Patent Publication Number: US-9432715-B2

Title: Incentivizing commerce by regionally localized broadcast signal in conjunction with automatic feedback or filtering

Description:
CLAIM OF PRIORITY 
     This application is a continuation of commonly-owned U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/184,958, filed Aug. 1, 2008, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. 
     CROSS-REFERENCE TO A RELATED APPLICATION 
     This application is related to commonly-owned U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/184,968, filed Aug. 1, 2008 (now U.S. Pat. No. 8,831,968 issued Sep. 9, 2014 the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. 
    
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     Embodiments of this invention are related to digital broadcasting and more specifically to incentivizing commerce with a regionally localized digital broadcast signal in conjunction with automatic feedback or filtering. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Since broadcast television was introduced in the 1930s, television stations and networks have been paid to advertise products and services in conjunction with scheduled programming. Such advertising is often in the form of commercials that are broadcast during breaks in program content. A common problem with such commercials from the point of view of the viewer is that they interrupt the programming that the viewer would like to watch. Another problem with commercials from the point of view of the advertiser is that it is difficult to track the effectiveness of a given advertisement in encouraging a given viewer to purchase something advertised in a commercial. 
     A major change in the nature of television for both advertisers and consumers arose with the advent of digital television. Introduced in the late 1990s, digital television (DTV) technology appealed to the television broadcasting business and consumer electronics industries as offering new consumer services and business opportunities that were impractical with previous analog television. Digital television is more flexible and efficient than analog television. When properly used by broadcasters, digital television allows higher-quality images and sound and more programming choices than analog does. In DTV moving images and sound are sent and received by means of discrete (digital) signals, in contrast to the analog signals used by analog television. Digital television includes, but is not limited to Digital Terrestrial Television (DTTV or DTT), which is an implementation of digital technology to provide a greater number of channels and/or better quality of picture and sound using aerial broadcasts to a conventional antenna (or aerial) as opposed to a satellite dish or cable connection. 
     The development of digital television has lead to many changes in television broadcasting and related industries. Many countries have mandated a change from an analog television signal format to a new digital format. One example of such a digital television broadcast standard was developed by the Advanced Television Systems Committee. With a conventional analog television broadcast, a video signal modulates a carrier wave signal that is broadcast by a transmission tower. A television set contains a receiver that detects broadcast signals. The receiver includes a tuner that selects a particular channel according to its carrier frequency and a demodulator that extracts the video signal from the modulated carrier signal. With a digital television signal, the video signal is generated in a digital format or an analog video signal is converted to a digital format to produce a digital signal. The carrier wave is modulated according to the digital signal format, e.g., using vestigial sideband (VSB) modulation. This new format allows data for additional digital services to be broadcast along with a regular television signal. Examples of such services may include real time stock quotes, sports, weather and traffic updates and other services traditionally associated with delivery via two-way media, such as the internet, digital wireless services or cellular telephone services. 
     Digital broadcasting allows broadcasters to transmit data services unrelated to digital programming content to a wide variety of devices including mobile and handheld devices. The delivery of digital services by a primarily one-way medium through digital broadcast presents certain challenges and problems, particularly when broadcasting to mobile or handheld devices. Utilizing data broadcast over digital television broadcast channels to mobile or handheld devices presents certain problems and opportunities heretofore unrecognized in the art. 
     It is within this context that embodiments of the present invention arise. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     According to an embodiment of the present invention, a method for digital commerce in conjunction with a digital broadcast, the method may comprise: a) receiving a digital broadcast signal with a receiving device, wherein the digital broadcast signal includes a commercial message and ancillary data associated with the commercial message; b) presenting the commercial message with a display device associated with the digital broadcast receiving device if a predetermined condition exists; c) generating response information using the ancillary data, wherein the response information is usable to determine an effectiveness of the commercial message in generating a response of a percipient of the commercial message; and d) transmitting the response information if a commercial transaction associated with the commercial message is completed. 
     A presentation filter may be applied to the commercial message to determine the predetermined condition. The filter may be based on a time, location, user profile, or input from an ancillary device. The presentation filter may be configured such that the message is presented when the device is in a predetermined region of space, time or both space and time. The presentation filter may be based on input from an ancillary device in communication with the receiving device. The ancillary data may include information usable by the presentation filter to determine whether the predetermined condition exists. A supplemental filter may be applied to arbitrate a presentation hierarchy for two or more commercial messages satisfying a given presentation criteria of the presentation filter. The presentation filter may be determined by a manufacturer or distributor of the digital broadcast receiving device. The presentation filter may be determined by a user of the digital broadcast receiving device. The presentation filter may be determined by a broadcaster of the digital broadcast signal. 
     The commercial message may include a coupon. Furthermore transmitting the response information at d) may include transmitting information indicating redemption of the coupon. Alternatively, generating response information using the ancillary data at c) may include generating information usable in tracking a perception of the coupon by the percipient. 
     In addition, the commercial message may be stored with the digital broadcast receiving device. 
     Transmitting the response information at d) may also include transmitting information reporting storage of the commercial message to a clearinghouse. 
     Transmitting the response information at d) may also include transmitting the response information to an ancillary device. 
     Transmitting the response information at d) may also include transmitting information reporting completion of the commercial transaction to a clearinghouse. 
     In addition, an effectiveness of the commercial message in generating a predetermined response of a percipient of the commercial message may be determined. 
     According to another embodiment, a method for digital commerce in conjunction with a digital broadcast, may comprise: a) receiving a digital broadcast signal with the receiving device, wherein the digital broadcast signal includes a commercial message; b) presenting the commercial message with a display device associated with the digital broadcast receiving device if a predetermined condition exists; and c) determining an effectiveness of the commercial message in generating a response of a percipient of the commercial message. 
     Such methods may be implemented in a digital broadcast receiving device, comprising: a digital broadcast receiver, configured to receive programming over one or more digital broadcast channels; a processor coupled to the digital broadcast receiver; a display device; a memory coupled to the processor; a set of processor executable instructions embodied in the memory and executable by the processor, wherein the instructions are configured to implement a method for digital commerce in conjunction with a digital broadcast. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The teachings of the present invention can be readily understood by considering the following detailed description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which: 
         FIG. 1A  is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of digital commerce in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 1B  is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of digital commerce in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 1C  is a schematic diagram illustrating a broadcast environment in which embodiments of the present invention may be employed. 
         FIG. 2  is a block diagram of a digital broadcast receiving device according to an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 3  is a block diagram illustrating generation of a digital broadcast data stream containing commercial messages and ancillary data according to an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 4  is a schematic diagram of a digital broadcast data stream that may be used in conjunction with embodiments of the present invention. 
         FIG. 5  is a flow diagram illustrating a method for accessing ancillary information associated with an image embedded in a digital broadcast data stream according to an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 6  illustrates an example of accessing ancillary information associated with an image embedded in a digital broadcast data stream according to an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 7  is a flow diagram illustrating a method for determining whether a commercial transaction has taken place according to an embodiment of the present invention. 
     
