Method and apparatus for distributing promotional materials

• US 8,930,982 B2
• Filed: 03/07/2014
• Issued: 01/06/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 06/14/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Klein, Reuben, Gorti, Sreenivasa, Mullis, Karen
• Primary Examiner(s): MENGESHA, MULUGETA A
• Application Number:
  US14/200,293
• Publication Number:
  US 20140189725A1
• Time in Patent Office: 305 Days
• Field of Search: 725/23, 725/32, 725/34, 725/91, 725/100, 725/114, 705/14.1, 705/14
• US Class Current: 725/23
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0207 Discounts or incentives, e.g. coupons or rebates
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/478 Supplemental services, e.g. displaying phone caller identification, shopping application
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4784 receiving rewards

Abstract

A system that incorporates teachings of the present disclosure may include, for example, a server having a memory coupled to a processor. The processor can be operable to receive a request for promotional information responsive to a media processor detecting a promotional tag in a media program stream and transmit to the media processor promotional information associated with a promotion responsive to a determination that a promotional offer is available. The processor can also be operable to receive from the media processor a request for redeemable material associated with the promotion and store the redeemable material in a portion of a database associated with a user of the media processor. Other embodiments are disclosed.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

detecting, by a set top box, a coupon tag in a television program stream;

transmitting, by the set top box to a remote server, a request for coupon information, wherein the transmitting of the request selectively causes the remote server to select a first coupon responsive to determining from a scheduled presentation date of the television program stream and an approximate time when the request was received by the remote server that the television program stream is consistent with the scheduled presentation date, and wherein the transmitting of the request selectively causes the remote server to select a second coupon responsive to determining from the scheduled presentation date of the television program stream and the approximate time when the request was received by the remote server that the television program stream is being presented from a recording thereof, wherein one of the first or second coupon is selected by the remote server based in part on coupon consumption behavior associated with a user of the set top box;

receiving, by the set top box, the coupon information associated with a selected one of the first and second coupons without receiving the first and second coupons responsive to a determination that a coupon offer was available when the request was transmitted;

presenting, by the set top box, the coupon information; and

transmitting, by the set top box to the remote server, a coupon request initiated by a remote controller of the set top box, wherein the coupon request is transmitted responsive to the remote controller initiating the coupon request within a predetermined time, and wherein the transmitting of the coupon request causes the remote server to store the selected one of the first and second coupons at a remote database associated with the user of the set top box.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the request comprises at least a portion of the coupon tag, identification information associated with the set top box, and descriptive information associated with the television program stream.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the descriptive information about the television program stream comprises a television program identifier, and wherein the television program identifier enables the remote server to determine a scheduled presentation date of the television program stream.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the presenting of the coupon information is contemporaneously with at least a portion of the television program stream.

5. The method of claim 1, comprising ceasing the presenting of the coupon information responsive to not receiving the initiation of the coupon request within the predetermined time.

6. The method of claim 1, comprising:

receiving from the remote server an acknowledgment that the selected one of the first and second coupons was stored at the remote database; and

replacing the presenting of the coupon information with the acknowledgment and an indication that the selected one of the first and second coupons is accessible for redemption.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the one of the first or second coupon is selected by the remote server based in part on demographic information associated with one of the set top box or a location of a subscriber of the set top box.

8. The method of claim 1, comprising receiving the television program stream from one of an Internet protocol television network, a cable television system, or a satellite television system.

9. A machine-readable storage device comprising executable instructions which, responsive to being executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform operations comprising:

receiving a first request for coupon information responsive to a media processor detecting a coupon tag received with a media program stream for a media program;

obtaining coupon consumption behavior associated with the media processor;

selecting a first coupon based on the coupon consumption behavior and responsive to determining from a scheduled presentation date for the media program that the presentation of the media program is consistent with the scheduled presentation date;

selecting a second coupon based on the coupon consumption behavior and responsive to determining from the scheduled presentation date that the media program is being presented from a recording of the media program;

transmitting, to the media processor, coupon information associated with a selected one of the first and second coupons without transmitting the first and second coupons;

receiving, from the media processor, a second request to acquire the selected one of the first and second coupons; and

storing the selected one of the first and second coupons in a database responsive to the receiving of the second request.

10. The machine-readable storage device of claim 9, wherein the receiving of the second request is responsive to an action generated by an input device of the media processor, and wherein the transmitting of the coupon information is responsive to a determination that a coupon offer is available.

11. The machine-readable storage device of claim 9, wherein the coupon tag is received by the media processor as closed caption data delivered with the media program stream.

12. The machine-readable storage device of claim 9, wherein the first request comprises descriptive information about the media program stream in a form of a media program identifier.

13. The machine-readable storage device of claim 9, wherein the operations further comprise:

determining that no coupon offers are available; and

transmitting to the media processor an indication that there is no coupon offers.

14. The machine-readable storage device of claim 9, wherein the selecting of the one of the first coupon or the second coupon is based in part on demographic information associated with the media processor.

15. The machine-readable storage device of claim 9, wherein the selecting of the one of the first coupon or the second coupon is based in part on location information associated with the media processor.

16. The machine-readable storage device of claim 9, wherein the operations further comprise:

receiving, from a point of sale terminal, a third request to redeem the selected one of the first and second coupons;

transmitting, to the point of sale terminal, purchase information responsive to the third request to complete a purchase transaction;

receiving, from the point of sale terminal, an indication that the purchase transaction has been completed; and

deactivating the selected one of the first and second coupons responsive to the indication.

17. The machine-readable storage device of claim 9, wherein the operations further comprise:

transmitting, to a communication device, descriptive information associated with the selected one of the first and second coupons stored in the database, wherein the transmitting of the descriptive information causes the communication device to determine a location of the communication device according to location coordinates and present the selected one of the first and second coupons based on the location of the communication device.

18. A server, comprising:

a memory that stores executable instructions; and

a processor coupled to the memory, wherein responsive to executing the instructions, the processor performs operations comprising;

receiving, from a media processor, a request for redeemable material associated with a media program stream of a media program;

storing the redeemable material in a database in association with the media processor, wherein the redeemable material is associated with first and second coupons;

obtaining coupon consumption behavior associated with the media processor;

selecting the first coupon based on the coupon consumption behavior and responsive to a determination that the media program is being presented by the media processor during a program presentation schedule; and

selecting the second coupon based on the coupon consumption behavior and responsive to a determination that the media program is being presented by the media processor from a recording.

19. The server of claim 18, wherein the receiving of the request is responsive to the media processor detecting a promotional tag in the media program stream and wherein the operations further comprise inserting a promotional tag in stored media content before the stored media content is transmitted to the media processor as the media program stream.

20. The server of claim 18, wherein the operations further comprise selecting a promotion item associated with the redeemable material according to selection criteria supplied by a promoter of the promotion item, wherein the selection criteria is based on one of a location of the media processor, a purchase history associated with the media processor or both.