. The system of claim 1, further including an encryption software that encrypts viewers'"'"' profile information provided by viewers.

34. The system of claim 1, further including a facility that identifies viewers who are actually viewing program content.

35. The system of claim 34, in which the facility that identifies viewers includes a voice recognition facility.

36. The system of claim 34, in which the facility that identifies viewers'"'"' includes a facility that detects viewers'"'"' presence near a television set.

37. The system of claim 34, in which the facility that identifies viewers'"'"' includes a remote controller device operable by the viewers.

38. The system of claim 1, further including a central entity that manages viewer profile information in a manner that protects the confidentiality of viewers identities from the broadcasters.

40. The system of the claim 39, further including an interface facility that enables viewers to provide viewer profile data to broadcasters.

41. The system of claim 40, further including a facility in the advertising content inserter that selects segments from the pre-stored advertising to be inserted in the live broadcast based on viewer profile data of respective viewers.

42. The system of claim 39, in which the broadcasters include a radio broadcaster.

39. A public broadcasting system involving broadcasting of live program content divided into segments with intervals separating the segments and advertising content provided in the intervals, the system comprising:

a broadcasting facility for broadcasting the live program content and a plurality of receiving devices for receiving the live program content and for playing the live program content to viewers substantially without delay;

advertising players coupled with corresponding ones of the receiving devices, the advertising players including a facility for receiving and pre-storing the advertising content; and

an advertising content inserter operable with the advertising inserter and the receiver for dynamically and interactively inserting portions of the pre-stored advertising content into the live program content being provided to viewers, in a manner that the pre-stored advertising content and the live program content are presented in integrated form to viewers.