Broadcast Network Platform System

Abstract

A commercial search engine for searchmercials. The system manages and searches advertising media video and audio files and associating the media with one or more calls to action. The system contains Metadata utilized for various queries including search, channels of distribution and account information. The system uses a manually data entry interface or a custom retrieval system to selectively update media files and Metadata from Meta tags or feeds on a scheduled basis automatically without having to manually update this data in the system. The system spiders these custom Meta tags or feeds for new Metadata on a scheduled basis to automate the submission and programming of the searchmercials content over the search engine. The system provides videos tailored for search in the results list in order to better inform users as to the contents of a link URL. The system can also provide users with other call to action options such as click to call, literature, order forms, etc. The system can schedule searchmercials to target users by time of day, location, device, and other parameters to offer a call to action to different audiences.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS[0001]This Continuation application is related to the commonly owned non-provisional application entitled “Broadcast Network Platform System,” filed Sep. 23, 2002, bearing U.S. Ser. No. 10 / 252,806, now issued as U.S. Pat. No. 7,865,498, and naming Alex Fiero, the named inventor herein, as sole inventor, the contents of which are specifically incorporated by reference herein in their entirety, the commonly owned non-provisional application, now expired, entitled “Broadcast Network Platform System,” filed Sep. 19, 2007, bearing U.S. Ser. No. 11 / 858,103 and naming Alex Fiero, the named inventor herein, as sole inventor, the contents of which are specifically incorporated by reference herein in their entirety, the commonly owned non-provisional application entitled “Broadcast Network Platform System,” filed Jan. 3, 2011, bearing U.S. Ser. No. 12 / 983,878 and naming Alex Fiero, the named inventor herein, as sole inventor, the contents of which are sp...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0145]An advantage of the present invention is that the system utilizes the search engine to search for keywords or phrases within the root directory system which have either a text or multimedia content result according to user's choice. In addition, the users can search by keywords or phrases in the main directories of the root directory, targeting the search to the selected main directory for more accurate results. Further, users can search by keywords or phrases in the sub directories to the main directories, targeting the search to the selected sub directory for more accurate results within each sub directory defining the search criteria. The system adds, on an as-needed basis, sub categories to the main categories in the root directory. Example of current directories and their respective sub-directories are as follows:

[0243]Another advantage of the invention is that it can use the search engine to search for keywords or phrases within each sub directory of the system, providing either a text or multimedia content result according to user's choice, also providing a more targeted and defined search within the searched sub directory since the keywords will only pertain to the subdirectory being searched.

[0244]The user can select a Web site link at step 23 which will link directly to the particular Web site. Alternatively, the user can select an icon related to a multimedia presentation representing a Web site at step 24. When this alternative is used, the system streams a multimedia presentation from the Web site that is displayed to allow the user to decide whether or not the user wishes to access the Web site that provided the multimedia presentation. The user can then click a button 37 to link that site, if desired.

[0245]The user's other option is to select the network search engine at step 25. The user enters a series of keywords that are used as input to a search and a series of search results are presented as icons. The user can select an icon at step 26 or select a multimedia presentation representing a Web site at step 27.

[0246]FIG. 3 illustrates an optional preferred embodiment of a multimedia directory system that includes icons and multimedia files in the search results. When the user conducts a predetermined selection by category and sub categories to find information in relation to specific subject matter in relation to the category and sub category, the user can then view multimedia files within the selected category or sub category to preview site information and further determine if the site coincides with the subject matter the user wishes to review or to access. Each station 31-34 is associated with a particular subject matter category (e.g. health, business, science and history). Of course, there is no limit to the number of subject matter categories that can be established and searched. If an icon represents a multimedia file, it can be selected for display in window 36. This feature allows the user to preview the information available from a Web site found by the search in relation to the subject matter selected by the user. If the site appears to be of interest to the user, the user can then select button 37 to directly link to the Web site that streamed the multimedia presentation to the window 36.