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE SPECIFIC EMBODIMENTS 
     Although the following detailed description contains many specific details for the purposes of illustration, anyone of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that many variations and alterations to the following details are within the scope of the invention. Accordingly, examples of embodiments of the invention described below are set forth without any loss of generality to, and without imposing limitations upon, the claimed invention. 
     In accordance with embodiments of the present invention, a digital broadcast signal may be used to facilitate commercial transactions. By way of example, and not by way of limitation,  FIG. 1A  schematically illustrates an example of digital commerce in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. 
     Preferably, the digital broadcast signal is of a type that can be received by mobile or handheld (M/H) digital broadcast receiving devices. As illustrated in  FIG. 1A , a merchant (e.g., gas station) A may pay service provider B to leverage broadcast assets of broadcaster C. The service provider B prepares and distributes commercial messages  1 , which may include advertisements or coupons that may be distributed by a digital broadcast signal  2  generated by broadcaster C. A digital broadcast receiving device  4  receives the digital broadcast signal  2  including the commercial message  1 . The receiving device  4  presents information from the commercial message  1  to a user D if a predetermined condition exists. The predetermined condition may be selected such that the commercial message  1  is presented when it is most likely to incentivize a percipient D (e.g., the owner or user of the receiving device  4 ) to engage in a commercial transaction offered by the commercial message  1 . 
     Upon completion of the desired transaction, information regarding the transaction may be reported, e.g., to the service provider B so that the effectiveness of the commercial message in generating a desired response may be determined. 
     In some embodiments, ancillary data  3  may be associated with the commercial message  1 . By way of example, and not by way of limitation, the ancillary data  3  may be used to associate a particular business transaction involving the merchant A with a particular commercial message  1 . Examples of ancillary data include, but are not limited to, a message identifier uniquely associated with the commercial message  1 , a time at which the message  1  was broadcast, or a particular geographic region in which the message  1  was broadcast. 
     The ancillary data  3  may be used to generate response information  5 , which may be usable to determine the effectiveness of the commercial message in generating a desired response of a percipient D to the commercial message  1 . The response information  5  may be transmitted if a commercial transaction associated with the commercial message  1  is completed. The response information  5  may include some or all of the ancillary data  3  and may additionally include information identifying the receiving device  4 , and the commercial transaction. 
     In this example, the merchant A may benefit from percipient D&#39;s business driven by the commercial message  1 . Furthermore the service Provider B may benefit by getting business from the merchant A to set up ad/coupon service. In addition, the broadcaster C may benefit by selling broadcast bandwidth to the service provider B. The percipient D may benefit from coupon rewards or relevant and timely commercial information. 
     According to some embodiments, marketing information may be generated by tracking “click through” effectiveness of the commercial message  1 . The degree of effectiveness may be used to justify a higher price for the service provider&#39;s services. 
     There are a number of ways to determine the effectiveness of a particular commercial message  1 . By way of example and without loss of generality, effectiveness of a commercial message  1  may be measured in terms of the number of commercial messages received, the number that were presented to a percipient, and the number of received messages ultimately acted upon. The service provider B may determine whether a particular message  1  was acted upon if it includes a coupon for a particular transaction at a particular merchant A. The fact that the transaction has taken place may be reported as part of the reporting information  5 . For example, if the commercial message includes a coupon, the coupon may have a code or other unique identifier associated with it. This code may be reported electronically either by the merchant A or by the receiving device  4 . Effectiveness may be expressed, e.g., as a ratio of a number of messages received to a number of messages acted upon. Alternatively, effectiveness may be measured as a ratio of messages presented to a total number of messages acted upon. 
     There are a number of ways in which reception and/or presentation of the commercial message may be tracked. For example, the receiving device  4  may include software configured to keep track of commercial messages received, commercial messages that are displayed and commercial messages that are acted upon. This information may be transmitted to the service provider B as part of the reporting information  5 . 
       FIG. 1B  illustrates a more specific example of electronic commerce that may be facilitated by embodiments of the present invention. Broadcaster C distributes a digital broadcast signal  1  including coupons for a fast food free drink  1 A, a toy store doll on sale  1 B, a service station free car wash  1 C, and a service station gas coupon  1 D. A receiving device  4  receives these commercial messages  1 A- 1 D, and may present this information to the user if a pre-existing condition exists. By way of example, and not by way of limitation, the receiving device  4  may include a digital receiver to receive digital broadcast signals  1 , a processor to decode broadcast signals  1  and process other viable information, a memory to store viable information, and also a data link to temporarily store viable information. Furthermore, a receiving device  4  may be linked to a smart card  7  capable of monitoring and completing transactions related to commercial messages  1 A- 1 B. 
     These pre-existing conditions can, for example, be met by a filtering system. This filtering system may be controlled by the receiving device manufacturer, who can select some of the filters, such that only commercial messages  1 A- 1 D that meet pre-existing conditions will be presented to the user D. Alternatively, the device percipient D may have some control over the filtering, such that he can decide what criteria must be met for the commercial message  1 A- 1 D to be presented to him. Furthermore, these devices may contain an arrangement that decides which commercial message  1 A- 1 D is presented to the device user when two or more commercial messages  1 A- 1 D meet the filtering criteria simultaneously. 
     An example of a filtering system that meets pre-existing conditions is a sensor in an automobile that can be used to drive filters that select relevant ads. For example, if the fuel sensor  8  determines that the car is low on gas, the receiving device  4  can select and present ads for local gas stations that incorporate coupons  1 D. Similarly, if the oil sensor  9  determines that automobile is in need of an oil change, the receiving device  4  can select and present local ads that incorporate coupons for oil changes. 
     Filtering systems may be designed to monitor a user&#39;s current circumstance, e.g. relevant time, location, gas tank level, etc. and present relevant coupons based on the user&#39;s circumstance. Filtering systems may also include validity filters that only present commercial messages  1 A- 1 D up until the time that the coupon associated with the commercial message  1  has expired. 
     Note that pre-existing conditions need not necessarily be met for a coupon associated with a commercial message  1 A- 1 D to be presented to a user of a receiving device  4 . Receiving devices  4  may operate without the addition of a filtering device (null filter), such that all commercial messages  1 A- 1 D whether relevant or irrelevant are presented to the user. An alternative to a filtering system may involve allowing the merchant A or service provider B to receive a user profile that includes the user&#39;s age, sex, past consumer behavior, and other user characteristics from the receiving device  4  to better determine what commercial messages  1 A- 1 D to broadcast to the receiving device  4 . 
     Coupons associated with commercial messages  1 A- 1 D and the commercial messages  1 A- 1 D themselves may be displayed in a variety of different manners. They may be presented in the form of a sound byte, HTML, video, etc. Also, the receiving device  4  in the car may be combined with a Bluetooth receiver in a cell phone, allowing the coupon associated with the commercial message  1 A- 1 D to be displayed using a bar code on the cell phone. The merchant A could then control the number of times that this bar code could be used. 
     Upon completion of the desired transaction, information related to the transaction may be monitored and reported in several different ways. For example, in addition to the tracking mechanisms described in  FIG. 1A , the marketing effectiveness may be tracked by an entity entirely independent of the merchant A, service provider B, or broadcaster C, such as a clearinghouse E. The clearinghouse E effectively tracks the transactions and monitors the marketing effectiveness of the commercial messages  1 A- 1 D, allowing for the merchant A, service provider B, or broadcaster C to obtain this information. 
     Alternatively the effectiveness of a commercial message  1 A- 1 D may be tracked with a cookie in the receiving device  4  that can be used as a coupon for drive-through or click-through. Similarly, a commercial message  1 A- 1 D could be tracked by the receiving device  4  to monitor whether the coupon associated with the commercial message  1 A- 1 D was presented to the user or not. 
