Abstract:
A method for automatically developing a proposal of advertising segments from a plurality of available advertising segments offered by an owner of a media presentation containing the advertising segments. A plurality of representations of available advertising segments are stored, and actual and/or speculative presentation characteristics are associated to each of the plurality of representations. A proposal is developed comprising a subset of the representations based on media buyer specified variables. The proposal is validated by ensuring that the speculative characteristics are satisfied upon creation of the media presentation containing segments purchased by the media buyer.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001]     1. Field of the Invention  
         [0002]     The present invention relates, in general, to systems and methods for displaying movies, advertising, and alternative content, and, more particularly, to software, systems and methods for selling access to presentation times in a media stream before the media stream is constructed.  
         [0003]     2. Relevant Background  
         [0004]     Presenting information using television, radio, the Internet, movies and the like is a prevailing mode for mass communication. These communication modes allow the presentation of recorded material, live material, and mixtures of recorded and live materials. At a basic level, each of these communication modes enables the presentation of a stream of information in a particular sequence. The impact of a particular message on a recipient is affected by various factors including the timing of the presentation, place of the presentation, and the proximity (both time and location) of other content items that are presented near a particular message. As a result, the message communicated by a particular content item is determined not only by its own content, but by the context in which it is presented.  
         [0005]     Media buyers such as content providers, advertisers and advertising agencies are presented with an ever increasing number of options to present material. Traditional media such as television and radio broadcasting have experienced a growth in the number of broadcasters, and, thus, the number of presentation opportunities they offer. While this growth has made the processes of buying and selling “media spots” more complex, these traditional media channels have well-developed systems for rating and pricing time slots throughout the day. These ratings are largely based on historical information. Media purchases rely on carefully planned schedules that specify when primary content, such as entertainment programs, will be presented so that the rating and pricing information is valid. Because schedules are planned weeks or months in advance the important context variables (e.g., program ratings and demographics) are largely, although not completely, known when the media buyer is selecting placement for a particular content item. In other words, the “inventory” of available spots in which to place a content item is known well in advance, making it possible to buy and sell the available spots.  
         [0006]     More recently, the large installed base of theatres has been seen as an opportunity for presenting richer and more varied types of content to theatre audiences. Film-based entertainment such as movies, live events combined with film features, and the like remain an important vehicle for entertainment and education throughout the world. The ambiance of a theatre is what continues to draw audiences even though many other venues for watching movies exist. The ambience created by lighting, sound, seating, picture quality, and other factors contribute to a unique entertainment environment that continues to be preferred by audiences. As a result, there exists a significant installed base of theatres in the United States and throughout the world that include equipment and facilities for displaying film-based material.  
         [0007]     Conventional theatres, however, have limited resources for scheduling and presenting content items from various sources. Because conventional theatre operations are designed to present a single film, sometimes in conjunction with digital content show advertising, they have not had a need for more sophisticated scheduling techniques. Examples of in-theatre presentations include a pre-feature slide show that displays a repeating loop of advertising slides, often interspersed with entertainment slides. The loop is started at some arbitrary time between shows and repeats until the upcoming feature begins. The loop repeats while the audience is seated such that an ad may appear several times before the feature presentation begins. Optionally, the feature presentation is preceded by trailers advertising other films, where the trailers are physically spliced to the feature film.  
         [0008]     More recently, “rolling stock” advertisements have become available in which a short animated feature, film, or other moving-picture feature is presented. Usually, the rolling stock is physically spliced to the beginning of a 35 mm feature film. As a result, there is no flexibility to alter when the rolling stock appears relative to the film, the rolling stock advertisement cannot be repeated during the digital content show as can slides, and the rolling stock will only appear immediately before the feature presentation. Moreover, rolling stock is not well suited to present the wide variety of alternative content that is available.  
         [0009]     In comparison to television and radio media channels, movie theatre scheduling is relatively ad hoc. A theatre operator may select which films will be presented at a particular theatre only a few weeks or days in advance of the actual presentation. For some types of presentations, the theatre operator may desire an even shorter lead time. Further, a theatre typically has multiple auditoriums and the selection of which auditorium will be used for a particular feature film may be constantly changing. Hence, in the theatre environment there is little prior knowledge of the environment or context in which a content item may be presented. As a result, buying and selling spots for presentation within a theatre has been even more difficult that with conventional media channels.  
         [0010]     Hence, many of the advantages possible with digital cinema cannot be achieved without significant improvements in the way in which theatres schedule content for display. For example, even though digital cinema techniques allow a presentation to be compiled from one or more sources very quickly, content providers who wish to influence the context and environment in which their content is presented are less willing to relinquish complete control over the presentation to the theatre operator. As a result, existing efforts towards digital cinema follow a model of conventional film-based presentations by compiling a presentation well in advance.  
         [0011]     It would also be desirable if digital cinema could be scheduled to more specifically target various audience characteristics. For example, it would be desirable to geographically tailor a nationwide business presentation or sales presentation to more specifically address each audience&#39;s needs. Conventional in-theatre systems fail to capture the value of being able to target the audience. Accordingly, it would be desirable to schedule digital cinema features in a way that targeted specific audience characteristics.  
