System for Transmitting Syndicated Programs over the Internet

• US 20080319828A1
• Filed: 01/11/2008
• Published: 12/25/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 09/12/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Syndicast Corporation
• Original Assignee: Syndicast Corporation
• Inventors: Southam, Adam G., Gustafson, Jeffrey Sven
• Granted Patent: US 8,768,747 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/10
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06315 Needs-based resource requirements planning or analysis
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0201 Market modelling; Market analysis; Collecting market data
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0205 Location or geographical consideration
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0269 based on user profile or attribute
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/435 Processing of additional data, e.g. decrypting of additional data, reconstructing software from modules extracted from the transport stream
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02

Abstract

A system and method are provided for exposing Internet users to advertisements together with the distribution of media content in a manner which is germane to conventional syndicated broadcast agreements. The system includes a processor coupled to a memory device. The system further includes software means operable on the processor and memory device. The software means is operable on the processor for obtaining a user specific set of data prior to distributing a media package. The software means is operable for selecting a number of advertisements from a data bank containing a plurality of advertisements based on the user specific set of data. The software means is operable for combining the selected number of advertisements with a requested set of media content to form the media package. The software means is further operable for distributing the media package. In this manner a regional broadcasting station can preserve its investment in purchasing national syndicate broadcast rights by ensuring regional advertisers a penetration of their advertisements across a regional Internet audience. Methods for performing the same are similarly included.

Claims

1. A system for exposing Internet users to advertisements together with the distribution of media content in a manner which is germane to conventional syndicated broadcast agreements, comprising:

a processor;

a memory device coupled to the processor; and

software means operable on the processor and memory device for;

obtaining a user specific set of data prior to distributing a media package to an Internet user;

selecting a number of advertisements from a data bank containing a plurality of advertisements based on the user specific set of data; and

combining the selected number of advertisements with a requested set of media content to form the media package.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the software means is further operable for distributing the media package to the Internet user.

3. The system of claim 2 wherein selecting a number of advertisements includes selecting at least one geographically appropriate advertisement based on the obtained localizing data.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein combining the selected number of advertisements with a requested set of media content includes combining the selected number of advertisements with a set of syndicated media content.

5. The system of claim 4 wherein the set of syndicated media content is selected from the group consisting of syndicated radio content, syndicated print content, and syndicated television content.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein combining the selected number of advertisements with a requested set of media content includes combining the selected number of advertisements in a manner such that the selected number of advertisements are displayable as a number of frames on an Internet site.

7. The system of claim 1 wherein selecting the number of advertisements includes selecting at least one advertisement having a link to a website sponsoring the at least one advertisement.

8. The system of claim 1 wherein combining the selected number of advertisements with a requested set of media content includes combining the selected number of advertisements in a manner such that the selected number of advertisements are displayable during a number of breaks in the requested media content.

9. A system for exposing Internet users to advertisements together with the distribution of media content in a manner which is germane to conventional syndicated broadcast agreements, comprising:

a processor;

a memory device coupled to the processor; and

software means operable on the processor and memory device for;

obtaining a user specific set of data, including localizing data, prior to distributing a media package;

selecting a number of advertisements from a data bank containing a plurality of advertisements based on the user specific set of data, wherein selecting the number of advertisements includes selecting an appropriate geographic group of advertisements based on the obtained localizing data;

combining the selected number of advertisements with a requested set of media content to form the media package; and

distributing the media package.

10. The system of claim 9 wherein obtaining a user specific set of data, including localizing data, includes obtaining the localizing data from a positioning system having location information on a mobile Internet user.

11. The system of claim 9 wherein obtaining a user specific set of data, including localizing data, includes obtaining the user specific set of data from an Internet Service Provider (ISP).

12. The system of claim 9 wherein obtaining a user specific set of data includes a user specific set of data consisting of user demographic data, user physical data, and user psychographic data.

13. The system of claim 12 wherein the software means operable for selecting the number of advertisements is operable as a collaborative filter for relationally selecting the number of advertisements based on the user specific set of data.

