Television system with scheduling of advertisements

• US 20040194131A1
• Filed: 04/13/2004
• Published: 09/30/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 03/11/1999
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Daniel C. Hagenbuch, Michael David Ellis
• Original Assignee: Daniel C. Hagenbuch, Michael David Ellis
• Inventors: Ellis, Michael D., Hagenbuch, Daniel C.
• Application Number:
  US10/823,985
• Publication Number:
  US 20040194131A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/34
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2547 Third Party Billing, e.g. billing of advertiser
• 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 21/4312 involving specific graphical features, e.g. screen layout, special fonts or colors, blinking icons, highlights or animations
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4314 for fitting data in a restricted space on the screen, e.g. EPG data in a rectangular grid
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4532 involving end-user characteristics, e.g. viewer profile, preferences monitoring of user activities for profile generation for accessing a video database G06F16/739; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306; processing of user preferences or user profiles in wireless networks H04W8/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47 End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47214 for content reservation or setting reminders; for requesting event notification, e.g. of sport results or stock market stock exchange data over packet-switching network H04L12/1804; push services over packet-switching network H04L12/1859; notification of incoming messages in packet switching networks H04L51/224
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/478 Supplemental services, e.g. displaying phone caller identification, shopping application
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/0887 for the transmission of programme or channel identifying signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/165 Centralised control of user terminal subsequent to an upstream request signal H04N7/17345; Registering at central by two-way working H04N7/17309

Abstract

A system is provided for scheduling interactive advertisements. The system may receive orders for the presentation of interactive advertisements and receive interactive advertisements in digital form. Interactive advertisements may be scheduled based on the received orders. The scheduling and display of interactive advertisements may be based on assigned priority, day part, category, rotation type, form, screen location, screen group, time zone, size, etc. The orders may include information on an advertisement customer'"'"'s desired display parameters. Pricing for orders may be provided based on information in the order or based on system delivery rates.

Claims

1. In a system for scheduling advertisements for presentation to users on their television equipment, a method comprising:

receiving a plurality of digital interactive advertisements;

receiving electronic orders from customers for certain interactive advertisements that the customers desire to have displayed to the users; and

scheduling how the interactive advertisements are displayed on the television equipment of the users based on the electronic advertisement orders.

2. The method defined in claim 1, wherein receiving a plurality of digital interactive advertisements includes receiving a plurality of digital interactive advertisements at a main computer at a main facility.

3. The method defined in claim 1, wherein receiving a plurality of digital interactive advertisements includes receiving a plurality of digital interactive advertisements at a local computer at a television distribution facility.

4. The method defined in claim 1, wherein receiving electronic orders includes receiving electronic orders at a main computer at a main facility.

5. The method defined in claim 1, wherein receiving electronic orders includes receiving electronic orders at a local computer at a television distribution facility.

6. The method defined in claim 1, wherein scheduling includes scheduling by user television equipment.

7. The method defined in claim 1, wherein receiving a plurality of digital interactive advertisements includes receiving the advertisements via an Internet communications connection.

8. The method defined in claim 1, wherein receiving electronic orders includes receiving the orders via an Internet communications connection.

9. The method defined in claim 1, further comprising determining a price for electronic orders.

10. The method defined in claim 1, further comprising determining a price for electronic orders based on electronic order information included in each electronic order.

11. The method defined in claim 1, further comprising determining a price for electronic orders based on how the interactive advertisements are scheduled to be displayed.

12. The method defined in claim 1, further comprising determining a price for electronic orders based on how the interactive advertisements are scheduled to be displayed and based on delivery success rates.

13. In a system in which interactive advertisements are displayed for users in an interactive television application running at least partially on user television equipment, wherein the interactive television application displays screens on the user television equipment, and wherein related screens are grouped into various screen groups, a method comprising:

receiving orders for interactive advertisements to be displayed with the interactive television application;

assigning priorities to each of the interactive advertisements;

assigning each of the interactive advertisements to one of the screen groups; and

displaying the interactive advertisements with the interactive television application, wherein each advertisement is displayed on one of the screens in the group to which that interactive advertisement is assigned, and wherein the interactive advertisements that are displayed on a screen in a given screen group are displayed based on their assigned priorities.

14. The method defined in claim 13, wherein the interactive television application is an interactive television program guide application, and displaying includes displaying the interactive advertisements with the interactive television program guide application.

15. The method defined in claim 13, wherein assigning priorities includes assigning to at least one of the interactive advertisement more than one priority.

16. The method defined in claim 13, wherein assigning priorities includes assigning to at least one of the interactive advertisements more than one priority;

and wherein assigning screen groups includes assigning a screen group in combination with each assigned priority.

17. In a system in which interactive advertisements are displayed for users in an interactive television application running at least partially on user television equipment, a method comprising:

receiving orders for interactive advertisements to be displayed with the interactive television application;

assigning each interactive advertisement to a day part; and

displaying the interactive advertisements with the interactive television application based on the assigned day part.

18. The method defined in claim 17, wherein the interactive television application is an interactive television program guide application, and displaying includes displaying the interactive advertisements with the interactive television program guide application.

19. The method defined in claim 17, wherein the orders include information on a desired day part.

20. The method defined in claim 17, wherein assigning includes assigning day parts based on the received orders.