         [0012]     In view of the above, there is an acute need for systems and methods for buying and selling presentation times in a media stream, particularly systems and methods that can be implemented within digital theatre environments and other locations where media is presented to an audience.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0013]     Briefly stated, the present invention involves a method for automatically developing a proposal of advertising segments from a plurality of available advertising segments offered by an owner of a media presentation containing the advertising segments. A plurality of representations of available advertising segments are stored, and actual and/or speculative presentation characteristics are associated to each of the plurality of representations. A proposal is developed comprising a subset of the representations based on media buyer specified variables. The proposal is validated by ensuring that the speculative characteristics are satisfied upon creation of the media presentation containing segments purchased by the media buyer.  
         [0014]     In another aspect, the present invention involves a proposal machine having an interface to a media scheduling database for receiving inventory information about an inventory of segments within one or more media streams, wherein the inventory information includes actual and speculative presentation characteristics of the segments. The proposal machine further includes an interface for receiving information about a media buyer&#39;s presentation requirements. Processes within the proposal machine determine a set of the segments from the scheduling database that satisfy the media buyer&#39;s presentation requirements based on the actual and speculative presentation characteristics of the segments. Processes within the proposal machine also generate a proposal to the media buyer identifying the determined set of segments. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING  
       [0015]      FIG. 1  shows a networked theatre environment in which the present invention is implemented;  
         [0016]      FIG. 2  shows an exemplary theatre implemented in accordance with the present invention in functional block-diagram form;  
         [0017]      FIG. 3  illustrates in functional block-diagram form auditorium components of a theatre system in accordance with the present invention;  
         [0018]      FIG. 4  shows an exemplary server components in accordance with the present invention in functional block-diagram form;  
         [0019]      FIG. 5  shows data center components in accordance with the present invention;  
         [0020]      FIG. 6  illustrates an exemplary scheduling architecture in accordance with a particular implementation of the present invention;  
         [0021]      FIG. 7  shows an exemplary scheduling record in accordance with the present invention;  
         [0022]      FIG. 8  illustrates an exemplary theatre schedule database in accordance with the present invention;  
         [0023]      FIG. 9  shows an exemplary scheduling grid data structure used in a particular embodiment of the present invention;  
         [0024]      FIG. 10  shows an exemplary “queue table” data structure used in a particular embodiment of the present invention;  
         [0025]      FIG. 11  is a flow diagram illustrating a workflow related to using the systems and methods of the present invention;  
         [0026]      FIG. 12  shows data structures involved in an implementation of the present invention; and  
         [0027]      FIG. 13  illustrates an exemplary workflow in an entity relationship diagram. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0028]     The present invention is directed to systems and methods that involve time within a media presentation to be bought and sold prior to using speculative information about the total contents of the presentation. In this manner, media buyers can specify desired presentation criteria and purchase portions of a future presentation that will meet the specified criteria. The presentation is assembled over time as specific content items become available for actual (i.e., non-speculative) scheduling. The presentation assembly is performed so as to produce a final presentation that satisfies the presentation criteria. The presentation assembly may take place any time before the actual presentation, up until just a few moments before the actual presentation. As a result, the time slots that make up a presentation are much easier to market, buy and sell well in advance of the assignment of specific content items to fill the presentation, while at the same time ensuring media buyers expectations are satisfied.  
         [0029]     The present invention is particularly useful in a theatre environment. For example, it is possible to estimate the number of screens available for a particular content item requirement using average percentages of movies that are classified with each movie rating. From this estimate “virtual auditoriums” can be used as “place holders” for digital content shows with particular requirements or characteristics. The system can then schedule media buys (e.g., presentation contracts) to the place holder auditoriums, thereby selling this “virtual inventory” before it actually comes into existence, and tracking that inventory through the term of the contract. As specific films are scheduled in specific auditoriums, real inventory becomes available and the contracts can be reassigned to an appropriate auditorium. The system of the present invention is desirably able to reconcile this virtual inventory against the actual inventory that is created at show time.  
         [0030]     The present invention is illustrated and described in terms of a distributed theatre environment such as might be implemented by a national chain of theatres or an organization of cooperating independent theatre owners. However, the present invention is readily scaled to provide both international and local services, and may be implemented in a single venue. Moreover, the systems and methods for scheduling are applicable to a wide variety of media channels including television, radio, the Internet, live events, and the like where it is desired to allow a media buyer to influence the time and/or location or other environmental criteria related to the actual presentation, but where these presentation environmental variables are not completely known at the time the media purchase is made.  
         [0031]     More generally, the invention provides systems and mechanisms for buying and selling segments within a media stream. The term media stream is used to refer to data that represents media and can be played on an appropriate player device to create an audible, visual, or other communication with an audience or viewer. A media stream may comprise a single type of media (e.g., audio-only) or may comprise multiple types of media (e.g., audio and video). Further, a media stream may be played on a single device or on separate devices. For example, a media stream may include audio information that is played back on audio equipment and video information that is played back on a projector. In a more extreme example, a media stream might include text and/or video information that would play back on an electronic billboard, and a audio information that would play back through a stadium sound system. Hence, a single media stream may include components that are presented simultaneously or sequentially.  
