WO2016145260A1 - Reaching and motivating crowds - Google Patents

Abstract

A system for sending advertisements and targeted messages to millions of individuals that fall within a given category of interest. Users are placed into categories of interest, and their mobile phone collects codes, preferably codes embedded in audio streams. The codes create a profile which contains the user's areas of interest. This improves upon the current existing forms of advertisement which are often inaccurate regarding users' interests. The user can adjust his or her profile in order to get better targeted advertisements and offers. The present system does not compromise a person's anonymity as it does not require the user to disclose personal or financial information. With this system, information can be provided simultaneously to millions of people who share a given interest, and that information can be interactively acted on by the crowd.

Description

Reaching and Motivating Crowds

Related Applications

The present application claims all rights of priority to U.S. Provisional Application Serial No. 62/130,895 filed March 10, 2015, U.S. Provisional Application Serial No.

62/149,064 filed April 17, 2015, and U.S. Provisional Application Serial No. 62/189,823 filed July 8, 2015, all of which are fully incorporated herein by reference.

Field of the Invention

The present inventions relate to systems and methods for encoding and delivering audiovisual content to consumers.

Background of the Invention

Advertisers, broadcasters and governments all have a goal of reaching as many targeted people as possible, and it is often preferable to reach them concurrently. Yet, other than during an event such as the Super Bowl, it is especially challenging for advertisers to reach a very large target audience which is homogeneous as to a particular interest, and it is particularly difficult to reach the members of that audience at the same time. When a group of individuals with similar interests is reached at about the same time, the members can "feed" on each others reactions, leading to substantially amplified effect over reaching isolated individuals at different times. That is why, in the United States alone, interested parties spend more than $250 billion in advertising to try to reach as many similar-minded people as possible.

One difficulty is that message transmission through traditional media no longer has the significant impact or reach that it used to. Times have changed and more and more viewers are abandoning traditional television cable viewing along with their associated commercials and advertisements. Instead of following network schedules like they used to, more viewers are binge viewing since programs are available on demand and often commercial free. "On demand" viewing is growing by double digits each year, replacing scheduled viewing and their original commercials. As examples, Apple TV, YouTube Prime, Netflix, Amazon Studios, WWE Network, HBO Now, Awesomeness TV (Verizon), Sling TV, HULU Plus and Comcast streaming are replacing traditional television in the eyes of younger viewers. Likewise, traditional shows such as 60 Minutes, ESPN, CBS, NBC, HBO, and Prime Time Hits, are now being streamed over the Internet instead of watched during their scheduled time on the television. Internet sites keep multiplying, but loyal followers are dwindling as they keep experimenting with "new" sites. Additionally, many people watch YouTube short videos in addition to, or in place of, traditional television.

Likewise, instead of listening to the radio like they used to, music listeners today frequently conduct music listening over the Internet and mobile devices and use services such as Pandora, Sirius Radio, iHeart Radio, iTunes, and Shazam.

As a result, new methods of advertisements need to be developed to reach the masses as a replacement for the former advertisements long used on television and on the radio.

Recently, systems such as Google and eBay have been using algorithms to determine what people like and are interested in, and thereby target customers. However, this is targeting using such methods is difficult because people do not fall into one strict category, as each individual has many interests and hobbies. Websites such as Google can only track a person' s interests based on their actions online. The limitation of tracking a person' s interests based solely on their internet behavior is not sufficient to know the multitude of categories of interest that a person would fall into. Moreover, many of the algorithms and predictive techniques that are being used to define an individual are not completely accurate.

Likewise, these current systems for reaching people and advertising are on an individual basis. Such systems frequently have trouble reaching the masses and

simultaneously reaching millions of people at one time. A further disadvantage of the current systems of advertising is that targeted advertising generally requires outside companies to know an individual's personal and financial information. Software that tracks an individual's behavior online often requires the individual to fill out questionnaires and surveys giving up his or her personal information. Currently, systems try to track multiple dimensions of an individual's behavior to provide more detail about the person and identify that person. They are able to track a person's behavior and combine their online purchases, their website visits, their phone calls such as on Google Voice, and so on, to compile details about a person's identity. Yet, consumers are becoming increasingly cautious when it comes to providing their personally identifiable information and thinking twice before sharing their email addresses, browser activity, and other private information.

