Interactive Television Advertising Method

• US 20110231877A1
• Filed: 05/30/2011
• Published: 09/22/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 05/31/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Your Choice Interactive, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Your Choice Interactive, Inc.
• Inventors: REDLING, Peter M., BARRIOS, Jackie Skipper
• Granted Patent: US 8,966,531 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/42
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/94 Hypermedia Hyperlinking G06F40/134
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/955 using information identifiers, e.g. uniform resource locators [URL]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0481 based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04817 using icons graphical or visual programming using iconic symbols G06F8/34
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0215 Including financial accounts
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0241 Advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0251 Targeted advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0257 User requested
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0261 based on user location
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0271 Personalized advertisement
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0273 Determination of fees for advertising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0274 Split fees
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/38 Arrangements for distribution where lower stations, e.g. receivers, interact with the broadcast
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/93 which locates resources of other pieces of information, e.g. URL [Uniform Resource Locator]
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/33 Arrangements for monitoring the users' behaviour or opinions
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/65 for using the result on users' side
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/66 for using the result on distributors' side
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00424 using a list of graphical elements, e.g. icons or icon bar
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4312 involving specific graphical features, e.g. screen layout, special fonts or colors, blinking icons, highlights or animations
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/434 : Disassembling of a multiplex stream, e.g. demultiplexing audio and video streams, extraction of additional data from a video stream; Remultiplexing of multiplex streams; Extraction or processing of SI; Disassembling of packetised elementary stream demultiplexing of data packets for data networks, e.g. RTP/UDP H04L65/00
• 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 21/4622 : Retrieving content or additional data from different sources, e.g. from a broadcast channel and the Internet web site content organization and management for information retrieval from the Internet G06F16/958; transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82; stock exchange data over packet-switching network H04L12/1804; push services including data channel over packet-switching network H04L12/1859
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4722 : for requesting additional data associated with the content
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/478 : Supplemental services, e.g. displaying phone caller identification, shopping application
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 : involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/858 : Linking data to content, e.g. by linking an URL to a video object, by creating a hotspot
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8583 : by creating hot-spots
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8586 : by using a URL processing chained hypermedia data for information retrieval G06F16/94; information retrieval from the Internet by using URLs G06F16/955; URL in broadcast information H04H20/93; Web-based protocols H04L67/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/445 : for displaying additional information H04N5/50 takes precedence

Abstract

A method of providing advertising from a central database server connected to a global computer network to distributed sites via interactive television. A representative icon is presented to a subscriber on a television screen indicating an advertisement. When a the icon is selected, an advertisement information detail is retrieved from storage in a local memory, or from the central database server and presented to the subscriber on the television screen.

Claims

1. A computer program product stored in a non-transitory tangible computer readable medium and executable by a computing device, comprising:

a code segment executable to receive a plurality of advertising icons;

wherein each of the plurality of advertising icons is representative of a company or product;

a code segment executable to receive one or more advertisements and wherein each of the one or more advertisements is associated with at least one of the plurality of advertising icons;

a code segment executable to cause one or more of the plurality of advertising icons to be displayed overlaying video content and wherein the displayed advertising icon is not integrated with an electronic program guide;

a code segment executable to receive a user input indicating that a displayed advertising icon has been selected; and

a code segment executable to display an advertisement associated with the selected advertising icon in response to receiving the user input.

2. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein said code segment executable to display an advertisement associated with the selected advertising icon is executable to display the advertisement by resizing the video content and to display the advertisement in a distinct frame on the display.

3. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the advertisement displayed is targeted based on location information of the user.

4. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein said code segment executable to display an advertisement associated with the selected advertising icon is executable to display the advertisement in place of the video content.

5. The computer program product of claim 1, further comprising a code segment executable to transmit a request for one or more advertisements in response to receipt of the user input.

6. The computer program product of claim 1, further comprising a code segment executable to retrieve the associated advertisement from a local memory in response to receipt of the user input.

7. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein said code segment executable to cause one or more of the plurality of advertising icons to be displayed is executable to display the one or more of the plurality of advertising icons by superimposing each of the advertising icons as a semi-transparent icon over the video content.

8. The computer program product of claim 7, wherein said code segment executable to cause one or more of the plurality of advertising icons to be displayed is executable to cause one or more of the plurality of advertising icons to be sequentially displayed so that only one advertising icon is visible at a time.

9. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein said code segment executable to cause one or more of the plurality of advertising icons to be displayed is executable to cause one or more of the plurality of advertising icons to be sequentially displayed so that only one advertising icon is visible at a time.

10. The computer program product of claim 1, further comprising a code segment executable to initiate a financial incentive to a user for viewing an advertisement.

11. The computer program product of claim 10, wherein the financial incentive comprises a reduction in a price for an item of commerce for which the user agreed to pay prior to viewing the advertisement;

and

wherein the item of commerce is not advertised in the advertisement.

12. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the video content comprises television programming.

13. A computer program product stored in a non-transitory tangible computer readable medium and executable by a computing device to provide advertisements to a plurality of communication devices disposed at a plurality of locations and configured to receive a user input indicating that a displayed advertising icon has been selected and, in response, to cause an associated advertisement to be displayed, comprising:

a code segment executable to transmit a plurality of advertising icons to each of the plurality of communication devices;

wherein each of the plurality of advertising icons is representative of a company or product;

a code segment executable to transmit one or more advertisements to each of the plurality of communication devices and wherein each advertising icon has at least one associated advertisement; and

wherein the advertising icons are configured to be displayed overlaying video content and not integrated with an electronic program guide.

14. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein at least some of the one or more advertisements are configured to be displayed in place of the video content being displayed.

15. The computer program product of claim 13, further comprising a code segment executable to respond to a request for one or more advertisements from a communication device.

16. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein said code segment executable to transmit one or more advertisements is executable to transmit the one or more advertisements in response to receipt of request for one or more advertisements.

17. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein said code segment executable to transmit one or more advertisements is executable to transmit the one or more advertisements without receipt of a request for one or more advertisements.

18. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein the plurality of advertising icons are configured to be superimposed as a semi-transparent icon over the video content.

19. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein the advertising icons are configured to be displayed sequentially so that only one advertising icon is visible at any given time.

20. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein the video content and the one or more advertisements are communicated to at least some of the locations via a same communication medium.

21. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein the video content and the one or more advertisements are communicated to at least some of the locations via different communication mediums.

22. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein at least some of the one or more advertisements are targeted based on user information.

23. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein at least some of the one or more advertisements are targeted based on the location of the communication device.

24. The computer program product of claim 13, further comprising a code segment executable to initiate a financial incentive to a user for viewing an advertisement.

25. The computer program product of claim 24, wherein the financial incentive comprises a reduction in a price for an item of commerce for which the user agreed to pay prior to viewing the advertisement;

and

wherein the item of commerce is not advertised in the advertisement.

26. A communication device, comprising:

a user interface operable to receive a user input;

a memory;

a first port configured to communicate;

a processor in communication with said memory and said first port and configured to receive communications from said user interface; and

wherein said processor is configured to;

receive one or more advertising icons via said first port;

wherein at least some of the one or more advertising icons are representative of a company or product;

receive one or more advertisements via said first port;

wherein each of the one or more advertisements is associated with at least one of the one or more advertising icons;

display the one or more advertising icons overlaying video content and wherein the displayed advertising icon is not integrated with an electronic program guide;

receive via the user interface a user selection of a displayed icon; and

in response to receipt of the user selection, display one of the one or more advertisements that is associated with the selected advertising icon.

27. The device of claim 26, wherein said processor is configured to initiate a financial incentive to an account of a user for display of the advertisement.

28. The device of claim 26, wherein the financial incentive comprises a reduction in a price for an item of commerce for which the user agreed to pay prior to viewing the advertisement;

and

wherein the item of commerce is not advertised in the advertisement.

29. The device of claim 26, wherein said first port is further configured to receive the video content.

30. The device of claim 26, wherein the video content comprises television programming.

31. The device of claim 26, further comprising a second port in communication with said processor and configured to receive the video content.

32. The device of claim 26, wherein the advertisement displayed is targeted based on information of the user.

33. The device of claim 26, wherein the advertisement displayed is targeted based on location information of the user.

34. The device of claim 26, wherein in response to receipt of said user selection, said processor is configured to transmit a request for an associated advertisement via said first port.

35. The device of claim 26, wherein said processor is configured to sequentially display each of the one or more advertising icons so that only one advertising icon is displayed at any given time.