Loop beacons

• US 20070016671A1
• Filed: 06/30/2006
• Published: 01/18/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 07/01/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: FilmLoop, Inc. (Western Digital Corporation)
• Original Assignee: FilmLoop, Inc. (Western Digital Corporation)
• Inventors: Lee, Prescott, Mashima, Kyle, Ying, Charles
• Application Number:
  US11/479,601
• Publication Number:
  US 20070016671A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/224
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising

Abstract

A loop beacon enables recording the activity of a user of an electronic device during the display of a given medium in a display loop. A display loop can present a particular medium not only in a static form, but also in a moving or looping display that evolves in time. In some embodiments, the invention herein disclosed detects user actions during a time period associated with an ephemerally displayed medium in a loop, and records and reports the user action.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

detecting a user activity occurring within a time period associated with display of a commercial message in a loop;

recording the detection of the user activity in association with the commercial message;

reporting a beacon to an accounting module, the beacon including a report of the detection; and

counting the number of beacons associated with the commercial message over a period of time.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the detecting user activity includes detecting the movement of a cursor within a display.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the detecting user activity includes detecting a keystroke or sensing motion.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the commercial message is one of a plurality of media presented in the loop.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the detecting user activity includes scanning a human retina or detecting a human voice.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the user activity is associated with the loop.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the time period comprises time before the commercial message is displayed.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the time period comprises time after the commercial message is displayed.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the beacon comprises an identifier of the commercial message.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the beacon comprises a data packet.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the accounting module comprises a server.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising billing a provider of the commercial message responsive to a number of beacons associated with the commercial message received by the accounting module.

13. The method of claim 1, further storing beacon information.

14. A system comprising:

a media engine configured to run on a client and for displaying a commercial message amongst a plurality of media presented in a loop;

an activity detection system configured for detecting user activity occurring within a time period related to the display of the commercial message in the loop;

a recording system configured for recording the detection of user activity in association with the commercial message; and

a reporting system for reporting a beacon to an accounting module, the accounting module being configured to count the number of beacons associated with the commercial message.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the detection system is configured to detect the movement of a cursor within a display of the client.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein the detection system is configured to detect a keystroke.

17. The system of claim 14, wherein the detection system is configured to detect a human voice or a human retina.

18. The system of claim 14, wherein the user activity is associated with the loop.

19. The system of claim 14, wherein the user activity is not associated with the loop.

20. The system of claim 14, wherein the time period comprises time before or after the commercial message is displayed.

21. The system of claim 14, wherein the user activity comprises a cursor movement over the loop.

22. The system of claim 14, wherein the beacon comprises an identifier of the commercial message.

23. The system of claim 14, wherein the beacon comprises a packet.

24. The system of claim 14, wherein the accounting module comprises a server.

25. The system of claim 14, wherein the accounting module is configured to bill a provider of the commercial message according to a number of beacons associated with the commercial message received by the accounting module.

26. The system of claim 14 wherein the reporting system is further configured to track beacon information.

27. A computer readable medium having stored thereupon computer code, the computer code comprising:

a code segment configured for detecting user activity occurring within a time period related to a display of a commercial message in a loop;

a code segment configured for recording the detection of the user activity in association with the commercial message; and

a code segment configured for reporting a beacon to an accounting module such that the accounting module can count the number of beacons associated with the commercial message.

28. The computer readable medium of claim 27, wherein the detecting user activity includes detecting a movement of a cursor within a display.

29. The computer readable medium of claim 27, wherein the detecting user activity includes detecting a keystroke.

30. The computer readable medium of claim 27, wherein the detecting user activity includes detecting a movement of a cursor over the loop.

31. The computer readable medium of claim 27, wherein the detecting user activity includes scanning a human retina or detecting a human voice.

32. The computer readable medium of claim 27, further comprising billing a provider of the commercial message according to a number of beacons associated with the commercial message received by the accounting module.

33. The computer readable medium of claim 27, wherein the time period includes time before the commercial message is displayed.

34. The computer readable medium of claim 27, wherein the time period includes time after the commercial message is displayed.

35. The computer readable medium of claim 27, wherein the beacon comprises an identifier of the commercial message.

36. The computer readable medium of claim 27, further comprising billing a provider of the commercial message according to a number of beacons associated with the commercial message received by the accounting module and type of user activity detected.

37. The computer readable medium of claim 27, further comprising a code segment configured to track beacon information.