System and method for selecting advertisements

• US 8,930,990 B2
• Filed: 09/14/2012
• Issued: 01/06/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 02/25/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Interval Licensing LLC
• Original Assignee: Interval Licensing LLC
• Inventors: Slaney, Malcolm, Johnson, Bonnie M., Tomasi, Annarosa, Saunders, Steven E., Ngo, J. Thomas, Miller, Gavin, Covell, Michele M., Freiberger, Paul A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Zhong, Jun Fei
• Application Number:
  US13/619,661
• Publication Number:
  US 20130086608A1
• Time in Patent Office: 844 Days
• Field of Search: 725 32- 36
• US Class Current: 725/34
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0241 Advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0269 based on user profile or attribute
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0276 Advertisement creation
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/10 Arrangements for replacing or switching information during the broadcast or the distribution
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/31 Arrangements for monitoring the use made of the broadcast services
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/33 Arrangements for monitoring the users' behaviour or opinions
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/40 for identifying broadcast time
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/45 for identifying users
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/65 for using the result on users' side
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/66 for using the result on distributors' side
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/234327 by decomposing into layers, e.g. base layer and one or more enhancement layers
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25866 Management of end-user data customer care in data networks H04L41/5077
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42201 biosensors, e.g. heat sensor for presence detection, EEG sensors or any limb activity sensors worn by the user input arrangements for interaction with the human body based on nervous system activity detection G06F3/015
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42202 environmental sensors, e.g. for detecting temperature, luminosity, pressure, earthquakes
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4223 Cameras H04N23/00 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4415 using biometric characteristics of the user, e.g. by voice recognition or fingerprint scanning cryptography using biological data H04L9/3231; authentication in networks using biometric H04L63/0861
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44224 Monitoring of user activity on external systems, e.g. Internet browsing
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4532 involving end-user characteristics, e.g. viewer profile, preferences monitoring of user activities for profile generation for accessing a video database G06F16/739; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306; processing of user preferences or user profiles in wireless networks H04W8/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/454 Content or additional data filtering, e.g. blocking advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/458 Scheduling content for creating a personalised stream, e.g. by combining a locally stored advertisement with an incoming stream; Updating operations, e.g. for OS modules ; time-related management operations arrangements for replacing or switching information during the broadcast or during the distribution H04H20/10
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4621 : Controlling the complexity of the content stream or additional data, e.g. lowering the resolution or bit-rate of the video stream for a mobile client with a small screen arrangements for using the results of monitoring on user's side in broadcast systems H04H60/65; flow control in packet networks H04L47/10
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/466 : Learning process for intelligent management, e.g. learning user preferences for recommending movies services using the results of monitoring in broadcast systems H04H60/61
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47205 : for manipulating displayed content, e.g. interacting with MPEG-4 objects, editing locally
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4722 : for requesting additional data associated with the content
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4755 : for defining user preferences, e.g. favourite actors or genre retrieval personalisation and generation of user profiles for the retrieval of video data G06F16/739; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/478 : Supplemental services, e.g. displaying phone caller identification, shopping application
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4781 : Games
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6582 : Data stored in the client, e.g. viewing habits, hardware capabilities, credit card number arrangements where receivers interact with the broadcast H04H20/38
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 : involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/445 : for displaying additional information H04N5/50 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/163 : by receiver means only
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 : Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

A method for displaying interactive advertisements on a television having a controller connected thereto and configured for receiving input from a viewer of the television is disclosed. The controller has a receiver operable to receive advertisements and a processor operable to modify the advertisements. The method generally comprises requesting action by the viewer of the television, modifying an advertisement based on the action of the viewer, and displaying the modified advertisement on the television.

Claims

1. A method for displaying interactive advertisements on a television having a controller connected thereto and configured for receiving input from a viewer of the television, the controller having a receiver operable to receive advertisements and a processor operable to modify the advertisements, the method comprising:

requesting action by the viewer of the television;

receiving the requested action from the viewer;

receiving personal information or preferences associated with the viewer,

wherein at least a portion of the personal information or preferences is input by the viewer via a user input device, and

wherein the personal information includes an image of the viewer;

receiving at the receiver at least one television advertisement,

wherein the received television advertisement relates to at least one product offered by a particular advertiser,

modifying the advertisement based on the action of the viewer,

wherein at least one action is received from the viewer during display of the advertisement, and

wherein modifying an advertisement includes inserting the image of the viewer into the advertisement;

displaying the modified advertisement on the television; and

transmitting to a remote data collection site an indication of the displayed advertisement,

wherein the transmission does not include any personally identifiable information associated with the viewer.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein requesting action comprises displaying a question on the television and requesting an answer from the viewer.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the controller further includes a camera and requesting action comprises having the camera take a picture of a person in a room containing the television.

