Patent Application
20090132377
The present invention relates to Internet protocol-based advertising to a visual display adapted to display a user interface.
With the emergence of the Internet and other digital communication channels, many companies are offering their products and services to consumers electronically. For example, content, such as music, videos, and literary works, is now offered over the Internet using various forms of electronic delivery (e.g., streaming and digital downloads). Traditionally, content companies have relied on advertisers to generate at least a portion of their revenue, since advertisers will pay to have their advertisements served to a targeted group of consumers (e.g., football fans). In the digital world, companies continue to rely on advertisements in a variety of formats (e.g., banner advertisements) to generate revenue and offer valued-added services to their customers. These advertisements are often associated with content a user requests online (e.g., travel information).
Advertisements are sometimes pre-pended to other content requested by the user either by directly encoding the advertisement content to the requested content (as in the case of audio and video media) or by packaging an advertisement media file and a requested content file together into a play list file. These methods require that a user request content, and that the advertisement is attached to the content that was requested. The advertisement delivered with the requested content in these methods are of the same media type, for example, a JPEG-encoded ad delivered with JPEG-encoded content, or a video ad delivered with video content.
Another method launches pop-up windows of advertisement content when new pages are requested. However, in that model, the advertisement is text, Shockwave™, Flash™ (Shockwave™ and Flash™ are trademarks of Macromedia, Inc., 600 Townsend Street, San Francisco, Calif. 94103), or image-based, and always appears when the page is requested. The ad content may be different each time the page is loaded, but each time the page is loaded, an ad will show. Therefore, any advertisements shown while the user is logged on-line are Universal Resource Locator (URL)-dependent. Consequently, there exists a need for Internet protocol-based advertising that does not rely on the user accessing a particular URL.
The present invention delivers interstitial media content, such as advertisements to a visual display adapted to display a user interface for use by a user, for example, a web browser. The present invention may display advertisement content positioned within a web page or may display a full screen advertisement before a new web page is presented. As an interstitial advertisement, the advertisement appears between web page requests such that when a user action requests a new page, the present invention can launch an ad before displaying the requested content. The ads are preferably non-interruptible, meaning that the user cannot fast-forward or skip the advertisement, but must allow the advertisement to run to completion before continuing to the requested web page.
A preferred method detects a web page address request and delivers advertising content to the user independently of any code associated with the requested web address. Such code may be, for example, the web page associated with the requested web address, plus any links associated within the requested web page or tied to the requested web address. In one embodiment, the invention delivers ads only after a specified time delay has elapsed, thus regulating the frequency of advertisements independent of the user's movement through the Internet protocol-based product. In another preferred embodiment, the invention delivers ads only after a specified number of web address changes have been detected.
Another preferred embodiment delivers an advertisement unrelated to whether a user makes a web page request. For example, a user interaction (e.g., via a keyboard, voice-activated device, and/or link selection) with a visual display, such as a computer, television set, or other audio-visual device may be detected and an advertisement sent to the visual display.
The present invention greatly enhances the likelihood that a user will be present to view an advertisement delivered to the visual display.
It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory only and are not restrictive of the invention, as claimed. The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate one (several) embodiment(s) of the invention and together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the invention.
Reference will now be made in detail to the present preferred embodiments (exemplary embodiments) of the invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Wherever possible, the same reference numbers will be used throughout the drawings to refer to the same or like parts.
The present invention is directed to advertising that is not reliant upon the appearance of a particular content in an Internet protocol-based format. As used herein, the term “content” is meant to include all forms of viewable electronic information including, but not limited to, advertisements, promotions, music videos, motion pictures, and television programs.
The present invention is preferably used with an Internet protocol navigation aid, for example, a web browser. In instances where web browsers are used, the present invention is applicable to both browser-based video and non-video advertisements. Advertisements may include text, video, graphics, audio, HTML, or any other type of content. Preferred advertising content includes video having a high degree of visual quality, for example only, broadcast quality video and/or video quality usually associated with feature-length movies. As used herein, the phrase “broadcast quality video” is meant to include all forms of video having a visual quality at least as good as that encountered with standard cable television access.
