Digital radio ad enhancements

• US 6,952,559 B2
• Filed: 02/26/2001
• Issued: 10/04/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 02/26/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Wistron Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Day, Paul Reuben, Bates, Cary Lee, Santosuosso, John Matthew, Crenshaw, Robert James
• Primary Examiner(s): Chin, Vivian
• Assistant Examiner(s): Pan, Yuwen
• Application Number:
  US09/793,140
• Publication Number:
  US 20020119752A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,681 Days
• Field of Search: 455/18, 455/3.01, 455/3.06, 455/86, 455/87, 705/14, 705/15
• US Class Current: 455/3.06
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0273 Determination of fees for advertising
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/10 Arrangements for replacing or switching information during the broadcast or the distribution

Abstract

A digital radio stores advertisements for substitution during a broadcast for a bumpable advertisement within the broadcast. Upon detecting a bumpable advertisement within a predetermined broadcast period, the digital radio checks for higher priority stored advertisements—such as advertisements which were broadcast when the digital radio was not tuned to the station being monitored—and substitutes advertisements according to a priority scheme. Prioritization includes whether the advertisement has been played to the listener at least once during the broadcast period, and may extend to fee-based priority enhancements and tie-breakers or to selection based upon geographic location and/or direction of travel of a vehicle in which the digital radio is located.

Claims

1. A method for enhancing radio advertisement, comprising:

detecting a bumpable advertisement including an identifier within a digital radio broadcast;

responsive to detecting the bumpable advertisement within the broadcast, checking stored advertisements within a digital radio tuned to the digital radio broadcast for a stored advertisement having a higher priority than the bumpable advertisement within the broadcast;

responsive to locating a stored advertisement having a higher priority than the bumpable advertisement within the broadcast, suppressing play of the bumpable advertisement within the broadcast by the digital radio and playing the higher priority stored advertisement in lieu of the bumpable advertisement utilizing the digital radio;

monitoring the broadcast utilizing the digital radio even when the digital radio is not tuned to the broadcast;

storing selected advertisements within the broadcast in the digital radio when the digital radio is not tuned to the broadcast, wherein the step of storing selected advertisements within the broadcast within the digital radio when digital radio is not tuned to the broadcast further comprises storing bumpable category advertisements which are broadcast while the digital radio is not tuned to the broadcast;

wherein the step of checking stored advertisements within a digital radio tuned to the digital radio broadcast for a stored advertisement having a higher priority than the bumpable advertisement within the broadcast further comprises;

determining whether the bumpable advertisement was previously broadcast during a given broadcast period while the digital radio was tuned to the broadcast;

determining whether any stored advertisement was previously broadcast during the given broadcast period while the digital radio was not tuned to the broadcast; and

responsive to determining that the bumpable advertisement was previously broadcast during the given broadcast period while the digital radio was tuned to the broadcast and identifying at least one bumpable category stored advertisement which was previously broadcast during the given broadcast period while the digital radio was not tuned to the broadcast, selecting the at least one bumpable category stored advertisement which was previously broadcast during the given broadcast period while the digital radio was not tuned to the broadcast as the higher priority stored advertisement.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

responsive to identifying more than one bumpable category stored advertisements which were previously broadcast during the given broadcast period while the digital radio was not tuned to the broadcast, randomly selecting the one of the bumpable category stored advertisements which were previously broadcast during the given broadcast period while the digital radio was not tuned to the broadcast as the higher priority stored advertisement.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

responsive to identifying more than one bumpable category stored advertisements which were previously broadcast during the given broadcast period while the digital radio was not tuned to the broadcast, selecting an advertisement which commands a largest fee from among the bumpable category stored advertisements which were preciously broadcast during the given broadcast period while the digital radio was not tuned to the broadcast as the higher priority stored advertisement.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

responsive to identifying more than one bumpable category stored advertisements which were previously broadcast during the given broadcast period while the digital radio was not tuned to the broadcast, selecting an advertisement as the higher priority stored advertisement based on target geographic locations associated with each of the bumpable category stored advertisements which were previously broadcast during the given broadcast period while the digital radio was not tuned to the broadcast and a current geographic direction or direction of motion of the digital radio.

5. A system for enhancing radio advertisement, comprising:

a digital radio selectively tuned to a digital radio broadcast and including a memory;

means for detecting a bumpable advertisement including an identifier within the digital radio broadcast;

means, responsive to detecting the bumpable advertisement within the broadcst, for checking stored advertisements within the memory for a stored advertisement having a higher priority than the bumpable advertisement within the broadcast;

means, responsive to locating a stored advertisement having a higher priority than the bumpable advertisement within the broadcast for suppressing play of the bumpable advertisement within the broadcast by the digital radio and playing the higher priority stored advertisement in lieu of the bumpable advertisement utilizing the digital radio;

means for monitoring the broadcast utilizing the digital radio even when the digital radio is not tuned to the broadcast; and

means for storing selected advertisements within the broadcast in the memory when the digital radio is not tuned to the broadcast, wherein the means for storing selected advertisements within the broadcast within the memory when the digital radio is not tuned to the broadcast further comprises means for storing bumpable category advertisements which are broadcast while the digital radio is not tuned to the broadcast;

wherein the means for checking stored advertisements within the memory for a stored advertisement having a higher priority than the bumpable advertisement within the broadcast further comprises;

means for determining whether the bumpable advertisement was previously broadcast during a given broadcast period while the digital radio was tuned to the broadcast;

means for determining whether any stored advertisement was previously broadcast during the given broadcast period while the digital radio was not tuned to the broadcast; and

means, responsive to determining that the bumpable advertisement was previously broadcast during the given broadcast period while the digital radio was tuned to the broadcast and identifying at least one bumpable category stored advertisement which was previously broadcast during the given broadcast period while the digital radio was not tuned to the broadcast, for selecting the at least one bumpable category stored advertisement which was previously broadcast during the given broadcast period while the digital radio was not tuned to the broadcast as the higher priority stored advertisement.

