TELEVISION DISTRIBUTION OF PRODUCT/SERVICE COUPON CODES

• US 20100004984A1
• Filed: 07/02/2008
• Published: 01/07/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 07/02/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Verizon Data Services LLC (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: BEYABANI, Syed Zafar
• Granted Patent: US 8,392,940 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/14.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0207 Discounts or incentives, e.g. coupons or rebates
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0257 User requested
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42684 Client identification by a unique number or address, e.g. serial number, MAC address, socket ID network arrangements, protocols or services for addressing or naming H04L61/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/441 Acquiring end-user identification , e.g. using personal code sent by the remote control or by inserting a card
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4784 receiving rewards
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02

Abstract

A device receives an advertisement, a code, an encryption key, and information associated with a product and/or service, and provides the advertisement to a set-top box (STB) for display on a television. The device receives, from the STB, a request for a promotion associated with the advertisement and an identification associated with the STB, and provides the code associated with the product and/or service to the STB for display on the television. The device receives, from a user device, a claim for the code and the identification associated with the STB, and validates the claim for the code and the identification associated with the STB based on an identification associated with the user device.

Claims

1. A computing device-implemented method, comprising:

receiving an advertisement, a code, an encryption key, and information associated with one of a product or a service;

providing the advertisement to a set-top box (STB) for display on a television;

receiving, from the set-top box (STB), a request for a promotion associated with the advertisement and an identification associated with the set-top box (STB);

providing the code associated with one of the product or the service to the set-top box (STB) for display on the television;

receiving, from a user device, a claim for the code and the identification associated with the set-top box (STB); and

validating the claim for the code and the identification associated with the set-top box (STB) based on an identification associated with the user device.

2. The computing-device implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing, to the user device, the information associated with one of the product or the service when the claim for the code and the identification associated with the set-top box (STB) are validated.

3. The computing-device implemented method of claim 1, where providing the code associated with one of the product or the service comprises:

confirming whether the promotion associated with the advertisement is valid,

encrypting the code with the encryption key and the identification associated with the set-top box (STB) when the promotion is valid, and

providing the encrypted code associated with one of the product or the service to the set-top box (STB) for display on the television.

4. The computing-device implemented method of claim 1, where validating the claim for the code and the identification associated with the set-top box (STB) comprises:

decrypting the code with the encryption key to obtain the identification associated with the set-top box (STB),

comparing the identification associated with the set-top box (STB) with a set-top box (STB) identification associated with a user of the user device, and

validating the code when the identification associated with the set-top box (STB) matches the set-top box (STB) identification associated with the user.

5. The computing device-implemented method of claim 1, where the code comprises at least one of:

an Internet coupon,

a promotional code,

a promotion code,

a discount code,

a key code,

a promo code,

a shopping code,

a voucher code,

a source code, or

a validation code.

6. The computing device-implemented method of claim 1, where the encryption key comprises string of letters, digits, or symbols used to encode and decode information.

7. The computing device-implemented method of claim 6, where the encryption key transforms information into unreadable information, and transforms unreadable information into readable information.

8. The computing device-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing, with the code, an instruction associated with one of the product or the service to the set-top box (STB) for display on the television.

9. A computing device-implemented method, comprising:

receiving an advertisement associated with one of a product or a service;

displaying the advertisement on a television;

generating a request for a promotion associated with the advertisement and an identification associated with the computing device;

receiving a code and an instruction associated with one of the product or the service; and

displaying the code and the instruction on the television to enable a television viewer to claim the code via a user device associated with the television viewer.

10. The computing device-implemented method of claim 9, where the computing device comprises a set-top box (STB).

11. The computing device-implemented method of claim 9, where the user device comprises one or more of:

a radiotelephone;

a personal communications system (PCS) terminal;

a personal digital assistant (PDA);

a lap top;

or

a personal computer.

12. The computing device-implemented method of claim 9, where the television viewer claims the code by validating the code and the identification associated with the computing device based on an identification associated with the television viewer.

13. A device, comprising:

processing logic to;

receive an advertisement, a code, an instruction, an encryption key, and information associated with one of a product or a service,

provide the advertisement to a television for display,

receive, from the television, a request for a promotion associated with the advertisement and an identification associated with the television,

provide the code and the instruction associated with one of the product or the service to the television for display,

receive, from a user device, a claim for the code and the identification associated with the television, and

validate the claim for the code and the identification associated with the television based on an identification associated with the user device.

14. The device of claim 13, where the device comprises a server.

15. The device of claim 13, where the television includes a set-top box (STB).

16. The device of claim 13, where the processing logic is further configured to:

provide, to the user device, the information associated with one of the product or the service when the claim for the code and the identification associated with the television are validated.

17. The device of claim 13, where the processing logic is further configured to:

confirm whether the promotion associated with the advertisement is valid,

encrypt the code with the encryption key and the identification associated with the television when the promotion is valid, and

provide the encrypted code and the instruction associated with one of the product or the service to the television for display.

18. The device of claim 13, where the processing logic is further configured to:

decrypt the code with the encryption key to obtain the identification associated with the television,

compare the identification associated with the television with an identification associated with a user of the user device, and

validate the code when the identification associated with the television matches the identification associated with the user.

19. The device of claim 13, where the code comprises at least one of:

an Internet coupon,

a promotional code,

a promotion code,

a discount code,

a key code,

a promo code,

a shopping code,

a voucher code,

a source code, or

a validation code.

20. The device of claim 13, where the encryption key comprises a string of letters, digits, or symbols used to encode and decode information.

21. The device of claim 20, where the encryption key transforms information into unreadable information, and transforms unreadable information into readable information.

22. A system, comprising:

a server configured to;

provide an advertisement associated with one of a product or a service to a first device for display,

receive, from the first device, a request for a promotion associated with the advertisement and an identification associated with the first device,

provide a code and an instruction associated with one of the product or the service to the first device for display,

receive a claim for the code and the identification associated with the first device, and

validate the claim for the code and the identification associated with the first device; and

a second device configured to;

provide, to the server, the claim for the code and the identification associated with the first device, and

receive, from the server, information associated with one of the product or the service when the claim for the code and the identification associated with the first device are validated.

23. The system of claim 22, where the first device comprises a set-top box (STB).

24. The system of claim 22, where the second device comprises a user device.

25. The system of claim 22, where the server is further configured to:

confirm whether the promotion associated with the advertisement is valid,

encrypt the code with an encryption key associated with one of the product or the service and the identification associated with the first device when the promotion is valid, and

provide the encrypted code and the instruction associated with one of the product or the service to the first device for display.