As shown in
As part of the check, first remote data server D determines if the ad timer has been defined in step 14. If no ad timer has been defined, then the user session profile (e.g., a database keeping track of user browser interactions) is time-stamped in step 16 and the check is continued to step 18 where it is determined whether the ad timer has elapsed. As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, various methods of time stamping are known and may be adapted to conform to a given set of system requirements. In performing this check, remote data server D compares the most recent time stamp with a predetermined value. If the time interval between the time stamp and the time at which check is performed exceeds the predetermined value, then the ad timer has elapsed. For example, if the predetermined value is 20 minutes, and the time stamp is only 18 minutes old, then the ad timer has not yet elapsed. Another preferred way for checking elapsed time is to use a 24-hour clock (which can, for example, be a system clock or the viewer's hardware clock). The time stamp could, for example, show the hour, minute, and second. A predetermined value may at that point be added to the time stamp giving a target time of day. The check would then compare actual time of day as noted on the 24-hour clock against the target time. Once the target time is reached, the ad timer has elapsed. For example, if a time stamp is stamped at 12:45 p.m., and the predetermined value is 20 minutes, then the ad timer will elapse at 1:05 p.m. A check of the ad timer might be performed at 1:30 (if, for example, the user was watching a TV episode) and the elapsed ad timer will be noted. The ad timer may be defined at the beginning of a user session (i.e., upon log-on), or sometime during the user session.
If the ad timer has not elapsed, then in step 20, remote data server D delivers the contents of the user-requested address (e.g., a URL) to the user's location and awaits the next user address request. If, however, the ad timer has elapsed, then in step 22, remote data server D saves the user-requested address.
In step 24, remote data server D delivers a web page with an embedded media player to the user address. It should be understood that the aforementioned media player may be any program capable of delivering media content. Additionally, although video is a preferred media content type, other media content types may be delivered by media players adapted to deliver the particular content type. For example, Flash™ advertisements may be delivered on a Flash™ media player. Flash™ ads do not require streaming and are typically delivered as static images. The advertisement media content type may be different than the requested content type. For example, a Flash™ media ad may be delivered before or after a requested video. In step 26, the media player's full screen video feature is activated and a full screen of ad content is streamed to the media player, preferably from a media server located at rack F (
Another exemplary preferred method of delivering a full screen of advertising while preventing or inhibiting user ability to interrupt ad delivery includes presenting the entire user interface without browser navigation buttons such that the user cannot escape when an ad is delivered. Another preferred method includes dynamically resizing and stretching the browser window such that browser buttons are positioned outside the user-accessible screen area. A further preferred method includes launching an ad in a secondary browser window that covers the original browser window. Since the secondary browser window overlays the original browser window, the user will be unable to access the original browser window until the ad has run. It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that in the aforementioned methods, suitable programming may be adapted to present the user interface without browser navigational buttons, dynamically resize and stretch the browser window, and/or launch a secondary browser window that covers the original browser window.
It should be understood, though, that the advertisement media may also be delivered to only part of the screen. Also, a single navigation function may be included on browser window containing the ad that permits the user to either view or dismiss the ad. If the user chooses to dismiss the ad before the ad has run to completion, the user may be prevented from accessing the requested address until the ad is run.
Next, after the ad is shown in step 28, the ad timer is reset in step 30 and remote data server D delivers the contents of the user-requested address to the user's location.
Some steps of the above embodiments may be performed by client software (e.g., Javascript) residing at the user's local system. For example, the client software may maintain a user session profile for stamping by the user's local system clock. The client software may also support a local ad timer. Additionally, the client software may effectuate an address change after ad delivery to cause user-requested content to be delivered to the user's visual display.
