(12) United States Patent
`Haberman et al.
`
`(10) Patent No.:
`(45) Date of Patent:
`
`US 7,904,922 B1
`Mar. 8, 2011
`
`US007904922B1
`
`4, 1990 Freeman ......................... 358,86
`4,918,516 A
`5,099.422 A * 3/1992 Foresman et al. ................. 705/1
`5,105,184 A
`4, 1992 Pirani et al. ....
`345,115
`5,155,591 A 10/1992 Wachob ......................... 455/42
`5,173,900 A 12/1992 Miller et al. ...
`370,110.1
`5,220,501 A
`6/1993 Lawlor et al. ................... 380.24
`5,231.494. A
`7/1993 Wachob .........
`358,146
`RE34,340 E
`8, 1993 Freeman et al.
`... 358,86
`5,253,940 A 10/1993 Abecassis ..........
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`5,260,778 A 11/1993 Kauffman etal
`... 358,86
`5,291,395 A
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`5,305,195 A
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`8/1994 Lappington et al.
`... 348/12
`5,347,632 A * 9/1994 Filepp et al. .......
`709f2O2
`5,356,151 A 10, 1994 Abecassis ..
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`(Continued)
`
`Primary Examiner — Igor N Borissov
`(74) Attorney, Agent, or Firm — K&L Gates LLP
`
`(54) TEMPLATE CREATION AND EDITING FOR A
`MESSAGE CAMPAIGN
`
`(75) Inventors: Seth Haberman, New York, NY (US);
`Chet Schuler, Marlboro, MA (US)
`
`(73) Assignee: Visible World, Inc., New York, NY (US)
`
`c
`- r
`(*) Notice:
`
`Subject to any itself.
`patent is extended or adjusted under 35
`U.S.C. 154(b) by 0 days.
`
`(21) Appl. No.: 09/545,524
`
`(22) Filed:
`
`Apr. 7, 2000
`
`e f 9
`
`(51) Int. Cl.
`(2006.01)
`H04N 7/10
`(2006.01)
`G06F I7/00
`(52) U.S. Cl. .............................. 725/35; 725/32; 715/201
`(58) Field of Classification Search .............. 725/32 36;
`715/201-204, 781, 723, 762, 866; 34.5/629,
`345/619, 620, 634, 636-638; 705/1, 14,
`lication file f
`E.26, ER 34.8/552
`See application file for complete search history.
`References Cited
`
`(56)
`
`U.S. PATENT DOCUMENTS
`
`.
`
`.
`
`.
`
`.
`
`.
`
`.
`
`.
`
`ABSTRACT
`(57)
`A system and method for dynamically creating individual
`ized, multi-media messages and to deliver the messages to
`specific target groups or individual viewers. A message, story,
`or advertisement is assembled on demand, based upon rules
`applied to each viewer’s profile and a library of media seg
`ments. The framework for the final personalized message is a
`Story or message template designed for a campaign. A set of
`viewer profiles is assembled from designated databases for
`each of the targeted entities. A collection of media segments
`s
`g WNEso . . .
`
`
`SS A
`is also created or selected and then made available to produce
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`5/1982 Cogswell et al. ...
`433 1974 A
`the final personalized message at assembly time. Specific
`... 358/86
`4,475,123. A 10/1984 Dumbauld et al. .
`media segments are selected and merged according to the
`... 358/86
`4,573,072 A
`2, 1986 Freeman ..........
`3. message template and information about the viewer derived
`1922? A RE: En
`358142
`from each viewer's profile. The information from the viewer
`4,6383 59. A
`i? 1987 Watson .
`395/2O1
`profile is interpreted by a rule system to determine which of
`4,703,423. A 10, 1987 Bado et al.
`... 358/86
`several potential media segments to select for use in the
`4,716.410 A 12/1987 Nozaki ........
`4,789.235 A 12/1988 Borah et al. ................. 351,246
`personalized message. The merged composite is then
`:As A
`33. E. al .
`.
`.
`.
`.
`.
`.
`.
`.
`.
`.
`.
`.
`.
`.
`.
`.
`.
`. 358,343
`encoded to match the distribution media and forwarded to the
`4,847,699 A
`7, 1989 Freeman ..
`358/343
`V1eWer.
`4,847,700 A
`7/1989 Freeman ......
`... 358,343
`4,850,007 A
`7, 1989 Marino et al. .................. 379/67
`
`18 Claims, 10 Drawing Sheets
`
`User Profile
`Database
`22
`
`Template
`Database
`35
`
`Expert Rules
`38
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`Seq
`
`Music 84
`
`
`
`Animation
`32
`
`Voice Synthesis
`34
`
`Media Segments - 26
`
`
`
`