[0247]In FIG. 4, an alternative preferred embodiment of the network platform system is shown. In this embodiment, the search results include station 31, which is directed to health related subject matter. The station 31 also has channels 311-315. Channel 311 has three programs 3111-3113 attached to it, and channel 315 has programs 3151-3152 attached to it. The same structure is shown in regard to station 32, which is directed to business related subject matter. Station 32 has channels 321-323 attached to it, and channel 322 has stations 3221 and 3222 attached to it.

Problems solved by technology

Unfortunately, there is so much information available that it is difficult to locate the items that may be the most pertinent in terms of the user's interest.

However, search engines are not charities.

As proprietors of search engines sought ways to generate revenue from the traffic at their web site, they found that direct payment by visitors was unpopular and would result in a substantial loss of traffic.

As a result, search engines inevitably turned to alternative ways of earning revenue.

However, a disadvantage associated with this strategy is that Web users dislike advertising which impacts performance by consuming communication bandwidth.

Another disadvantage associated with this type of advertising is that in difficult economic times, such as occurred with the collapse of many Internet companies, advertisers were reluctant to spend substantial amounts on banner advertisements.

As a result, the generation of advertising revenue through direct placement of advertisements on search engine Web pages has become more difficult.

Unfortunately, this practice introduces a substantial imperfection into the frictionless marketplace that the Web could become, because millions of naive users are being frequently directed to sites that have paid a premium for preferred placement, rather than to sites that may have more pertinent information.

In theory, the Web makes it possible for customers to locate the best supplier, but it can only deliver on that promise if the search process is objective.

When search results are artificially distorted by the paid alteration of ranking results, the Web is unable to deliver the best search results for the searcher, and instead becomes a tool for entities with more resources to effectively monopolize the marketplace.

In addition to the use of artificially altered rankings as they relate to direct sales of products, paying for placement in search results also distorts the Web as a medium for the unfettered dissemination of ideas.

As a result, the current versions of these formats are often incompatible and the market suffers from their incompatibility.

When the personal computer was introduced, it was difficult to imagine that it would have such a profound effect on the professional video production industry.

Those most threatened by this new technology argued that new tools running on off-the-shelf computers would never match the capabilities of the proprietary computer “Black Boxes” that were typical of the pre-PC year.

One problem faced by Web sites is that the Meta tags used by search engines today focus on text based information.

By focusing on textual data types, conventional search engines fail to take advantage of the inherent information rich media, which data types such as audio, video, and multimedia, provide.

Currently, there are no Meta tags specifically designed for use with icons, URLs for streaming multimedia data, or multimedia audio tags.

Unfortunately, these Meta tags do not exist at present.

Another disadvantage of conventional search engines is that they typically provide a list of text results describing potentially interesting sites with links to those sites.

Unfortunately a substantial amount of time can be wasted in the linking process, only to find that the site that was linked to is of no interest to the searcher.

A main reason for this is due to the fact that text based search results are limited to a certain number of characters per search result and cannot properly inform the searcher of the contents of the landing page link.

Not only does linking to the Web site waste time and effort, sometimes the site which is linked to does not allow the searcher to return to the search list.

This causes an even greater waste of the user's time by disrupting the search, which may have taken considerable time to execute; and, which now may have to be re-executed from the beginning.

Unfortunately, with over one billion sites catalogued around the web, your message can get lost in the crowd or appear to be all the same.

While the prior art has attempted to provide a variety of methods to search the Web, it has failed to provide a multimedia search system which provides Meta tags to allow the search of multimedia, audio and icon data in addition to the text data available by conventional search systems.

It has also failed to provide search results containing multiple data types, including text, icons, video, audio, and / or multimedia data into the search results list.

It has failed to allow searchers to preview data (which may be an advertisement or information or promotional multimedia files) associated with linkable sites prior to linking to those sites.

In addition, it has failed to allow search results to be presented in a variety of formats, including a conventional search list, or a multimedia search list that provides video as part of search results to better inform the user as to the contents of the link, or a multimedia network platform that uses a numeric index to access data.

Further, the prior art has failed to provide a method of using searchmercials to provide information to searchers and give them a call to action based on the content of the searchmercial.

Images