Targeted television advertising based on online behaviorThe application is a divisional application of an application with the application date of 2008/28 and the application number of 200880020474.5, and the name of the application is 'oriented television advertisement based on online behaviors'.
Background
The field of the invention relates to online access and targeted delivery of advertisements. In particular, television advertisements are targeted based on observed online (i.e., internet) behavior of television viewers without the use of personally identifiable information.
Some of the terms used in this disclosure or the appended claims are defined as follows:
television provider (TVP) -an entity that provides television services to subscribers or users over any suitable transmission medium, including but not limited to coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, network cable, telephone line, satellite transmission, or VHF or UHF transmission.
Internet service provider (ISP; equivalent to an online access provider) -an entity that provides online access to subscribers or users over any suitable transmission medium, including but not limited to coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, network cable, telephone line, satellite transmission, wireless transmission (e.g., WiMax, WiFi, other IEEE802 wireless protocols, etc.), or VHF or UHF transmission. Online access enables users to access the internet and its myriad web sites, or any future network successor (successor) to the internet.
Set-top box (STB) -a device that connects a television and a signal source. The STB receives an input signal, extracts content from the received signal, and transmits the extracted content to the television for display to a viewer. The signal source may be a computer network cable (e.g., an ethernet or other transmission speed cable), a satellite dish, a coaxial cable connected to a cable television system, a telephone line or Digital Subscriber Line (DSL), a wireless network connection, an antenna (VHF, UHF, digital, and others), or another suitable signal source. Content may include, but is not limited to, video (which also typically includes an audio portion), audio, internet web pages, interactive games, or other content. The STB may or may not contain a dedicated television tuner. Despite its name, the STB need not be physically located on top of the television. In current technology, the STB is typically physically located next to the television, such as in a media cabinet or similar item, but it is not necessary at all to locate the STB near the television. It is also not necessary that the STB be exactly a box. Rather, the STB may be implemented, for example, as a circuit board, integrated circuit, group of integrated circuits, or software that is physically incorporated with another "box" having still other functions, such as a television, cable or other connection, computer, or building equipment or junction box, or not housed in any "box" at all.
Digital video recorder (DVR, optionally a personal video recorder or PVR) -a device that stores video content in a digitally encoded format on a digital storage medium, such as a hard disk, and is capable of playing back the stored content. A DVR may comprise a stand-alone unit that is connected to a television, a set-top box, or a signal source, or the DVR may comprise software that programs a computer to perform DVR storage and playback functions.
Video On Demand (VOD) -a system that allows a user to select and view video content transmitted from a signal source in response to a request from the user. Generally, the requested video content can be viewed at a time of the user's own choosing and can be paused, rewound, or fast forwarded as desired by the user. The VOD system may "stream" the content (enabling viewing of portions of the requested item of video content while still transmitting other portions from the signal source), or the VOD system may "download" the content and allow viewing only after the entire item has been transmitted from the signal source. Some VOD systems allow users to select and view video content over a network as part of an interactive television system.
Interactive television (interactive TV, iTV, idTV or iTV) -any television system that enables a viewer to interact with video content sent to a television. Interactive television may include, but is not limited to: access to websites, email and online chat, online commerce or enhanced graphics (relative to standard television services) through television "cross-links".
Internet Protocol Television (IPTV) -a system that uses Internet Protocol (IP) to deliver television content over a computer network. For residential users, IPTV is typically provided in conjunction with video-on-demand, and may also be bundled with internet services such as internet access and voice over IP (VoIP). The business bundle of IPTV, VoIP and internet access is sometimes referred to in the industry as "triple play". Additional telecommunications services (e.g., mobile voice or data services) may also be added, resulting in "quad play", and so on. IPTV is typically provided by broadband service providers using closed network infrastructure. IPTV may also be provided over the internet or other publicly accessible computer network, in which case it may be referred to as internet television or television on the internet. IPTV may also be used to send video or other content over a corporate local area network or other commercial network.
Online user interface device-any user interface device used to access a remote network, such as the internet, including but not limited to a cellular or mobile handset, a Personal Digital Assistant (PDA), or a networked computer (desktop, workstation, notebook, laptop, or other).
Presence access device-any device used to connect a presence user interface device to a remote network, such as the internet, including, but not limited to, a modem, a wired or wireless router, a wireless access point, a wired network adapter (e.g., an ethernet adapter), a wireless network adapter (e.g., IEEE802.11, ED-VO, EDGE, HSPA, CDMA, GSM, or others), or a fiber optic cable-based network adapter (e.g., a network interface unit or a fiber optic network terminal). Different types of online access devices can, and sometimes are, combined into one unit (e.g., a modem that also serves as a router for a local area network). The online user interface device and the online access device may, and sometimes are, combined into one unit (e.g., a computer with a built-in ethernet adapter, wireless adapter, or modem).
Router-any device that acts as a relay between networks, buffering and transmitting data between or among them. For example, a router may be used to connect a Local Area Network (LAN) to the internet, thereby enabling online user interface devices connected to the LAN to share connectivity with the internet through the router. The router receives data from devices on the local area network and sends it to the internet directed to its respective destination, and receives data from the internet and directs it to respective devices on the local area network.
Modem-a device that enables online access by a user by acting as an interface between the online access provider's network transmission system and the user's computer or other online user interface device. Modems vary depending on the type of provider network transmission system. Unless a specific type of modem is specified, the term "modem" shall include a telephone modem, a cable modem, a DSL modem, a wireless modem, a satellite modem, or a modem that provides online access to any other suitable network transmission system.
Cable modem-a modem that enables digital data transmission over a cable television infrastructure. Cable modems are primarily used to deliver broadband internet access using modulation frequencies not used for traditional television transmission.
Asymmetric digital subscriber line (ADSL, or often DSL) -a data communication technology that enables faster data transmission over copper telephone lines than traditional modems can provide. ADSL data transmission uses frequencies that are not normally used for voice transmission-frequencies that are typically outside the normal human hearing range (above about 20 kilohertz). Propagation of such high frequency signals over standard copper telephone lines is typically poor, generally limiting the use of DSL to distances of less than about 5 kilometers. Once the signal reaches the telephone company's nearest Central Office (CO), the ADSL signal is purged and routed into the conventional data network, while any voice frequency signals are routed into the conventional telephone network. This arrangement enables a single telephone line to be used for both data transmission and telephone calls.
DSL modems-ADSL transceivers, also known as ADSL modems, are used to connect one or more computers to a telephone line to use ADSL services. The DSL modem may also be referred to as a remote ADSL termination unit (ATU-R). The ADSL modem can also be configured to act as a router that manages connections to and shares ADSL services with multiple computers or other networked devices. Such a combined device may be referred to as a DSL modem/router or similar terminology.
Digital Subscriber Line Access Multiplexer (DSLAM) -a device that enables high-speed connections between telephone lines and computer networks, such as the internet. It is usually located at the Central Office (CO) of a telephone company and connects a number of Digital Subscriber Lines (DSLs) to a computer network, usually the internet, using a suitable multiplexing technique.
Cable Modem Termination System (CMTS) -equipment typically found at the head end of a cable company that is used to provide data communications over the cable infrastructure, thereby enabling the cable company to provide services such as broadband Internet access or VoIP to its subscribers. To provide high-speed data services (i.e., broadband access), cable companies typically connect their head-ends to the internet using high-capacity data links, either directly or through network service providers. On the head-end subscriber side, the CMTS enables data communication with each subscriber's cable modem. Various CMTSs can serve different cable modem population sizes, which can range from 4,000 cable modems to 150,000 or more. A given cable company's head-end may have only a few, twelve (doze), or more CMTSs depending on the size of the cable modem population being serviced by the head-end.
Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) -a system that automatically assigns internet protocol addresses (IP addresses), subnet masks, default routers, and other IP parameters that are needed to route data transmissions to or from a particular device connected to a network correctly. Allocation typically occurs when a DHCP-configured computer, modem, router, or other device initiates or restores connectivity to the network. The DHCP client (i.e., DHCP software residing in the computer) sends out a query requesting a response from a DHCP server in the network. The query is typically initiated immediately after startup and before the client initiates any IP-based communication with other hosts. The DHCP server then replies to the client with its assigned IP address, subnet mask, Domain Name Server (DNS) and default gateway information (called "stateful" assignment). The assignment of IP addresses typically terminates after a predetermined period of time, at which point the DHCP client and server renegotiate a new IP address from a predetermined pool of IP addresses from the DHCP server. Because under DHCP conditions, the IP address of a given computer changes over time, various network-related functions are more difficult. For example, configuring firewall rules to allow access to or from a machine that receives its IP address through DHCP can be more complicated because IP addresses change from time to time. Typically a network administrator must be able to access the entire remote DHCP subnet of a particular TCP/UDP port. Such complexity also arises in other situations. Many residential routers and firewalls are configured in the factory to act as DHCP servers for the home network. The computer may also act as a DHCP server. Internet Service Providers (ISPs) typically use DHCP to assign individual IP addresses to subscribers. DHCPv6, which is a dynamic host configuration protocol for internet protocol version 6(IPv6), enables local generation of IP addresses (i.e., "stateless" allocation). While this automatic configuration of stateless addresses for IPv6 virtually eliminates the main motivation for DHCP in IPv4, DHCPv6 may still be used to statefully assign addresses if needed or desired by a network administrator. DCHPv6 may also be used to publish information that is not discoverable in other ways, such as by a domain name server.
