Patent ID: 8522274

Claim:
A computer-implemented method of displaying an interactive advertisement to a viewer via a television, wherein the television is connected to a set-top box, and wherein the set-top box is configured to receive input from the viewer via a user input device, the method comprising: receiving at the set-top box at least one television advertisement; receiving at the set-top box a bid for the viewer from each of multiple advertisers, wherein the bid is based on at least one or more demographic statistics associated with the viewer; selecting at the set-top box the received television advertisement for display based on a highest bid offered for the viewer; requesting by the set-top box an action from the viewer during display of the television advertisement; receiving at the set-top box the requested action from the viewer during display of the advertisement, wherein the received action includes personal information or preferences associated with the viewer, and wherein at least a portion of the personal information or preferences is input by the viewer to the set-top box via the user input device; capturing by the set-top box an image of the viewer; creating at the set-top box an interactive advertisement, wherein the interactive advertisement is created by modifying the received television advertisement based on the received action, and wherein creating the interactive advertisement includes inserting the image of the viewer into the received advertisement; displaying the interactive advertisement to the viewer via the television; and transmitting from the set-top box to a remote data collection site an indication of the displayed interactive advertisement and an indication of one or more demographic statistics associated with the viewer, while omitting from the transmission to the remote data collection site any personally identifiable information associated with the viewer, wherein the personally identifiable information includes the personal information or preferences associated with the viewer.