Comm transaction method

Description: TECHNICAL FIELD [Detailed description of the invention]

【0001】

[Technical field to which the invention belongs]

The present invention relates to a commercial transaction method in which communication and broadcasting are integrated.

【0002】

[Conventional technology]

Conventionally, as one of the sales promotion methods using advertisements, a method of giving specific information in a broadcast advertisement broadcast on TV or radio and giving a privilege limited to the viewer or listener of the broadcast advertisement has been used. there were. For example, it is a method of including a simple quiz in an advertisement and giving a bonus to a viewer or a listener who answers the quiz correctly.

【0003】

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention]

However, in the conventional broadcast advertisement as described above, a person who actually watches or listens to the advertisement and answers the quiz correctly is distinguished from a person who obtains only the information of the answer of the quiz via another information route. There was no way to reliably determine if an ad was viewed or listened to, such as not being able to. Therefore, there is a problem that it is difficult for an advertisement provider to quantify the effect of an advertisement.

【0004】

The present invention has been made in consideration of the above circumstances, and is a commercial transaction method that enables an advertisement provider to obtain highly reliable feedback and more accurately analyze the quantitative effect of an advertisement. The purpose is to provide. Another object of the present invention is to enable such advertisement transmission and feedback acquisition to be realized by an inexpensive system.

【0005】

[Means for solving problems]

In order to solve the above problems, the present invention broadcasts a synthesis step of synthesizing an audible sound signal of an advertisement and coupon data associated with the advertisement to generate a synthetic sound electric signal, and broadcasting the synthetic sound electric signal. And the coupon data extracted based on the synthetic sound electric signal broadcast in the transmission step are received from the receiver of the broadcast via the computer network, and the coupon data is received for each receiver. The gist is a commercial transaction method characterized by having an accumulation step of accumulating.

【0006】

Further, the commercial transaction method of the present invention is characterized by having a privilege granting step of giving the recipient a privilege in commercial transaction based on the coupon data accumulated in the accumulation step. Here, the privilege in commerce is, for example, discounting the price or providing a bonus product or service.

【0007】

Further, in the commercial transaction method of the present invention, the synthesis step is characterized in that the synthetic sound electric signal in which the existence of the coupon data is not perceived by humans is generated by using the data hiding technique.

【0008】

Further, in the commercial transaction method of the present invention, the coupon data includes transmission identification information for identifying the transmission of the broadcast. Here, the transmission identification information refers to information such as a date and time when a broadcast is transmitted, a broadcasting station, a broadcasting channel, or a part of such information.

【0009】

Further, in the commercial transaction method of the present invention, the accumulation step is characterized in that the coupon data is checked by using the transmission identification information.

【0010】

Further, in the commercial transaction method of the present invention, the coupon data includes data on the number of points of the coupon, and in the accumulation step, the data on the number of points received via the computer network is collected for each recipient. In the privilege granting step, the privilege in commerce according to the accumulated points is given to the recipient.

【0011】

Further, in the commercial transaction method of the present invention, the computer network is characterized by being the Internet.

【0012】

Further, in the commercial transaction method of the present invention, the processing of the synthesis step and the processing of the accumulation step are performed by an advertising agency requested by the advertiser of the advertisement.

【0013】

Further, in the commercial transaction method of the present invention, the privilege for the recipient is given in the electronic commercial transaction via the computer network.

【0014】

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a system that realizes a commercial transaction method according to the same embodiment. This system uses data hiding technology, etc. to send coupon information to audio-only advertising messages or audio-video advertising messages broadcast by broadcasting stations at the request of retailers and through the mediation of advertising agencies. Embed, broadcast advertisements so that the existence and contents of coupon data cannot be perceived by humans, and allow consumers who receive the broadcast to obtain benefits such as discounts from retailers by accumulating points from the coupons. It is a thing.

