DYNAMIC REASSIGNMENT OF ADVERTISEMENT PLACEMENTS TO MAXIMIZE IMPRESSION COUNT

• US 20100131355A1
• Filed: 10/27/2009
• Published: 05/27/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 11/25/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Skyworks Ventures, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Skyworks Interactive, Inc. (GottaPlay Interactive, Inc.)
• Inventors: Kitchen, Garry, Thorp, Brian
• Granted Patent: US 8,407,090 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/14.430
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/12 involving interaction between a plurality of game devices, e.g. transmisison or distribution systems protocols for networked virtual reality, networked games H04L29/06034
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/30 Interconnection arrangements between game servers and game devices; Interconnection arrangements between game devices; Interconnection arrangements between game servers
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/52 involving aspects of the displayed game scene
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/61 using advertising information
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/5506 using advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/6009 for importing or creating game content, e.g. authoring tools during game development, adapting content to different platforms, use of a scripting language to create content
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0244 Optimization
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/32 for games, toys, sports, or amusements
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3227 Configuring a gaming machine, e.g. downloading personal settings, selecting working parameters

Abstract

A method for dynamically reassigning in-game advertisements within a video game in order to maximize impression counts for the advertisements includes the steps of: determining when an advertisement at a first view location qualifies as on screen and incrementing an elapsed time for the advertisement while it qualifies as on screen. The method also includes the steps of calculating a current impression count for the advertisement and determining whether a maximum impression count for the advertisement has been reached or is within a prescribed value of being reached. If so, another advertisement is dynamically assigned to the first view location by removing the initial advertisement therefrom in order to maximize the cumulative impression counts for the advertisements.

Claims

1. A method for dynamically reassigning in-game advertisements within a video game in order to maximize impression counts for the advertisements comprising the steps of:

determining when an advertisement at a first view location qualifies as on screen;

incrementing an elapsed time for the advertisement while it qualifies as on screen;

calculating a current impression count for the advertisement;

determining whether a maximum impression count for the advertisement has been reached or is within a prescribed value of being reached; and

if so, dynamically assigning another advertisement to the first view location by removing the initial advertisement therefrom in order to maximize the cumulative impression counts for the advertisements.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of determining whether the advertisement qualifies as on screen comprises the step of calculating whether a threshold percentage of an area of the advertisement appears on screen.

3. The method of claim 1, further including the step of placing multiple advertisements in initial first view locations and recording an asset name for each advertisement and its corresponding initial first view location.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of calculating the current impression count for the advertisement includes the steps of:

comparing the elapsed time with a predetermined impression count threshold to determine whether the advertisement has been viewed a sufficient period of time so as to register an impression count for the advertisement; and

incrementing a cumulative impression count value for the advertisement with each impression count registered for the advertisement.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the current impression count for the advertisement is calculated by taking an integer value of the elapsed time divided by the impression count threshold.

6. The method of claim 1, further including the step of dynamically reassigning the advertisement from the first view location to a second view location.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the other advertisement was initially located in the second view location prior to being assigned to the first view location.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the other advertisement that is assigned the first view location comprises an advertisement that has a minimum impression count relative to all of the in-game advertisements.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of determining when an advertisement at the first view location qualifies as on screen comprises the step of determining a view count of the advertisement which represents a number of copies of the advertisement that appear on screen at the same time and the step of calculating the current impression count for the advertisement includes factoring in the view count.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the same advertisement is placed at a plurality of view locations throughout the video game and the step of dynamically assigning another advertisement comprises the step of assigning the other advertisement to all of the plurality of view locations where the advertisement was located.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of dynamically assigning the other advertisement includes the step of removing from the video game entirely the first advertisement that was in the first view location and placing a new advertisement in the video game.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein two or more advertisements are dynamically reassigned to new view locations based on a determination that at least one advertisement has reached or is within a prescribed value of reaching the maximum impression count for the advertisement.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the elapsed time value for the other advertisement is also assigned to the first view location so that the cumulative elapsed time for the other advertisement is stored and associated with the other advertisement regardless of its specific view location.

14. A method for dynamically reassigning in-game advertisements within a video game in order to maximize impression counts for the advertisements comprising the steps of:

placing a plurality of advertisements at initial unique view locations within the video game;

determining when one or more advertisements qualifies as being on screen;

calculating a period of time that each advertisement is on screen;

calculating a current impression count for the advertisement based on the period of time that each advertisement is on screen;

determining for each advertisement whether a maximum impression count for the advertisement has been reached or is within a prescribed value of being reached; and

if so, dynamically reassigning the view locations of at least two advertisements in order to maximize the cumulative impression counts for the advertisements.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the view location comprises a specific area on one screen for placement of the advertisement.