Patent US5515098A successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
US5515098A
Expired / Lapsed
US
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System and method for selectively distributing commercial messages over a communications network
Assignee: Invidi Technologies Corp
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Filing: 1994-09-08
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Granted: 1996-05-07
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Expires: 2014-09-08
Abstract
Abstract A device and method of distributing commercial messages to an individually addressable subscriber terminal ("converter") on a network is provided. A server, located on the network, selectively tags commercial messages with routing information and converter addresses, and transmits the messages on the network to be received and displayed by the addressed converters. The addresses are selected based on information stored in a database related to demographic and other information relating to the members of the household of the subscriber. The server sends selected commercial messages to selected households.
Inventors
- 👤 John B. Carles
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-24 21:35
CPC Classifications
H; H04; H04N; H04N21/00; H04N21/80; H04N21/81; H04N21/812; H04N21/20; H04N21/25; H04N21/258; H04N21/25866; H04N21/25883; H04N21/25891; H04N7/00; H04N7/025; H04N7/03; H04N7/10; H04N7/16; H04N7/162; H04N7/165
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 9
Claim 1
Independent Claim
183 words
An apparatus for selectively distributing messages over a communications network comprising: a controller for communicating over the network with a plurality of subscriber terminals in a plurality of subscriber households served by the communications network, each of said subscriber terminals having a network address; a reservoir of data operatively associated with said controller, said reservoir containing network addresses of said subscriber terminals and subscriber profile data associated with each of said subscriber households and including demographic data; a source of commercial messages; selection means operatively associated with said controller for selecting at least one of said commercial messages for transmission to at least one of said subscriber terminals based on the subscriber profile data associated with said at least one subscriber terminal; and identifying means operatively associated with said controller for identifying the selected at least one commercial message with the network address of said at least one subscriber terminal; said controller causing the transmission, over said network from said source to said at least one subscriber terminal, of commercial messages identified with the network address of said at least one subscriber terminal.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
183 words
An apparatus for selectively distributing messages over a communications network comprising: a controller for communicating over the network with a plurality of subscriber terminals in a plurality of subscriber households served by the communications network, each of said subscriber terminals having a network address; a reservoir of data operatively associated with said controller, said reservoir containing network addresses of said subscriber terminals and subscriber profile data associated with each of said subscriber households and including demographic data; a source of commercial messages; selection means operatively associated with said controller for selecting at least one of said commercial messages for transmission to at least one of said subscriber terminals based on the subscriber profile data associated with said at least one subscriber terminal; and identifying means operatively associated with said controller for identifying the selected at least one commercial message with the network address of said at least one subscriber terminal; said controller causing the transmission, over said network from said source to said at least one subscriber terminal, of commercial messages identified with the network address of said at least one subscriber terminal.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
30 words
An apparatus as in claim 1 wherein said commercial messages provided by said source contain information identifying at least one characteristic of a household intended to receive the commercial message.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
72 words
An apparatus as in claim 1 wherein said reservoir of data further comprises target household profile data identifying characteristics of actual customers of the subject matter of said at least one commercial message, and means for comparing the subscriber's profile data and said target profile data, said selection means selecting commercials for transmission to a subscriber terminal in relationship to the comparison between that subscriber's profile data and the target profile data.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
46 words
An apparatus in accordance with claim 2 further comprising means for generating a target household profile data by comparing data representative of the general population of households and customer household data representative of actual customers of the subject matter of said at least one commercial message.
Claim 6
Independent Claim
142 words
A method for selectively distributing commercial messages across a communications network to at least one of a plurality of subscriber terminals in subscriber households having a network address comprising the steps of: identifying each of a collection of stored commercial messages with a product code representing characteristics of a subscriber household profile common to actual customers of the subject matter of that commercial message which the code identifies; prioritizing said plurality of subscriber terminals with respect to each product code, based on the conformance of subscriber household profile data for each of said plurality of subscriber terminals to the characteristics represented by each product code; and controlling the transmission of a commercial message from said collection to said subscriber terminals so that only terminals of a specified priority relative to the product code receive the commercial message identified with the product code.
Claim 7
Independent Claim
142 words
A method for selectively distributing commercial messages across a communications network to at least one of a plurality of subscriber terminals in subscriber households having a network address comprising the steps of: identifying each of a collection of stored commercial messages with a product code representing characteristics of a subscriber household profile common to actual customers of the subject matter of that commercial message which the code identifies; prioritizing said plurality of subscriber terminals with respect to each product code, based on the conformance of subscriber household profile data for each of said plurality of subscriber terminals to the characteristics represented by each product code; and controlling the transmission of a commercial message from said collection to said subscriber terminals so that only terminals of a specified priority relative to the product code receive the commercial message identified with the product code.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
15 words
The method of claim 5 wherein the specified priority is included in said product code.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
94 words
The method of claim 6 wherein the step of prioritizing said plurality of subscriber terminals comprises the steps of: with respect to each product code, comparing profile data representative of customer households with profile data representative of all households, producing a weighting factor with respect to each difference characteristic related to the frequency of occurrence; calculating a subscriber's priority with respect to the product code by analyzing the respective subscriber's household profile for the presence of difference characteristics and adding the corresponding weighting factor to the subscriber's priority when a difference characteristic is present.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
US5155591A
Cited
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1999-05-07 | 1999-11-06 | 2000-05-07 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2003-05-07 | 2003-11-06 | 2004-05-07 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2007-05-07 | 2007-11-06 | 2008-05-07 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |