Cross-platform predictive popularity ratings for use in interactive television applications

• US 20070136753A1
• Filed: 12/13/2005
• Published: 06/14/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 12/13/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: UV Corporation (Adeia Inc.)
• Original Assignee: United Video Properties Incorporated (Adeia Inc.)
• Inventors: Fereira, Edgar, Bovenschulte, David
• Granted Patent: US 8,613,024 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/31 Arrangements for monitoring the use made of the broadcast services
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/64 for providing detail information
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25883 being end-user demographical data, e.g. age, family status or address arrangements for identifying locations of users in broadcast systems H04H60/52
• 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 21/4135 external recorder interface circuits between an apparatus for recording television signals and a television receiver H04N5/775
• 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 21/422 Input-only peripherals , i.e. input devices connected to specially adapted client devices, e.g. global positioning system [GPS] input devices also receiving signals from specially adapted client devices H04N21/4104
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44224 Monitoring of user activity on external systems, e.g. Internet browsing
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4661 Deriving a combined profile for a plurality of end-users of the same client, e.g. for family members within a home user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306
• 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 21/4755 for defining user preferences, e.g. favourite actors or genre retrieval personalisation and generation of user profiles for the retrieval of video data G06F16/739; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4756 for rating content, e.g. scoring a recommended movie
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/478 Supplemental services, e.g. displaying phone caller identification, shopping application
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4821 using a grid, e.g. sorted out by channel and broadcast time
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4825 using a list of items to be played back in a given order, e.g. playlists
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

Systems and methods for determining cross-platform predictive popularity ratings information are provided. An interactive television application operating on at least one predetermined platform, such as an online interactive application platform, may monitor user interactions with the interactive television application to obtain cross-platform data, which may be used to determine predictive popularity ratings information. The predictive popularity ratings information may then be distributed for use in at least one platform of a type different than the type of the predetermined platform, such as a user television equipment platform.

Claims

1. A method for providing cross-platform predictive popularity ratings of programming, the method including an interactive television application guide being implemented on a first platform, the method comprising:

displaying program guide information in an interactive television application on a second platform;

monitoring user selections of the program guide information displayed on the second platform;

collecting data on the user monitored selections of the displayed program guide information;

analyzing the collected data to determine predictive popularity ratings of programming, the predictive popularity ratings indicating a projected rating for programming to be broadcast in the future; and

displaying the predictive popularity ratings in the interactive television application of the interactive television program guide implemented on the first platform.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the first platform comprises user television equipment.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the second platform comprises an online interactive application platform.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the program guide information selected by the user comprises program listings information.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the selected program listings information is programming to be broadcast in the future.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein analyzing the collected data comprises filtering the collected user selection data.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein analyzing the collected data comprises assigning weighting factors to the collected user selection data.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein determining the predictive popularity ratings of programming comprises counting the number of user selections of the programming.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein determining predictive popularity ratings of programming further comprises accessing historical popularity ratings information.

10. The method of claim 1 further comprising recommending programming to the user based on the predictive popularity ratings.

11. A system for providing cross-platform predictive popularity ratings of programming, the system comprising a plurality of platforms of different types and an audience measuring system, the audience measuring system operative to:

collect data on user monitored selections of program guide information displayed by an interactive television application operating on a first platform;

analyze the collected data to determine predictive popularity ratings of programming, the predictive popularity ratings indicating a projected rating for programming to be broadcast in the future; and

distribute the predictive popularity ratings to a second platform of a type different than the type of the first platform.

12. The system of claim 11 wherein the first platform comprises user television equipment.

13. The system of claim 11 wherein the second platform comprises an online interactive application platform.

14. The system of claim 11 wherein the program guide information selected by the user comprises program listings information.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the selected program listings information is programming to be broadcast in the future.

16. The system of claim 11 wherein the audience measuring system is further operative to filter the collected user selection data to assist in determining the predictive popularity ratings.

17. The system of claim 11 wherein the audience measuring system is further operative to assign weighting factors to the collected user selection data to assist in determining the predictive popularity ratings.

18. The system of claim 11 wherein the audience measuring system is further operative to count the number of user selections of the programming to assist in determining the predictive popularity ratings.

19. The system of claim 11 wherein the audience measuring system is further operative to access historical popularity ratings information to assist in determining the predictive popularity ratings.

20. The system of claim 11, the second platform supporting an interactive television application that displays the predictive popularity ratings.

21. A method for providing cross-platform predictive popularity ratings, comprising:

monitoring user interactions with interactive television applications operating on at least one predetermined platform to obtain cross-platform data;

determining predictive popularity ratings information based on the cross-platform data; and

distributing the predictive popularity ratings information for use in interactive television applications operating in at least one platform of a type different than the type of the predetermined platform.

22. The method of claim 21, further comprising displaying the predictive popularity ratings in the interactive television applications operating in the at least one platform of a type different than the type of the predetermined platform.

23. A system for providing cross-platform predictive popularity ratings, the system comprising equipment for supporting operation of a cross-platform application, the cross-platform application operative to:

monitor user interactions with interactive television applications operating on at least one predetermined platform to obtain cross-platform data;

determine predictive popularity ratings information based on the cross-platform data; and

distribute the predictive popularity ratings information for use in interactive television applications operating in at least one platform of a type different than the type of the predetermined platform.

24. The system of claim 23, wherein the interactive television applications operating in the at least one platform of a type different than the type of the predetermined platform display the predictive popularity ratings information.

25. A method for providing cross-platform predictive ratings, the method comprising:

displaying cross-platform predictive ratings in interactive television applications operating on at least one predetermined platform; and

generating the cross-platform predictive ratings based on data received from at least one platform of a type different than the type of the predetermined platform.