Apparatus, system, and computer program product for presenting unsolicited information to a vehicle or individual

• US 20070080813A1
• Filed: 08/31/2006
• Published: 04/12/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 05/16/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Longhorn Automotive Group LLC (Alpha Alpha Intellectual Partners LLC)
• Original Assignee: Baglador SA LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Melvin, Stephen
• Granted Patent: US 7,482,910 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/573.100
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/1085 involving automatic teller machines [ATMs]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0265 Vehicular advertisement
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0269 based on user profile or attribute
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0273 Determination of fees for advertising
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0175 by photographing vehicles, e.g. when violating traffic rules
• CPC Class Codes: G09F 15/00 Boards, hoardings, pillars, or like structures for notices, placards, posters, or the like

Abstract

A system for providing directed advertising or informational messages specific to individual persons or vehicles. The system encompasses a sensing and evaluation mechanism to detect persons or vehicles, in conjunction with a billboard or other display device capable of delivering a message specific to one or more individuals.

Claims

1-17. -17. (canceled)

18. An apparatus for presenting unsolicited information to at least one of a vehicle and an individual, comprising:

a first circuit configured to receive characteristic information from the at least one of the vehicle and the individual;

a second circuit configured to analyze the characteristic information to produce a predicted profile and to use the predicted profile to select the unsolicited information; and

a third circuit configured to transmit the unsolicited information.

19. The apparatus of claim 18, further comprising:

a sensing device coupled to the first circuit and configured to sense the characteristic information from the at least one of the vehicle and the individual.

20. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the sensing device is a camera.

21. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein the camera is positioned to capture an image of at least one of a front of the at least one of the vehicle and the individual along an expected route of travel and a back of the at least one of the vehicle and the individual along the expected route of travel.

22. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein the camera is at least one of a digital camera and an infrared camera.

23. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the sensing device is an optical sensor.

24. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the sensing device is configured to sense radio frequency energy emitted from the at least one of the vehicle and the individual.

25. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the sensing device is an audio sensor.

26. The apparatus of claim 18, further comprising:

a display device coupled to the third circuit and configured to present the unsolicited information.

27. The apparatus of claim 26, wherein the display device is an electronic billboard.

28. The apparatus of claim 18, further comprising:

at least one of a memory and a network interface coupled to the second circuit, wherein information in a database is communicable with the second circuit via the at least one of the memory and the network interface.

29. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the characteristic information is an image of the at least one of the vehicle and the individual and the second circuit is configured to recognize a pattern in the image.

30. The apparatus of claim 29, wherein the second circuit is configured to extract at least one of a make of the vehicle, a model of the vehicle, a year of manufacture of the vehicle, a color of the vehicle, a condition of the vehicle, a license plate number of the vehicle, an information from a license plate frame on the vehicle, an information from a parking sticker on the vehicle, an information from a bumper sticker on the vehicle, and a number of occupants in the vehicle from the image.

31. The apparatus of claim 29, wherein the second circuit is configured for at least one of to compare the pattern with an information in a database, to process an algorithm to determine the pattern, and to determine an outline of the at least one of the vehicle and the individual.

32. The apparatus of claim 31, wherein the information in the database cross references the outline of the at least one of the vehicle and the individual with a make of the vehicle, a model of the vehicle, and a year of manufacture of the vehicle.

33. The apparatus of claim 31, wherein the information in the database includes at least one of vehicle license plate data, information related to bumper stickers, information related to parking stickers, and face recognition data.

34. The apparatus of claim 31, wherein the second circuit is configured to extract from the information in the database a zip code of at least one of the individual, an owner of the vehicle, and a driver of the vehicle.

35. The apparatus of claim 31, wherein the second circuit is configured to extract from the information in the database an estimated age of at least one of the individual, an owner of the vehicle, and a driver of the vehicle.

36. The apparatus of claim 31, wherein the second circuit is configured to extract from the information in the database an estimated income of at least one of the individual, an owner of the vehicle, and a driver of the vehicle.

37. The apparatus of claim 31, wherein the second circuit is configured to extract from the information in the database an estimated sex of at least one of the individual, an owner of the vehicle, and a driver of the vehicle.

38. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the second circuit is configured to cross reference the characteristic information with an information in a database to produce the predicted profile.

39. The apparatus of claim 18 , wherein the second circuit is configured to produce the predicted profile based on at least one of a make of the vehicle, a model of the vehicle, a year of manufacture of the vehicle, an information from a parking sticker on the vehicle, an information from a license plate frame on the vehicle, an information from a bumper sticker on the vehicle, a time of day, and a number of occupants in the vehicle.

40. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the second circuit is configured to assign a score to each unsolicited information in a set of unsolicited information based on the predicted profile.

41. The apparatus of claim 40, wherein the set of unsolicited information is all unsolicited information deemed to be relevant based on the predicted profile.

42. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the second circuit is configured to select randomly the unsolicited information from a set of relevant unsolicited information, wherein the set of unsolicited information is all unsolicited information deemed to be relevant based on the predicted profile.

43. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the second circuit is further configured to record an instance of a selection of the unsolicited information.

44. The apparatus of claim 43, wherein the second circuit is further configured to communicate with a fourth circuit configured to process a charge to an advertiser for the instance of the selection of the unsolicited information.

45. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the second circuit is further configured to track a frequency at which the unsolicited information is selected.

46. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the second circuit is further configured to maintain information about the vehicle to which the unsolicited information has been presented.

47. The apparatus of claim 46, wherein the unsolicited information is a set of unsolicited information and the second circuit is further configured to control a variety of sequencing a selection from the set of unsolicited information.

48. A system for presenting unsolicited information to at least one of a vehicle and an individual, comprising:

a sensing device configured to sense characteristic information from the at least one of the vehicle and the individual;

a processor configured to receive the characteristic information from the at least one of the vehicle and the individual, to analyze the characteristic information to produce a predicted profile, to use the predicted profile to select the unsolicited information, and to transmit the unsolicited information; and

a display device configured to present the unsolicited information.

49. A computer program product for presenting unsolicited information to at least one of a vehicle and an individual, the computer program product having computer program code embodied in a computer readable storage medium, the computer program code comprising:

a first program code means for causing the computer system to receive characteristic information from the at least one of the vehicle and the individual;

a second program code means for causing the computer system to analyze the characteristic information to produce a predicted profile;

a third program code means for causing the computer system to use the predicted profile to select the unsolicited information; and

a fourth program code means for causing the computer system to transmit the unsolicited information.

50. The computer program product of claim 49, wherein the characteristic information is an image of the at least one of the vehicle and the individual and the second program code means is configured to cause the computer system to recognize a pattern in the image.

51. The computer program product of claim 50, wherein the second program code means is configured to cause the computer system to extract at least one of a make of the vehicle, a model of the vehicle, a year of manufacture of the vehicle, a color of the vehicle, a condition of the vehicle, a license plate number of the vehicle, an information from a license plate frame on the vehicle, an information from a parking sticker on the vehicle, an information from a bumper sticker on the vehicle, and a number of occupants in the vehicle from the image.

52. The computer program product of claim 50, wherein the second program code means is configured for at least one of to cause the computer system to compare the pattern with an information in a database, to cause the computer system to process an algorithm to determine the pattern, and to cause the computer system to determine an outline of the at least one of the vehicle and the individual.

53. The computer program product of claim 52, wherein the second program code means is configured to cause the computer system to extract from the information in the database a zip code of at least one of the individual, an owner of the vehicle, and a driver of the vehicle.

54. The computer program product of claim 52, wherein the second program code means is configured to cause the computer system to extract from the information in the database an estimated age of at least one of the individual, an owner of the vehicle, and a driver of the vehicle.

55. The computer program product of claim 52, wherein the second program code means is configured to cause the computer system to extract from the information in the database an estimated income of at least one of the individual, an owner of the vehicle, and a driver of the vehicle.

56. The computer program product of claim 52, wherein the second program code means is configured to cause the computer system to extract from the information in the database an estimated sex of at least one of the individual, an owner of the vehicle, and a driver of the vehicle.

57. The computer program product of claim 49, wherein the second program code means is configured to cause the computer system to cross reference the characteristic information with an information in a database to produce the predicted profile.

58. The computer program product of claim 49, wherein the second program code means is configured to cause the computer system to produce the predicted profile based on at least one of a make of the vehicle, a model of the vehicle, a year of manufacture of the vehicle, an information from a parking sticker on the vehicle, an information from a license plate frame on the vehicle, an information from a bumper sticker on the vehicle, a time of day, and a number of occupants in the vehicle.

59. The computer program product of claim 49, wherein the third program code means is configured to cause the computer system to assign a score to each unsolicited information in a set of unsolicited information based on the predicted profile.

60. The computer program product of claim 49, wherein the third program code means is configured to cause the computer system to select randomly the unsolicited information from a set of relevant unsolicited information, wherein the set of unsolicited information is all unsolicited information deemed to be relevant based on the predicted profile.

61. The computer program product of claim 49, further comprising:

a fifth program code means for causing the computer system to record an instance of a selection of the unsolicited information.

62. The computer program product of claim 49, further comprising:

a fifth program code means for causing the computer system to track a frequency at which the unsolicited information is selected.

63. The computer program product of claim 49, further comprising:

a fifth program code means for causing the computer system to maintain information about the vehicle to which the unsolicited information has been presented.