Advertisement scheme for use with interactive content
View Patent ↗A method for use in advertising includes initiating playing of interactive content, suspending playing of the interactive content, displaying an advertisement, and resuming playing of the interactive content. A computer program product includes a medium embodying a computer program for causing a computer to perform these operations, and a system for use in advertising includes a display and a processing system configured to perform these operations.
1. A method comprising:
initiating, through a processor based apparatus, playing of interactive content;
suspending, through the processor based apparatus, playing of the interactive content; and
displaying a different item of content;
wherein the suspending playing of the interactive content comprises synchronizing the suspending playing of the interactive content among a plurality of users interacting with the interactive content.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the interactive content is played over a network.
3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the interactive content is configured to have the plurality of users interacting with the interactive content simultaneously.
4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the suspending playing of the interactive content further comprises suspending playing of the interactive content for all of the plurality of users.
5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the synchronizing the suspending playing of the interactive content comprises synchronizing the suspending playing of the interactive content so that the playing of the interactive content stops at a substantially same time for all of the plurality of users.
6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
resuming playing of the interactive content.
7. The method of claim 6 , wherein the resuming playing of the interactive content comprises synchronizing the resuming playing of the interactive content so that the resuming playing of the interactive content starts at a substantially same time for all of the plurality of users.
8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the different item of content comprises an advertisement.
9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the displaying a different item of content comprises displaying a different item of content that is the same for all of the plurality of users.
10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the displaying a different item of content comprises displaying a different item of content that is not the same for all of the plurality of users.
11. The method of claim 1 , wherein the different item of content is selected based on a user profile.
12. The method of claim 1 , wherein the suspending playing of the interactive content is performed at a predefined time.
13. The method of claim 1 , wherein the suspending playing of the interactive content is performed at a random time.
14. The method of claim 1 , further comprising providing a user with an indication that the playing of the interactive content will be suspended.
15. The method of claim 14 , wherein the indication comprises a warning message.
16. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing one or more computer programs configured to cause a processor based system to execute steps comprising:
initiating playing of interactive content;
suspending playing of the interactive content; and
displaying a different item of content;
wherein the suspending playing of the interactive content comprises synchronizing the suspending playing of the interactive content among a plurality of users interacting with the interactive content.
17. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 16 , wherein the interactive content is played over a network.
18. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 16 , wherein the interactive content is configured to have the plurality of users interacting with the interactive content simultaneously.
19. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 16 , wherein the suspending playing of the interactive content further comprises suspending playing of the interactive content for all of the plurality of users.
20. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 16 , wherein the synchronizing the suspending playing of the interactive content comprises synchronizing the suspending playing of the interactive content so that the playing of the interactive content stops at a substantially same time for all of the plurality of users.
21. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 16 , wherein the one or more computer programs are further configured to cause the processor based system to execute a step comprising:
resuming playing of the interactive content.
22. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 21 , wherein the resuming playing of the interactive content comprises synchronizing the resuming playing of the interactive content so that the resuming playing of the interactive content starts at a substantially same time for all of the plurality of users.
23. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 16 , wherein the different item of content comprises an advertisement.
24. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 16 , wherein the displaying a different item of content comprises displaying a different item of content that is the same for all of the plurality of users.
25. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 16 , wherein the displaying a different item of content comprises displaying a different item of content that is not the same for all of the plurality of users.
26. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 16 , wherein the different item of content is selected based on a user profile.
27. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 16 , wherein the suspending playing of the interactive content is performed at a predefined time.
28. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 16 , wherein the suspending playing of the interactive content is performed at a random time.
29. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 16 , wherein the one or more computer programs are further configured to cause the processor based system to execute a step comprising:
providing a user with an indication that the playing of the interactive content will be suspended.
30. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 29 , wherein the indication comprises a warning message.
31. A system, comprising:
a display; and
a processor based apparatus configured to initiate playing of interactive content, suspend playing of the interactive content, and display a different item of content on the display;
wherein the suspending playing of the interactive content comprises synchronizing the suspending playing of the interactive content among a plurality of users interacting with the interactive content.
32. The system of claim 31 , wherein the interactive content is played over a network.
33. The system of claim 31 , wherein the interactive content is configured to have the plurality of users interacting with the interactive content simultaneously.
34. The system of claim 31 , wherein the suspending playing of the interactive content further comprises suspending playing of the interactive content for all of the plurality of users.
35. The system of claim 31 , wherein the synchronizing the suspending playing of the interactive content comprises synchronizing the suspending playing of the interactive content so that the playing of the interactive content stops at a substantially same time for all of the plurality of users.
36. The system of claim 31 , wherein the processor based apparatus is further configured to resume playing of the interactive content.
37. The system of claim 36 , wherein the resuming playing of the interactive content comprises synchronizing the resuming playing of the interactive content so that the resuming playing of the interactive content starts at a substantially same time for all of the plurality of users.
38. The system of claim 31 , wherein the different item of content comprises an advertisement.
39. The system of claim 31 , wherein the displaying a different item of content comprises displaying a different item of content that is the same for all of the plurality of users.
40. The system of claim 31 , wherein the displaying a different item of content comprises displaying a different item of content that is not the same for all of the plurality of users.
41. The system of claim 31 , wherein the different item of content is selected based on a user profile.
42. The system of claim 31 , wherein the suspending playing of the interactive content is performed at a predefined time.
43. The system of claim 31 , wherein the suspending playing of the interactive content is performed at a random time.
44. The system of claim 31 , wherein the processor based apparatus is further configured to provide a user with an indication that the playing of the interactive content will be suspended.
45. The system of claim 44 , wherein the indication comprises a warning message.