Patent Publication Number: US-2010123645-A1

Title: Unified network of disparate display networks

Description:
BACKGROUND 
     1. Technical Field 
     Embodiments of the invention generally relate to display networks, and more specifically to unifying disparate display networks. 
     2. Prior Art 
     Digital display networks have been in existence for several decades. The digital display networks have provided a medium for various content providers including product and services companies to advertise content at public locations where users are captive and close to the point of purchase. The digital display networks include several display devices to enable the content providers to advertise content and capture the users. Traditionally, the digital display networks are owned and managed by digital display network providers within a private domain, for example, a shopping mall network, corporate network or a public utility network (for example banks airports and railway stations). Various contending system models have been developed for controlling and managing the digital display networks. 
     Existing system models provide a privately managed and centrally controlled display system. A privately managed display system includes a single or a few administrative users to execute several tasks ranging from creating, distributing and scheduling the content to display devices. The privately managed display system does not provide feasibility to enable different content providers to advertise in the display devices owned by the respective digital display network providers. Hence, there is a lot of scope for improving the display systems so that different content providers can advertise in the display devices. 
     As an advance to the private display systems, a new range of publicly managed display systems have emerged which enable different content providers to advertise in the display devices. The digital display networks powering the publicly managed display systems provide both intelligent and basic services in identifying and deploying content within a single network. However, the publicly managed display systems lack the mechanism to bring together disparate digital display networks together and provide a single interface to different content providers to access different digital display networks. Moreover, the disparate display networks are set up to target various genres of audience. For example, some network organizations setup digital display networks for public consumption, some for their internal organization needs and some other for their private clientele audience. Hence, content displayed varies depending on the target audience. Additionally, many digital display networks do not participate in a single monolithic public display network. Therefore a content provider will have to go through multiple networks with small footprints, engage independent contracts with each digital network provider to reach a certain set of audience. This results in very low utilization of the digital display networks and high costs in managing and administering within the digital display networks. 
     Hence, there is a need for an improved system for distributing digital content to various electronic display devices of disparate digital display networks. 
     SUMMARY 
     Embodiments of the invention disclosed herein provide a method and system for creating and managing a unified display network from disparate display network providers through a service provider. 
     An exemplary embodiment of the invention provides a method for creating a unified display network from disparate display network providers through a service provider. Properties of a disparate display network provider are defined. Contents from a content provider are then received. Further, the contents are filtered according to a predefined criterion and permissible display contents are selected. The permissible display contents are then displayed on a display device associated with a disparate display network of the disparate display network provider. 
     An exemplary embodiment of the invention provides a system for creating a unified display network from disparate display network providers through a service provider. The system includes a profile management module for defining properties and tags of a disparate display network provider. The system also includes a permission management module for checking permissions in a display device with respect to contents received from a content provider. Further, the system includes a content editing module for filtering the contents according to a predefined criterion and for selecting only permissible display contents. 
     An exemplary embodiment of the invention provides a method for controlling a unified display network. A request for displaying a content from a content provider is received. A set of specifications of a display device and a format of the content is defined by the content provider. Availability of the display device is then checked according to the set of specifications defined by the content provider. Further, a list of display devices available is provided in response to the request. 
     An exemplary embodiment of the invention provides a communication system utilized by a service provider for managing a unified display network of disparate display networks. The system includes a content provider enabled to interact with the service provider for displaying a content on a display device. The system also includes a disparate display network provider possessing the display device, registered with the service for advertising the content provided by the content provider. Further the system includes a database maintained by the service provider for managing data corresponding to the content provider and the disparate display network provider. 
     An exemplary embodiment of the invention provides a machine-readable medium product including a machine readable program code for enabling a service provider to create and manage a unified display network. The machine readable program code performs receiving a request for displaying a content from a content provider. A format of the content intended for displaying on a display device and a set of specifications of the display device is defined by the content provider. The machine readable program code also performs checking availability of the display device according to the set of specifications defined by the content provider. Further, the machine readable program code performs providing a list of display devices available in response to the request. 