14. The system of claim 9 wherein obtaining the user specific set of data includes querying a computer being used by the Internet user to receive Internet content and retrieving the user specific set of data therefrom.

15. The system of claim 9 wherein combining the selected number of advertisements with a requested set of media content includes combining the selected number of advertisements with a set of syndicated media content.

16. The system of claim 15 wherein the set of syndicated media content is selected from the group consisting of syndicated radio content, syndicated print content, and syndicated television content.

17. The system of claim 9 wherein selecting the number of advertisements includes selecting a number of advertisements appropriate for a given time frame.

18. The system of claim 17 wherein selecting a number of advertisements appropriate for a given time frame includes allowing subsequent advertisements from a common originator to supersede prior advertisements.

19. A system for exposing Internet users to advertisements, comprising:

a processor;

a memory device coupled to the processor; and

software means operable on the processor and memory device for;

obtaining a user specific set of data, including localizing data, prior to distributing a media package to an Internet user;

selecting a number of advertisements from a data bank containing a plurality of advertisements based on the user specific set of data, wherein selecting the number of advertisements includes selecting an appropriate geographic group of advertisements based on the obtained localizing data;

combining the selected number of advertisements with a requested set of media content to form the media package;

distributing the media package to the Internet user, wherein the requested set of media content includes a set of media content which has been previously distributed.

20. The system of claim 19 wherein obtaining a user specific set of data, including localizing data, includes obtaining the user specific data set of data from a data bank containing a plurality of driver'"'"'s license information.

21. The system of claim 19 wherein obtaining a user specific set of data, including localizing data, includes obtaining the user specific set of data from a data bank containing a plurality of credit card holder information.

22. The system of claim 19 wherein selecting a number of advertisements from a data bank includes selecting a number of advertisements from a group consisting of regional advertisements and national advertisements.

23. The system of claim 19 wherein selecting a number of advertisements from a data bank includes selecting the advertisements from a data bank maintained by a group consisting of a national syndicated show producer, a regional broadcasting station, and an advertisement producer.

24. The system of claim 19 wherein selecting a number of advertisements from a data bank includes selecting a number of advertisements created from a number of sources, the number of sources consisting of an audio/video advertisement producer, a print media advertisement producer, and an Internet advertisement producer.

25. A system for exposing Internet users to advertisements together with the distribution of syndicated media content in a manner which is germane to conventional syndicated broadcast agreements, comprising:

a network including a regional broadcast station, an advertisement producer, a national producer of syndicated media content, and an Internet site adapted to distributing syndicated media content;

a server, having processor and memory capabilities, operatively coupled to the network; and

software means operable on the server and network for;

obtaining localizing data on an Internet user, prior to distributing syndicated media content to the Internet user;

selecting a number of advertisements from a data bank containing a plurality of advertisements based on the obtained localizing data;

combining the selected number of advertisements with a set of syndicated media content to form a media package;

distributing the media package to the Internet user.

26. The system of claim 25 wherein selecting the number of advertisements includes selecting an appropriate geographic group of advertisements based on the localizing data.

27. The system of claim 26 wherein the appropriate group of advertisements includes advertisements selected from the group consisting of regional advertisements and national advertisements.

28. The system of claim 25 wherein the set of syndicated media content includes a set of media content that has been previously distributed.

29. The system of claim 25 wherein obtaining localizing data on the Internet user includes obtaining the localizing data from a positioning system having location information for a mobile Internet user.

30. A method of exposing Internet users to specific advertisements, comprising:

obtaining a user specific set of data prior to distributing a media package;

selecting a number of advertisements from a data bank containing a plurality of advertisements based on the user specific set of data;

combining the selected number of advertisements with a requested set of media content to form the media package; and

distributing the media package.

31. The method of claim 30 wherein obtaining the user specific set of data includes obtaining a set of localizing data for an Internet user.

32. The method of claim 30 wherein obtaining the user specific set of data includes obtaining demographic data for an Internet user.

