Attention manager for occupying the peripheral attention of a person in the vicinity of a display device
DC CAFCFirst Claim
1. A method for engaging the peripheral attention of a person in the vicinity of a display device, comprising the steps of:
- providing one or more sets of content data to a content display system associated with the display device and located entirely in the same physical location as the display device;
providing to the content display system a set of instructions for enabling the content display system to selectively display, in an unobtrusive manner that does not distract a user of the display device or an apparatus associated with the display device from a primary interaction with the display device or apparatus, an image or images generated from a set of content data; and
auditing the display of sets of content data by the content display system;
wherein the one or more sets of content data are selected from a plurality of sets of content data, each set being provided by an associated content provider, wherein each associated content provider is located in a different physical location than at least one other content provider and each content provider provides its content data to the content display system independently of each other content provider and without the content data being aggregated at a common physical location remote from the content display system prior to being provided to the content display system, and wherein for each set the respective content provider may provide scheduling instructions tailored to the set of content data to control at least one of the duration, sequencing, and timing of the display of said image or images generated from the set of content data.
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Abstract
An attention manager presents information to a person in the vicinity of a display device in a manner that engages at least the peripheral attention of the person. The information is embodied by one or more sets of content data (e.g., video or audio data). Each set of content data is formulated by a content provider and made available for use by content display systems. Upon appropriate activation, each content display system displays images corresponding to the sets of content data in accordance with predetermined scheduling information. The attention manager makes use of “unused capacity” of the display device and the person'"'"'s attention, providing information to the person that the person might not otherwise expend adequate energy to obtain. The attention manager also affords an opportunity to content providers to disseminate their information to people that are interested in receiving such information, enabling the content providers to provide better directed information dissemination, as well as providing access to the previously unused attention capacity of those interested users.
65 Citations
15 Claims
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1. A method for engaging the peripheral attention of a person in the vicinity of a display device, comprising the steps of:
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providing one or more sets of content data to a content display system associated with the display device and located entirely in the same physical location as the display device;
providing to the content display system a set of instructions for enabling the content display system to selectively display, in an unobtrusive manner that does not distract a user of the display device or an apparatus associated with the display device from a primary interaction with the display device or apparatus, an image or images generated from a set of content data; and
auditing the display of sets of content data by the content display system;
wherein the one or more sets of content data are selected from a plurality of sets of content data, each set being provided by an associated content provider, wherein each associated content provider is located in a different physical location than at least one other content provider and each content provider provides its content data to the content display system independently of each other content provider and without the content data being aggregated at a common physical location remote from the content display system prior to being provided to the content display system, and wherein for each set the respective content provider may provide scheduling instructions tailored to the set of content data to control at least one of the duration, sequencing, and timing of the display of said image or images generated from the set of content data. - View Dependent Claims (2)
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3. A computer readable medium encoded with one or more computer programs for enabling engagement of the peripheral attention of a person in the vicinity of a display device, comprising:
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instructions for providing one or more sets of content data to a content display system associated with the display device and located entirely in the same physical location as the display device;
instructions for providing to the content display system a set of instructions for enabling the content display system to selectively display, in an unobtrusive manner that does not distract a user of the display device or an apparatus associated with the display device from a primary interaction with the display device or apparatus, an image or images generated from a set of content data; and
instructions for auditing the display of sets of content data by the content display system;
wherein the one or more sets of content data are selected from a plurality of sets of content data, each set being provided by an associated content provider, wherein each associated content provider is located in a different physical location than at least one other content provider and each content provider provides its content data to the content display system independently of each other content provider and without the content data being aggregated at a common physical location remote from the content display system prior to being provided to the content display system, and wherein for each set the respective content provider may provide scheduling instructions tailored to the set of content data to control at least one of the duration, sequencing, and timing of the display of said image or images generated from the set of content data. - View Dependent Claims (4)
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5. A computer readable medium encoded with one or more computer programs for enabling engagement of the peripheral attention of a person in the vicinity of a display device, comprising:
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instructions for acquiring a set of content data from a content providing system;
instructions for detecting an idle period of predetermined duration; and
