System and method for sending advertising data

• US 10,810,618 B2
• Filed: 10/09/2017
• Issued: 10/20/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 09/27/2007
• 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: Noll, Roland, McCarthy, Mary
• Primary Examiner(s): Li, Sun M
• Application Number:
  US15/727,688
• Publication Number:
  US 20180068346A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,107 Days
• Field of Search: 705 144, 705 1473, 705 14, 705 49
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0254 based on statistics

Abstract

A process is disclosed for obtaining selected item data from a media processor, wherein the selected item data indicates an item used by an actor in a video data stream. The video data stream includes data representing the item used by the actor and icon data including multiple icons associated with a number of mobile devices. Selected icon data is obtained from the media processor, indicating a selected one of the number of mobile devices. Advertising data for the selected item is provided to the selected one of the number of mobile devices via a communication network. The advertising data is sent when the selected one of the number of mobile devices comes in proximity with a merchant having the selected item in stock. A system is disclosed for performing the process. A machine-readable device is also disclosed for use by the system and process.

Claims

1. A non-transitory machine-readable medium, comprising executable instructions that, when executed by a server comprising a processing system including a processor, facilitate performance of operations comprising:

receiving at the server, from a media processor, selected item data, wherein the selected item data indicates, as a selected item, an item used by an actor in a video data stream provided to the media processor and displayed on a display of a display device, wherein the video data stream comprises data representing the item used by the actor in the video data stream, and wherein the video data stream comprises icon data including a plurality of icons, displayed on a portion of the display, wherein each of the plurality of icons corresponds to one of a plurality of mobile devices including a first end user device and a second end user device different from the first end user device;

receiving at the server, from the media processor, selected icon data, wherein the selected icon data indicates a selection of the second end user device in accordance with an input to the media processor from the first end user device indicating the icon corresponding to the second end user device, the selection thereby designating the second end user device as a destination end user device for advertising data relating to the selected item;

interfacing, by the server, with a communication network; and

sending via the communication network, from the server, to the second end user device, the advertising data, wherein the advertising data is sent when the second end user device comes in proximity with a merchant having the selected item in stock.

2. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the advertising data further comprises a data item selected from a group comprising video advertising data, availability data for the selected item indicating that a merchant location has the selected item in stock, merchant location data for the merchant having the selected item in stock indicating a physical location for the merchant location, coupon data for a coupon for the selected item and zone of interest data indicating a radial distance from the merchant having the selected item in stock.

3. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 2, wherein the operations further comprise:

locating the second end user device; and

sending audio message data from the server to the second end user device, wherein the audio message data is for rendering an audible message announcing that the second end user device has entered a zone of interest for the merchant location when the availability data indicates that the merchant location has the selected item in stock.

4. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 3, wherein the audio message data comprises merchant name data, merchant location data and directions data to the merchant location from a current location for the second end user device.

5. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 3, wherein the server receives the advertising data from the media processor.

6. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 3, wherein the selected item is selected in accordance with an input to the media processor from the first end user device.

7. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 3, wherein the operations further comprise:

sending merchant layout data, from the server, to the second end user device, wherein the merchant layout data identifies an aisle configuration for the merchant location and an aisle location in the aisle configuration indicating where in the aisle configuration the selected item is located.

8. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 3, wherein the operations further comprise:

receiving, at the server, a purchase order selection for the selected item, wherein the purchase order selection is from the second end user device; and

sending purchase order data for the selected item to the merchant location.

9. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the media processor is in operative communication with a television, wherein the video data stream is provided by the media processor to the television and wherein the icon data is presented on the television as a plurality of icons.

