Method and system for multicasting targeted advertising data

• US 20080181225A1
• Filed: 01/30/2007
• Published: 07/31/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 01/30/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sbc Knowledge Ventures, L.P.
• Original Assignee: Sbc Knowledge Ventures, L.P.
• Inventors: Zampiello, Geoffrey R.
• Granted Patent: US 8,213,426 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/390
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1859 adapted to provide push services, e.g. data channels

Abstract

A method for multicasting targeted advertising data to end user devices is disclosed. In an illustrative embodiment the method includes but is not limited to correlating at a regional internet protocol television (IPTV) server, multicast queue data with web data from web sites visited by each of a plurality of end user devices associated with the regional IPTV server; selecting a subgroup of end user devices from the plurality of end user devices to receive targeted advertising data correlating with a member of the multicast queue data; and multicasting targeted advertising data associated with the member of the multicast queue data to the subgroup of end user devices from the regional IPTV server. A system is also disclosed for multicasting targeted advertising data to end user devices. A data structure is disclosed for storing data used by the system and method.

Claims

1. A method for multicasting targeted advertising data to end user devices, the method comprising:

correlating at a regional internet protocol television (IPTV) server, multicast queue data with web data from web sites visited by each of a plurality of end user devices associated with the regional IPTV server;

selecting a subgroup of end user devices from the plurality of end user devices to receive targeted advertising data correlating with a member of the multicast queue data; and

multicasting targeted advertising data associated with the member of the multicast queue data to the subgroup of end user devices from the regional IPTV server.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the web data and multicast queue data further comprise data selected from the group consisting of image, text, audio and video data, wherein the correlating further comprises comparing the web data to each member of the multicast queue data, the selecting further comprising placing end user devices in a subgroup associated with a member of the multicast queue based on the correlating.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the member is data indicating advertising data in an advertising category selected from the group consisting of image, text, video and audio data

4. The method of claim 2, the correlating further comprising:

comparing the web data and the multicast queue data to a user profile for each of the end user devices, wherein the user profile comprises data indicating an advertising category, the data selected from the group consisting of image, text, audio and video data.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving the multicast queue data at the regional advertising server from a super regional IPTV server, wherein the multicast queue data further comprises image, video, audio and text data indicating regional advertising data associated with the web data for the regional IPTV server.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving at the regional IPTV server end user selection data indicating a selection of targeted advertising data multicast to the end user device;

accessing contact data associated with the end user selection data; and

sending a message associated with the targeted advertising data to an end user address in the contact data.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the end user address further comprises data indicative of an end user address selected from the group consisting of an internet protocol address and a physical address, and wherein the message further comprises data selected from the group consisting of an email, phone call, text message and an advertisement mailed to the physical address.

8. The method of claim 2, wherein the multicast queue data further comprises regional and demographic data sent to the regional IPTV server associated with the plurality of end users.

9. A system for multicasting targeted advertising data to end user devices, the system comprising:

a regional IPTV server containing a processor in data communication with a computer readable medium; and

a computer program comprising instructions embedded in the computer readable medium, the computer program further comprising instructions to correlate at the regional internet protocol television (IPTV) server, multicast queue data with web data from web sites, instructions to select a subgroup of end user devices from the plurality of end user devices to receive targeted advertising data correlating with a member of the multicast queue data and instructions to multicast targeted advertising data associated with the member of the multicast queue data to the subgroup of end user devices from the regional IPTV server.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein in the computer program, the web data visited by each of a plurality of end user devices associated with the regional IPTV server and multicast queue data further comprise data selected from the group consisting of image, text, audio and video data, wherein the instructions to correlate further comprise instructions to compare the web data to each member of the multicast queue data, wherein the instructions to select further comprise instructions to place end user devices in a subgroup associated with a member of the multicast queue based on the correlating.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein in the system the member comprises data indicating advertising data in an advertising category selected from the group consisting of image, text, video and audio data.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the instructions to correlate further comprise instructions to compare the web data and the multicast queue data to a user profile for each of the end user devices, wherein the user profile comprises data selected from the group consisting of image, text, audio and video data.

13. The system of claim 9, the computer program further comprising:

instructions to receive the multicast queue data at the regional advertising server from a super regional IPTV server, wherein the multicast queue data comprises image, video, audio and text data indicating regional advertising data associated with the regional IPTV server.

14. The system of claim 9, the computer program further comprising instructions to receive at the regional IPTV server end user selection data indicating a selection of targeted advertising data multicast to the end user device, instructions to access contact data associated with the end user selection data and instructions to send a message associated with the targeted advertising data to an end user address in the contact data.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the end user address further comprises data indicative of an end user address selected from the group consisting of an internet protocol address and a physical address, and wherein the message further comprises data selected from the group consisting of an email, phone call, text message and an advertisement mailed to the physical address.

16. The system of claim 10, wherein the multicast queue data further comprises regional location data and demographic data associated with the plurality of end users.

17. A computer readable medium containing computer program of instructions executable by a processor at a regional IPTV server, the computer program useful for multicasting targeted advertising data to end user devices from the regional IPTV server, the computer program comprising instructions to correlate at the regional internet protocol television (IPTV) server, multicast queue data with web data from web sites visited by each of a plurality of end user devices associated with the regional IPTV server, instructions to select a subgroup of end user devices from the plurality of end user devices to receive targeted advertising data correlating with a member of the multicast queue data and instructions to multicast targeted advertising data associated with the member of the multicast queue data to the subgroup of end user devices from the regional IPTV server.

18. The medium of claim 17, wherein in the computer program, the web data and multicast queue data further comprise data selected from the group consisting of image, text, audio and video data, wherein the instructions to correlate further comprise instructions to compare the web data to each member of the multicast queue data, the instructions to select further comprising instructions to place end user devices in a subgroup associated with a member of the multicast queue based on the correlating.

19. A method for receiving multicast targeted advertising data at an end user device, the method comprising:

receiving from an IPTV regional server multicast targeted advertising data correlating with a member of a multicast queue data and web data from web sites visited by the end user device, wherein the end user device is a member of a subgroup of end user devices correlating with the member of multicast queue data.

20. A system for receiving multicast targeted advertising data at an end user device, the system comprising:

a processor in data communication with a computer readable medium; and

a computer program embedded in the computer readable medium containing instructions executable by the processor, the computer program comprising instructions to receive from an IPTV regional server multicast targeted advertising data correlating with a member of multicast queue data and correlating with web data from web sites visited by the end user device, wherein the end user device is a member of a subgroup of end user devices correlating with the member of multicast queue data and the web data.

22. The data structure of claim 20, further comprising:

a third field for containing data indicating a contact address for the end user device for sending a message to the end user device at the address, wherein the address further comprises data selected from the group consisting of an internet protocol address and a physical address.

21. A data structure embedded in a computer readable medium, the data structure comprising:

a first field for containing data indicating web data selected from the group consisting of video, audio, text and image data associated with a web site visited by an end user device in an internet protocol television (IPTV) system; and

a second field containing data indicating multicast queue data selected from the group consisting of video, image, text and audio data for correlating with the web data to select targeted advertising data for multicast to a selected subgroup of a plurality of end user devices associated with a regional IPTV server.