GB2525391A

GB2525391A - System for delivering targeted content

Info

Publication number: GB2525391A
Application number: GB1407055.1A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Richard Mcelligott
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2014-04-22
Filing date: 2014-04-22
Publication date: 2015-10-28
Also published as: GB201407055D0

Abstract

A system monitors electrical consumption in a zone e.g. using a smart electricity meter or clamp, to determine use of electrical devices 50. Based on this use content e.g. an advertisement is selected from a content database 52 and delivered to a display screen 56 e.g. a television, portable digital assistant (PDA), tablet or smartphone, in the monitored zone. The system may determine whether the display screen is operational based on electrical consumption. The content database may be a local storage device e.g. set top box configured to download content and insert adverts into broadcast TV 54 in accordance with timing and pricing rules. The advertisements may have expiry dates, after which they are automatically deleted or the database may be periodically refreshed. The content may be selected based on a profile 51 generated for the monitored zone indicating real time or predicted use of electrical devices and based on commercial bids. The system may be able to detect a device is close to failure using the electrical consumption pattern and provide advertisements for replacement products.

Description

System for Delivering Targeted Content This invention relates to a system and method for delivering targeted digital content to users.

An inhabitant of the digital world is frequently presented with digital content, the relevance of which is widely variable. In conventional broadcast television, for example, a recipient selects a television programme or channel that is relevant to them, and then receives advertisements that are interleaved with the content. These advertisements are generally selected by the broadcaster so that they are aligned with the television content. However, the advertisements will be of varied interest for different viewers. For instance a male viewer may have less interest in advertisements that are relevant only to women (and vice-versa). Equally, a coffee drinker is more likely to be interested in advertisements for coffee than advertisements for tea.

Advertisements or links are also frequently encountered online, including dedicated platforms such as on-demand television. In many online platforms a user is presented with links having titles such as books recommended for you' or films recommended for you'. This type of targeting can be successful at driving online sales, and its effectiveness is improved by profiling individual users. However, the amount of information that is derivable about individual users is variable, and it often depends on the online platform being used.

An object of the present invention is to provide a system and method for improving the profiling of homes so that the residents can be provided with digital content that is more accurately targeted.

According to the present invention there is provided a method of serving content to a display screen, comprising the steps of: monitoring electrical consumption in a monitored zone; determining use of electrical devices within the monitored zone based on the electrical consumption; selecting content from a content database based on the determined use of electrical devices; and serving the content to a display screen in the monitored zone.

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In this way it is possible to serve content to a user that is related to an electrical device that is being used, has been used, or is likely to be used in the monitored zone. This provides a powerful technique for enabling contextual targeting of digital content, based on actual or predicted use of electrical devices. Using this technique it would be possible to display advertisements on a television screen that are related to the electrical devices in use in a house. In one example of the invention, targeted advertising may be provided based on real-time activity of electrical devices in a home.

Preferably the method includes the step of determining whether the display screen is in operation by monitoring electrical consumption in the monitored zone when the content is served. In this way it is possible to assess the likelihood that a user in the monitored zone has actually viewed the content on the display screen. This is particularly powerful when the content is an advertisement because it enables the advertiser to determine the effectiveness of the advert and the reach of their advertising campaign. In addition, it allows for improved pricing since advertisers could be charged only for advertisements that have actually been displayed to relevant people.

The display screen may be part of a television and content may be served to the television screen via a set-top-box. By monitoring electrical consumption it may be possible to determine whether the television is in use at the time when the content is displayed. Preferably the method includes the step of reporting operation of the display screen over the internet to a server.

The display screen may be in any one of the following: a television, a computer, a tablet, a portable digital assistant (FDA), and a smartphone. In some embodiments content may be supplied to multiple display screens in a monitored zone such as a home. The content may be advertising or promotional content served as an audio, video or image tile. Content may be served on the display screen using a wireless or wired connection.

It may be possible to determine usage of a display screen by monitoring electrical consumption only where the display screen is connected to mains electricity. It is not generally possible to determine usage of battery operated devices by monitoring electrical consumption in a monitored zone (unless the battery operated device is plugged-in and charging, for example).

Preferably the display screen is in a television and the content includes advertisements that are inserted into broadcast television. In this way advertisements can be provided together with broadcast television, but the advertisements are selected based on use of electrical devices in a home. In one example it may be possible to detect use of a hairdryer and then interleave an advert about beauty products in an advertisement break in broadcast television.

