SYSTEM AND METHOD OF PROVIDING ADVERTISEMENTS TO VEHICLES

• US 20080089262A1
• Filed: 10/13/2006
• Published: 04/17/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 10/13/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Knowledge Ventures, L.P. (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: CROLLEY, WAYNE, JOHNSON, JEFFREY PAUL
• Granted Patent: US 7,646,740 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/312
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0261 based on user location
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0266 based on the position of the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management

Abstract

A system and method of providing advertisements to vehicles is disclosed. An apparatus that incorporates teachings of the present disclosure may include, for example, a system having at least one wireless communication access point deployed along a freeway, a database for storing one or more media files associated with one or more advertisements, the database storing information concerning the types of media files supported by a number of media systems of a corresponding number of user vehicles, and a server coupled to the database having access to the at least one wireless communication access point. The server can direct the wireless communication access point to transmit one or more advertisements to the portable communication devices according to one or more types of media files determined to be supported by the media systems, and the corresponding user vehicles being proximately located to a freeway exit. Additional embodiments are disclosed.

Claims

1. A method of advertising, the method comprising:

monitoring the location of one or more portable communication devices in communication with a data network as the one or more portable communication devices travel within a user vehicle along a freeway;

determining whether the one or more portable communication devices are within a predetermined range of a freeway exit;

determining from the one or more portable communication devices one or more types of media files supported by a media system of the user vehicle; and

transmitting one or more advertisements to the one or more portable communication devices for presentation on the media system of the user vehicle associated with each of said devices, wherein the advertisement is delivered in a format based on the determined one or more types of media files supported by the media system.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the media system comprises at least one among an audio system and a display, and wherein the one or more portable communication devices transmit the one or more advertisements to the display by way of one among a wireless interface and a wireline interface.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the wireless interface conforms to any one among IEEE'"'"'s 802 standards.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the wireless interface conforms to one among a Bluetooth standard, and a WiFi standard.

5. The method of claim 2, comprising polling vehicle identification from the one or more portable communication devices in order to determine the one or more types of media files supported by the display.

6. The method of claim 5, comprising querying a database according to the vehicle identification in order to determine the one or more types of media files supported by the display.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the vehicle identification comprises a make, year, and model identification associated with the user vehicle.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more advertisements are associated with a business accessible via the freeway exit.

9. The method of claim 2, wherein the one or more advertisements are transmitted based on a service level agreement of a business that includes one or more service tiers, and wherein the method comprises charging the business to advertise based on one of the one or more service tiers.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the one or more service tiers comprises at least one among a first service tier providing text message advertisements, a second service tier providing still graphical advertisements, a third service tier providing streaming video and audio advertisements, and a fourth service tier providing real-time voice and video advertisements.

11. The method of claim 10, comprising retrieving an advertisement from a database based on a service tier associated with the business and the one or more types of media files supported by the display.

12. The method of claim 11, comprising charging the business for transmitting the advertisement based on the one or more type of media files supported by the display and the service tier.

13. The method of claim 2, wherein the display is an integral part of a telemetry system of the user vehicle, and wherein each of the one or more portable communication devices is an integral part of the telemetry system.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the data network comprises a wireless communication network conforming to one among a group of wireless standards comprising one among IEEE'"'"'s 802 standards, and one among cellular telephony standards, and wherein the method comprises transmitting the one or more advertisements when the one or more portable communication devices are within the predetermine range and a time and date when said event occurs is within an operating time of one or more businesses associated with the one or more advertisements.

15. The method of claim 13, comprising:

receiving location information from the telemetry system; and

processing the location information to determine when to transmit the one or more advertisements.

16. The method of claim 1, comprising:

receiving location information from each of the one or more portable communication devices; and

processing the location information to determine when to transmit the one or more advertisements.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein each of the portable communication devices includes a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver for determining the location information.

18. A system, comprising:

at least one wireless communication access point deployed along a freeway;

a database for storing one or more media files associated with one or more advertisements, the database storing information concerning the types of media files supported by a plurality of media systems of a corresponding plurality of user vehicles; and

a server coupled to the database having access to the at least one wireless communication access point, wherein the server directs the at least one wireless communication access point to transmit one or more advertisements to the one or more portable communication devices according to one or more types of media files determined to be supported by the plurality of media systems, and the corresponding user vehicles being proximately located to a freeway exit.

19. A portable communication device, comprising a transceiver element that receives media information comprising at least one among traffic alerts and one or more advertisements from a wireless communication access point located along a freeway, and transmits said media information to a media system of a user vehicle in which said portable communication device is located.

20. The portable communication device of claim 19, comprising a location element that determines location information associated with the portable communication device and transmits said location information to a system that directs the wireless communication access point to transmit the one or more advertisements to the portable communication device.