In-stream advertising message system

• US 20070276726A1
• Filed: 05/23/2006
• Published: 11/29/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 05/23/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Keith Dimatteo
• Original Assignee: Keith Dimatteo
• Inventors: DiMatteo, Keith
• Application Number:
  US11/439,355
• Publication Number:
  US 20070276726A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/14.660
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0269 based on user profile or attribute
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0277 Online advertisement
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8547 involving timestamps for synchronizing content
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/16 Analogue secrecy systems; Analogue subscription systems

Abstract

The present invention is directed to a method and system for inserting advertising messages into digitally encoded audio and audio-visual content. Such methods are useful for enabling one to gain support for web-based media programs such as those that might be characterized as podcasts. Methods for cueing audio files are indicated so that different messages may be incorporated into the audio files according to different user profiles prior to delivery of media content to a user over the web.

Claims

1. A method whereby a developer can produce digital programs/shows for presentation to users over a web server that flexibly allows the insertion of appropriate messages into pre-selected spots throughout the show comprised of a means of inserting audio signals and a means of detecting said signals and making changes to said show prior to presentation to user.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprised of a dynamically created user profile database that stores information associated with each user.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein such information gleaned from the user contains one or more of:

interests based upon which program/show is selected, historical information implied by the same IP address, age, address, and registration and subscription details.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein said messages are stored on a database associated with an instream ad server.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein said digital programs/shows may be audio or a combination of audio and images.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein said images may be video images.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein said pre-selected spots are inserted at the discretion of the developer by using well defined sound bursts that are at frequencies at or above the range of human hearing and such that a detector can locate such sound bursts and trigger editing software to replace said bursts with a message.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein said message is a commercial advertisement comprised of one of:

an audio file, audio-visual presentation, or video data stream.

9. The method of claim 4 wherein said ad server has intelligent software that selects the most appropriate message as a function of the user profile and activity.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein said pre-selected spots are determined post-production by pattern recognition software that locates transition points between music and voice only.

11. A system comprising:

a developer computer having audio recording and editing capability,

A means for inserting cueing audio signals into audio files,

A connection to a webpage hosted by an internet service provider,

An advertisement/message database,

one or more software programs for detecting cueing signals, selecting advertisements/messages from the database and replacing cueing audio signals with said advertisements/messages,

A means to re-render the audio files and present to a world wide web or Internet user for playing or downloading, and

A user interface allowing selection of audio files from a database associated with a content server.

12. The system of claim 11 wherein re-rendering the audio files produces a composite file in one or more standard formats.

13. The system of claim 12 wherein one such standard format is MP3.

14. The system of claim 11 wherein means for inserting cueing audio signals is comprised of a signal generator producing non-audible sounds in the range of a 0.5-4 MHz tone for a duration in the range of 0.5-4 seconds.

15. The system of claim 11 further comprised of an Instream Ad Server and an advertisement library database.

16. The system of claim 11 wherein said user interface is compatible with customary web browsers including Internet Explorer and Netscape.

17. The system of claim 11 wherein the downloadable form of the functions as an audio podcast from a web server.

18. The system of claim 11 further comprised of a user profile database comprised of information captured about each user.

19. An apparatus comprised of one or more networked computers that runs the software needed to implement the development and production of podcasts having appropriately inserted messages tailored to particular users and further comprised of an advertisement library, and instream ad server, a user profile database and a content server.

20. A device comprising an embedded data signal that has been inserted into an audio stream and can be extracted from said stream and replaced with an alternative signal having an audible message content and is further comprised of a means of producing and subsequently detecting cueing signals and further comprising a library of advertisements that can be matched with user profile information and activity of each particular user.