Program guide system with monitoring of advertisement usage and user activities

• US 20050149964A1
• Filed: 09/29/2004
• Published: 07/07/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 03/04/1998
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: United Video Properties Incorporated (Adeia Inc.)
• Original Assignee: United Video Properties Incorporated (Adeia Inc.)
• Inventors: Ellis, Michael D., Hassell, Joel G., Lemmons, Thomas R., Berezowski, David M., Thomas, William L., Knudson, Edward B., Boyer, Franklin E., Marshall, Connie T., Kern, Donald C.
• Application Number:
  US10/953,487
• Publication Number:
  US 20050149964A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/9
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• 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 21/2668 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 21/42204 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 21/42228 the reprogrammable keys being displayed on a display screen in order to reduce the number of keys on the remote control device itself
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4316 for displaying supplemental content in a region of the screen, e.g. an advertisement in a separate window
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/442 Monitoring of processes or resources, e.g. detecting the failure of a recording device, monitoring the downstream bandwidth, the number of times a movie has been viewed, the storage space available from the internal hard disk arrangements for monitoring broadcast services or broadcast-related services H04H60/29; arrangements for identifying or recognising characteristics with a direct linkage to broadcast information H04H60/35; monitoring of user activities for profile generation for accessing a video database G06F16/739; monitoring in wireless networks H04W24/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44204 Monitoring of content usage, e.g. the number of times a movie has been viewed, copied or the amount which has been watched monitoring of user activities for profile generation for accessing a video database G06F16/739; protecting generic digital content where the protection is independent of the precise nature of the content G06F21/10; arrangements for monitoring the use made of the broadcast services in broadcast systems H04H60/31
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44224 Monitoring of user activity on external systems, e.g. Internet browsing
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44245 Monitoring the upstream path of the transmission network, e.g. its availability, bandwidth
• 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 21/4667 Processing of monitored end-user data, e.g. trend analysis based on the log file of viewer selections
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47 End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47211 for requesting pay-per-view content payment schemes payment architectures or payment protocols G06Q20/00, G07F
• 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 21/478 Supplemental services, e.g. displaying phone caller identification, shopping application
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/482 End-user interface for program selection broadcast systems using EPGs H04H60/72
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4821 using a grid, e.g. sorted out by channel and broadcast time
• 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 21/8173 : End-user applications, e.g. Web browser, game
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/84 : Generation or processing of descriptive data, e.g. content descriptors systems specially adapted for using meta-information in broadcast systems H04H60/73
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/782 : on tape
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/16 : Analogue secrecy systems; Analogue subscription systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/163 : by receiver means only
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/173 : with two-way working, e.g. subscriber sending a programme selection signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 : Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

A program guide system is provided in which interactive television program guide advertisement usage is monitored. Advertisement usage may be monitored by monitoring when advertisements are transmitted from a television distribution facility to user television equipment. Advertisement usage information may also be monitored by monitoring when advertisements are received by the user television equipment. Advertisement usage information may also be monitored at the time at which advertisements are displayed by a program guide. Less important data may be filtered from the collected advertisement usage data. Other activities that may be monitored include the viewing activities of the user, which program guide screens are displayed, and which non-program-guide applications are used. Real-time ratings information (e.g., real-time ratings of the popularity of certain television programs, video games, or other applications) may be provided to users in real time.

Claims

1-68. -68. (canceled)

69. A system for providing real-time ratings to users, the system configured to:

automatically collect real-time ratings information based on monitoring of user viewing activities at user television equipment at a plurality of locations; and

display the real-time ratings information on the user television equipment in real time.

70. The system defined in claim 69 further configured to provide an opportunity for defining a time frame for the real-time ratings.

76. The system defined in claim 69 further configured to provide an opportunity for selecting a geographic area for the real-time ratings.

77. The system defined in claim 69 further configured to provide an opportunity for selecting a genre for the real-time ratings.

78. The system defined in claim 69 further configured to provide an opportunity for selecting whether the real-time ratings are for a group consisting of television programs, applications, non-program-guide applications, video games, and a combination thereof.

84. The system defined in claim 69 further configured to display real-time ratings for a selectable time period.

86. The system defined in claim 69 further configured to allow each user to select which type of real-time ratings are displayed.

87. The system defined in claim 69 further configured to automatically collect the real-time ratings information based on monitoring user interactions with the user television equipment.

119. The system defined in claim 69 wherein the system is further configured to display the popularity of a program.

120. The system defined in claim 69 wherein the system is further configured to display a list of popular programs.

71-75. -75. (canceled)

79-83. -83. (canceled)

85. (canceled)

88-91. -91. (canceled)

92. A method for providing real-time ratings to users, comprising:

automatically collecting real-time ratings information based on monitoring of user viewing activities at user television equipment at a plurality of locations; and

displaying the real-time ratings information on the user television equipment in real time.

93. The method defined in claim 92 further comprising providing an opportunity for defining a time frame for the real-time ratings.

99. The method defined in claim 92 further comprising providing an opportunity for selecting a geographic area for the real-time ratings.

100. The method defined in claim 92 further comprising providing an opportunity for selecting a genre for the real-time ratings.

101. The method defined in claim 92 further comprising providing an opportunity for selecting whether the real-time ratings are for a group consisting of television programs, applications, non-program-guide applications, video games, and a combination thereof.

107. The method defined in claim 92 wherein displaying the real-time ratings information comprises displaying real-time ratings for a selectable time period.

109. The method defined in claim 92 further comprising allowing each user to select which type of real-time ratings are displayed.

110. The method defined in claim 92 wherein further comprising automatically collecting the real-time ratings information based on monitoring user interactions with the user television equipment.

121. The method defined in claim 92 wherein the displaying the real-time ratings information comprises displaying the popularity of a program.

122. The method defined in claim 92 wherein the displaying the real-time ratings information comprises displaying a list of popular programs.

94-98. -98. (canceled)

102-106. -106. (canceled)

108. (canceled)

111-118. -118. (canceled)