Systems and Methods for Presenting and Delivering Content

Abstract

Systems and methods are provided for presenting information about discrete geographical areas and the use of such information by content providers to facilitate delivery of targeted or geographically relevant content to information playback devices located in one or more particular discrete geographical areas. Data (e.g., contextual, behavioral, predictive, trending, geo-consumer patterns) can be collected and associated with relevant virtual cells within a grid. A portal can be provided to enable content provider to search the cells based on customized campaigns to identify trends, interest, patterns and opportunities. Such information can facilitate informed geo-targeting decisions and consumer understandings for business of all sizes and sectors in order to deliver more relevant content to information playback devices within selected cells according to customized settings configured by the content provider.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method of delivering targeted or geographically relevant content comprising:
 dividing a geographical area into a virtual grid comprising a plurality of cells;   assigning geographically relevant information to the plurality of cells;   responsive to receiving a search campaign including a set of location rules, comparing the set of location rules to the geographically relevant information assigned to the plurality of cells; and   outputting the cells that match one or more of the set of location rules of the search campaign, whereby informed geo-targeting decisions and consumer understandings is facilitated so more relevant content can be selectively delivered to information playback devices within one or more of the cells.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the location rules include a geography rule that enables searching the grid for cells based on one or more geographic parameters. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the location rules include a businesses rule that enables searching the grid for cells based on one or more business names and/or one or more business types. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the location rules include an audiences rule that enables searching the grid for cells based on an audience or demographic parameters. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the location rules include a census rule that enables searching the grid for cells based on data available from a provider of census data. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the location rules include an impressions rule that enables searching the grid for cells based on the average or actual number of impressions in a cell within a period of time. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1 , further including:
 offering access to geographically relevant information from a third party provider upon satisfying a condition;   responsive to satisfying the condition, allowing access to the geographically relevant information from the third party provider; and   assigning the geographically relevant information from the third party provider to respective cells of the grid.   
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 7 , wherein the condition is payment of a fee. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 7 , further including:
 presenting location rules associated with the geographically relevant information from the third party provider, whereby further customized searching of the grid is enabled.   
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 1 , further including:
 accepting an offer for content placement in one or more cells within the grid from a content provider; and   transmitting at least a portion of content received from the content provider to an information playback device located in the cell, whereby at least a portion of the obtained content is displayed on the information playback device.   
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 10 , further including:
 receiving one or more localizement rules assigned to the winning bid, and wherein the transmitting is performed in accordance with the one or more localizement rules.   
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein the localizement rules include one of a weather condition, a social media condition or a traffic condition relating to the cell. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the outputting includes presenting the matching cells on a map of an area including the matching cells, the map including the virtual grid for the area shown. 
     
     
         14 . A system for delivering content in a location-specific manner to information playback devices, the system comprising:
 a computing system having a processor configured to:
 divide a geographical area into a virtual grid comprising a plurality of cells; 
 assign geographically relevant information to at least a portion of the plurality of cells; 
 compare the set of location rules to the geographically relevant information assigned to the plurality of cells in response to receiving a search campaign including a set of location rules submitted; and 
 output the cells that match one or more of the set of location rules, whereby informed geo-targeting decisions and consumer understandings is facilitated so more relevant content can be selectively delivered to information playback devices within one or more of the cells. 
   
     
     
         15 . The system of  claim 14 , wherein the location rules include at least one of:
 a geography rule that enables searching the grid for cells based on one or more geographic parameters;   a businesses rule that enables searching the grid for cells based on one or more business names and/or one or more business types;   an audiences rule that enables searching the grid for cells based on an audience or demographic parameters;   a census rule that enables searching the grid for cells based on data available from the U.S. Census Bureau; and   an impressions rule that enables searching the grid for cells based on the average or actual number of impressions in a cell within a period of time.   
     
     
         16 . The system of  claim 14 , wherein the computing system is further configured to:
 accept an offer for content placement in one or more cells within the grid from a content provider; and   transmit content from the content provider submitting the accepted offer to an information playback device located in the cell, whereby at least a portion of the obtained content is displayed on the information playback device.   
     
     
         17 . The system of  claim 16 , wherein the computing system is further configured to:
 receive one or more localizement rules assigned to the winning bid, wherein the transmitting is performed in accordance with the one or more localizement rules.   
     
     
         18 . The system of  claim 17 , wherein the localizement rules include one of a weather condition, a social media condition or a traffic condition relating to the cell. 
     
     
         19 . The system of  claim 14 , wherein the output includes presenting the matching cells on a map of an area including the matching cells, and wherein the map includes the virtual grid for the area shown. 
     
     
         20 . The system of  claim 14 , further including:
 a location tracking system for determining the geographical location of one or more information playback devices from signals transmitted from the one or more information playback devices; and   a transceiver for receiving positional information from the location tracking system, the transceiver being communicatively coupled to the computing system.