The method may comprise the step of downloading advertisements from a server to the content database, which is a local storage device in the monitored zone, and interleaving advertisements into broadcast television from the local storage device. A user's experience may be seamless so that there is a natural transition between broadcast television content and advertisements, even though the advertisements are served locally and the broadcast television is generated remotely.

Advertisements stored in the content database may be refreshed periodically by downloading new advertisements from the server. The advertisements may be associated with an expiry date and they may be deleted automatically in the content database when this date passes.

Preferably advertisements are assigned dynamically, based on commercial bids for advertising space. In one example three advertisements on beauty products may be stored with rules and controls that specify the adverts are to be shown after a hairdryer is used. The selected advertisement is preferably the one with the winning commercial bid for the relevant advertising slot. In some embodiments commercial bids are resolved in specific geographic areas.

The content may be associated with rules and controls governing a timing relationship between the display of the content and the use of one or more electrical devices in the monitored zone. Preferably the rules and controls indicate a preferred timing relationship between display of the content and the use of an electrical device.

For instance the rules and controls associated with an advertisement relating to a beauty product may specify that the advertisement must be displayed within 2 minutes of the beginning or end of the use of a hairdryer. This can provide advertisers with powerful control of the timing of their advertisements so that they only pay for relevant delivery of advertisements.

The method may include a step of generating a profile for the monitored zone based on use of electrical devices and selecting content from the content database based on the profile. The profile for the monitored zone may be indicative of characteristics of people living in a property. These characteristics may be useful in selecting appropriate content for display. For example, it may be possible to determine that there is likely to be a female presence in the house by detecting use of electrical devices such as hairdryers or epilators. This information may be added to the profile so that appropriate content, such as appropriate advertisements, can be served. In another example it may be possible to determine the average time at which residents get up or go to bed, based on their use of electrical devices. These timings may be added to the profile because it may be appropriate to select content differently for people who have different patterns in their daily lives.

According to another aspect of the invention there is provided a system for serving content to a display screen in a monitored zone, comprising: a monitoring device configured to monitor electrical consumption in the monitored zone and to determine use of electrical devices based on the electrical consumption; a content database configured to store content; one or more processors configured to select content from the content database based on the use of electrical devices determined by the monitoring device; and a display screen configured to display the content selected by the one or more processors.

According to yet another aspect of the invention there is provided a non-transitory computer readable storage medium having a computer program stored thereon, the computer program comprising processor readable instructions that, when executed, direct a device to perform actions comprising: monitoring electrical consumption in a

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monitored zone; determining use of electrical devices within the monitored zone based on the electrical consumption; selecting content from a content database based on the determined use of electrical devices; and serving the content to a display screen in the monitored zone.

Method features may be provided as apparatus features and vice-versa.

Embodiments of the present invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is a schematic view of a system for monitoring electrical devices and providing content to a display screen, in an embodiment of the invention; Figure 2 is a flow diagram showing a process for building a profile of users in an embodiment of the invention; Figure 3 is a flow diagram showing a process for uploading electronic media items and downloading them to a user's local storage device, in an embodiment of the invention; and Figure 4 is a flow diagram showing a process for serving targeted electronic media items to a display screen in a monitored zone, in an embodiment of the invention.

Figure 1 is a schematic view of a house 2 which is connected to an electricity supply network and to the internet. A number of electrical devices are provided in the house 2, including a dishwasher 4, a washing machine 6, a hairdryer 8, a desktop computer 10, a television 14 and a set-top-box 12. A smart electricity meter 16 is also provided for monitoring the consumption of electrical energy within the home.

The smart electricity meter 16 is configured to monitor the current and voltage usage in real-time. Using techniques developed by companies such as Informetis (iP/YLJ.n.tPrm?.r.cP.m.) the monitoring server 18 is configured to analyse these parameters in order to determine the electrical devices that are being used. These electrical devices typically create detectable signature patterns in the electricity flowing through the smart meter 16. At present these techniques are most effective at identifying electrical devices with relatively high power consumption such as a dishwasher 4, a washing machine 6, a hairdryer 8, a desktop computer 10, or a television 14.

As an alternative to the smart electricity meter 16 it would be possible to provide a conventional electricity meter together with a clamp (not shown). A clamp is a device that can be attached to electrical cables going into a home for monitoring aspects of the electrical signals. The clamp may even by integrated in the set-top-box 12 in some embodiments.

The monitoring server 18 is configured to identify electrical devices being used in the house 2 in real-time, and to forward this information to a central control server 20.

