Method and apparatus for gathering statistical information about in-store content distribution

• US 6,944,632 B2
• Filed: 04/21/2003
• Issued: 09/13/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 08/08/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Thomson Licensing SAS (Vantiva SA)
• Original Assignee: PRN Corp. (Vantiva SA)
• Inventors: Stern, Michael R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Robinson, Greta
• Assistant Examiner(s): PANNALA, SATHYANARAYA R
• Application Number:
  US10/420,589
• Publication Number:
  US 20030182266A1
• Time in Patent Office: 876 Days
• Field of Search: 707/104.1, 707/101, 707/1, 705/30, 705/75, 705/10, 709/203, 709/303, 709/217, 709/219, 710/36
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/20 Point-of-sale [POS] network systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99934 Query formulation, input preparation, or translation
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99942 Manipulating data structure, e.g. compression, compaction, compilation
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 Object-oriented database structure processing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99948 Application of database or data structure, e.g. distributed, multimedia, or image
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99953 Recoverability

Abstract

A digital department system is disclosed. The digital department system of the present invention includes a network management center, a network operating center that is coupled to the network management center, a multimedia server, a multicasting transmission medium coupling the network operating center and the multimedia server, a listening post coupled to the multimedia server by the network, and one or more audio/video display capable of displaying video and capable of playing audio, the audio video display coupled to the multimedia server by the network. The audio and video content are stored in digitized files on the multimedia server for distribution throughout the site via the network.

Claims

1. A method for gathering statistical information related to the dissemination of content to consumers in a commercial sales outlet, wherein the content is provided to the commercial sales outlet by a network management center, the method comprising:

receiving the content at a multimedia server;

distributing selected components of the content to a plurality of nodes on a private network, wherein each of the plurality of nodes is configured to communicate at least some of the selected components to the consumers;

responsive to each of a plurality of interactive consumer requests with one of the plurality of nodes, communicating one or more selected components to each consumer;

gathering statistical information related to the selected components, wherein the statistical information includes usage statistics associated with the one or more interactively selected components and location of each node associated with the one or more interactively selected components;

performing diagnostic checks on the plurality of nodes and the multimedia server;

gathering diagnostic information associated with the plurality of nodes and the multimedia server; and

transmitting the statistical information and the diagnostic information to the network management center.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of nodes includes non-interactive listening posts and interactive endcaps, and wherein gathering statistical information includes:

gathering and cataloging daily statistics files created by the non-interactive listening posts;

gathering and cataloging daily statistics files created by the interactive endcaps;

scanning the multimedia server to measure available storage space; and

scanning the interactive endcaps to measure available storage space.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein gathering diagnostic information includes scanning the plurality of nodes at regular intervals for diagnostic status.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein gathering diagnostic information includes:

gathering log files from the plurality of nodes; and

pinging the plurality of nodes to confirm that each of the plurality of nodes is functioning.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the statistical information further includes information identifying a number of times each of the selected components is played.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein the statistical information further includes information identifying purchases of the one or more selected components related to the communicating of the one or more selected components.

7. The method according to claim 5, wherein the plurality of consumer requests includes scanning a barcode to identify a product for sale in the commercial sales outlet, and wherein the one or more selected components is associated with the product for sale.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein the statistical information further includes:

information identifying a number of times each of the selected components is played;

information identifying other barcodes scanned by the consumer wherein the other barcodes are unassociated with any product for sale in the commercial sales outlet; and

information identifying available storage space in the plurality of nodes.

9. A system for gathering statistical information related to the distribution of consumer informational content, wherein the consumer informational content provided to commercial sales outlet by a network management center, the system comprising:

a plurality of nodes configured to communicate at least some of the consumer informational content to a consumer, wherein each node of the plurality of nodes is adapted to maintain statistical information related to the consumer informational content, the statistical information including usage statistics; and

a multimedia server adapted to gather the statistical information and further adapted to obtain diagnostic information relaxed to the plurality of nodes and multimedia server, wherein the multimedia server is connected to the plurality of nodes by a private network, and wherein the multimedia server is configured to receive the consumer informational content from the network management center and wherein the multimedia server is further configured to distribute selected components of the consumer informational content to the plurality of nodes.

10. The system according to claim 9, wherein a portion of the consumer informational content is communicated to the consumer in response to one or more requests made by the consumer, the one or more requests including scanning a barcode identify a product for sale in the commercial sales outlet, and wherein the portion is associated with the product for sale.

11. The system according to claim 10, wherein the consumer informational content contains multimedia materials and wherein the multimedia materials are communicated by playing the multimedia materials on one or more players including audio and video players.

12. The system according to claim 11, wherein the players are configured to provide controls that may be operated by the consumer, and wherein the controls include forward, reverse and skip controls that affect the playing the multimedia materials.

13. The system according to claim 12, wherein the statistical information includes:

information identifying a number of times each portion is played;

information identifying other barcodes scanned by the consumer wherein the other barcodes are unassociated with any product for sale in the commercial sales outlet;

for every portion played on the one or more players, information identifying usage of controls by the consumer associated with the playing of the every portion; and

information identifying available storage space in the plurality of nodes.