Systems and methods for tracking consumers

• US 8,700,451 B2
• Filed: 10/29/2008
• Issued: 04/15/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 10/29/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Vulcan Ip Holdings Inc.
• Original Assignee: Vulcan Ip Holdings Inc.
• Inventors: Jayakody, Prasantha
• Primary Examiner(s): Lastra, Daniel
• Application Number:
  US12/260,889
• Publication Number:
  US 20100106597A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,994 Days
• Field of Search: 705/14.1
• US Class Current: 705/14.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0255 based on user history

Abstract

A system and method for tracking a consumer is provided. A consumer is detected at a first location within a vicinity of a content player playing a content item. A unique identification of the consumer is captured, such as a facial image or a Bluetooth signal emitted by a device associated with the consumer in some embodiments. A record is stored indicating the consumer perceived the content item. As the consumer perceives other content items or travels to other locations, the record is updated to reflect the consumer'"'"'s behavior.

Claims

1. A method for tracking a consumer comprising:

detecting a consumer at a first location within a vicinity of a content player playing a content item;

capturing a unique identification of the consumer;

determining whether the consumer experienced content of the content player based, at least in part, on environmental data collected over a period of time; and

storing a record indicating the consumer experienced the content item.

2. The method for tracking a consumer according to claim 1 wherein the act of capturing a unique identification comprises receiving a Bluetooth signal emitted by a device associated with the consumer.

3. The method for tracking a consumer according to claim 1 wherein the act of capturing a unique identification comprises reading an RFID tag associated with the consumer.

4. The method for tracking a consumer according to claim 1 wherein the act of capturing a unique identification comprises capturing a facial image of the consumer.

5. The method for tracking a consumer according to claim 4 wherein the act of capturing a unique identification comprises generating a fingerprint from the captured facial image.

6. The method for tracking a consumer according to claim 5 wherein the act of generating the fingerprint comprises applying a one-way hash function to the captured facial image.

7. The method for tracking a consumer according to claim 1 further comprising:

detecting the consumer at a second location;

capturing the unique identification of the consumer at the second location; and

updating the record to reflect the consumer visited the second location.

8. The method for tracking a consumer according to claim 1 further comprising:

detecting the consumer in the vicinity of the content player or another content player playing the content item;

capturing the unique identification of the consumer; and

updating the record to reflect the consumer experienced the content item another time.

9. The method for tracking a consumer according to claim 1 wherein the record comprises a time stamp indicating a time during which the consumer was detected in the vicinity of the content player.

10. The method for tracking a consumer according to claim 1 wherein the act of detecting the consumer comprises detecting the consumer has remained in the vicinity of the content player for a threshold time.

11. The method for tracking a consumer according to claim 1 wherein the act of detecting the consumer comprises detecting the consumer is looking at the content player.

12. A computer program product for tracking consumers, the computer program product comprising a computer readable medium encoded with instructions that, when executed, cause a processor to:

receive a first transmission indicating a first consumer experienced a first content item corresponding to a content player at a first location, the transmission including a unique identification of the first consumer, the unique identification based, at least in part, on environmental data corresponding to the first consumer;

access computer readable storage and search for a record containing the unique identification of the first consumer;

update the record to reflect the first consumer experienced the first content item in the first location when the record is found;

store a new record reflecting the first consumer experienced the first content item in the first location when the record is not found.

13. The computer program product according to claim 12 wherein the unique identification of the first consumer comprises a Bluetooth signal emitted by a device associated with the consumer.

14. The computer program product according to claim 12 wherein the unique identification of the first consumer comprises a facial image of the consumer.

15. The computer program product according to claim 14 further comprising instructions causing the processor to generate a fingerprint based on the received facial image.

16. The computer program product according to claim 12 further comprising instructions causing the processor to:

receive a second transmission indicating the first consumer visited a second location, the second transmission including the unique identification of the first consumer; and

access and update the record to indicate the first consumer visited the second location.

17. The computer program product according to claim 12 further comprising instructions causing the processor to:

receive a second transmission indicating the first consumer looked in the direction of the content player at the first location or another location; and

update the record to reflect the first consumer experienced the first content item a second time.

18. The computer program product according to claim 17 further comprising instructions causing the processor to transmit the record to a content provider.

19. The computer program product according to claim 12 wherein the content player is configured to provide an advertisement.

20. A system for tracking consumers, the system comprising:

a first content player and a first computing device at a first location, the first content player configured to playback content items based on playback rules stored on the first computing device;

a first sensor coupled to the first computing device and configured to detect whether a first consumer in a vicinity of the first content player experienced the content items and capture a unique identification of the first consumer, the first computing device configured to receive the unique identification;

a second sensor at a second location and coupled to a second computing device and configured to detect the presence of the first consumer and capture the unique identification of the first consumer, the second computing device configured to receive the unique identification; and

a central server coupled for communication with the first and second computing devices, the central server configured to receive the unique identification from the first computing device and an indication that a first content item was playing during a first time the first consumer was in the vicinity of the first playback device, the central server further configured to receive the unique identification from the second computing device, the central server configured to store a record indicating the first consumer experienced the first content item and visited the second location,

wherein at least one of the first sensor and the second sensor is configured to capture the unique identification of the first consumer without receiving input from the first consumer.

21. The system according to claim 20 further comprising:

a second content player at the second location, the second content player configured to playback content items to consumers based on playback rules stored on the second computing device; and

the central server further configured to receive an indication that the first content item was playing during a second time the first consumer was in the vicinity of the second playback device, and store a record indicating the first consumer experienced the first content item at least two times.

22. The system according to claim 21 wherein the system further comprises:

a third sensor at a third location configured to detect the first consumer at the third location and capture the unique identification of the first consumer;

a third computing device coupled to the third sensor and configured to receive the unique identification of the first consumer; and

wherein the central server is further configured to update the record to indicate the first consumer visited the third location.

23. The system according to claim 20 wherein the unique identification comprises a Bluetooth signal emitted by a device associated with the first consumer.

24. The system according to claim 20 wherein the unique identification comprises a signal encoded by an RFID tag associated with the consumer.

25. The system according to claim 20 wherein the unique identification comprises a facial image of the first consumer.

26. The system according to claim 25 wherein the central server is configured to store a fingerprint based on the facial image of the first consumer.

27. The system according to claim 20 wherein the central server is further configured to update the playback rules stored on the first or second computing devices based on the record.

28. The system according to claim 20 wherein the first sensor is further configured to detect a presence of a second consumer and capture a unique identification of the second consumer, the central server further configured to receive the unique identification of the second consumer and store a second record corresponding to the second consumer.

29. The system according to claim 20 wherein the first and second locations each comprise a different department within a store.