         [0032]     It should be understood that while the exemplary implementations involve presentation of digital content shows in conjunction with a main feature within a theatre, the present invention is broadly applicable to scheduling digital content shows at any time before, during, and after a main feature or live event as well as scheduling digital content shows that will be presented alone (i.e., not in conjunction with a main feature or live event). Moreover, while the examples primarily involve theatre environments, it is contemplated that other entertainment venues and types may benefit from the present invention.  
         [0033]     It is contemplated that the present invention will find applicability in many events that consist of or comprise the presentation of digital media or multimedia content. An “event” is construed broadly to mean live performances, live broadcasts or transmissions, as well as performances and transmissions of pre-recorded events. An event may take a single moment in time, or span a period of time. An event may itself comprise a continuous or discontinuous sequence of events. For example, live, broadcast, and multicast events such as concerts, sporting events, plays, speeches and the like may beneficially employ features of the present invention. Further, the present invention may be used to include pre-recorded features before, during, or after a primary feature presentation.  
         [0034]      FIG. 1  shows an exemplary environment  100  in which the present invention may be implemented. Environment  100  includes a plurality of presentation facilities  200 , including theatres, malls, convention centers, stores, sporting facilities and the like at which media is presented to an audience of one or more viewers. Each presentation facility  200  is coupled to a data communication network such as wide area network (WAN)  101 . Presentation facilities  200  may be distributed over any geographic area including regionally, nationally, or world-wide. A significant advantage of the present invention is that it enables coordinated, centralized sales of presentation time in a wide variety of presentation formats and locations so that media buyers can place orders for digital content presentation to geographically and demographically diverse audiences. Because features of the present invention enable targeting to be improved over this diverse group of presentation facilities  200 , the market for presentation times is larger than if each facility  200  were to attempt to sell presentation times individually. Also, because media buyers are able to order presentation of a wide variety of content sources, including live segments, pre-recorded segments, audience targeted segments, still pictures, moving pictures, animation, audio, and the like, the systems in accordance with the present invention support a much broader range of applications. Moreover, because digital content items and digital content shows will reach a larger audience, content producers can justify greater expense to produce digital content items, making the entire experience more enjoyable.  
         [0035]     Environment  100  also includes one or more shared resources such as data server  500 , described in greater detail in reference to  FIG. 5 . Data server  500  implements services to distribute content items  107 , such as advertisements, training material, live entertainment, recorded entertainment, seminar presentation, and the like, to appropriate presentation facilities  200 . Data server  500  also implements services to distribute scheduling information  109  that can be used by facilities  200  to create and present appropriate presentations such as digital content shows. In a particular example, data server  500  maintains a “schedule grid”  900  that contains inventory information individually for each presentation device in a facility  200 .  
         [0036]     Inventory information is a collection of presentation slots or segments within a media stream. Each segment has various presentation characteristics that can be or have been sold. The presentation characteristics of a particular segment are affected by a variety of factors including other content items in a media stream, the location of the presentation device, time at which a presentation occurs, and other environmental variables. Some of these environmental variables can be determined well in advance of a presentation, while others can be determined only a short time before a presentation.  
         [0037]     For example, each content item in a media stream affects the character of every other content item in a media stream. In the context of a movie theatre, for example, the rating of a feature film in the media stream will impact the character of other segments in the stream. This interdependence has hampered the ability to buy and sell segments in a media stream when the media buyer is concerned about the affect of other content items in the media stream. This is a particularly limitation in environments where the selection of content items may take place just before a presentation begins.  
         [0038]     In another example, some environmental variables such as audience size, audience demographics, and unpredictable events occurring at a presentation location make it impossible to predict with certainty some characteristics of a presentation segment. If a media buyer desires to place an advertisement so that it is presented on a scoreboard within 5 minutes of a home team score, traditional media buying systems are unable to respond.  
         [0039]     One feature of the present invention is that a media stream is analyzed and characteristics are speculatively assigned to segments within the media stream. The speculative assignment of presentation characteristics has some rational basis found in historical performance, simulation, extrapolation, statistical modeling and the like. This allows the owner of the media stream to create an inventory of presentation segments that have certain characteristics. More accurately, this speculative inventory identifies presentation segments that will have certain characteristics when the actual presentation occurs.  
         [0040]     For example, even before a theatre has identified a particular film that will be presented six months in the future, the theatre operator may be able to predict that four screens will be presenting “R” rated movies and two screens will be presenting “PG” rated movies. Assuming each feature film is presented in a media stream that includes 10 other segments for different kinds of content, the present invention enables the theater owner to identify 10×4 or 40 segments as having an “R” rating and 10×2 or 20 segments as having a “PG” rating, creating a speculative (but saleable) inventory of presentation times months or weeks in advance of identifying a particular feature film. The speculative inventory can be bought and sold with a high degree of certainty that it will exist come presentation time.  
         [0041]     In the example of a presentation at a sporting event, an estimate of average scores per game can be used to identify how many presentation segments will likely exist that are within five minutes of a scoring event. If the Colorado Rockies average five runs per game at home, the media stream owner can know with some degree of certainty that a typical game will yield 25 one-minute segments within five minutes of a scoring event. In this example, given the wider variation in actual scoring events, the media stream owner may wish to sell only a portion of the speculatively characterized segments. Nevertheless, using the present invention, the media stream owner can create an inventory of time slots or segments that will have very specific characteristics even though the media stream own cannot know with certainty when the segment will be presented.  
