Patent Document

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    (Not applicable) 
       STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH 
       [0002]    (Not applicable) 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0003]    1. Field of the Invention 
         [0004]    The present invention is directed generally to a system and method for branding a facility. 
         [0005]    2. Description of the Background 
         [0006]    In facilities such as, for example, health clubs, restaurants, waiting rooms, retail stores, and other public and private environments, it is often desirable to deliver entertainment and advertisements to the patrons of the facility during a visit. For example, many health clubs have television monitors and speaker systems positioned throughout the facility to broadcast network or cable television signals and music from a radio signal or from a pre-recorded source such as from a compact disc player. 
         [0007]    Systems currently exist which deliver entertainment to facilities such as waiting rooms and elevators. For example, the network news channel CNN is broadcast on television monitors in airport waiting rooms and in hotel elevators. Such systems do not deliver customized content, but rather deliver a common broadcast signal. There also exist systems in which a video server is placed at a location so that video and audio content may be played back through television monitors. Such servers typically have software that determines, with manual intervention, a playlist of the content. For example, the servers could generate a playlist randomly based on the content stored on the server. When such servers are inexpensive servers, they generally cannot reliably perform the task of playing content because they do not have the processing power to generate a playlist and play the content. More expensive and powerful servers may be used, but the relative cost of such servers generally outweighs the utility of delivering content. Furthermore, such systems do not generally allow for the customization of the content stored on the servers. 
         [0008]    There also exist methods for syndicating advertisements. For example, television advertisements are often produced for affiliated entities (e.g. entities selling the same products or services) and distributed to multiple regions of the United States. Local advertisers add customized identifiers and/or voice-overs to the advertisements and, thus, the same commercial is used in multiple regions. For example, a car manufacturer may produce an advertisement that depicts a certain car model. The advertisement is then distributed to multiple geographic regions where taglines for local car dealers are added to the advertisement. Likewise, radio advertisements are often produced and distributed to multiple regions of the United States. Local advertisers add customized audio and broadcast the advertisements locally. Such schemes do not allow for advertisers to target specific facilities or households with customized advertisements. Furthermore, such schemes do not allow for targeting of specific advertising categories using multiple advertisements having common theme-specific content and customized advertiser identifiers. Also, such schemes do not allow for delivering the advertisements via a computer network to targeted facilities. Also, such schemes are not suited to deliver advertisements for use by entities that are not affiliated with other entities or advertisers that use the same advertisements. 
         [0009]    Thus, there is a need for a system and method of delivering entertainment and advertising content to facilities that use relatively inexpensive playback systems that may be programmed from a remote location to play back the content in a desired order. Furthermore, there is a need for a system and method of delivering content to facilities that allow for the customization of all or a portion of the content. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0010]    The present invention is directed to a computer-assisted method of establishing a brand presence in a facility. The method includes accessing, by facility personnel, a computer having a playlist that controls the playback of audio and video broadcasting within the facility, and entering on the playlist, by facility personnel, identifiers of advertisements related to the facility. 
         [0011]    The present invention represents a substantial advance over prior systems and methods of delivering entertainment and advertising content to facilities. The present invention has the advantage that it utilizes relatively inexpensive playback systems that may be programmed from a remote location to play back the content in a desired order. The present invention also has the advantage that it allows for the customization of all or a portion of the content. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0012]    For the present invention to be clearly understood and readily practiced, the present invention will be described in conjunction with the following figures, wherein: 
           [0013]      FIG. 1  is a diagram illustrating a video and audio content system according to an embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0014]      FIG. 2  is a diagram illustrating an embodiment of a flow through the system of  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0015]      FIG. 3  is a diagram illustrating an embodiment of a flow through the system of  FIG. 1  when the system transfers video and audio content and playlists to the playback system of  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0016]      FIG. 4  is a diagram illustrating an embodiment of a flow through the system of  FIG. 1  when the system transfers video and audio content which includes customized content to one or more playback systems located at one or more facilities; 
           [0017]      FIG. 5  is a diagram illustrating a typical flow of information through the system of  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0018]      FIG. 6  is a diagram illustrating a typical playlist distribution through the system of  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0019]      FIG. 7  is a diagram illustrating an embodiment of a flow through the system of  FIG. 1  when a playlist is distributed to the playback system of a facility; 
           [0020]      FIG. 8  is a diagram illustrating an embodiment of a flow in which the central network computer communicates with the playback system when generating and transferring a playlist; 
           [0021]      FIGS. 9-11  are diagrams illustrating an example of a portion of a playlist during generation; 
           [0022]      FIG. 12  is a diagram illustrating an example of a library from which content is retrieved after the playlist is generated; 
           [0023]      FIG. 13  is a diagram illustrating an example of a process for generating a playback rate of content; 
           [0024]      FIG. 14  is a diagram illustrating an embodiment of a process for gathering information from a user of the system of  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0025]      FIG. 15  is a diagram illustrating an embodiment of a process for gathering information from personnel of a facility; 
           [0026]      FIG. 16  is a diagram illustrating an embodiment of a process for gathering information from advertisers; and 
           [0027]      FIG. 17  is a diagram illustrating an embodiment of a process that may be used to establish a brand identity using the system of the present invention. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
       [0028]      FIG. 1  is a diagram illustrating a video and audio content system  10  according to an embodiment of the present invention. The system  10  is configured for transferring and displaying video and audio content at a number of facilities, denoted as  12  and  14  in  FIG. 1 . The facilities  12  and  14  are merely illustrative of the number of facilities that may be served by the system  10 . Such a number could range from one facility to many hundreds or thousands of facilities. The video and audio content can be any type of content such as, for example, music videos, movie trailers, movies, local, regional, or national advertisements, infomercials, and content customized for a particular facility such as, for example, customized advertisements. The video and audio content may be in a digital format which may be in a compressed format such as, for example, the MPEG format (and all such later versions of the format—e.g. MPEG-2, etc.), the JPEG format, the gif format, and the way format. 