instructions for selectively displaying on the display device, after detection of the idle period and in an unobtrusive manner that does not distract a user of the display device or an apparatus associated with the display device from a primary interaction with the display device or apparatus, an image or images generated from the set of content data;
wherein the set of content data is selected from a plurality of sets of content data, each set being provided by an associated content provider, wherein each associated content provider is located in a different physical location than at least one other content provider and each content provider provides its content data to a content display system associated with the and located entirely in the same physical location as the display device independently of each other content provider and without the content data being aggregated at a common physical location remote from the content display system prior to being provided to the content display system, and wherein for each set the respective content provider may provide scheduling instructions tailored to the set of content data to control at least one of the duration, sequencing, and timing of the display of said image or images generated from the set of content data. - View Dependent Claims (6)
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7. A content display system for engaging the peripheral attention of a person in the vicinity of a display device located in the same physical location as the content display system, comprising:
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data acquisition apparatus that enables acquisition of a set of content data;
display apparatus that effects selective display on the display device, in an unobtrusive manner that does not distract a user of the display device or an apparatus associated with the display device from a primary interaction with the display device or apparatus, of an image or images generated from the set of content data;
user input apparatus that enables selection by a user of one or more control options during the selective display of the image or images generated form the set of content data; and
a system control device that controls aspects of the operation of the system in accordance with a selected control option;
wherein the set of content data is selected from a plurality of sets of content data, each set being provided by an associated content provider, wherein each associated content provider is located in a different physical location than at least one other content provider and each content provider provides its content data to the content display system independently of each other content provider and without the content data being aggregated at a common physical location remote from the content display system prior to being provided to the content display system, and wherein for each set the respective content provider may provide scheduling instructions tailored to the set of content data to control at least one of the duration, sequencing, and timing of the display of said image or images generated from the set of content data. - View Dependent Claims (8, 9)
a link control option enables the user to establish a link with an information location; and
the system control device establishes the link with the information location in response to selection of the link control option.
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10. A method for engaging the peripheral attention of a person in the vicinity of a display device, comprising the steps of:
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acquiring a set of content data from a content providing system;
selectively displaying on the display device, in an unobtrusive manner that does not distract a user of the display device or an apparatus associated with the display device from a primary interaction with the display device or apparatus, an image or images generated from the set of content data;
enabling selection by a user of one or more control options during the selective display of the image or images generated from the set of content data; and
controlling aspects of the operation of the system in accordance with a selected control option;
wherein the set of content data is selected from a plurality of sets of content data, each set being provided by an associated content provider, wherein each associated content provider is located in a different physical location than at least one other content provider and each content provider provides its content data to a content display system associated with the and located entirely in the same physical location as the display device independently of each other content provider and without the content data being aggregated at a common physical location remote from the content display system prior to being provided to the content display system, and wherein for each set the respective content provider may provide scheduling instructions tailored to the set of content data to control at least one of the duration, sequencing, and timing of the display of said image or images generated from the set of content data. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12)
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13. A computer readable medium encoded with one or more computer programs for enabling engagement of the peripheral attention of a person in the vicinity of a display device, comprising:
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instructions for acquiring a set of content data from a content providing system;
instructions for selectively displaying on the display device, in an unobtrusive manner that does not distract a user of the display device or an apparatus associated with the display device from a primary interaction with the display device or apparatus, an image or images generated from the set of content data;
instructions for enabling selection by a user of one or more control options during the selective display of the image or images generated from the set of content data; and
instructions for controlling aspects of the operation of the system in accordance with a selected control option;
wherein the set of content data is selected from a plurality of sets of content data, each set being provided by an associated content provider, wherein each associated content provider is located in a different physical location than at least one other content provider and each content provider provides its content data to a content display system associated with the and located entirely in the same physical location as the display device independently of each other content provider and without the content data being aggregated at a common physical location remote from the content display system prior to being provided to the content display system, and wherein for each set the respective content provider may provide scheduling instructions tailored to the set of content data to control at least one of the duration, sequencing, and timing of the display of said image or images generated from the set of content data. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15)
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Specification