The central control server 20 is configured to receive electronic media items from suppliers such as advertisers 22 and to download these items to the set-top-box 12, or other display controller, in the home 2. The central control server 20 is also configured to supply information to the set-top-box 12 regarding the electrical devices that are currently in use in the home 2.

In theory it may be possible to design an alternative architecture where the functions of the central control server 20 and the monitoring server 18 are combined.

However, due to technical limitations at present the architecture of Figure 1 is preferred.

Figure 2 is a flow diagram showing the process for uploading electronic media items, generally referred to as advertisements, from the advertisers 22 to the central control server 20. In step 30 the advertisers 22 are able to associate rules and controls with the advertisements. The rules and controls define a timing relationship between the display of the advertisement and the use of an electrical device or a class of electrical devices in the home 2. The rules and controls can also define a pricing structure for the display of the advertisements.

In one example the rules and controls may specify that an advertisement is associated with the use of the washing machine 6. Alternatively, or in addition, the rules and controls may specify that the advertisement is associated with a broader class of electrical devices that are associated with cleaning or clothes. The class of electrical devices that is associated with cleaning may include the washing machine 6, as well as other electrical devices such as the dishwasher 4 and a vacuum cleaner (not shown). The class of electrical devices that is associated with clothes may include the washing machine 6 as well as electrical devices such as an iron (not shown). The rules and controls can specify that the advertisement is to be served on a display device, such as the television 14, within ten minutes of use of the washing machine, or a class of electrical devices associated with cleaning or clothes. Thus, the advertiser can target users who are using these electrical devices and are most likely to be mindful of the advertised product.

The rules and controls can also specify a charging structure. In one example the rules and controls may specify that charges A' apply if the advert can be displayed during real-time use of the washing machine 6, that lower charges B' apply if the advert can be displayed within 5 minutes of the start or end of use, or that yet lower charges C' apply if the advert can be displayed within 15 minutes of the start or end of use. In this way a pricing structure can be applied that is representative of the value of the advertising based on actual use of electrical devices. The actual pricing structure applied may depend on the electrical devices being used and may be determined based on a market bidding system. Additionally, other profile derived data such as occupancy number, age, and location may play role in the charging structure, At step 32 the advertisers 22 can set an expiry date which is typically included within the rules and controls for the advertisement. At step 34 the advertisers 22 upload the advertisements to the central control server 20 together with the rules and controls.

At step 36 the central control server 20 then downloads the advertisements and the rules and controls to the set-top-box 12 where they are stored. The set-top-box 12 may po11 the central control server 20 periodically for updates, or they may be downloaded (pushed) automatically.

In some embodiments the monitoring server 18 is configured to detect various properties of the electrical devices in use in the home. For example, the monitoring

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server 18 may be able to detect whether the electrical signals indicate that the electrical device is close to failure. The detection of this property may be of particular use to certain advertisers who could specify the existence of this property as a condition for the display of their advertisement and the associated rules and controls.

Figure 3 is a flow diagram showing a process for building a profile for the house 2. At step 40 the monitoring server 18 is configured to monitor actual use of electrical devices in the house 2; this may be based on electrical information reported by the smart meter 16 or some other monitoring device in the home such as a clamp or the set-top-box 12. These data are passed to the central control server 20 and, at step 42, the central control server 20 is configured to detect trends or patterns of use. A wide variety of patterns of use may be detected for individual devices, or for combinations of devices. In a first simple example, it may be possible to determine that the television 14 is often used on weekday afternoons from around 4pm. In a second example it may be possible to determine that a microwave is frequently used in the evening. At step 44 the central control server 20 is operable to generate a profile for the house 2, or to update a pre-existing profile, based on any patterns or trends that can be identified. In the first example above the profile may be generated to indicate that children are likely to be present in the house. In the second example the profile may be generated/updated to indicate that the inhabitants may have a preference for microwaveable ready meals. A detailed and nuanced profile may be generated for each house 2, and updated as appropriate when changes in behaviour are detected.

Figure 4 is a flow diagram showing a process for serving targeted electronic media items to a television screen in a monitored zone. At step 50 the monitoring server 18 is configured to monitor actual use of electrical devices in the house 2, based on data reported by the smart meter 16. These data are passed to the central control server in real-time and forwarded to the set-top-box 12 in the house 2. At step 52 the set-top-box 12 is configured to select advertisements that are stored in local memory, according to the associated rules and controls, based on the actual use of electrical devices in the house 2. The selection of advertisements may also be based on the profile which is received from the central control server 20 at step 51. In one example the set-top-box may include a stored advertisement for dishwasher tablets in which the associated rules and controls specify that the advertisement should be played within 5 minutes of the start of a dishwasher cycle. In one configuration the monitoring server 18 may detect use of the dishwasher 4 and the set-top-box 12 may select the advertisement for dishwasher tablets.

