Systems and methods for providing a token registry and encoder

• US 8,051,455 B2
• Filed: 12/12/2007
• Issued: 11/01/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/12/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Rakuten Group, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Backchannelmedia Incorporated
• Inventors: Kokernak, Michael, Noland, Madeleine
• Primary Examiner(s): Pendleton, Brian
• Assistant Examiner(s): STRONCZER, RYAN S
• Application Number:
  US12/001,633
• Publication Number:
  US 20090158316A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,420 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 725/113
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2362 Generation or processing of Service Information [SI]
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4345 Extraction or processing of SI, e.g. extracting service information from an MPEG stream
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4722 for requesting additional data associated with the content
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47815 Electronic shopping payment schemes, payment architectures or payment protocols for electronic shopping systems G06Q20/12
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

Systems and methods for using tokens to link the television and the Internet platforms. The tokens are tightly encoded into the content and a registry controls the linking of the television content to specific Internet-based content. The registry also polices the validity of the tokens and optionally provides the token owner with continued control over the Internet content associated with that token. When the two platforms are linked successfully, the consumer receives quality content, while being protected from unwanted Internet content.

Claims

1. In a television network having a television distribution system and a backchannel communication path, a system for receiving a response from a consumer to content viewed by the consumer on a television and for providing an Internet-based deliverable to the consumer as a result of said response, comprising:

a token registry configured to;

generate a token including a unique identifier;

register the token to a token owner, wherein registering the token includes storing the unique identifier;

associate television content with the token; and

store, in association with the token, data identifying at least one Internet-based deliverable to be delivered to a consumer via the Internet when the consumer interacts with the token;

a token encoder in communication with the token registry, the token encoder configured to insert the token into the television content at multiple times over the duration of the television content for delivery over a television distribution system in a television network, wherein each instance of the token inserted into the television content is accompanied by data identifying a temporal location of that instance of the token within the television content;

a video receiving device associated with the consumer configured to;

detect the tokens encoded within the television content being received by the device over the television distribution system; and

generate, in response to a command signal received from a consumer controller during display of the television content, a consumer response data signal to be transmitted over a backchannel communication path in the television network, the consumer response data signal comprising a request for delivery of the Internet-based deliverable to the consumer over the Internet and data indicative of the temporal location of the token that was last received by the video receiving device before receipt of the command signal from the consumer;

a data collector, coupled to the video receiving device via the backchannel communication path and to the token registry, configured to receive the consumer response data signal, and to forward the signal to the token registry; and

a consumer portal in communication with the token registry configured to provide the at least one Internet-based deliverable associated with the token-encoded television content to the consumer over the Internet subsequent to receipt of the consumer response data signal by the token registry;

wherein

the token registry is further configured to provide the token owner with data indicative of consumer response activity to the token registered to the token owner based at least in part on the consumer response data signal, wherein the data indicative of the consumer response activity comprises data indicative of the temporal location of the token that was last received by the video receiving device before receipt of the command signal from the consumer.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the Internet-based deliverable associated with the token in the token registry is a link representative of a pointer to a website.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the token registry stores data regarding a visual indicator associated with the respective token that is simultaneously displayed with the token-encoded television content.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the video receiving device, upon detecting the presence of the token, is configured to generate, for simultaneous display with the television content to the consumer, a visual indicator to the consumer indicative that the at least one Internet-based deliverable is available for delivery to the consumer over the Internet.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the token encoder inserts the token multiple times within the content at a selected periodic rate.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the token encoder includes a time stamp for time stamping the occurrence of the token within the content.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the token encoder communicates token insertion data to the token registry.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the token registry includes a rules engine for allowing the token owner to define rules for providing the Internet-based deliverable associated with the token to a consumer who interacts with the token, wherein said rules are dependent on at least one of a consumer demographic, a date range, a time of day, and a campaign goal.

9. The system of claim 1, further including an outlet site for allowing the token owner to purchase or sell tokens to another business user.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the television content is a television commercial.

11. The system of claim 1, further comprising a plurality of video receiving devices, each video receiving device being associated with a given, different consumer, wherein each of said video receiving devices is configured to:

detect the tokens encoded within the television content being received by the device over the television distribution system;

generate, for simultaneous display with the television content to the given consumer, a visual indicator to the consumer indicative that the at least one Internet-based deliverable is available for delivery to the consumer over the Internet; and

generate, in response to a command signal received from a consumer controller during display of the television content, a consumer response data signal to be transmitted over a backchannel communication path in the television network, the consumer response data signal comprising a request for delivery of the Internet-based deliverable to the given consumer over the Internet and data indicative of the temporal location of the token that was last received by the video receiving device before receipt of the command signal from the given consumer.

