Advertising system and method

• US 8,712,845 B2
• Filed: 03/26/2009
• Issued: 04/29/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/26/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Guvera IP Pty Ltd
• Original Assignee: Guvera IP Pty Ltd
• Inventors: Christiansen, Brad, Loberg, Claes J M
• Primary Examiner(s): Myhre, James W
• Application Number:
  US12/412,327
• Publication Number:
  US 20100076844A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,860 Days
• Field of Search: 705/14.54
• US Class Current: 705/14.54
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0251 Targeted advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0254 based on statistics
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0255 based on user history
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0256 User search
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0257 User requested
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0267 Wireless devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0273 Determination of fees for advertising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0277 Online advertisement

Abstract

An advertising system including at least one consumer database containing a plurality of consumer profiles with consumer preference identifying data, at least one brand database containing details of brand clients, each having one or more branding parameters, at least one content database containing a plurality of pieces of content provided by at least one content provider with each piece of content having one or more content profile identifiers, and a content matching engine which matches the branding parameters of the brand clients with one or more of pieces of content and provides these pieces of content to one or more consumers upon the consumer request, based on the matching of the branding parameters and the consumer preference identifying data at no cost to the consumer whilst charging an advertising fee to the brand client and paying a content provision fee to the content provider.

Claims

1. A computer implemented advertising system including

at least one consumer database electronically stored on a data storage device containing a plurality of consumer profiles with consumer preference identifying data,

at least one brand database electronically stored on a data storage device containing details of brand clients, each having one or more branding parameters,

at least one content database electronically stored on a data storage device containing a plurality of pieces of content provided by at least one content provider with each piece of content having one or more content profile identifiers,

a content matching engine operating on a network of computers with access to the at least one electronically stored consumer, brand and content databases and which matches the branding parameters of the brand clients with one or more of pieces of content and with one or more of the consumer preference identifying data and provides the one or more pieces of content to one or more consumers upon a consumer request, with corresponding advertising from at least one brand client identifying the brand client to the consumer, based on at least the matching at no cost to the consumer whilst charging an advertising fee to the brand client and paying a content provision fee to the content provider, the brand client charged the advertising fee each time the at least one consumer selects content associated with the brand client, a portion of the advertising fee is paid to the content provider as a license fee for the content;

wherein results of the matching are included on a results list presented to the at least one consumer in response to a search for content;

wherein the results list includes a matched piece of content, and the matched piece of content is identified on the results list as associated with two or more different brand clients;

wherein the content matching engine produces a results interface for presenting the results list to the at least one consumer;

wherein the results interface prompts the consumer to select a selected brand client from the two or more different brand clients in the results list; and

wherein the content matching engine provides to the consumer, based on a selection of the selected brand client received from the consumer, the matched piece of content that is identified as associated with the selected brand client;

a communications system associated with one or more communications pathways to receive inbound requests from consumers and distribute content in electronic form to the consumer in response to a request.

2. An advertising system as claimed in claim 1 for distributing physical media upon which entertainment content is stored, as well as content in electronic form remotely.

3. An advertising system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the communications system includes devices with computer processors and communication pathway connection components such as telephones, portable or desktop computers, personal data storage devices, MP3 and MP4 players, audiovisual storage and display devices, and televisions.

4. An advertising system as claimed in claim 1 wherein the system is accessed through a generic interface associated with a network of computers with access and corresponding rights and abilities within the system for a system administrator, consumers, brand clients and content providers differentiated by unique access or login information.

5. An advertising system as claimed in claim 4 wherein a content interface is provided through which the content provider is able to upload content which they wish to distribute through the system into the at least one content database, with access to the content interface through unique access or login information entered into a generic interface.

6. An advertising system as claimed in claim 4 wherein a brand interface is provided through which the brand client is able to define a campaign that targets consumers according to their geographic/demographic data and their brand preferences with access to the brand interface through unique access or login information entered into a generic interface.

