Methods and apparatus for tracking consumer preferences in a video rental system
OwnerAubrey Ellisinventor
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Abstract
Apparatus and methods for gathering information about a customer's preferences, storing the customer's preferences in a memory, selecting informational content to be added to the rented video medium based upon the customer's preferences, adding the selected informational content to the rented video medium, extracting customer information from the rented video medium upon its return; storing of the extracted customer information in a memory and preparing reports that include the number of times that the informational content was viewed by customers. The customer may also respond interactively to the added informational content.
Claims25
A method of adding informational content to a rented video medium, said method comprising the steps of:
- gathering information about a customer's preferences;
- storing the customer's preferences in a memory;
- selecting informational content to be added to the rented video medium based upon the customer's preferences;
- and
- adding the selected informational content to the rented video medium.
A system for adding informational content to a rented video medium, said system comprising:
- a data processor for gathering information about a customer's preferences;
- a customer database for storing the customer's preferences;
- a content database for storing informational content;
- said data processor selecting informational content from the content database to be added to the rented video medium based upon the customer's preferences;
- and
- apparatus for adding the selected informational content to the rented video medium.
A rental video medium, said rental video medium comprising:
- a plurality of prerecorded informational content segments, said plurality of prerecorded informational content segments selected based upon a customer's preferences, and
- a movie segment.
A method of enabling a customer to interactively respond to added informational content in a rented video medium, said method comprising the steps of:
- adding informational content to the rented video medium;
- presenting the customer with a menu of options upon playing of the added informational content;
- and
- selecting one of the options in the menu by the customer.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.