Patent Publication Number: US-2011067043-A1

Title: System and method for providing advertising-on-demand

Description:
BACKGROUND 
     1. Technical Field 
     Embodiments of the present disclosure generally relate to a television connected with a set-top-box (STB), and more particularly to a system and method providing advertising-on-demand 
     2. Description of Related Art 
     Advertisements are commonly designed to sell goods and publicize events. On television (TV), different kinds of advertisements appeal to different demographic groups. However, conventional TV channels cannot deliver dedicated categories of TV advertisements to viewers. 
     What is needed, therefore, is a system and method for providing advertising-on-demand, to overcome the limitations described. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a block diagram of one embodiment of a system of providing advertising-on-demand 
         FIG. 2  is a flowchart illustrating one embodiment of a method for advertising-on-demand 
         FIG. 3  is a schematic diagram of one embodiment of an operating interface for the system of  FIG. 1 . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     The disclosure is illustrated by way of example and not by way of limitation in the figures of the accompanying drawings in which like references indicate similar elements. It should be noted that references to “an” or “one” embodiment in this disclosure are not necessarily to the same embodiment, and such references mean at least one. 
     In general, the data “module,” as used herein, refers to logic embodied in hardware or firmware, or to a collection of software instructions, written in a programming language, such as, for example, Java, C, or assembly. One or more software instructions in the modules may be embedded in firmware, such as an EPROM. It will be appreciated that modules may comprised connected logic units, such as gates and flip-flops, and may comprise programmable units, such as programmable gate arrays or processors. The modules described herein may be implemented as either software and/or hardware modules and may be stored in any type of computer-readable medium or other computer storage device. 
       FIG. 1  is a block diagram of one embodiment of a system providing advertising-on-demand The system includes a television (TV)  1 , a TV network  2 , a set-top-box (STB)  3 , and a TV advertisement server (TA server)  5 . The TV  1  is connected with the STB  3 . The STB  3  is connected with the TV network  2 , and configured for receiving TV signals from the TV network  2 . In the embodiment, the STB  3  is further connected with the TA server  5  via a network, such as the Internet  4 . The STB  3  is further operable to select desired TV advertisements from the TA server  5 , and broadcast the selected TV advertisements on the TV  1 . 
     In the embodiment, the TA server  5  includes a storage device  50 , at least one processor  51 , a TA list  52 , a management module  54 , and a computation module  56 . The storage device  50  is configured to store TV advertisements and the TA list  52 . The storage device  50  may further store software instructions for the management module  54  and the computation module  56  that are executed by the at least one processor  51  of the TA server  5 . Each of the TV advertisements has a serial number, as set by the management module  54 . In the embodiment, the management module  54  further sets a serial number for each of TV channels in the TV  1 . The TA list  52  stores serial numbers of TV channels and serial numbers of the TV advertisements of each of the TV channels. If any TV advertisement is deleted from the storage device  50 , or a new TV advertisement is added to the storage device  50 , the management module  54  updates the TA list  52 . 
     In the embodiment, the management module  54  is operable to send the TA list to the STB  3  in response to a download request from the STB  3  to download the TA list  52 , and generate a new TA list by selecting one or more desired TV advertisements from the TA list  52 . The new TA list includes serial numbers of the selected TV advertisements and serial numbers of corresponding TV channels of the desired TV advertisements. The management module  54  is further operable to acquire the TV advertisements from the storage device  50 , and transmit the acquired TV advertisements to the STB  3 . The STB  3  broadcasts the acquired TV advertisements on the TV  1 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 3 , the TV  1  provides an operating interface  300  for advertising-on-demand. The operating interface  300  includes a main display interface  301  and a TA list display interface  302 . The main display interface  301  is used for displaying contents of one TV channel. The TA list display interface  302  is operable to display the TA list  52  from which selection is made of desired TA advertisements. After selection of one or more TV advertisements from the TA list display interface  302 , such as a serial number “1” and a serial number “2” are selected from the TA list  52 , a new TA list including the serial numbers “1” and “2” is generated. The TA server  5  acquires the selected TV advertisements from the storage device  50  according to the new TA list, and transmits the acquired TV advertisements to the STB  3 . The STB  3  broadcasts the acquired TV advertisements on the main display interface  301 . 
     In the embodiment, the computation module  56  is operable to calculate a total number of viewings of each of the TV advertisements, to compute an audience rating for each of the TV advertisements. 
       FIG. 2  is a flowchart illustrating one embodiment of a method for advertising-on-demand of a TV  1  connected with a STB  3 . Depending on the embodiment, additional blocks in the flow of  FIG. 2  may be added, others removed, and the ordering of the blocks may be changed. 
     In block S 20 , the management module  54  receives a download request from the STB  3  to download a TA list, and sends the TA list  52  to the STB  3 . The TA list  52  includes serial numbers of TV channels of the TV  1  and serial numbers of TV advertisements of each of the TV channels. 
     In block S 22 , after one or more desired TV advertisements are selected from the TA list  52 , the management module  54  generates a new TA list. The new TA list includes serial numbers of the desired TV advertisements and serial numbers of corresponding TV channels of the desired TV advertisements. 
     In block S 24 , the management module  54  acquires the desired TV advertisements from the storage device  50  and transmits the acquired TV advertisements to the STB  3 . 
     In block S 26 , the STB  3  broadcasts the acquired TV advertisements on the TV  1 . 
     In block S 28 , the computation module  56  calculates a total number of viewings of each of the TV advertisements, and computes an audience rating for each of the TV advertisements. 
     Although certain inventive embodiments of the present disclosure have been specifically described, the present disclosure is not to be construed as being limited thereto. Various changes or modifications may be made to the present disclosure without departing from the scope and spirit of the present disclosure.