Method and apparatus for utilizing an audible signal to induce a user to select an E-commerce function

• US 7,900,224 B1
• Filed: 08/24/1999
• Issued: 03/01/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 09/11/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Jack A. Turpin, RPX Corporation
• Original Assignee: RPX-LV Acquisition LLC (RPX Corporation)
• Inventors: Mathews, David Kent, Philyaw, Jeffry Jovan
• Primary Examiner(s): Kelley; Christopher
• Assistant Examiner(s): BROWN, RUEBEN M
• Application Number:
  US09/382,423
• Time in Patent Office: 4,207 Days
• Field of Search: 725 32- 36, 725 40- 46, 725/58, 725/112, 725/113, 705/14.68
• US Class Current: 725/32
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0272 Period of advertisement exposure

Abstract

A method for delivering advertising to a consumer over a broadcast media/global communication network combination. An advertisement broadcast is generated comprised of a general program and associated advertising dispersed therethrough for broadcast over a broadcast media which is directed to a general class of consumers. Unique information is embedded in the broadcast for inducing a consumer to access a desired advertiser'"'"'s location on the global network system over a personal computer-based system. The advertisement broadcast is then broadcast to the potential class of consumers with the embedded unique information therein.

Claims

1. A method for delivering advertising to a consumer over a broadcast media/global communication network combination, comprising the steps of:

generating an advertisement broadcast comprised of a general program having non-advertising content and associated advertising content dispersed therethrough for broadcast over a broadcast media which is directed to a general class of consumers such that all consumers in the general class of consumers are presented with the same information;

embedding in the broadcast unique information for inducing a consumer to view the broadcast for later access to a desired advertiser'"'"'s location on the global network system over a personal computer-based system;

broadcasting to the potential class of consumers the advertisement broadcast with the embedded unique information therein such that the embedded unique information is presented to the consumer in the same manner as the advertisement broadcast;

wherein the unique information is dispersed throughout the advertisement broadcast at different times during the program such that a viewing one of the general class of consumers is induced by at least a first portion of the received unique information without any further input from the consumer to access the desired advertiser'"'"'s location after a predetermined time in the program and wherein the location of at least a second portion of the unique information in the program is associated with the advertising content of the program proximate in time thereto, such that the first portion induces by informing the viewing consumer that an access will be unconditionally available at another desired time and the at least a second portion that is delivered to the consumer at the another desired time during the program allows the consumer to access the desired advertiser location through the personal computer-based system proximate in time to the occurrence of the advertisement broadcast; and

accessing, by at least one consumer, the desired advertiser'"'"'s location proximate the another desired time in the program.

2. The method of claim 1, and further comprising the steps of:

activating a network or server at the advertiser'"'"'s location to wait for a response in the form of a network connection to the advertiser'"'"'s location by a potential consumer; and

upon receiving a response from one of the potential consumers, providing additional information to that contained within the advertisement broadcast.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the unique information includes information that is to be transferred to the advertiser'"'"'s location in the step of accessing.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the unique information that is to be transferred to the desired location is automatically transferred to the advertiser'"'"'s location when access of the desired advertiser'"'"'s location is made.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein additional information is provided by the advertiser to the consumer at the another time which additional information is transferred to the desired advertiser'"'"'s location during the step of accessing.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the second portion of the unique information comprises a tone being a substantially unique sound recognizable by the consumer.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the tone has embedded therein information that can be decoded by the personal computer-based system and which encoded information is transferred to the desired advertiser'"'"'s location upon access thereof over the global communication network system.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the unique information comprises a video image being a substantially unique appearance recognizable by the consumer.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the video image has embedded therein information that can be decoded by the personal computer-based system and which encoded information is transferred to the desired advertiser'"'"'s location upon access thereof over the global communication network system.