Method and system for managing timed responses to A/V events in television programming

• US 20040163103A1
• Filed: 12/21/2001
• Published: 08/19/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 12/21/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Alphonso, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Bellsouth Intellectual Property Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Swix, Scott R., Matz, William R.
• Granted Patent: US 7,086,075 B2
• 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: G09B 7/00 Electrically-operated teaching apparatus or devices working with questions and answers mechanically operated G09B3/00; computing arrangements G06F
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/28 Arrangements for simultaneous broadcast of plural pieces of information
• 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 21/42204 User interfaces specially adapted for controlling a client device through a remote control device; Remote control devices therefor constructive details of casings for the remote control device H01H9/0235; user interfaces for controlling a tuning device of a television receiver through a remote control H03J9/00; remote control of peripheral devices connected to a television receiver through the remote control device of the television receiver H04B1/205
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42213 for facilitating data entry
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/433 Content storage operation, e.g. storage operation in response to a pause request, caching operations
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44213 Monitoring of end-user related data arrangements for monitoring the users' behaviour or opinions in broadcast systems H04H60/33
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44222 Analytics of user selections, e.g. selection of programs or purchase activity monitoring of user selections in data processing systems G06F11/34; arrangements for monitoring the user's behaviour or opinions in broadcast systems H04H60/33
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4758 for providing answers, e.g. voting
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/485 End-user interface for client configuration
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/658 Transmission by the client directed to the server
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6582 Data stored in the client, e.g. viewing habits, hardware capabilities, credit card number arrangements where receivers interact with the broadcast H04H20/38
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17309 Transmission or handling of upstream communications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

A method for providing an incentive for a viewer to watch and react to audio/video programming. The method includes prompting the viewer during a television programming stream to provide an indicated response to an event within an indicated time period, detecting the indicated response to the event, measuring a response time of the indicated response to the event, evaluating viewer performance based upon the response time, and providing the incentive to the viewer based upon the response time. The method involves a viewer actuating a pushbutton key of a set-top box remote control unit and transmitting and recording the response via the set-top box. A media delivery device for providing incentives, rewards, discounts, marketing data, and measurements to a viewer and a media delivery network.

Claims

1. A method for evaluating a viewer watching programming, comprising the steps of:

prompting the viewer during a television programming stream to provide an indicated response to an event within an indicated time period;

detecting the indicated response to the event;

measuring a response time of the indicated response to the event; and

evaluating viewer performance based upon the response time.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of:

providing an incentive to the viewer based upon the viewer'"'"'s performance.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the event comprises an occurrence of audio/visual content broadcast to the viewer during the television programming stream.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising time-stamping the indicated response to the event.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising creating a viewer action'"'"'s log from the indicated response and the response time.

6. The method of claim 4, further comprising comparing the viewer'"'"'s action log to a known sequence of events.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the television programming stream comprises an advertisement.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the indicated response to the event is provided by the viewer actuating a pushbutton key on a set-top box remote control unit which transmits an encoded signal when the viewer identifies the occurrence of audio/visual content.

9. The method of claim 6, wherein the set-top box is operable for monitoring viewing habits and actions, collecting information, and receiving encoded television signals.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the incentive comprises at least one of:

an award, a coupon, a discount, and a prize.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising transmitting the indicated response and the response time to a data-center.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the evaluating performance step comprises instant feedback to the viewer.

13. A media delivery device for evaluating a viewer watching programming, comprising:

a decoder operable for decoding broadcast media programming into the media delivery device, wherein the broadcast media programming comprises an occurrence of audio/visual cues;

a viewer action'"'"'s module operable for detecting a viewer'"'"'s response to the occurrence of audio/visual cues;

a timed response monitoring module operable for measuring a response time of the viewer'"'"'s response;

a processor operable for evaluating the viewer'"'"'s response and the response time by comparing the viewer'"'"'s response and the response time against any known sequence of events.

14. The device of claim 13, further comprising:

a network connection operable for transmitting encoded signals between the media delivery device and an external network;

wherein the media delivery device receives prompts from the external network, and the external network receives notification for the viewer'"'"'s response and the response time.

15. The device of claim 13, wherein an incentive is provided to the viewer based upon the viewer'"'"'s response and the response time.

16. The device of claim 13, wherein the network programming comprises an advertisement.

17. The device of claim 13, wherein the viewer'"'"'s response to the occurrence of audio/visual cues is provided by the viewer actuating a pushbutton key on a set-top box remote control unit which transmits an encoded signal when the viewer identifies the occurrence of audio/visual cues.

18. The device of claim 17, wherein the set-top box is operable for monitoring viewing habits and actions, collecting information, and receiving encoded television signals.

19. A method for providing an incentive to a television viewer, comprising the steps of:

inserting an occurrence of an audio/visual cue into a television broadcasting stream;

receiving an indicated response from the television viewer to the occurrence of the audio/visual cue;

time-stamping the indicated response;

comparing the time-stamped indicated response to a known sequence of events;

rewarding viewer behavior based upon the comparison of the time-stamped indicated response to the known sequence of events.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the reward comprises an incentive, a discount, a coupon, and a prize.