Behavioral targeting-the delivery of specific advertisements to a user, which are selected based on the user's activity, typically the most recent activity, including but not limited to: online searching by a user; content accessed by a user online or on a television; online advertisements viewed, clicked on, or otherwise accessed by the user; online shopping or purchases made by the user; as well as any other form of prior user activity.
Central Ad Server (CAS) -a computer server that manages the delivery of online advertisements to visitors of an online site. The local ad server may typically be run by a single online publisher to serve ads to visitors to the website of the publisher's internet domain, or by a single advertiser to serve ads in the ad space obtained by the advertiser on various other websites. Third party or remote ad servers are typically remotely located and send individual advertisers' ads to visitors to multiple domains of web sites owned by multiple publishers. The remote advertising server acts as a central channel for delivering advertisements, enabling advertisers and publishers to track the distribution of their online advertisements and control the circulation and distribution of their advertisements throughout the internet from one location. These ads may be stored on the CAS for later delivery, may be transferred to and then delivered from the CAS upon receipt of an ad request, or may be delivered from other sources in response to an ad request received and routed by the CAS. Examples of third party ad servers include the DART of Doubleclick for publisher central ad servers (also known as DFPs) and the DART of Doubleclick for advertiser central ad servers (also known as DFAs).
Profile provider-an entity that collects profile information for targeted advertisements. In the context herein, a profile provider cooperates with a CAS, which receives all or part of the collected profile information from the profile provider for use in targeting television advertisements. The user profile information derived from online activity may include observed online behavior of users accessing the internet or demographic information collected from users accessing the internet. Examples of profile providers may include, but are not limited to, any entity that owns or uses: (1) an accessed internet site server; (2) a server that sends content, images, audio, video, text, or any combination directed to an online user interface device (such as a computer or other online interface device) directly or indirectly (e.g., by changing direction) through an online access device (such as a modem or router); (3) a server for transmitting advertisements to the online user interface device through the online access device on behalf of the advertiser or the advertising network; (4) a server that logs activities performed from the online user interface device (e.g., clicking on or links to advertisements, viewing advertisements, clicking on links to specific content, searching, requests for product information, receiving specific content, product purchases, telephone calls made, or any other selected and definable user activity); or (5) a server that facilitates instant messaging or any other type of communication for a user. Another example of a profile provider is: (6) companies that launch and access computer programs, such as browser toolbar or desktop search software, located on the user's computer or other online user interface device that can observe the user's online activity (subject to user permissions). In general terms, the profile provider may be: (7) any entity capable of collecting behavioral profiles (observed online behavior) or demographic profiles (provided by the user) is preferably intended herein to include the IP address used when the profile was observed or collected and the date and time the profile was observed and collected, regardless of whether the entity directly collected a given profile through contact with the user's computer or indirectly collected a given profile from another entity, such as the entities listed in this paragraph. In some cases, the user's online activity will result in a direct contact between the online user interface device and the profile provider through the online access device, e.g., if the profile provider is an online commerce site where the user makes purchases and the online commerce site generates the user's profile. In other cases, there may be no direct contact between the profile provider and the user, for example, if the user makes a purchase on an online commerce website, which in turn reports information about the user to the profile provider. Further, in some cases, the profile provider may own or otherwise control the CAS, in which case the user profile may be immediately available to the CAS without requiring transmission between separate entities.
The profile or portion of the profile provided by the profile provider to the CAS may include any amount of profile information, such as, in one example, just the online access IP address used by someone when their profile was collected and the identity of the profile provider. When the user engages in any online activity or provides a piece of demographic information, the IP address may be provided by the profile provider itself or may be obtained by the CAS and redirected to the CAS by the profile provider. In another example, the profile may be more extensive and may include demographic or behavioral information, such as extensive browsing history, shopping or purchase history, content viewed, and other information about the user's characteristics or user activity. Although the profile provider is an entity, many or most of the actions attributed to the profile provider are actually performed by devices under the administrative control of the profile provider, such as computers, servers, software running on such computers or servers, network connection hardware or software, or other devices. Such actions, whether performed automatically, semi-automatically, or manually, may still be referred to as being performed "by the profile provider".
Personally Identifiable Information (PII) -information that can be used to identify a particular person, including but not limited to: name, Social Security Number (SSN), date of birth, street address, email address, static IP address (if any), telephone number (home, work, wireless phone), financial account number (bank account, credit card account, or any other financial information), driver's license number, vehicle registration number, vehicle license number, facial photograph, fingerprint, handwriting or signature, or any other information that may assist in identifying a particular person.
Non-personally identifiable information (non-PII) -information about a person that is not normally used to specifically identify the person, including but not limited to: city, state, or country of residence, age, gender, race, ethnicity, school or workplace (if large enough), wage or income, hobbies, dynamically assigned IP address, online sites visited, online searches conducted, or other information that is useful for knowing about a person, but does not by itself allow a person who knows the information to identify this particular person.
Cookie-A text file that is placed on the user's computer by the server and also provides content to the user's computer using browser software. Cookies can typically only be read or changed by servers operating under the same internet domain as the server that originally placed the Cookie. The Cookie file can be used to identify computers that have been associated with the same domain and can also be used to store PII and non-PII information about the user of the computer. In a first example, the cookie may store non-PII, such as previous searches by the computer user at the web site, or web pages browsed or visited at the web site. In a second example, cookies may be used to store different pieces of username, customized preferences of a user, or PII used when a user accesses a website. It should be noted that the cookie file may also be created, modified or deleted by software located on the user's computer.
Television advertisement (TV ad) -a full screen video advertisement, a partial screen video advertisement, a banner advertisement, a text advertisement, an audio advertisement, or any other form of advertisement suitable for transmission to and visual and audible presentation by a television set.
Various systems are currently used to target advertisements based on user/viewer/customer behavior. Many of these rely on the collection of Personally Identifiable Information (PII) to effect the association of the person, showing the behavior and advertising targeted for the person. There are some examples where ads can be targeted without collecting PII, but in such examples, it is very typical that the media of the behavior is the same as the media of the ad. For example, many grocery stores distribute so-called "club cards" that do not need to be associated with PII. At checkout, the shopper presents the card for various discounts, allowing the store to associate a list of purchased items with the card. When the system "learns" the shopper's purchasing habits, the system begins to dispatch coupons that target purchases the shopper has made before or that the system predicts the shopper may wish to make based on past purchases. In another example, online advertising is easily targeted based on online activities of internet users without using PII. The use of cookies enables an ad server to identify internet site visitors who have previously been shown ads by the ad server or who have searched and visited on a site linked to the ad server. Based on previous campaigns, the ad server may target future ads to web site visitors. A user who has searched for airline tickets to south california on an online travel site, for example, may later receive a targeted online advertisement for disneyland that may be sent to the user's computer from an advertisement server that collects the user's search information from the online travel site when the user visits other online sites.
Avoiding the use of PII becomes more difficult when one wants to target advertisements in one media based on activity in another media. Various schemes are currently implemented, under development, or under consideration, in which PII is used, for example, to target television advertisements based on the online behavior of the viewer. Some of these solutions involve agreements or alliances among television providers, online access providers, online search portals, or online web sites. Because different devices are typically used to access each different medium, PII is typically required to establish a connection between the different media.
One significant drawback in many such cross-media ad targeting systems is: PII needs to be used to target advertisements sent in one media based on user behavior in another media. Battelle (John Battelle, The Search, Portfolio, new york, 2005) describes sending personalized advertisements to a DVR based on his or her observed online behavior (conducted searches, website browsing, etc., including PII) when The DVR user uses a personal computer for online access, and further describes financially rewarding The user viewing The advertisements (e.g., by reducing television service fees or providing "free" television services). However, many consumers object to incorporating or associating personally identifiable information with online behavior. Financial incentives such as free or reduced fee games, screensavers, content, or internet access in return for information useful for targeted advertising that requires the collection and use of PII and data regarding online behavior have in the past proven unattractive to the public. This combination of PII and online behavior data has proven to be particularly unattractive to higher revenue consumers who are particularly interested in being influenced by advertisers.
