Method and system for personalized and localized tv ad delivery

• US 20090228914A1
• Filed: 03/08/2006
• Published: 09/10/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 03/08/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kamfu Wong, Ninghua Pu
• Original Assignee: Kamfu Wong, Ninghua Pu
• Inventors: Pu, Ninghua, Wong, Kamfu
• Granted Patent: US 8,321,889 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/32
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0205 Location or geographical consideration
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0255 based on user history
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25883 being end-user demographical data, e.g. age, family status or address arrangements for identifying locations of users in broadcast systems H04H60/52
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25891 being end-user preferences retrieval of video data in a video database based on user preferences G06F16/739; arrangements for recognizing users' preferences H04H60/46; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306; processing of user preferences or user profiles in wireless networks H04W8/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/262 Content or additional data distribution scheduling, e.g. sending additional data at off-peak times, updating software modules, calculating the carousel transmission frequency, delaying a video stream transmission, generating play-lists scheduling strategies for dispatcher in multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/4881; arrangements for scheduling broadcast services or broadcast-related services H04H60/06; flow control in packet networks H04L47/10; establishing a time schedule or organising the servicing of application requests H04L67/62
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4755 for defining user preferences, e.g. favourite actors or genre retrieval personalisation and generation of user profiles for the retrieval of video data G06F16/739; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6582 Data stored in the client, e.g. viewing habits, hardware capabilities, credit card number arrangements where receivers interact with the broadcast H04H20/38
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/173 with two-way working, e.g. subscriber sending a programme selection signal

Abstract

A personalized and localized TV Ad delivery method and system comprise of Ad Center (1), Intelligent Control Module (2), and Display (3) and/or TV (4). Ad Center (1) collects and processes information for ads, ad agencies, advertisers, and TV users. TV user information includes subscriber information associated with a user and public and/or purchasable user information like demographic data, user age group, family group, profession, credit history, etc. Intelligent Control Module (2) interfaces with Ad Center (2) and Display (3) and/or TV (4), collects user viewing program content preference, user ad preference, and user viewing patterns, which, at the discretion of users and based on local rules and regulations, can be uploaded to Ad Center (1). Intelligent Control Module (2) and/or Ad Center (1) also utilize artificial intelligence, mathematical, and statistical techniques for decision processing to produces a user personalized and localized ad schedule and/or ad set pertaining to channels and time, which governs the appropriate ad display during commercial times for certain or all channels. Application of the present invention enables ad agencies and/or advertisers directly and accurately personalize and localize their advertisements to potential buyers and/or locations that might have the interests or needs for the advertised products or services, and greatly enhance the effectiveness of TV advertisements.

Claims

1-10. -10. (canceled)

11. A system for delivering personalized and localized ad content to multiple users each having an A/V display comprising:

a plurality of Intelligent Control Modules (ICM), each ICM being operationally coupled to an A/V display for displaying personalized and localized ad content during programming commercial breaks; and

an Ad Center having multi-directional communications links with said plurality of Intelligent Control Modules to receive each user'"'"'s personal and local attributes;

at least one of said ICM and Ad Center being configured to analyze ads, ad agencies, advertisers and user info and to select personalized and localized ad content for each ICM based on its corresponding attributes to transmit user'"'"'s personal and local attributes, ad content, programming content, user ad search and follow-up requests, and software and firmware updates;

wherein users can follow-up and search for additional ad information through one or more telecommunication sources connected to their ICM.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the Ad center further comprises:

a receiving unit configured to receive at least one of TV channels, programs, and ad content from at least one of satellite TV providers, cable TV providers, TV stations, terrestrial TV providers, Internet TV providers, and IPTV;

a repository unit configured to store at least one of advertiser information, ad agency information, ad information and user information;

an ad database configured to store at least one of ads, expired ad information and ad follow-up information;

an ad output decision making unit configured to perform data processing and decision making based on ad attributes and user attributes associated with each ICM;

an ad input/output unit configured to handle communication with at least one of the ICM and external sources, said communication including distribution of ad sets and/or ad schedules to the intelligent control modules upon generation of user directed ad sets and/or user personalized and localized ad schedules by the ad output decision making unit, user information from the repository unit to intelligent control modules, receipt of user requests, transmission of upload information on user viewing patterns and/or ad preferences from intelligent control modules; and

an ad control unit configured to control and monitor all components of said ad center and to process and dispatch information for, and request and control software updates for the ICM.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the user information includes at least one of access card information, localization information, user attributes and user viewing patterns and ad preferences collected by the Intelligent Control Modules.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein the ad center comprises at least one of a terrestrial TV service provider, a cable TV provider, a satellite TV provider, an Internet TV service provider, an Internet Protocol (IP) TV service provider, an independent content service provider, a provider affiliated with said aforementioned service providers, and an independent personalized and localized ad service provider with interfaces to said aforementioned service providers.

