Apparatus and methods for enabling presence-based and use-based services

• US 10,028,025 B2
• Filed: 09/29/2014
• Issued: 07/17/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 09/29/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Time Warner Cable Enterprises LLC (Charter Communications Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Time Warner Cable Enterprises LLC (Charter Communications Incorporated)
• Inventors: Tidwell, Justin, Samame, Eduardo
• Primary Examiner(s): Alcon, Fernando
• Application Number:
  US14/500,835
• Publication Number:
  US 20160094883A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,387 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2668 Creating a channel for a dedicated end-user group, e.g. insertion of targeted commercials based on end-user profiles information retrieval from the Internet by querying with filtering and personalisation G06F16/9535; arrangements for replacing or switching information during the broadcast H04H20/10; push services over packet-switching network H04L12/1859; adaptation of message content in packet-switching networks H04L51/063
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/41407 embedded in a portable device, e.g. video client on a mobile phone, PDA, laptop constructional details of equipment or arrangements specially adapted for portable computer application G06F1/1626; arrangements specially adapted for mobile receivers in broadcast systems H04H20/57
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44218 Detecting physical presence or behaviour of the user, e.g. using sensors to detect if the user is leaving the room or changes his face expression during a TV program methods or arrangements for recognising human body or animal bodies or body parts G06V40/10; methods or arrangements for acquiring or recognising human faces, facial parts, facial sketches, facial expressions G06V40/16; methods or arrangements for recognising movements or behaviour G06V40/20; arrangements for identifying users in broadcast systems H04H60/45
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44226 on social networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4524 involving the geographical location of the client retrieval from the Internet by querying based on geographical locations G06F16/9537; systems specially adapted for using geographical information in broadcast systems H04H60/70; protocols in which the network application is adapted for the location of the user terminal in communication control or processing H04L67/52; services making use of the location of users or terminals in wireless networks H04W4/02; locating users or terminals in wireless networks H04W64/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4532 involving end-user characteristics, e.g. viewer profile, preferences monitoring of user activities for profile generation for accessing a video database G06F16/739; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306; processing of user preferences or user profiles in wireless networks H04W8/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6125 involving transmission via Internet transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/64322 IP
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02

Abstract

Apparatus and methods for enabling presence-based and/or use-based services. In one embodiment, a presence database and an evaluation entity collect information relating to a device'"'"'s location and activity. The presence database collects location-based data to build anonymized user profiles; estimates a physical location of the device; and provides targeted content to the device. The user profiles are stored at e.g., a user premises, or at a headend network or elsewhere within the “cloud”. Additionally, in one variant, signals are collected from “smart” appliances (in a home or other premises) to create personal, shared, and family environmental settings which are instantiated when a user enters the premises. Methods and apparatus to collect browsing behavior across desktop and mobile devices on third party sites (including web browsing, social networking, and e-commerce) which are represented by the managed network are also provided.

Claims

1. A computerized method for enabling use-based services to a plurality of computerized client devices in a managed content delivery network, said computerized method comprising:

enabling one or more content providers in a non-managed network to register one or more web sites in said managed content delivery network;

in response to a successful registration of said one or more websites, designating a content provider device for each of said one or more websites, each of said content provider devices generating a plurality of respective training data for each of said one or more websites, said generating comprising;

enabling each respective user of said content provider devices to execute a plurality of possible interactions that said plurality of computerized client devices may respectively have with said one or more registered websites;

presenting at least one recommended action; and

enabling each of said respective users of said content provider devices to confirm said at least one recommended action;

receiving said plurality of respective training data, via each of said content provider devices;

collecting a plurality of data relating to an interaction of one or more of said plurality of computerized client devices with at least one of said one or more registered web sites, said plurality of data comprising at least information entered around said interaction;

associating individual ones of said plurality of collected data to respective particular ones of a plurality of users in said managed content delivery network; and

utilizing said information entered around said interaction to infer at least one action associated with said one or more of said plurality of computerized client devices.

5. The computerized method of claim 1, further comprising updating, via use of said inferred action, a profile of said one or more of said plurality of computerized client devices.

6. The computerized method of claim 1, further comprising utilizing said inferred action to provide targeted content to said one or more of said plurality of computerized client devices.

2. A computerized apparatus configured to enable presence-based services to a plurality of computerized client devices in a content delivery network, said computerized apparatus comprising:

first interface configured to communicate with a network;

storage apparatus; and

processor apparatus configured to execute at least one computer program, said at least one computer program comprising a plurality of instructions which are configured to, when executed, by said processor apparatus;

associate each of said plurality of computerized client devices to a specific user profile within a particular subscriber household;

obtain a plurality of raw data relating to a location of at least one of said plurality of computerized client devices;

evaluate said plurality of raw data to determine a precise location of said at least one of said plurality of computerized client devices, said evaluation further comprising utilization of a timestamp associated to said plurality of raw data;

store said plurality of raw data and/or a result of said evaluation;

determine a duration that said at least one of said plurality of computerized client devices is present at said precise location based at least in part on said timestamp;

determine a relative importance of said precise location as compared to other locations based at least in part on a review of said plurality of raw data against known physical addresses and/or locations and said duration; and

utilize said relative importance of said precise location to identify a pattern associated with one or more movements of a group of users, said identification of said pattern is based at least in part on a frequency of visits to said precise location by one or more of said group of users, said group of users comprising a size determined to meet at least one criterion relating to a number of users in said group of users.

