System and method for providing incentive rewards to an audience tuned to a broadcast signal

• US 20070288952A1
• Filed: 04/30/2007
• Published: 12/13/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 05/10/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Winmore, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Winmore, Inc.
• Inventors: Weinblatt, Lee
• Granted Patent: US 9,554,092 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/23
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2407 Monitoring of transmitted content, e.g. distribution time, number of downloads arrangements for monitoring programmes for broadcast or for distribution combined with broadcast H04H20/14
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4784 receiving rewards
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/173 with two-way working, e.g. subscriber sending a programme selection signal

Abstract

A technique for offering a reward to an audience member tuned to a broadcast signal which is performed by reproduction equipment, the broadcast signal having commercial content, program content, and commercial content identification codes respectively corresponding to advertisements contained in the commercial content, wherein the audience member captures the commercial content identification codes from the performed broadcast signal and actuates storing of a segment of a program content from the performed broadcast signal. The technique identifies the program based on the segment thereof that was stored in response to the command, and offers the audience member a reward related to the identified program.

Claims

1. A method for offering a reward to an audience member tuned to a broadcast signal which is performed by reproduction equipment, the broadcast signal having commercial content, program content, and commercial content identification codes respectively corresponding to advertisements contained in the commercial content, the method comprising:

capturing the commercial content identification codes from the performed broadcast signal;

storing a segment of a program content from the performed broadcast signal in response to a command from an audience member tuned thereto;

identifying the program based on the segment thereof that was stored in response to the command; and

offering the audience member a reward related to the identified program.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the broadcast signal comprises an identification code for identifying a source that is broadcasting the broadcast signal, and wherein said capturing step further comprises capturing the source identification code.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said capturing step comprises capturing the commercial content identification codes on a portable capture device.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein said storing step comprises storing the segment in memory of the portable capture device.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein said storing step further comprises storing the time corresponding to when commercial content corresponding to a captured identification code was broadcast.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein said identifying step further comprises accessing a database and comparing the stored segment of program content to contents of the database to identify the program corresponding to the stored segment of program content.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein said offering step comprises enabling access by the audience member to said identified program.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein said identified program is a radio program.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the identified radio program comprises one of music, dialog, spoken comedy, and audio book.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein said offering step comprises enabling access by the audience member to another program by an artist of the identified program.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein said offering step comprises enabling access by the audience member to another program having a genre common with a genre of the identified program.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein said storing step further comprises the step of storing a plurality of segments of program content from the performed radio broadcast signal.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising uploading the captured identification codes and the stored segment of program content to a monitoring service via the Internet.

14. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of receiving a reward acceptance from the audience member and then providing the audience member with access to the accepted reward.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the command is a manually actuated command.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the command is a verbal command.

17. The method of claim 8, wherein said capturing step is carried out when the radio program is performed at a volume level that is audible to the audience member.

18. Apparatus for offering a reward to an audience member tuned to a broadcast signal which is performed by reproduction equipment, the broadcast signal having commercial content, program content, and commercial content identification codes respectively corresponding to advertisements contained in the commercial content, the apparatus comprising:

means for capturing the commercial content identification codes from the performed broadcast signal;

means for storing a segment of a program content from the performed broadcast signal in response to a command from an audience member tuned thereto;

means for identifying the program based on the segment thereof that was stored in response to the command; and

means for offering the audience member a reward related to the identified program.

19. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the broadcast signal comprises an identification code for identifying a source that is broadcasting the broadcast signal, and wherein said means for capturing captures the source identification code.

20. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein said means for capturing comprises a portable capture device.

21. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein said means for storing stores the segment in memory of the portable capture device.

22. The apparatus of claim 18, further comprising a clock, and wherein said means for storing stores the time corresponding to when commercial content corresponding to a captured identification code was broadcast.

23. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein said means for identifying comprises means for accessing a database and comparing the stored segment of program content to contents of the database to identify the program corresponding to the stored segment of program content.

24. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein said means for offering enables access by the audience member to said identified program.

25. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein said identified program is a radio program.

26. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein the identified radio program comprises one of music, dialog, spoken comedy, and audio book.

27. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein said means for offering enables access by the audience member to another program by an artist of the identified program.

28. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein said means for offering enables access by the audience member to another program having a genre common with a genre of the identified program.

29. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein said means for storing stores a plurality of segments of program content from the performed radio broadcast signal.

30. The apparatus of claim 18, further comprising means for uploading the captured identification codes and the stored segment of program content to a monitoring service via the Internet.

31. The apparatus of claim 18, further comprising means for receiving a reward acceptance from the audience member and then providing the audience member with access to the accepted reward.

32. The apparatus of claim 18, further comprising means for manually actuating the command by the audience member.

33. The apparatus of claim 18, further comprising means for verbally actuating the command by the audience member.

34. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein said means for capturing captures the commercial content identification codes from the performed broadcast signal when the radio program is performed at a volume level that is audible to the audience member.

35. A method for offering a reward to an audience member tuned to a broadcast signal which is performed by reproduction equipment, the broadcast signal having commercial content, program content, and commercial content identification codes respectively corresponding to advertisements contained in the commercial content, wherein the audience member captures the commercial content identification codes from the performed broadcast signal and actuates storing of a segment of a program content from the performed broadcast signal,

the method comprising:

identifying the program based on the segment thereof that was stored in response to the command; and

offering the audience member a reward related to the identified program.

36. The method of claim 35, wherein said identifying step further comprises accessing a database and comparing the stored segment of program content to contents of the database to identify the program corresponding to the stored segment of program content.

37. The method of claim 35, wherein said offering step comprises enabling access by the audience member to said identified program.

38. The method of claim 35, wherein said identified program is a radio program.

39. The method of claim 38, wherein the identified radio program comprises one of music, dialog, spoken comedy, and audio book.

40. The method of claim 35, wherein said offering step comprises enabling access by the audience member to another program by an artist of the identified program.

41. The method of claim 35, wherein said offering step comprises enabling access by the audience member to another program having a genre common with a genre of the identified program.

42. The method of claim 35, further comprising the steps of receiving a reward acceptance from the audience member and then providing the audience member with access to the accepted reward.

43. Apparatus for offering a reward to an audience member tuned to a broadcast signal which is performed by reproduction equipment, the broadcast signal having commercial content, program content, and commercial content identification codes respectively corresponding to advertisements contained in the commercial content, wherein the audience member captures the commercial content identification codes from the performed broadcast signal and actuates storing of a segment of a program content from the performed broadcast signal,

the apparatus comprising:

means for identifying a program based on the segment thereof that was stored in response to the command; and

means for offering the audience member a reward related to the identified program.

44. The apparatus of claim 43, wherein said identifying means further comprises means for accessing a database and comparing the stored segment of program content to contents of the database to identify the program corresponding to the stored segment of program content.

45. The apparatus of claim 43, wherein said offering means enables access by the audience member to said identified program.

46. The apparatus of claim 43, wherein said identified program is a radio program.

47. The apparatus of claim 46, wherein the identified radio program comprises one of music, dialog, spoken comedy, and audio book.

48. The apparatus of claim 43, wherein said offering step comprises enabling access by the audience member to another program by an artist of the identified program.

49. The apparatus of claim 43, wherein said offering means enables access by the audience member to another program having a genre common with a genre of the identified program.

50. The apparatus of claim 43, further comprising means for receiving a reward acceptance from the audience member and then providing the audience member with access to the accepted reward.