CONTENT WITH CUSTOMIZED ADVERTISEMENT
The invention provides a method and system for customizing advertisements to the individual viewer or user receiving a content which may be generic or customized, subject to or independent of, a broadcast schedule.
This Application is a Continuation of application Ser. No. 10/704,282, filed Nov. 7, 2003; which is a Continuation-In-Part of application Ser. No. 10/090,439, filed Mar. 4, 2002 (now U.S. Pat. No. 6,721,955); which is a Continuation of application Ser. No. 09/487,120, filed Jan. 19, 2000 (now U.S. Pat. No. 6,434,747).
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to the transmission of broadcast media over a data network, and more particularly to, a method and system for providing a customized media list to a user over that data network, such that customized advertisements can be individually tailored to customized or uncustomized content.
2. Description of the Related Art
Broadcast media (including visual and audio media over any electronic network) has been provided to viewers and listeners for decades and typically falls under the paradigm illustrated in prior art
Advertisers are subjected to several disadvantages with the paradigm art
Another disadvantage with the paradigm of prior art
Moreover, a disadvantage is found in the fact that broadcast television and most cable and satellite content 10 is subject to a schedule, which viewers and listeners may not always be available to adhere to. Thus, they are forced to miss the scheduled content or record the content with devices that can block out conventional advertisements.
A need therefore exists for a method and system that mitigates or removes these disadvantages.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONThe invention provides a method for an advertiser providing a customized advertisement over a data network to a viewer/user, the customized advertisement being presented together with or placed within generic or customized digitized media delivered over an electronic network, such as broadcast television, cable satellite, the internet, and any wireless assisted communication system. Such delivery may or may not be subject to a broadcast schedule. The customized advertisement may take the form of a periodic intermittent message or a product or service placed within the content itself.
The customized advertisement is selected for the individual viewer/user based on a viewer's expressed preference or viewing habits, wherein the preferences or viewing habits are transmitted over the data network to the advertisers or content distributors or others contracting with the advertisers to reach targeted audiences. Such contractors may include a time frame for reaching the targeted audience.
The data network may include a communication layer, content module, or selection menu. The data network may include a content display device, an intelligent television, a computer, personal digital assistant or a cellular telephone.
According to one embodiment the advertisement is customized according to viewer/user responses to an offered selection of advertisements over the data network during or before content distribution.
The advertisement is selected directly or indirectly by the viewer/user from messages, products, product information, or purchase offers.
The advertiser can also be a content provider.
The selection menu may be based on a profile data, including viewing habits, of the viewers.
In one embodiment the viewer preferences, profiles or viewing habits are provided only to the advertisers.
In another embodiment of the method of the invention, the data network connects advertiser, content provider and individual viewer/user by viewing and communication means, so as to transmit advertisements by the viewers/users during transmission of the content to when the advertisements or advertised products or services added or embedded within.
There are several different ways in which the individualized advertisement can be brought to the attention of the viewer. One way would entail interrupting a broadcast of, e.g., a show, movie or news report (newscast) such that the advertisement would break into or interrupt the content transmission. Another way would mean incorporating the advertisement concurrently but spatially separately from the broadcast. The third way to a customized advertisement would integrate the advertisement or advertised products or services into the content of the broadcast thereby modifying the broadcast contract with individualized messages in the form of labeled products, for example.
More specifically, reference is taken to the customized advertisement associated or presented with or placed into or within the content of
The invention provides an embodiment to combine individualized advertisements with content, which content may or may not customized and may or may not be subject to a broadcast schedule.
In particular, individual searches conducted through electronic network search engines would add an individually tailored advertisement to the category or characteristics. For example, the category of search could generate individually tailored advertisements related to education (on-line degree), art history (group trip to Paris), medicine (insurance, drugs), nursing (upcoming course offerings), religion (books or tapes), mechanics (tools, magazines), archeology (upcoming “dig” advertised on-line), or meteorology (telescopes).
The present invention provides customized advertising presented with or placed into content, be it generic or customized, subject to, or independent of, a broadcast schedule.
A more complete appreciation of the invention and any of the advantages thereof will be readily obtained as the same becomes better understood by reference to the detailed description when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein:
Still in
After the user provides a profile 241 to the client 235, that profile 241 is transferred through the data network 230 to the server 225, which is also part of the computer system 200. Once at the server 225, a server processor generates a customized advertisement list 226 from said profile by reviewing the entire advertising media 215 to match it to profile 241 to create a customized advertisement list 226. By match, it is understood that particular algorithms are provided, within the server 225, in order to provide a customized advertisement list 226. The match occurs using properties of the advertising 215 as described below. An algorithm, a personalized advertising service module (
Once the customized advertisement list 226 is generated by the server 225 using the algorithm described above, said list is transmitted through the data network 230 by any transmitting means. In one embodiment, the transmitting means would be any means of data communications including modem lines, cable, satellite, DSL, fiber optic lines or other well-known similar means for transmitting data between two remote locations. In a further embodiment, the transmitting means may be the bus described in the general purpose computer. Furthermore, the client 235 may be a single client, or a single general purpose computer such as the computer (
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The user management module 320 is used by the server 225 to receive the personalized data 241 of
Numerous advantages exist with the method and system of the present invention as claimed below.
For example, with reference to the embodiment diagrammed in
In an embodiment diagrammed in
First, advertisers now have highly personalized data on each user so that the advertising may be directed closely to the particular audience that advertisers wish to attract. Second, with knowledge of the personal data on the user/viewer, advertisers may be more confident in the percentage of those users/viewers that fit within its specific target audience, thereby reaching a higher percentage of that target audience than in the past.
Although the present invention has been described in detail with respect to certain embodiments and examples, variations and modifications exist which are within the scope of the present invention as defined in the following claims.
Claims
1. A method for providing a customized advertisement over a data network to a viewer/user, the customized advertisement, including products and services, being presented together with or placed within content, comprising: providing over a data network from an advertiser, content owner, content provider, or a combination thereof, to a viewer/user an advertisement that is customized for the individual viewer to be presented in the form of an addition to the content or an integral part of the content itself.
2. A method for providing customized advertising to a user/viewer utilizing a computer system, said method comprising the steps of: receiving data identifying said user/viewer, said identifying data being correlated with a personal profile of said user/viewer, said profile being generated from the use/viewing habits of said user/viewer; generating customized advertising, wherein said customized advertising is selected from a collection of advertisement options, each of said selections being made by said user/viewer or in accord with the profile of said user/viewer; providing said customized advertisements to said user/viewer through said computer system for immediate available viewing of customized advertisements presented with or placed in context, generic or customized, subject to or independent of program broadcast schedules, or data network storage.
Type: Application
Filed: Aug 18, 2014
Publication Date: Dec 4, 2014
Inventors: Denis Khoo (Los Angeles, CA), Raymond F. Ratcliff, III (Plano, TX), Francis A. Benevento, II (Palm Beach, FL)
Application Number: 14/462,269
International Classification: H04N 21/258 (20060101); H04N 21/475 (20060101); H04N 21/658 (20060101); H04N 21/81 (20060101);