Dynamic data delivery apparatus and method for same

• US 7,315,726 B2
• Filed: 07/20/2005
• Issued: 01/01/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 03/09/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: LOT Network Inc.
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Steelberg, Chad, Steelberg, Ryan
• Primary Examiner(s): Urban, Edward F.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Le, Nhan T.
• Application Number:
  US11/185,582
• Publication Number:
  US 20050266814A1
• Time in Patent Office: 895 Days
• Field of Search: 455352-353, 455418-420, 455/462, 455/465, 455/556, 455/557, 455/3.01, 455/3.04, 455/3.06, 709/217, 709204-207, 709/209, 725 38- 42, 725 45- 47, 705/14, 705/37
• US Class Current: 455/3.06
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0212 Chance discounts or incentives
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0242 Determining effectiveness of advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0244 Optimization
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0248 Avoiding fraud
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0264 based upon schedule
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0269 based on user profile or attribute
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0275 Auctions
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/34 using an out-of-band subcarrier signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 2201/13 radio data system/radio broadcast data system [RDS/RBDS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/74 using programme related information, e.g. title, composer or interpreter

Abstract

A system for providing enhanced radio content to a remote user is disclosed. The system includes at least one input that receives non-radio input; and, at least one output interconnected to the at least one input via a hub, wherein the at least one output receives the enhanced radio content via the hub after at least one manipulation of the non-radio input by the hub to form the enhanced radio content, wherein the at least one manipulation is in accordance with the at least one non-radio input.

Claims

1. A system for broadcasting advertisements to a plurality of users, the system comprising:

a data store adapted to store information about a plurality of time slots for broadcasting advertisements by one or more radio stations;

a user interface module adapted to receive bids, each bid for broadcasting an advertisement and associated with user-selected criteria according to which to broadcast the advertisement; and

a server system adapted to automatically select one or more of the plurality of time slots for broadcasting an advertisement according to the user-selected criteria, the broadcast advertisement in each time slot having a winning bid, and to electronically transmit, to a radio station, an advertisement for the winning bid for each selected time slot in real time.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the user-selected criteria comprises at least one of a number of listeners of a radio station, a strength of a signal of a radio station, demographics of listeners of a radio station, time of a day for playing an advertisement, and a type of a radio station.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the server system is adapted to transmit the winning bid to a digital automated system at the radio station.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the advertisement is an audio file.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the advertisement is a text file.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the radio station is an AM radio station.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the radio station is an FM radio station.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the user interface module is further adapted to receive a selection of devices for broadcasting the advertisement.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the device is a radio data system (RDS) receiver.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein the device is an AM receiver.

11. The system of claim 8, wherein the device is an FM receiver.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the user interface module is further adapted to receive, from the one or more radio stations, a minimum acceptable price for broadcasting an advertisement.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein the server system is further adapted to determine an advertisement price according to at least one of popularity of the radio station, date of broadcasting, and time of broadcasting.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein the radio station is a digital radio station.

15. The system of claim 1, wherein the radio station is a satellite radio station.

16. The system of claim 1, wherein the winning bid is the highest bid of the bids for each time slot.

17. A method for broadcasting advertisements to a plurality of users, the method comprising:

storing information about a plurality of time slots for broadcasting advertisements by one or more radio stations;

receiving, via a user interface, a plurality of bids, each bid for broadcasting an advertisement and associated with user-selected criteria according to which to broadcast the advertisement;

automatically selecting one or more of the plurality of time slots for broadcasting an advertisement according to the user-selected criteria, the broadcast advertisement having a winning bid; and

electronically transmitting, to a radio station, an advertisement for the winning bid for each selected time slot in real time.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the user-selected criteria comprises at least one of a number of listeners of a radio station, a strength of a signal of a radio station, demographics of listeners of a radio station, time of a day for playing an advertisement, and a type of a radio station.

19. The method of claim 17, further comprising transmitting the winning bid to a digital automated system at the radio station.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein the advertisement is an audio file.

21. The method of claim 17, further comprising receiving a selection of radio receiving devices for broadcasting the advertisement.

22. The method of claim 17, further comprising determining an advertisement price according to at least one of popularity of the radio station, date of broadcasting, and time of broadcasting.

23. A computer program product comprising:

a computer-readable storage medium having computer program code embodied therein for broadcasting advertisements to a plurality of users, the computer program code adapted to;

store information about a plurality of time slots for broadcasting advertisements by one or more radio stations;

receive, via a user interface, bids, each bid for broadcasting an advertisement and associated with user-selected criteria according to which to broadcast the advertisement;

automatically select one or more of the plurality of time slots for broadcasting an advertisement according to the user-selected criteria, the broadcast advertisement having a winning bid; and

electronically transmit, to a radio station, an advertisement for the winning bid for the selected time slot in real time.

