System permitting retail stores to place advertisements on roadside electronic billboard displays that tie into point of purchase displays at the stores

Abstract

Commercial advertisers, such as a chain of retail stores, directly access a network of thousands of large, high resolution roadside electronic displays and directly send their own advertisements electronically to the network to be displayed at locations and times selected by the advertisers, while tying the advertising content into the content of point of purchase displays in the advertiser's store(s).

1 . A system permitting a commercial advertiser with retail stores to place video or still-image advertisements at selected times and locations on a network of multiple electronic roadside displays, and to tie the roadside advertisements into point of purchase displays at the advertiser's retail stores, said system comprising: 
 a network including a plurality of roadside electronic displays;    means permitting a commercial advertiser with retail stores to place video or still-image advertisements at selected times on selected ones of the network's roadside electronic displays; and    point of purchase displays at selected ones of the commercial advertiser's retail stores displaying content that ties into the content of the video or still-image advertisements run on the roadside electronic displays.    
     
     
         2 . The system of  claim 1  wherein said means permitting a commercial advertiser to place advertisements includes a central processing station that permits a commercial advertiser to transmit its advertising content to the station from which it is routed for display at the customer-selected roadside electronic displays.  
     
     
         3 . The system of  claim 2  wherein the point of purchase displays at selected ones of the commercial advertiser's retail stores are electronic point of purchase displays, said network of electronic displays includes the point of purchase displays and the content of the point of purchase displays is transmitted by the advertiser through said central processing station.  
     
     
         4 . The system of  claim 1  wherein the point of purchase displays at selected ones of the commercial advertiser's retail stores are electronic point of purchase displays.  
     
     
         5 . The system of  claim 4  wherein said electronic point of purchase displays comprise electronic ink displays.  
     
     
         6 . The system of  claim 4  wherein the electronic point of purchase displays are part of a network of point of purchase displays in multiple stores, said network being independent of said roadside electronic display network and controlled by the commercial advertiser.  
     
     
         7 . The system of  claim 1  wherein the roadside advertisements display information concerning special value or promotional items for sale at the advertiser's retail stores and the point of purchase displays repeat the special value or promotional sale information.  
     
     
         8 . The system of  claim 1  wherein the roadside advertisements include information concerning the locations of area stores of the commercial advertiser.  
     
     
         9 . A method permitting a commercial advertiser with retail stores to place video or still-image advertisements at selected times and locations on a network of multiple electronic roadside displays, and to tie the roadside advertisements into point of purchase displays at the advertiser's retail stores, said method comprising: 
 permitting a commercial advertiser with retail stores to place video or still-image advertisements at selected times on selected roadside electronic displays; and    providing point of purchase displays at selected ones of the commercial advertiser's retail stores displaying content that ties into the content of the video or still-image advertisements run on the roadside electronic displays.