Method and system for advertising

• US 7,190,474 B1
• Filed: 10/20/2000
• Issued: 03/13/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 10/25/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Silverbrook Research Pty Limited
• Original Assignee: Silverbrook Research Pty Limited
• Inventors: Silverbrook, Kia, Lapstun, Paul
• Primary Examiner(s): Garcia; Gabriel I.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Pham; Thierry L.
• Application Number:
  US09/693,415
• Time in Patent Office: 2,335 Days
• Field of Search: 358/1.1, 358/1.9, 358 111- 118, 358/3.28, 358/403, 235/487, 235/494, 715/513, 715/500, 715/501.1, 270/1.01, 270/52.01, 270/52.02, 270/52.05
• US Class Current: 358/1.15
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/12 involving interaction between a plurality of game devices, e.g. transmisison or distribution systems protocols for networked virtual reality, networked games H04L29/06034
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/30 Interconnection arrangements between game servers and game devices; Interconnection arrangements between game devices; Interconnection arrangements between game servers
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2003/0439 using geographical maps
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2009/186 Guessing games
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2009/241 Touch screen
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/532 using secure communication, e.g. by encryption, authentication
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 9/183 electric
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 13/106 for the sheet output section
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/17503 Ink cartridges
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/17513 Inner structure
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/17553 Outer structure
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/2114 Ejecting specialized liquids, e.g. transparent or processing liquids B41J2/211 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B42C 9/0081 applying adhesive to individual sheets for binding them together by fusing, welding B42C9/0093
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/362 received from an external device or application, e.g. PDA, mobile phone or calendar application
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3623 using a camera or code reader, e.g. for optical or magnetic codes
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03545 Pens or stylus
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 30/1423 the instrument generating sequences of position coordinates corresponding to handwriting preprocessing or recognising digital ink G06V30/32
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 29/007 using computer methods
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 29/106 using electronic means
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 5/02 with visual presentation of the material to be studied, e.g. using film strip
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00204 : with a digital computer or a digital computer system, e.g. an internet server programmed control between transmitter and receiver or between image input and image output device H04N1/32561
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00358 : Type of the scanned marks
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00376 : Means for identifying a mark sheet or area
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00567 : Handling of original or reproduction media, e.g. cutting, separating, stacking
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32101 : Display, printing, storage or transmission of additional information, e.g. ID code, date and time or title
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32122 : in a separate device, e.g. in a memory or on a display separate from image data
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32128 : attached to the image data, e.g. file header, transmitted message header, information on the same page or in the same computer file as the image for information embedded in the image H04N1/32144
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32133 : on the same paper sheet, e.g. a facsimile page header
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32771 : in response to a request, e.g. for a particular document
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32778 : using a mark-sheet or machine-readable code request
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3205 : of identification information, e.g. name or ID code H04N2201/3209 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3207 : of an address
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3226 : of identification information or the like, e.g. ID code, index, title, part of an image, reduced-size image
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3242 : of processing required or performed, e.g. for reproduction or before recording H04N2201/3256 and subgroups take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/327 : which are undetectable to the naked eye, e.g. embedded codes
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3271 : Printing or stamping
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3278 : Transmission

Abstract

The invention concerns a method and system for producing a document containing user requested information, identifying an advertising space, outside an area of the document to be occupied by the information, and printing the document with advertising material in the space.

Claims

1. A method of delivering an interactive printed document directly to a user on demand, said user having an inkjet printer, said method comprising the steps of:

formatting user requested information in the document so as to include a first user interactive element, to allow the user to effect a response to the information, using a sensing device for transmitting first response data back to a computer system;

identifying an advertising space outside an area of the document to be occupied by the information;

formatting advertising material for the advertising space, said advertising material including a second user interactive element, thereby enabling the user to effect a response to the advertising material, using a sensing device for transmitting second response data back to the computer system

printing the document, having the advertising material in the advertising space together with coded data, on a surface defining structure using said inkjet printer, said coded data being indicative of an identity of the document and of the first and second interactive elements,

wherein said inkjet printer prints the coded data at the same time as printing the document on the surface defining structure.

2. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the advertising space is determined to be on a reverse side of the document relative to the user requested information.

3. A method as claimed in claim 1 or 2 wherein the information is formatted at a publication server of the computer system and the method includes the publication server monitoring the said area and, once the space is identified, receiving the advertising material from an advertising server, for inclusion in the document.

4. A method as claimed in claim 1, which includes printing the coded data to be substantially invisible in the visible spectrum.

5. A method as claimed in claim 1, including retaining a retrievable record of the printed document, the document being retrievable using the identity data as contained in the coded data.

6. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the sensing device includes an identification code specific to a particular user and the method includes monitoring use of the sensing device in the computer system.

7. A system for delivering an interactive printed document directly to a user on demand, said system comprising:

a computer system configured for;

formatting user requested information in the document so as to include a first user interactive element, to allow the user to effect a response to the information, using a sensing device for transmitting first response data back to the computer system;

identifying an advertising space outside an area of the document to be occupied by the information; and

formatting advertising material for the advertising space, said advertising material including a second user interactive element, thereby enabling the user to effect a response to the advertising material, using the sensing device for transmitting second response data back to the computer system; and

an inkjet printer arranged to print the document, having advertising material in the advertising space, at the same time as printing coded data on a surface defining structure, said coded data being indicative of an identity of the document and of the first and second interactive elements,

wherein said inkjet printer is associated with said user.

8. A system as claimed in claim 7, wherein the printer is adapted to print on both sides of the document, in order to print the advertising material on a reverse side of the document, relative to the user requested information.

9. A system as claimed in claim 7, wherein the computer system includes a publication server for formatting the document and an advertising server for providing the advertising material, wherein the publication server monitors said area and receives advertising material from the advertising server, for inclusion in the document.

10. A system as claimed in claim 7, wherein the coded data is substantially invisible in the visible spectrum.

11. A system as claimed in claim 7, including a database for keeping a retrievable record of each document generated, each document being retrievable by using its identity, as included in the coded data.