15. The system of claim 11, wherein the ICM comprises an independent module integrated with at least one of a TV, a TV set top box, the A/V display, and a computer.

16. The system of claim 11, wherein the ICM comprises an autonomous device residing separate from at least one of a TV, a TV set top box, the A/V display and a computer.

17. The system of claim 11, wherein the ICM further comprises:

an ad decision support unit configured to determine user personalized and localized ad schedules pertaining to channels and time, to collect user viewing patterns based on intelligent programs and event triggering mechanisms, wherein expert business rules and mathematical and statistic models are established on user and ad attributes information, including viewing patterns and user ad preferences;

an ad repository unit configured to store personalizable and localizable ads and non-personalizable and non-localizable ads, which are updated in real-time by the ad center and removed in real-time based on their expiration attributes;

an ICM control unit configured to control and monitor all components in the ICM and to detect TV commercial times for showing of personalized and localized ads based on ad schedule generated by the ad decision support unit through a pre-configured ad channel or the current program channel;

a user information unit configured to store user attribute information, which is updated through the repository unit, and to store user viewing patterns collected by the ad decision support unit and ad preferences set up by the user;

an ad follow-up unit configured to follow up ads for additional or more detailed video and/or data information in real-time or at a later time;

an ad preference setup unit configured to help users setup their ad preferences for a certain period of time, which are used by the ad decision support unit to generate the appropriate personalized and localized ad schedule, wherein ad preferences are based on ad classifications implied by ad attributes, shopping plans for a certain period;

an ad search unit configured to search and browse ads with ad attributes and keywords;

an input/output unit configured to transmit input and output information with interfaces including at least one of the ad center, TV service providers, A/V displays, TV and internet; and

a remote control unit configured to be used by users to control functions supported by the intelligent control module.

18. A method for delivering personalized and localized ad content to multiple users each having an A/V display, comprising the steps of:

providing a plurality of Intelligent Control Modules (ICM), each ICM displaying personalized and localized ad content during programming commercial breaks on an A/V display;

establishing a multi-directional communications link between said plurality of ICM'"'"'s and an Ad Center for transmission of user'"'"'s personal and local attributes, ad content, and/or programming content, user ad search and follow-up requests, software and firmware updates to each ICM with said Ad Center;

analyzing ads, ad agency, advertisers and user info and selecting personalized and localized ad content for each ICM based on its corresponding attributes; and

connecting one or more telecommunication sources to each ICM, so that users can follow-up and search for additional ad info.

19. The method according to claim 18, wherein the step of selecting personalized and localized ad content further comprises performing the ad follow-up request and/or ad search via a first path, said first path comprising the steps of:

determining if an ad repository in the ICMs includes additional video and/or data information for a user-interested ad;

performing at least one of an ad follow-up and search directly against the Ad Repository within the Intelligent Control Modules; and

displaying follow-up details to the users about the user-interested ad via the A/V Display.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein the step of selecting personalized and localized ad content further comprises performing the ad follow-up request and/or ad search via a second path, said second path comprising the steps of:

sending at least one of the ad follow-up and ad search requests through an ICM Input/Output Unit in at least one of the ICMs to the Ad Center;

conducting at least one of an ad follow-up and ad search in an Ad Database in the Ad Center; and

transmitting matching results back to the applicable Intelligent Control Module for viewing.

21. A method in accordance with claim 20, wherein the second path further comprises the steps of:

searching the matching results for additional and online video and data information; and

providing at least one of a follow-up ad and an internet website to the requesting user.

22. The method of claim 18, wherein the step of selecting personalized and localized ad content further comprises performing the ad follow-up request and/or ad search via a third path, said third path comprising the step of:

sending at least one of the ad follow-up and ad search requests via an internet connection port on the Intelligent Control Modules.

23. The method of claim 18, further comprising the steps of:

providing an Ad Decision Support Unit in at least one ICM for generating a user personalized and localized ad schedule; and

providing an ICM control unit for playing recommended ads to the user based on the ad schedule, wherein triggering of intelligent programs within the Ad Decision Support Unit is event-based.

24. The method of claim 23, further comprising the steps of:

performing personalization and localization processing by the Ad Decision Support Unit based on ad and user attributes;

determining an applicable ad set for transmission to the user'"'"'s Intelligent Control Modules; and

determining ad schedules pertaining to a user if the user'"'"'s viewing patterns and ad preferences are available, wherein the ad and user attributes are collected and processed by at least one of the Ad Decision Support Unit and an Ad Center Output Decision Support Unit for determining at least one of the user personalized and localized ad schedules and at least one applicable ad set.

25. The method of claim 18, further comprising the steps of:

the Ad Center and the Intelligent Control Modules communicating and exchanging information in real-time with an event-driven mechanism via the Ad Center Input/Output Unit and the ICM Input/Output Unit;

determining at least one of user applicable and personalized and localized ad sets and ad schedules; and

updating the Ad Center based on at least one of an addition, change or removal of an ad, user information or user attribute.