Summary of the Invention

The present inventions relate to the encoding, delivery, and display of audio and/or video content (hereinafter "audiovisual" content to include content including audio and/or video). In particular, they particularly relate to the delivery of such information to large groups, such as crowds. Such crowds could be at a sporting event, a concert, a movie or play, or in any other location or venue.

In accordance with the inventions, one or more codes are inserted into audiovisual content. Preferably, the codes are "masked" from perception. In other words, the codes are imperceptible or essentially imperceptible to the user, such that when listening to and/or watching the audiovisual content, the user does not perceive the code with the unaided ear and/or eye.

Upon insertion of the code into the audiovisual content, the audiovisual content (and code therein) is disseminated using any of the known or to be developed methods or systems in the art, such as, but not limited to, dissemination over the Internet, over optical media (such as CDs and DVDs), over concert loudspeakers, over television, over radio, over a computer, over a phone (including a smart phone), or via any other media or broadcast, whether physical, electrical, electromagnetic, optical, or so forth.

In accordance with a further aspect of the present inventions, a microphone, such as a microphone in a cellular phone or computer or otherwise, "listens" to audio information being played in the environment of the microphone. In a preferred embodiment, a program (whether in software or hardware or otherwise) in the phone or computer or other device monitors received audio information to detect any information containing the code(s).

Further preferably, if the code is of a type which matches preferences of the user, the code is stored in the device.

Yet further preferably, at set intervals, or continually, the device connects to an external server, whether via the Internet or other connection. Upon connecting to the external server, the device downloads and stores additional audiovisual content and instructions associated with that code, wherein such instructions govern the provision of such additional audiovisual content to the user. Such instructions, include, for example, timing instructions determining when such additional audiovisual content will be provided to the user, and/or other conditions for the provision of such additional audiovisual content to the user.

In an alternate embodiment, the additional audiovisual content is hidden in coded form within the initial audiovisual content, and such additional audiovisual content can be decoded from the code. In such embodiment, whereas the initial audiovisual content is perceptible to the user (e.g. music, videos, etc.), the additional audiovisual content can only be viewed when it is decoded by suitably configured software or hardware.

In accordance with yet a further aspect of the invention, upon reaching the set conditions (such as the time set in the timing instructions or otherwise), the device provides the additional audiovisual content to the user, whether in visual and/or audio form. In accordance with yet a further aspect of the invention, the device provides the additional audiovisual content to a large number of users at essentially the same time, whether those users are a crowd at an event, or otherwise.

Further aspects of the invention will become apparent in conjunction with the figures and detailed disclosure below.

Brief Description of the Drawings

Figure 1 is a flow chart illustrating one aspect of the present inventions, relating to the encoding of audiovisual content.

Figure 2 is a flow chart illustrating a further aspect of the present inventions, relating to the capture of encoded material by an electronic device, preferably a cellphone.

Figure 3 is a flow chart illustrating a further aspect of the present inventions, relating to the triggering of encoded audio and/or video.

Further aspects of the invention will become apparent in conjunction with the detailed disclosure set forth herein.

Detailed Description of the Invention and the Preferred Embodiments

The present invention addresses the realities of current systems and media and overcomes the disadvantages listed above by fundamentally changing how information is gathered and marketing communications are delivered. The invention provides a solution for the problems and shortcomings of the current existing technology.

In accordance with the invention, a system is provided which passively connects nearly all traditional and Internet content/advertising to targeted audiences through a mobile device's microphone and automatically delivers a desired code (e.g. an alphanumeric code), a hyperlink, bonus material, special offers, information and/or discounts to phones, PC's, laptops, and tablets. Preferably, a code is provided which then is used to disseminate to the consumer the bonus material, special offers, information and/or discounts, or so forth. As such, a system is provided which is designed to provide audience targeting, content timing, and market reach, to relevant consumers, whereby the content is provided automatically, allows user interaction, and allows local participation on a global level.

