DELIVERING CONTENT RELATED TO A COMMERCIAL MEDIA PROGRAM

• US 20100251279A1
• Filed: 03/26/2009
• Published: 09/30/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 03/26/2009
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: iHeartMedia Management Services, Inc. (iHeartMedia, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Clear Channel Management Services LP (iHeartMedia, Inc.)
• Inventors: Piard, Eric J., Maynard, Shawn D., Perez, George R.
• Application Number:
  US12/412,313
• Publication Number:
  US 20100251279A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/9
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/18 Arrangements for synchronising broadcast or distribution via plural systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/82 the transmission system being the Internet
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23424 involving splicing one content stream with another content stream, e.g. for inserting or substituting an advertisement
• 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 21/26258 for generating a list of items to be played back in a given order, e.g. playlist, or scheduling item distribution according to such list retrieval of multimedia data based on playlists G06F16/40
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44204 Monitoring of content usage, e.g. the number of times a movie has been viewed, copied or the amount which has been watched monitoring of user activities for profile generation for accessing a video database G06F16/739; protecting generic digital content where the protection is independent of the precise nature of the content G06F21/10; arrangements for monitoring the use made of the broadcast services in broadcast systems H04H60/31
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4532 involving end-user characteristics, e.g. viewer profile, preferences monitoring of user activities for profile generation for accessing a video database G06F16/739; 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 21/4725 using interactive regions of the image, e.g. hot spots details of information retrieval from the Internet by using URLs G06F16/955; processing chained hypermedia data for information retrieval G06F16/94
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4788 communicating with other users, e.g. chatting arrangements for providing for computer conferences, e.g. chat rooms, to substation in data switching networks H04L12/1813; distributed application using peer-to-peer [P2P] networks H04L67/104
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

A server retrieves user group data and information that indicates when a selected segment of a commercial media program is to be aired on a first medium. The server also receives content that is related to the selected segment of the commercial media program, and delivers it via a second medium. The server delivers the related content via the second medium based on the user group data, and at about the same time the selected segment is being aired on the first medium. Other embodiments are also disclosed.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, at a server, user group data;

receiving, at the server, information indicating a time at which a selected segment of a commercial media program is to air on a first medium;

receiving, at the server, content related to the selected segment;

providing, based on the user group data, the content related to the selected segment via a second medium, at a time related to the time at which the selected segment is to air on the first medium

2. The method of claim 1, wherein providing the content comprises:

providing interactive content with which a user can interact.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein providing the content comprises:

providing user selectable links that link to content related to the selected segment.

4. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

tracking at least one statistic indicative of a user interacting with the content.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

collecting information related to a number of users receiving the content.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, at the server, information indicating a time at which the commercial media program is to air; and

providing a notification from the server indicating the time at which the commercial media program is to air.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein providing content comprises:

providing an advertisement.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the selected segment comprises an advertisement;

the first medium is television; and

the second medium is the Internet.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

providing a chat room related to the commercial media program.

10. A system comprising:

a processor;

memory coupled to the processor;

a program of instructions stored in the memory and configured to be executed by the processor, the program of instructions comprising;

at least one instruction to receive receiving user group data;

at least one instruction to receive at least a portion of a broadcast playlist, the portion of the broadcast playlist including a time at which a selected segment of a commercial media program is to be broadcast;

at least one instruction to receive content related to the selected segment; and

at least one instruction to deliver the content to the Internet based on the user group data, and at a time determined based on the time at which the selected segment is to be broadcast.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the program of instructions further comprises:

at least one instruction to track at least one statistic indicative of a user interacting with the content.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the program of instructions further comprises:

at least one instruction to collect information related to a number of users receiving the content.

13. The system of claim 10, wherein the program of instructions further comprises:

at least one instruction to provide a notification via the Internet indicating that a scheduled broadcast time for the commercial media program is approaching.

14. The system of claim 10, wherein the at least one instruction to deliver the content to the Internet includes

at least one instruction to deliver an advertisement.

15. The system of claim 10, wherein the at least one instruction to deliver the content to the Internet includes:

at least one instruction to deliver user selectable links that link to content related to the selected segment.

16. The system of claim 10, further comprising:

a first server to provide the at least a portion of a broadcast playlist; and

a second server to provide the content related to the selected segment.

17. A computer readable medium tangibly embodying a program of computer executable instructions, the program of instructions including:

at least one instruction to receive receiving user group data;

at least one instruction to receive at least a portion of a broadcast playlist, the portion of the broadcast playlist including a time at which a selected segment of a commercial media program is to be broadcast;

at least one instruction to receive content related to the selected segment; and

at least one instruction to deliver the content to the Internet based on user group data, and at a time determined based on the time at which the selected segment is to be broadcast.

18. The computer readable medium of claim 17, further comprising:

at least one instruction to track at least one statistic related to a number of users.

19. The computer readable medium of claim 17, wherein the at least one instruction to deliver the content to the Internet includes:

at least one instruction to deliver an advertisement.

20. The computer readable medium of claim 17, wherein the at least one instruction to deliver the content to the Internet includes:

at least one instruction to deliver user selectable links that link to content related to the selected segment.