In another preferred embodiment of the invention, advertisements may be sent to a visual display in response to an interaction by the user with the user interface (e.g., tapping a key of a keyboard, clicking a mouse, voicing a command, initiating a remote control function, or other user interaction). For example, a user interacts with the user interface by tapping the space bar or other key on the keyboard to make a screen saver disappear on a personal computer. The keyboard interaction is detected by the present invention and an advertisement is sent to the visual display. The advertisements may be stored at a location apart from the visual display, or stored within the computer system associated with the visual display. Preferred methods of this embodiment include steps similar to those described in relation to
In another preferred embodiment of the present invention, an address request is detected and advertising content is delivered to the user independently of any code associated with the requested address. As used herein, the term “code” is meant to include a set of instructions for a computer including, but not limited to, source code for web sites, Javascript, and links between web pages (e.g., hypertext links). Preferably, the request will be intercepted before it reaches its intended destination address. After intercepting the request, a server may deliver advertising content to the visual display while saving the request in a temporary memory storage area. After delivery of the advertising content, the server may forward the request onto the intended address. If desired, the processor operating the server may be programmed so that the server delivers advertising content only after a selected number of address requests have been detected. Alternatively, the time elapsed since an address request was made may be measured and the server may deliver advertising content to the visual display after a selected elapsed interval of time. As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art after reading this specification, many aspects already described in relation to using a timer are also applicable in this embodiment.
The invention as herein described may include interactive ads. For example, certain areas of the ad may include a hypertext link to another web page. Additionally, instead of delivering only one URL at a time, remote data server D can deliver a single screen with more than one URL on the screen. In instances where only one URL is displayed at a time, it is understood that more than one URL may be displayed in a series of advertisements before delivering the content of the user-requested address to the user location. An example of a system and methods using interactive video content programming is described in pending U.S. application No. 60/255,541, titled “a System and Method for Interactive Video Content Programming,” the description of which is hereby incorporated by reference herein. Advertisement content delivery may take place in an environment suitable for delivering a particular advertisement. For example, advertising content may be delivered in an Internet, intranet, cable, wireless, satellite, or a digital subscriber line (DSL) medium.
In any of the above embodiments utilizing an ad timer, the timing may commence upon a user's interaction with a user interface (e.g., a graphic user interface, or a web browser), or at any portion of a user session (e.g., the entire period of time the user's computer is operating in an Internet protocol format). For example, in some applications in which upon login, a user's computer is automatically directed to a particular web page, timing may commence when the user's computer sends an automated web address request. The timing may be fixed, for example, every five minutes, or sporadic, for example, a five minute interval, followed by a two minute interval. Timing may also be selected according to the types of content to be viewed. For example, if a user is viewing movies, the ad timer may be set at higher intervals. If a user subsequently decides to view television programs or music videos, then the ad timer may be set at lower intervals within the same user session. Further, the ad timer may be selectively disabled with respect to certain types of content. For example, it may be desirable to serve advertisements to adults, but not to children. In this instance, the ad timer may be automatically disabled whenever child-oriented content is selected by the user and enabled when other content is selected.
The invention may further include an ad reporter which reports the number of times the advertisement has been delivered, and can perform statistical analyses with the data it receives for later ad content distribution decisions. The invention as disclosed herein is also applicable in audio-only settings.
In any of the above embodiments where an address request is made with the intention of requesting video content, advertising content delivery may be paused until after the requested video has been delivered to the visual display, thus creating a commercial-free video.
Other embodiments of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art from consideration of the specification and practice of the invention disclosed herein. It is intended that the specification and examples be considered as exemplary only, with a true scope and spirit of the invention being indicated by the following claims.
The present application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 09/825,758, filed Apr. 3, 2001; which claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/255,542, filed Dec. 14, 2000; all of which is incorporated herein by reference.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 60255542 | Dec 2000 | US |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | 09825758 | Apr 2001 | US |
| Child | 12321714 | US |