         [0029]    A central office  16  manages the delivery of video and audio content to the facilities  12 ,  14 . The central office  16  includes a central network computer  18 . The central office  16  allows for a concentration of technical staff and a centralized location for storage and management of content. The computer  18  can be any type of computer suitable such as, for example, a workstation or a personal computer, and can have any type of operating system suitable such as, for example, Microsoft Windows NT. The computer  18  is in communication with a content database  20 . The content database  20  can be any type of database suitable for storing audio and video content such that a large library of content may be accessed, updated and added to by content management personnel in the central office  16 . The database  20  may reside on the computer  18  or may be separate from the computer  18 . 
         [0030]    The content resident in the database  20  can be obtained from a content provider source (or multiple sources)  22 . The content provider source can be, for example, a distributor of music videos. The content resident in the database  20  may also be video/audio content that is produced specifically for one or multiple facilities  12 ,  14 . The content may be in the form of, for example, swappable hard drives, compact discs (CDs) or digital video discs (DVDs)  24 , or may be downloaded, via satellite links  26  and  28 , or a direct telephone link (not shown) from a database  30  in the content provider source  22  to the central network computer  18 . The content may also be obtained by way of a transfer from the database  30  to the central network computer  18  via the Internet  32 . An efficient way of downloading the content is to transfer common content, i.e. content that will be transferred to multiple facilities  12 ,  14 , via the satellite links  26 ,  28 , while transferring customized content, i.e. content that is customized for one or a small number of the facilities  12 ,  14 , via the Internet  32 . 
         [0031]    The central office  16  can transfer, via the computer  18 , content to playback systems  34  in the facilities  12 ,  14  via, for example, the Internet  32 , satellite links  28 ,  36 , or by physical installation of hard drives, CDs or DVDs  38  on the playback system  34 . The system  34  may include, for example, video/audio server software such as, for example, those sold by DCI Entertainment under the Databeat name. The server software of the system  34  may be resident on, for example, a personal computer or a workstation which has a storage medium  35  such as, for example, a magnetic memory or an array of compact disc devices. The content can be played on audio speakers  40  via amplifiers (not shown) and video monitors  42  located throughout the facilities  12 ,  14 . Kiosks  44  and user computers  46  may be located throughout the facilities  12 ,  14  to allow employees and patrons of the facilities  12 ,  14  to access the central network computer  18  via the Internet  32  as described hereinbelow. The kiosks  44  may be configured to access the computer  18  and/or the World Wide Web portion of the Internet  32  so that users of the kiosks may interact with the central office  16  and may browse certain web sites for which the kiosks  44  are configured to permit access to by users of the kiosks  44 . Patrons and employees of the facilities  12 ,  14  may be given usernames and passwords in order to access the central network computer  18 . The central network computer  18  may also be accessed by user computers  47  which may be located outside the facilities  12 ,  14  in, for example, households or businesses. The computers  47  may access the central office  16  via, for example, the Internet  32 . The computers  46 ,  47  may be any type of computer suitable to access the Internet  32 . The kiosks  44  and the computers  46 ,  47  may be computers which are integral to a function, or a theme, of a facility. For example, the kiosks  44  and the computers  46 ,  47  may be computers integrated with exercise machines if the facility  12 ,  14  is a health club or a person&#39;s private residence. 
         [0032]      FIG. 2  is a diagram illustrating an embodiment of a flow through the system  10  of  FIG. 1 . At step  50 , audio and video content  52  is stored on the playback system  34  at one or many of the facilities  12 ,  14 . The content  52  is obtained either from the central office  16  or directly from the content provider  22 . At step  54 , the central office  16  stores customized audio and video content on the playback system  34 . At step  56 , the central office stores a playlist on the playback system  34 . At step  58 , the content is played by the playback system  34  at the facility  12 ,  14  in which the server  34  is located. 
