Data processing: database and file management or data structures – Database design – Data structure types
Reexamination Certificate
1998-08-31
2001-07-10
Vu, Kim (Department: 2172)
Data processing: database and file management or data structures
Database design
Data structure types
C707S793000, C707S793000, C707S793000, C707S793000, C707S793000, C705S002000, C705S014270, C705S026640, C705S028000, C700S106000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06260047
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates to management of broadcast commercial inventory, and more particularly to a system and method for optimizing the sale value of remaining broadcast commercial inventory available for sale to advertisers.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Media properties include broadcast stations such as television and radio stations and other media such as cable television systems. The process by which media properties provide a rate quote to an advertiser for commercial inventory, which inventory is expressed in a units currency measured in seconds, is much different from the process used by other industries. This difference is due almost exclusively to the type and quality of information pertaining to the value of available inventory, at a particular moment in time, relative to other available inventory. Clearly, the same unit of inventory has a much different value depending upon when the inventory is required by a customer, and from a broadcast station's perspective, the likelihood that the particular unit of inventory can be sold at a later date for at least as much revenue, relative to all other remaining units for sale, and the likelihood that those units will be sold at a later date by the broadcast station.
At any particular moment, there are various quantities of inventory available by program and time segment for future sale. At the moment that a specific customer requests prices and whether inventory is available, it is important that inventory optimization take place from the station's perspective. However, the broadcast industry has, to a great extent, been confused as to the meaning of optimization. The term optimization has been used almost exclusively to define parameters from the buyer's perspective, and not the broadcast station. Usually, the buyer will instruct the station to “take my budget and make it go as far as you can, given the parameters I give you.” The remaining time inventory and its significance to the station has not been considered, because there has been no meaningful approach to provide inventory information from the broadcast station's perspective to its sales personnel.
A need has thus arisen for a process to provide information to broadcast station personnel as to the real value of remaining commercial units with respect to each other, at a particular moment in time, given the probability of sale relative to total time period availabilities. There is also a need for an inventory optimization process to determine available inventory at a particular moment in time. Such a process must provide an opportunity for broadcast station personnel to know instantly which broadcast program, days and time segments are necessary to meet a customer's request based upon the needs of the station in terms of inventory utilization. Such a process must identify the value of remaining inventory at the time of the availability request, as the inventory relates to total original capacity for each program or time segment available for sale at a designated cost efficiency parameter.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In accordance with the present invention, a method is provided for selecting a time period from an inventory of all available time periods, where each time period has a predetermined total capacity including selected and unselected time portions and an associated cost for each time period. The method includes determining the total amount of time in each time period and the total amount of unselected time in each time period, or an equivalent quantity. A calculation is made for each time period to generate an inventory utilization index (IUI) ratio based upon the total amount of time in each time period divided by the total amount of unselected time remaining in each time period. A cost range or limit is chosen for the desired time periods, and a table is prepared for time periods in the inventory within the cost range or limit ranked numerically by the inventory utilization index ratio. Such a table may be prepared by first creating a table of all time periods in the inventory ranked numerically by the inventory utilization index ratio and then revising the table by removing time periods from the inventory which are not within the desired cost range. In the alternative, the time periods may be limited to those matching the cost or other customer criteria before the ranked table is created. A time period is selected from the table based upon the ranking of the time period. Other criteria being equal, the chosen time period will preferably be the one with the lowest IUI ratio. The selected time periods are stored as containing additional selected time in the time period inventory.
The method described above may include maintaining the time period inventory as a machine-readable computer file on a storage medium and repeating the foregoing steps each time a request for time is received. The time periods may correspond to advertising time associated with media property programming. The step of selecting one or more time periods from the table may involve simply selecting a time period with the lowest IUI ratio, or selecting a time period with the lowest IUI ratio that satisfies one or more additional criteria for the time period. The step of preparing a table of time periods ranked numerically by IUI ratio may comprise ranking the time periods from lowest to highest and ranking time periods having equal inventory utilization index ratios in order of greatest remaining capacity.
According to a further aspect of the invention, a method is presented for selecting a time period corresponding to advertising time associated with media property programming from an inventory of available time periods. Each time period has a predetermined total capacity, including selected and unselected time portions, and an associated cost. The steps of this method include determining a total amount of time in each time period, a total amount of unselected time within the unselected time portions of each time period, and a cost range or limit applicable to the time periods. An IUI ratio is calculated for each time period in the inventory based upon the total amount of time in each time period divided by the total amount of unselected time portions remaining in each time period. A table of time periods for time periods in the inventory is generated, ranked numerically by the inventory utilization index ratio for each time period and including only time periods within the selected cost range or limit. One or more time periods remaining in the table are selected such that, other criteria being equal, a time period with the lowest IUI is selected, and the selected time period is stored as containing additional selected time in the time period inventory. The IUI ratios may be calculated for a single station or media property or for a group of stations, such as all of the stations owned by a common business enterprise (e.g., a parent company), or a subgroup of stations owned by a common enterprise.
In accordance with another aspect of the invention, a system is provided for selecting a time period from an inventory of available time periods, where each time period has a predetermined duration, including selected and unselected time portions and an associated cost. Such a system may comprise a computer with conventional peripheral devices including a data storage medium for storing a data base containing a total amount of time in each time period and a total amount of unselected time within the unselected time portions of each time period, as well as related information such as the identity of the purchaser.
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pa
Fox Billy Shane
Mueller Fred
Alam Shahid
Maxagrid International, Inc.
Meyers Philip G.
Philip G. Meyers Intellectual Property Law, P.C.
Vu Kim
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