【0015】

As shown in FIG. 1, the advertising agency has a synthesizer 904 that embeds digital information other than voice into voice by using data hiding technology or the like. The advertising agency also has a web server 921 and a consumer database 922.

【0016】

Further, the broadcasting station has a program transmission device 905, a transmitter 906, and a transmission antenna 907.

【0017】

In addition, the consumer can use the receiving antenna 908 for receiving the broadcast transmitted from the transmitting antenna 907, the receiver 909, the extraction device 910 for extracting the information embedded in the voice, and the personal computer. Has 911.

【0018】

In addition, the retailer has a terminal device 923 for receiving and viewing the information stored in the consumer database 922.

【0019】

The technical details regarding the synthesis of the signal by the synthesizer 904 and the extraction of the signal by the extraction device 910 will be described later.

【0020】

Next, the flow of information in this embodiment will be described. The retailer creates an audio and / or video ad 901 to promote the company, and asks the advertising agency to embed the coupon information in the ad 901 and broadcast it. In response to this, the advertising agency side generates coupon data 902 for this advertisement, and in the synthesizer 904, embeds a signal (digital signal) 2 based on the coupon data 902 in the audible sound signal 1 of the advertisement 901 and synthesizes it. Output as sound electric signal 3. Since the synthesizer 904 performs synthesis using the data hiding technique, humans do not recognize the signal 2 from the synthetic sound output by the synthesizer 904.

【0021】

It should be noted that the coupon data 902 includes at least the transmission identification information for identifying the transmission of this advertisement, the transmission date and time, the expiration date of this coupon, and the information of the score of this coupon.

【0022】

The synthetic sound electric signal 3 is transmitted by the program transmission device 905 of the broadcasting station according to the broadcasting schedule, modulated by the transmitter 906, and transmitted as radio waves from the transmission antenna 907. On the consumer side, the extraction device 910 extracts the signal 2 based on the sound received by the receiving antenna 908 and demodulated by the receiver 909, and the extracted signal is passed to the personal computer 911. The personal computer is equipped with dedicated software, and by executing this software, the coupon data 902 is played back and the points of this coupon are accumulated.

【0023】

When the points are accumulated, the consumer can receive the privilege equivalent to the accumulated points by accessing the web server 921 from the personal computer 911. At this time, communication between the personal computer 911 and the web server 921 is performed, for example, via the Internet. The web server 921 receives the coupon data accumulated by the consumer from the consumer side, collates it with the original coupon data 902, checks the validity, and then adds the consumer's points to the consumer database 922. Write the data of. At this time, since the web server 921 checks the transmission identification information included in the coupon data 902, the consumer side requests that points be accumulated by the transmission identification information that does not exist, or the consumer side. If the same transmission identification information is used to request the accumulation of points more than once, it can be rejected.

【0024】

The coupon data 902 is set to include the data of the number of points of the coupon, and the web server 921 receives the data of the number of points from the consumer side via the computer network, accumulates the data, and accumulates the data. The recipient may be given a commercial benefit according to the number of points.

【0025】

The information of the points written in the consumer database 922 in this way and the expiration date of the points can be viewed on the terminal device 923 installed in the retailer, and based on this, the retailer informs the consumer. Give benefits such as discounts.

【0026】

According to this embodiment, consumers can enjoy collecting points to obtain benefits and actively listen to broadcast advertisements, which increases the effectiveness of advertisements and leads to sales promotion. ..

【0027】

Here, the transaction between the retailer and the consumer may be in the form of an electronic commerce using a computer and a network, a face-to-face transaction at a store or the like, a telephone, a facsimile or an e-mail. It may be in any form, such as a transaction performed using a communication means such as. In addition, the content of the transaction may be anything, such as the sale of goods or the provision of services.

【0028】

Next, the signal processing process on the consumer side will be described. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a detailed configuration for signal transmission from the receiver (909) to the extraction device (910) on the consumer side. FIG. 2 shows two types of signal transmission methods, in which FIG. 2 (a) is a method of directly transmitting a synthetic sound electric signal from the receiver 909 to the extraction device 910, and FIG. 2 (b) is a method of transmitting in the air. This is a method of transmitting from the receiver 909 to the extraction device 910 via the acoustic signal generated.