An example of a cross-media ad targeting system that is planned to be implemented as a result of the announced alliance between Google and BSkyB is a system in which BSkyB can deliver targeted ads to the DVRs of those same users using searches that their users make on a BSkyB internet search portal. BskyB already has PII about its television users, so correlating search results from its own search portal may not be too alarming to its users. Nevertheless, PII still requires targeted television advertising. However, many and perhaps most search sites or content sites accessed online are not owned or controlled by the television service provider. Furthermore, many and perhaps most search sites and content sites typically do not collect PII to identify those users who have online access to them.
It is therefore desirable to provide systems and methods for delivering targeted television advertisements to a user or viewer in accordance with his or her online behavior (searches performed, websites browsed, online advertisements viewed, etc.), but without the use of PII to correlate the television viewer to his or her online behavior.
Summary of The Invention
In a method of delivering targeted television advertisements based on online behavior, an IP address indicative of an online access device and an IP address indicative of a television set-top box are electronically associated for a plurality of users. Using user profile information derived from online activity from one of the online access IP addresses, a television advertisement is selected, for example, using behavioral targeting or demographic information, and automatically directed to the set-top box indicated by the set-top box IP address associated with the online access IP address. Preferably, neither the user profile information nor the electronic association of online access with the set-top box IP address includes personally identifiable information.
The invention provides a computer-implemented method, comprising:
(a) electronically associating an online access IP address with the received set-top box IP address for each of a plurality of users; and
(b) using user profile information obtained from online activity from a first online access IP address to automatically cause a first television advertisement to be directed to a set-top box indicated by a set-top box IP address associated with the first online access IP address.
In the method provided by the present invention, neither the user profile information in item (b) nor the association between the first online access IP address and its associated set-top box IP address may include personally identifiable information.
The method (i) may further comprise using user profile information obtained from online activity from a second online access IP address to automatically cause a second television advertisement to be directed to a set-top box indicated by a set-top box IP address associated with the second online access IP address; (ii) which of the television advertisements is sent to which of the set-top boxes may depend on the difference between the online activities from the first online access IP address and the second online access IP address, respectively.
(ii) neither the user profile information in item (i) nor the association between the second online access IP address and its associated set-top box IP address may include personally identifiable information.
The method may further include storing an electronic association between the online access IP address and the received set-top box IP address.
The online activity may include requesting a search.
The first television advertisement may be directed to the set-top box when first contacted by the set-top box after the user profile information is obtained.
The first television advertisement may be selected from a plurality of possible television advertisements based on the user profile information obtained from the online activity from the first online access IP address.
The first television advertisement may be selected based at least in part on demographic or behavioral attributes included in the user profile information.
The first television advertisement may be selected based at least in part on television content viewed at the set top box displaying the first television advertisement.
The online access IP address and the set-top box IP address may both be obtained from a service provider that may provide online access and television services to each of the plurality of users.
The association of the online access IP address and set-top box IP address for each user may be based on at least one pseudonym assigned to the user's associated IP address.
(a) The entry may include an act of storing the online access IP address and the set-top box IP address, and the method may further include updating at least one of the received online access IP addresses or at least one of the received set-top box addresses.
The association of the online access IP address and set-top box IP address for each user may be based on a common IP address to which network traffic may be routed for both the user's set-top box and the online access device.
The public IP address may be an IP address dynamically assigned to a modem or router used by the user for online access and connected to the user's set-top box.
The method can also comprise the following steps: (i) receiving an identifier corresponding to the set top box of the user; and (ii) causing the television advertisement to be transmitted only when directed to the set-top box corresponding to the identifier.
(a) The entry may include an act of storing the public IP address, and the method may further include updating the public IP address of the user.
(a) The method may further comprise the act of storing said public IP address, and said method may further comprise periodically updating said user's public online access IP address and set-top box IP address.
(i) The user profile information in item (b) may include an online access IP address corresponding to a particular online activity and a list of times and dates corresponding to each of the online activities; and
(ii) the television advertisement may be directed to a set top box of one of the users only if the listed online access IP addresses corresponding to the particular online activity and the respective date and time of the online activity match the public IP address assigned to the user and the date and time corresponding thereto.
(a) An entry may include an act of storing the public IP address and a date and time corresponding thereto, and the method may further include periodically updating (i) the public IP address and a date and time corresponding thereto, or (ii) a list of online access IP addresses corresponding to particular online activities and times and dates corresponding to each of the online activities.
The first television advertisement may be received at a central advertisement server and may be directed to the set-top box.
(b) An entry may include an instruction to a profile provider, an online website, or an advertisement server to direct the first television advertisement to the set-top box.
(b) An entry may include issuing an instruction to the set-top box to retrieve the first television advertisement from a profile provider, from an online website, or from a central advertisement server.
The first television advertisement may be caused to be directed only in response to a request for an advertisement from the user's set-top box.
The first television advertisement may be directed without a request for an advertisement from the user's set-top box.
The online access IP address for each user may be an IP address associated with a modem or router used by the user for online access.
Only advertisements that meet the criteria selected by each user may be directed to the set-top box of that user.
The method may further include receiving a revenue amount as a result of directing the advertisement.
The method may further comprise paying a revenue amount to a profile provider as a result of using the user profile information in item (b).
The present invention additionally provides a computer-implemented method comprising:
electronically transmitting user profile information obtained from online activity from a first online access IP address to a server electronically associating a plurality of online access IP addresses with IP addresses indicating corresponding television set-top boxes, as a result of which a first selected television advertisement can be directed to a set-top box indicated by the set-top box IP address associated with the first online access IP address.
The invention additionally provides a method wherein neither the user profile information nor the association between the first online access IP address and its associated set-top box IP address includes personally identifiable information.
The method may further include electronically sending user profile information obtained from online activity from a second online access IP address to the server, as a result of which a second television advertisement different from the first television advertisement can be directed to a set-top box indicated by the set-top box IP address associated with the second online access IP address, wherein which television advertisement is sent to which set-top box may depend on a difference in the online activity from the first online access IP address and the second online access IP address, respectively.
Neither the user profile information obtained from the online activity from the second online access IP address nor the association between the second online access IP address and its associated set-top box IP address may include personally identifiable information.
The method may also include receiving an amount of revenue from an owner of the server as a result of the act of electronically transmitting.
The method may further comprise receiving an amount of revenue as a result of the act of electronically transmitting, wherein the amount of revenue is receivable in response to each instance of revenue generated as a result of displaying the selected television advertisement on the set top box associated with the first online access IP address.
The method may also include electronically identifying the first television advertisement for subsequent targeting to the set-top box.
The first television advertisement may be selected based at least in part on a particular search request, which may be from the online access IP address.
The first television advertisement may be selected based at least in part on demographic or behavioral attributes included in the obtained user profile information.
The method may further include receiving an amount of revenue from a provider of the television advertisement as a result of the electronic transmission of the user profile information.
The revenue amount may be received from advertisers who have contracted to display television advertisements to people having the characteristics contained in the user profile information.
The method may also include electronically transmitting the first television advertisement to the server for subsequent targeting to the set-top box.
The method may further include directing the television advertisement to the set-top box in response to instructions received from the server.
(i) The step of electronically transmitting user profile information may comprise transmitting a first user online access IP address.
The present invention also provides a computer-implemented method for operating an internet website, the method comprising:
electronically transmitting user profile information obtained from online activity on the internet website from a first online access IP address as a result of: (a) a server electronically associating a plurality of online access IP addresses with IP addresses indicative of respective television set-top boxes causes selected television advertisements to be directed to the set-top box indicated by the set-top box IP address associated with the first online access IP address, and (b) an amount of revenue is received.
The method provided by the present invention wherein said user profile information obtained from said online activity from said first online access IP address may not include personally identifiable information.
The user profile information obtained from the online activity may include an indication of a search request from the first online access IP address.
The user profile information obtained from the online activity may include demographic attributes collected from the first online access IP address through the internet website.
(i) The step of electronically transmitting user profile information obtained from the online activity may include transmitting a first user online access IP address; (ii) the selection of the television advertisement sent to the STB associated with the first user online access IP address may be performed by an online website; and (iii) the selection of television advertisements may be based on user profile information that is not sent by the website.
The step of electronically transmitting user profile information obtained from the online activity may include redirecting to a user accessing the website from the first online access IP address.
(b) The revenue amount for an item may be collected from an advertiser who has contracted with an owner of the internet website to display a TV advertisement to a viewer of the internet website.
(b) The revenue amount for an item may be charged in response to each instance of revenue generation as a result of displaying the selected television advertisement on a set-top box associated with the first online access IP address.
The objects and advantages associated with delivering targeted television advertisements in accordance with online behavior will become apparent when reference is made to the exemplary embodiments illustrated in the accompanying drawings and disclosed in the following written description and/or claims.