     The effectiveness of a commercial message  1 A- 1 D could also be tracked by having the consumer enter a code associated with the transaction via the receiving device  4  or a device operated by the merchant A in order to report or complete transaction. If no coupon is associated with the commercial message  1 A- 1 D, the effectiveness of the commercial message  1 A- 1 D could be tracked by GPS and other data (e.g., gas tank level) to determine whether ad was acted upon. For example, if the advertisement is for gasoline at a particular gas station, the receiving device could provide information regarding (a) times of reception and presentation of the advertisement at the receiving device  4 ; (b) geographic location of the receiving device  4  to determine if the user D visited the gas station after the advertisement was displayed; (c); and (d) whether the fuel sensor  8  registered an increase in fuel level while the user D was at the gas station. If the user D visited the gas station after the advertisement was displayed by the receiving device  4  and the fuel sensor  8  registered an increase in fuel level an inference may be drawn that the user bought gas in response to the advertisement. 
     Lastly, the accounting associated with a redeeming coupon could be decoupled from the transaction incentivized by the coupon or advertisement. This decoupling could mean that the reward for a successful transaction could be given to someone other than the user D or other percipient of the advertisement received by the receiving device  4 . 
     According to an embodiment of the present invention, a digital broadcast signal may be used to encourage and facilitate commercial transactions.  FIG. 1C  schematically illustrates a broadcast environment in which embodiments of the present invention may be employed. In such an environment broadcasters  102  receive or generate input data streams  101 . The input data streams  101  are converted to digital broadcast data streams  103 , which are converted to a digital broadcast signal  105  for reception by digital broadcast receivers  110 . It is noted that for the sake of example, the two digital broadcast signals  105 ,  106  are shown as being transmitted from different towers  104 . This is not to be construed as a limitation upon any embodiment of the invention. 
     Alternatively, the two digital broadcast signals  105 ,  106  may originate from the same broadcast tower  104  and may be broadcast simultaneously, e.g., using frequency division multiplexing. 
     By way of example, a digital broadcast signal  105  may be a modulated radiation signal transmitted from a broadcast tower  104 , e.g., in the form of an over-the-air broadcast, such as by a radio-frequency electromagnetic wave signal. It is noted that the digital broadcast signal  105  transmitted by a given broadcast tower  104  may include multiple digital broadcast channels modulated at different carrier signal frequencies. Broadcast towers  104  associated with different broadcasters  102  may broadcast over different sets of frequencies. For example Broadcaster  1  may broadcast over a first set of carrier frequencies f 1  . . . f m  and Broadcaster N may broadcast over a different set of carrier frequencies f′ 1  . . . f′ j . There may be some overlap between the two sets of carrier frequencies. 
     Furthermore, the digital broadcast signal  105  may be transmitted in a form other than an over-the-air broadcast. Alternatively, embodiments of the invention may be used in conjunction with digital broadcasts transmitted over media such as cable (e.g., coaxial cable), optical fiber, or satellite transmission. 
     By way of example, the digital broadcast signal  105  may be configured in accordance with a digital broadcast standard. Examples of digital broadcast standards include, but are not limited to, the Digital Video Broadcasting (DVB) family of standards maintained in Europe and Australia, the Advanced Television Standards Committee (ATSC) family of standards developed for use in the United States and Canada, the Integrated Services Digital Broadcasting (ISDB) family of standards developed for use in Japan, Digital Multimedia Broadcasting (DMB) standard used in South Korea. 
     The DVB family of standards includes the DVB-S and DVB-S2 standards for satellite television, the DVB-T and DVB-T2 standards for terrestrial television, DVC-C for cable television and DVB-H for mobile television and other DVB standards which have been or may be developed. The ATSC family of standards includes the ATSC standard for terrestrial television broadcasts and the ATSC M/H standard for broadcasts to mobile and handheld devices. The ISDB family of standards includes the ISDB-S, ISDB-T, and ISDB-C standards, which were developed for satellite, terrestrial and cable television respectively. 
     By way of example, and not by way of limitation, the digital broadcast signal  105  may be configured according to the ATSC or ATSC-M/H standards. The ATSC standard is described in detail, e.g., in “ATSC Digital Television Standard Part 1—Digital Television System” (A/53, Part 1:2007), “ATSC Digital Television Standard Part 2—RF/Transmission System Characteristics” (A/53, Part 2:2007), and “ATSC Digital Television Standard Part 3—Service Multiplex and Transport Subsystem Characteristics” (A/53, Part 3, 2007), the disclosures of all three of which are incorporated herein by reference. The ATSC Data Broadcast Standard is described, e.g., in (ATSC Recommended Practice: Implementation Guidelines for the ATSC Data Broadcast Standard (Doc. A/90)”, which is incorporated herein by reference. 
     The input data stream  101  may include data streams from multiple sources. For example, within the broadcaster  102  data streams for different television programs  107  may be made up of audio, video and ancillary data streams. These data streams may be multiplexed to form a program data stream P 1  . . . P N  associated with a given program  107 . Multiple program data streams P 1  . . . P N  may be multiplexed with each other into the broadcast data stream  103 . The digital broadcast data stream  103  may include data representing one or more commercial messages CM and ancillary data AD associated with one or more of the commercial messages CM. 
     Furthermore, one or more data service data streams  108  for broadcast data services s 1  . . . s k  not specifically associated with a given program  107  may be overlaid (e.g., multiplexed) with the program data streams P 1  . . . P N  into the broadcast data stream  103 . 
     The data streams  101  that make up the digital broadcast data stream  103  may be subject to data transforms, such as source coding and compression. As used herein, “source coding and compression” refers to bit rate reduction methods, also known as data compression, appropriate for application to the video, audio, and ancillary digital data streams. The term “ancillary data” includes control data, conditional access control data, and data associated with the program audio and video services, such as closed captioning. “Ancillary data” can also refer to independent program services. The broadcast unit  102  may include a coder configured to minimize the number of bits needed to represent the audio and video information. If configured according to the ATSC standard, the broadcaster  102  may employ the MPEG-2 video stream syntax for the coding of video and the Digital Audio Compression (AC-3) Standard for the coding of audio. 
     The broadcaster  102  may also subject the digital broadcast data stream  103  to service and multiplex transport operations. As used herein, “service multiplex and transport” refers to the means of dividing the digital data stream into “packets” of information, the means of uniquely identifying each packet or packet type, and the appropriate methods of multiplexing video data stream packets, audio data stream packets, and ancillary data stream packets into a single data stream. By way of example, and not by way of limitation, the broadcaster  102  may employ the MPEG-2 transport stream syntax for the packetization and multiplexing of video, audio, and data signals for digital broadcasting systems. Such packetization and multiplexing is described e.g., ISO/IEC 13818-1:2000 (E), International Standard, Information technology—Generic coding of moving pictures and associated audio information: systems”, which is incorporated herein by reference. 
     The digital broadcast data stream  103  may be converted to a digital broadcast signal  105  through processes referred to as channel coding and modulation. The channel coder takes the data bit stream encoded in the digital broadcast data stream  103  and adds additional information that can be used by a receiving device  110  to reconstruct the data from the received signal which, due to transmission impairments, may not accurately represent the transmitted signal  105 . A modulation subsystem (or physical layer) uses the digital data stream information to modulate the transmitted signal  105 . By way of example and not by way of limitation, in the ATSC standard, the modulation subsystem offers two modes. Both modes are based on vestigial sideband modulation. One mode is a terrestrial broadcast mode known as 8-VSB. The other mode is a high data rate mode known as 16-VSB. 
     A digital broadcast receiving device  110  receives the digital broadcast signal  105  and extracts the digital broadcast data stream  103  including the images I and control data CD encoded within the digital broadcast signal  105 . By way of example, and not by way of limitation, the digital broadcast receiving device  110  may include a digital receiver  111 , a processor  114 , a memory  115 , a display  117 , a data storage device  118 , and an optional biometric sensor  123 . The digital broadcast receiving device  110  may be any type of device capable of receiving and utilizing the digital broadcast signal  105 . By way of example, the digital broadcast receiving device  110  may be a digital television set, digital radio receiver, personal computer, laptop computer, a mobile or handheld device such as a cellular telephone, mobile internet device or mobile digital television receiver. Furthermore, the term digital broadcast receiving device encompasses “digital media receivers”, GPS devices, game consoles, portable game devices, home, mobile or device security systems, and any combination thereof and including other devices for which the present invention may be coupled to provide command and control. 