【0029】

In FIG. 2 (a), reference numeral 991 is a demodulator provided in the receiver 909, and reference numeral 992 is an amplifier. The 993 is a speaker connected to the receiver 909. The signal produced by the receiver 909 is demodulated by the demodulator 991 and amplified by the amplifier 992. The electric signal output from the amplifier 992 is radiated into the air as an acoustic signal by the speaker 993, and is input to the extraction device 910 as a synthetic sound electric signal. The viewer or listener can listen to the advertisement radiated from the speaker 993 as sound, and at the same time, the coupon data is extracted by the extraction device 910.

【0030】

In the method of FIG. 2 (b), the sound (acoustic signal 999) emitted from the speaker 993 is heard by the viewer or listener, collected by the microphone 994, and converted into the synthetic sound electric signal 998 again. It is input to the extraction device 910. The extraction device 910 extracts coupon data based on the synthetic sound electric signal 998.

【0031】

Next, technical details regarding the synthesis of the audible sound signal and the coupon data and the extraction of the coupon data from the synthesized signal will be described by two typical methods.

【0032】

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a method of using the frequency band (method of band elimination) in the first synthesis method.

【0033】

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a configuration example of the synthesizer 904 shown in FIG. 1. In this figure, reference numeral 1 is an audible sound signal, 2 is a signal (digital signal), 3 is a synthetic sound electric signal, and 20 is a synthetic sound electric signal. Synchronous signal, 21 is switch circuit, 22B is band elimination filter 0 (abbreviated as BEF0 in the figure), 22A is band elimination filter 1 (abbreviated as BEF1 in the figure), 23 is mechanical signal / switch signal converter, 24 is Represents a synthesizer.

【0034】

FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating the operation of the synthesizer shown in FIG. FIG. 5 (a) shows the characteristics of the band elimination filter. The number code 25 shows the characteristics of the band elimination filter 0, and FIG. 26 shows the characteristics of the band elimination filter 1. Further, FIG. 5 (b) shows the relationship between the waveform of the synthetic sound electric signal, the mechanical operation signal (signal 2), and the changeover switch 21.

【0035】

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the extraction device 910 shown in FIG. 1, in which reference numeral 3 is a synthetic sound electric signal, 20 is a synchronous signal, and 27 is a frequency analyzer (fast Fourier transform, FFT in the figure). (Abbreviation), 28 represents an energy detector, 29 represents a mechanical signal converter, and 2 represents an extracted signal (digital signal).

【0036】

The operation of this first synthesis method will be described below with reference to FIGS. 3 to 6. As shown in FIG. 3, the synthesizer 904 is composed of band elimination filters 22A and 23B that remove a certain band from the signal 1 according to the binary value of the signal 2. When transmitting, the sound energy is removed by the band elimination filter 22A (BEF1) at a specific center frequency A.

【0037】

Similarly, when transmitting a code of "0", the sound energy is removed by the band elimination filter 22B (BEF0) at a specific center frequency B different from the center frequency A. In the normal auditory state in the daily living space, it is almost impossible for human beings to be aware of the difference between the audible sound and the original sound, which are specifically lacking only a specific frequency. Moreover, even if the existence can be physically perceived, human beings cannot semantically recognize the signal 2.

【0038】

The synthesis of signal 2 is performed by the following procedure. (Step 1) The mechanical signal / switch signal converter 23 drives the switch circuit 21 according to the polarity (value) of the signal 2, and the band elimination filter corresponding to "1" and "0" is applied to the signal 1. Is switched to create an audio signal from signal 1 in which the frequency component of a predetermined band is deleted. (Step 2) The audio signal after the filter processing is synthesized by the synthesizer 24.