Brief description of the drawings
Fig. 1-5 and 6A-6C schematically illustrate a system for targeting television advertisements based on online behavior, where online access and television services are provided by a common provider.
Fig. 7-10, 11A-C, and 12 schematically illustrate a system for targeting television advertisements based on online behavior, where online access and television services are provided by different providers.
Fig. 13 and 14 are schematic diagrams illustrating a system for targeting television advertisements based on online behavior, where online access is provided by a mobile device.
The embodiments shown in the drawings are exemplary and should not be construed to limit the scope of the disclosure and/or the appended claims.
Detailed description of exemplary embodiments
In the following disclosure and appended claims, the term "user" should be interpreted as one or more persons receiving online access or television services at a delivery end point within a home, office, business, or other website and institution serviced by an online access provider or television service provider. Thus, sending a television advertisement to a "user" based on the "user"'s access to an online site may involve a single person, or one person may access the online site while the corresponding television advertisement may be sent to another person in the home, office, business, or other site or institution. The transmission destination may be one or more televisions of a given user; likewise, online access may involve one or more computers or other online interface devices of a given user. In some cases, an enterprise with multiple physical locations may be served by different online or television services, but in other cases, the enterprise may have an internal local or wide area network that extends the services provided to the multiple physical locations. In addition, some computers and televisions are portable and have access to services provided from remote locations. The term "user" is therefore used in this context to refer to the person or persons who receive the service provided and do not require a fixed or single location.
In the disclosed exemplary system and method for delivering targeted television advertisements based on online behavior, an IP address indicative of an online access device and an IP address indicative of a television set-top box are electronically associated for a multitude of users. Using user profile information derived from online activity from one of the online access IP addresses, a television advertisement is selected, for example, using behavioral targeting or demographic information, and automatically directed to the set-top box indicated by the set-top box IP address associated with the online access IP address. Preferably, neither the user profile information nor the electronic association of online access with the set-top box IP address includes personally identifiable information. Online access and set-top box IP addresses may be electronically associated for many or all of the numerous users before directing television advertisements to any of the numerous users. Alternatively, at a given time, the online access and set-top box IP addresses may be electronically associated for one or some of a number of users when television advertisements are directed to the users on an as-needed basis, with additional IP addresses then being electronically associated when television advertisements are directed to other users.
In an exemplary system for providing targeted television advertising based on user online behavior, a user receives television services and internet access from a common service provider, which acts as both an internet service provider and a telephone provider. Accordingly, such a provider entity may be referred to as an ISP/TVP. The basic layout of this scenario is shown schematically in FIG. 1, where online access device 32, online user interface device 34, set-top box 36, and television 38 are associated with user 30. In some cases, the online access device 32 and the online user interface device 34 are integrated in one unit, while in other cases they comprise separate units. Also, in some cases, the set-top box 36 and the television 38 are integrated into one unit, while in other cases they comprise separate units. The common service provider 20 may provide internet access through any suitable online access device 32 (modem, router, or network adapter suitable for connection to a cable, DSL, wireless device, satellite, ethernet, or any other transmission system) and television services through a set top box 36(STB 36). For purposes of the ensuing discussion, online access device 32 should be described and shown in the figures as a modem, and online user interface device 34 should be described and shown in the figures as a computer separate from modem 32. These descriptions should not be construed as limiting the scope of the disclosure or the appended claims.
Many users (i.e., subscribers) of the online access service are not provided with a static IP address, and instead, a dynamic IP address (represented as IP in the figure) is typically assigned to the user's modem 32 via DHCPmodem) For network access. If the ISP/TVP 20 is a cable company, the online access IP address is assigned by a Cable Modem Termination System (CMTS), whereas if the ISP/TVP 20 is a telephone company, the online access IP address is assigned by a Digital Subscriber Line Access Multiplexer (DSLAM). Other types of online access providers assign dynamic IP addresses in a similar manner using similar equipment. To the modem's IP address (i.e., online access IP address), traffic from the remote network is routed to the modem 32, and thus to other devices sharing the modem connection to the remote network; modulation and demodulationThe IP address of a device is simply the address that is "seen" by the remote network. After some time interval, the dynamically assigned online access IP address is replaced with another IP address assigned to modem 32. The online access IP addresses of a number of users are sent by ISP/TVP 20 (as in fig. 2) to a central ad server (CAS 40), or possibly to multiple CAS, along with the corresponding pseudonyms (pseudonyms) or aliases (alias) associated with the IP addresses, e.g., user XY123 is connected to the internet via modem 32, and modem 32 is assigned IP address aaa. bbb. ccc. ddd. Each online access IP address and its associated pseudonym may be immediately transmitted to CAS 40 when assigned or reassigned by ISP/TVP 20, which may be advantageous in quickly transmitting television advertisements to user set-top boxes. Alternatively, online access IP addresses and their associated pseudonyms may be sent to CAS 40 periodically, at any desired or required interval. The pseudonym and online access IP address are non-PII. The multitude of users may be any group consisting of a large number of users and does not necessarily include every user that owns online access and telephony services through a particular company or provider. For example, the system described above may operate with respect to only a subset of users, such as those users who have the capabilities (such as suitable hardware, software, operating systems, etc.) required to implement the system, those users who have made some type of subscription, or those users who have been selected according to criteria with respect to which the operation of the system is deemed desirable, less expensive to implement, or profitable. For example, it is possible to select those users who have STBs with operating systems, software, or hardware that can receive the software needed to receive a television advertisement from a CAS. In any case, the fact that there may be other users for whom the system is not operating does not mean that the advantages of the system are negated for those users for whom the system is not operating.
Because the user's pseudonym and online access IP address are associated with modem 32, multiple computers or other devices sharing the modem connection for online access will share the online access IP address and the user's pseudonym. When the user's STB36 is used to access network-basedAt the time of the server (for accessing the online programming guide, e.g., via a cable television transmission system or via a connection to the internet), the ISP/TVP 20 will additionally assign an IP address (represented as IP in the figure) to the STBSTB) To CAS 40 (as in fig. 2) and associates it with a pseudonym of modem 32 previously associated with the user, e.g., user XY123 has a STB at IP address eee.fff.ggg.hhh in addition to the modem for online access at IP address aaa.bbb.ccc.ddd. The association of the user's online access IP address (i.e., modem IP address) and the user's STB IP address at CAS 40 constitutes non-PII. ISP/TVP 20 knows the IP address of STB36 because the web-based server accessed by STB36 is typically operated by ISP/TVP 20. If STB36 has its own modem (as is increasingly common because the transition is being made from IPv4 to IPv6), ISP/TVP 20 assigns STB 36's IP address, typically using DHCP, through the CMTS or DSLAM or other similar system. Alternatively, in the event that STB36 accesses a network-based server via connection 35 with the same modem 32 that provides the user's online access (as in FIG. 3), STB36 will report to CAS 40 the same IP address as reported for the user's online access modem 32. In all of these cases, CAS 40 can now associate the IP address of the user's online access (modem 32) with the IP address of the user's STB36, and this association is not PII.
ISP/TVP 20 reports to CAS 40 that user XY123 is accessing the internet using online access IP address aaa.bbb.ccc.ddd, and that there is STB36 using STB IP address eee.fff.ggg.hhh. These associations may be stored on CAS 40, or only by ISP/TVP 20, as desired. If user XY123 is engaged in online activity from IP address aaa.bbb.ccc.ddd (e.g., accessing online site 50 as in FIG. 4), online site 50 may electronically communicate an indication of the user's online activity to CAS 40 (as in FIG. 5), which in turn causes the television advertisement to be directed to the STB IP address associated with online IP address aaa.bbb.ccc.ddd. In this example, the online site 50 acts as a profile provider. Without relying on PII, CAS 40 knows that IP address aaa.bbb.ccc.ddd is associated with user XY123 and that user XY123 has a set top box with an IP address eee.fff.ggg.hhh, and CAS 40 causes a television advertisement to be directed to indicate IP address eee.fff.ggg.hhh of STB36 (as in fig. 6A-6C). In some implementations, television advertisements are transmitted to STB36 using an advertisement server controlled by ISP/TVP 20, using an IP-based protocol (examples of which are shown in the referenced figures), or a television transmission system (such as a dedicated cable advertisement channel). In one such implementation, the Ad Server reports the user's pseudonym (XY123) to CAS 40, and CAS 40 provides the Ad Server with television ads targeted to user XY123 based on profile information collected from IP addresses that are reported by ISP/TVP 20 as belonging to XY 123. In another such implementation, the ad server reports the IP address used by each of the plurality of users of the Internet service provided by ISP/TVP 20 and the time and date that these addresses were used, and CAS 40 provides the ad server with television ads targeted to each of the plurality of Internet users based on profile information received from the reported IP addresses at the corresponding reporting time and date. In these implementations, personal privacy is maintained because: (1) in these implementations CAS 40 does not use PII, and (2) although ISP/TVP 20 has the ability to identify the user, the ad server of ISP/TVP 20 is not aware of the profile information collected for CAS 40 and received by CAS 40.
