Method for advertisers to sponsor broadcasts without commercials

• US 8,316,390 B2
• Filed: 01/22/2001
• Issued: 11/20/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 01/22/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Firtiva Corporation
• Original Assignee: Robert M. Zeidman
• Inventors: Zeidman, Robert M.
• Primary Examiner(s): SCHNURR, JOHN R
• Application Number:
  US09/767,819
• Publication Number:
  US 20020100055A1
• Time in Patent Office: 4,320 Days
• Field of Search: 725/60, 725/22, 725/109, 725/110, 725/112, 725/8, 725/20, 725/23, 725/14, 725/9, 725/12, 725/105, 705/14, 705/26, 705/27, 705/14.1, 4 2/0
• US Class Current: 725/23
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25891 being end-user preferences retrieval of video data in a video database based on user preferences G06F16/739; arrangements for recognizing users' preferences H04H60/46; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306; processing of user preferences or user profiles in wireless networks H04W8/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/435 Processing of additional data, e.g. decrypting of additional data, reconstructing software from modules extracted from the transport stream
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44224 Monitoring of user activity on external systems, e.g. Internet browsing
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4622 Retrieving content or additional data from different sources, e.g. from a broadcast channel and the Internet web site content organization and management for information retrieval from the Internet G06F16/958; transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82; stock exchange data over packet-switching network H04L12/1804; push services including data channel over packet-switching network H04L12/1859
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4667 Processing of monitored end-user data, e.g. trend analysis based on the log file of viewer selections
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/478 Supplemental services, e.g. displaying phone caller identification, shopping application
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4782 Web browsing , e.g. WebTV
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4784 receiving rewards
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6125 involving transmission via Internet transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6175 involving transmission via Internet broadcast-related systems characterised by the transmission system being the Internet H04H60/82
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/088 the inserted signal being digital
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

A system and method that allows content to be broadcast without commercial interruption, yet lets the company or companies that sponsor the broadcast to offer advertisements and discounts and various special offers to the viewers at a later time. The amount of time a viewer spends watching a particular broadcast is recorded along with information about the sponsoring companies or organizations for the broadcast. The viewer later accesses a central database, which sends back to the viewer advertisements, coupons, discounts, contests, and other enticements to purchase products, based on the amount of time the viewer spent watching broadcasts or segments of broadcasts that were sponsored by the advertiser.

Claims

1. A method for allowing content to be broadcast without commercial interruption, yet letting a sponsor of the broadcast offer incentives to viewers to watch the broadcast, the method comprising:

receiving a broadcast with embedded information about the broadcast, said embedded information being provided to allow construction of a viewing record of the broadcast, the embedded information including information indicative of one or more sponsors of the broadcast;

extracting and displaying content from said broadcast without commercial interruption to a viewer;

extracting said embedded information from said broadcast;

storing said embedded information;

collecting viewer information including a user identifier and information indicative of an amount of the broadcast viewed by the viewer, specific incentives and links to the specific incentives being associated with the amount of the broadcast viewed by the viewer, wherein the collected viewer information is not collected in response to prompted viewer feedback provided by the viewer as part of viewer participation in an interactive reward program;

sending said stored embedded information and viewer information to a remote computer to allow said remote computer to construct said viewing record; and

providing the specific incentives to the viewer based on said viewing record, the viewing record including viewer information obtained without prompted viewer feedback provided by the viewer as part of viewer participation in an interactive reward program, the specific incentives including information indicative of one or more sponsors of the broadcast.

2. A method for allowing content to be broadcast without commercial interruption, yet letting a sponsor of the broadcast offer incentives to viewers to watch the broadcast, the method comprising:

receiving a broadcast with information about the broadcast embedded into the broadcast at regular time periods, said information including timestamps each identifying a time slice during which the broadcast is received, the embedded information including information indicative of one or more sponsors of the broadcast;

extracting and displaying content from said broadcast without commercial interruption to a viewer;

extracting said embedded information from said broadcast;

incrementing counters for counting time slices during which said broadcast is received;

storing said embedded information and said counter values;

collecting viewer information including a user identifier and information indicative of an amount of the broadcast viewed by the viewer, specific incentives and links to the specific incentives being associated with the amount of the broadcast viewed by the viewer, wherein the collected viewer information is not collected in response to prompted viewer feedback provided by the viewer as part of viewer participation in an interactive reward program;

sending said embedded information, said counter values and viewer information to a remote computer to allow a viewing time to be determined; and

providing the specific incentives to the viewer based on said embedded information and the viewer information obtained without prompted viewer feedback provided by the viewer as part of viewer participation in an interactive reward program, the specific incentives including information indicative of one or more sponsors of the broadcast.

3. A method for allowing content to be broadcast without commercial interruption, yet letting a sponsor of the broadcast offer incentives to viewers to watch the broadcast, the method comprising:

embedding information along with the broadcast content, said embedded information including information that allows viewer information to be determined, the viewer information including information indicative of an amount of the broadcast viewed by a remote viewer, specific incentives and links to the specific incentives being associated with the amount of the broadcast viewed by the remote viewer, the embedded information including information indicative of one or more sponsors of the broadcast; and

broadcasting said content with said embedded information to the remote viewer of the content without commercial interruption, the embedded information enabling a remote computer to retain the information indicative of one or more sponsors of the broadcast, and to determine the viewer information, the viewer information further including a user identifier and the information indicative of an amount of the broadcast viewed by the remote viewer, specific incentives being based in part on the amount of the broadcast viewed by the remote viewer, wherein the viewer information is not determined in response to prompted viewer feedback provided by the remote viewer as part of remote viewer participation in an interactive reward program.

