ELECTRONIC ORDERING

Abstract: In a broadcast, content information is interspersed with advertisements. The user is enabled to select a specific advertisement. Upon selection, an identifier of the selected advertisement is stored locally at the user's equipment. The identifier is used later on, independent of the time frame of the broadcast, to connect to a server for initiating a transaction related to the advertisement.

Description: Electronic ordering FIELD OF THE INVENTION The invention relates to a system and a method for electronic ordering of a product or a service. The invention relates to a system that provides content information, e.g., in a broadcast, together with advertisements for products and/or services. BACKGROUND ART Systems and methods for electronic ordering are known, for example on the Internet, and can be used where there is an established way of transferring codes via the content information delivery channel. The known systems typically require special equipment both at the broadcast side as at the receiver side. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the invention to provide a system and a method for electronic ordering, which are more user-friendly than the known system and method. In the invention, content information is sent or broadcast interspersed with advertisements, e.g., in blocks between segments of the content information. The system according to the invention allows the consumer to select a specific advertisement during the broadcast through a suitable user- selection sub-system. The selection, however, enables initiating and/or completing an electronic ordering transaction at a moment that is independent of the time frame of the broadcast comprising the advertisement, and that is more convenient to the consumer. Preferably, the invention allows the consumer to connect his/her equipment to a server for downloading the selected advertisement and/or associated context information in order for him/her to complete the transaction if desired. The server is a server, external to the consumer's location, on the Internet or on another data network. By downloading the selected advertisement and/or, for example, further context information about the article (product, service), the customer can decide whether he/she really wants to, e.g., purchase or otherwise acquire, the product or service advertised without this interfering with the broadcast. A further embodiment of the invention uses delegating to a third party the supply of the downloadable advertisement and/or of downloadable context information associated with the advertisement that was sent during the broadcast. The third party is, e.g., an advertisement agency. With the use of an advertisement agency the sender and the (Internet) server can easily supply extra information about the article if so desired. A method according to the invention allows the consumer to purchase selected articles or services during listening to, or watching of, a broadcast program without interrupting the listening and/or watching, for example in order to have to write down the information of the article. The consumer thus determines his/herself at what moment he/she wants to complete the transaction. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING Hereinafter the invention will be explained by way of example and with reference to the accompanying drawing wherein the figure is a block diagram of a system in the invention. DETAILED EMBODIMENT The figure shows a system SYS according to the invention. System SYS allows a consumer to electronically order an article (product, service). System SYS comprises a sender SEN which broadcasts or otherwise sends a signal sig (i, a) comprising content information i. This information is, for example, a radio broadcast, a television broadcast, a video-on-demand program etc. Signal sig (i, a) further comprises an advertisement a, which is broadcast or sent, e.g., in between successive parts of the content information. Advertisement a is added to signal sig (i,a) in sender SEN. An advertisement agency ADV is coupled to sender SEN to supply advertisement a. For example, a company COMP requests agency ADV to run an advertisement campaign with an advertisement for a specific article. Signal sig (i, a) is received by a receiver REC of the consumer. Receiver REC comprises, for example, a radio receiver, a television receiver, etc. Advertisement a is being received, in this example, between parts of broadcast content information i that comprises, e.g., a radio program or television program. When the user of receiver REC wants to buy the article as advertised he/she can select the advertisement for the article through selecting means SELM. Selecting means SELM can be part of receiver REC, or can be a separate component, or can be incorporated in, for example, a remote control, a mobile phone or a watch, etc. Selection means SELM cooperates with receiver REC for the purpose of enabling the consumer to select advertisements. Preferably, the user of receiver REC has only to push a specific button to select an advertisement. Herewith information about the advertisement a is stored, for example, in selection means SELM or in the receiver, in the remote control, the mobile phone, the watch, etc. Later on, at a moment the customer decides, selecting means SEL is coupled to a server (for example a server INN on the Internet or on another data network) and the information stored in selecting means SEL is transferred to the server. On the basis of this information the server supplies (downloads) the information about the advertisement selected and makes it possible to complete the purchasing or other commercial transaction. After the completion of the transaction the Internet server INN supplies a signal to advertisement company ADV which supplies the information further to the company COMP, which e.g., then supplies the chosen article to the customer. In this way it is made possible to order selected articles during listening or viewing a broadcast program without interruption of the listening and/or viewing (for example, to have to write down the information of the article). The customer decides him/herself what moment is suitable to complete the transaction. In a simple embodiment, selection means SEL only stores the time stamp of the broadcast advertisement. On the basis thereof, Internet server INN selects the advertisement that corresponds to that time, and provides the information of that advertisement to the customer. The customer can then confirm or re-confirm the buying transaction. In case more than one advertisement are sent at the same time (via different senders) Internet server INN can supply all the advertisements broadcasted at that time, and let the customer choose the one originally intended. The stored time (time stamp) is, for example, created from a local clock in selecting means SEL, or in receiver REC. Preferably, at the moment selection means SEL is coupled to Internet server INN, the clock of selecting means SEL is compared with the clock of server INN and a possible difference is calculated and used in the buying session. To make the above possible the customer preferably indicates those senders or broadcast stations he/she listens/watches the most often (for example 3 or 4). This has to be done during installation of the system. Preferably, misuse of the system is prevented to avoid unauthorized use. For example, children playing with selection means SEL should not order articles if they are not authorized. Misuse can be avoided by requesting confirmation when selection means SEL is connected to (Internet) server INN. After the confirmation has been given the ordering can be finalized. For example, a PIN code (security code) can be used for this purpose. In a further embodiment, not only the time stamp is stored but also the identity of sender SEN that broadcast the advertisement. In that case, when selection means SEL is connected to Internet server INN, there will be no doubt which advertisement the customer meant. Further in this case no initialization is necessary indicating the favorite senders. In case selection means SEL is not connected to receiver REC, in most of the cases only the time stamp will be stored. Otherwise, selection means SEL would have to have means to receive information about the sender being tuned into while the consumer was selecting an advertisement. A remote control having selecting means SEL in it is capable of identifying this information, or can let the information be stored in the receiver. As will be understood from the above a lot of variations can be made using the main idea of the invention. As indicated above the selection means can be implemented in a lot of different ways: in the receiver, in the remote control, in a separate unit, in a watch, in a key fob, etc. What is needed is that the selection means can be coupled to the Internet server to complete the buying transaction. For example, it is possible to couple the selection means to the receiver and couple the receiver to the (Internet) server. As a further example, it is also possible to use this system and method to order music broadcasted. The music can for example be downloaded after connecting to the server, or can be sent after completion of the buying action.