The particular television advertisement so targeted is typically selected for delivery to the user's STB36 based on the user's online behavior (e.g., simply visiting online website 50, viewing a particular web page, performing a particular search, clicking on a particular link or advertisement, online shopping or purchasing, or other activity). Information about observed online behavior (i.e., indications of online behavior) or collected demographic information may be used by the CAS or profile provider to direct targeted television advertisements. In the latter case, the CAS has only the IP address of the profiled user and the identity of the profile provider, but no observed online behavior and demographic information collected by the profile provider, so the CAS can direct television ads to the user by only enabling the profile provider to schedule delivery of targeted television ads based on the observed online activity and demographic information available to the profile provider. Examples of profile providers are given above.
The profile provider (e.g., the owner of online site 50) can preferably automatically send an electronic communication to the CAS, for example, by having the profile provider's server preprogrammed to send such electronic communication, including information that the CAS will use when it has the selected television advertisement transferred to the STB at the appropriate time. The electronic communications received by the CAS contain information derived from the user's interactions with an online site (i.e., online activity), which may be online site 50 or other online site to which the profile provider may access data regarding the user's interactions. This electronic communication may take various forms, including: (1) an indicator of the television advertisement that should be displayed, such as a Uniform Resource Locator (URL), or an advertisement title that is provided by the profile provider to retrieve the correct television advertisement from the profile provider's advertisement server, or even the actual television advertisement; (2) an indicator of information about the subscriber (possibly other than PII), such as (a) an IP address pointing to the subscriber, preferably with the time and date of access; (b) a description of profile information about the user, or (c) a code or keyword (keyword) used by the profile provider to retrieve the visitor profile from the database; or (3) an indicator describing a user activity, such as a code or keyword, indicating: (a) users of certain categories, such as users who may be interested in mortgage loans (mortgage) or users who may be interested in travel, etc., or (b) more simply, what visitors search on online websites, such as "car insurance". Electronic communications may be sent for each instance of a user interacting with an online website, or a list containing information about many user contacts may be created and sent. The electronic communication may comprise any combination of items 1 to 3 above; such as a list of visitor IP addresses (preferably with time/date of visit) may be usefully paired with indicators in the form of URLs and codes identifying the particular television advertisements that the profile provider wants to send to each listed visitor.
Once requested, the television advertisement may be sent to the user's STB by various methods. The ad can be previously stored on the CAS and transmitted directly from the CAS to the user's STB (FIG. 6A). The advertisements stored on the CAS can be delivered from the accessed online site, from another online site, or from another ad server, and stored on the CAS as part of the delivery request from the accessed online site, and then delivered to the user's STB. The advertisement may be sent directly to the user's STB from the accessed online site (FIG. 6B), from another online site, or from an advertisement server 60 (FIG. 6C). Using, for example, the URL provided to the CAS by the profile provider, the CAS can instruct the user's STB to retrieve the advertisement directly from the accessed site, from the CAS, from another online site, or from another ad server. In either of these alternatives, the television advertisement need not be sent directly to the STB; instead, it may be transmitted through one or more intermediate servers (i.e., servers hosted (host) by, for example, an ISP, cable company, or telco). The television advertisement may be streamed or otherwise delivered in real-time, or it may be sent to the user's STB or an associated DVR for later viewing.
When the IP address is dynamically assigned or reassigned, ISP/TVP 20 reports the updated online access and STB IP address to CAS 40 (as in FIG. 2). When assigned or reassigned by ISP/TVP 20, the IP address and its associated pseudonym may be sent to CAS 40 immediately, or periodically at any desired or required interval (fixed or variable). While the assignment of pseudonyms associated with online access IP addresses and STB IP addresses may facilitate the transmission of television advertisements to STB36 (via modem 32) based on user online behavior, it is not necessary. All that is needed is an association between the online access IP address and the STB IP address to enable delivery of television advertisements based on the user's online behavior, without relying on PII.
In another exemplary system for serving targeted television advertisements based on user online behavior, the user need not receive telephone service and internet access from a common service provider. The basic layout of such a system is schematically illustrated in fig. 7, with modem 32 connected to internet provider (ISP)22 to provide online access, and STB36 connected to television provider (TVP)24 to provide television services. Again, modem 32 and computer 34 are described as examples of online access and interface devices, respectively; the use of these specific examples should not be construed to limit the scope of the disclosure and the appended claims. As described above, the modem 32 is assigned an online access IP address. Where the user's STB36 is also available online access via the same IP address as the user's online access (i.e., via modem 32), the common IP address contains an electronic association that can be used to complete a targeted television advertising campaign without the need for PII. In addition to connecting STB36 to TVP 24, this situation may also occur by connecting STB36 to the user's modem 32 via connection 35. For example, STB36 may be connected to a Local Area Network (LAN) sharing device 32 for online access. In this arrangement, network traffic is routed to the common IP address of STB36 and other devices connected to the LAN (i.e., the IP address of modem 32). A user may receive online access from any online service provider through any suitable modem 32 (for cable, DSL, wireless, satellite, or any other transmission system) or other suitable online access device, and may receive television services from any suitable television service provider through STB 36. The term "public IP address" refers to the IP address of a modem or other online access device to which remote network traffic is routed for each of a plurality of devices sharing a common connection with a remote network, e.g., the IP address of a modem connecting a router in a Local Area Network (LAN) to the internet constitutes the public IP address of the plurality of devices connected to the Local Area Network (LAN) for online access, even though these plurality of devices typically also have individual IP addresses assigned by the router for routing traffic within the LAN. An online website or server accessed by any one of the devices can only "see" the public IP address (i.e., the IP address of the modem).
In one exemplary implementation, a user's STB36 can periodically contact CAS 40 (or multiple CASs) via the IP address of the user's modem 32 (as in FIG. 8) that is common to STB 36. The public IP address is dynamically assigned by ISP 22 to the user's modem 32 or other online access device. Modem 32 may include a router that properly routes network traffic between a user's computer (or computers or other devices) 34 and the user's STB 36. Alternatively, a separate router may be used, or computer 34, or STB36, or television 38 may include routing functionality for properly routing network traffic through modem 32, with STB36 providing routing functionality or being suitably connected to a separate router, computer 34, or telephone 38. STB36 reports the common IP address to CAS 40 with which it is in contact. However, since STB36 communicates through modem 32, STB36 may not know the common IP address it is using by itself. In this case, STB36 can still report the common IP address to CAS 40 simply by initiating communication to CAS 40 via modem 32, thereby enabling CAS 40 to extract the common IP address from the communication. The common IP address enables the transmission of television advertisements to STB36 based on access to the online site through the common IP address (or based on other user profile information derived from observed online activity from the IP address of modem 32, i.e., from the common IP address). The presence of the public IP address is associated with the online access IP address and the set-top box IP address. Again, this does not constitute PII. The time interval of the periodic contact of the STB and the CAS can be set to any suitable time period, such as every 5 minutes, every hour, or at some other desired or expected time interval. The time interval may be selected to be commensurate with a typical or average time interval for dynamically reassigning online access IP addresses by the user's internet service provider. The selected time interval can be made adjustable if needed or desired. Alternatively or additionally, the association between the STB and the CAS cannot be set to occur at fixed time intervals, but rather irregularly, such as would be triggered by dynamic reassignment of online access IP addresses by the ISP.
When a user engages in online activity (e.g., visits online site 50, as in FIG. 9), user profile information derived from the user's online activity from the online access IP address is electronically transmitted to CAS 40 (e.g., from visited site 50, as in FIG. 10, or from another profile provider), which in turn may cause a targeted television advertisement to be directed to the user's STB if the STB IP address correlates with the online access IP address. In the example shown in fig. 9, the online site 50 acts as a profile provider and the user's online access IP address (public IP address) from which the user accesses the online site is included in the electronic transmission. CAS 40 causes the television advertisement to be directed to STB36 at a common IP address (as in FIGS. 11A through 11C) according to the alternative method for delivering television advertisements discussed herein in connection with FIGS. 6A through 6C. The particular television advertisement so transmitted is selected for transmission to the user's STB36 based on the user's online behavior (various examples of online behavior are discussed above, or demographic information provided or determined online). The visited online site 50 that sent the electronic communication (examples of which are listed above) may be any profile provider, or any profile provider that accesses information about user activity related to online site 50 may send the electronic communication (examples of alternative types of profile providers are also given above).
