Collection of affinity data from television, video, or similar transmissions

• US 20020174425A1
• Filed: 10/26/2001
• Published: 11/21/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 10/26/2000
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Intellocity USA, Inc. (Kudelski SA)
• Original Assignee: Intellocity USA, Inc. (Kudelski SA)
• Inventors: Zenoni, Ian, Lemmons, Thomas, Markel, Steven O.
• Application Number:
  US10/046,618
• Publication Number:
  US 20020174425A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/13
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 2201/30 characterised by the use of a return channel, e.g. for collecting users' opinions, for returning broadcast space/time information or for requesting data
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/33 Arrangements for monitoring the users' behaviour or opinions
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/63 for services of sales data processing systems or methods specially adapted for electronic commerce G06Q30/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2543 Billing , e.g. for subscription services payment schemes, architectures or protocols G06Q20/00; e-commerce G06Q30/00; arrangements for billing for the use of broadcast information or broadcast-related information H04H60/21
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25891 being end-user preferences retrieval of video data in a video database based on user preferences G06F16/739; arrangements for recognizing users' preferences H04H60/46; 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 21/42201 biosensors, e.g. heat sensor for presence detection, EEG sensors or any limb activity sensors worn by the user input arrangements for interaction with the human body based on nervous system activity detection G06F3/015
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/435 Processing of additional data, e.g. decrypting of additional data, reconstructing software from modules extracted from the transport stream
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44224 Monitoring of user activity on external systems, e.g. Internet browsing
• 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 21/454 Content or additional data filtering, e.g. blocking advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4622 Retrieving content or additional data from different sources, e.g. from a broadcast channel and the Internet web site content organization and management for information retrieval from the Internet G06F16/958; transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82; stock exchange data over packet-switching network H04L12/1804; push services including data channel over packet-switching network H04L12/1859
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4725 using interactive regions of the image, e.g. hot spots details of information retrieval from the Internet by using URLs G06F16/955; processing chained hypermedia data for information retrieval G06F16/94
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4782 Web browsing , e.g. WebTV
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4784 receiving rewards
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/165 Centralised control of user terminal subsequent to an upstream request signal H04N7/17345; Registering at central by two-way working H04N7/17309
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

Disclosed is a system and method for generating affinity data, i.e. data that indicates the interest of a viewer or user in broadcast information such as a video, audio or data broadcast. Automated or manual selection can be made either at an upstream site or at the set-top box for selecting alternative sources of content based upon the affinity data. Return channels can be provided through upstream transmissions through a cable, Internet connections, etc. to an origination site which may comprise a content provider, a TV studio, a head-end, or other upstream location. Affinity data can be remotely sensed by sensors, that are built in or connected, to the set-top box. Further, affinity data can be manually generated by the viewer or user, by various methods such as manually entering data in response to trigger icons that appear on a video broadcast or audio transmission. Triggers for triggering responses and transmitting data can be inserted in the vertical blanking interval of a video feed or can be periodically generated by the set-top box.

Claims

1. A method of selecting and displaying a video segment to a viewer comprising:

transmitting a plurality of video segments from a broadcast center to a viewer;

displaying said video segments to said viewer;

sensing input from said viewer through at least one sensor;

transmitting said input to a remote computer;

analyzing said input to generate affinity data;

selecting a specific video segment based on said affinity data;

transmitting said specific video segment from said broadcast center to said viewer; and

displaying said specific video segment to said viewer.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein said sensor comprises at least one button pressed by a viewer.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein said step of selecting a video segment comprises selecting a video segment during a live broadcast based upon affinity data.

4. A method of collecting affinity data comprising:

transmitting a plurality of video segments from a broadcast center to a viewer;

displaying said video segments to a viewer;

sensing input from said viewer through at least one sensor;

analyzing said input to generate affinity data;

selecting a specific video signal from a plurality of video signals being broadcast to said viewer, said selection being based on said affinity data;

transmitting said affinity data to a remote computer; and

displaying said specific video signal to said viewer.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein said sensor comprises at least one button pressed by a viewer.

6. The method of claim 4 wherein said step of selecting a video segment comprises selecting a video segment during a live broadcast based upon affinity data.