System and method for batching content for playback on an electronic device

• US 9,305,308 B2
• Filed: 11/13/2013
• Issued: 04/05/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 11/13/2012
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Myine Electronics, Inc. (Ford Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Myine Electronics, Inc. (Ford Motor Company)
• Inventors: Smereka, Scott W., Ebben, Donald J., Sigal, Jacob R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lastra, Daniel
• Application Number:
  US14/079,359
• Publication Number:
  US 20140136330A1
• Time in Patent Office: 874 Days
• Field of Search: 705/14, 705/1
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0265 Vehicular advertisement

Abstract

A system is disclosed for providing advertising (AD) content to a radio system of a vehicle. A smartphone may have a stored application thereon related to a specific broadcast station. A utility application may be associated with the radio system (RS) and used to inform the smartphone when the RS is tuned to the specific broadcast station. The RS may have a processor for detecting a start maker and a stop marker in a broadcast signal being received from the specific broadcast station, and to inform the smartphone when the start marker is detected. The start marker and the stop marker define a time interval where at least one advertisement is present in the broadcast signal. The smartphone may provide AD content to the RS which is inserted for playback during the time interval.

Claims

1. A system for providing advertising (AD) content to a radio system of a vehicle, the system comprising:

a smartphone having a stored application thereon related to a specific broadcast station;

a utility application operably associated with the radio system of the vehicle and configured to inform the smartphone when the radio system is tuned to the specific broadcast station;

the radio system including a processor configured to electronically detect an inaudible start maker and an inaudible stop marker in a broadcast signal being received by the radio system from the specific broadcast station, the start marker and the stop marker both being represented by wireless signal components mixed in, or included with, the broadcast signal but which are inaudible, and the processor further configured to inform the smartphone when the start marker is detected, the start marker and stop marker defining a time interval where the broadcast station is providing at least one advertisement in the broadcast signal;

the smartphone configured to electronically obtain and electronically transmit AD content from ad content source independent of the broadcast signal, to the processor of the radio system; and

the processor configured to electronically insert the AD content obtained from the ad content source into the broadcast signal received by the smartphone during the time interval in the broadcast signal for playback using the radio system, and then to resume playing the broadcast signal over the radio system when the stop marker is detected.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein ad content source comprises the smartphone having the AD content stored thereon.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the smartphone is configured to wirelessly access a cloud-based advertising content provider to obtain the AD content for use during the time interval in the broadcast signal.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the smartphone is configured to establish a short range, wireless communications link with the radio system.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to use a navigation system of at least one of the vehicle or the smartphone to determine a geographic real time location of the vehicle, and wherein the geographic real time location is used by the processor to help select the AD content that is to be inserted in the broadcast signal.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the AD content is selected by the processor based on previously defined characteristics of a user of the vehicle.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the previously defined characteristics of the user of the vehicle include at least one of:

age of the user;

gender of the user;

race of the user;

city and state of residence of the user;

occupation of the user;

level of education of the user;

one or more known interests of the user;

one or more known memberships of the users;

one or more known political affiliations of the user; and

one or more known business affiliations of the user.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein additional AD content is wirelessly provided to at least one of the radio system or the smartphone while the vehicle is stationary or moving at a predetermined location.

9. A system for providing advertising (AD) content to a user of a radio system of a vehicle, the system comprising:

a radio system including a processor configured to electronically detect a start maker and a stop marker in wireless signal content being broadcast from a broadcast signal source, and received by the radio system from the broadcast signal source, and played by the radio system, the start marker and stop marker defining inaudible signal components mixed in or added to the wireless signal content when the wireless signal content is played over the radio system, and where the start marker and the stop marker define a time interval where the signal source is providing at least one advertisement in the signal;

a remote source of targeted advertising content which is independent of the wireless signal content being broadcast from the broadcast signal source;

the radio system configured to electronically receive at least one targeted advertisement from the remote source of targeted advertising content and to store the at least one targeted advertisement for future playback on the radio system; and

the processor configured to electronically insert the AD content for playback over the radio system during the time interval in the signal, and to resume playing the wireless signal content over the radio system when the stop marker is detected.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the vehicle includes a navigation system, and wherein the targeted advertisement is selected in part based on a real time geographic location of the vehicle.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein the radio system is configured to receive one or more batches of target advertisements from the remote source of targeted advertising content, when advertising content is to be loaded into the radio system for storage.

12. The system of claim 9, wherein the targeted advertisement is selected based on a characteristic of the user, wherein the characteristic includes at least one of:

age of the user;

gender of the user;

race of the user;

city and state of residence of the user;

occupation of the user;

level of education of the user;

one or more known interests of the user;

one or more known memberships of the users;

one or more known political affiliations of the user; and

one or more known business affiliations of the user.

13. The system of claim 9, further comprising a smartphone, and wherein the smartphone is configured to wirelessly obtain advertising content from the remote source of targeted advertising content.

14. The system of claim 9, wherein the vehicle comprises an on-board diagnostic (OBD) port in communication with the processor, and wherein the targeted advertisements are loaded as batches of targeted advertisements into the OBD port from the remote source of targeted advertising content.

15. The system of claim 9, wherein the signal is a streaming signal received wirelessly via a smartphone located in proximity to the radio system.

16. The system of claim 9, wherein the signal is one of an AM signal or an FM being broadcast from a broadcast station.

17. A method for providing advertising (AD) content to a radio system of a vehicle, the method comprising:

using a smartphone having a stored application thereon related to a specific broadcast station;

causing the radio system of the vehicle to inform the smartphone when the radio system is tuned to the specific broadcast station;

using the radio system to electronically detect an inaudible start maker and an inaudible stop marker mixed into or added into broadcast signal content being received by the radio system from the specific broadcast station;

using the radio system to electronically signal the smartphone when the start marker is detected, and wherein the start marker and the stop marker define a time interval where the broadcast station is providing at least one advertisement in the broadcast signal content;

using the smartphone to provide AD content to the radio system, wherein the AD content is obtained by the smartphone from an ad content source independent of the broadcast signal; and

using the radio system to insert the AD content during the time interval in the broadcast signal content for playback, when the start marker is detected, and then to resume playing back the broadcast signal content when the stop marker is detected.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising storing a plurality of different advertisements on the smartphone for use by the radio system, depending on a detected real time location of the vehicle.

19. The method of claim 17, further comprising storing a plurality of different advertisements in a memory of the radio system for future use by the radio system.

20. The method of claim 17, further comprising storing batches of different advertisements at a time in at least one of a memory of the radio system or the smartphone, when a remote advertisement content source is in communication with at least one of the radio system or the smartphone.