A television advertisement may be directed to the STB which recently reported the online access IP address to CAS 40 as the common IP address from which online site 50 was accessed. In this case, the IP address may already be associated when the user's profile information is used, or the association may be established when the user profile is received or later. Or a television advertisement can be directed to the STB which then reports the IP address to CAS 40 as the common IP address. In this case, the IP addresses may not be associated until the STB and CAS 40 next communicate with each other and the STB IP address is received by CAS 40. The association between the STB and the online access IP address can be stored for future use, or can be established in real-time and not stored for future use (i.e., the association is broken as soon as the television advertisement is delivered to the STB) while the STB is in communication with the CAS to receive the television advertisement. If the periodic contact interval is small enough relative to the typical or average time interval between reassignment of IP addresses, then it is likely that the two IP addresses will be the same and the television advertisement will be directed to the correct STB. If the online access IP address is reassigned between the visit of the online site (i.e., getting user profile information) and the relying link between the user's STB and the CAS (i.e., the associated IP address), then a small portion of the television advertisement is sent incorrectly. This fraction can be reduced by reducing the periodic time interval between STBs reporting their common IP addresses to the CAS or configuring STBs to report changes in common IP addresses (i.e., to effect updates of associations between IP addresses). The association between online access and the STB IP address can be stored for future use, or the IP address can be associated in real-time only when the STB is in communication with the CAS to receive the television advertisement and not stored for future use (e.g., the association can be cleared when the television advertisement is directed to the STB).
Rather than relying on or waiting for contact from an STB reporting its common IP address to one or more CAS's, the online site accessed by the user can instead query one or more CAS's to find an STB having a common IP address that matches the online access IP address from which the online site was accessed. If a matching STB IP address is found, a request is sent to the corresponding CAS to send a television advertisement to the STB. If the query, match, and request are completed fast enough, the likelihood that the television ad is directed to the wrong STB will remain low.
In another exemplary implementation, the user's STB36 may be assigned an identifier that need not include PII. STB36 may be permanently or temporarily assigned such an identifier. Examples of such identifiers may include a device serial number or portion thereof, a device MAC address or portion thereof, a username, pseudonym, confirmation number, tag, or any identification code or data unit. The CAS can place an identifier on the STB the first time it makes a contact with the STB and read or modify the identifier after each contact between the STB and the CAS. Such an identifier is analogous to a "cookie" used by the online server to identify the visitor's computer. The identifier can include the IP address used by the STB when the CAS is in contact with the STB, so the next time the CAS is in contact with the STB, the CAS can compare the IP address used by the STB with the IP address previously used by the STB without having to look up in the database. The use of an identifier placed on the STB by the CAS is advantageous from a privacy standpoint, as it enables the user to control the identifier from the user's television screen and set privacy settings to match the user's preferences. For example, the user can erase the identifier, change the identifier to inform the CAS the next time the STB is communicated that the user is not interested in targeted ads, only in ads targeted for online behavior in the past 7 days, only in ads in certain categories, or all types of ads except for certain excluded categories (e.g., adult content). In addition to reporting the common IP address to CAS 40, STB36 can also report the identifier. When online site 50 is accessed from the common IP address, online site 50 requests that a television advertisement be sent to the STB having the common IP address. The identifier of the STB most recently reporting the common IP address prior to the request is compared to the identifier of the STB that subsequently reports the IP address to CAS 40 after the request. If the compared identifiers match, it is almost certain that the STB corresponds to the same user's online access IP address (from which online site 50 was accessed), and that the television advertisement was properly delivered. If a unique identifier is used (e.g., a complete MAC address or a complete device serial number), it is less likely that a television commercial will be misdirected. Even if the identifiers are not unique (e.g., partial MAC address or serial number, or simply 4-bit number), it is highly unlikely that a given IP address will be reassigned between STBs that happen to have the same identifier. Using the identifier allows the television ad to be accurately directed to the correct STB while requiring the STB to report its IP address to the CAS less frequently, reducing network traffic and other resource requirements.
In another exemplary implementation, instead of STB36 reporting the common IP address relatively frequently to CAS 40, STB36 can be configured to store its common IP address and the corresponding time and date that each address is assigned to modem 32 (and thus also to the LAN to which STB36 is connected). The public IP address may be periodically sampled and samples saved (e.g., every 1, 5, or 10 minutes, or some other suitable interval), or the specific time and date of IP address reassignment may be stored with the corresponding IP address. STB36 can be configured to periodically (e.g., every 4, 6, 12, or 24 hours, or some other suitable interval) report to CAS 40 all of the common IP addresses assigned to modems 32 and their respective dates and times when they were used within some previous time period (e.g., 1, 7, 14, 30, or 90 days, or some other suitable interval). Alternatively, the common IP address can be stored on the STB as part of a cookie or tag set and subsequently read or reset by CAS 40. CAS 40 may also be configured to receive IP addresses and corresponding access times and dates for all visitors to online site 50 who wish to deliver television advertisements based on online user behavior. Online site 50 periodically reports to CAS 40 (as in fig. 10) all IP addresses visited the online site during some previous time period, and the corresponding times and dates. The frequency and time period of online site reporting may be similar to the frequency and time interval of STB reporting, or they may be significantly different as needed or desired. The two lists of IP addresses (one from the online site and one from the STB) are compared and a television advertisement is requested to be sent if any match is found, i.e., whenever the STB is found to be connected to the modem assigned an IP address at the time and date that the online site was accessed from that IP address. Such cross-matching ensures accurate delivery of television ads and requires significantly less communication between the STB and the CAS.
The common IP address (and corresponding time and date) may be stored on the CAS. Optionally, in this implementation, privacy can be enhanced by storing the common IP address (and corresponding time and date) locally on the STB, rather than on the CAS, so the only device monitoring the different IP addresses assigned to the same access device is the STB. If stored, either on the STB, on the CAS, or elsewhere, the list of common IP addresses may be purged. The IP address list may be cleared periodically at any suitable time interval and may be manually or automatically. Similarly, the list of online access IP addresses (and corresponding times and dates) from which the online site was accessed may be purged. The STB may be used to set privacy options, thereby enabling the user to control, at least in part, whether and how television advertisements are targeted. For example, the user can choose whether or not or how long the CAS or STB will record and retain the IP address assigned to the user's modem, or can choose to erase all of the IP address data currently stored.
Typically routers do not provide the IP address of a cable, DSL, other modem to the computer or device to which it is connected or the LAN managed by it. STB36 requires this information to store it for later reporting to CAS 40. One method of accomplishing this includes providing an internet server (perhaps as part of CAS 40, or perhaps a separate server) that receives periodic requests from STB36 and replies to STB36 with a common IP address (i.e., the IP address of modem 32 through which STB36 is provided online access). Any other method for monitoring the common IP address may be used, including configuring modem 32 to report its IP address directly to STB 36. STB36 periodically monitors the IP address of modem 32 at selected intervals (described above) and stores the IP address of the modem (i.e., the common IP address) and the corresponding time and date each common IP address is assigned to the user's modem.
In any embodiment or implementation in which STB36 reports IP address data to CAS 40 (either stored on STB36 or for storage on CAS 40), such communication can be accomplished in a number of ways. STB36 may report the common IP address through online access modem 32. Alternatively, STB36 may report to CAS 40 via a dedicated upstream data channel 37, dedicated upstream data channel 37 being part of the telephone system (as in FIG. 12). The reported IP address data need not be sent directly to CAS 40; instead it may be sent to an intermediate server (e.g., hosted by an ISP, cable company, or telco).
It should be noted that some STBs have a dedicated modem and typically do not require online access through the user's online access modem to deliver television services to the user. However, other functions of the STB include or are contemplated to include: audio, video, images, and other content are transmitted from the user's computer 34 or other networked device to the user's television 38. To provide this functionality, STB36 must be connected to the same local area network or router as the user's computer, even though the STB has its own modem. Although using its own modem for most functions, such a STB still has additional online access through the user's online access modem 32, enabling the user's online access and STB to have a dynamically assigned common IP address (as described above). The STB may report the common online access IP address through either the online access modem 32 at the common IP address or through a dedicated modem of the STB at its own IP address. The television advertisement sent to the STB can be received through the online access modem 32 at the common IP address, or can be received through the STB's dedicated modem at its own IP address (e.g., if the CAS is provided with the STB modem IP address along with the common IP address).
However, the user's online access and STB IP address are electronically associated, which association can be maintained even if the online user interface device 34 is a mobile device (e.g., an internet-enabled cell phone, handset (handset), PDA, or laptop computer) that intermittently disconnects from the modem 32 and connects to the internet through another connection (e.g., another local area network, a wireless hotspot, or a cell phone network, as in fig. 13 or 14). When connected to the internet via modem 32 (as in fig. 1 or elsewhere), an online website accessed using such a mobile device 34 may request that television advertisements be sent to STB36 in any of the manners described above. In much the same manner as described above for STB36, mobile device 34 can be programmed to store its online access IP address and the corresponding date and time when it was disconnected from modem 32 and accessed the internet via another connection (i.e., when "roaming"). As previously described, these stored roaming online access IP addresses and corresponding dates and times may be sent to CAS 40 when mobile device 34 later reconnects with modem 32. Based on the match found between the roaming online access IP address (and date and time) from mobile device 34 and the online access IP address (and date and time) reported by online site 50 to CAS 40 that accessed online site 50, a television advertisement may be directed to STB 36.
