Methods, media, and apparatus for intelligent selection of items encoded onto portable machine-readable entertainment media

• US 8,769,567 B1
• Filed: 01/22/2007
• Issued: 07/01/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: West Corporation
• Original Assignee: Tuxis Technologies LLC
• Inventors: Strubbe, Todd B., Mussman, David C., Adornato, Rocco L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Goodarzi, Nasser
• Assistant Examiner(s): Peng, Fred
• Application Number:
  US11/625,433
• Time in Patent Office: 2,717 Days
• Field of Search: 725/86
• US Class Current: 725/34
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/00 Administration; Management

Abstract

Intelligent selection of items encoded onto portable machine-readable entertainment media comprises receiving at least one request from at least one given viewer related to obtaining at least one instance media for viewing and identifying the given viewer based on the obtaining of the at least one instance media for viewing.

Claims

1. A method of encoding data, comprising:

receiving at least one request from at least one given viewer related to obtaining at least one instance media for viewing as at least one input into a network based server system having a plurality of datastores, wherein the obtaining at least one instance media for viewing communicably couples the at least one instance media for viewing to the network based server system;

identifying the given viewer and a given at least one unique identifier from at least one of the plurality of datastores associated with the given viewer based on the obtaining of the at least one instance media for viewing;

generating at least one upsell offer based on an output from the at least one of the plurality of datastores as determined by the at least one input and the at least one unique identifier associated with the given viewer the at least one upsell offer comprising at least one item for sale, and the at least one upsell offer being selected based on the at least one unique identifier associated with the given viewer, wherein the unique identifier identifies a communications device operated by the user and used by the user to conduct a remote commerce sales transaction; and

storing the requested instance media and the at least one upsell offer in a memory of a portable readable storage medium accessible by the viewer.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving at least one request includes at least one of:

receiving a request from the viewer via an Internet-based technology, including email, messaging technology supported by a web browser such as instant messenger technology, SMS messenger technology, person-to-person networking protocols, or Internet Protocol networking;

receiving at least one account log-in request from the viewer via an Internet-based technology;

receiving at least one query from the viewer via an Internet-based technology;

receiving at least one request from the viewer to select at least one particular medium via an Internet-based technology;

receiving at least one request from the viewer to obtain for viewing at least one particular medium via an Internet-based technology; and

receiving the request from the viewer at a physical storefront location.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein identifying the given viewer:

is performed in connection with the viewer accessing an Internet-based technology that is related to obtaining the media;

includes accessing cookie files that store data related to given viewers;

or

is performed using at least one of a telephone number, an account number, an email address, and an IP address associated with the given viewer.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising obtaining at least one second data element, relating to the given viewer using, at least in part, data identifying the given viewer.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein obtaining the at least one second data element, includes at least one of:

obtaining data representing at least one of past transaction history of the given viewer, home location of the given viewer, and demographic data pertaining to the given viewer, analyzing a subject matter of the request received from the given viewer.

6. The method of claim 4, further comprising profiling the given viewer based at least in part on obtaining the at least one second data element.

7. The method of claim 4, further comprising performing one of a modeling and a segmentation analysis of the given viewer based at least in part on the obtained at least one second data element.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising selecting at least one item to be offered to the given viewer based at least in part on analysis of a second data element.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein selecting at least one item is performed in real time with at least one of:

receiving the request from the given viewer; and

identifying the given viewer.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising encoding data representing the at least one offered item, wherein the encoding data is performed in real time with at least one of:

identifying the given viewer;

receiving the request from the given viewer;

selecting the at least one item for the given viewer.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising selecting at least a further item specifically for the given viewer.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising encoding data representing at least the further item onto the instance of the plurality of databases.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein encoding data includes, at least in part, writing the data onto a write-many field allocated within the instance of the media in the network based server system having a plurality of datastores.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein encoding data is performed at at least one of:

a retail kiosk located in a physical storefront; and

a non-retail location.

15. The method of claim 1, further comprising presenting the instance of the media to the given viewer.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein presenting the instance of the media includes at least one of:

ejecting a medium from a kiosk;

ejecting a medium from an automated kiosk; and

shipping a given instance of the media to the viewer.

17. At least one program storage device readable by a machine, tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by the machine to perform a method of encoding data representing offered items that are selected for specific respective viewers onto machine-readable storage media, the media storing data representing at least one entertainment feature, the method comprising at least the following:

receiving at least one request from at least one given viewer related to obtaining at least one instance media for viewing as at least one input into a network based server system having a plurality of datastores, wherein the obtaining at least one instance media for viewing communicably couples the at least one instance media for viewing to the network based server system;

identifying the given viewer and a given at least one unique identifier from at least one of the plurality of datastores associated with the given viewer based on the obtaining of the at least one instance media for viewing;

generating at least one upsell offer based on an output from the at least one of the plurality of datastores as determined by the at least one input and the at least one unique identifier associated with the given viewer, the at least one upsell offer comprising at least one item for sale, and the at least one upsell offer being selected based on the at least one unique identifier associated with the given viewer, wherein the unique identifier identifies a communications device operated by the user and used by the user to conduct a remote commerce sales transaction; and

storing the requested instance media and the at least one upsell offer in a memory of the machine-readable storage media accessible by the viewer.

18. The program storage device of claim 17 comprising:

selecting at least one item to be offered to the given viewer based at least in part on analysis of an additional data element; and

encoding data representing the at least one offered item onto a given instance of the machine-readable storage medium.

19. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium configured to store instructions that when executed cause a processor to perform encoding data representing offered items that are selected for specific respective viewers the processor being further configured to perform:

receiving at least one request from at least one given viewer related to obtaining at least one instance media for viewing as at least one input into a network based server system having a plurality of datastores, wherein the obtaining at least one instance media for viewing communicably couples the at least one instance media for viewing to the network based server system;

identifying the given viewer and a given at least one unique identifier from at least one of the plurality of datastores associated with the given viewer based on the obtaining of the at least one instance media for viewing;

obtaining a given at least one unique identifier relating to the given viewer using, at least in part, data identifying the given viewer; and

selecting at least one item for sale to be offered to the given viewer based at least in part on analysis of the given at least one unique identifier, and at least in part on analysis of the at least one input, the at least one item for sale being selected based on the at least one unique identifier associated with the given viewer, wherein the unique identifier identifies a communications device operated by the user and used by the user to conduct a remote commerce sales transaction; and

storing the requested instance media and the at least item for sale in a memory of a machine-readable storage media accessible by the viewer.