Method and apparatus for in-store media advertising

• US 20020116265A1
• Filed: 12/28/2001
• Published: 08/22/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 12/28/2000
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Hernandez, Ruben
• Original Assignee: Hernandez, Ruben
• Inventors: Hernandez, Ruben
• Application Number:
  US10/035,345
• Publication Number:
  US 20020116265A1
• 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 30/0254 based on statistics
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0264 based upon schedule
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 2201/30 characterised by the use of a return channel, e.g. for collecting users' opinions, for returning broadcast space/time information or for requesting data
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/13 Arrangements for device control affected by the broadcast information
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25866 Management of end-user data customer care in data networks H04L41/5077
• 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 21/44218 Detecting physical presence or behaviour of the user, e.g. using sensors to detect if the user is leaving the room or changes his face expression during a TV program methods or arrangements for recognising human body or animal bodies or body parts G06V40/10; methods or arrangements for acquiring or recognising human faces, facial parts, facial sketches, facial expressions G06V40/16; methods or arrangements for recognising movements or behaviour G06V40/20; arrangements for identifying users in broadcast systems H04H60/45
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/458 Scheduling content for creating a personalised stream, e.g. by combining a locally stored advertisement with an incoming stream; Updating operations, e.g. for OS modules ; time-related management operations arrangements for replacing or switching information during the broadcast or during the distribution H04H20/10
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

A method and apparatus for networked in-store media advertising. A local media advertising system is operably coupled to a media content server via a communications network such as the Internet. The local media advertising system receives advertising content and an advertising content display schedule from the content server. The local media advertising system displays the advertising content according to the advertising content display schedule. The local media advertising system has a viewer sensor that the local media advertising system uses to compile viewer data about the number of viewers and customers in the vicinity of the displayed media content. The local media advertising system generates viewer information about how many viewers and customers were in the vicinity of the displayed advertising content using the viewer data and the advertising content display schedule. The local media advertising system then transmits the viewer information to a statistics server via the communications network. Advertisers can then retrieve the viewer information from the statistics server in order to monitor the effectiveness of an advertising campaign.

Claims

1. A method for advertising, comprising:

displaying advertising content according to an advertising content display schedule;

receiving viewer signals while displaying the advertising content; and

generating viewer information using the viewer signals and the advertising content display schedule.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising receiving the advertising content and the advertising content display schedule from a content server.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising transmitting the viewer information to a statistics server.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

receiving sales data while displaying the advertising content; and

generating sales information using the sales data and the advertising content display schedule.

5. An apparatus for advertising, comprising:

means for displaying advertising content according to an advertising content display schedule;

means for receiving viewer signals while displaying the advertising content; and

means for generating viewer information using the viewer signals and the advertising content display schedule.

6. The apparatus of claim 5 further comprising means for receiving the advertising content and the advertising content display schedule from a content server.

7. The apparatus of claim 5 further comprising means for transmitting the viewer information to a statistics server.

8. A method for advertising using an advertising system operably coupled to a content server and a statistics server via a communications network, comprising:

receiving by the advertising system from the content server via the communications network advertising content and an advertising content display schedule;

displaying by the advertising system the advertising content according to the advertising content display schedule;

receiving by the advertising system viewer signals while displaying the advertising content;

generating by the advertising system viewer information using the viewer signals and the advertising content display schedule; and

transmitting by the advertising system to the statistics server via the communications network the viewer information.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein the viewer signal further includes a directional component.

10. A networked media advertising system, comprising:

a content server;

a statistics server;

an advertising system operably coupled to the content server and the statistics server via a communications network, the advertising system including;

an advertising controller;

an advertising display device operably coupled to the advertising controller; and

a viewer sensor operably coupled to the advertising controller.