4. The method of claim 3 further comprising inserting an image received by the camera into the advertisement.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein requesting action comprises requesting the viewer to input a name into the controller.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein modifying an advertisement comprises inserting the name into the advertisement.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein displaying the advertisement comprises displaying an interactive game, and wherein requesting action comprises requesting interaction with the game.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein requesting action comprises requesting the viewer to input a personal profile into the controller.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein modifying an advertisement comprises modifying the advertisement based on the personal profile.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the advertisement is a video catalog and wherein the action of the viewer comprises rotating a product displayed in the video catalog.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein the controller comprises a light sensor, and wherein the method further comprises sensing the light intensity in a room containing the television.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein the controller comprises a temperature sensor, and wherein the method further comprises sensing the temperature in a room containing the television.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein the controller comprises a motion sensor, and wherein the method further comprises sensing activity of the viewer.

14. The method of claim 1 wherein modifying the advertisement comprises selecting an advertisement based on bids submitted by advertisers.

16. The system of claim 14 wherein the viewer information comprises a personal profile of the viewer.

17. The system of claim 16 wherein the viewer information comprises identification of the viewer.

18. The system of claim 14 wherein the advertisement is a video catalog and action by the viewer is selecting a view of a displayed product.

19. The system of claim 14 wherein the advertisement is a game and action by the viewer is interaction with the game.

15. A system for displaying advertisements on a television, wherein the system includes a controller operably coupled to the television, the controller comprising:

a memory device operable to store information about at least one viewer of the television,

wherein the information includes an image of the viewer;

a receiver configured for receiving —

an advertisement scheduled for display on the television at a specified time, and

preferences associated with the viewer;

a processor operable to modify the received advertisement based on action by the viewer, including —

inserting the image of the viewer into the advertisement, and

emphasizing certain features of at least one product based on the preferences associated with the viewer; and

a transmitter operable to transmit data to a remote collection site,

wherein the data includes an indication of the modified advertisement and does not include any personally identifiable information associated with the viewer.

20. A computer-implemented method of displaying an interactive advertisement to a viewer via a display device, wherein the display device is connected to a media transceiver, and wherein the media transceiver is configured to receive input from the viewer via a user input device, the method comprising:

receiving at the media transceiver at least one advertisement;

receiving at the media transceiver a bid for the viewer from each of multiple advertisers, wherein the bid is based on at least one or more demographic statistics associated with the viewer;

selecting at the media transceiver the received advertisement for display based on a highest bid offered for the viewer;

requesting by the media transceiver an action from the viewer during display of the advertisement;

receiving at the media transceiver the requested action from the viewer during display of the advertisement,

wherein the received action includes personal information or preferences associated with the viewer, and

wherein at least a portion of the personal information or preferences is input by the viewer to the media transceiver via the user input device;

creating at the media transceiver an interactive advertisement,

wherein the interactive advertisement is created by —

modifying the received advertisement based on the received action, and

emphasizing certain features of at least one product based on the personal information or preferences associated with the viewer; and

displaying the interactive advertisement to the viewer via the display device.

21. The method of claim 20 wherein requesting the action from the viewer comprises at least one of:

displaying a question on the display device, wherein the received action includes an answer to the question, and wherein the answer to the question is input by the viewer to the media transceiver via the user input device;

displaying an interactive game to the viewer, wherein the received action includes interaction by the viewer with the interactive game, and wherein the interaction by the viewer is performed via the user input device;

requesting the viewer to input a personal profile via the user input device, wherein the received action comprises the requested personal profile, and wherein the requested personal profile is input by the viewer to the media transceiver via the user input device; and

displaying an interactive video catalog to the viewer, wherein the received action comprises interaction by the viewer with a product displayed in the interactive video catalog, and wherein the interaction by the viewer is performed via the user input device.

22. The method of claim 20 wherein the personal information associated with the viewer comprises a name of the viewer.

23. A system for displaying an interactive advertisement to a viewer via a display device, the display device connected to a media transceiver, and the media transceiver configured to receive input from the viewer through a user input device, the system comprising:

means for receiving at least one advertisement at the media transceiver,

wherein the received television advertisement relates to at least one product offered by a particular advertiser;

means for receiving at the media transceiver a bid for the viewer from each of multiple advertisers,

wherein the bid is based on at least one or more demographic statistics associated with the viewer;

means for selecting at the media transceiver the received advertisement for display based on a highest bid offered for the viewer;

means for requesting interaction at the media transceiver from the viewer during display of the advertisement;

means for receiving the requested interaction at the media transceiver from the viewer during display of the advertisement,

wherein the received interaction includes personal information or preferences associated with the viewer, and

wherein at least a portion of the personal information or preferences is input by the viewer to the media transceiver via the user input device; and

means for displaying the interactive advertisement to the viewer via the display device.

24. The system of claim 23 wherein the media transceiver includes a camera, and wherein the system further comprises:

means for capturing by the media transceiver an image of the viewer; and

means for inserting the image into the interactive advertisement.

25. The system of claim 23 wherein the media transceiver includes at least one of a light sensor, a temperature sensor, a motion sensor and a microphone, and wherein the received advertisement is selected based on at least one of a sensed light intensity, a sensed temperature, a sensed level of activity and a sensed level of noise.