More specifically, as to audience targeting, the system maximizes the prospect that only the right, interested audience is reached, as opposed to consumers who have no interest in the subject matter of the advertising. As to content timing, the system is designed to allow delivery of content (e.g. offer/video/song) which starts everywhere at the exact same time, including, any extensive and complicated content. As to market reach, the system delivers the content to as large an audience as possible over multiple touchpoints or channels. As to relevant consumers, the offers are sent to those who have attended or shown or expressed interest in similar category content in the past. The system is automatic in that the key materials are downloaded without effort on the part of the audience. It is also interactive, in that all of the consumers can participate at once, and it is local in the sense that consumers can jointly participate with each other from wherever they are - even on a global level.

In its various forms, the present invention can be used with any type of audio and/or video content. For example, it can be used with commercials, television programs, radio broadcasts, videos, songs, in-store displays, loudspeaker announcements, or any other type of audio and/video content (referred to herein as "content" or "audiovisual content"). In particular, a code is inserted into the audiovisual content at issue. Preferably, the code is inserted at regular intervals, and preferably at least once every second.

Further preferably, the code is a sound inserted into the content' s audio portion. Yet further preferably, the code is within the 50-10K KHz range so that it can work with communication through internet videos. Yet further preferably, the code is an audio code which is inaudible to the user because it is scattered among the frequencies, and/or broadcasts at a frequency which can be picked up by the application, but which the user cannot hear. The present invention, however, is not limited to audio coding, since insertion into the video content can be alternatively or additionally be conducted.

In various embodiments of the invention, the code can be at a normal audio frequency, at a high frequency or ultra-high frequency, or any other desired frequency. For example, in one preferred embodiment, the code is at a frequence of 15-17 KHz. The codes in any of these frequency ranges can also have a timing signal associated with them, as in the embodiments described above and below. This timing signal can dictate when the code will pop up on the user' s screen to allow a particular offer to be delivered simultaneously to a set of users at a particular time.

When audiovisual content is played in the background, an application in a mobile device, computer, or tablet ("application") monitors the audiovisual content to "capture" any codes played within that audiovisual content. In particular, the application analyzes the stream of audiovisual content, and when it comes across one or more codes in the audiovisual content that is being played (or in audiovisual content which is stored on the device), the application recognizes the code. The application can then store each of those codes in its database. Thus, the code is passively transferred to personal devices in the home and on the go-

The application can monitor any audiovisual content being played on the device itself, such as videos being played on a smartphone. Alternatively or additionally, the application can monitor any audiovisual content playing in the background, outside the device, when that audiovisual content is picked up by the device's microphone. As an example of the latter embodiment, the application on a user's smartphone can monitor a television program being played in the background (e.g. in a person's living room), capturing any codes that are being broadcast by that program, audiovisual content played over the loudspeaker of a retail store or a sporting or concert event, and so forth. Since the code is embedded into the audiovisual content, the application in the mobile phone can capture regardless of internet access, whether the audiovisual content in question is stored on the playback device or is being played in the background and being captured by the mobile phone's microphone. Thus, the present invention has the significant advantage that there is no need for wifi or any other internet connection in order for the invention to monitor and capture the codes in the audiovisual content. This also means that the application does not block phone calls or messages from being received by the user if the device does not allow for simultaneous voice and data.

Preferably, once the code is recognized by the application, it can filter the code to determine whether to store it. In this preferred embodiment, once the code is captured by the user's device, it is only stored if it qualifies under the content and subject headings set by the user based on his or her interests. In other words, a user's application can be set such that the code (and its associated information as discussed further below), only are stored or acted on if and when it is the type of information that the user has indicated that he or she wants to see. For example, football-related audiovisual content can be stored by football fans (or fans of a particular team), art-related audiovisual content can be stored by art enthusiasts, and so forth.

Thus, in the preferred embodiment, inaudible codes are inserted into the audio portion of delivered audiovisual content, such as audiovisual content delivered over any channels, whether over the Internet, on television, over loudspeakers in stores, and so forth. When a person surfs the internet, uses his or her computer or phone, watches television, walks around a retail store, and so forth, these codes are automatically captured by the user' s mobile phone (without the need for an internet connection) and are stored on the user's device. The mobile phone constantly downloads these codes.