In addition, selected television advertisements may be directed to STB36 even after mobile device 34 disconnects from modem 34 and begins accessing the Internet via a roaming online access IP address. A tag or cookie is placed on mobile device 34 (or stored in a database elsewhere, such as on CAS 40 by CAS 40 or elsewhere accessible on the STB or its associated local area network), which can include the online access IP address (and corresponding date and time) of modem 32 or STB 36. These IP addresses (and dates and times) can be reported to CAS 40 by mobile device 34 that is roaming (e.g., following a direction change from a visited online site 50), and a television advertisement can be directed to STB36 at the request of online site 50 (using the IP address reported by roaming mobile device 34). Because a new IP address may be assigned to modem 32 and STB36 after roaming device 34 is disconnected from modem 32, the identifier of STB36 (as previously described) may be used to verify that the television advertisement is directed to the correct STB. The identifier may be stored on the mobile device 34 as part of a cookie or label.
However, the user's online access and STB IP addresses are electronically associated, and the STB can be configured to filter targeted television advertisements according to the user's preferences. For example, a user may program the STB to reject certain categories of advertisements (e.g., women's dress or health advertisements) and accept certain other categories of advertisements (e.g., car advertisements, electronic device advertisements, or travel advertisements). The filtering can be set to "opt-in" (i.e., receive only advertisements in the selected category) or "opt-out" (i.e., receive all advertisements except the selected category). In another example, a user may filter advertisements based on how long ago an online site was visited, e.g., the user may choose to receive advertisements only from internet sites visited in the last 7 days. Such filtering or preference data may be applied before or after selecting an advertisement to be sent. The STB can be configured to notify the CAS or an online site to prevent the selection or delivery of a television advertisement, or the STB can accept the advertisement but not subsequently display it to the user. In one exemplary implementation, such user preference or filtering information can be stored in the STB as part of a cookie or tag and subsequently read or modified by the CAS. The user preference and filtering information may be stored in any suitable place or format.
In another implementation, no software needs to be installed on the mobile device, only cookies are placed on the device, which makes implementation in the marketplace much simpler. Once the STB is confirmed to have used a certain IP address at a certain date and time (e.g., by having the uniquely labeled STB continuously communicate with the CAS using the same IP address, or by the STB reporting the common IP address used by the online access device that it records), the CAS database can be searched to find all computers, mobile devices, and other STBs that used the same IP address at the same date and time, and those devices are assumed to be devices that are part of the same household and use the same local area network. An association or link is then created among the devices by linking the device identifier or tag to the STB identifier in the CAS database, or by placing a linking code or information identifying the linked device within the identifier (cookie) of each device along with the date and time the association was created. The association is maintained for no more than a predetermined period of time (e.g., 7 days) to ensure that the transmitted television advertisement will be based only on the online activities of those people who live at home and not on the online activities of people who only use the local area network at home, such as guests, on a single occasion.
Once the association is created, regardless of the IP addresses used by the computers and mobile devices (e.g., cell phones) accessing the network at the time the profiles are collected, the profile information (behavioral and demographic) collected about the computers and mobile devices before and after the association is created can be used to direct advertisements to the STB.
For example, consider a common situation in which a laptop computer, used both at home and in the office, is connected to a home STB as it is used at home. The day after the association is created, the laptop is carried to work, where it is used to browse the home mortgage website (using a different local area network or online access device than is used at home). The home mortgage website forwards the laptop to the CAS along with a request to send a mortgage-related television advertisement from one of the website advertisers to the laptop user. The CAS reading its own cookie placed on the laptop checks its database and finds that the laptop is connected to a certain STB. At night, when the laptop user returns home and turns on the television, the user will see the mortgage-related television advertisement, even if the user left the laptop in the office that day.
In another example, assume that a laptop user using a laptop in the morning, before any association between the laptop and the home STB is created, views the advertisement of a home mortgage advertiser. When the mortgage advertiser's ad server redirects the laptop to the CAS by requesting that the TV ad be sent to the user, the CAS places a cookie on the laptop or reads its own cookie if it encountered the laptop before. It is found that there is no CAS associated between this laptop and STB to store the IP address used to view the advertiser's online ad, the casookie used to tag this laptop, the date and time the ad was viewed, and the link (e.g., URL) to the advertiser's television ad. Suppose in the afternoon, a laptop user goes home with the laptop. When the user accesses the internet through a home lan using a laptop, assume that the user accesses a travel website, which is interested in delivering travel-related television advertisements to the user from a website advertiser. When the travel site redirects the laptop to the CAS, the CAS reads its own cookie and records the IP address that the laptop used to visit the travel site, the CAS cookie used to tag the laptop, the date and time the advertisement was viewed, and the link to the TV advertisement (sold by the site to its travel advertiser). Next, the home STB contacts the CAS in the evening to check if there are any television advertisements available to its user. The CAS then uniquely identifies the STB using the tag it previously placed in the STB and recognizes that the STB is using the same IP address as the STB used several days ago. The CAS checks which profile providers have been accessed by computers or mobile devices that have used the same IP address since the STB's last contact. The CAS discovers that laptop computers are accessing travel sites using a common IP address. The CAS further discovers that the laptop uses the cookie used by the CAS to tag the laptop to view the online mortgage advertiser's advertisement. The CAS can then redirect the STB to get the mortgage TV ad using the link provided by the mortgage advertiser (despite the fact that the online mortgage ad was viewed by the laptop before making the association with the home STB), and redirect the STB to get the travel TV ad from the link provided by the travel site.
The internet site can determine which CAS to contact to schedule targeted delivery of the television advertisement to the online site in one of a number of ways:
(i) each ISP (or ISP/TVP) has a set of IP addresses from which it dynamically assigns IP addresses to subscribers using DHCP. The internet website may determine which ISP the visitor is using to access the website based on the online access IP address of the visitor to the website. The site can then send a request for the ISP to the correct CAS. For example, the request may be sent by redirecting the user to the correct CAS.
(ii) The CAS or CAS owner may send a file to the participating internet sites that includes a list of online access IP addresses that the CAS currently recognizes. The updated file may be sent at suitable intervals. The internet site may receive such files from multiple CAS and based on the information in the files, may determine the appropriate CAS from which to request an advertisement to serve the internet site visitor.
(iii) An internet site can request an advertisement from all or most of the major CAS, depending on the likelihood that at least one of them may register an IP address assigned to the site visitor by the ISP providing online access by the site visitor. If this is the case, the CAS can send an acknowledgement to the Internet site that the CAS recognizes the site visitor's online access IP address. For example, an internet site can send its request by redirecting the visitor to all or most of the primary ISPs operating the CAS, or by sending a file with the site visitor's IP address and corresponding time and date to all or most of the primary CAS servers.
The CAS that receives the request to send the television advertisement to the Internet site visitor may have electronically associated the STB IP address with the visitor's online access IP address. If not, the CAS can store the site visitor's online IP address, the identity of the requesting Internet site, and the time and date of the visit to the Internet site. If the site visitor's STB later accesses an Internet server and the ISP/TVP transmits the site visitor's STB IP address to the CAS, the CAS can schedule the delivery of the requested television advertisement. Or if the site visitor's STB reports a common IP address that matches the site visitor's IP address, the CAS can schedule delivery of the requested television advertisement.
Although the CAS is described as an entity separate from the profile provider, it is entirely possible for it to be owned or otherwise controlled by the profile provider. For example, if the profile provider is an online site (a large site such as Google may be a good example), there is no need in this implementation to redirect (or otherwise communicate internally) to the CAS, since the CAS is the server that collects the profiles for the online site. For example, Google's CAS may collect the IP addresses of users who search on Google, what those users search for, at what times and dates the searches occurred, and perhaps the Google cookies used to mark those users' computers. The Google CAS can be used to provide television ads to STBs because of the very large amount of profile information that Google accumulates about such people. The STB communicates with the Google CAS to check whether the STB user has searched on Google using another computer or mobile device (as explained above, the Google CAS uses the STB's common IP address to find those other computers or mobile devices), and if Google finds such a search was made, it arranges for a targeted television advertisement to be sent to the STB of the user who made such a search, which is sold by Google to its advertiser.
