Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a data encapsulation technique applicable to video messages.

Background Art

Many businesses such as professional practices have often used printed brochures in their waiting rooms in order to advertise to persons attending the business premises. Often these brochures contain detailed information about the services provided by the profession in question. For example, a solicitor’s practice might include brochures about the problems of dying intestate in order to persuade conveyancing clients, for example, to make a will, or update their will. Often the substantive material within the brochure is derived from outside the practice such as a local law society, or similar professional body of high repute.

The increasing digitisation of information of all kinds means that such professional practices, for example, retain the telephone numbers and email addresses of their existing clients. In addition, the use of electronic communication such as the short message service (SMS) and email avoid the costs of conventional postage. It is therefore desirable that the information which previously was conveyed by the above-mentioned brochures, now be conveyed electronically. However, it is not immediately apparent how this might be done. That is, there is an engineering problem in knowing how to create, and disseminate, the desired information in a video format.

Genesis of the Invention

The Genesis of the present invention is a desire to overcome, or at least ameliorate, the above-mentioned engineering problem.

Summary of the Invention

In accordance with a first aspect of the present invention there is disclosed a method of creating a composite electronic video file for a small firm advertising campaign, said method comprising the steps of:

(la) collecting a first multiplicity of expert content videos on a range of topics of interest to current or prospective customers of said small firm, and storing same in a host computing device,

(lb) preparing a second multiplicity of introductory scripts each associated with, and corresponding to, one of said expert content videos, and storing same in said host computing device,

(lc) preparing a third multiplicity of closing scripts each associated with, and corresponding to, one of said expert content videos, and storing same in said host computing device

(ld) allowing a client small firm to select a specific one of said expert content videos for a campaign for said client,

(le) downloading the introductory script associated with said specific selected one of said expert content videos into a mobile phone of said client to function as a teleprompter,

(lf) using the camera of said client’s mobile phone to record an intro video of the client reading from said teleprompting mobile phone,

(lg) downloading the closing (outro) script associated with said specific selected one of said expert content videos into a second mobile phone of said client to function as a teleprompter,

(lh) using the camera of said second mobile phone to record an outro video of the client reading from said teleprompting second mobile phone,

(li) uploading the intro video and the outro video to said host computing device to thereby create a sandwich video comprising said recorded and uploaded intro video, said selected specific one of said expert content videos, and said recorded and uploaded outro video, and

(lj) re-purposing said sandwich video into a plurality of different data video file formats each of which is applicable to a different live streaming channel selectable by said client.

Preferably the client’s first mobile phone and the client’s second mobile phone constitute the same mobile phone Brief Description of the Drawings

A preferred embodiment of the invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

Figs. 1A and IB are sequential portions of a single flow chart illustrating the prior art procedure,

Fig. 2 is a block diagram of a digital apparatus upon which the invention is performed,

Fig. 3 is a flow chart illustrating the user enrolment and intro recording procedures,

Fig. 4 is a flow chart illustrating the outro recording procedures,

Figs. 5A and 5B are flow charts illustrating the data encapsulation procedures, Fig. 6 is a flow chart illustrating re-purposing of the video content,

Fig. 7 is a flow chart illustrating the election of one or more distribution channels,

Fig. 8 is a flow chart illustrating the procedures of an email campaign, and Fig. 9 is a flow chart illustrating the procedures of an SMS campaign.

Detailed Description

In order to provide an electronic video message to existing or prospective customers of a professional practice, for example, it is known to provide a message format in which an introduction piece (intro) is followed by a detailed explanation by the professional which normally must be rehearsed, and then finally a farewell message (outro) to finish the video.

As seen in Fig. 1, after initial preparatory steps 1, 2 and 3, in step 4 the cameraman visits the practice premises having made a booking so that the practice professional has had a chance to rehearse the professional’s content. Then the cameraman shoots the intro, the rehearsed content and the outro as indicated at steps 5 and 6. Under ideal conditions, this might be shot in a form which does not need much editing, however, normally it is necessary for the cameraman to return to his premises and, in a labour intensive activity, as indicated in step 7, edit the material which then enables the electronic file to be delivered to the practice as indicated at step 11. This enables the practice to store the electronic file(s) as indicated at step 12. The practice then decides to send an email to its existing client list as indicated at steps 14 and/or 17. The sending of such an email can take either one of two forms. In the first form, indicated at step 14, the email has the video attached. The attached video may be upto 200MB and require a download speed of up to 1.5GB/second. Since there is no universally accepted inbox minimum limit, the client’s inbox may reject the video entirely as indicated at step 15. Even if the client does receive the video, the arrangement suffers from the problem that, as indicated at step 16, the client can download the video and therefore the content cannot be kept out of the public domain.

