Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
CA 02291426 1999-11-26
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method and system of commerce involving a
methods)
of advertising via an advanced television broadcast system.
2. Background
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commercial television system have remained relatively unchanged. From the
beginning
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to display their products and/or services during the broadcast of the networks
television
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the more money it was able to charge advertisers for showing its commercial
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television networks demanded more and more money advertisers were willing to
keep,
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received. Advertisers discovered that the system worked because in exchange
for the large
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method of a national audience of consumers, by reaching a national audience
advertisers
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gave it large group of consumers allowing it to manutacture huge amounts of
the product
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did not use television could not proceeding the television advertisers with a
benefit . This
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today.
With the advet of new technolgys computer and image processing technology tah
stasnd
to thretane the viability of the teraditibal ecenomic modle of commercail
television. the most
impoarnt change to television is coming as a result of the advent of didgital
telsvions which
is evolving from the computer and image processing technology and uses a
series of " 1" and
"0"s rather then an anlog sifanl to trasmit inofmrtaion. The advet of didgiatl
tecehnolgy has
lead to the implementaion of ssytesm such as Replay TVTM and TiVo that have
effectively
created a smart television capable of effectively enabling television viewers
to eliminate
television commercials while wtaching television porgraming. For the most part
these
systems are simply a set-top box that records television programming to a hard
disk that can
CA 02291426 1999-11-26
caphlre television programs on a storage facility as they are being broadcast
a processor
connected to the hard disc, utilainf buffer technolgy these systesm alllow a
televsion viewre
to jump forwrd or backwards therebuy bypassing televsion commmercails. As a
whole week
and or mouths television viewing schedule will soon be able be captured and
replayed a
viewer is then not watching the television signal live and with the storage
device can quickly
bypass the television commercials advertisements that disrupt their televsion
vieiwng
experince. The most serious problem these new technology pose to commercial
television
is in their ability power to enable television viewers to eliminate the
television commercial.
Tt is assumed that once it is commonly accepted by advertisers that television
viewers are
no longer viewing the television commercials advertisements that they pay to
produce and
display that advertisers will refuse to pay the ever growing amount of money
or may even
refuse to participate in television commercial advertising all together as
being to great an
expense to justify in comparison to expected returns.
It is accordingly an object of the present invention to establish a method and
system of
commerce effectuating the advertising and marketing of consumer product's
through a
system of advanced television advertising..
It is a furtehr object of the present invention to provide a system for
enabling advertisers to
advertise via a system of advanced television advertising whereby the
television commercial
advertising cannot be easily removed, avoided or eliminated by television
viewers.
It is an adaditonal object of the prssnet invention their is a method and
system of
commerce effectuating the advertising alld marketing of consumer product's
through a
system of advanced television advertising. And wherein the system comprises a
system
wherein interactive advertising images disruptive to the television viewing
session are
embedded within a television program in a manner whereby embedded images)
appear
within the visual field of a television program when viewed on an advanced
television.
In order for a viewer to remove the said images) from the visual field the
viewer is
required to interact with the images) via a viewer input device (e.g. remote
control).
Following the said viewer initiated interactive event the program containing
the
advertising image disappears from the visual field and a short advertising
session is
displayed during a latency period prior to the television re-tuning to the a
television
channel that does not contain advertising images. Once the retuning process I
completed
a viewer is then able for a predetermined period of time to view the base
television
prol,~ram uninterrupted by advertising images. The system operates via a
system where
multiple television signals are multiplexed together and transmitted to a
viewer location
via a communication network. The first multiplexed signal (Channel A) contains
a base
television program and embedded interactive advertising image(sj, the second
signal
(Channel B) is encrypted and contains an identical version of the said base
television
program no advertising images. 'l he third t:hannei (l.;hannel l: j contains
an advertising
sequence which may be interactive. When a viewer interacts with an image
displayed on
tllatltlei A decryptiotl anchor iocaiion identifvatiotl code is produced
wiliie tile
CA 02291426 1999-11-26
television seamlessly re-tunes itself to channel C a short television
commercial is
displayed before the television re-tunes itself a second time to Channel B.