10. A system comprising:

a server comprising a processing system including a processor; and

a memory that stores executable instructions that, when executed by the processing system, facilitate performance of operations, comprising;

obtaining from a media processor, selected item data, wherein the selected item data indicates, as a selected item, an item used by an actor in a video data stream provided to the media processor and displayed on a display of a display device, wherein the video data stream comprises data representing the item used by the actor in the video data stream, and wherein the video data stream comprises icon data including a plurality of icons, wherein each of the plurality of icons corresponds to one of a plurality of mobile devices;

obtaining from the media processor in accordance with an input from a first one of the plurality of mobile devices, selected icon data, wherein the selected icon data indicates a selection of a selected one of the plurality of mobile devices different from the first one of the plurality of mobile devices, wherein the input indicates an icon corresponding to the selected one of the plurality of mobile devices, the selection thereby designating the selected one of the plurality of mobile devices as a destination device for advertising data relating to the selected item;

interfacing with a communication network; and

sending via the communication network, from the server, to the selected one of the plurality of mobile devices, the advertising data, wherein the advertising data is sent when the selected one of the plurality of mobile devices comes in proximity with a merchant having the selected item in stock.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the advertising data further comprises a data item selected from a group comprising video advertising data, availability data for the selected item indicating that a merchant location has the selected item in stock, merchant location data for the merchant having the selected item in stock indicating a physical location for the merchant location, coupon data for a coupon for the selected item and zone of interest data indicating a radial distance from the merchant having the selected item in stock.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the operations further comprise:

sending audio message data from the server to the selected one of the plurality of mobile devices, wherein the audio message data is for rendering an audible message announcing that the selected one of the plurality of mobile devices has entered a zone of interest for the merchant location when the availability data indicates that the merchant location has the selected item in stock.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the audio message data comprises an announcement of at least one data item selected from a group comprising merchant name data, merchant location data and directions data to the merchant location from a current location for the selected one of the plurality of mobile devices.

14. The system of claim 10, wherein the media processor is in operative communication with a television, wherein the video data stream is provided by the media processor to the television and wherein the icon data is presented on the television as a plurality of icons.

15. A method comprising:

obtaining by a processing system including a processor server, from a media processor, selected item data, wherein the selected item data indicates, as a selected item, an item used by an actor in a video data stream provided to the media processor and displayed on a display of a display device, wherein the video data stream comprises data representing the item used by the actor in the video data stream, and wherein the video data stream comprises icon data including a plurality of icons, wherein each of the plurality of icons corresponds to one of a plurality of mobile devices;

obtaining, by the processing system, from the media processor in accordance with an input from a first one of the plurality of mobile devices, selected icon data, wherein the selected icon data indicates a selected one of the plurality of mobile devices different from the first one of the plurality of mobile devices, wherein the input indicates an icon corresponding to the selected one of the plurality of mobile devices;

interfacing, by the processing system, with a communication network; and

providing via the communication network, by the processing system, to the selected one of the plurality of mobile devices, advertising data for the selected item, wherein the advertising data is sent when the selected one of the plurality of mobile devices comes in proximity with a merchant having the selected item in stock.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the advertising data further comprises a data item selected from a group comprising video advertising data, availability data for the selected item indicating that a merchant location has the selected item in stock, merchant location data for the merchant having the selected item in stock indicating a physical location for the merchant location, coupon data for a coupon for the selected item and zone of interest data indicating a radial distance from the merchant having the selected item in stock.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

sending audio message data, by the processing system, to the selected one of the plurality of mobile devices, wherein the audio message data is for rendering an audible message announcing that the selected one of the plurality of mobile devices has entered a zone of interest for the merchant location when the availability data indicates that the merchant location has the selected item in stock.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the audio message data comprises an announcement of at least one data item selected from a group comprising merchant name data, merchant location data and directions data to the merchant location from a current location for the selected one of the plurality of mobile devices.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the selected icon data corresponds to one of the plurality of icons that had been selected by a remote control in operative communication with a television.

20. The method of claim 15, wherein the media processor is in operative communication with a television, wherein the video data stream is provided by the media processor to the television and wherein the icon data is presented on the television as a plurality of icons.