     Other aspects and example embodiments are provided in the Figures and the Detailed Description that follows. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a flow diagram illustrating steps performed by the service provider in a method for providing a unified display network according to an embodiment of the invention; 
         FIG. 2  is a flow diagram illustrating the steps performed by disparate display network providers for registering to the service provider&#39;s network according to an embodiment of the invention; 
         FIG. 3  is a block diagram of a system for creating a unified display network according to an embodiment of the invention; 
         FIG. 4  is flow diagram illustrating the steps in a method performed by the service provider for controlling a unified display network according to an embodiment of the invention; 
         FIG. 5  is a block diagram illustrating a communication system utilized by the service provider for managing a unified display network according to an embodiment of the invention; and 
         FIG. 6  is a block diagram of an exemplary computer system upon which various embodiments of the invention may be implemented. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS 
     Embodiments of the invention disclosed herein provide methods and systems for creating and managing a unified display network from disparate display network providers through a service provider. 
       FIG. 1  is a flow diagram  100  illustrating steps performed by the service provider in a method for providing a unified display network according to an embodiment of the invention. Embodiments of the invention provide a mechanism through which a service provider creates and manages a unified display network by integrating disparate display networks. Rules, policies and mechanisms under which the disparate display networks can work together and co exist as a single medium for content delivery, without harming each others products and service offerings are described. Further, a platform for multiple content providers to advertise content in any display device possessed by different disparate display networks is provided. The method for providing a unified display network is explained in detail in the following paragraphs. 
     Disparate display network providers possess display devices for displaying contents. At step  102 , properties of the disparate display network providers are defined. The properties may include terms and conditions agreed between the service provider and the disparate display network providers. The properties are defined to unite disparate display network providers and create a unified network by defining terms and conditions individually for each of the disparate display network providers. Further, the disparate display network providers are registered with the service provider. The steps for registering the disparate display network providers are explained in  FIG. 2 . 
     After defining properties of the disparate display networks contents are received from content providers at step  104 . For example, a content from XYZ are received. XYZ may issue content including a brief description of a holiday location. At step  106 , the contents are filtered according to a predetermined criterion. The predetermined criterion may include but not limited to, language sensitivity, ethical sensitivity and geographic location. The contents are stored and judged based on the predetermined criteria. As considered in the example, the content issued by XYZ is scrutinized based on the language and description of the holiday location as well as the locations chosen by XYZ for displaying the content. Further, information about content providers, disparate display network providers and display devices is also stored. Information about the content providers may include but not limited to the format of the content sent by the content providers and identification details of the content providers. Further, information about registration details of the disparate display network providers, details of display devices including number of display devices possessed by the disparate display network providers and types of display devices are also stored. The contents are also tested through an editorial process. The editorial process is automated based on the scope of deployment (whether private or public) at step  108 . 
     In an embodiment of the invention, the scope of content deployment is broadened thereby creating one universal display network where third-party organizations can access all display devices through a single interface. Properties for every display device are associated within the unified display network, where rights are assigned independently to each major participant organization. The organization can be an owner, a partner with respect to the display device or a virtual public organization where the third-party organization group possesses the rights. 
     After filtering and editing process, display devices are identified by communicating with the disparate display networks according to the properties defined by the content providers. A set of properties are compared between the display devises and the contents. The properties may include but not limited to, dimensions of the display devices, time period for displaying the content and geographic locations of the display devices. Further, display properties of the display devices are also compared with the content for displaying on the display devices. At step  110 , permissible content is displayed on the display devices. In an embodiment of the invention, permissible content is created subsequent to the filtering and the editing process. 
       FIG. 2  is a flow diagram  200  illustrating the steps performed by disparate display network providers for registering to the service provider&#39;s network according to an embodiment of the invention. 