         [0033]      FIG. 3  is a diagram illustrating an embodiment of a flow through the system  10  of  FIG. 1  when the system  10  transfers video and audio content and playlists to the playback system  34  at one of the facilities  12 ,  14 . At step  60 , the central office  16  obtains the audio and video content  52  from the content provider  22 . The content is stored in the database  20  at the central office  16  at step  62 . At step  64 , the content  52  is transferred from the central office  16  via, for example, the Internet  32 , to the playback system  34  at the facility  12 ,  14 . Alternatively, the content  52  may be transferred directly from the content provider  22  to the playback system  34 . The content  52  is transferred with corresponding indices for each portion of the content such that the computer  18  can reference each portion of the content (e.g. a video clip) when directing the server  34  to play, via a playlist, certain portions of the content at certain times of the day and days of the week. For example, a portion of the content could be assigned an index code of M13SAV01SG based on input to the computer  18  by personnel who are familiar with the content in the database  20 . The “M” indicates that the clip is a music video, the “1” indicates that the clip is a pop song, the “3” indicates that the clip is a pop ballad, the “SAV” indicates the artist performing in the clip, the “01” indicates the song for that particular artist, the “S” indicates that the song is a slow tempo song, and the “G” indicates that the content rating is a general rating. The content portions can thus be referenced in a playlist using many index criteria or combinations of criteria. Also, portions of the content may be weighted for each playback time slot based on certain or all of the index criteria so that the playlist may be generated based on such weights. For example, a music video with a restrictive rating may have a low weight assigned to it for playback from 5 a.m. to 9 p.m. and may have a higher weight assigned to it for playback after 9 p.m. Also, content with a restrictive rating may never be played during a time period which is slotted for content with a general rating. Such content with a restrictive rating would be assigned a weight of “0” for the general rating time period. Portions of the content may also be weighted based on its popularity based on feedback from patrons and employees of the facilities  12 ,  14 , based on central office  16  content management personnel, or based on commercial ratings services such as, for example, Billboard Video Charts in the case of music videos. It can be understood that any type of indexing scheme may be used to index portions of the content. 
         [0034]    At step  66 , a playlist, or multiple playlists, is generated for the playback system  34  in the facility  12 ,  14  by the central network computer  18  in the central office  16 . The playlist can be used to direct the server  34  to play advertisements, music videos, etc. in a particular order and at particular times of day or days of the week. As used herein, the phrase “advertisements” is used to denote not only typical advertisements, but also educational segments which may have targeted advertisements contained therein and segments that are intended to spur the viewer or listener to take some action such as, for example, to purchase bottled water at the facility&#39;s juice bar to rehydrate a health club member&#39;s body after working out. As discussed hereinbelow, user input may be gathered via, for example, the kiosks  44  or the user computers  46 ,  47  to allow for the playlist to be customized to the preferences of the patrons of the facility  14 . For example, patrons of a health club can indicate what kind of music they like to hear and the times of day that they patronize the club. Club personnel can utilize this information, in addition to the impressions of the employees of the club, to provide input to the computer  18 . At step  70  the playlist(s) is delivered to the playback system  34  at the facility  12 ,  14 . At step  72 , the computer  18  determines whether the content  52  needs updated on the video/audio servers  34  at the facility  12 ,  14 . If the computer  18  determines that the content  52  needs updated, the flow returns to step  60 , where content  52  is obtained from the content provider  22 . 
         [0035]    If the content  52  does not need updated as determined at step  72 , the computer  18  determines whether the playlist needs to be updated at step  74 . If the playlist does not need updated as determined at step  74 , the flow returns to step  72  to determine if the content  52  needs updated. If the playlist needs updated as determined at step  74 , the flow returns to step  66  where the computer  66  generates a revised playlist. The playlist can be generated on a periodic basis such as, for example, weekly, and each playlist can cover a period of time such as, for example, to one day. The playlist can be transferred to the server  34  in, for example, batch mode, on a specific day and time each week. The flow illustrated in  FIG. 3  can be performed either individually or simultaneously for each of the facilities  12 ,  14 . 