     The digital receiver  111  may include one or more tuners  112  and a decoder  113 . The tuner(s)  112  may be coupled to an antenna  119  that receives the digital broadcast signal  105 . The tuner  112  selects one or more particular frequencies from among the various signals that are picked up by the antenna  119 . The tuner  112  and decoder  113  may extract data and generate audio and video signals from the digital broadcast signal  105 . By way of example the tuner  112  and decoder  113  may provide the following functions: demodulation, transport stream demultiplexing, decompression, error correction, analog-to-digital conversion, AV synchronization and media reformatting to fit the specific type of display  117  optimally. 
     As used herein, demodulation refers to the process of transforming the received digital broadcast signal  105  into a usable signal from which data may be extracted and/or from which quality images and sound may be produced. 
     Transport Stream Demultiplexing may be implemented, e.g., where multiple digital signals are combined and then transmitted from one antenna source to create over the air broadcasts. In such a case, the decoder  113  may decode the digital broadcast data stream  103  and convert it to a suitable form for display of a particular program with the audio and/or video components or for extraction of a broadcast service data stream  108  from the digital broadcast data stream  103 . The decoder  113  may implement decompression if the digital broadcast data stream  103  contains data in compressed form. The decoder  113  may decompress such data, e.g., by unpacking compressed packets of digital data to their original size. 
     The decoder  113  may also implement Error Correction to make sure that any data that is missing from the received digital broadcast signal  105  can be corrected. For instance, sometimes interference or a poor-quality signal will cause the loss of data information that the tuner  112  receives. In such cases, the decoder  112  may perform a number of checks and repair data so that a signal can be viewed on a TV set or data may be utilized by the processor  114 . 
     The decoder  113  may implement AV Synchronization to coordinate audio and video signals being displayed on the display  117  in proper time. AV synchronization ensures that the audio does not lag behind the video that is being displayed on the display  117  or vice versa, so that both audio and video are in sync. Media reformatting allows the display  117  to properly display video images using the data extracted from the digital broadcast signal  105 . Media reformatting is important since the formatting of images on TV sets may differ significantly according to the technology employed. For example, some televisions utilize an interlaced picture, whereas others utilize a progressive-scan picture. 
     The commercial messages CM may be displayed on the video display  117 . By way of example, the display  117  may be any suitable video and/or audio-visual display compatible with the digital broadcast signal  105 . By way of example, and not by way of limitation, the display  117  may include a video monitor, such as a cathode ray tube (CRT), plasma display, liquid crystal display (LCD) or organic light-emitting diode (OLED) display. In addition, the display  117  may include one or more devices for generating audio, e.g., one or more speakers. 
     The processor  114  may be programmed with instructions SW that, when executed, cause the device to a) receive a digital broadcast signal that includes a commercial message CM and ancillary data AD associated with the commercial message; b) present the commercial message CM with the display device  117  if a predetermined condition exists; c) generate response information using the ancillary data AD, the response information may be usable to determine an effectiveness of the commercial message in generating a response of a percipient of the commercial message; and d) transmit the response information if a commercial transaction associated with the commercial message is completed. 
     The optional biometric sensor  119  may be used to gather biometric information relating to a human, animal or plant affiliated with the receiving device  110 . As used herein the term biometric information include information relating to a condition or identifying characteristics of a human, an animal or a plant. Such information may include, but is not limited to, e.g., blood sugar, blood oxygen, or blood alcohol information, body temperature, fingerprints, retinal patterns. By way of example, and not by way of limitation, the receiving device  110  may use such biometric information to identify a user of the device, to monitor a medical condition of the user or to track the user&#39;s behavior. Although the biometric sensor  119  is depicted as being part of the device  110  in  FIG. 1C , those of skill in the art will appreciate that the biometric sensor may be part of a separate unit that can communicate with the receiving device  110 , e.g., over a wired or wireless link. 
     The receiving device  110  may also implement a backchannel  120  that allows information to be sent from the device to a broadcast unit  102  or a data center  126  affiliated with the broadcast unit. The back channel  120  may be implemented through a digital broadcast signal transmitted from the device  110 , e.g., via the antenna  119 . Alternatively, the back channel  120  may be implemented through some other mode of communication such as wireless telephony (e.g., cellular), wireless internet, cable, optical fiber and the like. The back channel  120  may be used to transmit the response information, e.g., to a tracking service or clearing house. 
     The receiving device  110  may also include a data storage device  118  for non-volatile storage of data, such as selected ancillary information  122 . Examples of data storage devices include hard disk drives, flash memories, compact disk (CD) drives, digital video disk (DVD) drives, tape drives, and the like. 
     The decision to present the commercial message with the display device  117  may be based on one or more filters. By way of example, such filters may filter the decision making process from a geographic perspective based on device position information. To facilitate such functionality, the receiving device  110  may optionally include a position location system  116 , such as a GPS receiver. For example, in the case of a mobile or hand-held device, GPS data may be used to filter weather and traffic updates and limit downloads to those that are relevant to the area in which the device is presently located. In some embodiments, the function of the position location system  116  may be implemented by one of the tuners  112  in conjunction with software running on the processor  114 . The position location signal may originate from one or more of the towers  104  or a satellite in earth orbit. 
       FIG. 2  is a block diagram illustrating a method for providing a digital broadcast data stream having control data  202  associated with a commercial message  204  in a digital broadcast data stream  208  according to an embodiment of the present invention. Digital broadcast signals  212  are formed when input data streams are converted to digital data streams  208 , which are fed to a broadcasting unit  210  that converts these digital data streams  208  into digital broadcast signals  212  for transmission to and reception by digital receiving devices. A broadcaster/editor  206  can receive or generate input streams. The input data stream may include data streams from multiple sources. For example, within the broadcaster/editor  206 , data streams for different television programs may be made up of audio, video, and ancillary data streams. These data streams may be multiplexed to form a program data stream associated with a given program. Multiple program data streams may be multiplexed with each other to form an input data stream to be received by the broadcaster/editor  206 . The input data stream may include data representing one or more commercial messages  204  and ancillary data  202  associated with the commercial message  204 . 
     The input data streams, including the ancillary  202  and commercial message data  204  may be subject to data transforms, such as source coding and compression. The broadcaster/editor  206  may include a coder configured to minimize the number of bits needed to represent this input stream data. If configured according to the ATSC standard, the broadcaster/editor  206  may employ the MPEG-2 video stream syntax for the coding of video and the Digital Audio Compression (AC-3) Standard for the coding of audio. 
     The broadcasting unit  210  may then subject the digital broadcast data stream  208  to service and multiplex transport operations. Service and multiplex transport refers to the means of dividing the digital data stream into packets of information, the means of uniquely identifying each packet or packet type, and the appropriate methods of multiplexing video data stream packets, audio data stream packets, and ancillary data stream packets into a single data stream. By way of example, and not by way of limitation, broadcasting units  210  may employ the MPEG-2 transport stream syntax for the packetization and multiplexing of video, audio, and data signals. 
     The digital broadcast data stream  208  may be converted to a digital broadcast signal  212  by the broadcasting unit  210  through processes referred to as channel coding and modulation. The channel coder takes the data bit stream encoded in the digital broadcast data stream  208  and adds additional information that can be used by a receiving device to reconstruct the data from the received signal, which, due to transmission impairments, may not accurately represent the digital broadcast signal  212 . A modulation subsystem (or physical layer) uses the digital data stream information to modulate the transmitted signal  105 . By way of example, and not by way of limitation, the ATSC standard allows the modulation subsystem to operate in two modes. Both modes are based on vestigial sideband modulation. One mode is a terrestrial broadcast mode known as 8-VSB and the other is a high data rate mode known as 16-VSB. 