`

`US 7,904,922 B1
`Page 2
`
`.
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`
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`
`.
`
`.
`
`.
`
`.
`
`.
`
`.
`
`.
`
`5,978,799 A * 1 1/1999 Hirsch .............................. 7O7/4
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`3.
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`5,422,468 A
`6, 1995 Abecassis ..........
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`60s,768 A
`1/2000 Ullman et al .
`. TO9.218
`5,424,770 A
`6, 1995 Schmelzer et al. ............... 348.9
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`2.2000 Brown et al. TO5/14
`5,426,281. A
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`6,029,045 A
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`3/2000 Hurst, Jr. et al.
`348,845
`5,442,390 A
`8, 1995 Hooper et al. ............
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`6.038.367 A
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`386, 46
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`8/1995 Filepp et al.
`395/20049
`6,049,569 A
`4/2000 Radha et al. ...
`375,240
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`elpucn et al.
`6,084,581. A * 7, 2000 Hunt
`T15,500.1
`5,499,046 A
`3/1996 Schiller et al. .................... 348.6
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`8/2000 Sawabe et al. .................. 386,98
`5,515,098 A
`5/1996 Carles.............................. 3488
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`5, 1996 Lappington et al. .............. 348.2
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`364,514
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`6,204.840 B1* 3/2001 Petelycky et al.
`715,500.1
`5,566,353 A
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`6,295,058 B1* 9/2001 Hsu et al. ...
`... 715,769
`A 3. E. et al
`348,485
`6,304.852 B1
`10/2001 Loncteaux ...................... TO5/14
`- w -
`arper et al. ..............
`6.330.286 B1
`12/2001 Lyons et all
`5,594.910 A
`1/1997 Filepp et al. ............. 395/800.28
`5.5;
`i386 kNER
`7O7/4
`5,610,653 A
`3/1997 Abecassis ..................... 348,110
`6.357,042 B2
`3/2002 Srinivasan et al."
`5,613,057 A * 3/1997 Caravel ...
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`6,360,334 B2
`3/2002 Janetal
`5,617,142 A
`4, 1997 Hamilton .
`348/405
`6,408,278 Bf
`62002 Carney etal
`5,632.007 A
`5/1997 Freeman.
`395.75
`6,411,992 B1
`6/2002 Srinivasan .................... TO9.218
`ge A
`2. (bassis
`"...
`6.424,991 B1* 7/2002 Gish ........
`TO9,203
`W - W
`axe ..............
`6,441,832 B1* 8/2002 Tao et al. .....
`... 715,723
`5,638,113 A
`6/1997 Lappington et al. ............ 34.8/12
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`7/1997 Bryant et al.
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`9, 2002 Eldering etal
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`9/1997 Hooper et al. ................ 370/468
`A
`6585 E."
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`6,463,585 B1
`10/2002 Hendricks et al.
`5,682,196 A 10, 1997 Freeman.
`... 348/13
`709,223
`6,466.975 B1* 10/2002 Sterling
`5,684,918. A 1 1/1997 Abecassis ...
`... 386/83
`6502.076 B 13/2002 Smith "
`5,696,869 A 12/1997 Abecassis ...
`... 386,52
`- W4
`5,717.814 A
`2, 1998 Abecassis ...
`... 386/46
`6,567,980 B1
`5/2003 Jain et al.
`5,717.923 A
`2, 1998 Dedrick ......
`707/102
`6,574.793 B1
`6/2003 Ngo et al.
`5,724,091 A
`3/1998 Freeman et al.
`... 348/13
`6,588,013 B1
`7/2003 Lumley et al.
`5,724,472 A
`3/1998 Abecassis ...
`... 386,52
`6,601.237 B1
`7/2003 Ten Kate et al.
`5,724,521. A
`3/1998 Dedrick ...
`... TOS/26
`6,611,624 B1
`8/2003 Zhang et al.
`6,671.880 B2 12/2003 Shah-Nazaroffetal
`5,734.413 A
`3/1998 Lappington et a
`... 348/12
`W .
`. .
`5,740,388 A
`4, 1998 Hunt ..............
`395,328
`6,678.332 B1
`1/2004 Gardere et al.
`5,740,549 A
`4/1998 Reilly et al.
`TO5/14
`6,681,395 B1
`1/2004 Nishi et al.
`5,754,939 A
`5/1998 Herz et al. ..................... 455/4.2
`6,694,482 B 1
`2/2004 Arellano et al.
`5,758,259 A * 5/1998 Lawler ............................ 725/45
`6,698,020 B1
`2/2004 Zigmond et al.
`5,761,601 A
`6/1998 Nemirofsky et al. .
`455.3.1
`6,735,628 B2
`5/2004 Eyal
`5,764,275 A
`6/1998 Lappington et al. ............ 34.8/12
`6,785,289 B1
`8/2004 Ward et al.
`5,768,521. A
`6/1998 Dedrick .........
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`6,806,909 B1
`10/2004 Radha et al.
`5,774,170 A
`6/1998 Hite et al. ......................... 348.9
`6.850.252 B 1
`2/2005 Hoffberg
`ck
`5,774,664 A
`6/1998 Hidary et al.
`... 395.200.48
`6,857.024 B1* 2/2005 Chen et al. .................... TO9,231
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`5,784,095 A
`7, 1998 Robbins etal
`348.6
`7.363,264 B1 * 4/2008 Doughty et al. ................ 705/35
`5.784,528 A
`7, 1998
`In Set ... I386/12
`2001/0013124 A1
`8/2001 Klosterman et al.
`w
`amane et al. ...............
`2002/0026359 A1
`2/2002 Long et all
`5,796,945. A
`8/1998 Tarabella ................. 395/20049
`Ong et al.
`5,802.314 A * 9, 1998 Tullis et al. ................... TO9,246
`2002/0056093 A1* 5/2002 Kunkel et al. ................... 725/35
`5,805.974. A
`9/1998 Hi
`1
`5, 2002 Gaul et al.
`2002fOO5733.6 A1
`wW -
`ite et al.
`5,825,884. A 10/1998 Zdepski et al. ................. 380.25
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`1
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`erZ et al. .....
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`1/1999 Freeman et al.
`345,302
`2002/0095676 A1
`7/2002 Knee et al. ...................... T25/46
`5,867.208 A
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`2003/01 10500 A1
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`TO5/14
`2003/0177503 A1
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`5.887.243 A
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`al
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`5,903263 A
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`- W -
`a ca.
`2004/0111742 A1
`6/2004 Hendricks et al.
`5,913,031 A
`6/1999 Blanchard ................ 395.200.34
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`7, 2004 Mock
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`345,327
`2005, OO86692 A1
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`5,930,446 A * 7/1999 Kanda ......
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`2005, 0166224 A1
`7, 2005 Ficco
`5,931.901 A
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`709/206
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`8, 1999 Kalluri et al. .................. 455, 6.1
`* cited by examiner
`
`

`

`
`
`
`
`winips|/
`
`Or
`
`U.S. Patent
`
`US 7,904,922 B1
`
`U.S. Patent
`
`Mar.8, 2011
`
`Sheet 1 of 10
`
`US 7,904,922 B1
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`