         [0036]      FIG. 4  is a diagram illustrating an embodiment of a flow through the system  10  of  FIG. 1  when the system  10  transfers video and audio content which includes customized content to one or more video/audio servers  34  located in one or more facilities  12 ,  14 . At step  80 , produced audio and video content  82  is stored in the database  20  of the central office  16 . The produced content can be, for example, commercials that can be used to advertise, for example, local businesses and professions such as, for example, realtors, doctors and physicians, and attorneys. These advertiser categories can be determined, for example, by surveying facility personnel or by performing a demographic analysis of the facility  12 ,  14  to which it is desired to place advertisements. The produced content can also be, for example, advertisements for regional and national businesses. At step  84 , the content  82  is stored on one or more video/audio servers  34  located in one or more facilities  12 ,  14  via, for example, the satellite links  28 ,  36 . At step  86 , the central network computer  18  is used to generate customized video and/or audio content to accompany the content  82 . The content  82  may be screened by, for example, focus or research groups consisting of facility personnel, patrons of the facility  12 ,  14 , or persons not associated with the facility  12 ,  14 . 
         [0037]    At step  88 , the customized video and/or audio content is stored on the playback system  34  using, for example, the Internet  32 . For example, customized graphics can be generated to depict the name and location of a physician&#39;s office to accompany a commercial for a physician. Likewise, customized audio may be generated which corresponds to or supplements the customized video. Such an arrangement in which customized audio and video is used in conjunction with the content  82  allows for the content  82  to be syndicated for use at multiple facilities  12 ,  14  while allowing for information relevant to viewers of the video monitors  42  and listeners of the speakers  40  in each facility  12 ,  14  to be played only for the benefit of those viewers and listeners. The content  82  may be suited for use by non-affiliated entities. For example, the content  82  may be a commercial for a car dealer that does not depict any particular model of car. Thus, car dealerships that are not affiliated (i.e. do not sell the same brands of cars) may use the content  82  in conjunction with the customized audio and video. This arrangement also allows for the content  82  to be produced for advertisers that have not yet been identified (i.e. a future advertiser). Also, advertisements may be produced for later broadcast at one of the facilities  14 ,  16  before the identity of any future advertisers for that facility is known. The customized audio and video content may be designed such that it is compatible with all future content  82  that is produced for a class of, for example, advertisers. 
         [0038]    A commercial would thus be included in the content  82  and would be stored on the server  34  in more than one of the facilities  12 ,  14 . One customized graphical tagline in the form of, for example, compressed images such as, for example, GIF, MPEG or JPEG images, and one customized audio file in the form of, for example, a .wav file, could be generated for each of the facilities  12 ,  14  which will play the advertisement. Such an arrangement allows the same common and professionally-produced commercial to be played in multiple facilities while allowing local advertisers to target (and pay for) viewers in those facilities  12 ,  14  that are local to the advertisers; for example, the customized content could be a logo or a picture that is specific to a local physician that is added to the end of a “generic” advertisement for physicians. The customized content could also be a voice-over .wav file which is added to the end of the “generic” advertisement. 
         [0039]    An indexing system can be used to tag each advertisement with the customized content. For example, a particular common-content advertisement may be designated with a number such as “1”. The customized content for advertisement “1” could be designated with a different letter for each version such as, for example, “A” and “B”. Thus, multiple facilities of the facilities  12 ,  14  would have commercial “1” stored on their video/audio servers  34 . However, only one server  34  in one of the facilities  12 ,  14  would have customized content “A”, only one server  34  in one of the facilities  12 ,  14  would have customized content “B”, and so forth. Thus, when various video/audio servers  34  in different facilities  12 ,  14  execute commercial “ 1 ”, an integrated commercial “ 1 A” is played at one facility and an integrated commercial “ 1 B” is played at another facility, and each commercial differs from the other because of the customized content. The customized content may be played either simultaneously with the common-content advertisement or the customized content may be played at the conclusion of the common-content advertisement. In either case, no expensive editing of the advertisement need be performed because the common content and the customized content are mixed during playback by the playback system  34 . Also, the customized content may be generated such that it may be used with then-existing common content as well as future common content. Thus, for example, a tagline for a local physician should be compatible with all common-content physician advertisements as well as future common-content physician advertisements. 
         [0040]    The common content may be, for example, stock footage for which legal rights to broadcast have been secured for broadcast of the common content at multiple and unidentified facilities  12 ,  14  in connection with, for example, multiple advertisers. 
         [0041]    An advertiser can thus have multiple professionally-produced commercials with customized content (e.g., .gif and .wav files) appended at the end of the commercials or played simultaneously with the common content of the commercials. Because the commercials are used by multiple advertisers (for example multiple non-affiliated advertisers) at multiple facilities  12 ,  14 , the commercials are relatively inexpensive for an advertiser to amass a portfolio of commercials. As described hereinbelow, advertisers may use the computers  46 ,  47  or the kiosks  44  to view commercials in the portfolio and enter preferences for the types of commercials that should be played from their portfolio at certain times of the day into the computer  18 . The computer  18  may then use the preferences to generate a playlist of the commercials for use by the playback system  34 . 
