System and method for maintaining an association between a distribution device and a shared end user characteristic

• US 7,627,577 B1
• Filed: 10/01/2003
• Issued: 12/01/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 10/01/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Weather Group Television, LLC (CF Entertainment, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Weather Channel
• Inventors: Shield, Brian, Lee, Tonia
• Primary Examiner(s): ALAM, SHAHID AL
• Application Number:
  US10/677,925
• Time in Patent Office: 2,253 Days
• Field of Search: 707 1- 10, 707100-1041, 707200-205, 709/203, 709/238
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising

Abstract

An association between a distribution device and one or more characteristics shared by the end users served by the distribution device is created and maintained. The characteristics can include end user location, as well as any other type of characteristic or demographic. An initial association between a distribution device and an end user characteristic is created when the device is installed. In one embodiment, the distribution device is a receiver unit and the end user characteristic is viewer location. After installation, a request is made to the end users to provide end user information. The information provided by the end users is used to update and maintain the association between the distribution devices and the shared end user characteristics.

Claims

1. A system for determining at least one geographic area served by each of a plurality of receiver units, comprising:

a central system, including a processor and a memory, for distributing national content to the plurality of receiver units and for instructing the receiver units to generate local content, wherein the central system instructs the receiver units to generate local content that includes a unique ID associated with the receiver unit providing the local content; and

the plurality of receiver units, each receiver unit serving at least one geographic area wherein each receiver unit generates local content that displays the unique ID associated with the receiver unit to a plurality of end viewers served by the receiver unit;

wherein the central system receives from a subset of the end viewers served by the receiver units communications identifying the unique IDs that were communicated by the receiver units and the geographic areas where the unique IDs were displayed and the central system determines at least one geographic area served by each of the receiver units by associating the unique ID for each receiver unit with the geographic areas identified in the communications from the subset of the end viewers having the same unique ID, and

wherein the central system maintains a database that associates each of the unique IDs with the at least one geographic area served by the receiver unit associated with the unique ID.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein each receiver unit delivers targeted programming to the end viewers it serves based on the geographic areas served by the receiver unit.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein the database is a central database having an entry for each receiver unit that associates the at least one geographic area served by the receiver unit with the unique ID for the receiver unit.

4. The system of claim 3 wherein the information stored in the central database for a selected receiver unit is communicated to the selected receiver unit.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein each receiver unit stores information on the at least one geographic area served by that receiver unit.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein the communications received by the central system from the subset of the end viewers are received using a different method of communication than used to communicate the unique IDs to the end viewers.

7. A method for obtaining information to determine at least one geographic area served by each of a plurality of receiver units, comprising:

providing a unique ID for each of the receiver units;

transmitting a request to at least a subset of a plurality of end viewers served by each receiver unit to communicate information to a central system by;

transmitting the unique ID that identifies the receiver unit to the subset of end viewers served by the receiver unit so that the unique ID is displayable on a television to the subset of end viewers served by the receiver unit;

at the central system;

receiving the information from the subset of the end viewers, wherein the information received from one of the subset of the end viewers includes a particular ID displayed to the end viewer and the geographic area where the particular ID was displayed;

based on the received information that includes the particular ID, identifying at least one geographic area served by the receiver unit having the particular ID, and

maintaining a database that associates the particular ID with the at least one geographic areas served by the receiver unit having the particular ID.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the geographic areas are identified by zip codes.

9. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

displaying a map that identifies the at least one geographic areas served by the receiver unit having the particular ID.

10. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

using the at least one geographic area served by the receiver unit having the particular ID to identify demographic information associated with the at least one geographic area and

associating the demographic information with the receiver unit having the particular ID.

11. The method of claim 7, wherein requesting that each end viewer communicate information, comprises:

requesting that each end viewer provide the information via a communications means selected from the group consisting of;

a web site, telephone, mail and e-mail.

12. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

providing targeted programming to the end viewers served by the receiver unit having the particular ID based on the at least one geographic area served by the receiver unit.

13. The method of claim 7 wherein the information received at the central system from the subset of the end viewers is received using a different method of communication than used to transmit the unique ID to the end viewers.

14. A computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon computer executable instructions, said instructions comprising instructions for:

instructing a plurality of receiver units to generate local content to a plurality of end viewers, wherein the local content includes a unique ID associated with the receiver unit providing the local content;

receiving from a subset of the end viewers served by the receiver units communications identifying the unique IDs that were communicated by the receiver units and the geographic areas where the unique IDs were displayed;

determining at least one geographic area served by each of the receiver units by associating the unique ID for each receiver unit with the geographic areas identified in the communications from the subset of the end viewers having the same unique ID; and

maintaining a database that associates each of the unique IDs with the at least one geographic area served by the receiver unit associated with the unique ID.

15. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 14 wherein the communications received from the subset of the end viewers is received using a different method of communication than used to transmit the unique ID to the end viewers.

16. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 14 further comprising instructions for:

for a selected one of the receiver units associated with a select ID, using the database entry for the selected receiver unit and communicating the at least one geographic area associated with the select ID to the selected receiver unit.

17. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 14, wherein the geographic area where the unique ID was displayed is identified using a zip code.