Interactive video distribution systems – Program – message – or commercial insertion or substitution – Based on demographics or geographical area
Reexamination Certificate
1998-04-03
2002-10-08
Grant, Chris (Department: 2611)
Interactive video distribution systems
Program, message, or commercial insertion or substitution
Based on demographics or geographical area
C725S009000, C725S116000, C725S134000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06463585
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD
The invention relates to television entertainment systems for providing television programming to consumer homes. More particularly, the invention relates to a method and apparatus for targeting advertisements to consumer's homes including monitoring, controlling and managing a television program delivery network from an operations center or a cable headend.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Advances in television entertainment have been primarily driven by breakthroughs in technology. In 1939, advances on Vladmir Zworykin's picture tube provided the stimulus for NBC to begin its first regular broadcasts. In 1975, advances in satellite technology provided consumers with increased programming to homes.
Many of these technology breakthroughs have produced inconvenient systems for consumers. One example is the ubiquitous three remote control home, having a separate and unique remote control for the TV, cable box and VCR. More recently, technology has provided cable users in certain parts of the country with 100 channels of programming. This increased program capacity is beyond the ability of many consumers to use effectively. No method of managing the program choices has been provided to consumers.
Consumers are demanding that future advances in television entertainment, particularly programs and program choices, be presented to the consumer in a user friendly manner. Consumer preferences, instead of technological breakthroughs, will drive the television entertainment market for at least the next 20 years. As computer vendors have experienced a switch from marketing new technology in computer hardware to marketing better usability, interfaces and service, the television entertainment industry will also experience a switch from new technology driving the market to consumer usability driving the market.
Consumers want products incorporating new technology that are useful, and will no longer purchase new technology for the sake of novelty or status. Technological advances in sophisticated hardware are beginning to surpass the capability of the average consumer to use the new technology. Careful engineering must be done to make entertainment products incorporating new technology useful and desired by consumers.
In order for new television entertainment products to be successful, the products must satisfy consumer demands. TV consumers wish to go from limited viewing choices to a variety of choices, from no control of programming to complete control. Consumers wish to advance from cumbersome and inconvenient television to easy and convenient television and keep costs down. Consumers do not wish to pay for one hundred channels when due to lack of programming information, they seldom, if ever, watch programming on many of these channels. Viewers wish their programming to be customized and targeted to their needs and tastes.
The concepts of interactive television, high definition television and 300 channel cable systems in consumer homes will not sell if they are not packaged, delivered and presented in a useable fashion to consumers. Consumers are already being bombarded with programming options, numerous “free” cable channels, subscription cable channels and pay-per-view choices. Any further increase in TV entertainment choices, without a user friendly presentation and approach, will likely bewilder viewers with a mind-numbing array of choices.
The TV industry has traditionally marketed and sold its programs to consumers in bulk, such as continuous feed broadcast and long-term subscriptions to movie channels. The TV industry is unable to sell its programming in large quantities on a unit per unit basis, such as the ordering of one program. Consumers prefer a unit sales approach because it keeps costs down and allows the consumer to be more selective in their viewing.
In today's television world, networks manage the program lineup for individual channels. Each network analyzes ratings for television shows and determines the appropriate schedule or program lineup to gain market share and revenue from advertising. Program ratings are determined using a test group of viewers and statistical analysis methods. Since each channel is in competition with every other channel, there is no coordinated effort to organize television programming in a manner that primarily suits the viewers.
Advertising has become equally annoying, with viewers being “forced” to watch television commercials for goods and services that are neither needed nor desired. As a result, consumers have become impatient and dissatisfied with today's television delivery systems. Equally problematic, these television delivery systems do not have the capabilities or features necessary to operate in the digital environment. Consequently, advances in digital technology call for a new television program delivery system that is capable of satisfying varying consumer and viewer needs.
Advertisers want to optimize their advertising expenditures by ensuring that specific advertisements are directed to the appropriate audiences. Specifically, advertisers want specific advertisements to air during television programming that is being viewed by those individuals most likely to be influenced to buy the advertised product, or otherwise respond in a desired fashion to the advertisement.
Existing cable headends are unequipped for the transition to a digital system. These cable headends have no means for monitoring and controlling the large numbers of program signals and advertisements that will eventually be passed on to both consumers and viewers. These cable headends are unequipped to manage account and billing information for set top terminals without relying on telephone lines. In addition, these cable headends have no means for targeting advertisements to particular consumers and viewers.
SUMMARY OF INVENTION
The present invention is a system and a method for delivering targeted advertisements in a television network. In particular, a program controller, or central processing unit, monitors and controls television terminals in a television delivery system. The program controller is a key component of a digital television delivery system. The program controller of the present invention provides much greater capability and flexibility than existing television network controllers such as cable headend control equipment.
The program controller of a preferred embodiment performs all its network monitoring and control of television terminals at a central operations center. The operations center receives analog and digital program signals and processes the signals to produce digitally compressed program signals that are then relayed to intermediate sites such as cable headend sites or are transmitted directly to the television terminals. Each cable headend site is equipped with multiple satellite receiver dishes and a signal processor.
The primary function of the program controller is to manage the configuration of television terminals, control the broadcast of program signals to the television terminals and process signals received from the television terminals. In the preferred embodiment, the program controller monitors, among other things, automatic poll-back responses from the television terminals remotely located at each subscribers' home. The polling and automatic report-back cycle occurs frequently enough to allow the program controller to maintain accurate account and billing information, retrieve programs watched data and monitor authorized channel access.
In the one embodiment, information sent from the program controller is stored in RAM within each subscriber's television terminal and will be retrieved only upon polling by the program controller. Retrieval may, for example, occur on a daily, weekly or monthly basis. The program controller allows the television delivery system to maintain complete information on all programs watched using a particular television terminal. The program controller may also send program data to the television terminal for temporary storage. Thus, the television ter
Asmussen Michael L.
Bonner Alfred E.
Hendricks John S.
McCoskey John S.
Discovery Communications, Inc.
Dorsey & Whitney LLP
Grant Chris
LandOfFree
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