12. They system of claim 11, wherein said token registry is configured to provide the token owner with data indicative of consumer response activity from the multiple, different consumers to the token registered to the token owner based at least in part on the consumer response data signals, wherein the data indicative of the consumer response activity comprises data indicative of the temporal locations of the tokens that were last received by the video receiving devices before receipt of the command signals from the multiple consumers.

13. A method for receiving a response from a consumer to content viewed by the consumer on a television and for providing an Internet-based deliverable to the consumer as a result of said response, comprising:

generating with a token registry a token including a unique identifier;

registering the token to a token owner with the token registry, wherein registering the token includes storing the unique identifier;

associating television content with the token with the token registry;

storing, with the token registry in association with the token, data identifying at least one Internet-based deliverable to be delivered to a consumer via the Internet when the consumer interacts with the token;

inserting, with a token encoder in communication with the token registry, the token into the television content at multiple times over the duration of the television content for delivery over a television distribution system in a television network, wherein each instance of the token inserted into the television content is accompanied by data identifying a temporal location of that instance of the token within the television content;

detecting, with the video receiving device associated with the consumer, the tokens encoded within the television content being received by the device over the television distribution system;

generating, with the video receiving device in response to a command signal received from a consumer controller during display of the television content to the consumer, a consumer response data signal to be transmitted over a backchannel communication path in the television network, the consumer response data signal comprising a request for delivery of the Internet-based deliverable to the consumer over the Internet and data indicative of the temporal location of the token that was last received by the video receiving device before receipt of the command signal from the consumer;

receiving the consumer response data signal with a data collector that is coupled to the video receiving device via the backchannel communication path and to the token registry;

forwarding the consumer response data signal to the token registry with the data collector;

providing, with a consumer portal in communication with the token registry, the at least one Internet-based deliverable associated with the token-encoded television content to the consumer over the Internet subsequent to receipt of the consumer response data signal by the token registry; and

providing, with the token registry, the token owner with data indicative of consumer response activity to the token registered to the token owner based at least in part on the consumer response data signal, wherein the data indicative of the consumer response activity comprises data indicative of the temporal location of the token that was last received by the video receiving device before receipt of the command signal from the consumer.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising generating, with the video receiving device for simultaneous display with the television content to the consumer, a visual indicator to the consumer indicative that an Internet-based deliverable is available for delivery to the consumer over the Internet.

15. In a television network having a television distribution system and a backchannel communication path, a system for receiving a response from a consumer to content viewed by the consumer on a television and for providing an Internet-based deliverable to the consumer as a result of said response, comprising:

means for generating a token including a unique identifier;

means for registering the token to a token owner, wherein registering the token includes storing the unique identifier;

means for associating television content with the token;

means for storing, in association with the token, data identifying at least one Internet-based deliverable to be delivered to a consumer via the Internet when the consumer interacts with the token;

means for inserting the token into the television content at multiple times over the duration of the television content for delivery over a television distribution system in a television network, wherein each instance of the token inserted into the television content is accompanied by data identifying a temporal location of that instance of the token within the television content;

means for detecting the tokens encoded within the television content being received by the device over the television distribution system;

means for generating, in response to a command signal received from a consumer controller during display of the television content to the consumer, a consumer response data signal to be transmitted over a backchannel communication path in the television network, the consumer response data signal comprising a request for delivery of the Internet-based deliverable to the consumer over the Internet and data indicative of the temporal location of the token that was last received by the video receiving device before receipt of the command signal from the consumer;

means for receiving the consumer response data signal;

means for providing the at least one Internet-based deliverable associated with the token-encoded television content to the consumer over the Internet subsequent to receipt of the consumer response data signal; and

means for providing the token owner with data indicative of consumer response activity to the token registered to the token owner based at least in part on the consumer response data signal, wherein the data indicative of the consumer response activity comprises data indicative of the temporal location of the token that was last received by the video receiving device before receipt of the command signal from the consumer.

16. The system of claim 15, further comprising means for generating, for simultaneous display with the television content to the consumer, a visual indicator to the consumer indicative that an Internet-based deliverable is available for delivery to the consumer over the Internet.