`

`U.S. Patent
`
`Mar. 8, 2011
`
`Sheet 2 of 10
`
`US 7,904,922 B1
`
`Create
`Templates and
`Media Segments
`52
`
`y
`
`Media Segments
`54
`
`Template
`56
`
`User Profile
`60
`
`Expert Rules
`38
`
`e
`
`V
`Create User
`Specific
`Message
`62
`
`Message
`Delivered to User
`66
`
`Campaign
`Creation
`Time
`50
`
`Campaign
`Creation
`Time
`58
`
`Message
`Delivery
`Time
`64
`
`

`

`U.S. Patent
`
`Mar. 8, 2011
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`Sheet 3 of 10
`
`US 7,904,922 B1
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`U.S. Patent
`
`Mar.8, 2011
`
`Sheet 3 of 10
`
`US 7,904,922 B1
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`U.S. Patent
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`Mar. 8, 2011
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`Sheet 4 of 10
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`US 7,904,922 B1
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`Mar. 8, 2011
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`Sheet 5 of 10
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`US 7,904,922 B1
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`U.S. Patent
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`Mar.8, 2011
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`Sheet 5 of 10
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`US 7,904,922 B1
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`U.S. Patent
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`Mar. 8, 2011
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`Sheet 6 of 10
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`US 7,904,922 B1
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`U.S. Patent
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`Mar.8, 2011
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`Sheet 6 of 10
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`US 7,904,922 B1
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`U.S. Patent
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`Mar. 8, 2011
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`Sheet 7 of 10
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`US 7,904,922 B1
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`U.S. Patent
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`Mar. 8, 2011
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`Sheet 8 of 10
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`US 7,904,922 B1
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`
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`
`
`NEXT FROFE
`Narine: Mary.ohnsor
`Geier Feniae
`Zip Code: (1778
`Age: 32
`| D: may5Gaol.com
`
`s
`
`
`
`404
`
`ASSEVSE NX VESSAGE
`EY RES
`
`Step ; Select Category waite Appropriate to Profile
`Category
`Range values
`
`if:
`
`Age
`
`if:
`
`District by
`Zip Code
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`iii
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`to 34
`35 to 54
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`

`

`U.S. Patent
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`Mar. 8, 2011
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`Sheet 9 of 10
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`US 7,904,922 B1
`
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`Mar.8, 2011
`
`Sheet 9 of 10
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`US 7,904,922 B1
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`U.S. Patent
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`Mar. 8, 2011
`
`Sheet 10 of 10
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`US 7,904,922 B1
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`