       FIG. 3  is a schematic diagram of a digital broadcast data stream that may be used in conjunction with embodiments of the present invention. As seen in  FIG. 3  a digital broadcast data stream  300  may include digital data streams  302 ,  304 ,  306  containing commercial message packets CM 1 , CM 2 , CM 3  and corresponding ancillary data packets AD 1 , AD 2 , AD 3 . By way of example, and not by way of limitation, the commercial message packets CM 1 , CM 2 , CM 3  may include encoded, video, audio images and other relevant data (e.g., text) that is presented by a receiving device. By way of example, and not by way of limitation, the ancillary data packets AD 1 , AD 2 , AD 3  may include data that is associated with the commercial message, but is not necessarily presented as part of the message. Such ancillary data may include data used by presentation filters, coded instructions for implementing presentation filters, and transaction tracking data usable to track a commercial transaction. Examples of transaction tracking data include unique identifiers associated with the transaction. Such identifiers may be transmitted to the merchant A, service provider B, broadcaster C or clearinghouse E to track the transaction. 
     Individual commercial message data streams  302 ,  304 ,  306  may be combined together in a digital broadcast data stream  300 , with other data packets (not shown) containing broadcast programming and broadcast data services. The digital broadcast data stream  300  may be converted into a digital data broadcast signal to be sent by way of a broadcast unit to a receiving device. The receiving device may extract the digital broadcast data stream  300  from the digital broadcast signal and then present or store the information contained in the commercial message packets  302 ,  304 ,  306  in the digital as explained above. 
     By way of example, a digital broadcast receiving device  400  may be configured to implement scheduled updating according to an embodiment of the present invention as shown in  FIG. 4 . By way of example, and without loss of generality, the receiving device  400  may be implemented as part of a digital television set, personal computer, video game console, personal digital assistant, mobile or handheld device such as a cellular phone or personal digital assistant, portable email device and the like, or other digital device. The device  400  may include a central processing unit (CPU)  405  and a memory  406  coupled to the CPU  405 . The CPU  405  may be configured to run software applications and, optionally, an operating system. Some embodiments of the present invention may take advantage of certain types of processor architecture in which the CPU  405  includes a main processor  405 A and one or more auxiliary processors  405 B. Each auxiliary processor  405 B may have its own associated local data storage. One example, among others of such processor architecture is a Cell Processor. An example of Cell Processor architecture is described in detail, e.g., in  Cell Broadband Engine Architecture , copyright International Business Machines Corporation, Sony Computer Entertainment Incorporated, Toshiba Corporation Aug. 8, 2005 a copy of which may be downloaded at http://cell.scei.co.jp/, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. 
     Referring again to  FIG. 4 , the receiving device  400  may also include well-known support functions  410 , such as input/output (I/O) elements  411 , power supplies (P/S)  412 , a clock (CLK)  413  and cache  414 . The device  400  may further include a fast data storage device  415  such as a hard disk drive that provides non-volatile storage for applications and data. The fast storage device  415  may be used for temporary or long-term storage of files  416  retrieved from a slower data storage device. By way of example, the storage device  415  may be a fixed disk drive, removable disk drive, flash memory device, tape drive. Alternatively, the storage device  415  may be, e.g., a CD-ROM, DVD-ROM, Blu-ray, HD-DVD, UMD, or other optical storage devices. Files  416  from a slower storage device may be temporarily stored in a faster storage device in a hardware cache for quick loading into the memory  406 . 
     The device  400  may further include a digital broadcast receiver  440  which may be coupled to an antenna  441 . One or more digital broadcast tuners  442  may receive digital broadcast signals picked up by the antenna  441 . The receiver  440  may further include a decoder  444 , which may implement the functions described above. 
     One or more user input devices  420  may be used to communicate user inputs from one or more users to the system  400 . By way of example, one or more of the user input devices  420  may be coupled to the client device  400  via the I/O elements  411 . 
     Examples of suitable input devices  420  include keyboards, mice, joysticks, touch pads, touch screens, remote control units, light pens, still or video cameras, and/or microphones. 
     The memory  406  may store applications and data for use by the CPU  405 . The memory  406  may be in the form of an integrated circuit (e.g., RAM, DRAM, ROM, and the like). A computer program  401  may be stored in the memory  406  in the form of instructions that can be executed on the processor  405 . 
     The memory  406  may also store instructions for implementing a search engine  404 , e.g., by executing the search engine instructions with the CPU  405 . The search engine  404  may be configured, e.g., by suitable programming, to search for particular ancillary data  403  using selected filters  402 . 
     The program  401  may include instructions that when executed by the processor cause it to implement a method for digital commerce in conjunction with a digital broadcast. By way of example, and without loss of generality, the program  401  may, upon execution, cause the device  400  to implement the method  500  as illustrated in  FIG. 5 . Specifically, as indicated at  502 , the device may receive a digital broadcast signal  501  that includes a commercial message CM and associated ancillary data AD. As indicated at  504  the program  401  may use the ancillary data AD to determine whether a precondition has been met for presenting the commercial message CM. By way of example, the program  401  may compare information gathered by the device to one or more presentation filters  402  stored in the memory  406  to determine if the condition is met. If the condition is not met, the ancillary data AD may be stored in memory for a later determination and the message CM may be stored in the storage for later presentation. If the condition is present, the commercial message CM may be presented with a display device  450 , as indicated at  506 . 
     The presentation filters may be derived from the ancillary data AD. Alternatively, the filter parameters  402  may be established by a user of the device  400  or downloaded from a remote source, e.g. via an electronic communications network  427 . By way of example, one or more of the presentation filters  402  may be determined by a manufacturer or distributor of the digital broadcast receiving device  400 . Alternatively, one or more of the presentation filters  402  may be determined by a broadcaster of the digital broadcast signal  501 . 
     The filters  402  may include presentation filters based on a time, location, user profile, or input from an ancillary device, such as a smart card or remote processor in communication with the device  400 . By way of example a time-based or location-based presentation filter may be configured such that a particular commercial message is presented during a predetermined window of time or when the device  400  is in a predetermined region of space or when the device  400  in a predetermined region of space and within a predetermined window of time. 
     In some situations, it may be desirable to apply a supplemental filter to arbitrate a presentation hierarchy for two or more commercial messages satisfying a given presentation criteria of a give presentation filter  402 . 
     The program may then generate response information  507 , as indicated at  508 . The response information  507  is usable to determine an effectiveness of the commercial message in generating a response of a percipient of the commercial message using the ancillary data. Examples of response information may include, but is not limited to information relating to a time of presentation, location of the device  400  at presentation, user-generated filters used to determine presentation, information regarding the device  400 , e.g., the type of device and/or information regarding a user of the device  400 , e.g., demographic information and past commercial behavior information. The response information  507  may also information usable in tracking a perception of the commercial message CM by the percipient. 
     As indicated at  510 , the device  400  may transmit the response information  507  if a commercial transaction associated with the commercial message is completed. By way, example, as discussed above, the commercial message CM may include a coupon. In such a case, transmission of the response information may include transmitting information indicating redemption of the coupon and, optionally, a time, place and manner of such redemption. The response information  507  may be transmitted to an ancillary device, e.g., a smart card or a remote computer system associated with a vendor or clearinghouse. The remote computer system may process the result information and/or further relay it. 
     By way of example, after completion of a transaction by the user of the receiving device  400 , response information associated with that transaction (e.g., time of purchase, location of purchase, etc.) may be communicated to either a vendor  428  or a clearinghouse  429  in order to determine the effectiveness of the commercial message in generating the desired response. This can be accomplished through the use of a back channel  424  capable of transmitting this desired information. By way of example, the back channel  424  may be implemented through a network interface  425  that facilitates communication via the electronic communications network  427 . The network interface  425  may be configured to implement wired or wireless communication over local area networks and wide area networks such as the Internet. The system  400  may send and receive data and/or requests for files via one or more message packets  426  over the network  427 . By way of example and not by way of limitation, the electronic communication network  427  may be a local area network, wide area network, or personal area network (e.g., blue-tooth) that can communicate between the device  400  and another device, such as a smart card or processing devices associated with a vendor  428  or a clearinghouse  429 . Alternatively, the back channel  424  may be implemented through a digital broadcast signal transmitted from the device via the antenna  441 , or through some other mode of communication such as wireless telephony, wireless internet, cable, optical fibers and the like. 