In another configuration the profile may indicate the likely start-time for a dishwasher cycle, based on trends or patterns of historic use, so that the set-top-box 12 can select the advertisement before the dishwasher cycle even begins. In some circumstances it may be particularly desirable to select relevant content before the associated electrical device has even begun use in the house 2. The rules and controls for the advertisement are set to indicate whether it is permissible to display an advertisement based on anticipated use of a specific electrical device.

At step 54 the set-top-box 12 is configured to detect the start of an advertisement break in broadcast television. At step 56 the set-top-box 12 is configured to interrupt the broadcast signal so that selected advertisements can be played directly from local memory. Advertisements are played seamlessly with the broadcast television so that the user does not notice any interruption in normal service.

At step 58 the monitoring server 18 reports to the central control server 20 about whether the television 14 was in use when the advertisements were served to it.

This information indicates the likelihood that someone in the house 2 was actually watching the television 14 when the targeted advertisements were displayed. The central control server 20 can relay this information to the advertisers 22 so that they can determine the reach of their advertising campaign. This information may also be used when billing the advertisers so that they only pay for advertising that has actually been delivered at a specified time relative to the use of an electrical device, or a class of electrical devices. This may be especially important in circumstances where an advertisement is served based on anticipated use of an electrical device.

In these circumstances the advertiser may be billed only if the anticipated use of electrical device actually transpired, as predicted.

Figure 4 shows the process for serving targeted electronic media items to a television screen. In an alternative it would be possible to serve targeted electronic media items to other types of screen such as a computer screen or the screen of a mobile telephone. The targeted electronic media items may be conventional advertisements or they could include targeted offers or promotions that are relevant to the use of electrical devices. In just one example the electronic media items may be products for sale on a website, where the products are targeted for an individual user because they have been selected based on the profile determined by the central control server 20.

Claims

Claims 1. A method of serving content to a display screen, comprising the steps of: monitoring electrical consumption in a monitored zone; determining use of electrical devices within the monitored zone based on the electrical consumption; selecting content from a content database based on the determined use of electrical devices; and serving the content to a display screen in the monitored zone.
2. The method of claim 1 comprising the further step of determining whether the display screen is in operation by monitoring electrical consumption in the monitored zone when the content is served.

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3. The method of claim 2 comprising the step of reporting operation of the display screen over the internet to a server.
4. The method of any of the preceding claims wherein the display screen is in one of a television, a computer, a tablet, a portable digital assistant (PDA), and a smartphone.
5. The method of any of the preceding claims wherein the display screen is in a television and the content includes advertisements that are inserted into broadcast television.
6. The method of claim 5 wherein the method comprises the step of downloading advertisements from a server to the content database, which is a local storage device in the monitored zone, and inserting advertisements in broadcast television from the local storage device.
7. The method of any of the preceding claims wherein the content includes advertisements, and the method comprises the step of downloading the advertisements from a server to the content database, which is a local storage device in the monitored zone.

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8. The method of claim 7 wherein the advertisements stored in the content database are periodically refreshed by downloading new advertisements from the server.
9. The method of any of the preceding claims wherein the content is associated with rules and controls governing a timing relationship between the display of the content on the display and the use of one or more electrical devices in the monitored zone.
10. The method of any of the preceding claims comprising the step of generating a profile for the monitored zone based on use of electrical devices and selecting content tO from the content database based on the profile.
11. A system for serving content to a display screen in a monitored zone, comprising: a monitoring device configured to monitor electrical consumption in the monitored zone and to determine use of electrical devices based on the electrical consumption; IS a content database configured to store content; one or more processors configured to select content from the content database based on the use of electrical devices determined by the monitoring device; and a display screen configured to display the content selected by the one or more processors.
12. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium having a computer program stored thereon, the computer program comprising processor readable instructions that, when executed, direct a device to perform actions comprising: monitoring electrical consumption in a monitored zone; determining use of electrical devices within the monitored zone based on the electrical consumption; selecting content from a content database based on the determined use of electrical devices; and serving the content to a display screen in the monitored zone.
13. A method substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings. -13-
14. An apparatus substantially as herein described with reference to and/or as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.