         [0042]    At step  90 , a playlist is generated by the central network computer  18 . The playlist can include an order of playing, for example, the content  82 , the customized audio and/or video, music videos, etc. The playlist can be generated using input  92  from users of the kiosks  44  or the user computers  46 ,  48 . At step  94 , the generated playlist is delivered to the playback system  34  via, for example, the Internet  32 . At step  96 , the central network computer  18  determines if the content  82  needs updated or additional content needs added to the playback system  34 . If the computer  18  determines that content  82  needs to be added or updated, the flow advances to step  98 , where the computer determines if new content needs to be produced. If new content needs to be produced, the flow advances to step  82 . If no new content needs to be produced but content needs to be updated on the server  34 , the flow advances to step  80 , where the updated content is transferred to the server  34 . 
         [0043]    If the content  82  does not need updating and no new content needs added as determined at step  96 , the flow advances to step  100 . At step  100 , the computer  18  determines if the playlist for the server  34  needs updating. If the playlist needs updating, the flow returns to step  90 , where a new playlist is generated. If the playlist does not need updating as determined at step  100 , the flow returns to step  96 . 
         [0044]      FIG. 5  is a diagram illustrating a typical flow of information through the system  10  of  FIG. 1 . Users  110  may access an Internet website  112 , which is resident on the central network computer  18 , via the Internet  32  using the kiosks  44  or the computers  46 ,  47 . The users  110  can be, for example, members or patrons of the facility  12 . The users can access information from, for example, vendors, service providers, and retailers via the website  112 . The users  110  may also provide input, via the website  112 , concerning entertainment preferences. Facility personnel may also access the website  112  via the Internet using the kiosks  44  or the computers  46 ,  47 . The facility personnel  114  may provide input, in the form of surveys, as to the order that content should be played back. The facility personnel  114  may use the user input from the users  110  to provide input regarding the playlist. 
         [0045]    Advertisers  116  may access the website  112  via the Internet  32 . The advertisers  116  may use the website to view advertisements which have been purchased for broadcast at the facility  12 . The advertisers may be given an opportunity to view the advertisements, or portions of the advertisements, in order to approve the content of the advertisements. An arrangement may be set up where advertisements will not be broadcast until the advertiser  116  which purchased the advertisement signifies approval of the content of the advertisement via the website  112 . The advertisers  116  may also utilize the website  112  to, for example, become educated on local advertising and branding topics, purchase advertisements, state preferences for times and dates at which certain advertisements will be broadcast to the facility  12 , and conduct electronic commerce. 
         [0046]      FIG. 6  is a diagram illustrating a typical playlist distribution through the system  10  of  FIG. 1 . The users  110 , the facility personnel  114 , and the advertisers  116  provide input, via the website  112 , to the central network computer  18 . The central network computer  18  generates the playlist, as described hereinbelow, and transfers the playlist to the playback system  34  via, for example, the Internet  32 , the satellite link  38 , a direct telephone link, or via swappable hard drives, CDs or DVDs  28 . 
         [0047]      FIG. 7  is a diagram illustrating an embodiment of a flow through the system  10  of  FIG. 1  when a playlist is distributed to the playback system  34  of the facilities  12 ,  14 . At step  118 , the central network computer  18  receives input from central office personnel via, for example, a local area network or the Internet  32 , the facility personnel  114 , and the advertisers  116  regarding the content of the playlist. At step  120 , central office personnel enter instructions regarding the desire of the facility personnel  114  to play a specific advertisement, entertainment content, or other content at a given time. 
         [0048]    At step  122 , the central network computer  18  looks for manual instructions for all facilities  12 ,  14  serviced by the central office  16 . At step  124 , the central network computer  18  defines manual instructions and “hardcodes” (i.e. places them in an inflexible position) in the playlists of each facility  12 ,  14  for which a playlist is being generated. At step  126 , the central network computer  18  reviews the preferences for advertisement placement at a facility  12 ,  14  as entered by the advertisers  116 . At step  128 , the central network computer  18  ensures that an advertiser requesting the placement of an advertisement is an active (i.e. a paid-up advertiser) and schedules the advertisements to be entered into the playlist. 
         [0049]    At step  130 , the central network computer  18  inserts the manual instructions and the time of playback of the advertisements (as determined at step  128 ) and inserts them into the playlist. At step  132 , the central network computer  18  fills in the playlist with entertainment based on the input received at step  118 . At step  134 , the central network computer  18  prepares the file containing the playlist to be transferred, or pushed, to the playback system  34  at the facility  12 ,  14  for which the playlist was developed. At step  136 , the central network computer  18  releases the file containing the playlist for transfer to the playback system  34  and, at step  138 , the playlist file is transferred to the playback system  34 . 