     By way of example, a message packet  426  containing the result information may be transmitted via the network  427  to a remote processing device associated with the clearinghouse  429 , which may use the result information to determine the effectiveness of a commercial message. If the message packet  426  is directly relayed to the clearinghouse  429 , then the result information may be quickly processed to determine the effectiveness of the commercial message in generating a desired response. Alternatively, the result information may be relayed with information regarded the completed transaction to a remote processing device associated with the vendor  428  involved in the completed transaction. By way of example, the message packet  426  may be relayed through the network  427  to the vendor  428  at the time of transaction. At this point, the vendor  428  may either process the result information to determine the effectiveness of the commercial message in generating the desired response relay the result information to the clearinghouse  429  for efficient determination of the effectiveness of the commercial message in obtaining a desired result. 
     The device  400  may further comprise a graphics subsystem  430 , which may include a graphics processing unit (GPU)  435  and graphics memory  437 . The graphics memory  437  may include a display memory (e.g., a frame buffer) used for storing pixel data for each pixel of an output image. The graphics memory  437  may be integrated in the same device as the GPU  435 , connected as a separate device with GPU  435 , and/or implemented within the memory  406 . Pixel data may be provided to the graphics memory  437  directly from the CPU  405 . Alternatively, the graphics unit may receive video signal data extracted from a digital broadcast signal from the decoder  444 . Alternatively, the CPU  405  may provide the GPU  435  with data and/or instructions defining the desired output images, from which the GPU  435  may generate the pixel data of one or more output images. The data and/or instructions defining the desired output images may be stored in memory  406  and/or graphics memory  437 . In an embodiment, the GPU  435  may be configured (e.g., by suitable programming or hardware configuration) with 3D rendering capabilities for generating pixel data for output images from instructions and data defining the geometry, lighting, shading, texturing, motion, and/or camera parameters for a scene. The GPU  435  may further include one or more programmable execution units capable of executing shader programs. 
     The graphics subsystem  430  may periodically output pixel data for an image from the graphics memory  437  to be displayed on a video display device  450 . The video display device  450  may be any device capable of displaying visual information in response to a signal from the device  400 , including CRT, LCD, plasma, and OLED displays that can display text, numerals, graphical symbols or images. The digital broadcast receiving device  400  may provide the display device  450  with a display driving signal in analog or digital form, depending on the type of display device. In addition, the display  450  may be complemented by one or more audio speakers that produce audible or otherwise detectable sounds. To facilitate generation of such sounds, the client device  400  may further include an audio processor  455  adapted to generate analog or digital audio output from instructions and/or data provided by the CPU  405 , memory  406 , and/or storage  415 . 
     The receiving device  400  may optionally include a position location device  470 . Such a device may be based on any suitable technology capable of providing information on the geographic location of a device. Examples of existing technology include global positioning satellite (GPS) technology, inertial guidance technology, and the like. Information from such devices may be used in digital broadcast data applications such as navigation for mobile or hand-held devices. 
     According to certain embodiments, it may be useful to determine a geographic location of the receiving device  400 . Certain digital broadcast services, such as weather and traffic information are local in nature. By way of example and not by way of limitation, a user of a digital receiving device  400  located in, say, a particular locale within the Los Angeles metropolitan area would likely be interested in traffic information for that locale. If such a user is traveling to a destination in a different locale, the user might also be interested in traffic conditions in the vicinity of the destination and along the route to the destination. The digital broadcast signal may include traffic information for several different locales within the Los Angeles area. In such a case it may be useful to filter out the traffic information most relevant to the user of the receiving device. To facilitate such filtering, the position-locating device  470  may provide geographic location information that the program  401  may use to generate filters  403  for filtering location-specific relevant information from the digital broadcast signal. Furthermore, in accordance with certain embodiments of the present invention, program  401  may implement a scheduler that may select the digital broadcast channel to which to tune the receiver  440  to receive particular data updates (e.g., traffic or weather data updates) based on the geographic location of the receiving device as determined by the position-locating device  470 . 
     The components of the device  400 , including the CPU  405 , memory  406 , support functions  410 , data storage devices  415  user input devices  400 , network interface  425 , graphics unit  430 , audio processor  455  and position location device  470  may be operably connected to each other via one or more data buses  460 . These components may be implemented in hardware, software or firmware or some combination of two or more of these. 
       FIG. 6  schematically illustrates an example of digital commerce in conjunction with a digital broadcast according to an embodiment of the present invention. Initially a broadcaster  102  receives or generates input data streams  101 , and converts these input data streams  101  into digital broadcast data streams  103 . The input data streams  101  may include data streams from multiple sources, which can be made up of audio, video, and data streams. The digital broadcast data stream  103  may include data representing one or more commercial messages CM and ancillary data A associated with one or more of the one or commercial messages CM. These digital broadcast data streams  103  are converted to a digital broadcast signal  105  by a broadcasting unit  104 . The digital broadcast signal  105  is then transmitted to and received by a digital broadcast receiver  110 . 
     The digital broadcast receiving device  110  extracts the digital broadcast data stream  103  including commercial messages CM and ancillary control data AD from the digital broadcast signal  105 . By way of example, and not by way of limitation, the digital broadcast receiving device  110  may include a digital receiver  111  having a tuner  112  and decoder  113  a processor  114 , a memory  115 , a display  117 , storage device  118 , antenna  119 , and a back channel  120 . These components may be configured as discussed above. The digital broadcast receiving device  110  may be any type of device capable of receiving and utilizing the digital broadcast signal  105 , e.g., as described above. In addition, a user U may interact with the device  110  via a user-controlled interface  125  to interact with the receiving device  110 . The user U may use the interface  125  to access the digital data streams  103  associated with the digital broadcast signal  105  and also to select certain filtering conditions for the digital receiver  110 . 
     The processor  114  with instructions configured as described above with respect to  FIG. 5 . The back channel  120  allows for information to a data center  126 , which may be affiliated with a clearinghouse, a merchant or the broadcaster  102 . Information received at the receiver  110  via the back channel  120  from the digital receiver  110  may be useful in filtering presentation of relevant commercial messages to the user U. Alternatively, information transmitted by the back channel may be useful in calculating the efficiency of commercial messages in the broadcast signal  105  in generating the desired result. In addition, information transmitted via the back channel  120  may be useful in determining whether a predetermined commercial transaction has taken place. 
     The presentation of commercial messages CM from the digital broadcasting signal  105  may be filtered according to whether one or more predetermined conditions have been met. By way of example filtration of irrelevant commercial messages CM may be based on device position information. To facilitate such functionality, the receiving device  110  may optionally include a position location system such as a GPS receiver  121 . Data from the GPS receiver  121  may be used to filter the commercial messages CM and limit presentation to those that are relevant to the area in which the receiving device  110  is presently located. For example, a user of the digital receiving device  110  located in a particular locale within the Los Angeles metropolitan area would likely be interested in goods and/or services (e.g., fuel, food, and lodging) for that locale. If such a user is traveling to a destination in a different locale, the user might also be interested in goods and services available in the vicinity of the destination and along the route to the destination. The commercial messages CM may be relevant for several different locales within the Los Angeles area. In such a case, it may be useful to filter out the commercial messages most relevant to the user U of the receiving device  110 . Using data from the GPS receiver  121  to provide geographic location information, the receiving device  110  may filter location-specific relevant information from the commercial messages CM in the digital broadcast signal  105 . 