【0039】

Decryption on the receiving side is performed as follows. In the extraction device 910, the input synthetic sound electric signal 3 is analyzed by the frequency analyzer 27, the energy is detected by the energy detector 28, the missing frequency component is extracted, and this is extracted by the mechanical signal converter 29. It is converted into a mechanical signal of "1" and "0" and output as signal 2.

【0040】

Decoding on the receiving side can also be realized by a configuration different from the configuration of the extraction device 910 described above. That is, the decoder is composed of two bandpass filters, and the center frequency of each is set to be the same as the band elimination filters 22A and 22B of the synthesizer 904, respectively, and the output of each bandpass filter is different from that of the signal 2. Decryption can be performed.

【0041】

The specific extraction procedure for signal 2 is as follows. (Step 1) Amplify the input synthetic sound electrical signal. (Step 2) The amplified signal is passed through a bandpass filter to obtain the output signal. (Step 3) Decoding is performed by comparing the output signal with an appropriate bar value, and signal 2 is extracted.

【0042】

Next, the second synthesis method will be described. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a frequency band utilization method in the second synthesis method. Here, a transmission method using a sine wave is adopted. A synthesizer using this synthesis method is a device that converts a binary signal into an acoustic electrical signal, and is configured using an oscillator. When sending a code of "1", a high frequency C with a specific frequency is used. Similarly, when the code of "0" is transmitted, the high frequency D having a specific frequency different from the high frequency C is transmitted.

【0043】

It is almost impossible for human beings to recognize the difference between the audible sound in which such a specific high frequency is synthesized and the original sound in the normal auditory state in the daily living space. Even if its existence can be physically perceived, humans cannot semantically recognize the signal 2 synthesized using high frequencies C and D.

【0044】

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of the synthesizer 904, in which the numerical codes 1 to 3 are the same as those in FIG. 4, 20 is a synchronization signal, 21 is a switch circuit, 23 is a mechanical signal / switch signal converter, and 24. Is a combiner, 31A is oscillator 0, and 31B is oscillator 1.

【0045】

FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating the operation of the synthesizer shown in FIG. FIG. 9A shows the frequency characteristics of the oscillator, and the number code 32 shows the oscillation frequency characteristics of the oscillator 31B and 33 shows the oscillation frequency characteristics of the oscillator 31A. Further, FIG. 9B shows the relationship between the waveform of the synthetic sound electric signal, the mechanical operation signal (signal 2), and the switching by the switch circuit 21.

【0046】

The configuration of the extraction device in this second synthesis method may be the same as that shown in FIG.

【0047】

Hereinafter, the operation of this second synthesis method will be described with reference to FIGS. 7 to 9.

【0048】

As shown in FIG. 8, the synthesizer 904 includes oscillators 31A and 31B for applying different frequencies to the audible sound signal 1 depending on the binary value of the signal (digital signal) 2, "1". The output of oscillator 31A with a specific center frequency C is applied to signal 1 when sending the code of "0", and the output of oscillator 31B with a specific center frequency D when sending the code of "0". Is applied to signal 1.

【0049】

Signal synthesis is performed according to the following procedure. (Step 1) Operate 31A and 31B with oscillators that oscillate sine waves (high frequencies C and D) of a specific frequency corresponding to "1" and "0" of signal 2. (Step 2) The mechanical signal / switch signal converter 23 drives the switch circuit 21 according to the polarity of the signal 2, and adds the selected predetermined sine wave and the audible sound signal 1 by the synthesizer 24. (Step 3) The signal obtained in step 2 above is amplified by an amplifier (not shown).

【0050】

On the receiving side, the extraction device 910 again decodes the acoustic electrical signal into a code signal. At this time, in the extraction device 910, the input composite signal 3 is analyzed by the frequency analyzer 27, the energy is detected by the energy detector 28, the applied frequency component is extracted, and this is extracted by the mechanical signal converter 29. Converts to mechanical signals of "1" and "0" and outputs as signal 2.

