ASSET TARGETING SYSTEM FOR LIMITED RESOURCE ENVIRONMENTS

• US 20080184289A1
• Filed: 01/30/2008
• Published: 07/31/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 01/30/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Invidi Technologies Corporation
• Original Assignee: Invidi Technologies Corporation
• Inventors: Cristofalo, Michael, Sheehan, Patrick M.
• Granted Patent: US 7,849,477 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/34
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/00 Commerce
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/10 Arrangements for replacing or switching information during the broadcast or the distribution
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/31 Arrangements for monitoring the use made of the broadcast services
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/375 Commercial

Abstract

The present invention provides targeted asset system implementations in contexts where there is limited or no ability to use a real-time return channel for communications from user equipment devices (e.g., STB) to the network. In one arrangement, a household classifier is generated and delivered to user equipment devices. The household classifiers are generated based on third party data and/or network usage information associated with the household. The system and method allow for generating highly accurate household classifications that may be forwarded to individual households where the user equipment device may implant the classifiers to select appropriate assets for delivery to the household.

Claims

1. A method for use in targeting broadcast network content, comprising:

providing a network platform for processing household classifiers for delivery to user equipment devices in the broadcast network;

obtaining, at said network platform, household information from at least one information repository for a specific household in said broadcast network;

receiving, at said network platform, network usage information originating from said specific household;

generating at least one household classifier based on said household information and said network usage information; and

delivering, via said broadcast network, said at least one household classifier to at least one user equipment device at said specific household, wherein said user equipment device is operative to utilize said household classifier to select assets for delivery with broadcast content output at said specific household.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

accessing, via said network platform, a customer database, wherein said customer database includes customer information associated with said specific household and wherein generating further comprises generating said at least one household classifier based at least in part on said customer information.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein said customer database includes at least one of the following:

location of individual households;

one or more names of individuals associated with individual households; and

demographic information associated with individual households.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein obtaining household information comprises obtaining purchasing information associated with individuals of said household.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein obtaining household information comprises obtaining demographic information associated with individuals of said household.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving network usage information comprises:

receiving temporal information associated with usage times of said user equipment device outputting network content.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving network usage information comprises:

receiving channel information associated with one or more broadcast channels output by said user equipment device.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein generating comprises:

utilizing said household information and said network usage information to categorize said household into one or more, predefined classifications.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein said predefined classifications are based at least in part on at least one of:

gender;

age;

income;

geographic location; and

personal interest.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

generating first and second household classifiers based on said household information and said network usage information; and

generating temporal restrictions for use of said first and second classifiers, wherein said temporal limitations are delivered with said first and second classifiers and said first classifier is designated for use during a first temporal period and said second classifier is designated for use during a second temporal period.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein said first and second temporal periods are within a common day.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving network usage information comprises receiving network usage information via a communications interface that is separate from said broadcast network.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein said communications interface comprises a Telco interface.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein said network usage information originating from said specific household comprises first network usage information associated with a first time period, further comprising:

receiving second network usage information associated with a second time period; and

generating an updated household classification based on said household information and said second network usage information; and

delivering said updated household classification to said at least one user equipment device at said specific household.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving network usage information originating from said specific household comprises:

receiving at least first and second sets of network usage information, wherein said first and second sets are of network usage information are associated with first and second different user equipment devices of said specific household.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

generating at least first and second household classifiers for receipt by said first and second different user equipment devices.

20. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

delivering, via said broadcast network, a plurality of assets for storage at said user equipment device, wherein said user equipment device utilizes said household classifier to select assets from said plurality of assets for storage.

21. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

delivering during an asset insertion opportunity in broadcast programming, via said broadcast network, a plurality of parallel transmission bands each including a separate asset, wherein said user equipment device utilizes said household classifier to select one of said assets for display during said asset insertion opportunity.

7. (canceled)

9. (canceled)

10. (canceled)

22. A method for use in targeting broadcast network content, comprising:

recording network usage information associated with broadcast content output at a household in the broadcast network, said network usage information being recorded to computer readable storage media associated with a user equipment device of said household;

transmitting said network usage information to a platform in the broadcast network, wherein said platform is operative to utilize said network usage information to generate a household classifier; and

receiving and storing a household classifier at the user equipment device of the household, wherein said classifier is received via a broadcast network interface; and

utilizing said household classifier to select assets for delivery with broadcast content output at said household.

23. The method of claim 22, further comprising:

recording subsequent network usage history;

transmitting said subsequent network usage history to said platform;

receiving an updated household classifier; and

utilizing said updated household classifier to select assets for delivery with broadcast content output at said household.

24. The method of claim 22, wherein utilizing further comprises:

comparing at least one constraint associated with an asset received via said network interface with at least one classification parameter of said household classifier.

25. The method of claim 24, further comprising:

upon identifying a match between said at least one constraint and said at least one classification parameter, storing said asset to computer readable storage media associated with said user equipment device.

26. The method of claim 24, further comprising:

upon identifying a match between said at least one constraint and said at least one classification parameter, selecting said asset for output with said broadcast content.

27. The method of claim 22, wherein recoding said network usage information comprises recording at least one of usage times and broadcast channels output by said user equipment device.

28. The method of claim 22, wherein transmitting comprises:

transmitting said network usage information via a via a communications interface that is separate from said broadcast network interface.

29. (canceled)

30. (canceled)

31. A method for use in targeting broadcast network content, comprising:

obtaining household information for a household in a broadcast network from a data repository;

accessing a database having stored network usage information for said household;

generating at least one household classifier for said household based on said household information and said usage information; and

delivering said at least one household classifier to a user equipment device of said household, wherein said user equipment device is operative to utilize said household classifier to select assets for delivery with broadcast content output at said household.

32. The method of claim 31, wherein obtaining said household information comprises:

obtaining purchasing information associated with said household.

33. The method of claim 32, wherein generating further comprises:

utilizing said purchasing information in conjunction with said network usage information to identify putative members of said household; and

selecting one or more predetermined household classifiers based on said putative members of said household.

34. The method of claim 33, wherein at least two predetermined classifiers are selected for said household, further comprising:

generating temporal limitations for utilizing each said classifier, wherein said temporal limitations are delivered with said household classifiers.

35. The method of claim 31, further comprising:

accessing a customer database associated with said broadcast network, wherein said customer database includes customer information associated with said household and wherein generating further comprises generating said at least one household classifier based at least in part on said customer information.

36. (canceled)

37. A method for use in targeting broadcast network content, comprising:

providing a network platform for processing household classifiers for delivery to user equipment devices in the broadcast network;

obtaining, at said network platform, household information from at least one information repository for a household in said broadcast network;

generating a plurality of household classifiers for said household based on said household information;

receiving, at said network platform, current network usage information originating from said household;

selecting one of said plurality of household classifiers based on said current network usage information, wherein said selected household classifier is delivered to at least one user equipment device at said identified household for use in selecting assets for delivery with broadcast content output by said user equipment device.

38. The method of claim 37, wherein receiving said current network information comprises:

receiving said usage information from said user equipment device via a broadcast network interface utilized to deliver broadcast content to said household.

39-60. -60. (canceled)