     Another example of obtaining relevant broadcast data  103  from broadcast signals  105  based on a user&#39;s current disposition can come in the form of filtration based on current characteristics of a user&#39;s vehicle  106 . The receiving device  110  may be linked to several sensors on the vehicle  106  including a fuel sensor  142 , a tire pressure sensor  144 , an oil sensor  146 , a battery sensor  148 , a biometric sensor  149 , and a location sensor, such as a GPS receiver  121 . The fuel sensor  142  monitors the vehicle&#39;s fuel level, sending information to the receiving device  110  indicating any changes in the vehicle&#39;s fuel level. The tire pressure sensor  144  may monitor the tire pressure of the vehicle  106 , sending information to the receiving device  110  indicating any changes in the vehicle&#39;s tire pressure. The oil sensor  146  may monitor the oil level of the vehicle  106 , sending information to the receiving device  110  indicating any changes in the vehicle&#39;s oil level. The battery sensor  148  similarly monitor charge level of the battery of the vehicle  106 , sending information to the receiving device  110  indicating any changes in the vehicle&#39;s battery charge. The biometric sensor  149  may sense biometric information relating to the vehicle  106  or its occupants. As used herein the term biometric information include information relating to a condition or identifying characteristics of a human, an animal or a plant. Such information may include, but is not limited to, e.g., blood sugar, blood oxygen, or blood alcohol information, body temperature, fingerprints, retinal patterns. 
     The receiving device  110  can be configured to filter the broadcast signals  105  coming in using the information it has received from the various sensors that are linked between the vehicle  106  and the receiving device  110 . By way of example, when the vehicle&#39;s gas or tire pressure is low, commercial messages CM that convey information about local gas stations or include coupons affiliated with local gas stations may be selected, extracted, and presented to the user U on the display  117 . 
     By using information from the vehicle  106 , user U, and receiving device  110  for presentation filtering, the commercial messages CM that are ultimately selected, extracted, and presented to the user U may be optimized such that the user receives the most relevant information at all times. 
     When a commercial message has been displayed, the device  110  may send response information to the data center  126  regarding the display of the commercial message. Once the data center  126  is aware of the presentation of a particular commercial message, it is desirable to determine whether a commercial transaction has taken place in response to the commercial message. If the transaction involves a form of digital commerce that directly involves the receiving device  110  such reporting may be easily accomplished. For example, if the commercial message includes a digital coupon, redemption of the digital coupon at a particular vendor location may be reported by the receiving device  110  or by the vendor. 
     In certain embodiments of the present invention it may useful to determine whether a commercial transaction has taken place in the absence of such direct reporting. For example, some vendors might not have the necessary equipment for reporting the transaction and some digital broadcast receiving devices may not be capable of transmitting the transaction information or a user might not want to transmit it. 
     In such cases it is possible to determine whether a commercial transaction has taken place as shown in  FIG. 7 . Such a method may be implemented by a data center, which may be associated with a merchant, service provider, broadcaster or clearing house as discussed above. As illustrated in  FIG. 7 , a method  700  for determining whether a commercial transaction has taken place may begin with the collection of percipient behavior information  703  from a mobile communication device  701  associated with a percipient, as indicated at  702 . The percipient behavior information  703  is related to behavior of the percipient. More specifically, the behavior information  703  is information of a type that can be used to deduce whether a predetermined commercial transaction has taken place. 
     By way of example, the percipient behavior information may be collected at  702  through includes generation and transmission of transaction information with the mobile communication device  701  upon completion of a commercial transaction by the percipient. Examples of generation and transmission of transaction information are discussed in detail above. Alternatively, the transaction information may be generated and transmitted by a communication device, e.g., a computer system, associated with a vendor upon completion of the commercial transaction by the percipient. For example, commercial credit card transactions may be communicated to a credit card company by an electronic transaction system at a vendor&#39;s commercial establishment in a conventional manner. The credit card company may also receive payments for a percipient&#39;s cellular phone bill. The credit card company may therefore deduce an association between the credit card transaction with the percipient&#39;s cellular phone. 
     It is not necessary, and often not possible, to track every transaction a percipient makes. For example, some transactions may be straight cash transactions not involving credit cards, coupons or other ancillary data that can be used to track the transaction. Fortunately, there are a number of other examples of percipient behavior that can be obtained from a mobile communication device and used to track percipient behavior. For example, many mobile communication devices, such as cell phones include some geographic tracking capability. This tracking capability may involve a dedicated position location device (e.g., GPS system) embedded within the communication device. Alternatively, the tracking capability may arise from the nature of communication with the device. Specifically, in the case of cellular telephones, a cellular network may track which cell tower is used for a particular telephone call. If the geographic location information has sufficient resolution with respect to both time and space it is possible to determine whether a percipient visited a particular vendor location and how long he stayed there. 
     Other types of information that can be correlated to commercial activity may also be collected as part of the percipient behavior information  703 . For example, the mobile communication device  701  may be configured to measure biometric information. By way of example, the communication device may include a biometric sensor or may communicate with another device that includes a biometric sensor. As used herein the term biometric information include information about the state, condition or identifying characteristics of a human, animal or plant. Such information may include, but is not limited to, e.g., blood sugar, blood oxygen, or blood alcohol information, body temperature, fingerprints, retinal patterns. By way of example and not by way of limitation blood sugar and/or blood alcohol information may be used to track food and/or alcohol consumption by the percipient. A change in blood sugar and/or blood alcohol may be correlated to geographic information, such as whether the device  701  or the percipient is located at an eating or drinking establishment. 
     Once the percipient behavior information  703  has been collected a correlation may be determined between the percipient behavior information  703  and transaction behavior information  705  associated with a predetermined commercial transaction as indicated at  704 . Examples of transaction behavior information include, but are not limited to, a location of a transaction, the specific merchant involved in the transaction, the time at which the transaction took place, the nature of goods or services exchanged in the transaction, the amount of money exchanged in the transaction, and the like. 
     Determining the correlation at b) may include correlating a location of the mobile communication device with a location associated with the predetermined commercial transaction. 
     Determining the correlation at  704  may involve correlating the percipient behavior information to a broadcast of a commercial message associated with the predetermined commercial transaction. For example, the percipient behavior information may be correlated to a time of broadcast of the commercial message or to reception of the commercial message by a broadcast receiving device associated with the percipient or to display of the commercial message by the device. 
     In some embodiments, the percipient behavior information  703  may be transmitted to a data center. The data center may be associated with a broadcaster of a commercial message associated with the predetermined commercial transaction or with a vendor associated with predetermined commercial transaction for calculation of the correlation or with a clearinghouse. 
     There are a number of ways to correlate such information to the percipient behavior information  703 . For example, suppose the existence of commercial transactions associated with a particular communication device  701  may generally be deduced from the percipient behavior information  703 , e.g., credit card or debit card transaction information, generated either by the device  701 , a merchant or a third party such as a bank or credit card company. Such card transaction information for the percipients transactions made with the card may be compared against corresponding information for the predetermined transaction. Suppose that the predetermined information involved the purchase of particular groceries from a particular grocery store chain during a particular period of time. This information may be compared against the percipient&#39;s credit card transaction information, and or user device location for the same period of time to determine if there is a sufficient match between the details of any of the percipient&#39;s transactions during the relevant time period and the details of the predetermined transaction. A correlation may be determined based on the number of details that match. 
     By way of example, and not by way of limitation, a correlation score for a predetermined transaction involving a particular time frame, merchant, location and goods may be determined according to TABLE I below: 
     
