WO2006027390A1

WO2006027390A1 - Advertising and/or information system

Info

Publication number: WO2006027390A1
Application number: PCT/ES2004/000362
Authority: WO
Inventors: Joan Ignasi MARTÍNEZ ROLDÁN
Original assignee: Tecnologías De Reconocimiento, S.A.
Priority date: 2004-08-04
Filing date: 2004-08-04
Publication date: 2006-03-16

Abstract

The invention relates to an advertising and/or information system. The inventive system comprises a group of high-definition digital screens (APDAD) which are used to display generic and/or advertising information to the public using very-high-resolution images, low-resolution moving graphical images (analogue or digital) and combinations of high-resolution images with alphanumeric information. According to the invention, the display on the screens is controlled by an electronic control device (DEC) which is also connected to an Ethernet-type local network through which it receives the messages to be displayed as well as the display programs. Both the messages to be displayed and the display programs can be generated by a single centre which distributes to all of the local networks using any communication channel (Intranet, Internet, satellite, cable, etc.) or any local system. The assembly comprising the group of high-definition digital screens (APDAD) and the electronic control device (DEC) is called a Digital Poster.

Description

ADVERTISING AND / OR INFORMATION SYSTEM

DESCRIPTIVE MEMORY OBJECT OF THE INVENTION

The purpose of the present invention patent application is to register an advertising and / or information system, called Digital Poster, which incorporates notable innovations and advantages over current advertising and / or information systems.

More specifically, the field of application of the system of the present invention is comprised within the computer sector, the telecommunications sector and the advertising sector, specifically in multimedia advertising; and it is constituted by a group of high definition digital screens (APDAD) for the reception and presentation to the public of generic and / or advertising information.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

At present there are various methods to perform outdoor advertising. The main types are advertising posters, "backlit transparency" (backlit panels), L.E.D.'s (Light Emitting Diode), videos and small format information terminals. Each of these forms has several degrees of effectiveness, cost and ease of change of the represented content.

Advertising posters are relatively inexpensive and can be designed in color. They are reasonably effective in advertising a single message, but they do not have the appeal of moving images.

The cost of installing an exhibitor is relatively cheap, but the cost of logistics (storage, distribution, removal and destruction of obsolete posters, placement of new ones, ...) is high in that it requires labor intervention. In addition, it has no possibility of interactivity with the user. The "backlit transparency" are more effective in attracting the attention of the public due to their large dimensions and natural luminosity. However, its placement is much more expensive as well as the cost of the material and replacement in time, money and labor, in addition, of not being interactive. The LED's, consisting of panels of light emitting diodes, have the advantage of presenting messages or moving images. Another advantage is that they can accept instructions to change the content displayed remotely, that is, without manual intervention in the place where the receiver is located. In addition, these panels can be controlled through a single issuing center. This mechanism is significantly more expensive than print media, but they have lower maintenance costs. There is, however, a great disadvantage, they have a very limited resolution in pixels and can only show one, two or three colors, as opposed to the great variety of colors that are used in advertising posters or video. In addition to lacking interactivity with the potential user, LEDs are only useful for large exhibition areas. Video is the most popular advertising medium today. Recently, merchants and public space managers have installed video screens for advertising purposes. The companies use the screens to show offers or information about the items for sale, while in public spaces selling time of the screen is sold to advertisers, taking into account the potential of possible users who will see the ad. The video has the advantage of being an attractive medium for its combination of image and sound. There are, however, drawbacks in the use of video for advertising applications, the production of video content is very expensive and the distribution of new material on the screens requires physical intervention. In addition, there is the restriction of seeing the same information simultaneously on all screens without allowing interactivity with the user The replacement of information with new content requires the reissue of the master. Finally, it is not possible to vary the content, or even the sequence of the screen once the content has started and lacks interactivity with the user.

On the other hand, there are dynamic information terminals, typically computer screens, which are used for two basic functions: issuing of advertising or other messages and providing information on demand of the user. These terminals, interactive, have the problem that their small size forces the user to be very close to it in order to read the messages.

The advertising and / or information system, Digital Poster, aims to cover the need for a new advertising channel that overcomes the disadvantages of current communication channels. Due to its nature, it lacks the disadvantages of the advertising poster and the "backlit transparency", the messages can travel from the creative's table to the screens in a very short time reducing the time necessary for the launch of a campaign, it is not necessary Perform printing tests and eliminate all the logistics problems derived from the paper support.

Given its size, the Digital Poster can be viewed from several meters away, far exceeding the resolution in pixels of the LED's and the dynamic information terminals, so they do not require the user to be very close to them and Dedicate your attention specifically. The Digital Poster maintains the interactivity of the dynamic information terminals.

The Digital Poster has a very high definition, far superior to the video, which allows them to be used as an information terminal on a part of its surface. They allow a higher resolution than the video (the user can approach and read the fine print) and has lower production costs; while the Digital Poster is done with graphic design technologies, the production of a video requires much more expensive means, study and specific professionals.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The advertising and / or information system solves the aforementioned inconveniences, also providing other additional advantages that will be evident from the description that follows.

The advertising and / or information system of the invention, called Digital Poster, is configured as a new channel or advertising medium, totally different from conventional media such as television, radio, written press, billboards, etc., based on the system in personalized advertising and with the possibility of selectively selecting the messages as well as the reception points, possibility of real-time broadcasting through computer support in bank offices, in transport stations, establishments, shopping centers, etc.

The Digital Poster that the invention proposes, is configured in itself as an obvious novelty within its field of application by offering the possibility of displaying in a more effective way several messages, addressed to clients / users with different socio-demographic characteristics, which allows greater segmentation, broadcast information in real time and facilitate interactivity with the potential user of the system.