         [0042]     Referring to  FIG. 1 , WAN  101  may be implemented by any available networking technology and protocols including private networks and public networks such as the Internet, although in either case appropriate security and authentication protocols may be desirable to prevent unauthorized system access. WAN  101  is primarily configured to support symmetrical or asymmetrical full duplex communication between facilities  200  and data server  500  to exchange scheduling information  109  used to schedule presentation of content items, and to report back on the status of scheduled content items to verify their presentation. However, WAN  101  may also be used to distribute the content items  107  themselves in some circumstances.  
         [0043]     Because content items  107  tend to be larger multimedia files, in the particular implementation of  FIG. 1  environment  100  includes a high bandwidth broadcast/multicast/unicast communication link implemented, for example, by a digital broadcast satellite (DBS)  103  through satellite uplink  105 . Satellite  103  may be a private system, or may be provided by a contact satellite operator such as Hughes Network Systems of Germantown Md. In the particular example, content items  107  comprise media files that, when played, range in length from a few seconds up to several hours of material. The present invention is essentially transparent to the choice of encoding and compression mechanisms in that it is readily adaptable to any available encoding format and compression technique including proprietary mechanisms and industry standard formats such as MPEG-1, MPEG-2 and other MPEG standards that are available, “avi” files (audio video interleaved), “wav” (windows audio video), Windows Media audio and video files (identified by various file extensions such as .asf, .asx, .wax, .wm, .wma, .wmd, .wmp, .wmv, .wmx, .wpl, and .wvx), Macromedia flash (identified by “.swf” extensions), for example. Various file types, including raw data file types, may be used so long as appropriate encoding and decoding mechanisms are available to the system.  
         [0044]     Hence, content files  107  may vary in size from a few thousand bytes to hundreds of gigabytes or more when encoded using industry standard formats. Content files  107  may also comprise still images and/or audio files or text files that are considerably smaller. Accordingly, the high bandwidth broadcast/multicast solution shown in  FIG. 1  may be modified as needed, or eliminated in some cases, to meet the needs of distribution content items  107  used in a particular application. Suitable alternatives include terrestrial cable and microwave transmission and other data communication technologies. Other alternatives include physical disk based transport techniques such as digital video disk (DVD), high definition DVD (HD-DVD), various compact disk formats, portable drives, and the like.  
         [0045]     In operation, content scheduling information  109  is distributed to specific facilities  200  that will use that scheduling information. For example, if a content item  107  is to be used only in theatres in New York City, scheduling information  109  associated with that content item  107  will be communicated only to facilities  200  that are in New York City. Scheduling information may be selectively communicated based on a variety of factors including geography, venue size, number of auditoriums in the facility  200 , audience demographics, attendance rates, sales volume, and the like as determined by the content provider&#39;s desires.  
         [0046]     In a particular implementation, content items  107  are distributed using a full multicast to all facilities  200  irrespective of whether each facility  200  will have use for the particular content item  107 . Full multicast is efficient in implementations in which digital broadcast satellite is used because a single transmission reaches all facilities  200  at the same time. By transferring all content items  107  to all facilities  200  the need for re-transmission of any content item  107  is reduced or eliminated. Full multicast is particularly convenient in that content items  107  can be transferred in advance of scheduling information, enabling the scheduling system to remain completely flexible up until nearly the instant that a particular content item  107  is presented. Facilities  200  can then implement processes to selectively remove content items  200  that are not needed. Alternatively, content items  107  may be distributed by unicast and/or targeted multicast only to facilities  200  that will have use for the particular item. This selective distribution may conserve storage and processing resources at each of facilities  200  and therefore have advantages in some applications.  
         [0047]     The present invention contemplates both a push system in which content items  107  are pushed to particular facilities  200  or groups of facilities  200  that will use the content items, or by a pull a system in which facilities  200  request content items  107  that they will need. With respect to content items  107 , delivery is primarily a push system so that content items  107  are distributed in advance of schedule information  109 . In an exemplary push system, data server  500  initiates transfers of content items  107  to all or targeted display device clients  205  (shown in  FIG. 2 ) within facilities  200 . In an exemplary pull system, data server  500  generates but sends content items  107  to the appropriate facility  200  in response to a specific request from an display device client  205 . It is further contemplated that hybrid push-pull systems will be useful in many instances. For example, in a push system, servers  203  and/or display device clients  205  may initiate a content pull if they discover that scheduled content items  109  have not yet been delivered by the push mechanisms.  
         [0048]     Similarly, the present invention contemplates that scheduling information  109  (and commands related to scheduling) can be distributed by push or pull methods to facilities  200 . In an exemplary push system, data server  500  initiates transfers of scheduling information  109  to appropriate display device clients  205  (shown in  FIG. 2 ) within facilities  200 . In an exemplary pull system, data server  500  generates scheduling information  109 , but sends it to the appropriate facility  200  in response to a specific request from an display device client  205 .  