     At step  202 , disparate display network providers are registered with the service provider. In an embodiment of the invention, disparate display network providers include both public display network providers and private display network providers. At step  204 , properties and tags of the disparate display network providers, display devices and rights of each display device with respect to the content providers are defined to register the disparate display network providers. 
     Further, at step  206 , the properties from the respective disparate display networks are inherited by the display devices. As explained earlier, properties defined for the disparate display networks may include terms and conditions agreed between the service provider and the disparate display network providers. In parallel, the content providers are provided with properties and tags on what type of content is being created and the contents are provided with properties and tags about the content providers. This provides a mechanism for exempting confusion between different content providers to avoid conflict between the different content providers. 
       FIG. 3  is a block diagram of a system  300  for creating a unified display network according to an embodiment of the invention. 
     The system  300  includes a user interface  302  to enable content providers to access to the modules in the system  300 . The system  300  further includes a plurality of disparate display network providers including network provider  324  and network provider  326 . The system  300  also includes a commercial terms management module  304  for defining a set of predetermined conditions between the service provider and the disparate display network providers ( 324  and  326 ). Further, the system  300  includes a content creation module  306  for creating display contents and a profile management module  308  for defining properties and tags of the disparate display network providers ( 324  and  326 ). The system  300  also includes a screen registration module  310  for performing registration procedures according to the pre-defined set of conditions agreed between the service provider and disparate display network providers ( 324  and  326 ). Further, the system  300  includes a content editing module  312  for filtering contents according to a set of pre-defined conditions and selecting only permissible display contents and a permissions management module  314  for checking permissions in display devices ( 324  and  326 ) with respect to the contents. The system  300  also includes a display module  316  for displaying permissible content. The system  300  further includes a software interface layer  318  to co ordinate between the modules of the system  300 . The system  300  also includes a database  320  for storing information about the service provider and the disparate display content providers ( 324  and  326 ) and a communication interface  322  to enable communication with the disparate display network providers ( 324  and  326 ). 
     Content providers register with the service provider to access various modules of the system  300  through the user interface  302 . In an embodiment of the invention, the content providers are exempted of the registration charges. As a parallel process, disparate display network providers are also registered with the service provider through the screen registration module  310 . The registration process is as explained in  FIG. 2 . 
     The content providers place a request to the service provider to display content on the display devices possessed by the disparate display networks ( 324  and  326 ). As considered in the previous example, XYZ interacts with the service provider through the user interface  302  and places a request for displaying content including a brief description of a holiday location. XYZ may specify geographic locations to display the content. The information regarding the content is stored in the database  320 . The information about the disparate display network providers and the respective display devices is also stored in the database  320 . Content editing module  312  is used for filtering and editing the content according to a set of predefined conditions. As explained earlier, the set of predefined conditions may include but are not limited to language sensitivity, ethical sensitivity and geographic location. A mechanism for checking the appropriateness of the content is also deployed. 
     Further, the profile management module  308  defines the properties and tags of the disparate display network providers ( 324  and  326 ). In an embodiment of the invention, tags and properties of the display devices are also defined. Additionally, the system  300  provides access to only those display devices possessed by disparate display networks ( 324  and  326 ) where the permissions are made available based on a comparison of the properties of the content with the properties and tags of the disparate display networks ( 324  and  326 ) and respective display devices. This ensures that the content being deployed is not in conflict with the interest of the owner of the display network and at the same time the content is appropriate for public display within the context of the display devices. The content editing module  312  then selects permissible display contents subsequent to the editing and filtering process. 
