System and method for advertising

• US 8,843,956 B2
• Filed: 04/12/2012
• Issued: 09/23/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 04/12/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Comcast Cable Communications LLC (Comcast Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Comcast Cable Communications LLC (Comcast Corporation)
• Inventors: Khan, Sohel
• Primary Examiner(s): Featherstone, Mark D
• Assistant Examiner(s): NGUYEN, TIEN M
• Application Number:
  US13/445,695
• Publication Number:
  US 20130276020A1
• Time in Patent Office: 894 Days
• Field of Search: 725/24, 725/32, 725 34- 36, 725/97, 725139-141, 725/40, 725 60- 61
• US Class Current: 725/32
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0261 based on user location
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0264 based upon schedule
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23424 involving splicing one content stream with another content stream, e.g. for inserting or substituting an advertisement
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/235 Processing of additional data, e.g. scrambling of additional data or processing content descriptors
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2668 Creating a channel for a dedicated end-user group, e.g. insertion of targeted commercials based on end-user profiles information retrieval from the Internet by querying with filtering and personalisation G06F16/9535; arrangements for replacing or switching information during the broadcast H04H20/10; push services over packet-switching network H04L12/1859; adaptation of message content in packet-switching networks H04L51/063
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/478 Supplemental services, e.g. displaying phone caller identification, shopping application
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/63 Control signaling related to video distribution between client, server and network components; Network processes for video distribution between server and clients or between remote clients, e.g. transmitting basic layer and enhancement layers over different transmission paths, setting up a peer-to-peer communication via Internet between remote STB's; Communication protocols; Addressing real-time session protocols H04L65/1101; distributed application using peer-to-peer [P2P] networks H04L67/104
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/633 Control signals issued by server directed to the network components or client management of faults, events, alarms in data networks H04L41/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/858 Linking data to content, e.g. by linking an URL to a video object, by creating a hotspot

Abstract

A system and method for advertising are disclosed. In an aspect, a method comprises rendering a content to a plurality of users, the content having a time duration, rendering a first selectable element associated with the content to a first one of the plurality of users at a first time during the time duration of the rendered content, and rendering a second selectable element associated with the content to a second one of the plurality of users at a second time during the time duration of the rendered content, wherein the second time is different from the first time and the first selectable element is not rendered to the first one of the plurality of users while the second selectable element is rendered to the second one of the plurality of users.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

transmitting an advertisement to a plurality of users, wherein the advertisement has a time duration;

transmitting a first selectable element associated with the advertisement exclusively to a first portion of the plurality of users at a first time during the time duration of the advertisement;

transmitting a second selectable element associated with the advertisement exclusively to a second portion of the plurality of users at a second time during the time duration of the advertisement,

wherein the first time and the second time are determined randomly,

wherein the first time and the second time are different, and

wherein the first selectable element and the second selectable element are associated with a particular merchant;

receiving a selection of the first selectable element at a third time;

initiating a first communication session in response to the selection of the first selectable element;

receiving a selection of the second selectable element at a fourth time; and

initiating a second communication session in response to the selection of the second selectable element.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first portion of the plurality of users and the second portion of the plurality of users each comprise one or more users.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein one or more of the first selectable element and the second selectable element is contextually related to the advertisement.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the first portion of the plurality of users is associated with a first geographical region and the second portion of the plurality of users is associated with a second geographical region.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the first selectable element is associated with a first merchant and the second selectable element is associated with a second merchant.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein one or more of the first selectable element and the second selectable element is one of a banner, a pop-up, and an overlay.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein one or more of the first communication session and the second communication session is a two-way communication session and is initiated over an internet protocol communication path.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein one or more of the first communication session and the second communication session comprises one or more of Short Message Service (SMS) and real-time chat.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the first communication session is initiated between a first user of the first portion of the plurality of users and an agent and the second communication session is initiated between a second user of the second portion of the plurality of users and the agent, and wherein the second communication session is exclusive of the first communication session.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the first communication session is initiated as a dialogue between a first user of the first portion of the plurality of users and a first agent and the second communication session is initiated as a dialogue between a second user of the second portion of the plurality of users and a second agent.

11. A method comprising:

transmitting an advertisement to a plurality of users, wherein the advertisement has a time duration;

transmitting a first selectable element associated with the advertisement to a first one of the plurality of users at a first time during the time duration of the advertisement; and

transmitting a second selectable element associated with the advertisement to a second one of the plurality of users at a second time during the time duration of the advertisement, wherein the second time is different from the first time and the first selectable element is not rendered to the first one of the plurality of users while the second selectable element is rendered to the second one of the plurality of users, wherein the first time and the second time are determined randomly, and wherein the first selectable element and the second selectable element are associated with a same particular merchant.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the first one of the plurality of users is associated with a first geographical region and the second one of the plurality of users is associated with a second geographical region.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein one or more of the first selectable element and the second selectable element is contextually related to the advertisement.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein one or more of the first selectable element and the second selectable element is one of a banner, a pop-up, and an overlay.

15. The method of claim 11, further comprising receiving a selection of one or more of the first selectable element and the second selectable element and initiating a communication session in response to the selection.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the communication session is a two-way communication session initiated over an internet protocol communication path.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the communication session comprises one or more of Short Message Service (SMS) and real-time chat.

18. A method comprising:

transmitting an advertisement to a plurality of devices, wherein the advertisement has a time duration;

transmitting a first selectable element associated with the advertisement to a first one of the plurality of devices at a first time during the time duration of the advertisement; and

transmitting a second selectable element associated with the advertisement to a second one of the plurality of devices at a second time during the time duration of the advertisement, wherein the second time is different from the first time and the first selectable element is not rendered to the first one of the plurality of devices while the second selectable element is rendered to the second one of the plurality of devices, wherein the first selectable element and the second selectable element are associated with a particular merchant, and wherein the first time and the second time are determined randomly.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the first one of the plurality of devices is associated with a first geographical region and the second one of the plurality of devices is associated with a second geographical region.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein one or more of the first selectable element and the second selectable element is contextually related to the advertisement.

21. The method of claim 18, wherein the first selectable element is associated with a first merchant and the second selectable element is associated with a second merchant.

22. The method of claim 18, wherein one or more of the first selectable element and the second selectable element is one of a banner, a pop-up, and an overlay.

23. The method of claim 18, further comprising receiving a selection of one or more of the first selectable element and the second selectable element and initiating a communication session in response to the selection.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein the communication session is a two-way communication session over an internet protocol communication path.

25. A method comprising:

determining a first portion of a plurality of users;

determining a second portion of the plurality of users;

transmitting an advertisement to the plurality of users, wherein the advertisement has a time duration;

transmitting a first selectable element associated with the advertisement exclusively to the first portion of the plurality of users at a first time during the time duration of the advertisement; and

transmitting a second selectable element associated with the advertisement exclusively to the second portion of the plurality of users at a second time during the time duration of the advertisement,

wherein the first time and the second time are determined randomly,

wherein the first time and the second time are different, and

wherein the first selectable element and the second selectable element are associated with a particular merchant.

26. The method of claim 25, further comprising:

receiving a selection of the first selectable element at a third time; and

initiating a first communication session in response to the selection of the first selectable element.

27. The method of claim 26, further comprising:

receiving a selection of the second selectable element at a fourth time; and

initiating a second communication session in response to the selection of the second selectable element.

28. The method of claim 25, wherein the first portion of the plurality of users and the second portion of the plurality of users each comprise one or more users.

29. The method of claim 25, wherein the first selectable element is associated with a first merchant and the second selectable element is associated with a second merchant.