       
         
           
               
               
             
               
                   
                 TABLE I 
               
             
            
               
                   
                   
               
               
                   
                 DETAIL 
               
            
           
           
               
               
               
               
               
               
            
               
                   
                 TIME 
                 LOCATION 
                 MERCHANT 
                 GOODS 
                 SCORE 
               
            
           
           
               
               
            
               
                 TRANS- 
                 (WEIGHT) 
               
            
           
           
               
               
               
               
               
               
            
               
                 ACTION 
                 (0.4) 
                 (0.2) 
                 (0.2) 
                 (0.2) 
               
               
                   
               
               
                 1 
                 NO 
                 YES 
                 YES 
                 YES 
                 0.6 
               
               
                 2 
                 NO 
                 NO 
                 YES 
                 YES 
                 0.4 
               
               
                 3 
                 YES 
                 YES 
                 YES 
                 NO 
                 0.8 
               
               
                 4 
                 YES 
                 YES 
                 YES 
                 YES 
                 1.0 
               
               
                   
               
            
           
         
       
     
     In this Example, each detail of a predetermined transaction is accorded a weight. The weights may be assigned based on their relative importance to the transaction. For example, the time of a transaction may be very relevant if it is desired to determine if a predetermined transaction took place as a result of an advertisement broadcast at a particular time. Percipient transactions taking place before the advertisement was broadcast may be irrelevant and the correlation score for such transactions may be set to zero. Any mathematical formula may be used to calculate the correlation score from the weights. 
     As the simple example illustrated in TABLE I, if a particular detail for the predetermined transaction is present for a particular one of percipient&#39;s transactions 1, 2, 3, and 4 the amount of the weight for that detail may be added to the correlation score for that particular transaction. 
     Once the correlation has been determined, the correlation may be used to determine a confidence level for whether the predetermined commercial transaction has taken place, as indicated at  706 . The confidence level may take into account the fact that, statistically, a percipient&#39;s observed behavior may sometimes generate a false positive. For example, certain behavior may be related to factors other than a commercial transaction. Take the case of a percipient whose device is tracked to a particular gas station and remains there for a sufficient period of time to purchase fuel. Although this might suggest that the percipient purchased fuel, other explanations for this behavior are possible. For example, the percipient may have stopped at the gas station to put air in the tires of his vehicle, ask for directions, or use the restroom. In such a case it may be desirable to modify the correlation score for this transaction by taking into account these other possibilities. Specifically, statistics may be measured or deduced for these other explanations and a confidence level may be assigned to the correlation based on these statistics. 
     The confidence level may depend on the number and nature of matching details. For example, in the preceding example, a moderate confidence level may be assigned to the likelihood that a predetermined fuel sale took place. However, if additional information is obtained, e.g., from the fuel level sensor  142  of the vehicle  106  in  FIG. 6  the confidence level may change dramatically. For example, an increase in fuel level while the car  106  is at the gas station would imply with high confidence that a fuel sale took place. Furthermore, if no change in the fuel level took place, a very low confidence may be established. It is noted that additional information regarding the percipient&#39;s activity at the gas station may be deduced from behavioral information obtained from the tire pressure sensor  144 , oil sensor  146 , battery sensor  148  and biometric sensor  149 . 
     While the above is a complete description of the preferred embodiment of the present invention, it is possible to use various alternatives, modifications and equivalents. Therefore, the scope of the present invention should be determined not with reference to the above description but should, instead, be determined with reference to the appended claims, along with their full scope of equivalents. Any feature described herein, whether preferred or not, may be combined with any other feature described herein, whether preferred or not. In the claims that follow, the indefinite article “A”, or “An” refers to a quantity of one or more of the item following the article, except where expressly stated otherwise. The appended claims are not to be interpreted as including means-plus-function limitations, unless such a limitation is explicitly recited in a given claim using the phrase “means for”.