During this
procedure the identity of Channel A is stored by the processor and is used to
re-tune to
Channel A when the Channel B viewing session is terminated. The primary source
of
income for the system will be from advertisers) that utilize the system in
order to
advertise and market products) and/or services(s).
3. ~LTMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In a preferred embodiment, the present invention provides a method and
apparatus for
producers, owners and distributors of television programs and other television
content
providers to replace some and/or all of the advertising revenues that they may
forgo due to
the advent of new technologies designed to enable viewers of advanced
televisions to
eliminate some and/or all of the revenue that now come from providing a venue
for
traditional television commercials advertisements that are normally broadcast
and displayed
along with a television program. These new technologies generally comprise
some from of
storage facility and processor with a television so that when the television
signal is received
by the television the television using s form of buffer technology is able to
store enough of
the program in its memory that it enable a television viewer to jump past the
commercials
display within the program effectively making the effect of the television
commercial
useless.
The present invention is a method and system of commerce effechlating the
advertising and
marketing of consumer product's through a system of advanced television
advertising. The
system comprises a system wherein interactive advertising images dismptive to
the
television viewing session are embedded within a television program in a
manner whereby
embedded image(sj appear within the visual held of a television program when
viewed on
an advanced television. In order for a viewer to remove the said images) from
the visual
field the viewer is required to interact with the images) via a viewer input
device (e.g.
remote control). Following the said viewer initiated interactive event the
program
containing the advertising image disappears ti-om the visual field and a short
advertising
session is displayed during a latency period prior to the television re-tuning
to the a
television channel that does not contain advertising images. Unce the
rentuning process I
completed a viewer is then able for a predetermined period of time to view the
base
television program uninterrupted by advertising images. The system operates
via a system
where multiple television signals are multiplexed together and transmitted to
a viewer
location via a communication network. The first multiplexed signal (Channel A
j contains
a base television program and embedded interactive advertising image(s), the
second signal
(Lhannei li j is encrypted and contains an identical version of the said base
television
program no advertising images. The third Channel (Channel C) contains an
advertising
sequence which may be interactive. vVhen a viewer interaci5 with an image
displayed on
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CA 02291426 1999-11-26
Channel A decryption and/or location identification code is produced while the
television seamlessly re-tunes itself to channel C a short television
commercial is
displayed before the television re-tunes itself a second time to Channel B.
During this
procedure the identity of Channel A is stored by the processor and is used to
re-tune to
Channel A when the Channel t3 viewing session is terminated. The primary
source of
income for the system will be from advertisers) that utilize the system in
order to
advertise and market product(sj and/or services(sj.
The present invention may/will be utilized in conjunction with a variety of
other
advanced television system(s), methods) and/or apparatus(s) including: a s y s
t a m
allowing for a means of electronic product placement within television
programs and/or
commercial advertisements, and wherein video objects contained within a
television
programs) and/or commercials) advertisements) are made user selectable and
further
processable via encoded data and/or a world wide network arrangement; a system
requiring viewer input and/or participation within the context of a television
commercial
advertisements) (e.g. answer a trivia question, pick your favorite color of
carpet, etc.)
and wherein a viewer may/will be required to comply with the parameter(s;) and
guidelines) of a television commercial video session which may/will require
interactive
input participation actions) to be completed by a viewer in order tbr the said
viewer to
be permitted to view all of and/or a portion of a television commercial
advertisement;
a television commercial advertisements ) viewer rewards program; a v i a w a r
consumer profile information rewards program; a system for user selectable and
processable secondary display images placed within other television broadcast
program(s); a system rewarding electronic coupon(s); and a n y o t h a r s y s
t a m t h a t
mayiwill be utilized with the present invention.
While the invention has been described with reference to the preferred
embodiment
thereof, it will be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art that
various
modifications ca.n be made to the stmcture and timction of individual parts of
the system
without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as a whole.
