Personalized cyber disk jockey and Internet radio advertising

• US 20040039796A1
• Filed: 11/06/2002
• Published: 02/26/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 08/08/2002
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Virtual Rain, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Virtual Rain, Inc.
• Inventors: Watkins, Rodger Douglas
• Application Number:
  US10/288,991
• Publication Number:
  US 20040039796A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/218
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/82 using signals not modulated onto a carrier
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 2201/70 characterised in that receivers can be addressed
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/07 characterised by processes or methods for the generation
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/14 Arrangements for conditional access to broadcast information or to broadcast-related services
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/51 of receiving stations
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/66 for using the result on distributors' side

Abstract

Streamed content is specifically directed to a target or listening device having a unique registered identifier associated with a stored profile. This unique stored connection profile, combined with the streaming process, sends a customized stream based on the stored profile information and, depending on the triggers within the stream designed to localize or regionalize the stream content, enables interaction with the listening device to deliver individualized stream elements, regional or group stream elements, and general (global) stream elements and/or other content conformed based on the stored profile information.

Claims

1. A system for content delivery comprising:

one or more content delivery servers automatically delivering content to a stream transmitted to each of a plurality of receivers, wherein the stream comprises two or more of;

a main stream portion delivered globally to each of the receivers;

a group varying stream portion delivered to each receiver within a plurality of groups of receivers, wherein content delivered to each receiver within the group varying stream portion differs for each group of receivers; and

a personalized stream content portion delivered to each receiver and containing content customized for each particular receiver.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein the stream transmitted to each receiver comprises each of the main stream portion, the group varying stream portion, and the personalized stream portion.

3. The system according to claim 1, wherein the group varying stream portion contains content depending on a geographic location of the receiver to which the stream is transmitted.

4. The system according to claim 1, wherein the personalized stream content portion includes text-to-speech (TTS) content derived from a script.

5. The system according to claim 4, wherein the scripts employed for the personalized stream content portion delivered to two different receivers are completely different.

6. The system according to claim 1, further comprising:

a first receiver within a first group of receivers within the plurality of groups of receivers receiving, from the one or more content delivery servers, the main stream portion, a first group varying stream portion, and a first personalized stream portion;

a second receiver within the first group or receivers receiving, from the one or more content delivery servers, the main stream portion, the first group varying stream portion, and a second personalized stream portion different from the first personalized stream portion; and

a third receiver within a second group of receivers within the plurality of groups of receivers receiving, from the one or more content delivery servers, the main stream portion, a second group varying stream portion different from the first group varying stream portion, and a third personalized stream portion different from the first and second personalized stream portions.

7. The system according to claim 1, further comprising:

a plurality of receivers registered and connected to receive content from the one or more content delivery servers and including at least one receiver from each of the plurality of groups of receivers, wherein;

each receiver within the plurality of receivers receives identical content within the main stream portion,

each receiver within one of the groups of receivers receives identical content within the group varying stream portion and receivers within different groups of receivers receive different content within the group varying stream portion, and

each receiver receives different content within the personalized stream content portion.

8. A method of content delivery comprising:

delivering content from one or more content delivery servers to a stream transmitted to each of a plurality of receivers, wherein the stream comprises two or more of;

a main stream portion delivered globally to each of the receivers;

a group varying stream portion delivered to each receiver within a plurality of groups of receivers, wherein content delivered to each receiver within the group varying stream portion differs for each group of receivers; and

a personalized stream content portion delivered to each receiver and containing content customized for each particular receiver.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein the stream transmitted to each receiver comprises each of the main stream portion, the group varying stream portion, and the personalized stream portion.

10. The method according to claim 8, wherein the group varying stream portion contains content depending on a geographic location of the receiver to which the stream is transmitted.

11. The method according to claim 8, wherein the personalized stream content portion includes text-to-speech (TTS) content derived from a script.

12. A machine usable stream containing content from one or more content servers and delivered to each of a plurality of receivers, wherein the stream comprises two or more of:

a main stream portion delivered globally to each of the receivers;

a group varying stream portion delivered to each receiver within a plurality of groups of receivers, wherein content delivered to each receiver within the group varying stream portion differs for each group of receivers; and

a personalized stream content portion delivered to each receiver and containing content customized for each particular receiver.

13. The stream according to claim 12, wherein the stream comprises each of the main stream portion, the group varying stream portion, and the personalized stream portion.

14. The stream according to claim 13, wherein the group varying stream portion contains content depending on a geographic location of the receiver to which the stream is transmitted.

15. The stream according to claim 13, wherein the personalized stream content portion includes text-to-speech (TTS) content derived from a script.

16. The stream according to claim 15, wherein the scripts employed for the personalized stream content portion delivered to two different receivers are completely different.

17. An Internet radio broadcast system comprising:

a main stream delivery server;

a commercial file stream server;

a custom stream server; and

an encoder receiving content streams from each of the main stream delivery server, the commercial file stream server and the custom stream server, the encoder generating, from the received streams, a plurality of delivery streams for transmission to each of a plurality of receivers, wherein each delivery stream comprises;

a main stream portion delivered globally to each of the receivers;

a group varying stream portion delivered to each receiver, wherein the receivers are logically divided into groups and the content delivered to each receiver within the group varying stream portion differs for each group of receivers; and

a personalized stream content portion delivered to each receiver and containing content customized for each particular receiver.

18. The system according to claim 17, wherein the group varying stream portion contains content depending on one or more of:

a geographic location of the receiver to which the stream is transmitted;

a music format selected for content within the main stream portion; and

an age, gender, personal preference or other demographic attribute within a user profile associated with the receiver to which the stream is transmitted.

19. The system according to claim 17, wherein the personalized stream content portion includes text-to-speech (TTS) content derived from a script and including a name within a user profile associated with a receiver to which the stream is transmitted.

20. The system according to claim 17, wherein the main stream portion contains audio from a user-selected music format selected from a plurality of music formats each corresponding to one of the delivery streams.