In addition to downloading codes, the application also stores the user's preferences. As result, the annotated content can later be delivered in a tailored fashion for that particular user at a particular time. As an example, in a group of individuals watching the same concert, an offer or contest or so forth can be broadcast to them to pop up to all of them on their mobile phones at the same time.

The user can customize the application to select certain content, offer, coupon, and language preferences associated with his or her background and interests. The application will then filter and control what content and offers get stored onto and broadcast by his or her device. The user can also request more content on a given topic.

One advantage of the present invention over existing technology is that the present invention is completely anonymous. It does not require an individual to give up any of his or her personal or financial information, but merely tracks the individual's types of preferences. The present invention has no way of tracking a particular individual in terms of his or her name, address, or so forth. Rather, the invention focuses solely on categories which the individual can be placed in for targeted advertisement. Further, an individual can go into his or her profile and add or delete any information for the advertisements and messages to further target his or her interests with accuracy and/or for purposes of privacy. Also, preferably the present invention works with the permission of the user only and is completely anonymous.

Another advantage of the present invention is that it is used on a person' s mobile phone, a device which travels with a person everywhere. Cellular phones are present when a person listens to music, watches television, goes to concerts, makes purchases, goes to the supermarket, and so forth. These days individuals generally have their cellular phones with them at all times. As a result, unlike the current software techniques which are limited to tracking a person's online activity, the present invention can reach a much broader spectrum of that individual's activities and behaviors. It is able to measure actual viewing and listening habits in real time and thereby provide accuracy in identifying ad exposure across all broadcast media. The mobile telephone is therefore the best collector of information.

However, preferably only advertisements, messages, codes and coupons that are desired by the user are displayed. As noted above, the user is able to customize the application to select certain content, offer, coupon, and language preferences. The user filters and controls what content and offers get stored onto his or her device. Once the code is captured by the user's device it is preferably only stored if it qualifies under the content and subject headings set by the user based on his or her interests.

Thus, the present invention is a transformative global communication platform that empowers advertisers and their content providers to automatically deliver personalized, targeted messages to interested consumers via their mobile device, in real-time, or at a later date. The platform of the present invention also encourages consumers to proactively indicate their areas of interest to ensure they are being reached with the most relevant offers. The user is able to personalize the content and messages to be received, without supplying any personal information. This ensures that the key material is delivered to as large a relevant target audience as possible over multiple touchpoints. It ensured that offers are preferably only sent to those who have attended similar category content in the past and are still interested, while maintaining the recipient' s anonymity.

Moreover, a further significant benefit of the present invention is the ability to reach millions of people at the same time, all of whom share a common interest, are engaged in a common activity, are at a common location or event, or so forth.

For example, in one embodiment of the present invention, particular content is displayed or broadcast to all of the members of the target group simultaneously. As an illustration of this embodiment, the code or message can be timed, so that the message or advertisement is sent to all the individuals in a certain category at a certain time. By having the content (e.g. offer, video, song, etc.) start everywhere at the exact same time a maximized effect is provided, as there is an instantaneous presentation of exciting and interactive content. As a further illustration, at exactly midnight an offer can be sent to start a sale or give a coupon for a particular company or product. Millions of interested users can be reached at once about participation in a give-away, sale, or sweepstakes.

At a predetermined time, even weeks later, and/or at a predetermined event (i.e. at a particular sports event, TV broadcast, etc.), across a desired terrain, a targeted message can open up simultaneously to the target audience, with language geared to that locale - but in accordance with the invention is preferably only sent to those who are truly interested.

Prior to that predetermined time and/or event, extensive data (such as text, images, and/or videos) can be slowly pre-loaded into a user's device over an extended period. The content being provided to the consumer is then activated when the application reaches the desired time stamp, and/or when the user's device picks up a trigger in the background.

