Computer graphics processing and selective visual display system – Display driving control circuitry – Controlling the condition of display elements
Utility Patent
1998-12-14
2001-01-02
Grant, Chris (Department: 2711)
Computer graphics processing and selective visual display system
Display driving control circuitry
Controlling the condition of display elements
C348S086000, C348S014160, C455S001000
Utility Patent
active
06169542
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates generally to the effective delivery of advertising. More specifically, the present invention relates to delivering advertising through an interactive video distribution system.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The communications industry, such as television, radio, written periodicals, and so forth, uses advertising as a means for informing or teaching consumers of a particular subject matter. An advertisement may be a paid announcement of goods or services for sale, a public notice, or any other such mechanism for informing the general public of a particular subject matter.
In addition to informing consumers, paid advertisements generate income for the communications provider. This income is used to produce the television or radio programs, the periodicals, and so forth, so as to offset the cost of the communication media to the consumer. In order for advertising to be effective, however, the advertisement should reach a large number of people and the advertisement should include information that is easy to recall.
In the television industry, an advertisement is a full-motion or still image video segment which is inserted into the video programming. The video segment is typically short, for example thirty to sixty seconds. Unfortunately, it is often difficult for an advertiser to provide detailed information regarding the product, service, or public notice during such a short time period.
One potential solution for providing detailed information is to increase the duration of the advertisement. Unfortunately, the block of time, or airtime, sold by a television station to an advertiser is costly, rendering it cost prohibitive for advertisers to broadcast longer duration advertisements. Moreover, viewers are likely to become impatient with long advertisements and change the television to a different television channel. This is particularly true if a viewer is not interested in the advertised product, service, or public notice.
Since airtime is limited, advertisers conventionally provide supplementary advertising information, such as a telephone number, mailing address, or an Internet web site address so that viewers may obtain additional information at a later time. In order to retain this supplementary advertising information, a viewer must quickly commit the information to memory during the conventional thirty or sixty second video segment. Alternatively, the viewer may be compelled to search for a paper and pen in order to write down the supplementary information. Unfortunately, the supplementary information may not be accurately committed to memory or recorded. In other words, a conventional television advertisement may not effectively provide information to the viewer because the viewer cannot successfully remember or record the supplementary advertising information.
A conventional advertisement is in a short duration linear programming format. In other words the content sequence is predetermined and does not vary in response to user input. Thus, there is no way for the viewer to review the advertisement for any missed information once the advertisement is over. Accordingly, an advertiser may broadcast the advertisement several times during a television program so that viewers can obtain all of the supplementary advertising information in subsequent broadcasts of the advertisement. Repeatedly broadcasting the same advertisement undesirably drives up the costs associated with advertising. The advertising budget is typically indirectly paid for by the consumer through the purchase cost of the product or service. Thus, repeatedly broadcasting the same advertisement undesirably drives up the cost of the product or service for the consumer.
When the telephone number, advertiser address, or the Internet web site address is successfully remembered or recorded, it is necessary for the viewer to undertake later communication with the advertiser if the viewer is interested in learning more about the advertised product, service, or public notice. For example, following the advertisement, the viewer may call the advertiser over a conventional telephone line, send a letter to the advertiser using conventional mail delivery, or access the advertiser's web site through a computer system. Unfortunately, this later action is inconvenient to the viewer, and the viewer may be less likely to perform this subsequent action.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, it is an advantage of the present invention that a method and system are provided for effectively delivering advertising to viewers.
Another advantage of the present invention is a method and system are provided for conveniently providing supplementary advertising information to a viewer.
Yet another advantage of the present invention is that a method and system are provided for obtaining supplementary advertising information through a viewer's television in connection with interactive video programming.
The above and other advantages of the present invention are carried out in one form by a method of delivering advertising through a head end facility of an interactive video distribution system. The method calls for transmitting an advertisement to an interactive video subscriber unit in connection with an interactive video program and receiving, at the head end facility over a return path, a request to register the advertisement in a menu. The method further calls for generating an entry for the advertisement in the menu, communicating to the subscriber unit, the menu in a video still image, and obtaining, at the head end facility over the return path, a selection request for the entry. In response to the selection request, the method then calls for providing to the subscriber unit supplementary advertising information associated with the advertisement.
The above and other advantages of the present invention are carried out in another form by an interactive video distribution system which includes a plurality of interactive video subscriber units and a head end facility configured to transmit an advertisement in connection with an interactive video program and receive a request from one of the subscriber units to register the advertisement in a menu. A video distribution medium is coupled between the head end facility and the interactive video subscriber units. The video distribution medium is configured to convey the advertisement to each of the interactive video subscriber units on a forward path and convey the request from the one of the subscriber units to the head end facility on a return path.
REFERENCES:
patent: 5600364 (1997-02-01), Hendricks et al.
patent: 5761648 (1998-06-01), Golden et al.
patent: 5940073 (1999-08-01), Klosterman et al.
patent: 5977962 (1999-11-01), Chapman et al.
Boggs Melissa A.
Hooks Darryl C.
Lunsford M. Shannon
Witoszynski James A.
Grant Chris
GTE Main Street Incorporated
Suchyta Leonard Charles
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