Method and apparatus for providing incentives for viewers to watch commercial advertisements

• US 7,992,161 B2
• Filed: 05/22/2001
• Issued: 08/02/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 05/22/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Alphonso, Inc.
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Meadows, Vernon, Rogers, James M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Trost, IV, William
• Assistant Examiner(s): Parry, Chris
• Application Number:
  US09/861,595
• Publication Number:
  US 20040255322A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,724 Days
• Field of Search: 725/23, 725/34, 725/8, 725/22, 725/24, 705/14
• US Class Current: 725/23
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2543 Billing , e.g. for subscription services payment schemes, architectures or protocols G06Q20/00; e-commerce G06Q30/00; arrangements for billing for the use of broadcast information or broadcast-related information H04H60/21
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4185 for payment
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4722 for requesting additional data associated with the content
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4756 for rating content, e.g. scoring a recommended movie
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6582 Data stored in the client, e.g. viewing habits, hardware capabilities, credit card number arrangements where receivers interact with the broadcast H04H20/38
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17309 Transmission or handling of upstream communications

Abstract

A user is prompted during television commercial breaks to depress one or more pushbuttons on a television remote control at certain times to confirm that the user is watching the advertisements. A set top box connected to the television receives and decodes the signal from the remote control. When the user responds properly to a prompt, the set top box increments a tally maintained in the set top box memory to accumulate points by which the user can earn rewards.

Claims

1. A method for providing an incentive for a viewer to watch commercial advertisements, comprising:

locally inserting an instruction by a set top box into broadcast programming to generate a prompt during commercial breaks that prompts the viewer to watch commercials;

receiving selections during the commercials to receive additional information concerning selected commercials;

receiving a log-off signal to stop the broadcast programming;

disconnecting a switch in a motion picture expert group decoder to disconnect the broadcast programming;

retrieving a screen from a database stored in local memory of the set top box;

displaying a list of sponsors in the screen that are associated with the selected commercials;

receiving a selection of a sponsor from the list of sponsors;

navigating products and services offered by the sponsor;

receiving a product selection offered by the sponsor;

retrieving a video from the local memory of the set top box associated with the product selection;

displaying the video; and

providing the incentive after the video is played.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising canceling the selections.

3. The method according to claim 1, further comprising providing a credit.

4. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

displaying a list of rewards for which the viewer may be eligible;

receiving a reward selection by the viewer; and

awarding a reward to the viewer.

5. The method according to claim 1, further comprising electronically transmitting a discount.

6. A media delivery device providing an incentive to a viewer to watch commercial advertisements, comprising:

a processor executing a program stored in memory that causes the processor to;

locally insert an instruction by the media delivery device into broadcast programming to generate a prompt during commercial breaks that prompts the viewer to watch commercials;

receive selections during the commercials to receive additional information concerning selected commercials;

receive a log-off signal to stop the broadcast programming;

disconnect a switch in a motion picture expert group decoder to disconnect the broadcast programming;

retrieve a screen from a database stored in local memory of the media delivery device;

display a list of sponsors in the screen associated with the selected commercials;

receive a selection of a sponsor from the list of sponsors;

navigate products and services offered by the sponsor;

receive a product selection offered by the sponsor;

retrieve a video from the local memory of the media delivery device associated with the product selection;

display the video; and

provide the incentive after the video is played.

7. The media delivery device according to claim 6, wherein the program further causes the processor to cancel the selections.

8. The media delivery device according to claim 6, wherein the program further causes the processor to display a list of rewards.

9. Memory storing a program that causes a processor to perform a method for providing an incentive for a viewer to watch commercial advertisements, the method comprising:

locally inserting an instruction by a set top box into broadcast programming to generate a prompt during commercial breaks that prompts the viewer to watch commercials;

receiving selections during the commercials to receive additional information concerning selected commercials;

receiving a log-off signal to stop the broadcast programming;

disconnecting a switch in a motion picture expert group decoder to disconnect the broadcast programming;

retrieving a screen from a database stored in local memory of the set top box;

displaying a list of sponsors in the screen associated with the selected commercials;

receiving a selection of a sponsor from the list of sponsors;

navigating products and services offered by the sponsor;

receiving a product selection offered by the sponsor;

retrieving a video from the local memory of the set top box associated with the product selection;

displaying the video; and

providing the incentive after the video is played.