Asset targeting system for limited resource environments

• US 7,849,477 B2
• Filed: 01/30/2008
• Issued: 12/07/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 01/30/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Invidi Technologies Corporation
• Original Assignee: Invidi Technologies Corporation
• Inventors: Cristofalo, Michael, Sheehan, Patrick M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Saltarelli; Dominic D
• Application Number:
  US12/022,209
• Publication Number:
  US 20080184289A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,042 Days
• Field of Search: 725 32- 36
• US Class Current: 725/34
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/00 Commerce
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/10 Arrangements for replacing or switching information during the broadcast or the distribution
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/31 Arrangements for monitoring the use made of the broadcast services
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/375 Commercial

Abstract

The present invention provides targeted asset system implementations in contexts where there is limited or no ability to use a real-time return channel for communications from user equipment devices (e.g., STB) to the network. In one arrangement, a household classifier is generated and delivered to user equipment devices. The household classifiers are generated based on third party data and/or network usage information associated with the household. The system and method allow for generating highly accurate household classifications that may be forwarded to individual households where the user equipment device may implant the classifiers to select appropriate assets for delivery to the household.

Claims

1. A method for use in targeting broadcast network content, comprising:

providing a network platform for processing classifiers for delivery to user equipment devices in the broadcast network;

obtaining, at said network platform, household information from at least one third-party information repository for a specific household in said broadcast network, wherein said household information putatively identifies multiple individual members of said specific household;

receiving, at said network platform, network usage information originating from said specific household, wherein said network usage information includes temporal information associated with usage times of at least one user equipment device outputting network content at said specific household and channel information associated with one or more broadcast channels output by said user equipment device;

based on said information putatively identifying said multiple individual members of said household and said network usage information, determining putative usage times associated with two or more of said individual members;

assigning at least two or more classifiers associated with two or more individual members of said specific household, wherein said classifiers are different and include different temporal limitations;

delivering, via said broadcast network, said two or more assigned classifiers to said at least one user equipment device at said specific household; and

during an asset insertion opportunity in broadcast programming, delivering via said broadcast network a plurality of parallel asset transmission bands each including a separate asset, wherein said user equipment device is operative, based on the temporal limitations of said assigned classifiers, to utilize one of said two or more assigned classifiers to tune to one of said plurality of asset transmission bands to deliver an asset to said specific household.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

accessing, via said network platform, a customer database, wherein said customer database includes customer information associated with said specific household and wherein assigning further comprises assigning said at least one household classifier based at least in part on said customer information.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein said customer database includes at least one of the following:

location of individual households;

one or more names of individuals associated with individual households; and

demographic information associated with individual households.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein obtaining household information comprises obtaining purchasing information associated with individuals of said household.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein obtaining household information comprises obtaining age and gender information associated with said individual members of said household.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving network usage information comprises:

receiving temporal information associated with usage times of said user equipment device outputting network content.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein said temporal limitations are delivered with said classifiers and wherein a said first classifier is designated for use during a first temporal period and said second classifier is designated for use during a second temporal period.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein said first and second temporal periods are within a common day.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving network usage information comprises receiving network usage information via a communications interface that is separate from said broadcast network.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein said communications interface comprises a Telco interface.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving network usage information originating from said specific household comprises:

receiving at least first and second sets of network usage information, wherein said first and second sets are of network usage information are associated with first and second different user equipment devices of said specific household.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

assigning at least first and second classifiers for receipt by said first and second different user equipment devices.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

utilizing said network usage information in conjunction with demographic information associated with each of the multiple individual members of said specific household to identify putative usage times for each individual member of said specific household.

14. A method for use in targeting broadcast network content, comprising:

providing a network platform for processing household classifiers for delivery to user equipment devices in the broadcast network;

obtaining, at said network platform, household information from at least one third-party information repository for a household in said broadcast network wherein said household information putatively identifies multiple individual members of said household;

receiving, at said network platform, network use information originating from said household, wherein said network usage information includes temporal information associated with usage times of at least one user equipment device outputting network content at said household;

generating a plurality of household classifiers associated with putative individual members of said household based on said household information and said usage times;

receiving, at said network platform, current network usage information originating from said household;

selecting one of said plurality of household classifiers based on said current network usage information, wherein said selected household classifier is delivered to at least one user equipment device at said household; and

during an asset insertion opportunity in broadcast programming, delivering via said broadcast network a plurality of asset transmission bands each including a separate asset, wherein said user equipment device is operative to utilize said selected household classifier to tune to one of said plurality of asset transmission bands to deliver an asset to said household.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein receiving said current network information comprises:

receiving said usage information from said user equipment device via a broadcast network interface utilized to deliver broadcast content to said household.