【0051】

Decoding on the receiving side can also be realized by a configuration different from the above configuration. That is, if the decoder is composed of two bandpass filters and their center frequencies are the same as the oscillation frequencies of the oscillators 31A and 31B in the synthesizer, the magnitude of the predetermined frequency component included in the signal 1 is large or small. The signal 2 can be decoded with.

【0052】

The procedure for extracting signal 2 is as follows. (Step 2) A predetermined frequency component is detected from the input synthetic sound electric signal. (Step 3) The polarity (binary value) is identified and output according to the frequency component of the detected signal. (Step 4) Decoding is performed by comparing the output signal with the threshold value, and signal 2 is extracted.

【0053】

In the above, in the first synthesis method and the second synthesis method, two transmission side configuration examples and four reception side configuration examples have been shown, but the data hiding method is not limited to these. , And various other data hiding algorithms can be used to achieve similar acoustic signal transfer schemes. Both methods of data hiding make the second signal imperceptible, difficult to perceive, or perceived by humans when embedding the second signal within the first signal. But don't worry about it.

【0054】

The above data hiding techniques are described, for example, in the following documents. 1) "Special feature" Digital watermarking "protects the multimedia era", Nikkei Electronics, February 24, 1997 (no.683), pp.99-124 2) "Data Hiding Technology Supporting Digital Watermarking (1)", Nikkei Electronics, February 24, 1997 (no.683), pp.149-162 3) "Data Hiding Technology Supporting Digital Watermarking (2)", Nikkei Electronics, March 10, 1997 (no.684), pp.153-168 [0055]

The broadcasting in the present embodiment means television broadcasting or radio broadcasting using terrestrial waves or sanitary waves, cable broadcasting by voice, CATV (cable television) broadcasting, street broadcasting by voice, in-facility broadcasting, and via the Internet. Includes Internet radio broadcasts that convey audio.

【0056】

A program for realizing each of the above processing functions is recorded on a computer-readable recording medium, and the program recorded on the recording medium is read into a computer system and executed to synthesize and synthesize signals. The acoustic signal may be transmitted, the signal may be extracted from the synthesized sound, and various controls may be performed using the extracted signal. The term "computer system" as used herein also includes an OS, peripheral devices, and the like.

【0057】

The "computer-readable recording medium" refers to a portable medium such as a floppy (registered trademark) disk, a magneto-optical disk, ROM, or a CD-ROM, or a storage device such as a hard disk built in a computer system. .. Furthermore, a "computer-readable recording medium" is a volatile memory (RAM) inside a computer system that serves as a server or client when a program is transmitted via a network such as the Internet or a communication line such as a telephone line. In addition, it shall include those that hold the program for a certain period of time.

【0058】

Further, the program may be transmitted from a computer system in which this program is stored in a storage device or the like to another computer system via a transmission medium or by a transmission wave in the transmission medium. Here, the "transmission medium" for transmitting a program refers to a medium having a function of transmitting information, such as a network (communication network) such as the Internet or a communication line (communication line) such as a telephone line.

【0059】

Further, the above program may be for realizing a part of the above-mentioned functions. Further, a so-called difference file (difference program) may be used, which can realize the above-mentioned functions in combination with a program already recorded in the computer system.

【0060】

Further, in the above embodiment, an example of a transaction between a retailer and a consumer has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this, and it is possible to similarly utilize the advertising and sales promotion system in the transaction between all persons. is there.

【0061】

Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail with reference to the drawings, the specific configuration is not limited to these embodiments, and includes designs and the like within a range that does not deviate from the gist of the present invention.

【0062】

[Effect of the invention]

As described above, according to the present invention, the audible sound signal of the advertisement and the coupon data associated with the advertisement are combined to generate a synthetic sound electric signal, and this synthetic sound electric signal is transmitted by broadcasting. Since the coupon data extracted based on the broadcast synthetic sound electric signal is received from the receiver of the broadcast via the computer network and the coupon data is accumulated for each receiver, the advertising provider provides highly reliable feedback. And the quantitative effect of advertising can be analyzed more accurately.

【0063】

Further, according to the present invention, since it is embedded in a signal of the voice band and broadcast as an advertisement, a dedicated transmission line or transmission channel for transmitting coupon data is unnecessary, and existing broadcast transmission equipment and reception equipment are used. You can send the used coupon data. Therefore, the system can be realized at low cost without significantly modifying the existing equipment.

【0064】

Further, according to the present invention, since the recipient is given a commercial transaction privilege based on the accumulated coupon data, the enjoyment of actively listening to the broadcast advertisement on the receiver side is increased, and the effect of the advertisement is increased for the advertiser. It has the effect of increasing sales and promoting sales.

【0065】

Further, according to the present invention, since the coupon data includes the transmission identification information for identifying the transmission of the broadcast, the advertiser side uses the coupon data fed back from the receiver to obtain how much advertisement in which transmission. It is possible to accurately grasp whether or not it was effective.

【0066】

Further, according to the present invention, since the coupon data is checked using the transmission identification information, it is possible to perform control such as not duplicating the coupon data transmitted using a certain transmission identification information. This makes it possible to prevent the accumulation of unreasonable coupons.

【0067】

Further, according to the present invention, the processing of synthesizing the audible sound signal and the coupon data and the processing of accumulating the coupon data for each consumer are performed by the advertising agency, so that the advertiser can use the equipment for these processing. It is not necessary to own a coupon, and the management resources required to own it can be allocated to others.

[Simple explanation of drawings]

[Figure 1]

It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the system which realizes the commercial transaction method by one Embodiment of this invention.

[Figure 2]

In the same embodiment, it is a block diagram which shows the detailed structure for the signal transmission from the receiver (909) to the extraction device (910) on the consumer side.

[Fig. 3]

It is a graph which shows the utilization method (band elimination method) of the frequency band by the 1st synthesis method in the same embodiment.

[Fig. 4]

It is a block diagram which shows the structural example of the synthesis apparatus (904) by the 1st synthesis method in the same embodiment.

[Fig. 5]

It is a figure explaining the operation of the synthesis apparatus (904) shown in FIG. 4, and is (a) the graph which shows the frequency characteristic of a band elimination filter, and (b) the timing chart which shows the operation example.

[Fig. 6]

It is a block diagram which shows the structural example of the extraction apparatus (910) by the same embodiment.

[Fig. 7]

It is a graph which shows the utilization method of the frequency band by the 2nd synthesis method in the same embodiment.

[Fig. 8]

It is a block diagram which shows the structural example of the synthesis apparatus (904) by the 2nd synthesis method in the same embodiment.

[Fig. 9]

It is a figure explaining the operation of the synthesizer (904) shown in FIG. 8, (a) is a graph which shows the frequency characteristic of an oscillator, (b) the waveform of the synthetic sound electric signal, and the machine operation signal (signal 2). It is a timing chart which shows the relationship between and the switching by a switch circuit 21.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 audible sound signal 2 signals (digital signals) 3 Synthetic signal 20 Sync signal 21 switch circuit 22A band elimination filter (BEF1) 22B Band Elimination Filter (BEF0) 23 Mechanical signal / switch signal converter 24 synthesizer 27 Frequency Analyzer (Fast Fourier Transformer, FFT) 28 Energy detector 29 Mechanical signal converter 31A, 31B oscillator 901 Advertising (audio / video) 902 Coupon data 904 synthesizer 905 Program transmission device 906 transmitter 907 Transmitting antenna 908 Receiving antenna 909 receiver 910 Extractor 911 personal computer 921 web server 922 Consumer database 923 Terminal device 991 demodulator 992 amplifier 993 speaker 994 microphone 998 Synthetic sound electrical signal 999 acoustic signal