3. The computerized apparatus of claim 2, wherein said plurality of instructions are further configured to, when executed, by said processor apparatus:

enable a user to generate said specific user profile based at least in part on said user manually entering a device name or other identifier for each of said plurality of computerized client devices with said specific use profile.

4. The computerized apparatus of claim 2, wherein said plurality of instructions are further configured to, when executed, by said processor apparatus:

receive additional raw data periodically to continuously re-determine said precise location of said at least one of said plurality of computerized client devices.

7. The computerized apparatus of claim 2, wherein said plurality of instructions are further configured to, when executed, by said processor apparatus:

utilize said pattern to predict a movement between said precise location and another location at an approximate time of day.

8. The computerized apparatus of claim 7, said movement being specific to a certain demographic associated with one or more users of said group of users.

9. The computerized apparatus of claim 7, wherein:

(i) said precise location comprises a location within said particular subscriber household;

(ii) said another location comprises a location outside said particular subscriber household;

(iii) said group of users comprise members of said particular subscriber household, said at least one of said plurality of computerized client devices respectively associated with at least one of said members; and

(iv) said plurality of instructions are further configured to, when executed, cause said apparatus to adjust, based on said prediction of said movement, a setting of at least one fixed device within said particular subscriber household.

10. The computerized apparatus of claim 2, wherein said plurality of instructions are further configured to, when executed by said processor apparatus:

determine individual ones of said group of users that visit one or more other locations, said one or more other locations being logically related to said particular location;

apply data indicative of a presence profile to said individual ones of said group of users; and

identify one or more types of networks utilized by said individual ones of said group of users in said data indicative of said presence profile;

wherein said presence profile comprises a basis for an advertising campaign formed by said operator of said secondary content source.

11. The computerized apparatus of claim 2, wherein:

said at least one criterion is specified by an operator of a secondary content source; and

said size determined to meet said at least one criterion comprises a prescribed number of subscribers within a prescribed ZIP code, said subscribers associated with said ZIP code via access of a subscriber billing database maintained by an operator of said content delivery network.

12. Computer readable apparatus comprising a non-transitory storage medium, said non-transitory medium comprising at least one computer program having a plurality of instructions, said plurality of instructions configured to, when executed on a digital processing apparatus:

associate at least one computerized client device to data associated with a user profile, the user profile specific to a subscriber premises serviced by a content delivery network;

receive a plurality of data relating to a location of said at least one computerized client device;

algorithmically evaluate said plurality of data to determine;

(i) a location of said at least one computerized client device;

(ii) a duration that said at least one computerized client device is present at said location; and

(iii) a relative importance of said location as compared to other locations, said determination of said relative importance based at least on said duration; and

utilize data relating to said relative importance of said location to algorithmically identify a pattern associated with one or more movements of a group of users to which a user of said at least one computerized client device belongs, said group of users comprising a size determined to meet at least one criterion relating to a number of users in said group of users, said identification of said pattern based at least in part on a data relating to a frequency of visits to said location by one or more of said group of users.

13. The computer readable apparatus of claim 12, wherein said plurality of instructions are further configured to, when executed on said digital processing apparatus:

generate said data associated with said user profile based at least in part on a user input, via said at least one computerized client device, of a device name or other identifier for said at least one computerized client device associated to said user profile.

14. The computer readable apparatus of claim 12, wherein said plurality of instructions are further configured to, when executed on said digital processing apparatus:

determine a radius associated with said location by a predetermined amount;

wherein said determination of said relative importance is further based at least on a duration that said at least one computerized client device is present within said determined radius.

15. The computer readable apparatus of claim 12, wherein said plurality of instructions are further configured to, when executed on said digital processing apparatus:

based at least in part on a review of said plurality of data against at least one of;

(i) known physical addresses and (ii) locations, determine a type of location to which said location belongs; and

generate data relating to one or more presence profiles based at least on said frequency of visits to said precise location and said type of location to which said location belongs.

16. The computer readable apparatus of claim 15, wherein said plurality of instructions are further configured to, when executed on said digital processing apparatus:

generate at least one advertising campaign based at least on said one or more presence profiles.

17. The computer readable apparatus of claim 12, wherein:

said at least one criterion is specified by an operator of a secondary content source; and

said size determined to meet said at least one criterion comprises a prescribed number of subscribers within a prescribed ZIP code, said subscribers associated with said ZIP code determined via access of a subscriber billing database maintained by an operator of said content delivery network.

18. The computer readable apparatus of claim 12, wherein said plurality of instructions are further configured to, when executed on said digital processing apparatus:

receive additional data periodically to continuously re-determine said precise location of said at least one computerized client device.

19. The computer readable apparatus of claim 12, wherein said algorithmic evaluation further comprises utilization of timestamp data associated to said plurality of data.

20. The computer readable apparatus of claim 12, wherein said determination of said duration is based at least in part on said timestamp data.