     Software interface layer  318  enables the service provider to coordinate between the various modules of the system  300  and form a single unique interface in conjunction with the database  320  and the communication interface  322 . In an embodiment of the invention, the communication interface  322  may utilize a network layer to enable communication, addressing and routing between the disparate display networks ( 324  and  326 ). In another embodiment of the invention, the software interface layer  318  may utilize a link layer to link between various modules of the system  300 . In yet another embodiment of the invention, the database  320  may include complex algorithms to facilitate large storage of data. After filtering and editing the contents, the permissions management module  314  is used for checking permissions in display devices ( 324  and  326 ) with respect to the contents. The properties defined by the content providers are matched with the display devices. For example, dimensions of the display devices provided by XYZ are matched with the display devices possessed by disparate display network providers ( 324  and  326 ). Further, permissible content is displayed on the display devices using the display module  316   
     In the system  300 , a rewarding mechanism is provided for the disparate display network providers ( 324  and  326 ) through revenue sharing and rentals to ensure that the commercialization and ownership of the display devices is not only minimal but also profitable. Also, the system  300  provides a control mechanism to the disparate display network providers ( 324  and  326 ) to manage the commercialization of the respective display networks, define the properties and tags for the respective display networks for content &amp; organization, and industry permissions along side with a user management system for working within the context of the organization. 
       FIG. 4  is flow diagram  400  illustrating the steps in a method performed by the service provider for controlling a unified display network according to an embodiment of the invention. At step  402 , a request for displaying content from content providers is received. The content providers define properties and format of the content intended for displaying on display devices. The content. providers may specify a plurality of properties including but not limited to geographic locations for displaying the content, dimensions of the display devices and time period for displaying the content. In an embodiment of the invention, the content providers are provided with the liberty of sending the content in any format. After receiving the request, availability of the display devices is checked at step  404 . Disparate display network providers ( 324  and  326 ) possessing the display devices are registered. The steps for registering the disparate display networks providers ( 324  and  326 ) to the service provider&#39;s network are as explained in  FIG. 2 . The disparate display network providers ( 324  and  326 ) are provided with a control mechanism for managing commercialization of the respective disparate digital display networks. The control mechanism is provided by defining a set of properties and tags for the disparate display networks. Further, the disparate display network providers ( 324  and  326 ) are rewarded for managing the commercialization of the respective disparate display networks. 
     The availability of the display devices is checked by communicating with the disparate display network providers ( 324  and  326 ). The display devices are scrutinized based on the properties specified by the content providers. Further, the display devices satisfying the properties specified by the content providers are listed. At step  406 , the list of available display devices is then provided to the content providers as a response to the request. In an embodiment of the invention, a dynamic update of available display devices is provided to the content providers if the display devices as requested by the content providers were not available. The service provider may send an update confirming the availability of the display devices to the content providers when the display devices are available. Thereafter, at step  408 , the content providers are enabled to choose a set of display devices from the available list of display devices for displaying the content by booking the display devices. The service provider then converts the format of the content received from the content providers to a format as specified by the respective disparate display network providers ( 324  and  326 ) to enable display of the content. Therefore, the content providers are not required to send the content in a format specified by disparate display network providers. Further, the hassle of registering with the disparate display network providers is also avoided since the content providers can directly book any display device possessed by any disparate display network provider through the service provider. Further, at step  410 , the content is displayed on the display devices chosen by the content providers. In an embodiment of the invention, the service provider may send a status update to the content providers. For example, after the content is displayed on the display devices, the service provider may inform the content providers that the content has been displayed. 
       FIG. 5  is a block diagram illustrating a communication system  500  utilized by the service provider for managing a unified display network according to an embodiment of the invention. 
     System  500  includes a service provider  502  for creating and managing a unified display network. The system  500  also includes a plurality of disparate display network providers including network provider  324  and network provider  326  registered with the service provider  502 . Network provider  324  and network provider  326  may be coupled to one or more display devices  510 ,  512  and  514 ,  516  respectively. Further, the system  500  includes a plurality of content providers including content provider  504 , content provider  506  and content provider  508  enabled to interact with the service provider  502  for displaying content in the display devices ( 510 , 512 ,  514  and  516 ). The service provider may be coupled to a database  320  for managing data corresponding to the content providers ( 504 ,  506  and  508 ) and disparate display network providers ( 324  and  326 ). 