Claims: CLAIMS: 1. A system for enabling a consumer to electronically order an article or a service, wherein: the system comprises a receiver for receiving a signal sent by a sender, the signal comprising content information and an advertisement for the article or for the service; and the system allows a consumer to select the advertisement for electronically initiating an ordering transaction at a moment that is independent of a time frame of the signal being sent by the sender. 2. The system of Claim 1 , wherein the system enables the consumer to connect to a server on the Internet for downloading context information relating to the advertisement and for completion of the ordering transaction. 3. The system of claim 2, wherein the server enables an advertisement agency to supply the context information to the sender. 4. The system of claim 1 , wherein: the receiver enables storing an identifier for the selected advertisement; and the identifier is used by the consumer to connect to a remote server. 5. The system of claim 4, wherein the identifier comprises a time stamp representative of an occurrence of the selected advertisement. 6. A method for enabling a consumer to electronically order an article or a service, the method comprising: broadcasting a signal that comprises content information and an advertisement; enabling the consumer to select the advertisement during the broadcast; and enabling to store local to the consumer an identifier of the selected advertisement for electronically initiating a transaction at a moment that is independent of a time frame of the signal being broadcast. 7. The method of claim 6, wherein the identifier controls connection to a remote server on a data network for initiating the transaction. 8. The method of claim 7, wherein the identifier comprises a time stamp representative of the selected advertisement being broadcast. 9. A handheld device for enabling a consumer to control storing an identifier of an advertisement during a broadcast for use of the identifier in an electronic transaction within a context of the advertisement independent of a time frame of the broadcast. 10. The device of claim 9, enabling the control through a single user-input.

Inventors: DAEMS FRANK C H, DAEMS, FRANK, C., H.
Applicants: KONINKL PHILIPS ELECTRONICS NV, KONINKLIJKE PHILIPS ELECTRONICS N.V.
Application year: 2000
Main classification: G06F17
IPC codes: G06Q30, G06Q50