BROADCAST TELEVISION REWARD PROGRAM AND METHOD OF USE FOR ISSUING, AGGREGATING AND REDEEMING SPONSOR'S REWARD POINTS

• US 20070192784A1
• Filed: 10/06/2006
• Published: 08/16/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 03/01/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Signature Systems LLC
• Original Assignee: Signature Systems LLC
• Inventors: Postrel, Richard
• Application Number:
  US11/539,250
• Publication Number:
  US 20070192784A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/23
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0481 based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/02 Reservations, e.g. for tickets, services or events
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/06 Private payment circuits, e.g. involving electronic currency used among participants of a common payment scheme
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/10 specially adapted for electronic funds transfer [EFT] systems; specially adapted for home banking systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/24 Credit schemes, i.e. "pay after"
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/387 Payment using discounts or coupons relating to marketing G06Q30/02
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0208 Trade or exchange of goods or services in exchange for incentives or rewards
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0215 Including financial accounts
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0224 based on user history
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0229 Multi-merchant loyalty card systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0241 Advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2542 for selling goods, e.g. TV shopping payment schemes, payment architectures or payment protocols for electronic shopping systems G06Q20/12
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2543 Billing , e.g. for subscription services payment schemes, architectures or protocols G06Q20/00; e-commerce G06Q30/00; arrangements for billing for the use of broadcast information or broadcast-related information H04H60/21
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42204 User interfaces specially adapted for controlling a client device through a remote control device; Remote control devices therefor constructive details of casings for the remote control device H01H9/0235; user interfaces for controlling a tuning device of a television receiver through a remote control H03J9/00; remote control of peripheral devices connected to a television receiver through the remote control device of the television receiver H04B1/205
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4316 for displaying supplemental content in a region of the screen, e.g. an advertisement in a separate window
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44224 Monitoring of user activity on external systems, e.g. Internet browsing
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/475 End-user interface for inputting end-user data, e.g. personal identification number [PIN], preference data
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4758 for providing answers, e.g. voting
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47815 : Electronic shopping payment schemes, payment architectures or payment protocols for electronic shopping systems G06Q20/12
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4784 : receiving rewards
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4882 : for displaying messages, e.g. warnings, reminders arrangements for providing short real-time information to substation in data switching networks H04L12/1895
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 : involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02

Abstract

A loyalty program operated in association with a television broadcast network, wherein reward content is provided along with television content (programming and/or advertising) to generate a television broadcast signal that is transmitted to a plurality of viewers. Each viewer may view or hear the reward content via their television receiver (or set top box, personal computer, etc.) along with the associated programming or advertisements, and as a result provide a reward response which may be a visit to a local merchant, a mail-in or call-in response, entered to a web site via the Internet, etc. Reward points, as well as prizes and product discounts may be provided as the reward to the viewer that provides the appropriate reward response. This program can be configured and adapted to provides incentives to viewers to visit certain merchants and sponsors, purchase certain products, view certain programs, and the like, based on the reward parameters employed.

Claims

1. A method of operating a loyalty program in association with a television broadcasting entity comprising the steps of:

a. providing reward content;

b. providing television content;

c. generating a television broadcast signal comprised of said reward content and said television content;

d. broadcasting over a broadcast communications medium said television broadcast signal to a plurality of viewers;

e. at least one of said plurality of viewers receiving said television broadcast signal via a receiving device operative with the broadcast communications medium;

f. outputting said reward content obtained from said television broadcast signal to said viewer via said receiving device;

g. said viewer providing a reward response in association with said reward content; and

h. crediting, in accordance with the reward response from the viewer, reward points to a reward point account stored on behalf of said viewer at a reward server computer.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of said viewer providing a reward response comprises:

(i) the viewer presenting a loyalty token to a merchant, the loyalty token linked to the reward point account;

(ii) the merchant communicating with said reward server to provide a reward request to said reward server, said reward request comprising an instruction to add reward points to the reward point account associated with the viewer.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the loyalty token is a card.

4. The method of claim 2 wherein the loyalty token is issued by the television broadcast network.

5. The method of claim 2 wherein the loyalty token is issued by a merchant or sponsor.

6. The method of claim 2 wherein the loyalty token is a credit card.

7. The method of claim 2 wherein the reward request is only provided by the merchant in association with a purchase made by the viewer from the merchant.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein the reward content is provided by a sponsor associated with the merchant.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the reward content comprises a visual cue displayed to the viewer via said receiving device.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the reward content comprises an audible cue played to the viewer via said receiving device.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein the reward content comprises sweepstakes entry information.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein the reward content comprises a query, and wherein said reward response comprises an answer to said query.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein said reward server analyzes said answer to determine if it satisfies said query, and wherein said reward is only provided to said viewer if said query is satisfied by said answer.

14. The method of claim 1 wherein said television content comprises programming content.

15. The method of claim 1 wherein said television content comprises advertising content.

16. The method of claim 1 wherein said television broadcast signal is comprised of reward content that is interleaved with said television content, whereby said reward content is viewed separately from said television content.

17. The method of claim 1 wherein said television broadcast signal is comprised of reward content that is integrated with said television content, whereby said reward content is viewed at the same time as said television content.

18. The method of claim 1 wherein said broadcast communications medium comprises a cable television distribution system.

19. The method of claim 1 wherein said broadcast communications medium comprises a satellite distribution system.

20. The method of claim 1 wherein said broadcast communications medium comprises a terrestrial distribution system.

21. The method of claim 1 wherein said broadcast communications medium comprises an Internet-based distribution system.

22. The method of claim 1 wherein said receiving device comprises a television set.

23. The method of claim 1 wherein said receiving device comprises a personal computer.

24. The method of claim 1 wherein said receiving device comprises a set top converter.

25. The method of claim 1 wherein said receiving device comprises a cell phone.

26. The method of claim 1 wherein said receiving device comprises a handheld computer.

27. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of said viewer providing a reward response comprises the viewer calling via telephone to the reward server and entering information enabling the reward server to provide the viewer with a reward.

28. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of said viewer providing a reward response comprises the viewer entering the response via an interactive television set.

29. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of said viewer providing a reward response comprises the viewer entering the response via a personal computer.

30. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of said viewer providing a reward response comprises the viewer mailing the response.

31. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of providing television content comprises providing television content for a plurality of television shows, wherein said reward content associated with a first television show of said plurality of television shows is cross-linked to at least a second television show of said plurality of television shows.

32. The method of claim 25 wherein said first television show comprises a first type of television content and said second television show comprises a second type of television content that is substantially different than said first type of television content.

33. The method of claim 31 wherein said first television show comprises a first type of television content and said second television show comprises a second type of television content that is substantially similar to said first type of television content.

34. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of providing television content comprises providing television content for a plurality of television shows, wherein said television content for each of said plurality of television shows relates to a common subject, and wherein said viewer is required to obtain reward content from each of said plurality of television shows in order to provide a reward response that will result in being provided with a reward.

35. The method of claim 34 wherein said common subject is sports.

36. The method of claim 1 wherein said reward content is provided to said viewer by scrolling said reward content so that part of said reward content is visible at a given time and part of said reward content is not visible at said given time, whereby said visible reward content will vary over a certain time period.

37. The method of claim 36 wherein the viewer is enabled to obtain a reward by responding to said reward content within a certain period of time.