         [0050]      FIG. 8  is a diagram illustrating an embodiment of a flow in which the central network computer  18  communicates with the playback system  34  when generating and transferring a playlist. At step  140 , the central network computer  18  receives input on an ongoing basis from central office personnel via, for example, a local area network and the users  110 , the facility personnel  114 , and the advertisers  116  via the website  112 . At step  142 , the central network computer  18  creates a playlist for all active facilities  12 ,  14  based on the input received at step  140 . At step  144 , the central network computer  18  waits for the playback system  34  of each facility  14 ,  16  to contact it via, for example, the Internet  32 . Step  146  illustrates an example of how such a playback system can contact the central network computer  18  on a daily basis. The playback system  34  dials a local Internet service provider (ISP) and connects directly to the Internet protocol (IP) address of the central network computer  18 . 
         [0051]    At step  148 , the playback system  34  transfers, or pushes, historical data as to what content the playback system  34  played and the time it was played since the last time that the playback system  34  connected to the central network computer  18 . At step  150 , the central network computer  18  transfers, or pushes, a new or revised playlist, which has been generated as described hereinbelow and has been adjusted based on the historical data received at step  148 . At step  152 , the central network computer  18  adds service data and play history regarding the playback system  34  to a database which is in communication with the computer  18  such as, for example, the database  20 . At step  154 , the central network computer  18  compiles the service data and the play history data for internal use by central office personnel. 
         [0052]      FIGS. 9-11  are diagrams illustrating an example of a portion  156  of a playlist during generation. The portion  156  may be a part of a playlist representing, for example, one hour of programming content for one of the facilities  12 ,  14 . Each place in the portion  156  represents the time at which entertainment or advertisement content will be played back at the facility  12 ,  14  for which the playlist is being generated. In  FIG. 9 , a mandated selection “N” is placed in a place in the portion  156 . The mandated selection “N” is mandated as to time and the exact file containing the content to be played at that time.  FIG. 10  illustrates the next step in playlist generation, in which interstitial files, i.e. files which are randomly distributed within certain guidelines as denoted as “I” are placed in places in the portion  156 . Also, advertisements, denoted as “A”, are added to slots of the portion  156 . To select an advertisement, an advertiser is first selected at random and then a specific advertisement is selected based on the advertiser&#39;s preferences.  FIG. 11  illustrates the next step in playlist generation in which entertainment, denoted as “H”, “M”, and “L” are inserted randomly according to tempo. “H” indicates that the entertainment has a fast-tempo (e.g. a rock video), “M” indicates that the entertainment has a medium tempo (e.g. a pop rock video), and “L” indicates that the entertainment has a slow tempo (e.g. a ballad music video). The tempo may be determined based on, for example, an assigned number of 1 through 20, where “1” represents a slow tempo and “20” represents a fast tempo. 
         [0053]      FIG. 12  is a diagram illustrating an example of a library  158  from which content is retrieved after the playlist is generated. The library  158  can be stored in, for example, the content database  20  at the central office  16 . Each column of the symbolic representation of the library illustrated in  FIG. 12  represents a type of content file. The first three columns represent fast, medium, and slow tempo entertainment content. The fourth column represents advertisements and the fifth column represents interstitial content. Each row entry for each column identifies a specific file having a specific portion of entertainment content. For example, the first row in the first column contains a file labeled “HE0001”. This file is an entertainment file that is fast tempo and has the label “0001”. Thus, when a fast tempo file must be selected for the playlist, a file with the prefix “HE” (i.e. fast tempo entertainment) is selected from the first column of the library  158  at random, subject to an assigned playback rate as discussed hereinbelow in conjunction with  FIG. 13 . 
         [0054]      FIG. 13  is a diagram illustrating an example of a process for generating a playback rate of content. The process of  FIG. 13  is performed for each file containing entertainment content in the library  158 . Initially at step  160 , each file is assigned a song index of, for example, 0 through 5 based on surveys completed by personnel of the facility  12 ,  14  for which the playlist is being generated. The facility personnel rate each category (e.g. pop music), each sub-category (e.g. pop ballads), and specific files (e.g. a specific pop ballad music video) on a scale from 0 to 5. Lower-level ratings supersede higher-level ratings. For example, if facility personnel rate the category of pop music as a 5 but rate a specific pop ballad music video as a 0, the specific pop ballad music video will not be played at the facility. As an example, ratings for each sub-category may take precedence over ratings for each category and ratings for each file may take precedence over ratings for each sub-category and each category. Thus, although personnel of a facility  12 ,  14  may prefer pop music at a certain time of the day, the personnel may override the playback of specific pop songs by giving the file(s) containing the specific pop songs a low rating. 