Alternatively, as indicated at step 17, the email can be provided with a link to remote storage accessible via the Internet, for example YOUTUBE. This suffers from the problem as indicated at step 18 that the client’s attention may be diverted by other material able to be viewed on YOUTUBE. There is also the same problem as indicated at step 16, namely that as seen in step 19, the client and/or a competitor can download the video content. The problem indicated in step 19 is particularly severe in that that a competitor browsing the Internet may come across the video and is then able to download it and take commercially combative steps such as a changed enhanced advertising campaign.

The cost implications of this arrangement include:

1. The costs associated with the cameraman, his equipment and assistants,

2. the time cost of the time taken for the professional to write and rehearse their content, and

3. the cost of editing and reviewing the filmed content.

The above prior art arrangements are too labour and time intensive to be commercially viable.

In order to provide an electronic video message to existing or prospective customers of a professional practice, for example, it would be desirable to have a message format in which an introduction piece (intro) was recorded by the professional who owned the practice, or dealt with the majority of clients, then followed a recording of the high level detailed information normally provided by an expert in the field and often via some professional association, and finally a farewell message (outro) to finish the video. In accordance with the preferred embodiment of the present invention the professional practice is able to record the intro and outro utilising a conventional mobile phone 29 (cell phone or handy), and preferably mounted on a tripod 30, or similar stand, utilising the digital host apparatus illustrated in Fig. 2.

This apparatus consists of a communications module 2 which is able to converse via the Internet or other publicly accessible communication system with the mobile telephone 29. At the heart of the digital apparatus illustrated in Fig. 2 is a central processing unit CPU 15 which is able to communicate with a store of intro videos 4, a store of expert content videos 5, and a store of outro videos 6. As will be explained hereafter these videos are able to be amalgamated so as to form completed videos which are stored in the completed video store 8. As will also be explained hereafter, the completed videos are able to be disseminated via an email distribution channel 19, an SMS distribution channel 21, various social media sharing channels 23, and other channels 25 including a website and blogs.

In addition, the digital apparatus 1 includes a store 7 for user details, a store 9 for practice details such as telephone numbers and email addresses, an auto-editing module 11, a re-purposing module 13, a database 15 for email subscriber data, a database 16 for SMS subscriber data, and an analytics engine 17, the operation of all of which will be described in more detail hereafter with reference to the drawings.

Turning now to Fig. 3, the sequential steps involved in enrolment of the user (normally a professional practice) and the initial steps in the creation of a marketing video having an intro are described. In step 301, the user (a professional) enrols. In step 302, the user previews a list of expert content videos that relate to their specific industry and is drawn from the server (1), then selects a relevant topic. In step 305, when a specific expert video is selected, the associated opening script (intro) is automatically loaded into an integrated teleprompt function, ready to read and record. In step 307, the user can optionally adjust the reading speed and text size of the opening script to suit. In step 309, when set, the user selects the Mobile Phone Camera Record button to start the script rolling at the preadjusted speed and size whilst the device records the user reading the script. In step 311, at the end of the script, the user stops the recording to automatically load the intro video for review. In step 313, the user can choose to trim the last n seconds of the video if the end of the recording is not deemed suitable. In step 317, the user decides if the video recording is approved. If approved, the user selects ‘Use this Opener’. If not approved, step 319 occurs, the camera resets, the opening script automatically reloads in the camera and the user is taken back to step 307.

Similarly, in Fig. 4 the sequential steps involved in the recording of the outro are described. In step 401, when the review of the intro recording is approved, the associated closing script (outro) is automatically loaded into the integrated teleprompt function, ready to read and record and store in the application software. In step 403, the user can again optionally adjust the reading speed and text size of the opening script to suit. In step 405, when set, the user selects the Record button to start the script rolling at the pre-adjusted speed and size whilst the device records the user reading the script. In step 407, at the end of the script, the user stops the recording to automatically load the outro video for review. In step 409, the user can choose to trim the last n seconds of the video if the end of the recording is not deemed suitable. In step 411, if trimmed, the user reviews the video again. In step 413, the user decides if the video recording is approved. If approved, the user selects ‘Use this Closer’. If not approved, step 415 occurs, the camera resets, the closing script automatically reloads in the camera and the user is taken back to step 403.

Once the intro and outro have been created, the user uploads these following the sequential steps illustrated in Figs. 5A and 5B in preparation for their combination with the selected expert content.

In step 501, a preview playlist comprising of the intro, selected expert video and outro appear for the user. In step 503, the user can choose to re-record the intro or the outro scripts respectively before proceeding to upload. In step 505, the user decides if the intro should be recorded again. If yes, in step 507 the user is returned to step 307 of Fig. 3. If not, in step 509 the user decides if the outro should be recorded again. If yes, in step 511 the user is returned to step 403 of Fig. 4. If not, in step 513, the user selects ‘Upload these Videos’. In step 515, the flowchart proceeds to Fig. 5B. At step 516, the intro and outro videos as well as the associated metadata pertaining to the user and the practice are bundled and encrypted in the mobile device. In step 517, a secure call is made from the mobile device (29) to a private address in the server (1) to authenticate and identify the user details (7) and their practice details as a valid and current user in the video creation system. In step 518, on confirmation and acceptance of the authentication data from the CPU (15), the mobile device (29) is instructed to start passing the video payload as packetised data over a private and secured internet channel to the CPU (15). The progress of this activity is displayed to the user as an ascending progress counter. In step 519, the upload tally counts up to 100% in real time and confirms a ‘completed’ tally confirmation to the user. In step 521, the user selects ‘Return to Home Screen’.

