Method and Device for Increasing Advertising Revenue on Public Transit Systems Via Transit Scheduler and Enunciator Systems

• US 20090112723A1
• Filed: 10/27/2008
• Published: 04/30/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 10/26/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Commuter Advertising, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Commuter Advertising, Inc.
• Inventors: Gottesman, Katherine, Gottesman, Russell
• Granted Patent: US 10,984,449 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/14.400
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/1093 Calendar-based scheduling for persons or groups
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0241 Advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0266 based on the position of the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0962 having an indicator mounted inside the vehicle, e.g. giving voice messages
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/123 indicating the position of vehicles, e.g. scheduled vehicles; Managing passenger vehicles circulating according to a fixed timetable, e.g. buses, trains, tramstransmission of navigation instructions to vehicles G08G1/0968
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/133 within the vehicle ; Indicators inside the vehicles or at stops
• CPC Class Codes: G09F 21/04 by land vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G09F 21/049 giving information to passengers inside the vehicles

Abstract

A device and method for increasing revenues in a transit system is provided wherein specific localized advertising of goods and services is generated and transmitted through the announcement system of transit vehicles. The device includes a transit vehicle equipped with means to track its location and produce an audio message within the vehicle based on its location. The method includes means to sell advertisement space to businesses that would otherwise not find transit advertising effective and means to cause the advertisements of local merchants and service providers to be broadcast in a vehicle in proximity to the advertiser or a specific outlet and software to run the method. Revenue from such advertisements will provide the transit authority or municipality with additional funds without the need for an investment is infrastructure and if done in accordance with the suggested method will cause little disturbance of passengers.

Claims

1. A method of increasing the revenues in a transit system including the steps of:

providing a transit vehicle having an address system;

providing localized advertising messages targeted to specific transit passage points for dissemination through the vehicle address system;

providing means to determine the time and place at which the advertising message will be disseminated through the address system within the transit vehicle; and

,

broadcasting the message within the vehicle at the predetermined time.

2. The method of increasing the revenue in a transit system of claim 1, wherein the transit vehicle is a bus.

3. The method of increasing the revenue in a transit system of claim 1, wherein the transit vehicle is a train car.

4. The method of increasing the revenue in a transit system of claim 1, wherein the means to determine the time and place includes a global positioning system receiver.

5. The method of increasing the revenue in a transit system of claim 1, wherein the transit vehicle address system is a public address system for providing advertising messages.

6. The method of increasing the revenue in a transit system of claim 1, wherein the transit vehicle address system includes both audio and visual message delivery.

7. The method of increasing the revenue in a transit system of claim 1, wherein the message disseminated includes a message of between 5 and 15 words.

8. A method of increasing the revenues in a transit system including the steps of providing:

a city bus having an address system including both audio and visual messages;

localized advertising messages, of between 5 and 15 seconds, targeted to specific transit passage points for dissemination through the vehicle address system;

a global positioning system receiver and microprocessor to determine the time and place at which the advertising message will be disseminated through the address system within the bus; and

,

broadcasting the message within the bus at the predetermined time.

9. The method of increasing the revenue in a transit system of claim 8, wherein the bus'"'"'s address system includes a public address system for providing advertising messages.

10. The method of increasing the revenue in a transit system of claim 8, wherein the bus'"'"'s address system includes an illuminated dot matrix device for visually reproducing the text of the audio message.

11. The method of increasing the revenue in a transit system of claim 10, wherein the visually reproduced text message occurs almost simultaneously with the audio advertising message.

12. A method of increasing the revenue in a transit system, including the steps of:

providing means to use the message storage and playback devices of the public address system on a transit vehicle;

selling an advertisement message unit to an advertiser;

creating the advertisement and producing an audio message;

uploading the audio message to the message storage means of a transit vehicle for play back through the transit vehicle public address system;

determining one or more locations at which the audio message can be played and mapping those one or more locations on a transit system map; and

playing the advertising message at one or more of the predetermined locations.

13. The method of increasing the revenue in a transit system of claim 12, including the step of playing the audio message at a time and location designated by the advertiser.

14. The method of increasing the revenue in a transit system of claim 12, including the step of playing the advertising message at staggered intervals so as not to disturb passengers.

15. The method of increasing the revenue in a transit system of claim 14, wherein the interval can include the time between one or more stops and the interval can be continuously changed such that the number of stops between the playback of the advertising messages is different.

16. The method of increasing the revenue in a transit system of claim 14, wherein the interval is appropriate as determined by a number of potential factors including transit authority policies or preferences, Commuter Advertising policies or preferences, revenue goals, commuter feedback, or other relevant considerations.

17. The method of increasing the revenue in a transit system of claim 12, including the step of providing a visual message in addition to the audio message.

18. The method of increasing the revenue in a transit system of claim 17, wherein the public address system of the vehicle includes means to display a message.

19. The method of increasing the revenue in a transit system of claim 18, wherein the means to display is a dot matrix view screen.

20. The method of increasing the revenue in a transit system of claim 18, wherein the means to display is a flat screen viewing panel.

21. An advertising revenue generator, comprising:

a transit vehicle;

means to determine the location of the transit vehicle relative to the vehicle'"'"'s route;

a microprocessor;

a memory device;

means to place an audio file of an advertising message in the memory;

means to broadcast the audio file within the transit vehicle;

wherein, an advertising message audio file is placed, at a cost to the advertiser, in the memory of the generator and the microprocessor is prompted by the location determining means to retrieve and broadcast the advertising message within the transit vehicle, generating a fee from the advertiser.

22. The advertising revenue generator of claim 21, wherein the means to determine the location of the transit vehicle is a global positioning system device.

23. The advertising revenue generator of claim 21, wherein the means to place an advertising message in the memory is a transmitter and receiver.

24. The advertising revenue generator of claim 21, wherein the means to broadcast the audio file is an audio enunciator.

25. The advertising revenue generator of claim 21, wherein the microprocessor is prompted to select and enunciate the audio file based on instructions provided by software that is associated with the means to determine the location of the transit vehicle and the memory.

26. The advertising revenue generator of claim 21, wherein the memory device is a random access memory chip.

27. The advertising revenue generator of claim 21, wherein the means to broadcast the advertising message is a loud speaker.

28. The advertising revenue generator of claim 21, wherein the means to broadcast the advertising message is a loud speaker and a visual display means.

29. The advertising revenue generator of claim 21, including software to manage advertising time, sales and creation wherein a buyer can schedule ad play time and create an appropriate ad for use within the transit vehicle.