In-contents advertising method, in-contents advertising server, and program-transferring medium for realizing in-contents advertising

• US 7,761,328 B2
• Filed: 02/09/2001
• Issued: 07/20/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 07/04/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Sony Computer Entertainment Incorporated (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Computer Entertainment Incorporated (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Shimakawa, Keiso, Okamoto, Shinichi, Kubo, Makoto, Kagiwada, Yutaka, Kutaragi, Ken
• Primary Examiner(s): Alvarez; Raquel
• Application Number:
  US09/780,995
• Publication Number:
  US 20020004743A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,448 Days
• Field of Search: 705/14, 705/14.4, 705/14.49, 705/14.73, 713/200
• US Class Current: 705/14.4
• 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 13/352 involving special game server arrangements, e.g. regional servers connected to a national server or a plurality of servers managing partitions of the game world
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/52 involving aspects of the displayed game scene
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/61 using advertising information
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/5506 using advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/552 for downloading to client devices, e.g. using OS version, hardware or software profile of the client device
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0241 Advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0251 Targeted advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0267 Wireless devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0273 Determination of fees for advertising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0277 Online advertisement

Abstract

Advertisement information appropriated beforehand is inserted into contents such as a game downloaded by a user at the point that the user activates the contents, based on advertisement-insertable information within the game data or the like, and subsequently advertisement information is displayed at corresponding areas while the contents are running, thereby realizing an advertisement system capable of dealing with network infrastructures.

Claims

1. An in-contents advertising method comprising the steps of:

(a) activating digital contents in a user terminal in a game program by a user;

(b) determining that the digital contents have been activated by the user;

(c) transferring an identifier of the digital contents and an identifier of the user to an advertising information server when the digital contents have been activated by the user;

(d) selecting and retrieving advertising information by the advertising information server based on the digital contents identifier and the user identifier;

(e) transferring the retrieved advertising information to the user terminal;

(f) updating a transmission record for the retrieved advertising information;

(g) counting a number of times of updating the transmission record of the retrieved advertising information;

(h) receiving input from the user via a user interface of the game program after the transferring of the retrieved advertising information;

(i) generating a table of information linking addresses in the advertising information server for the advertising information to the respective insertion locations of the advertising information;

(j) making a judgment whether or not the insertion location is a position for inserting advertisement information;

(k) positioning the advertisement information on an affirmative judgment;

(l) inserting the retrieved advertising information in the digital contents based on information indicating that advertisements may be inserted when the digital contents are activated in the game program in the user terminal by the user, so that advertising information included in the digital contents is updated with the retrieved advertising information;

(m) billing an advertiser for advertising fees calculated based on the number of times of updating the transmission record of the retrieved advertisement information.

2. The in-contents advertising method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

receiving advertisement structure information for the digital contents from a contents provider at the advertising server;

receiving advertiser specified information of the advertiser at the advertising server;

preparing the advertising information based on the advertisement structure information and the advertiser specified information, and receiving the advertising information at the advertising server; and

providing the advertising information by the advertising server to the contents provider for insertion in the digital contents.

3. The in-contents advertising method of claim 1, wherein the digital contents comprise:

said information indicating that advertisements may be inserted;

a header including at least a company name and a title;

movie data including graphics data;

the game program;

object data; and

a plurality of sets of texture data.

4. The in-contents advertising method of claim 1, wherein:

the digital contents include a moving image;

the retrieved advertising information is inserted in a predetermined part of the digital contents; and

the advertising information is included in the predetermined part of the digital contents.

5. The in-contents advertising method of claim 1, wherein:

the game program is a driving game program;

the digital contents include at least one vehicle operated by the user;

the advertisement information is inserted on an exterior of the at least one vehicle; and

the advertisement information and the digital contents are dynamically presented to the user.

6. A digital contents distribution system for realizing in-contents advertisements, said distribution system comprising:

a digital contents distribution system comprising a first server storing a plurality of digital contents to be provided;

an advertisement information providing system comprising a database storing advertisement information which is to be set in advertisement areas in said digital contents;

a plurality of user terminal devices;

wherein, in response to download requests for specific digital contents from said user terminal devices, said digital contents distribution system receives advertisement information corresponding to said specific digital contents and user identification information from said database of said advertisement information providing system, inserts said advertisement information in said specific digital contents based on information in the digital contents indicating that advertisements may be inserted, updates a transmission record for the advertisement information, counts a number of times of updating the transmission record of said advertising information, and subsequently distributes said specific digital contents to a user;

wherein the received advertising information is inserted in said specific digital contents by said digital contents distribution system in response to the user requests for specific digital contents, such that the received advertising information is automatically rendered by the user terminal devices upon activating the digital contents in a game program;

wherein the digital contents are activated in the game program at the user terminal devices by the user; and

wherein an advertiser is billed for advertising fees calculated based on the number of times that the retrieved advertisement information is transferred;

wherein a table of information links addresses in the advertising information server for the advertising information to the respective insertion locations of the advertising information, a judgment is made whether or not the insertion location is a position for inserting advertisement information; and

positioning the advertisement information on an affirmative judgment.

7. A digital contents distribution system according to claim 6, wherein said distribution system configures a network of:

said digital contents distribution system comprising said first server;

said advertisement information providing system comprising said database; and

said plurality of user terminal devices;

using one, or two or more, of the following means;

cable television, broad-band wireless network, and optical fiber network.

8. A digital contents distribution system according to claim 6, said advertisement information providing system further comprising means for recording the transmission state of said advertisement information, with advertising fees being calculated based on said recording results.