         [0049]      FIG. 2 ,  FIG. 3  and  FIG. 4  together illustrate various data processing and storage components implemented in presentation facilities  200  in a specific implementation. The push and pull systems introduced above are implemented in particular examples with substantially similar data structures, although the precise implementation of data structures may be varied significantly from the specific examples given herein. As shown in  FIG. 2 , most facilities  200  comprise a server  203  and a plurality of display device clients  205  coupled together by a network  201 . Network  201  may comprise, for example, an available local area network (LAN) such as Ethernet, Fibre Channel, IP networks and the like having data transfer rates suitable to meet the needs of a particular application. Server  203  implements communication interfaces with satellite  103  and WAN  101  shown in  FIG. 1 .  
         [0050]     Server  203  implements processes and data structures that are used to schedule and coordinate presentation of sequences of content items  107  in the form of, for example, digital content show presentations. Server  203  receives scheduling information  109 , requests and receives content items  107  and implements caches for temporary local storage of content items  107  and scheduling information  109 .  
         [0051]     A facility  200  comprises one or more presentation devices such as displays, sound systems, scoreboards, media players, slide projectors, and the like. Each display device client  205  corresponds to a set of software processes that coordinate the presentation of content items  107  in a particular auditorium. Display device clients  205  may include interfaces for automating the projection/audio equipment, or the projection/audio equipment may rely on human operators.  
         [0052]      FIG. 3  shows an embodiment of a display device client  205  in greater detail. Display device client  205  implements a connection to LAN  201  and implements a data services instance  301  and one or more media player components  303 . Data services component  301 , an instance of which also appears in server  203 , comprises processes that handle communication with server  203  through LAN  201  and implement the communication protocols and resource allocation needed to support this communication.  
         [0053]     By way of a specific example, a presentation or media stream comprises a number of content items  107  that are presented in a particular order to create the presentation. In many cases, a presentation may include some content items  107  that are scheduled to be presented at a particular time, such as a feature presentation in a movie, a particular live or broadcast event, or the like. Other content items  107  may have flexible start times that may be set just before presentation. The scheduling functions of the present invention operate to seamlessly coordinate and synchronize the presentation of the content items with flexible schedules along with one or more content items  107  that have specified schedules. Each client  205  receives a “boxtime file” that lists the start time for content items  107  that have a specified start time that are scheduled at that presentation device for that day. Data services component  301  looks at the play list data structure and calculates the length of that play list (e.g., the amount of time required to present all content items  107  on the play list). Data services component  301  then uses this time and starts the player application in direct relation to the listed show start time.  
         [0054]     To implement a schedule-pull system, data services component  301  will include processes for polling server  203  and/or data server  500  as needed to determine if there is any new scheduling information  109  that should replace the currently active scheduling information  109 . Upon determination that new scheduling information  109  exists, a transfer of that new scheduling information is initiated. A particular client  205  may hold multiple play lists  600 , but only one play list  600  is active at any given time. In a schedule push implementation, scheduling information is pushed to client  205  such that polling processes are not required.  
         [0055]     The sequence of content items  107  that is to be played by any particular display device client  205  is defined by a play list represented by a play list data structure  600  described in reference to  FIG. 6 . A play list  600  is generated by server  203  and/or data server  500  from the inventory information contained in schedule grid  900  (shown in  FIG. 1  and  FIG. 9 ). A play list  600  is specific to a particular display device client  205 , although it is contemplated that two or more display device clients  205  may have similar play list  600 . Play list  600  is communicated to data services component  301  in addition to the information about specified start times, if any, of the media steam. In a particular example, data services component  301  implements a cache structure (not shown) for holding a copy of the content items  107  that will be included in a particular sequence being presented. Alternatively, data services component  301  may be used to pull cached content items  107  from storage within server  203 .  
         [0056]     In a particular example, outbox  305  is used to store messages indicating summary information about the status of the presentation of data items  107 . As a data item is played, a message (e.g., an XML document) is created to indicate information such as the time at which the data item  107  played, the auditorium in which it played, and the like. It is contemplated that any level of detail about the playback may be maintained in this manner. The playback message may contain information about the audience size, audience demographic information, or information indicating the feature presentation that is scheduled to be presented in conjunction with the data item  107 . This record is transmitted through data services  301  to server  203  and can be used to provide an auditable record of content item presentations. Some prior audit systems create a record each time a content item is decrypted for licensing purposes, but such records do not actually confirm that a particular content item has been presented. In contrast, the present invention allows a positive confirmation that a content item was actually presented.  
         [0057]      FIG. 4  illustrates functional components of an exemplary server  203  in greater detail. Server  203  services all display device clients  205  in a given presentation facility  200 . Content items  107  are received through satellite receiver interface  405  and stored locally in cache data store  403 . A comsvr component  407  implements processes to support both push and pull functionality for accessing content items and populating cache  403  with content items  107 . In the case of a content push system it is possible that many content items  107  will be delivered that have little or no use in a particular server  203 . Server  203  implements processes, for example within comsvr component  407 , that manage cache data store  403  using an appropriate algorithm such as least recently used (LRU), time in cache, first in first out, or the like.  
         [0058]     In a particular implementation, comsvr component  407  checks for updated schedule information  109  that is ready to be sent to server  203 . This update service is used in two primary logical locations: at the data center  500  to push out updated schedule information  109 , and in server  301  to push updated content items  107  and play-lists  600  to the display device clients  205 .  