As an example of the latter, the trigger can be, for example, listening to a song of a particular artist, or attending a concert wherein an inaudible code is played over the event' s loudspeakers. That can cause a sweepstakes to pop up on the user's phone that the user can enter for a chance to win two tickets to that singer's next concert. That background code or time acts as a trigger to broadcast the content on the user's phone content (such as an offer, video, song, etc.). The trigger causes the offer to be sent to everyone in a given category at the same time, based purely on the time and date, common participation in the same event (e.g. a concert), common viewing of the same broadcast (e.g on television or the Internet, etc.), or so forth.

Furthermore, the present invention allows marketing which reaches crowds. The system is also uniquely designed to be interactive, and to ensure that all users can participate at once or in groups. As noted above, groups of people with similar- minded goals and tastes have a unique power of their own, with each member feeding upon the reactions of the other, leading to amplified effects and promotional results. Flash dances, crowdsourcing, "going viral" are all the results of group interaction.

Thus, in accordance with the invention, a group with a homogeneous interest can all interactively participate wherever they are, both globally and locally. When particular content is broadcast, the user can responds to that content using his or her mobile phone. For example, a sponsored special discount could be offered to all customers of a particular franchise. A high value game could be played between fans in a sports stadium and those watching on TV or listening on the radio. Sponsored trivia games could be played between those of similar demographics and interests. Participants could add/share questions, pictures and videos - preferably only received by those interested - all at the same time. As further examples, fans of a particular musician or group, worldwide, could receive a code while attending that musician or group's concerts, listening to them on TV, on Youtube or on a disc. Suddenly, all fans receive a notice of a sponsored contest to download the latest song and get a chance to win free tickets to the next show. Likewise, a sports fans who passively record codes while watching past sporting games on TV, over streaming Internet or on radio, can suddenly be provided with a chance to guess the next pitch or shot at a game or so forth and receive free tickets. Codes hidden in a retailer's commercials on TV and radio can later result in the delivery of offers for free goods and/or services and/or promotions if the customer later receives a code from the ceiling speakers in the local branch of that retailer. Fans of a particular television show can receive codes while watching past shows on TV, DVD or On-demand. Later they all receive highlight clips from past shows and a chance to vote for new endings. At a sporting event, a message can come up to all the users in attendance of that game and have a contest that whoever can guess how many points will win the game will be a winner of the contest and a certain prize. Everyone can participate in this contest along with all the other users around them that are interested in this sport or sport team and get the same message.

Accordingly, further to the invention a system is provided having numerous advantages over current methods of targeting relevant consumers having an interest in for particular goods and services. The system requires no synchronization with programs as it operates automatically in the backgrounds of the user' s computing or electronic device (preferably the user's cell phone). The system allows access of the the desired content from all media having audio and/or video, allows a verified targeted reach of those consumers having an interest in the content, and passive delivery for optimal consumer convenience. The content can be timed (for display to the user at a particular future time), and/or instantaneous for immediate display, and/or triggered by certain audio in the background. It also allows opening of even detailed content, whether by instant delivery or the gradual delivery and saving of the content in the phone over time. The content is tied to relevant content that the user has used, listened to, watched, and/or attended in the past, and can be customized for the respondent's locale. Moreover, the content is embedded using an inaudible signal, so that it is unobtrusive during the user's day to day activities. Additionally, the content allows for interaction between users, and for worldwide reach with localized rewards. The present invention is unique in that it enables targeted delivery simultaneously to millions of people at the same time, and allows their interaction with each other.

In addition to the foregoing description, reference is made to the disclosures of U.S. Patent Nos. 6,993,284; 7,950,031; 8,464,310; and U.S. Patent Application Serial No.

62/105,277; all of which which are fully incorporated herein by reference, and whose features can be used in conjunction with the present invention.

The above description is considered that of certain embodiments of the present invention only. Modifications of the invention will occur to those skilled in the art and to those who make or use the invention. Therefore it is understood that the embodiments described herein are merely for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention.