9. A digital contents distribution system according to claim 6, said distribution system further comprising a banking system;

wherein said advertisement information providing system comprises means for recording the transmission state of said advertisement information, with advertising fees being calculated based on said recording results, and the advertiser being billed for said advertising fees from said bank.

10. A digital contents distribution system according to claim 6, wherein said digital contents data contains advertisement programs, with said advertisement information being set into said digital contents by said advertisement programs.

11. The digital contents distribution system according to claim 6, wherein the digital contents comprise:

said information indicating that advertisements may be inserted;

a header including at least a company name and a title;

movie data including graphics data;

the game program;

object data; and

a plurality of sets of texture data.

12. A digital contents distribution system for realizing in-contents advertisements, said distribution system comprising:

a digital contents distribution system comprising a first server storing a plurality of digital contents to be provided;

an advertisement information providing system comprising a database storing advertisement information which is to be set in advertisement areas in said digital contents; and

a plurality of user terminal devices;

wherein, in response to a download request for specific digital contents from one of said plurality of user terminal devices, said digital contents distribution system transfers an identifier of said specific digital contents and an identifier of said one user terminal device to said advertisement information providing system, and distributes said specific digital contents to said one user terminal device;

wherein said advertisement information providing system retrieves advertisement information from said advertisement information providing system based on said specific digital contents, information in the digital contents indicating that advertisements may be inserted, and said identifier of said one user terminal device and transmits said retrieved advertisement information corresponding to said specific digital contents from said database, to a user, wherein said retrieved advertising information is transmitted in response to the download request for said specific digital contents, such that the retrieved advertising information is automatically rendered by the user terminal device upon activating the digital contents in a game program;

wherein said advertisement information providing system updates a transmission record for the retrieved advertising information and counts a number of times of updating the transmission record of the retrieved advertising information;

wherein the digital contents are activated in the game program at the user terminal devices by the user; and

wherein an advertiser is billed for advertising fees calculated based on the number of times that the retrieved advertisement information is transferred;

wherein a table of information links addresses in the advertising information server for the advertising information to the respective insertion locations of the advertising information, a judgment is made whether or not the insertion location is a position for inserting advertisement information; and

positioning the advertisement information on an affirmative judgment.

13. The digital contents distribution system according to claim 12, wherein the digital contents comprise:

said information indicating that advertisements may be inserted;

a header including at least a company name and a title;

movie data including graphics data;

the game program;

object data; and

a plurality of sets of texture data.

14. A digital contents providing system comprising a plurality of servers storing digital contents,

wherein said digital contents providing system configures an advertisement information providing system having a database storing advertisement information to be set into advertising areas within said digital contents, and a network;

wherein, in response to a download request for specific digital contents transmitted to said digital contents distribution system by a user, said digital contents distribution system receives advertisement information corresponding to said specific digital contents and an identifier of the user from said database of said advertisement information providing system, inserts said advertisement information in said specific digital contents based on information in the digital contents indicating that advertisements may be inserted, and distributes said advertisement information along with said requested digital contents to said user, wherein said advertising information is distributed to said user in response to the download request for specific digital contents, such that the advertising information is automatically rendered for the user terminal devices upon activating said digital contents in a game program;

wherein said digital contents distribution system updates a transmission record for the advertisement information and counts a number of times of updating the transmission record of said advertising information;

wherein the digital contents are activated in the game program at the user terminal devices by the user; and

wherein an advertiser is billed for advertising fees calculated based on the number of times that the retrieved advertisement information is transferred;

wherein a table of information links addresses in the advertising information server for the advertising information to the respective insertion locations of the advertising information, a judgment is made whether or not the insertion location is a position for inserting advertisement information; and

positioning the advertisement information on an affirmative judgment.

15. The digital contents providing system according to claim 14, wherein the digital contents comprise:

said information indicating that advertisements may be inserted;

a header including at least a company name and a title;

movie data including graphics data;

the game program;

object data; and

a plurality of sets of texture data.

16. An in-contents advertising method, wherein advertisement information provided beforehand is included in digital contents activated in a contents provider by a user request to the contents provider, the method comprising the steps of:

activating in a user terminal in a game program by a user the digital contents;

determining by the contents provider whether the digital contents have been activated by the user;

transferring an identifier of the digital contents and an identifier of the user by the contents provider to an advertising information server when the digital contents have been activated;

retrieving advertising information from the advertising information server based on the digital contents identifier and the user identifier;

providing the retrieved advertising information to the contents provider for insertion in the digital contents;

wherein the retrieved advertising information is inserted in the digital contents based on information in the digital contents indicating that advertisements may be inserted, the advertisement information being inserted by the contents provider in response to the user request for digital contents, such that the advertising information is automatically rendered by the activation of the digital contents in the game program;

updating a transmission record of the advertising information, wherein a number of times that the transmission record of the retrieved advertising information is updated is counted;

wherein an advertiser is billed for advertising fees calculated based on the number of times that the retrieved advertisement information is transferred;

wherein a table of information links addresses in the advertising information server for the advertising information to the respective insertion locations of the advertising information, a judgment is made whether or not the insertion location is a position for inserting advertisement information; and

positioning, the advertisement information on an affirmative judgment.

17. The in-contents advertising method according to claim 16, wherein the digital contents comprise:

said information indicating that advertisements may be inserted;

a header including at least a company name and a title;

movie data including graphics data;

the game program;

object data; and

a plurality of sets of texture data.