The sequential steps involved in the amalgamation of the intro, outro and expert content are illustrated in Fig. 6. In step 601, on receipt of all data packets in the video payload, the intro and outro videos are stored by the CPU (15). In step 603, the associated expert content is selected from the expert content video storage (5). In step 605, the associated user generated videos are selected from the intro video storage (4) and the outro video storage (6). In step 607, the CPU (15) calls the media to the automated edit function (11), along with the metadata related to the user from the user details (7) and practice details (9). In step 609, as an asynchronous activity, the CPU (15) creates a new asset record in the completed Video Library (8). In step 611, during assembly in the edit process (11), the user’s title, name, credentials and position in the business (7) are superimposed in the intro video at a fixed time, position and for a fixed duration. The practice details (9) are then added to the end of the outro video as a call to action graphic for viewers of the completed video. In step 612, on completion of the automated assembly and edit process (11), the master video is re-purposed (13) into a lower resolution version designed for low bandwidth streaming, then added to the new asset record along with a keyframe taken from the topic video. In step 613, on successful completion, the user is notified by push notification and email that their packaged and completed video is available and ready for preview in their completed Video Library (8). The initiation of a market campaign is illustrated in Fig. 7. In step 701, on logging into their account, the user can select to preview the completed video. In step 703, if the user decides to distribute the video, they can choose from a selection of integrated options. In step 704, the user can create an email marketing campaign where there are no size constraints, download options, advertising or recommendations that take the client away from the video. Step 705 takes the user to the steps for this campaign (refer Fig. 8). In step 706, the user can create an SMS marketing campaign where there are also no size constraints, download options, advertising or recommendations that take the client away from the video. Step 707 takes the user to the steps for this campaign (refer Fig. 9). In step 709, the user selects to share the video in their preferred social network (23). In step 711, the user can copy and paste a link to host the video in an embedded player that is suitable for websites and blogs (25).

The detailed steps for an email campaign are illustrated in Fig. 8. In step 803, from the video preview page, the user can select to auto-create an email campaign (19) with the finished video embedded on an attached Landing Page. In step 805, the auto-create function collects all of the associated metadata related to the expert content contained in the finished video. In step 807, the auto-create function extracts practice information from the practice details store (9) and user details store (7) to add related graphics and footer information to both the email and the attached Landing Page. In step 808, the aggregated result is an event that appears in the user’s platform account as a pending campaign, ready for publishing by email to a target audience or selected recipients. In step 809, the user selects a pre-loaded and validated list of subscribers from the Email Subscriber database (15) which is automatically attached to the email campaign. In step 811, prior to publishing, the user can escalate the campaign for approval by a more senior authority if required or if allowed, and publish the campaign to the subscriber list. In step 813, the proprietary Analytics engine (17) tracks all subscriber activity in real time including granular and discrete reporting of email open rates, email bounces and unsubscribes, Landing Page views and video engagement.

The detailed steps for an SMS campaign are illustrated in Fig. 9. In step 903, from the video preview page, the User can select to auto-create an SMS campaign (21) with the finished video embedded on an attached Landing Page. In step 905, the auto-create function collects all of the associated metadata related to the expert content contained in the finished video. In step 907, the auto-create function extracts practice information from the practice details store (9) and user details store (7) to add related graphics and footer information to the Landing Page. In step 908, the aggregated result is an event that appears in the user’s platform account as a pending campaign, ready for publishing by SMS to a target audience or selected recipients. In step 909, the user can share single events to respective mobile numbers or selects a pre-loaded and validated list of subscribers from the SMS Subscriber database (16) which is automatically attached to the SMS campaign. In step 911, prior to publishing, the user can escalate the campaign for approval by a more senior authority if required or if allowed, and publish the campaign to the subscriber list. In step 913, the proprietary Analytics engine (17) tracks all subscriber activity in real time including granular and discrete reporting of message click through open rates, unsubscribes, Landing Page views and video engagement.

The foregoing describes only one embodiment of the present invention and modifications, obvious to those skilled in the electronic arts, can be made thereto without departing from the scope of the present invention.

The term “mobile phone” as used herein embraces cell phones and handies as mobile phones are referred to in other jurisdictions.

The term “comprising” (and its grammatical variations) as used herein is used in the inclusive sense of “including” or “having” and not in the exclusive sense of “consisting only of’.