Abstract:
A method of monitoring effectiveness of an advertisement delivered to a user of an electronic system is disclosed. An alerting message for notifying the user to accumulate a credit is delivered randomly during an event of streaming of a program of the advertisement. The message may be displayed as a visual image or a video program in a predetermined position of a display. A user may actuate a predetermined input structure when the alerting message is notified. A credit is then assigned to the user. A personalized file recording a history of the user&#39;s reaction to the advertised messages is employed to deliver highly targeted advertisements to the user in a late stage.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    Not applicable. 
       BACKGROUND 
       [0002]    1. Field of Invention 
         [0003]    This invention relates generally to advertising. More specifically, the invention relates to methods for delivering highly targeted advertisement to a user of an electronic system. 
         [0004]    2. Description of Prior Art 
         [0005]    Advertising using traditional media, such as television, radio, newspapers and magazines, is well known. Unfortunately, even when armed with demographic studies and entirely reasonable assumptions about the typical audience of various media outlets, advertisers recognize that much of their advertisement budget is simply wasted. Moreover, it is difficult to identify and eliminate such waste. 
         [0006]    Mobile communication devices have gained significant popularity in recent years. Users are using the mobile device such as, for example, iPhone from Apple Inc, Cupertino, Calif., to access the Internet services. Methods for delivering targeted advertisements to users by employing mobile communication devices have been developed. The targeted advertising messages may be delivered based upon the user&#39;s personal profile, location and history of the user&#39;s interaction with the device. It has always been a significant challenge to understand the user&#39;s real interests and to deliver the advertising message accordingly. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0007]    It is an object of the present invention to provide a method to evaluate the effectiveness of an event of delivering an advertisement to a user of an electronic system. 
         [0008]    It is a further object of the present invention to provide a method of delivering a highly targeted advertisement based on a history of the user&#39;s reaction to an alerting message displayed during streaming of a program of the advertisement. 
         [0009]    According to one embodiment of the present invention, an advertisement delivery system comprises a digital television system, a data manager and a communication network for connecting them. The digital TV system further comprises a display screen and a remote control device including an input structure. When an advertisement is broadcasted, an alerting message such as, for example, a visual image is displayed in a predetermined position of the screen. The alerting message may be displayed in accompanying with a sound according to one implementation. The user may actuate the input structure after notifying the message. A credit is then assigned to the user. In case that the user missed the action to actuate the input structure within a predetermined period of time, no credit will be assigned to the user. 
         [0010]    A personalized file including a hierarchical categorization of advertisements may be stored in a data manager connectable to the digital TV through a communication network. The data manager updates the personalized file when each time new credit points are added to a category of advertisement. Targeted advertisements are delivered to the user based on the personalized file in a late stage. 
         [0011]    According to other embodiments, the electronic system may be a computer, a mobile computing and communication device and a media delivery system. The advertisements may be delivered as a video program, a web page, a texted message, a voice message and a multi-media message. 
         [0012]    According to other implementations, the alerting messages may be delivered as a web site, a texted message, a voice message and a multimedia message. The alerting message may be delivered in a display window within a display screen. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0013]    For a more complete understanding of the present invention and its various embodiments, and the advantages thereof, reference is now made to the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which: 
           [0014]      FIG. 1  is a schematic diagram of an exemplary advertisement delivery system; 
           [0015]      FIG. 2  is a schematic diagram illustrating functional blocks in an electronic system and in a data manager; 
           [0016]      FIG. 3  is a schematic diagram illustrating that an alerting message is displayed on a display of a digital TV system when an advertisement is broadcasted; 
           [0017]      FIG. 4  is a schematic diagram illustrating an exemplary data structure of a personalized file including categories of advertisements and credit points for each category and each sub-category; 
           [0018]      FIG. 5  is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary process that a credit is assigned to a user if a predetermined input structure is actuated after the user views an alerting message during broadcasting an advertisement; 
           [0019]      FIG. 6  is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary process that a targeted advertisement is delivered based on the updated personalized file; 
           [0020]      FIG. 7  is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary process that personalized file may be updated based on credits collected from a number of electronic systems connectable to the data manager. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0021]    One or more specific embodiments of the present invention will be described below. These described embodiments are only exemplary of the present invention. Additionally, in an effort to provide a concise description of these exemplary embodiments, all features of an actual implementation may not be described in the specification. It should be appreciated that in the development of any such actual implementation, as in any engineering or design project, numerous implementation-specific decisions must be made to achieve the developers&#39; specific goals, such as compliance with system-related and business related constraints, which may vary from one implementation to another. Moreover, it should be appreciated that such a development effort might be complex and time consuming, but would nevertheless be a routine undertaking of design, fabrication, and manufacture for those of ordinary skill having the benefits of this disclosure. 
         [0022]      FIG. 1  is a schematic diagram of an exemplary advertisement delivery system for delivering advertisements based on a credit system. The exemplary system  100  comprises a user  102  and a number of electronic systems including a digital TV system  104 A, a computer  104 B and a mobile computing and communication device  104 C. The mobile computing and communication device may be a smart phone. The electronic systems  104  are connectable to a data manager  108  through a communication network  106 . The data manager  108  may be a server operated by an advertiser  110 . The communication network  106  may be a digital TV distribution network. The network  106  may also be the Internet or a public phone network. The network  106  may even be a combination of multiple networks as mentioned. 