The Digital Poster system aims to visualize the desired multimedia information in previously defined high definition digital display groups (APDAD), located in different geographical locations. The information to be displayed is normally transmitted encrypted from a centralized issuing center through a conventional transmission system (taking advantage of the "valley hours" of a

Intranet, Internet, cable or satellite). The transmission is made both of the messages to be displayed and the display program (to show, when and for how long). Certain information can be generated locally in a system connected to the own local network of each Digital Poster. The images are received in an electronic control device (DEC), where they are decoded, stored and presented to the public for viewing with the use of a preset support and which preferably will consist of several grouped high definition digital screens (minimum 1280 X 1024 points) and medium or large format (from 17 "to 23"), typically TFT technology although any system of the mentioned resolution can be used. The system incorporates optional functions of limited interaction on the part of the user, that is, in a medium-sized APDAD capable of displaying advertising messages or general information in environments where people pass at a distance of several meters from the system, an interested user in certain product, service or information you can approach the poster and request additional information to the one shown in general. Thanks to its high definition, the system can display a large amount of information on a part of the surface of the display in which the user has requested.

The advertising and / or information system is constituted from the following elements:

- The messages to be displayed are transmitted through a local network to which the Digital Posters are connected. Images can be transmitted both during

"valley hours" of the transmission system or in real time according to its size and the capacity and / or occupation of the transmission system.

- The messages together with the visualization programs arrive at the DEC where they are stored, modified and treated to be displayed in the APDAD. - The APDAD is preferably formed by TFT screens, although other display systems that offer a similar resolution can also be used and can be configured in several ways (2X2, 3X2, etc.).

- A fundamental novelty lies in the fact that in addition to generating information from the remote center, part of the information can be generated from the same office or establishment (for example a credit office) where the Digital Poster is located allowing maximum customization of the system since the information of a product or service will be seen exclusively where that product is sold or promoted. This possibility does not exclude the possibility of carrying out general campaigns for all types of users; A certain product or service can be advertised on all installed digital posters.

To complement the description that is going to be carried out below and in order to help a better understanding of its characteristics, a descriptive memory is attached to a set of drawings in whose figures, in an illustrative and non-limiting way, the details are represented more significant of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DESIGNS

Figure 1 shows a general scheme with the different systems involved in the operation of the Digital Poster; Y

Figure 2 attempts to show all types of messages that can be displayed on the Digital Poster.

DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

In view of the aforementioned figures and in accordance with the numbering adopted, a preferred but not limiting embodiment of the same can be observed therein. invention, which consists of an advertising and / or information system called Digital Poster.

Specifically, there are two geographically separated blocks of interest, the remote central computer that is responsible for transmitting the messages to be displayed and the display programs, which is not the subject of the patent of the invention but a necessary part of the system, and one of the possible establishments to which the signal is sent where one or more digital posters are located, object of the patent.

As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the numerical reference (1) is indicative of the remote sending center, which contains a generator of messages to be sent (images, data, etc.) as well as the programming in which they should be shown . In that part of the system, the information is coded as appropriate, so that it can be transmitted through the use of any mass information transmission system (Intranet, Internet, satellite television signal, cable, etc.) (2 ) so that it can be used in those establishments / reception offices where the Digital Posters have been installed. (In case of using the Intranet of the company for the transmission of the messages, the valley hours could be used for said transmission, in order not to hinder the normal management of the company with the mass sending of graphic information).

Once the signal is emitted through the selected medium, it passes through an Ethernet-type local network (3), to the electronic control device (DEC) (4) where the information sent is stored, in order to be able to store it, extract it , modify it and use it partially or completely in accordance with the instructions received from the programming of the information from the remote issuing center. In this way, it is possible to cancel / restore, modify or replace a given information, or even select whether That point must present or not the information received, the times at which the information should be displayed and its subsequent repetition, if applicable.

The DEC controls the information that will be displayed in the grouping of high definition digital screens (APDAD) (5) configured by several high resolution screens, typically TFT screens, which can be grouped in different formats (3X2,

2X2, etc.) and that can visually present several types of messages separately or simultaneously, as established by the programming of the information.

There is the possibility that certain messages can be issued locally by a system (6) connected to the local network (3), in order to customize the messages that are emitted to the specific characteristics of the place where a certain Digital Poster is installed.

There are several types of messages that can be visualized as schematically shown in Figure 2 of the drawings: very high resolution images (1) that are transmitted taking advantage of the "valley hours" of the system, low resolution graphic images in motion (2) (video , DVD format), alphanumeric information embedded on high resolution images previously sent (3) (such as a news service or stock quotes, etc.) that can be transmitted in real time. In addition, a certain area of the APDAD formed by one or several screens is characterized by being interactive (4) and can display the information demanded by the user at that time.

Claims

1. Advertising and / or information system, called Digital Poster, essentially characterized by being constituted by an electronic control device (DEC), which stores the data received and allows to establish a schedule for viewing programming, and at least one grouping of high definition digital screens (APDAD) that visualize the data received and / or stored by the DEC, and that said grouping is mounted in a structure that presents the grouped screens and that incorporates the DEC inside; and because at least one of the constitutive screens of the APDAD presents an interactive zone that allows the exchange of information with the user.

2. Advertising and / or information system, according to claim one, characterized in that the interactive zone of at least one of the constituent screens of the APDAD is formed by a touch screen.

3. Advertising and / or information system, according to claim one, characterized in that the interactive zone of at least one of the constituent screens of the APDAD is formed by a set of buttons or the like.

4. Advertising and / or information system, according to claim one, characterized in that the grouping of high definition digital screens (APDAD) are made up of a variable number of high resolution flat computer screens, typically TFT with dimensions ranging from 17 "and 23" and having a DEC that controls all of them.