AUDIENCE DETERMINATION FOR MONETIZING DISPLAYABLE CONTENT

• US 20090025024A1
• Filed: 01/09/2008
• Published: 01/22/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 07/20/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: PLENUS MANAGEMENT 2007 III LTD
• Original Assignee: Alexandre Sood, Hillel S. Rom, James Beser, Jonathan A. Epstein, Ofer Rundstein
• Inventors: Beser, James, Rundstein, Ofer, Rom, Hillel S., Epstein, Jonathan A., Sood, Alexandre
• Granted Patent: US 7,865,916 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/12
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/10 Protecting distributed programs or content, e.g. vending or licensing of copyrighted material protection in video systems or pay television H04N7/16 ; Digital rights management [DRM]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0273 Determination of fees for advertising
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/38 Arrangements for distribution where lower stations, e.g. receivers, interact with the broadcast
• 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 60/45 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

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to the measurement of the audience characteristics or demographics which is or can be exposed to displayed interactive content depicted on a screen. The audience can include persons who are engaged in interacting with the interactive content as well as persons who are observers of the interactive content and/or the active participants. The content can include one or more targeted advertisements contained in or associated with interactive content, and can be varied based on the audience characteristics or demographics. The audience characteristics or demographics can be used to accurately charge advertisers for the impressions created by the content displayed and can also or alternatively be used to determine and/or trigger what content is actually displayed.

Claims

1. A method for supplying advertising in association with interactive video content including a series of video images and associated audio content, comprising:

detecting, during the presentation of the video images, the number of persons who are actively exposed to the interactive video content;

detecting, during the presentation of the video images, the number of persons who are inactively exposed to the interactive video content;

reporting, during the presentation of the video images, the number of persons who are exposed to the interactive content; and

,

storing the results of said reporting for use at a future time.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein some of the video content actually displayed is selected based on the number of persons who are actively and inactively exposed to the interactive content as reported during the presentation of the video images.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the video content selected for display comprises at least one advertisement for which an established condition of a minimum number of persons who are actively and inactively exposed to the content exists and said reporting confirmed that the condition was met during the presentation of the video content.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the stored information is used as a basis to charge an advertiser only for advertising time for persons who where actively exposed to the advertisements in the interactive video content.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the reporting of persons exposed to the interactive video content includes report of the number of persons who are actively exposed and the number of persons who are inactively exposed to the interactive video content.

6. A method of advertising during the presentation of interactive video content comprising:

inserting an advertisement into a presentation of interactive video content,

detecting, during the presentation of the video images, the number of persons who are actively exposed to the interactive video content;

detecting, during the presentation of the video images, the number of persons who are inactively exposed to the interactive video content; and

,

charging an advertiser a fee based on the number of persons detected.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the fee to the advertiser is based on the combined number of persons who are actively and inactively exposed to the interactive video content.

8. A system for monetizing interactive video content presented with one or more advertisements, comprising,

at least one display device;

a connection to each of the display devices arranged to permit the display of interactive video content thereon to one or more persons;

at least one server, the server arranged for providing advertisements to the display devices for inclusion within the interactive video content;

at least one participant detector, the participant detectors being arranged so as to collectively detect persons who are actively exposed to the interactive video content and persons who are or inactively exposed to the interactive video content;

an accessible memory, the accessible memory being connected to the participate directors so as to store information about the number of persons who are exposed to the interactive video content; and

,

a software executable arranged to interact with the accessible memory and operable to determine the appropriate charge for the advertising displayed in the interactive video content based on the number of persons exposed thereto.

9. The system for monetizing advertisements presented in the display of interactive video content of claim 8 wherein the advertisements in the interactive video content can be changed depending on the number of persons being exposed to the interactive video content.

10. The system for monetizing advertisements presented in the display of interactive video content of claim 9 wherein the advertisements in the interactive video content are changed depending on the number of persons actively exposed to the interactive video content.

11. A system for providing advertisements for inclusion in the presentation of interactive video content comprising:

a plurality of detectors, the detectors being arranged to collect information about the number of persons being exposed to the interactive video content

a software executable arranged to insert advertising into the displayed interactive video content in response to a signal; and

,

a signaler, the signaler being arranged to respond to the number of persons being exposed to the interactive video content as determined by one or more of the detectors.

12. A computer-readable memory encoded with instructions operable to cause a computer to:

initiate operation of a computer game on a client computer;

receive one or more signals from one or more peripheral detector to ascertain the number of persons capable of observing the computer output events caused by operation of the computer game;

select defined responsive actions to be performed in response to respective signals, the defined responsive actions being distinct from the computer output events and including output of advertising material by the client computer; and

cause the client computer to perform the defined responsive actions to thereby cause video output of the advertising material from the client computer during operation of the computer game.

13. A method for detecting persons capable of observing the content displayed during operation of a computer game comprising:

monitoring a first set of peripheral devices to ascertain the number of persons who are actively interacting with the computer output caused by operation of a computer game;

monitoring a second set of peripheral devices to ascertain the number of persons who are inactively exposed to the computer output caused by operation of a computer game;

selecting defined responsive actions to be performed in response to respective detected numbers of persons, the defined responsive actions causing responsive output that is distinct from the computer output caused by operation of the computer game; and

,

causing the client computer to perform the defined responsive actions to thereby cause video output of modifiable advertising material from the client computer during operation of the computer game.

14. A system for providing independently-defined alteration of output from a software executable, comprising:

a software executable encoded in a computer-readable memory and operable to determine computer game output responsive to user inputs;

one or more peripheral devices for ascertaining the number of persons who are exposed to the computer game output; and

,

an event-monitoring executable encoded in the computer-readable memory with the software executable adapted to cooperate with the software executable, and operable to receive input from one or more peripheral devices and to cause independent computer output different from what is determined by the software executable in response to such input.

15. A method for modifying displayed video content including a series of video images and associated audio content, comprising:

detecting, during the presentation of the video images, at least one of the characteristics of at least one of the persons who are exposed to the interactive video content; and

,

displaying video content which is selected based on one or more of the characteristics detected for the persons who exposed to the interactive content different from the content that would have been displayed in the absence of the detection of at least one of the detected characteristics.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein the video content selected for display comprises at least one advertisement.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein the sponsor of the advertisement is charged based on the number of persons having the detected characteristic.