`US 7,904,922 B1
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`1.
`TEMPLATE CREATION AND EDITING FORA
`MESSAGE CAMPAIGN
`
`FIELD OF THE INVENTION
`
`This invention is directed towards video and media cre
`ation, and more particularly towards a system for creating
`personalized messages based on user information.
`
`BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
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`the content of the web pages in real time either, even if the
`server somehow obtained information about the preferences
`of the viewer.
`A somewhat selective system is described in Abecassis,
`U.S. Pat. No. 5,717.814, issued Feb. 10, 1998. The system in
`the 814 patent includes a capability for a more individualized
`control over the contents of a requested video program. Seg
`ments, or clips, of a video scene are first evaluated and rated
`according to criteria Such as the amount of violence, nudity, or
`profanity, as well as other criteria related to other elements of
`the clip (location, time, detail, etc.). Each clip is associated
`with a record containing keywords related to the Subject mat
`ter, such as “flag burning that a user may prefer not to see. A
`series of clips (a "program') is then mapped into a series that
`constitutes the presentation when viewed in sequence. During
`run-time, the actual series of clips shown are selected from the
`library of clips according to the user's preferences. Thus, a
`viewer might decide to watch a condensed version of a movie
`without any gore while another viewer may prefer a lengthier
`version with gore but not profanity. A producer and director
`can also create multiple versions of important scenes that will
`be viewed according to the viewer's preferences. As the price
`of such user-selection, this system not only requires the pro
`ducers initially to rate, key, and map each segment in a movie
`according to the various parameters, but also requires a spe
`cialized viewing system that can translate the viewer's pref
`erences into the proper selection and mapping criteria for
`properly sequencing the optional segments during the play
`back. For example, a specialized laser-disk unit would be
`programmed to play a specially encoded disk according to the
`viewer's desires. In a wideband network context, the trans
`mission system would first upload user preferences, omit
`non-conforming clips, and create the resulting download
`movie. In any case, the result is a pre-selected set of clips, as
`a function of the user preferences, that will be played in
`sequence for the viewer. The creation and inclusion of clips in
`the program must necessarily precede consideration of the
`user's preferences. The viewer is not really interacting with
`the producers, but only the machine making the selection of
`pre-selected clips. No “new” materials are selected or incor
`porated into the show during viewing only "old materials
`that have been pulled together as a function of the user's
`selected preference. Thus, nothing is “created specifically
`for the viewer.
`A somewhat more interactive solution is described in Free
`man, U.S. Pat. No. 5,861,881, issued Jan. 19, 1999, in which
`a user interacts with a computer to determine which of several
`cable TV or other audio-visual inputs will be displayed on the
`screen at any given time. Stored user commands determine
`which of the multiplexed signals will be selected, and spe
`cialized hardware “seamlessly' switches between video
`channels, such that the user cannot perceive the Switchover
`(other than the change of content). For example, at the start of
`a sports program, the user can select the preferred language of
`the audio segments, and whether on-screen graphics (e.g.,
`player statistics) should be displayed. These inputs can be
`used to insert scheduled “trigger points' into the video or
`digital program which are later used to select the audio-visual
`combinations preferred according to inputs by the user. When
`a trigger point is played, the computer system selects a dif
`ferent video segment, graphic, or audio segment, either from
`alternate channels, or from a database of Such segments
`downloaded to the computer on a second communication
`channel (either in parallel with the primary transmission, or
`on CD-ROM, or at some other time). As with other versions of
`this approach, the user must intentionally interact with the
`program to select the preferences. Also, the only selectable
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`Marketers have come to rely on demographic Solutions to
`establish patterns and trends about the purchasing habits of
`their customers and how these habits relate to media pur
`15
`chases, demographics, and other factors. Alongside com
`pany's proprietary databases, third party data warehouses
`have evolved, fashioned by many companies who share infor
`mation either about specific customers or about data extracted
`from their customer bases. In both cases, advertisers use the
`derived information to generate observations relating to their
`markets, target individuals to different types of offerings and
`select appropriate media purchases for advertising. In the
`case of video advertising media, e.g., video tapes that are
