METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR DISTRIBUTING PROMOTIONAL MATERIALS

• US 20120324501A1
• Filed: 06/14/2011
• Published: 12/20/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 06/14/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Klein, Reuben, Gorti, Sreenivasa, Mullis, Karen
• Granted Patent: US 8,484,670 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/23
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0207 Discounts or incentives, e.g. coupons or rebates
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/478 Supplemental services, e.g. displaying phone caller identification, shopping application
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4784 receiving rewards

Abstract

A system that incorporates teachings of the present disclosure may include, for example, a server having a memory coupled to a processor. The processor can be operable to receive a request for promotional information responsive to a media processor detecting a promotional tag in a media program stream and transmit to the media processor promotional information associated with a promotion responsive to a determination that a promotional offer is available. The processor can also be operable to receive from the media processor a request for redeemable material associated with the promotion and store the redeemable material in a portion of a database associated with a user of the media processor. Other embodiments are disclosed.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving a television program stream;

presenting the television program stream;

detecting a coupon tag in the television program stream;

retrieving the coupon tag from the television program stream;

transmitting to a remote server a request for coupon information, the request comprising at least a portion of the coupon tag, an identifier of a set-top box, and descriptive information about the television program stream;

receiving coupon information associated with a coupon without receiving the coupon itself responsive to a determination that a coupon offer is available at approximately a time when the request was transmitted;

presenting the coupon information contemporaneously with at least a portion of the television program stream; and

transmitting to the remote server a coupon request generated by a remote controller of the set-top box upon receiving the coupon request within a predetermined time, wherein transmitting the coupon request causes the remote server to store the coupon at a remote database associated with a user of the set-top box.

2. The method of claim 1, comprising removing the presentation of the coupon information responsive to not receiving the coupon request within the predetermined period of time.

3. The method of claim 1, comprising:

receiving from the remote server an acknowledgment that the coupon was stored at the remote database; and

replacing the presentation of the coupon information with the acknowledgment that the coupon has been stored at the remote database and is accessible for redemption.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the descriptive information about the television program stream comprises a television program identifier, and wherein the remote server is operable to determine a scheduled presentation date of the television program stream according to the television program identifier.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the remote server is operable to determine a consumption identifier from at least one of a consumption behavior of coupons, demographic information of a subscriber of media services, psychographic information of the subscriber, and a location of the subscriber, and wherein the remote server is operable to select the coupon according to the consumption identifier.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the coupon information received from the remote server comprises one of a first coupon and a second coupon, wherein the remote server selects the first coupon responsive to determining from a scheduled presentation date of the television program stream and an approximate time when the request was received by the remote server that the television program stream is consistent with the scheduled presentation date, and where the remote server selects the second coupon responsive to determining from the scheduled presentation date of the television program stream and the approximate time when the request was received by the remote server that the television program stream is being presented from a recording thereof.

7. The method of claim 1, comprising receiving the television program stream from one of an Internet protocol television network, a cable television system, and a satellite television system.

8. A method, comprising:

receiving a first request for coupon information responsive to a media processor detecting a coupon tag received with a media program stream;

transmitting to the media processor coupon information associated with a coupon, without transmitting the coupon itself, responsive to a determination that a coupon offer is available at approximately a time when the first request is received;

receiving from the media processor a second request to acquire the coupon responsive to an action generated by an input device of the media processor; and

storing the coupon in a database associated with a user of the media processor responsive to receiving the second request for the coupon.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the coupon tag is received by the media processor as closed caption data delivered with the media program stream.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the descriptive information about the media program stream comprises a media program identifier.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the coupon is one of a first coupon and a second coupon, and wherein the method comprises:

selecting the first coupon responsive to determining from the scheduled presentation date and the approximate time when the second request was received that the presentation of the media program is consistent with the scheduled presentation date; and

selecting the second coupon responsive to determining from the scheduled presentation date and the approximate time when the second request was received that the media program is being presented from a recording thereof.

12. The method of claim 8, comprising:

determining that no coupon offers are available at approximately the time the action is received; and

transmitting to the media processor an indication that there is no coupon offers responsive to the determination.

13. The method of claim 8, comprising:

associating a consumption identifier with the user of the media processor to identify a consumption profile of the user;

retrieving the consumption identifier responsive to receiving the first request;

selecting the coupon according to the consumption identifier; and

transmitting to the media processor the coupon information associated with the selected coupon.

14. The method of claim 8, wherein the consumption identifier comprises a combination of identifiers, each identifier representative of a descriptive attribute of the user of the media processor.

15. The method of claim 8, comprising:

receiving from a communication device a third request to redeem the coupon stored in the database;

associating the coupon with a redemption identifier;

transmitting to the communication device a representation of the redemption identifier;

receiving from a point of sale terminal a fourth request to redeem the coupon, wherein the fourth request comprises at least the redemption identifier of the coupon;

transmitting to the point of sale terminal information associated with the coupon to complete a purchase transaction;

receiving from the point of sale terminal an indication that the purchase transaction has been completed; and

deactivate the coupon responsive to the received indication.

16. The method of claim 8, comprising:

transmitting to a communication device descriptive information associated with the coupon and one or more other coupons stored in the database, wherein the communication device is operable to;

determine a location of the communication device according to location coordinates; and

present the coupon and the one or more other coupons in the database according to the location of the communication device.

17. The method of claim 8, comprising receiving one or more attributes to establish one of sharing the coupon with one or more users other than the user of the media processor, transferring the coupon to an account of at least one of the one or more other users, or reserving the coupon for exclusive use by the user of the media processor.

18. A server comprising a memory coupled to a processor operable to:

receive a request for promotional information responsive to a media processor detecting a promotional tag in a media program stream;

transmit to the media processor promotional information associated with a promotion item responsive to a determination that a promotional offer is available;

receive from the media processor a request for redeemable material associated with the promotion item; and

store the redeemable material in a portion of a database associated with a user of the media processor.

19. The server of claim 18, wherein the redeemable material is a coupon, and wherein the coupon is one of a first coupon and a second coupon, and wherein the processor is operable to:

select the first coupon responsive to determining that the media program stream is being presented by the media processor during a program presentation schedule; and

select the second coupon responsive to determining that the media program stream is being presented by the media processor from a recording thereof.

20. The server of claim 18, wherein the promotion item comprises at least one of a gift voucher, a product voucher, a service voucher, a loyalty voucher, a travel voucher, an entertainment voucher, and a voucher for loyalty points, and wherein the media processor is one of a set-top box, a cellular telephone, and a computing device.

21. The server of claim 18, wherein the processor is operable to insert the promotional tag in the media program stream.

22. The server of claim 18, wherein the processor is operable to insert the promotional tag in stored media content before the stored media content is transmitted to the media processor as the media program stream.

23. The server of claim 18, wherein the processor is operable to select the promotion item according to selection criteria supplied by a promoter of the promotion item.

24. The server of claim 23, wherein the selection criteria is based on at least one of a location of a party requesting the promotional information, a history of the requesting party purchasing a product from the promoter, a determination that the requesting party has received the promotion item on a prior occasion, a determination that the requesting party has received other promotion items on a prior occasion, a determination that other promotion items now in the possession of the requesting party have been given a high or low priority by the requesting party, and a determination that the requesting party has exceeded a threshold of copies or uses of the promotion item.