4. The method of claim 3 further comprising:

obtaining the stored embedded information so as to determine said viewer information; and

sending the links to the specific incentives to said remote viewer based on said viewer information, the viewer information being determined without prompted viewer feedback provided by the remote viewer as part of remote viewer participation in an interactive reward program.

5. A method for allowing content to be broadcast without commercial interruption, yet letting a sponsor of the broadcast offer incentives to viewers to watch the broadcast, the method comprising:

embedding information along with the broadcast content at regular time periods, wherein said embedded information, when collected over time, allows a viewing record of the broadcast to be determined, the embedded information including information indicative of one or more sponsors of the broadcast; and

broadcasting said content with said embedded information without commercial interruption to a remote viewer of the content, the embedded information enabling a remote computer to retain the viewing record, information indicative of one or more sponsors of the broadcast, and viewer information, the viewer information including a user identifier and information indicative of an amount of the broadcast viewed by the remote viewer, specific incentives and links to the specific incentives being associated with the amount of the broadcast viewed by the remote viewer, wherein the viewer information is not collected in response to prompted viewer feedback provided by the remote viewer as part of remote viewer participation in an interactive reward program.

6. The method of claim 5 further comprising:

providing collected embedded information about said broadcast at a predetermined time;

from said collected embedded information, determining a number of time slices during which the broadcast is received by the remote viewer; and

sending links to the specific incentives to said remote viewer based on said time slices, the time slices being obtained without prompted viewer feedback provided by the remote viewer as part of remote viewer participation in an interactive reward program.

7. A method for allowing content to be broadcast without commercial interruption, yet letting a sponsor of the broadcast offer incentives to viewers to watch the broadcast, the method comprising:

receiving information representing a viewing record including information related to a viewer'"'"'s viewing of a broadcast without commercial interruption, the viewing record including information indicative of one or more sponsors of the broadcast and viewer information including a user identifier and information indicative of an amount of the broadcast viewed by the viewer, specific incentives and links to the specific incentives being associated with the amount of the broadcast viewed by the viewer, wherein the viewer information is not collected in response to prompted viewer feedback provided by the remote viewer as part of viewer participation in an interactive reward program; and

sending the links to the specific incentives to the viewer based on said viewing record including information indicative of one or more sponsors of the broadcast, the viewing record including viewer information obtained without prompted viewer feedback provided by the viewer as part of viewer participation in an interactive reward program.

8. A method for allowing content to be broadcast without commercial interruption, yet letting a sponsor of the broadcast offer incentives to viewers to watch the broadcast, the method comprising:

receiving information about a remote viewer'"'"'s viewing of a broadcast without commercial interruption, the received information including information indicative of one or more sponsors of the broadcast;

receiving counter values representing the number of time slices viewed by the remote viewer;

collecting viewer information including a user identifier and information indicative of an amount of the broadcast viewed by the viewer, specific incentives and links to the specific incentives being associated with the amount of the broadcast viewed by the viewer, wherein the collected viewer information is not collected in response to prompted viewer feedback provided by the remote viewer as part of remote viewer participation in an interactive reward program;

and

sending specific incentives to the remote viewer based on said information received, including information indicative of one or more sponsors of the broadcast, and said counter values received, said information received being obtained without prompted viewer feedback provided by the remote viewer as part of remote viewer participation in an interactive reward program.

9. A method for allowing content to be broadcast without commercial interruption, yet letting a sponsor of the broadcast offer incentives to viewers to watch the broadcast, the method comprising:

receiving information representing a viewing record including information related to a remote viewer'"'"'s viewing of a broadcast without commercial interruption, the viewing record including information indicative of one or more sponsors of the broadcast, the viewing record further including information indicative of a user identifier and information indicative of an amount of the broadcast viewed by the remote viewer, specific incentives and links to the specific incentives being associated with the amount of the broadcast viewed by the remote viewer, wherein the information representing a viewing record is not collected in response to prompted viewer feedback provided by the remote viewer as part of remote viewer participation in an interactive reward program;

searching a database for information about sponsors of the content of said broadcast and the specific incentives offered by said sponsors;

creating a Web page containing links to sponsor incentive websites and to specific incentives based on said database information and said viewing record; and

sending said Web page to said remote viewer.

10. A method for allowing content to be broadcast without commercial interruption, yet letting a sponsor of the broadcast offer incentives to viewers to watch the broadcast, the method comprising:

receiving information representing a viewing record including information related to a remote viewer'"'"'s viewing of a broadcast without commercial interruption, the viewing record including information indicative of one or more sponsors of the broadcast and viewer information including information indicative of an amount of the broadcast viewed by the remote viewer, specific incentives and links to the specific incentives being associated with the amount of the broadcast viewed by the remote viewer, wherein the viewer information is not collected in response to prompted viewer feedback provided by the remote viewer as part of remote viewer participation in an interactive reward program;

receiving counter values representing the number of time slices during which the broadcast was viewed by said remote viewer;

searching a database for information about sponsors of the content and the specific incentives offered by said sponsors;

creating a Web page containing links to sponsor incentive websites and to specific incentives based on said database information, said viewing record, and said counter values; and

sending said Web page to said remote viewer.