`mailed, internet video streams, or broadcast or cable adver
`tising there are only limited means to produce personalized
`versions of the advertisements or direct marketing informa
`tion that directly takes advantage of the information available
`about consumers purchasing habits and the like. Mostly, this
`reflects the nature of the traditional delivery media for video,
`which, until very recently, provided very limited capability to
`deliver anything more than a common message. As such, even
`though companies know a tremendous amount of information
`about their customers, the ability to leverage this information
`has been limited by the fundamentals of the broadcast
`medium, requiring a like message to be sent to all customers.
`Additionally, the nature of video production, focused typi
`cally on one product, does not allow for incremental content
`changes. This forces advertisers to avoid topically relevant
`information and offerings.
`An early attempt to merge the power of real-time television
`with the information content of the Internet is disclosed in
`U.S. Pat. No. 5,778,181, Hidary, et al., dated Jul. 7, 1998 (the
`181 patent), in which a user is presented with a video along
`with related Internet information. A user has a personal com
`45
`puter connected to two signal paths: a video signal and a
`second separate connection to the Internet for receiving Inter
`net information. To use the described system, the video pro
`ducer needs to first create the video, encode the Internet
`addresses (or URLs) of web pages, and then distribute the
`composite information. A limited portion of the vertical
`blanking interval (VBI) of the video signal is encoded to
`deliver the URLs. The client software retrieves and decodes
`URLs from the video program. These URLs are interpreted,
`and direct the web browser software to retrieve web pages.
`The web pages are synchronized to the video content for
`display. Alternatively, the encoded video signal could be
`simultaneously routed to a specialized server that decodes the
`URLs, contacts the addressed Internet server, and directs the
`server to send the designated web pages via the Internet to the
`user's PC where they are then displayed. Among the disad
`Vantages of the system Such as described, is that the video and
`corresponding web content are static and defined by the video
`producer during production. The same URLs are sent to every
`viewer of the same video. There is no change to the content of
`the video according to any real-time understanding of the
`viewer. Similarly, no mechanism is described for changing
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`US 7,904,922 B1
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`segments are those produced as part of the program. There is
`no real-time search for or compilation of new materials. The
`user preferences are only evaluated according to the pre
`selected criteria that correspond to segment selections. Each
`video segment is either played or not played; but the video
`segment itself is not modified according to any user inputs.
`The television industry’s reaction to the limitations of
`broadcast medium has been “localism,” that is, an attempt to
`target audiences by demographic, geographic and psycho
`graphic means. Localism reflects market generalizations,
`often derived from actual profiles and data. Localism is
`offered in the broadcast forum by buying placements in geo
`graphic areas. On cable this can be a neighborhood. On spe
`cific television shows it can be via reflecting certain viewer
`preferences according to demographics, or times of day. The
`results have left advertisers, who pay by the “eyeball.” dis
`satisfied with the expediency of their advertising dollars. The
`cable television industry, in an attempt to respond to these
`shortcomings and to distinguish its offering from broadcast,
`is deploying addressable advertising systems which allow
`advertisers to purchase individual households or even single
`set-top boxes for their ads, allowing, when combined with
`household profiles, an extremely fine grain of targeting to
`reach the appropriate viewers.
`This form of targeted or addressable advertising, is similar
`to the capabilities now found on some Internet services,
`where single viewers based on their profiles can be targeted
`with banner ads and interstitials or email. At the same time,
`Internet advertising is increasing its use of rich media (de
`fined as 20-Kbytes/sec or above), in an attempt to create the
`type of powerful and effective images we associated with
`television advertising. Sometimes because of bandwidth
`limitations and often because of a mistaken philosophy, these
`ads necessitate consumer interactions. The result, in contrast
`to television advertising, forces the consumer to interact,
`distorting the media's capability to deliver a message.
`As a means to improve on targeting, designers of Web
`based offerings began to employ personalization Solutions.
`On the Internet, where many traditional factors associated
`with purchasing decisions become less relevant, the ability to
`establish a one to one relationship with a consumer is para
`mount. Similarly, it is most desirable to offer, if possible,
`service and products reflecting that one-on-one relationship.