         [0023]      FIG. 2  is a schematic diagram of functional blocks of the electronic system  104  and the data manager  108 . The exemplary electronic system further includes a processor  112 . The processor  112  may include a general purpose data processor such as, for example, a Central-Processing-Unit (CPU) and special purpose data processors. The electronic system  104  may further include a display  114 . The display  114  may be a Liquid-Crystal-Display (LCD) according to one implementation. The electronic system  104  may include a file storage unit  116 . The file storage unit  116  may include a mass storage device such as one or a plurality of magnetic storage devices. The storage unit  116  may also include one or a plurality of semiconductor flash memories. The file storage unit  116  may further include a Random-Access-Memory such as SRAM&#39;s for reducing access time. The electronic system  104  includes an input unit  118 . The input unit  118  may be a remote control device for a digital TV system. The input unit  118  may also be a keyboard or a mouse for a computer. The input unit  118  may also be a touchpad. The input unit  118  may even be a touch-sensitive display for a mobile computing and communication device. A network interface  120  is used to connect the electronic system  104  to a communication network  106 . 
         [0024]    The electronic system  104  is further characterized by an alerting message manager  122 . When an advertisement is streamed by the electronic system  104 , an alerting message is delivered to the user by the alerting message manager  122 . The alerting message may be delivered in a randomly determined time during broadcasting of the advertisement. After the user  102  notifies the alerting message, he may actuate a predetermined input structure. Credit points will then be assigned to the user  112 . 
         [0025]    The data manager  108  may be a server comprising a personalized file  124  and a network interface  126 . The personalized file  124  may include categories and sub-categories of advertisements. Each category and each sub-category are associated with a counter of credit points reflecting the user&#39;s history of viewing advertisements. It should be noted that the data manager  108  may be connectable to multiple electronic systems. The user&#39;s interaction with each of the systems during the broadcasting of the advertisements may be used to update the personalized file  124 . Therefore, highly targeted advertisements may be delivered to any one of the electronic systems based on the personalized file in a later stage. The network interface  126  is used to connect the data manager  124  to the communication network  106 . 
         [0026]      FIG. 3  is an exemplary illustration of one embodiment  300  of the present invention. A digital TV system  302  is used to illustrate the inventive concept without limiting the scope of the invention. The digital TV system  302  includes a remote control device  304 . The remote control device  304  further includes an input structure  305 . The user  306  operates the system. When an advertisement program  308  is broadcasted by the digital TV system  302 , an alerting message  310  may be displayed in a predetermined position of the screen in a randomly determined time. The alerting message  310  may be displayed as a texted message as shown in the  FIG. 3 . The alerting message  310  may also be delivered as a video program. The alerting message may be displayed as one or multiple images. The alerting message  310  may be delivered with animations. The alerting message  310  may be delivered in accompanying of a sound to attract the user&#39;s attention. 
         [0027]      FIG. 4  is a schematic diagram illustrating an exemplary data structure of the personalized file. Each category and each sub-category of advertisements are assigned with a counter for credit points. After the user reacts to the alerting message during broadcasting of an advertisement program, the related counters are updated. In the exemplary case illustrated in  FIG. 4 , the user is clearly interested in automobiles and in particularly in BMW cars. The user may be planning to purchase a luxury car and may be interested in BMW. The advertisements and promotional messages related to the BMW cars may be delivered to the user through a number of electronic systems used by the user. The user may also receive other luxury car advertisements. 
         [0028]      FIG. 5  is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary process that credit points are assigned to a user if a predetermined input structure is actuated after viewing an alerting message during broadcasting an advertisement. Process  500  starts with step  502  that an advertisement program is broadcasted by an electronic system  104  such as, for example, a digital TV system. An alerting message is displayed at a randomly selected time during the program in step  504 . The user may actuate a predetermined input structure of a predetermined input unit of the electronic system  104  in step  506 . For example, the user may actuate the input structure  305  of the remote control device  304 . A predetermined number of credit points may be assigned to the user in step  508 . The credit points may be taken to update related counters in the personalized file  124  in the data manager  108 . 
         [0029]      FIG. 6  is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary process that a targeted advertisement is delivered based on the personalized file. Process  600  starts with step  602  that a personalized file for a user is established in the data manager  108 . The file is updated in step  604  when each time the user reacts to the randomly delivered alerting message. The points for each category and each sub-category of advertisements may be updated. Highly targeted advertisements may be delivered to the user in step  606  based on the updated personalized file  124 . 
         [0030]      FIG. 7  is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary process that personalized file may be updated based on credits collected from a number of electronic systems connectable to the data manager. Process  700  starts with step  702  that a user&#39;s affiliation to a number of electronic systems is determined. Each of electronic systems may have an identity. The identity may be associated to one or multiple users. A personalized file is created in step  704 . The file may include category and sub-category of advertisements. Each of them may be associated with a counter of credit points which reflects the user&#39;s interest level in the category or the sub-category. When a user starts to use an electronic system  104 , the data manager  108  and the electronic system  104  are connected through the communication network  106  in step  706 . The communication network  106  may be a broadband communication network for digital TV. The communication network  106  may also be the Internet. The personalized file  124  may be updated in step  708  to reflect the user&#39;s interaction with the electronic system during broadcasting the advertisement program. Highly targeted advertisements may be delivered to the user when any one of the electronic systems affiliated with the user is employed in a late stage. In case that an electronic system may be used by multiple users, the user&#39;s identity may be determined either through a login-in process or through an identification process employing biometric data of the user.