Using audio/visual environment to select ads on game platform

• US 20070261077A1
• Filed: 05/08/2006
• Published: 11/08/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 05/08/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Sony Interactive Entertainment America LLC (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Interactive Entertainment America LLC (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Zalewski, Gary, Russell, Riley
• Application Number:
  US11/430,593
• Publication Number:
  US 20070261077A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/35
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/12 involving interaction between a plurality of game devices, e.g. transmisison or distribution systems protocols for networked virtual reality, networked games H04L29/06034
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/213 comprising photodetecting means, e.g. cameras, photodiodes or infrared cells A63F13/219, A63F13/655 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/215 comprising means for detecting acoustic signals, e.g. using a microphone
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/30 Interconnection arrangements between game servers and game devices; Interconnection arrangements between game devices; Interconnection arrangements between game servers
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/61 using advertising information
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/79 involving player-related data, e.g. identities, accounts, preferences or play histories
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/1087 comprising photodetecting means, e.g. a camera
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/538 for performing operations on behalf of the game client, e.g. rendering
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/5506 using advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/5546 using player registration data, e.g. identification, account, preferences, game history
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/69 Involving elements of the real world in the game world, e.g. measurement in live races, real video
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising

Abstract

A method and system is provided for capturing audio/visual related information and selecting advertising based on the information.

Claims

1. A game console comprising:

a microphone;

a camera;

a processor;

a memory storing advertisements and instructions, the instructions comprising;

storing sound received at the microphone and an image received at the camera;

identifying information contained in the sound and image;

selecting an advertisement for display based on the information; and

rendering the advertisement.

2. The game console of claim 1 further comprising a modem, and wherein the instructions further comprise transmitting the stored image outside of the console for analysis and receiving the information.

3. The game console of claim 1 further comprising a modem, and wherein the instructions further comprise transmitting the stored sound outside of the console for analysis and receiving the information.

4. The game console of claim 1 further comprising a modem, and wherein the instructions further comprise transmitting the stored image and sound outside of the console for analysis and receiving the information.

5. The game console of claim 1 wherein the information is related to the user'"'"'s gender.

6. The game console of claim 4 wherein the advertisements comprise a male-oriented advertisement and a female oriented-advertisement, and the advertisement is selected based on the user'"'"'s gender.

7. The game console of claim 1 wherein the information is related to the user'"'"'s age.

8. A method comprising

receiving sound at a microphone;

receiving an image at a camera;

storing the sound and image in a memory;

analyzing the sound and image to determine the characteristics of a user based on the sound and image;

selecting an advertisement from a plurality of advertisements based on the characteristics, wherein the plurality of advertisements are based on different characteristics; and

rendering the selected advertisement.

9. The method of claim 8 further comprising displaying characteristic-neutral content to the user before and after rendering the advertisement, wherein characteristic-neutral comprises content that was not selected based on the characteristics determined from the sound or image.

10. The method of claim 9 further comprising displaying characteristic-neutral content to the user while rendering the advertisement.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein the characteristic-neutral content comprises an interactive game.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the characteristics comprise the identity of objects within the camera'"'"'s field of view and range of the microphone.

13. The method of claim 9 wherein the image is a moving image.

14. A method of selecting advertising comprising:

receiving an image and sound transmitted over a network from a computer;

analyzing the image and sound to determine a characteristic associated with the environment surrounding the computer;

selecting an advertisement based on the characteristic;

transmitting the advertisement to the computer.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein the computer is a game console.

16. A method comprising

receiving an image at a camera and a sound at a microphone;

storing the image and sound in a memory;

analyzing the image and sound to determine characteristics of a user or a user'"'"'s environment based on the image.