24. The computer program product of claim 23, wherein the user-selected criteria comprises at least one of a number of listeners of a radio station, a strength of a signal of a radio station, demographics of listeners of a radio station, time of a day for playing an advertisement, and a type of a radio station.

25. The computer program product of claim 23, wherein the computer program code is further adapted to transmit the winning bid to a digital automated system at the radio station.

26. The computer program product of claim 23, wherein the advertisement is an audio file.

27. The computer program product of claim 23, wherein the computer program code is further adapted to receive a selection of radio receiving devices for broadcasting the advertisement.

28. A system for broadcasting advertisements to a plurality of users, the system comprising:

a data store adapted to store information about a plurality of time slots for broadcasting advertisements by one or more radio stations;

a user interface module adapted to receive bids, each bid for broadcasting an advertisement and associated with user-selected criteria according to which to broadcast the advertisement; and

a server system adapted to transmit advertisements to the one or more radio stations, and to automatically select in real time of the plurality of time slots for broadcasting an advertisement according to the user-selected criteria, the broadcast advertisement in each time slot having a winning bid, and to electronically transmit to a radio station for a selected time slot, an indication of the advertisement having the winning bid for the selected time slot.

29. The system of claim 28, wherein the user-selected criteria comprises at least one of a number of listeners of a radio station, a strength of a signal of a radio station, demographics of listeners of a radio station, time of a day for playing an advertisement, and a type of a radio station.

30. The system of claim 28, wherein the server system is adapted to transmit the winning bid to a digital automated system at the radio station.

31. The system of claim 28, wherein the advertisement is an audio file.

32. The system of claim 28, wherein the user interface module is further adapted to receive a selection of radio receiving devices for broadcasting the advertisement.

33. The system of claim 28, wherein the user interface module is further adapted to receive, from the one or more radio stations, a minimum acceptable price for broadcasting an advertisement.

34. The system of claim 28, wherein the server system is further adapted to determine an advertisement price according to at least one of popularity of the radio station, date of broadcasting, and time of broadcasting.

35. The sytem of claim 28, wherein an advertisement for the winning bid for the selected time slot is transmitted to a radio station in real time.

36. A method for broadcasting advertisements to a plurality of users, the method comprising:

storing information about a plurality of time slots for broadcasting advertisements by one or more radio stations;

electronically transmitting to advertisements one or more of the radio stations for broadcasting;

receiving, via a user interface, a plurality of bids, each bid for broadcasting one of the advertisements and associated with user-selected criteria according to which to broadcast the advertisement;

automatically selecting in real time one or more of the plurality of time slots for broadcasting an advertisement according to the user-selected criteria, the broadcast advertisement having a winning bid; and

electronically transmitting, to a radio station, for a selected time slot, an indication of the advertisement having the winning bid for the selected time slot.

37. The method of claim 36, wherein the one or more user-selected criteria comprises at least one of a number of listeners of a radio station, a strength of a signal of a radio station, demographics of listeners of a radio station, time of a day for playing an advertisement, and a type of a radio station.

38. The method of claim 36, further comprising transmitting the winning bid to a digital automated system at the radio station.

39. The method of claim 36, wherein the advertisement is an audio file.

40. The method of claim 36, further comprising receiving a selection of radio receiving devices for broadcasting the advertisement.

41. The method of claim 36, further comprising determining an advertisement price according to at least one of popularity of the radio station, date of broadcasting, and time of broadcasting.

42. The method of claim 36, further comprising transmitting an advertisement for the winning bid to a radio station in real time.

43. A computer program product comprising:

a computer-readable storage medium having computer program code embodied therein for broadcasting advertisements to a plurality of users, the computer program code adapted to;

store information about a plurality of time slots for broadcasting advertisements by one or more radio stations;

electronically transmit advertisements to one or more of the radio stations for broadcasting;

receive, via a user interface, bids, each bid for broadcasting one of the advertisements and associated with user-selected criteria according to which to broadcast the advertisement;

automatically select in real time one or more of the plurality of time slots for broadcasting an advertisement according to the user-selected criteria, the broadcast advertisement having a winning bid; and

electronically transmit, to a radio station, for a selected time slot, an indication of the advertisement having the winning bid for the time slot.

44. The computer program product of claim 43, wherein the one or more user-selected criteria comprises at least one of a number of listeners of a radio station, a strength of a signal of a radio station, demographics of listeners of a radio station, time of a day for playing an advertisement, and a type of a radio station.

45. The computer program product of claim 43, wherein the computer program code is further adapted to transmit the winning bid to a digital automated system at the radio station.

46. The computer program product of claim 43, wherein the advertisement is an audio file.

47. The computer program product of claim 43, wherein the computer program code is further adapted to receive a selection of radio receiving devices for broadcasting the advertisement.

48. The computer program product of claim 43, wherein the computer program code is further adapted to transmit an advertisement for the winning bid to a radio station in real time.