Claims

Claims

is claimed is:

A method, comprising the steps of:

taking audiovisual content comprising a code therein, wherein the audiovisual content is perceptible by a consumer, but wherein the code is masked from perception by the consumer;

disseminating the audiovisual content comprising the encoded content;

wherein the audiovisual content and encoded content is received by cellular phones using the microphones of the cellular phones;

wherein the encoded content in the audiovisual content can be recognized by a program in the phones; and,

wherein the encoded content corresponds to additional content to be provided to the users of the phone; and,

wherein the additional content is provided to multiple phone users upon occurrence of a pre-determined condition.

2. A method conducted by a program in a cellular phone, comprising the steps of:

taking disseminated audiovisual content comprising a code therein, wherein the audiovisual content is perceptible by a consumer, and wherein the code is masked from perception by the consumer but is perceptible by the program in the cellular phone, and wherein the audiovisual content and encoded content was received by the phone using the microphone of the phone; recognizing the encoded content in the audiovisual content, wherein the encoded content corresponds to additional content that can be retrieved by the cellular phone;

connecting with a server and retrieving the additional content; and, providing the additional content to the cellular phone user upon occurrence of a pre-determined condition.

3. A method as claimed in claim 1 or 2, wherein the audiovisual content and encoded content are disseminated over a television broadcast.

4. A method as claimed in claim 1 or 2, wherein the audiovisual content and encoded content are disseminated over the radio.

5. A method as claimed in claim 1 or 2, wherein the audiovisual content and encoded content are disseminated over the Internet.

6. A method as claimed in claim 1 or 2, wherein the audiovisual content and encoded content are disseminated on an optical media.

7. A method as claimed in claim 1 or 2, wherein the audiovisual content and encoded content are disseminated over a concert loudspeaker.

8. A method as claimed in any of the preceding claims, wherein the program in the phone allows customization of the preferences of the user of the phone.

9. A method as claimed in claim 8, wherein the preferences include the user's language preference.

10. A method as claimed in claim 8, wherein the preferences are based on the user's interests.

11. A method as claimed in claim 8, wherein the preferences are preferences tailored to the user's background.

12. A method as claimed in claim 8, wherein the preferences include the type of content that the user would like to receive.

13. A method as claimed in claim 8, wherein the preferences include the type of offers that the user would like to receive.

14. A method as claimed in claim 8, wherein the preferences include the type of coupons that the user would like to receive.

15. A method as claimed in any of claims 8-14, wherein the encoded content is stored if the encoded content falls within the preferences set for the user of the phone.

16. A method as claimed in any of the preceding claims, wherein the program connects to a server and downloads content and one or more conditions associated with the encoded content.

17. A method as claimed in claim 16, wherein the downloaded content is audiovisual content.

18. A method as claimed in any of claims 16-17, wherein the program stores the

downloaded content in the phone.

19. A method as claimed in any of claims 16-18, wherein the condition is the time for delivery of the downloaded content.

20. A method as claimed in any of claims 16-19, wherein the downloaded content

comprises text which is displayed to the user of the phone.

21. A method as claimed in any of claims 16-20, wherein the downloaded content

comprises audiovisual content which is displayed to the user of the phone.

22. A method as claimed in any of claims 16-21, wherein the downloaded content

comprises audiovisual content which is played to the user of the phone.

23. A method as claimed in any of claims 16-22, wherein the downloaded content

comprises an alphanumeric code provided to the user of the phone.

24. A method as claimed in any of claims 16-23, wherein the downloaded content comprises a hyperlink provided to the user of the phone.

25. A method as claimed in any of claims 16-24, wherein the downloaded content

comprises bonus material provided to the user of the phone.

26. A method as claimed in any of claims 16-25, wherein the downloaded content

comprises a special offer provided to the user of the phone.

27. A method as claimed in any of claims 16-26, wherein the downloaded content

comprises a special offer provided to the user of the phone.

28. A method as claimed in any of claims 16-27, wherein the downloaded content

includes a condition as to the timing of the provision of that content to the user, and wherein the downloaded content comprises simultaneously played and/or displayed to multiple users at the same time.

29. A method as claimed in claim 28, wherein the downloaded content is simultaneously played and/or displayed to multiple users at a sporting event at the same time.

30. A method as claimed in claim 28, wherein the downloaded content is simultaneously played and/or displayed to multiple users at a concert at the same time.