`To cite an example, Dell Computer allowed customers to
`build their own computers (mass customization) on the Web,
`instead of pre-building several different models for different
`target markets (targeting). Dell and other companies
`employed Sophisticated customer relationship management
`(CRM) solutions based on general and proprietary technolo
`gies.
`These CRM solutions, based on a variety of existing tech
`nologies, personalize offerings by using a combination of
`information gathered from the consumers visiting web sites.
`Such information is typically gathered by asking questions,
`tracking navigation and purchasing behavior, as well as from
`information gathered elsewhere.
`Yet another step in the enhancement of advertising has
`been taken recently, as reported in the press. For example,
`Enliven of Waltham, Mass., offers real-time, database con
`nection capabilities that let advertisers present up-to-the
`minute information in Enliven-activated ads. Advertisers can
`present live information from a database source to a consumer
`viewing the ad with a proprietary, Java-based viewer. When
`merged with a marketing database Such as TrueMatch, pro
`file-based ad campaign targeting becomes possible. An
`65
`advertiser creates a template into which graphics and text are
`inserted, according to the demographic information available
`
`4
`about the user. However, even with the additional consider
`ation of demographic information for real-time selection of
`advertising components, the templates provide a limited
`capability to effect enhanced advertising. This known system
`does not include any capability to modify or incorporate
`Video materials into the advertisements, thus depriving the
`advertisers of the rich menu of video-oriented raw materials
`from which to draw. This leaves the viewer with little more
`than an interactive banner ad, perhaps with primitive
`“effects” that happens to have been “tailored for publication
`to that user. There is no capability to change the tempo, music,
`narration, lighting, or any other elements of the advertising
`that have been proven Successful in gaining the viewer atten
`tion the advertisers desire.
`Further, even with known interactive personalization solu
`tions in place, text and graphics Solutions cannot compete
`with the masterful ability of video and audio to generate
`interest, create brand awareness, or product image. Television
`advertising agencies are master storytellers, using the types of
`narrative that people respond to so well. Although the Internet
`is a powerful medium on which to personalize dynamic offer
`ings it lacks the power of traditional television which uses the
`richest of media to present powerful 30-second stories. The
`Internet is, by form, an interactive media, with the user typi
`cally controlling the type of message received. If the user can
`control the media message, either through explicit commands
`about what type of information the user reveals, or alterna
`tively what information the user receives, the power of nar
`rative story telling to a passive and receptive audience is lost.
`
`SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
`
`The present invention is directed towards a system and
`method for dynamically creating individualized, multi-media
`messages for delivery to an intended audience, which can be
`specific groups or individuals. A message, story, or advertise
`ment is assembled on demand, based upon rules applied to
`each user's profile data and the available library of media
`segments. The narrative framework for the final personalized
`message is a story as defined by a message campaign. The
`message campaign includes a message template and a collec
`tion of media segments. The media segments are selected and
`then assembled to produce the final personalized message at
`assembly time. Specific media segments are selected and
`merged according to the message template and information
`about the viewer derived from a user profile. The information
`from the user profile is interpreted by an expert rule system to
`determine which of several potential media segments to select
`for use in the personalized message. The merged composite is
`then encoded to match the distribution media and forwarded
`to the user for viewing.
`Although the operation of the present invention includes
`the ability to assemble and convey a message upon demand,
`an advantage is the ability to match the presentation options
`with an educated and timely assessment of the target audience
`according to a number of templates. A campaign plan defines
`what the target group is (entity qualification), and what indi
`vidual viewer information is relevant (entity profile) for target
`entities within the target group. Additional factors include the
`selection of input databases, target distribution channels, and
`environmental factors (weather, current interest rates, etc.). A
`message resource library contains the collection of video,
`audio, and other elements necessary to assemble the whole
`range of different messages based upon the message tem
`plate. Message library resources include not only the varied
`clips necessary for each selection point of the template, but
`also variations triggered by changes in the monitored envi
`
`