33. The method of claim 30 wherein selecting the number of advertisements includes selecting a number of geographically tagged advertisements.

34. The method of claim 30 wherein combining the selected number of advertisements with a requested set of media content to form the media package includes integrating the number of advertisements with the requested set of media content.

35. The method of claim 30 wherein combining the selected number of advertisements with a requested set of media content to form the media package includes providing links to other Internet sites, embedded in the media package, for allowing the Internet user to visit other Internet sites to learn more information relating to the number of selected advertisements.

36. The method of claim 30 wherein obtaining a user specific set of data includes requiring an Internet user to supply the data.

37. The method of claim 30 wherein obtaining the user specific set of data includes accessing a computer being used by an Internet user to receive Internet content and retrieving the user specific set of data therefrom.

38. The method of claim 30 wherein obtaining the user specific set of data includes obtaining the user specific set of data from an Internet Service Provider (ISP).

39. A method of exposing an Internet user to advertisements together with the distribution of requested media content, comprising:

obtaining a user specific set of data, including localizing data, prior to distributing a media package;

selecting a number of advertisements from a data bank containing a plurality of advertisements based on the user specific set of data, wherein selecting the number of advertisements includes selecting an appropriate geographic group of advertisements based on the obtained localizing data;

combining the selected number of advertisements with a requested set of media content to form the media package;

distributing the media package to an Internet user.

40. The method of claim 39, wherein selecting the number of advertisements includes selecting a number of advertisements appropriate for a given time frame.

41. The method of claim 39 wherein selecting a number of advertisements from a data bank includes selecting a number of advertisements from a group consisting of regional advertisements and national advertisements.

42. The method of claim 39 wherein selecting a number of advertisements from a data bank includes selecting the advertisements from a data bank maintained by a group consisting of a national syndicated show producer, a regional broadcasting station, and an advertisement producer.

43. The method of claim 39 wherein selecting a number of advertisements from a data bank includes selecting a number of advertisements created from a number of sources, the number of sources consisting of an audio/video advertisement producer, a print media advertisement producer, and an Internet advertisement producer.

44. The method of claim 39 obtaining a set of user specific data, including localizing data, includes obtaining the localizing data from a positioning system having location information on the Internet user.

45. A method for exposing Internet users to advertisements, comprising:

obtaining a set of user specific set of data, including localizing data, prior to distributing a media package;

selecting a number of advertisements from a data bank containing a plurality of advertisements based on the user specific set of data, wherein selecting the number of advertisements includes selecting an appropriate geographic group of advertisements based on the obtained localizing data;

combining the selected number of advertisements with a requested set of media content to form the media package; and

distributing the media package, wherein the requested set of media content includes a set of media content which has been previously distributed.

46. The method of claim 45 wherein combining the selected number of advertisements with a requested set of media content includes combining the selected number of advertisements with a set of syndicated media content.

47. A method for exposing Internet users to advertisements together with the distribution of syndicated media content in a manner which is germane to conventional syndicated broadcast agreements, comprising:

obtaining localizing data on an Internet user requesting syndicated media content;

selecting a number of advertisements from a data bank containing a plurality of advertisements based on the obtained localizing data, wherein selecting the number of advertisements includes selecting an appropriate geographic group of advertisements based on the obtained localizing data;

combining the selected number of advertisements with a requested set of syndicated media content to form a media package; and

distributing the media package to the Internet user.

48. A method for exposing Internet users to advertisements together with the distribution of syndicated media content in a manner which is germane to conventional syndicated broadcast agreements, comprising:

obtaining localizing data on an Internet user requesting syndicated media content; and

determining an appropriate source for distributing a media package, the media package including the requested media content and an appropriate geographic group of advertisements based on the obtained localizing data.

49. The method of claim 48, wherein the method further includes directing the Internet user to an appropriate Internet address for the appropriate media package source.

50. The method of claim 48, wherein the appropriate geographic group of advertisements based on the obtained localizing data includes appropriate geographic advertisements selected from the group consisting of regional retail advertisements, national retail advertisements, and regional informational advertisements.