Incentive rewards obtainable automatically by an audience tuned to a broadcast

• US 20040031046A1
• Filed: 03/19/2003
• Published: 02/12/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 03/19/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Winmore, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Lee S. Weinblatt
• Inventors: Weinblatt, Lee S., Langer, Thomas
• Granted Patent: US 8,555,305 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/23
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0225 Avoiding frauds
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0235 constrained by time limit or expiration date
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0241 Advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44008 involving operations for analysing video streams, e.g. detecting features or characteristics in the video stream arrangements characterised by components specially adapted for monitoring, identification or recognition of video in broadcast systems H04H60/59
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44204 Monitoring of content usage, e.g. the number of times a movie has been viewed, copied or the amount which has been watched monitoring of user activities for profile generation for accessing a video database G06F16/739; protecting generic digital content where the protection is independent of the precise nature of the content G06F21/10; arrangements for monitoring the use made of the broadcast services in broadcast systems H04H60/31
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4424 Monitoring of the internal components or processes of the client device, e.g. CPU or memory load, processing speed, timer, counter or percentage of the hard disk space used error monitoring in general G06F11/30; arrangements for monitoring conditions of receiving stations in broadcast systems H04H60/32; diagnosis, testing or measuring for television receivers H04N17/04
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4784 receiving rewards
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8352 involving content or source identification data, e.g. Unique Material Identifier [UMID]
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/163 by receiver means only

Abstract

Providing a reward as an incentive for a person to become an audience member of at least one program being performed by reproduction equipment. A programming signal used for broadcasting the program with a programming signal source is encoded with discrete code signals, such that a preset number of the code signals occur within a given period of time, to produce an output signal which is broadcast. The broadcast output signal is received, and the code signals therein are detected. The number of the code signals detected while the person is an audience member of the at least one program is compared with predetermined reward issuance criteria. A reward is issued when the reward issuance criteria are met by the number of detected code signals.

Claims

1. A method for providing a reward as an incentive for a person to become an audience member of at least one program being performed by reproduction equipment, comprising:

providing a programming signal for broadcasting the program with a programming signal source;

encoding said programming signal with discrete code signals, such that a preset number of said code signals occur within a given period of time, to produce an output signal;

broadcasting the output signal;

receiving the broadcast output signal and detecting the code signals therein;

determining the number of said code signals detected while the person is an audience member of the at least one program;

comparing the number of detected code signals with predetermined reward issuance criteria; and

issuing a reward when the reward issuance criteria are met by the number of detected code signals.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the reward issuance criteria are related to being an audience member of a particular program.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the reward issuance criteria are related to being an audience member tuned to a particular program signal source.

4. The method claim 1, wherein said reward is issued to the audience member promptly upon said issuance criteria being met.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein said reward is a discount coupon printed at said audience member'"'"'s location.

6. The method claim 1, wherein said reward is issued to the audience member automatically upon said issuance criteria being met.

7. The method claim 1, wherein said plurality of discrete code signals are equally spaced within said given period of time.

8. The method claim 1, wherein said reward issuance criteria include a threshold period of time as reflected by the occurrence of at least a specified number of detected code signals.

9. The method claim 1, wherein said reward issuance criteria are selectively adjustable.

10. A method for generating a broadcast output signal for use in providing a reward as an incentive for a person to become an audience member of at least one program being performed by reproduction equipment receiving the broadcast output signal, comprising:

deriving a programming signal corresponding to the at least one program for which incentive rewards are to be made available;

designating at least one time interval within the at least one program during which the incentive is to apply;

encoding said programming signal with discrete code signals, such that a preset number of said code signals occur within a given period of time, to produce an output signal; and

broadcasting said output signal.

11. The method claim 10, wherein said plurality of discrete code signals are equally spaced within said given period of time.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the incentive is made available for being an audience member of a particular program.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein the incentive is made available for being an audience member tuned to a particular program signal source.

14. An apparatus for providing a reward as an incentive for a person to become an audience member of at least one program being performed by reproduction equipment, comprising:

means for providing a programming signal for broadcasting the program with a programming signal source;

means for encoding said programming signal with discrete code signals, such that a preset number of said code signals occur within a given period of time, to produce an output signal;

means for broadcasting the output signal;

means for receiving the broadcast output signal and detecting the code signals therein;

means for determining the number of said code signals received while the person is an audience member of the at least one program;

means for comparing the number of detected code signals with predetermined reward issuance criteria; and

means for issuing a reward when the reward issuance criteria are met by the number of detected code signals.

15. An apparatus for generating a broadcast output signal for use in providing a reward as an incentive for a person to become an audience member of at least one program being performed by reproduction equipment receiving the broadcast output signal, comprising:

means for deriving a programming signal corresponding to the at least one program for which incentive rewards are to be made available;

means for designating at least one time interval within the at least one program during which the incentive is to apply;

means for encoding said programming signal with discrete code signals, such that a preset number of said code signals occur within a given period of time, to produce an output signal; and

means for broadcasting said output signal.