         [0059]     Schedule database  401  is implemented, for example, by an MSDE (Microsoft data engine) database available from Microsoft Corporation. However, any available database engine may be used such as mySQL database server from mySQL AB, Oracle database produces from Oracle Corporation and the like. As shown in detail in  FIG. 8 , schedule database  401  stores the local facility  200  schedule information  109  as well as information regarding presentation characteristics and attributes and show times. Schedule database  401  serves as a collection point for content item playback transaction data received through inbox  409  and XML transfer component  411 . That is, schedule database  401  stores the XML records that hold information about which ads played in which auditoriums and when. The playback information is communicated through database packager  413  and outbox  415  to data center  500  on a regular basis. Database packager  413  operates to reformat and/or aggregate playback records to simplify communication and handling, if desired.  
         [0060]     Data services component  301 , which is substantially similar to that described in reference to  FIG. 3 , is used on server  203  to handle the delivery of updated schedule data. Data services component  301  is adapted to connect to local schedule database  401  and update it accordingly. Alternatively, this function may be handled by the Play List Prep service  417  (labeled “Ad Prep” in  FIG. 4 ). Play List Prep service  417  comprises a set of processes that manage the play-list generation within the presentation facility  200  it is serving. Play List Prep service  417  reads a schedule grid  900  (shown in  FIG. 1  and  FIG. 9 ) to obtain inventory information for each display device client  205  in that facility  200  and uses this information to determine what the play list  600  for each display device client  205  should look like and when it should be delivered.  
         [0061]     Play List Prep service  417  then creates a “queue table”  1001  (shown in  FIG. 10 ) which is essentially a command queue representing various scheduling information and other commands to be implemented in a particular client  205 . Queue table  1001  includes a plurality of entries where each entry corresponds to a particular command to be implemented. Each entry identifies the display device client  205  and a network address of that display device client  205  (e.g., an IP address, MAC address, uniform resource locator or the like). Each entry includes some command/scheduling information such as a pointer to a content item  107 , a play list  600  or pointer to a play list  600 , or an op-code for a particular operation such as to activate a particular play list  600  or reboot the client  205 .  
         [0062]     In operation, entries in Q-table  1001  are distributed to the specified client  205  and executed by that client  205 . Play List Prep service  417  creates the play list and queues up necessary content items  107  just before the play list  600  is supposed to start. This just-in-time system ensures that the latest scheduling information  109  is being used. For example, if a content provider has modified the content item(s)  107  that are intended to be presented, Play List Prep service  417  will note the change and ensure that the display device client  205  uses the updated content item  107  rather than stale content that might have been previously transferred. Further, the last minute generation of a play list  600  will contain a correct play list  600  even when last minute auditorium changes occur.  
         [0063]      FIG. 5  illustrates functional components and processes implemented by data center  500  in a particular embodiment. A scheduling user interface  501  is configured to accommodate data display and entry for creating scheduling information  109 . The scheduling information  109 , includes an “presentation contract record”  701  that is shown in greater detail in  FIG. 7 . A site selection interface  503  is configured to accommodate data display and entry for allowing the specification of presentation requirements, presentation preferences, geographic preferences, or any other criteria recognized by the particular implementation. Scheduling records  701  are scheduled by placing them into inventory represented in scheduling grid  901 . It is also contemplated that data center  500  may maintain a table that specifies contracts are considered ‘default’ contracts”. Default content items may identify entertainment items, general interest announcements, non-revenue content items that present information on how to purchase advertising space, general interest messages, instructional messages, safety messages, and the like. Default content items may be added to a play list  600  when there is unused inventory for a particular day at a particular client  205 .  
         [0064]      FIG. 6  illustrates an exemplary data structure for a play list  600 . The present invention contemplates shows that comprise only digital content items  107 , as well as shows that comprise a mix of digital content items  107  and other content such as a live presentation or film-based content. In the former case, the play list  600  may define the entire show. In the later case, play list  600  may define the digital content portions of a show. A play list  600  can be broken down into a number of different segments  601 . Each segment  601  can be specified to be a different length and/or contain a different number of slots  611 . In a particular implementation, each slot  611  represents 15 second time window and may point to at most a single content item  107 . Within each segment  601  content items  107  can be weighted by specifications from the schedule record such that the content items  107  will tend to be placed in slots towards the beginning or end of a segment  601  depending on the desired result. For example an content provider may decide they want content items  107  to be in the third segment  601  of the play list  600 , but they want to be the last content item played within that segment  601 . When the show comprises non-digital content, play list  600  is followed by, for example a rolling stock presentation  603  and a feature presentation  605 . Optionally, where automation components are used, the play list  600  may specify the state of other controllable features of the environment such as lighting levels, volume levels and the like.  
         [0065]      FIG. 7  illustrates an exemplary content item schedule record that contains scheduling information  109  related to a particular content item  107 . This information includes, for example, presentation requirements designated by the content provider such as a requirement that the associated data item be presented in a media stream containing a movie having a particular movie rating. This information also includes presentation preference information such in which segment of play list  600  the data item should appear and whether there is a preferred slot within the segment. Information about the duration of the data item which may be measured in terms of a number of slots consumed, is also included.  