`

`US 7,904,922 B1
`
`6
`individual. The expert rule base can also make inferences
`about an individual based on available data.
`Yet another advantage of the present invention is a highly
`flexible delivery system and method. The media messages
`may be assembled at any time during the process, anywhere
`from the time the message template and media segments are
`created, or up to and including real-time delivery where the
`media message is created and shownto the individual. Further
`the media message may be created at many different places,
`both centralized and decentralized, from the studio, to local
`station or web site, on a satellite, at a syndication station, at a
`cable television central office, neighborhood network, or even
`by a satellite receiver or cable box inside a viewer's home.
`Still further, the choice of delivery mediums is extremely
`varied, from prerecorded video tapes, DVDs, CDs etc. which
`are sent to an individual, to live feed through a cable system,
`internet connections, satellite link, RF towers, line RF sig
`nals, cellphones etc.
`
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`ronmental factors, as well as synthesized speech and visual
`constructs to meet individual profile requirements.
`Assembly of the message according to the present inven
`tion is based upon a message template which embodies the
`rules for selection and combination of the most current mes
`sage library resources according to the entity profile at the
`scheduled time of message production.
`The present invention allows automated dynamic message
`assembly at any point up to seconds before delivery, based
`upon entity and environmental factors that are in constant
`flux, yet combined in a m