6. The system of claim 5, further comprising:

means, responsive to identifying more than one bumpable category stored advertisements which were previously broadcast during the given broadcast period while the digital radio was not tuned to the broadcast, for randomly selecting the one of the bumpable category stored advertisements which were previously broadcast during the given broadcast period while the digital radio was not tuned to the broadcast as the higher priority stored advertisement.

7. The system of claim 5, further comprising:

means, responsive to identifying more than one bumpable category stored advertisements which were previously broadcast during the given broadcast period while the digital radio was not tuned to the broadcast, for selecting an advertisement which commands a largest fee from among the bumpable category stored advertisements which were previously broadcast during the given broadcast period while the digital radio was not tuned to the broadcast as the higher priority stored advertisement.

8. The system of claim 5, further comprising:

means, responsive to identifying more than one bumpable category stored advertisements which were previously broadcast during the given broadcast period while the digital radio was not tuned to the broadcast, for selecting an advertisement as the higher priority stored advertisement based on target geographic locations associated with each of the bumpable category stored advertisements which were previously broadcast during the given broadcast period while the digital radio was not tuned to the broadcast and a current geographic direction or direction of motion of the digital radio.

9. The system of claim 8, further comprising a global positioning satellite receiver.

10. A computer program product within a computer usable medium for enhancing radio advertisement, said computer program product comprising:

instructions for detecting a bumpable advertisement including an identifier within a digital radio broadcast;

instructions, responsive to detecting the bumpable advertisement within the broadcast, for checking stored advertisements within a digital radio tuned to the digital radio broadcast for a stored advertisement having a higher priority than the bumpable advertisement within the broadcast;

instructions, responsive to locating a stored advertisement having a higher priority than the bumpable advertisement within the broadcast, for suppressing play of the bumpable advertisement within the broadcast by the digital radio and playing the higher priority stored advertisement in lieu of the bumpable advertisement utlizing the digital radio;

instructions for monitoring the broadcast utilizing the digital radio even when the digital radio is not tuned to the broadcast; and

instructions for storing selected advertisements within the broadcast in the digital radio when the digital radio is not tuned to the broadcast wherein the instructions for storing selected advertisements within the broadcast within the digital radio when the digital radio is not tuned to the broadcast further comprise instructions for storing bumpable category advertisements which are broadcast while the digital radio is not tuned to the broadcast;

wherein the instructions for checking stored advertisements within a digital radio tuned to the digital radio broadcast for a stored advertisement having a higher priority than the bumpable advertisement within the broadcast further comprise;

instructions for determining whether the bumpable advertisement was previously broadcast during a given broadcast period while the digital radio was tuned to the broadcast;

instructions for determining whether any stored advertisement was previously broadcast during the given broadcast period while the digital radio was not tuned to the broadcast; and

instructions, responsive to determining that the bumpable advertisement was previously broadcast during the given broadcast period while the digital radio was tuned to the broadcast and identifying at least one bumpable category stored advertisement which was previously broadcast during the given broadcast period while the digital radio was not tuned to the broadcast, for selecting the at least one bumpable category stored advertisement which was previously broadcast during the given broadcast period while the digital radio was not tuned to the broadcast as the higher priority stored advertisement.

11. The computer program product of claim 10, further comprising:

instructions, responsive to identifying more than one bumpable category stored advertisements which were previously broadcast during the given broadcast period while the digital radio was not tuned to the broadcast, for randomly selecting the one of the bumpable category stored advertisements which were previously broadcast during the given broadcast period while the digital radio was not tuned to the broadcast as the higher priority stored advertisement.

12. The computer program product of claim 10, further comprising:

instructions, responsive to identifying more than one bumpable category stored advertisements which were previously broadcast during the given broadcast period while the digital radio was not tuned to the broadcast, for selecting an advertisement which commands a largest fee from among the bumpable category stored advertisements which were previously broadcast during the given broadcast period while the digital radio was not tuned to the broadcast as the higher priority stored advertisement.

13. The computer program product of claim 10, further comprising:

instructions, responsive to identifying more than one bumpable category stored advertisements which were previously broadcast during the given broadcast period while the digital radio was not tuned to the broadcast, for selecting an advertisement as the higher priority stored advertisement based on target geographic locations associated with each of the bumpable category stored advertisements which were previously broadcast during the given broadcast period while the digital radio was not tuned to the broadcast and a current geographic direction or direction of motion of the digital radio.

14. The computer program product of claim 13, further comprising instructions for receiving global positioning satellite data.