         [0066]     In an exemplary work flow shown in  FIG. 11 , operations are performed to create/identify inventory as well as support inventory sales and scheduling of media buys. Although the flowchart format of  FIG. 11  suggests a sequential ordering of the various processes, it should be understood that the processes are ongoing and often occurring in parallel. For example, as content items are scheduled, the presentation characteristics of a media stream become better known, which in turn may affect the availability of either actual or speculative presentation segments in the inventory. Accordingly the activities shown in  FIG. 11  may be performed in various orders in a practical implementation.  
         [0067]     In  1101 , the various presentation devices and available media streams are examined to determine the available inventory of presentation segments throughout the system. For example, a theatre with have presentation segments available before each movie showing, a theatre lobby display will have presentation segments available for each hour the theatre is open for business, a sports facility will have presentation segments available for each display device during scheduled events, a conference center will have presentation segments available during scheduled conferences, and the like. The inventory comprises a number of segments that will be potentially available at any given day. The segments may have various known presentation characteristics associated with them at this stage such as location of the display mechanism, type of event associated with the presentation, length of the segment, type(s) of media that can be presented during the segment, and the like. These known characteristics are associated with the segments in  1102 .  
         [0068]     In  1103 , various techniques are used to create predictions of presentation characteristics that are unknown, but will likely be available. Operation  1103  may involve statistical modeling, historical performance studies, extrapolating, or even using experts to determine characteristics based on opinion. By way of comparison, an actual presentation characteristic for a segment may comprise the knowledge that the segment will comprise a three-minute audio/video advertisement in a theatre in Duluth, Minn., whereas speculative information may comprise that the segment will be presented before an “PG” rated movie. Some or all of the segments are associated with speculative presentation characteristics in  1104 . Depending accuracy of the predictions and modeling performed in  1103 , it may be desirable to only assign speculative characteristics to only a portion of the segments in inventory. This will decrease the likelihood of overselling a particular type of inventory if in fact the actual characteristics of the segment change as segments are sold and content items are actually assigned to a presentation.  
         [0069]     The processes involved in the present invention include sales and marketing processes enabled by the present invention. For example, when sales personnel meet with a media buyer who desires to purchase a presentation segment to present digital content at a presentation location, the sales personnel determine requirements and preferences in operation  1106  with respect to particular content items the media buyer may specify geographic requirements, presentation requirements, or the like as described above. The sales personnel create a “customer proposal” in  1107  (and labeled  1201  in  FIG. 12 ) using the systems and processes referred to herein as a “Proposal Machine”. The proposal  1201  indicates, for example, the identity of facilities  200 , pricing information, the length of the proposed engagement and the segment of a media stream that the media buyer would like the digital content to appear in, and other actual and speculative characteristics of the presentation segments being offered in the proposal.  
         [0070]     Once the media buyer agrees to the proposal, the proposal  1201  is converted into a presentation contract  701  in operation  1108 . Optionally, a job is created for a graphic artist to create, edit, and/or augment content items involved in the contract in  1109 . A scheduler then schedules the contract into a schedule grid  901  in operation  1111 , following the contract details of length of contract, sites selected, rate(s), position(s) in play list, as well as presentation criteria. Once scheduled, a play list  600  is generated and entries in Q-table  1001  are generated. Clients  205  then follow the directions from the Q-table  1001  to cause presentation of content items  107  according to the scheduled contracts.  
         [0071]     In this manner, the present invention allow presentation contracts to be written without “total” knowledge of the future. For example, it is possible to estimate the number of screens available for a particular content item requirement using average percentages of movies that are classified with each movie rating. From this estimate “virtual auditoriums” can be used as “place holders” for digital content shows with particular requirements or characteristics. The system can then schedule media buys (e.g., presentation contracts) to the place holder auditoriums, thereby selling this speculative inventory before it actually comes into existence, and tracking that inventory through the term of the contract. As specific films are scheduled in specific auditoriums, real inventory becomes available and the contracts can be reassigned to an appropriate auditorium. The system of the present invention is desirably able to reconcile this virtual inventory against the actual inventory that is created at show time.  
         [0072]     As content items are scheduled, the presentation characteristics of some or all of the remaining content items in a media stream or presentation may change. For example, once an advertiser such as “Cola Company” purchases a segment in a media stream, the character of the other segments in that media stream has changed, particularly from the viewpoint of a media buyer representing a competing cola company. Optional operations  1112  can update the actual and speculative presentation characteristics of the inventory so that future proposals and contracts can account for the newly scheduled material.  
         [0073]     Other optional processes  1113  and  1114  can be useful to ensure satisfaction of a media buyer&#39;s requirements and preferences. In operation  1113 , the actual presentation characteristics that exist at the time of presentation are monitored and compared to characteristics specified in the proposal/contract. In this manner, the system can determine whether the requirements and preferences were satisfied. It is also contemplated that situations will arise in which a segment of speculative inventory fails to materialize. In a movie theatre, the actual movies showing on a particular date may not provide the predicted mix of movie ratings. As a result, some purchased segments may not be shown, or may be presented in a manner that does not satisfy all contract requirements. In this case, make good operations  1114  may be employed to adjust future schedules as needed to satisfy the contract requirements, or some other compensatory action initiated to ensure satisfaction of the media buyer&#39;s requirements.  