         [0055]    At step  162 , central office personnel assign a popularity index of, for example, 0.25 to through 1.0 to each file containing entertainment content in the library  158 . Facility personnel can base such popularity indexes on, for example, commercial rating services such as those provided by Billboard, and may be geographic-specific. At step  164 , a content index of, for example, a 0 or a 1, is assigned to each file containing entertainment content in the library  158 . The index is assigned a “1” if the content is approved for a general audience or if the content is mature and the time slot being considered for playing the content is one in which a mature audience is present at the facility  12 ,  14  where the content is to be played. The index is assigned a “0” if the content is mature and the time slot being considered for playing the content is one in which a general audience is present at the facility  12 ,  14 . The indexes of steps  160 ,  162 , and  164  are multiplied to arrive at a playback rate. 
         [0056]      FIG. 14  is a diagram illustrating an embodiment of a process for gathering information from a user of the system  10  of  FIG. 1 . The user may access the website  112  resident on the central network computer  18  via, for example, the kiosks  44  or the computers  46 ,  47 . The user may be, for example, a patron of one of the facilities  12 ,  14 . At step  166 , the user accesses the website  112  via the Internet  32 . At step  168 , the user enters a pre-assigned username and password which allows the user to access their own personal webpage. At step  170 , the user reviews a process for customizing their webpage and, at step  172 , the user may create links to other websites on their personal website. At step  174 , the user completes an electronic form which details preferences, likes, dislikes, etc. of the user in relation to the content that is played at the facility  12 ,  14  which the user patronizes. 
         [0057]    At step  176 , the user approves the electronic form and submits the form to the central network computer  18  via the website  112  at step  178 . At step  180 , the user has completed the web development process and, at step  182 , the user may use their personal website to conduct electronic commerce. For example, the user could purchase CDs or DVDs of music videos that were played at a facility  12 ,  14  when the user was present at the facility  12 ,  14 . 
         [0058]    At step  184 , the central office  16  receives the submitted data via the website  112  and makes changes to the user&#39;s personal website if necessary. At step  186 , the central network computer  18  updates the user&#39;s personal website if necessary. At step  188 , the central office  16  forwards the user&#39;s preferences to personnel of the pertinent facility  12 ,  14  so that the facility personnel may utilize the preferences to provide input as to the content of future playlists. 
         [0059]      FIG. 15  is a diagram illustrating an embodiment of a process for gathering information from personnel of a facility  12 ,  14 . At step  190 , facility personnel select the website  112  using, for example, the kiosks  44  or the computers  46 ,  47 . At step  192 , facility personnel log onto the website using a pre-assigned username and password. At step  194 , facility personnel view current surveys which list the facility&#39;s preferences for specific content categories, sub-categories, and specific files. At step  196 , facility personnel review the surveys and make changes as desired by the personnel and based on the entertainment surveys submitted by users as described hereinabove in conjunction with  FIG. 14 . 
         [0060]    At step  198 , the facility personnel assign a value to each category, sub-category, and specific file for each timeframe (e.g. morning, afternoon, evening, late night). At step  200 , facility personnel approve changes by selecting an option such as, for example, “approve changes” on the website  112 . At step  202 , the facility personnel submit the newly created entertainment survey to the central office  16 . At step  204 , the facility personnel have completed the survey updating process and may subsequently access the website  112  at step  206  to conduct electronic commerce. 
         [0061]    At step  208 , the central office  16  receives, via the website  112 , data submitted by the facility and makes changes to any pertinent playlists. At step  210 , the central network computer  18  transfers the updated playlist to the playback system  34  in the relevant facility  12 ,  14 . At step  212 , the central office personnel compile user surveys monthly and makes them available to facility personnel via the website  112  at step  196 . 
         [0062]    The process of  FIG. 15  can also be used to gather information from personnel of a facility  12 ,  14  regarding prospective entities that may be desirous of advertising in the facility  12 ,  14 . For example, a survey could be presented to the personnel of the facility  12 ,  14  which lists categories of advertisements (common content) for which advertisements have been produced. The survey would then ask the personnel to identify any patrons of the facility whose business fits into one (or more) of the identified categories and to identify any local establishments whose business fits into one (or more) of the identified categories. In this way, a list of prospective but unidentified advertisers may be generated and the list may be used to sell advertisements in the facility  12 ,  14  to those entities on the list. 
         [0063]      FIG. 16  is a diagram illustrating an embodiment of a process for gathering information from advertisers. At step  214 , an advertiser enters the website  112  via, for example, the kiosks  44  or the computers  46 ,  47 . At step  216 , the advertiser logs onto the website  112  using a pre-assigned username and password. At step  218 , the advertiser views market segment advertisements for their target market, or advertisement category. For example, a chiropractor would view advertisements for chiropractors. At step  220 , the advertiser is given the opportunity to review each of the advertisements in the particular market segment of relevance. 
