Method and Apparatus for Demand Assignment of Content Display Opportunities

Abstract

On-demand scheduling for presentations in movie theatres is enabled by providing users with the ability to communicate content, theatre and time slot selections. The communication can use message or telephone based devices. By tabulating the selections of plural users, selections which will attract an audience greater in number than a predetermined threshold for the presentation in a given venue and time of a particular content can be identified. Feeding this information back to an exhibitor allows the presentation to be implemented. Communicating the fact of the scheduling to the selecting users and others who may also have interest in the presentation multiplies the potential audience. Others who may have an interest in the scheduled presentation include a) individuals associated in a social network with a selecting user and b) individuals registered with social networking or specialty web sites devoted to content which is the same as, or similar to, the scheduled presentation.

1 . A system useful in increasing efficient use of cinema resources, said system including:
 a) data defining content items available for display;   b) a plurality of stored data sets, each data set identifying:
 1) a particular content item; 
 2) a particular theatre; and 
 3) a time slot for display, and 
   c) a processor responsive to user selection of a data set comprising a particular content item, a particular theatre and a time slot for storing said selected data set only for instances wherein at least two users have identified identical data sets.   
     
     
         2 . The system of  claim 1  wherein said processor stores a selected data set only where a number of users greater than a predetermined threshold have selected identical data sets. 
     
     
         3 . The system of  claim 2  wherein said processor includes:
 a) means for determining that a number of users greater than a predetermined threshold have selected identical data sets comprising identification of a theatre, a particular content item and time slot, and 
 b) means for storing said data set along with identification of each user having made said selection. 
 
     
     
         4 . The system of  claim 1  which further includes means for distributing data from a selected data set. 
     
     
         5 . The system of  claim 3  which further includes means for distributing data from a particular data set to a user selected from users associated with said particular data set. 
     
     
         6 . The system of  claim 4  which further includes means for distributing data from a particular data set to at least one exhibitor related to a theatre identified in said particular data set. 
     
     
         7 . The system of  claim 3  which further includes means for distributing data from a particular data set to at least one social networking site related to a user associated with said particular data set. 
     
     
         8 . The system of  claim 3  wherein a time slot includes identification of month, day and time. 
     
     
         9 . The system of  claim 5  wherein said time slot includes identification of a particular month and day and wherein the data which is distributed includes identification of a particular content item, theatre, month and day. 
     
     
         10 . The system of  claim 7  wherein said time slot includes identification of a particular month and day and wherein the data which is distributed includes identification of a particular content item, theatre, month and day. 
     
     
         11 . The system of  claim 1  which further includes means for enabling users to browse the data defining content items available for display. 
     
     
         12 . A system useful in increasing efficient use of cinema resources through on demand scheduling, said system including:
 a) one or more stored data sets of user selected data, each data set of user selected data including identification of a theatre, a particular content item and time slot representing a time slot for display of the particular content item at the theatre; each of said data sets related to identification of users, each of whom have selected a data set identical to the stored data set, and   b) a processor responsive to user input for writing to said stored data sets, said processor only writing said data sets and related user identification for data sets selected by a number of users equal to or greater than two.   
     
     
         13 . The system of  claim 12  wherein said time slot data including identification of a particular month and day. 
     
     
         14 . The system of  claim 13  which further includes means for distributing selected data from said stored data. 
     
     
         15 . The system of  claim 14  wherein selected data is distributed to a user selected from a set of users identified as related to said selected data. 
     
     
         16 . The system of  claim 14  which includes means for distributing selected data to at least one exhibitor related to a theatre identified in said selected data. 
     
     
         17 . The system of  claim 14  which includes means for distributing selected data set to at least one social networking site associated with a user related to said data. 
     
     
         18 . A method implemented in a computer system for increasing efficient use of cinema resources through on demand scheduling, said method comprising:
 a) providing information from said computer system identifying content items available for display;   b) receiving and storing in said computer system sets of user selected data, each set of user selected data including identification of a theatre, a particular content item and a time slot representing a time slot for display of the particular content item at the theatre; and   c) storing, scheduling information in the event a number of users greater than a predetermined threshold have identified identical sets of user data;   said scheduling information including:
 1) a particular content item; 
 2) a theatre; and 
 3) a time slot 
   
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 18  wherein said scheduling information includes identification of users having selected said stored user selected data. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 19  wherein said time slot includes identification of a particular month and day. 
     
     
         21 . The method of  claim 19  which further includes distributing selected data from said scheduling information. 
     
     
         22 . The method of  claim 21  wherein said selected data is distributed to a user selected from users associated with said selected data. 
     
     
         23 . The method of  claim 21  wherein said selected data is distributed to at least one exhibitor related to a theatre identified in said selected data. 
     
     
         24 . The method of  claim 21  wherein said selected data is distributed to at least one social networking site related to a user associated with said selected data. 
     
     
         25 . A non-transitory computer readable medium storing a sequence of instructions which, upon execution, performs a method for increasing efficient use of cinema resources through on demand scheduling, said method comprising:
 a) providing information from said computer system identifying content items available for display;   b) receiving and storing in said computer system sets of user selected data, each set of user selected data including identification of a theatre, a particular content item and a time slot representing a time slot for display of the particular content item at the theatre; and   c) storing, scheduling information in the event a number of users greater than a predetermined threshold have identified identical sets of user data;   said scheduling information including:
 1) a particular content item; 
 2) a theatre; and 
 3) a time slot 
   
     
     
         26 . The non-transitory computer readable medium of  claim 25  wherein said scheduling information includes identification of users having selected said stored user selected data. 
     
     
         27 . The non-transitory computer readable medium  claim 25  wherein said time slot includes identification of a particular month and day. 
     
     
         28 . The non-transitory computer readable medium of  claim 25  which further includes distributing selected data from said scheduling information. 
     
     
         29 . The non-transitory computer readable medium of  claim 28  wherein said selected data is distributed to a user selected from users associated with said selected data. 
     
     
         30 . The non-transitory computer readable medium method of  claim 28  wherein said selected data is distributed to at least one exhibitor related to a theatre identified in said selected data. 
     
     
         31 . The non-transitory computer readable medium method of  claim 28  wherein said selected data is distributed to at least one social networking site related to a user associated with said selected data.