         [0074]     Operations  1113  allow the present invention to monitor the actual performance of revenue contracts that are being presented. Revenue contracts are contracts that are sold to customers and have presentation criteria specified, in contrast with non-revenue contracts such as internal advertising, audience entertainment material, public service contracts and the like. In a particular application, make-good processes  1114  are only implemented for revenue contracts. In one embodiment, users of the system have an interface that they can use to identify and select “under performing” contracts in operation  1401 . In operation  1403 , this embodiment of the present invention generates “make-good” flights for the identified under performing contracts.  
         [0075]     While it is possible to monitor each and every presentation and perform make-good operations  1114  whenever an individual performance does not satisfy presentation criteria, this fine level of granularity will be inefficient in many cases. Media stream buyers are typically concerned with satisfying the contract-specified presentation criteria over a number of presentations spanning a period of time ranging from days to weeks or years, and are less concerned with whether a specific presentation satisfied the criteria expected for that specific presentation.  
         [0076]     In a specific embodiment, a make-good flight is created and/or checked in different ways depending on the nature of the contract. For example, a contract that runs two weeks or less may require frequent monitoring in  1113  such that the system checks on daily basis to identify under performing contracts. This is because when the contract runs over a long period time there is a greater likelihood that an under performance early in the contract will be satisfied or compensated for by later performances in the contract. Accordingly, for longer running contracts it may be beneficial to perform the make good operation  1114  less frequently. In a specific example, for contract runs of two weeks to six months, make goods processes  1114  may be performed weekly rather than daily. Contract runs of six months and longer may require make-good operations to be performed monthly.  
         [0077]     Make-good operations  1114  may also be performed in a manner that differentiates between the degree to which the actual performance under performs or fails to satisfy the contract-specified presentation criteria (i.e., the variance). For example, consider a contract that specifies a number of auditoriums in which a particular content item must be presented over a six month period. If monitoring operations  1113  reveal that a percentage of sites that did not receive the ad is less than 0.5%, the contract may specify that no action is required and operations  1114  will be avoided. In the event that the variance is in the range of 0.5% to 1%, operations  1114  may involve a notification to the media buyer and giving the media buyer an option to make good or not. Other compensatory arrangements such as a discount on a future media buy may be more desirable to a media buyer, particularly if the content items are no longer part of the media buyers current strategy. In the case of a larger variance, such as a variance in the range of 1% to 5%, the media buyer (or the media buyer&#39;s representative) is notified and requested to select a type of make good they desire, but unlike the less severe variances, some form of make-good will be required.  
         [0078]     In the case of severe variances of greater than 5%, some form of make-good will be also required. In addition, for contracts in which the media buyer is represented by an independent representative or agency, operations  1114  may require that the media representative&#39;s client be specifically notified. Severe variances indicate a problem in the statistical models used to generate the speculative inventory. Accordingly, in addition to generating make-good flights in operation  1114 , it may be desirable to notify system administrators so that the models used to predict inventory are appropriately adjusted.  
         [0079]     The present invention contemplates several of the options to be made available to the media buyer or the media buyer&#39;s representative in performance of the make-good operations  1114 . For example, a new make-good flight can be created that identifies one or more new locations, auditoriums or the like. In another option, the end date of the existing contract may be extended to. Alternatively, the existing contract may be modified to add additional or bonus locations/auditoriums to thereby satisfy the presentation criteria. As another resort, some or all of the money paid for the contract may be refunded or credited to a subsequent contract.  
         [0080]     It is also contemplated that some contracts may specify ranges for particular presentation criteria rather than single values. For example, a contract may specify that a content item be presented at least a minimum number of times, yet the media buyer is willing to pay for presentations in excess of the minimum number up to a specified maximum. Alternatively, a contract may specify a “best efforts” type criteria where the media buyer does not specify a minimum, but specifically agrees to purchase locations in a media stream when no other purchaser has been identified at presentation time. The monitoring and make-goods processes  1113 / 1114  are useful in these situations as well in that the ability to monitor actual presentations and compare that to contract specified criteria enables the system operator to meet the contract specifications, and to account for actual presentations as they occur.  
         [0081]     Referring to the entity relationship diagram of  FIG. 13 , a variety of entities communicate and exchange data with the proposal machine processes. Sales and Pre-sales personnel use the system to create proposals  1201  for media buyers. Sales management can view all proposals and contracts that have been entered into the system. The sales management team may use this application as a tool to see what sales the sales team is currently pursuing. Among other things, this will provide them with some data on which they can build sales forecasts and foresee potential inventory shortages. Art production creates, collects, and modifies, any digital content so as to conform to the digital content specifications. The proposal machine draws on information within the scheduling database  401  to create speculative and actual inventory, as described hereinbefore, for use in generating proposals and buying and selling segments within media streams.  
         [0082]     Although the invention has been described and illustrated with a certain degree of particularity, it is understood that the present disclosure has been made only by way of example, and that numerous changes in the combination and arrangement of parts can be resorted to by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, as hereinafter claimed.