     The service provider  502  receives a request from the content providers ( 504 ,  506  and  508 ) for displaying content on the display devices ( 510 ,  512 ,  514  and  516 ). The display devices ( 510 , 512 ,  514  and  516 ) may be different from each other with respect to dimensions and also with respect to disparate display networks ( 324  and  326 ). Examples of content may include but not limited to videos, audio files, posters and advertisements promoting various products of different companies. The service provider  502  then stores the details of the content received in the database  320 . The details of the content may include a format of the content and various properties specified by the content providers ( 504 , 506  and  508 ). The service provider  502  uses the details stored in the database to check for availability of the display devices ( 510 , 512 , 514  and  516 ). In order to check for the availability of the display devices ( 510 ,  512 ,  514  and  516 ) the service provider  502  communicates with the disparate display network providers ( 324  and  326 ). The disparate display network providers ( 324  and  326 ) may be registered with the service provider  502  and are provided with a control mechanism to facilitate commercialization of the respective disparate display networks and display devices ( 510 , 512 ,  514  and  516 ). In an embodiment of the invention, the service provider  502  stores the registration details corresponding to the disparate display network providers ( 506  and  508 ) in the database  504 . Further, the service provider  502  provides the content providers with a list of available display devices according to the properties specified by the content providers ( 510 , 512 , 514  and  516 ). 
     In an embodiment of the invention, several disparate digital display networks may be owned by the service provider  502  thereby exempting registration procedures. 
       FIG. 6  is a block diagram of an exemplary computer system  600  upon which various embodiments of the invention may be implemented. Computer system  600  includes a processing unit  606  including a main memory  608 , such as a Random Access Memory (RAM) or other dynamic storage device, coupled to a bus interface  612  for storing information and instructions to be executed by processor  610 . A storage device  614 , such as a magnetic disk or optical disk, is provided and coupled to bus interface  612  for storing information and instructions. Computer system  600  may be coupled via bus interface  612  to a display  604  for displaying information to a user. An input device  602 , including alphanumeric and other keys, is coupled to bus interface  612  for communicating information and command selections to processor  610 . 
     Embodiments of the invention are related to the use of computer system  600  for implementing the techniques described herein. In an embodiment of the invention, those techniques are performed by computer system  600  in response to processor  610  executing one or more sequences of one or more instructions included in main memory  608 . Such instructions may be read into main memory  608  from another machine-readable medium product, such as storage device  614 . Execution of the sequences of instructions included in main memory  608  causes processor  610  to perform the method embodiment of the invention described herein. In alternative embodiments, hard-wired circuitry may be used in place of or in combination with software instructions to implement the invention. Thus, embodiments of the invention are not limited to any specific combination of hardware circuitry and software. 
     The term “machine-readable medium product” as used herein refers to any medium that participates in providing data that causes a machine to operation in a specific fashion. Examples of the machine-readable medium product include but are not limited to memory devices, tapes, disks, cassettes, integrated circuits, servers, online software, download links, installation links, and online links. 
     In an embodiment implemented using computer system  600 , various machine-readable medium products are involved, for example, in providing instructions to processor  510  for execution. Computer system  600  also includes a communication interface  616  coupled to bus interface  612 . Communication interface  616  provides a two-way data communication coupling to internet  618  that is coupled a server  620 . Server  620  might transmit a requested code for an application program through internet  618  and communication interface  616 . 
     The forgoing description sets forth numerous specific details to convey a thorough understanding of the invention. However, it will be apparent to one skilled in the art that the invention may be practiced without these specific details. Well-known features are sometimes not described in detail in order to avoid obscuring the invention. Other variations and embodiments are possible in light of above teachings, and it is thus intended that the scope of invention not be limited by this detailed description, but only by the following claims.