7. An advertising system as claimed in claim 4 wherein a brand interface is provided through which the brand client is able to define the personality of a brand and associations with branded entertainment with access to the brand interface through unique access or login information entered into a generic interface.

8. An advertising system as claimed in claim 4 wherein a consumer interface is provided through which the consumer is able to search for content, with access to the consumer interface through unique access or login information entered into a generic interface, the consumer interface associated with a search engine to provide at least one matching or best fit result.

9. An advertising system as claimed in claim 8 wherein multiple results are provided in a short list which returns the matches to the search and identifies the matches by associating a brand with each match, even when the same piece of content is available through different brand clients.

10. An advertising system as claimed in claim 1 wherein the consumer preference identifying data for each user in the at least one consumer database is updatable by the consumer.

11. An advertising system as claimed in claim 1 wherein each consumer profile contains information of two basic types namely, generic identifying information and consumer preference identifying data.

12. An advertising system as claimed in claim 1 wherein the at least one brand database contains identifiers of a brand client and branding parameters which define the message which the brand client wishes to convey to their targeted demographic.

13. An advertising system as claimed in claim 1 wherein each piece of content is stored in an electronic file with one or more content profile identifiers.

14. An advertising system as claimed in claim 1 wherein each piece of content has one or more content profile identifiers to identify the profile of the content, and ownership information to identify who owns the content in order to recompense the content provider.

15. An advertising system as claimed in claim 1 wherein the content profile identifiers for a piece of content is adjustable through the monitoring electronic searches and/or results on the Internet.

16. An advertising system as claimed in claim 1 wherein application or adjustment of content profile identifiers occurs in real time.

17. An advertising system as claimed in claim 1 wherein each piece of content has one or more content profile identifiers applied to it upon the first provision of that piece of content to the system.

18. An advertising system as claimed in claim 1 including an analysis of each piece of content upon the first provision of that piece of content to the system in order to check to see whether a particular piece of content which has been submitted is already present on the system.

19. An advertising system as claimed in claim 1 wherein the one or more content profile identifiers for the piece of content are changed in response to feedback from consumers who have been provided with that piece of content.

20. An advertising system as claimed in claim 1 wherein each piece of content be provided with one or more content profile identifiers in different levels of importance with the number of tags in each level varying with the level of importance.

21. A computer implemented method of providing brand matched content to a consumer, the method including the steps of:

i. creating and maintaining at least one consumer database electronically stored on a data storage device containing a plurality of customer profiles with consumer preference identifying data;

ii. creating and maintaining at least one brand database electronically stored on a data storage device containing details of brand clients, each brand client having one or more associated branding parameters;

iii. creating and maintaining at least one content database electronically stored on a data storage device containing a plurality of pieces of content provided by at least one content provider, with each piece of content having one or more content profile identifiers;

iv. matching at least some of the branding parameters of the brand clients with one or more of pieces of content using a computer implemented algorithm operating on a computer processor, and

providing the one or more pieces of content in electronic form to one or more consumers upon the consumer request, with corresponding advertising from at least one brand client identifying the brand client to the consumer, based on at least the matching of at least some of the branding parameters and the consumer preference identifying data, at no cost to the consumer whilst charging an advertising fee to the brand client and paying a content provision fee to the content provider, the brand client charged the advertising fee each time the at least one consumer selects content associated with the brand client, a portion of the advertising fee is paid to the content provider as a license fee for the content; and

wherein results of the matching are included on a results list presented to the at least one consumer in response to a search for content;

wherein the results list includes a matched piece of content, and the matched piece of content is identified on the results list as associated with two or more different brand clients;

wherein the content matching engine produces a results interface for presenting the results list to the at least one consumer;

wherein the results interface prompts the consumer to select a selected brand client from the two or more different brand clients in the results list; and

wherein the content matching engine provides to the consumer, based on a selection of the selected brand client received from the consumer, the matched piece of content that is identified as associated with the selected brand client.