Automated content delivery to distributed media outlets

• US 9,762,653 B2
• Filed: 08/19/2016
• Issued: 09/12/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 03/19/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: iHeartMedia Management Services, Inc. (iHeartMedia, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: iHeartMedia Management Services, Inc. (iHeartMedia, Inc.)
• Inventors: Basu, Kohinoor, Ferry, Matthew M., Fulbright, John W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Keehn, Richard G
• Application Number:
  US15/241,874
• Publication Number:
  US 20160359951A1
• Time in Patent Office: 389 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/14 specially adapted for billing systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0241 Advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0253 During e-commerce, i.e. online transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0264 based upon schedule
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0283 Price estimation or determination
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/06 Arrangements for scheduling broadcast services or broadcast-related services
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/27 Arrangements for recording or accumulating broadcast information or broadcast-related information
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/10 for controlling access to devices or network resources
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/762 at the source reformatting of additional data in video distribution servers H04N21/2355
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/06 specially adapted for file transfer, e.g. file transfer protocol [FTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/53 using third party service providers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/561 Adding application-functional data or data for application control, e.g. adding metadata

Abstract

A method can include sending a request to a media content provider requesting media content and receiving the media content and instructions from the media provider. The instructions can be utilized by the media provider to broadcast the media content. The media provider can store the received media content in a database process the instructions then distribute the media content and the instructions to distributed media outlets. The media content provider can receive information indicating that the media content was broadcast by the distributed media outlets according to the instructions.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, at an enterprise hub coupled to a plurality of distributed media outlets via a communications network;

media content, including an advertisement spot, from a content provider, the media content to be broadcast by one or more of the plurality of distributed media outlets; and

linked instructions from the content provider, the linked instructions linking to the media content and including;

copy-group metadata identifying an industry associated with the advertisement spot, and

broadcast parameters used by a transaction delivery system associated with the one or more of the plurality of distributed media outlets to insert the media content into a broadcast;

processing the linked instructions at the enterprise hub to determine the one or more of the plurality of distributed media outlets to which the enterprise hub will transmit the media content;

verifying completeness of the linked instructions, wherein verifying completeness includes verifying that the copy-group metadata is substantially complete; and

in response to verifying completeness of the copy-group metadata, transmitting, via the communications network, the media content and the linked instructions to the one or more of the plurality of distributed media outlets, wherein the one or more of the plurality of distributed media outlets insert the media content into an associated transaction delivery system in accordance with the linked instructions.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, at the enterprise hub, a broadcast record indicating the media content that was broadcast by the distributed media outlet in accordance with the linked instructions.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the broadcast record indicating content currently being broadcast by the distributed media outlet.

4. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

providing broadcast verification to the content provider by transmitting the broadcast record from the enterprise hub to the content provider using the communications network.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the transaction delivery system comprises a traffic and billing system.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

processing the linked instructions at the enterprise hub to determine when the enterprise hub is to transmit the media content and the linked instructions.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

associating, at the enterprise hub, a unique identifier with the media content; and

distributing the unique identifier with the media content to the distributed media outlet.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein transmitting the media content and the linked instructions includes:

transmission using extensible markup language (XML) acknowledgment messaging.

9. An enterprise hub comprising:

a memory storing a program of instructions;

a communications interface; and

a processor coupled to the memory and the communications interface;

the program of instructions that upon execution cause the processor to;

receive via the communications interface;

media content, including an advertisement spot, from a content provider, the media content to be broadcast by a distributed media outlet; and

linked instructions from the content provider, the linked instructions linked to the media content and including;

copy-group metadata identifying an industry associated with the advertisement spot, and

broadcast parameters used to facilitate insertion of the media content into a transaction delivery system of the distributed media outlet;

processing the linked instructions using the processor to determine when the enterprise hub will transmit the media content and the linked instructions;

verify that the linked instructions are complete prior to transmitting the media content and the linked instructions to the distributed media outlet, wherein verifying completeness includes verifying that the copy-group metadata is substantially complete; and

in response to verifying completeness of the copy-group metadata, transmit, via the communications interface, the media content and the linked instructions to the distributed media outlet, wherein the distributed media outlet inserts the media content into the transaction delivery system in accordance with the linked instructions.

10. The enterprise hub of claim 9, wherein the program of instructions is further configured to cause the processor to:

receive a broadcast record indicating the media content that was broadcast by the distributed media outlet in accordance with the linked instructions, the broadcast record to enable verification of the broadcast.

11. The enterprise hub of claim 10, wherein the broadcast record indicating content currently being broadcast by the distributed media outlet.

12. The enterprise hub of claim 10, wherein the program of instructions is further configured to cause the processor to:

providing broadcast verification to the content provider by transmitting the broadcast record to the content provider using the communications interface.

13. The enterprise hub of claim 10, wherein the program of instructions is further configured to cause the processor to:

associate a unique identifier with the media content;

distribute the unique identifier with the media content to the distributed media outlet; and

insert the unique identifier associated with the media content into the broadcast record transmitted to the content provider.

14. The enterprise hub of claim 9, wherein the program of instructions is further configured to cause the processor to:

process the linked instructions at the enterprise hub to determine one or more distributed media outlets of a plurality of distributed media outlets to which the enterprise hub will transmit the media content.

15. The enterprise hub of claim 9, wherein the program of instructions is further configured to cause the processor to:

transmit the media content and the linked instructions using extensible markup language (XML) acknowledgment messaging.

16. The enterprise hub of claim 9, wherein the linked instructions include metadata associated with the media content, and wherein the program of instructions is further configured to cause the processor to:

verify that the metadata associated with the media content includes an industry identifier prior to transmitting the media content to the distributed media outlet.

17. A system comprising:

a plurality of distributed media outlets coupled to a communications network, wherein each of the plurality of distributed media outlets includes a transaction delivery system including at least one processor and associated memory; and

an enterprise hub including at least one processor and associated memory, the enterprise hub coupled to the communications network, the enterprise hub configured to;

receive, from a content provider via the communications network;

media content, including an advertisement spot,

copy-group metadata identifying an industry associated with the advertisement spot, and

linked instructions associated with the media content;

verify completeness of the linked instructions, wherein verifying completeness includes verifying that the copy-group metadata is substantially complete;

make a determination that at least one distributed media outlet of the plurality of distributed media outlets is to deliver the media content identified by the linked instructions accompanying the media content;

in response to verifying completeness of the copy-group metadata, transmit the media content and the linked instructions to the at least one distributed media outlet of the plurality of distributed media outlets in accordance with the determination; and

wherein the at least one distributed media outlet of the plurality of distributed media outlets configured to;

receive the media content and the linked instructions; and

broadcast the media content via the transaction delivery system in accordance with the linked instructions.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the distributed media outlets further configured to:

transmit, to the enterprise hub using an extensible markup language (XML), a broadcast record indicating the media content that was broadcast in accordance with the linked instructions.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the enterprise hub is further configured to:

receive the broadcast record indicating that the media content that was broadcast in accordance with the linked instructions; and

transmit, to the content provider, the broadcast record indicating that the media content that was broadcast in accordance with the linked instructions.

20. The system of claim 17, wherein verifying completeness of the linked instructions includes:

validating completeness of metadata associated with the media content prior to transmitting the linked instructions to the distributed media outlet.