         [0064]    At step  222 , the advertiser is given the opportunity to approve each advertisement that the advertiser reviews. At step  224 , the advertiser assigns a preference value to each advertisement for each timeframe (e.g. morning, afternoon, evening, late night). For example, an advertisement may contain content which is targeted to a mature audience and thus an advertiser may not want that advertisement played any time except during late night. At step  226 , the advertiser submits the advertiser&#39;s preferences to the central office  16  via the website  112 . At step  228 , the advertiser has completed the update process and at step  230 , the advertiser may subsequently use the website  112  to conduct electronic commerce. 
         [0065]    At step  232 , the central network computer  18  receives the data submitted by the advertiser and makes changes to the advertiser&#39;s preferences based upon the data. At step  234 , the central network computer  18  creates compound instruction files for parallel play that allow multiple .wav sound files, .gif graphics files, and .mpeg video files to play simultaneously. Thus, an advertisement may consist of a general advertisement consisting of an .mpeg file, a voice over customized for a particular advertiser consisting of a .wav file, and a logo consisting of a .gif file. The .wav file and the .gif file may be executed by the playback system  34  simultaneously with the .mpeg file or may be executed by the playback system at the end of the .mpeg file. 
         [0066]    At step  236 , the central network computer  18  inserts the compound instruction created at step  234  into the playlist for distribution to the facility  12 ,  14  of interest. At step  238 , the central network computer  18  transfers the playlist to the playback system  34  via, for example, the Internet  32 . 
         [0067]    It can be understood that the system  10  may be used by the facilities  12 ,  14  to increase business and manage certain functions of the business. For example, a health club could enter demographic information such as, for example, age, gender, lifestyle, occupation, etc. for members and potential members into the computer  18  via the kiosks  44  or the computers  46 ,  47 . Such information could be used by the health club to match against similar information of current members so that the health club could inform the potential member that similarly situated people belong to the health club. The information could also be used to target advertisements and product offerings to members of the club. 
         [0068]      FIG. 17  is a diagram illustrating an embodiment of a process that may be used to establish a brand identity using the system  10  of the present invention. The system  10  of the present invention may also be used to establish a marketing scheme and thus develop a brand for a facility  12 ,  14 . Such branding of a facility  12 ,  14  can be used to drive the profit centers of the facilities  12 ,  14 . For example, if the facilities  12 ,  14  are health clubs, the facilities  12 ,  14  can establish a strong brand presence to its members and potential members for such services and goods as nutrition supplements, massage, personal training, etc. A strong brand presence also encourages renewals and referrals by members of the facilities  12 ,  14  and can draw members of the facilities  12 ,  14  to such items as e-commerce websites. 
         [0069]    The facilities  12 ,  14  can establish a strong brand presence by generating advertisements for the facilities  12 ,  14  as described hereinbefore. The advertisements are resident on the playback system  35 . At step  300 , the facility personnel  114  access, via the website  112 , the central network computer  18  to schedule, at step  302 , the days, times, and frequencies with which the advertisements for the facility  12 ,  14  will be played by the playback system  35 . The advertisements can thus be activated and targeted to fit the types of patrons most likely to be present at a facility  12 ,  14  at a given time. The facility personnel  114  may also specify that certain advertisements be played only in specific sections of the facility  12 ,  14 . For example, an advertisement for nutritional supplements may be aired in a health club in the weight room section of a club while an advertisement for club personal training services may be aired in the exercise room of the club. 
         [0070]    At step  304 , the facility personnel  114  may select the option of supplementing the advertisement to be played back by a print or email campaign. If a supplemental method is selected, the print campaign is started at step  306 . For example, if the facility  12 ,  14  is going to play an advertisement aimed at garnering renewals from members, emails or hardcopy mailers may be mailed to members whose memberships are nearing expiration if the personnel  114  select such an option on the website  112 . 
         [0071]    If the facility  12 ,  14  is owned by or is a franchisee of a larger organization, the organization may access the central network computer  18  via the website  112  and schedule advertisements to air in a facility  12 ,  14  that is affiliated with the organization. Override protection may be placed on such scheduling so that the facility personnel  114  cannot override the organization&#39;s selection of time, days, and frequency of playback of an advertisement when advertisements are scheduled by the personnel  114  at step  302 . At the same time, the facility personnel  114  can view the selection made by the organization. Also, the facility personnel  114  may appropriately schedule advertisements for the facility  12 ,  14  that complement the advertisements scheduled by the organization. An organization affiliated with the facility  12 ,  14  may also reserve time slots in which the facility personnel  114  may never schedule an advertisement for the facility  12 ,  14  to be played. 
         [0072]    Although the process described in conjunction with  FIG. 17  was described using a health club as an example of the facility  12 ,  14 , it can be understood that the process may be used for any type of facility for which the system  10  is appropriate such as, for example, a restaurant or a bar. 
         [0073]    Although the present invention has been described herein with regard to certain embodiments, those of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that many modifications and variations of the present invention may be implemented. The foregoing description and the following claims are intended to cover all such modifications and variations.

Technology Category: 3