System and method of attracting, surveying, and marketing to consumers

• US 7,546,552 B2
• Filed: 05/16/2007
• Issued: 06/09/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 05/16/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Space Needle Holding Corporation
• Original Assignee: Space Needle LLC
• Inventors: Bacarella, Mary, Nelson, Dean Francis
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, CAO H
• Application Number:
  US11/749,745
• Publication Number:
  US 20080060004A1
• Time in Patent Office: 755 Days
• Field of Search: 715/731, 715/853, 715203-204, 715/700, 715/851, 715/846, 715854-855, 715/788, 715/738, 345/156, 345/419
• US Class Current: 715/851
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/41415 involving a public display, viewable by several users in a public space outside their home, e.g. movie theatre, information kiosk
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44218 Detecting physical presence or behaviour of the user, e.g. using sensors to detect if the user is leaving the room or changes his face expression during a TV program methods or arrangements for recognising human body or animal bodies or body parts G06V40/10; methods or arrangements for acquiring or recognising human faces, facial parts, facial sketches, facial expressions G06V40/16; methods or arrangements for recognising movements or behaviour G06V40/20; arrangements for identifying users in broadcast systems H04H60/45
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47 End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/472 End-user interface for requesting content, additional data or services; End-user interface for interacting with content, e.g. for content reservation or setting reminders, for requesting event notification, for manipulating displayed content end-user interfaces for retrieving video data from a database G06F16/739; network services for supporting unicast streaming H04L65/612
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/18 Closed-circuit television [CCTV] systems, i.e. systems in which the video signal is not broadcast

Abstract

One method of the present invention includes displaying an interactive map to a consumer and recording interactions with the consumer, recording the interactions, analyzing the recordings, and acting on the analysis. The interactive map is provided at a tourist attraction or other location, and includes maps, images, cameras, and other information about the area surrounding the attraction, as well as information about other attractions, that is useful and/or interesting to a consumer. The interactive media include remote-controlled cameras, touch screen monitors, joysticks, and various other controls. Recording the interactions of the consumers includes recording touches, page views, clicks, session lengths, itineraries selected, and other interactions. Analyzing includes analyzing to find consumer preferences among locations presented. Acting on the results of the analyses includes contacting and forming networks with entities in the area surrounding the tourist hub or remote locations, including contacting and forming networks with other tourist hubs.

Claims

1. A method to acquire information content of a view of a landscape seen by an observer comprising:

manipulating a camera in communication with a client-server computer network in signal communication with a monitor to acquire a live image of at least a portion of the landscape;

capturing the live image;

presenting the live image on the monitor in a first layer visible to the viewer;

underlying the first layer with a second layer having a photo-realistic illustration of the live image, the second layer having regions responsive to at least one physical action conveyed by the observer near or onto the surface of the monitor;

associating at least one icon with the regions of the second layer;

interacting with the regions of the second layer via the at least one physical action conveyed by the observer including at least one of hand motion and touching near or onto the surface of the monitor adjacent to the regions of the second layer; and

displaying the at least one icon onto the live image presented on the monitor;

recording interactions between the at least one icon and the at least one physical action conveyed by the observer with the at least one icon; and

analyzing the recorded interactions.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein displaying the at least one icon includes causing the appearance of at least one of an interactive icon, an illustration, a map, a business specific information, business icons, an historic movie of the landscape, a slide show, a text statement, a live streaming video, a virtual tour, an audio playback, and a vignette relating to the live image presented in the first layer upon conveyance of the at least one physical action to the regions in the second layer.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein underlying the live image with regions responsive to at least one action includes:

recording coordinates relating to the tilt, pan, and zoom control conveyed by the observer'"'"'s interaction.

4. A method comprising:

acquiring a live image of a landscape visible to an observer using a camera located near the observer having a common view with the landscape, the camera in signal communication with a monitor located adjacent to the observer and a client-server computer network;

presenting the live image on the monitor in a first layer visible to the observer;

underlying the live image in the first layer with a second layer having regions responsive to at least one physical action conveyable by the observer and touching near or onto the surface of the monitor adjacent to the regions of the second layer;

displaying at least one interactive icon onto the live image;

recording interactions between the at least one interactive icon and the at least one physical action conveyed by the observer with the interactive icon;

analyzing the recorded interactions; and

acting on the analysis.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein underlying the live image with regions responsive to the at least one action include observer hand motions near the regions and touching the monitor surface near the regions.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein displaying the at least one interactive icon includes at least one of a business icon, a map, an illustration, a text statement, a business specific information, an historic movie of the landscape, an interactive icon, and a vignette relating to the live image.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein acquiring the live image includes:

providing at least one of a tilt, a pan, and a zoom control of the camera to the observer.

8. The method of claim 5, wherein analyzing the recorded interaction includes:

determining consumer preferences—

among location presented—

associated with the at least one business icon, the map, the illustration, the text statement, the business specific information, the historic movie of the landscape, the interactive icon, and the vignette relating to the live image.

9. The method of claim 4, wherein displaying includes presenting the historic movie of the landscape on the monitor placed in line-of-site between the observer and the landscape when the landscape is obscured by inclement weather.

10. The method of claim 4, wherein acting on the analysis includes contacting and forming networks with businesses and tourist attractions associated with the landscape.