As a security precaution, many residential or home office network routers are set by default to prevent access from the internet to devices connected to the router. In this default mode, television advertisements may be transmitted to the STB through the modem/router only when the initial request is transmitted by the STB. The STB can be configured to periodically query the CAS to find television ads waiting to be sent to the STB, and in response the CAS can send the ads or direct the STB to retrieve the ads from the accessed online site or from another online site or ad server. Alternatively, enabling "port forwarding" on the router would allow direct access from the Internet to the STB connected to the Internet through the modem/router, thus allowing the CAS or online site to actively send an advertisement to the STB.
Although delivery of the advertisement is initiated, and regardless of the source of the delivered advertisement, the STB can save the advertisement (in its own memory, storage, or in the DVR) for later viewing by the user (possibly repeatedly), or the advertisement can be displayed in a "real-time" or "streaming" format. The advertisement (stored or real-time) may be displayed independently, or may be incorporated into other television content. Any suitable program for delivering targeted television advertisements to the STB of the online user may be used.
An online site or other profile provider may provide the CAS with the visitor's profile in return for a fixed reward or commission based on revenue generated by the television advertisement sent to the profile visitor. In this case, the transfer request received by the CAS from the profile provider includes the visitor's profile (searches performed, web pages viewed, demographic attributes provided, etc., not typically PII). The CAS can match the profile to one or more other television ads (other than the ad requested by the online site) that are delivered to the visitor's STB. Such additional ads can be sold by the CAS or another party, and can be delivered directly from the CAS or obtained by the STB from another site or ad server to which the CAS redirects the STB.
As described previously herein, it is often the case that more than one computer or other online user interface device is connected to the internet through a single modem or router, and all devices sharing this connection appear to be connected to the online website through the same IP address at any given time. For example, in a home situation, a parent and a child in the same home may each use their own computer to access the internet, with the parent accessing a website for news or finance and the child accessing a website for popular music or television. (the same holds true for a business environment where many computers can access the site through a common modem or router.) each such site visited by anyone in the local area network reports to the CAS the IP address and the corresponding time and date of each of those visits (which is the same for both computers at any given time). STBs in the same household report to the CAS the common IP address of the online access. The CAS can now match STBs to various sites visited. Television advertisements may be selected based not only on requests made by the visited web site (as previously described) but also based on what was viewed on the television at the time the television advertisement was transmitted. For example, if the program being viewed on television is typically targeted for adults (e.g., news, financial reports, or adult drama), then a television advertisement requested by a news or financial online website is displayed. Alternatively, if the program being viewed on the television is more generally targeted to children or teenagers, a television advertisement requested by a pop music or fashion online site is displayed. Both types of advertisements may be directed to the STB and stored for later viewing (during viewing of the appropriate television content) or directed to the STB and viewed while viewing the appropriate television content. Whether the computers in the home are stationary devices or mobile devices, the same discrimination between the types of websites accessed with multiple online access devices can be used by the techniques discussed previously herein.
In another implementation, the CAS schedules delivery of television advertisements to STBs along with associated television program targeting criteria, such as targeted age (children, teenagers, adults, or the elderly), targeted gender, or category of content (travel, finance, news, or other subject matter). Based on a comparison of the television program targeting criteria to the actual program characteristics, the STB selects the television program in which to provide each of the delivered advertisements. The program characteristics may be determined, for example, using known or later discovered techniques, by being included in an electronic TV guide available to the STB or transmitted with the program as accompanying embedded data. In one variation, when the STB delivers a television program to a user, or when a television program is to be shown with advertisements, the STB can connect to the CAS and report to the CAS the characteristics of the television program being viewed, and the CAS can respond with instructions identifying which advertisements stored in the STB (previously delivered from the CAS to the STB) should be delivered during viewing of the program based on a comparison of the characteristics of the program being viewed and targeting criteria.
The television advertisements directed to the user's set-top box at the request of the profile provider may come from a variety of sources. In one example, a given profile provider can request that the CAS send advertisements to the user's STB from (or on behalf of) the profile provider itself (e.g., if the profile provider is an online advertiser site interested in sending television advertisements to people accessing its online site) or from (or on behalf of) a related site (perhaps a site within the same Internet domain as the given profile provider). In this example, the proprietor of the CAS, as a facilitator of targeted television ad delivery based on online site access, may receive payment from the profile provider. The CAS owner may keep a share of the revenue as a commission and pay the TVP for the ad space (except in the case where the CAS owner has its own ad space). The TVP may hold the full amount paid by the CAS proprietor if the TVP owns the TV ad space to which the TV ad was sent, or may pay some or all of the amount paid by the CAS proprietor to another entity, such as a TV broadcasting network, if the TVP does not own the ad space. In the case where the STB is provided by a third party other than the TVP, such as a service provider like Tivo, the STB provider may agree with a content owner (e.g., a television broadcast network) to have the service provider's STB replace a broadcast television advertisement with a targeted television advertisement, where the targeted television advertisement is available, and the service provider and television broadcast network may share revenue with the CAS owner as previously described. In some cases, the CAS can be owned by the TVP, ISP, STB provider, online site, television ad space owner, or television content provider, in which case consideration is allocated according to the respective roles. Typically, payment from a television advertiser is used to pay the television advertising space owner and the entity that facilitates the delivery of the targeted television advertisement.
In another example, an online site or other profile provider may request that an advertisement from another advertiser of its own choosing be directed to the user's STB to which the online site has sold much television advertising space. The online site generates a new revenue stream by selling television advertisements to its advertisers, where the television advertisements are delivered to members of the online site audience while the online site audience watches television. In this example, the online site can collect revenue amounts from the site-selected advertisers in return for helping facilitate delivery to the STB of the advertisement provided by the site-selected advertiser while paying the CAS, ISP, TVP, ISP/TVP, or television ad space owner.
In another example, a profile provider provides a profile to the CAS in return for a payment triggered when: (1) whenever a provided profile (whether or not behavioral or demographic data is included) is used to send a television advertisement, (2) when a television advertisement sent using the provided profile generates an incoming, or (3) is simply due to the sending of the profile, regardless of whether, how often, or how effectively it is used.
The television ad itself may be sold by a CAS, ISP, TVP, ISP/TVP, STB provider, TV ad space owner, or any third party such as a reseller or company that represents an ad space owner or profile provider and sells to advertisers. In this example, the profile provider may collect revenue amounts from any entity that benefits from delivering television ads according to a profile provided by the profile provider, including a television ad space owner, STB provider, CAS, ISP, TVP, ISP/TVP, or a third party selling targeted television ad space. The profile provider, reseller, or other advertiser may also pay the CAS, ISP, TVP, or ISP/TVP a revenue amount in return for directing the advertisement to the STB.
The systems and methods disclosed herein may be used to generate revenue for various related entities through various methods, and are not limited to the examples given herein, which fall within the scope of this disclosure or the appended claims. It should be noted that the terms "pay", "collect", "receive", and the like, when referring to an amount of income, may represent an actual exchange of funds or may represent a deposit or arrears to an electronic account, particularly an automatic payment implemented using computer tracking. These terms may apply regardless of what is characterized as a commission, royalty, referral fee, holdback, proxy commission, purchase resell, or any other compensation arrangement that gives a net result of the separated advertising revenue as described above. Payment may occur immediately, such as through a small payment transfer, periodically, such as daily, weekly, or monthly, or when the total of the payments accumulated from multiple events exceeds a threshold amount. The systems and methods disclosed herein may be implemented using any suitable billing module or subsystem that tracks such payment or receipt of funds.
The systems and methods disclosed herein may be implemented as a general purpose or special purpose computer or other programmable hardware device that is programmed by software, or as hardware or devices that are "programmed" by hard-wire, or a combination of both. If used, the computer program or other software may be embodied in temporary or permanent memory or in removable media, such as by including the program in microcode, object-oriented code, network-based or distributed software modules operating together, RAM, ROM, CD-ROM, DVD-ROM, hard disk drives, USB drives, flash memory, optical media, magnetic media, semiconductor media, or any future storage alternative.
It is intended that equivalents of the disclosed exemplary embodiments and methods shall fall within the scope of the disclosure and/or appended claims. It is intended that the disclosed exemplary embodiments and methods and their equivalents be modified while remaining within the scope of the present disclosure or appended claims. For example, where the term "product" is used in connection with a purchase or purchase request, the product may be a physical product, an intangible product, or a service.
For the purposes of this disclosure and the appended claims, the conjunction "or" should be interpreted as including (e.g., "dog or cat" should be interpreted as "dog, or cat, or both"; e.g., "cat, dog, or mouse" should be interpreted as "dog, or cat, or mouse, or any two, or all three thereof) unless: (i) such as by using "or.. or." only one. "or similar language to expressly state otherwise; or (ii) two or more of the listed alternatives are mutually exclusive in a particular context, in which case "or" would include only those combinations involving alternatives that are not mutually exclusive. For the purposes of this disclosure or the appended claims, the words "comprising," "including," and "having," and variations thereof, are to be construed as open-ended terms, as if the phrase "at least" were appended after each instance.