Using sensors to provide feedback on the access of digital content

• US 20070150916A1
• Filed: 12/28/2005
• Published: 06/28/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 12/28/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Palo Alto Research Center, Inc. (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Palo Alto Research Center, Inc. (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Thornton, James, Begole, James
• Application Number:
  US11/319,641
• Publication Number:
  US 20070150916A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/10
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/31 Arrangements for monitoring the use made of the broadcast services
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/33 Arrangements for monitoring the users' behaviour or opinions
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/61 Arrangements for services using the result of monitoring, identification or recognition covered by groups H04H60/29-H04H60/54
• 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 21/42201 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 21/44204 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 21/44218 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 21/6582 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 7/163 by receiver means only

Abstract

A system according to the present disclosure presents content to a user and provides feedback to a content provider without requiring the viewer to explicitly take action. A content presentation unit, such as a digital picture frame or public display, may be any device that continuously and/or sequentially displays graphical, audio and other presentations that may be sensed by a user, generally without intervention by the user. The unit may include sensors that detect when a human expresses interest in specific content, and in various embodiments, determines a type of emotional response experienced by the user regarding the content. Particular sensors may include eye-contact, touch, motion and voice, though other sensors may also be used. The response information can be combined to provide feedback to the content provider that the content was experienced, and may determine various data, such as the duration of attention to the content and any detected emotional response to it.

Claims

1. A method for providing feedback on user response to content, comprising:

receiving, from a content provider, content for presentation to a user;

presenting the content to the user;

sensing, using at least one sensor, a response of the user to the content; and

transmitting, to the content provider, data corresponding to the response of the user.

2. The method of claim 1, said receiving further comprising:

receiving, from the content provider, content having a plurality of items for sequential presentation to a user.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

altering a frequency of sequential presentation of an item of the content to the user, based on a response of the user to the item determined from the at least one sensor.

4. The method of claim 1, said content comprising at least one of:

an audio presentation, a visual presentation, a tactile presentation, and an aromatic presentation.

5. The method of claim 1, said presenting further comprising:

presenting the content to the user using at least one of;

a computing device and a digital picture frame.

6. The method of claim 1, said sensing further comprising:

sensing the response of the user using at least one of;

an eye gaze sensor, a microphone, and a touch sensor.

7. The method of claim 1, said transmitting further comprising:

transmitting, to the content provider, data corresponding to the response in accordance with a privacy policy established by the user.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

transmitting, to at least one of the content provider and a content distributor, the response sensed by the at least one sensor, whereby the response is analyzed and response data based on the response is generated.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

analyzing the response sensed by the at least one sensor; and

generating response data based on said analyzing, whereby the response data is transmitted to the content provider.

10. The method of claim 1, said presenting, further comprising:

presenting the content to a plurality of users.

11. The method of claim 1, said transmitting further comprising:

transmitting the response data to at least one other user that received the content from the content provider.

12. A method for presenting content based on user response, comprising:

receiving, from a content provider, content having a plurality of items for sequential presentation to a user;

presenting the content to the user;

sensing, using at least one sensor, a response of the user to an item of the content; and

altering a frequency of the presentation of the item to the user, based on the response sensed by the at least one sensor.

13. The method of claim 12, said content comprising at least one of:

an audio presentation, a visual presentation, a tactile presentation, and an aromatic presentation.

14. The method of claim 12, said presenting further comprising:

presenting the content to the user using at least one of;

a computing device and a digital picture frame.

15. The method of claim 12, said sensing further comprising:

sensing the response of the user using at least one of;

an eye gaze sensor, a microphone, and a touch sensor.

16. The method of claim 12, said transmitting further comprising:

transmitting, to the content provider, data corresponding to the response in accordance with a privacy policy established by the user.

17. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

transmitting, to the content provider, data corresponding to the response of the user.

18. The method of claim 12, said transmitting further comprising:

transmitting, to at least one of the content provider and a content distributor, the response sensed by the at least one sensor, whereby the response is analyzed and response data based on the response is generated.

19. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

analyzing the response sensed by the at least one sensor; and

generating response data based on said analyzing, whereby the response data is transmitted to the content provider.

20. The method of claim 12, wherein the content comprises a single item for addition to an existing sequence of items presented sequentially to the user.

21. An apparatus for presenting content to a user, comprising:

a communications device for receiving content from and transmitting feedback data to a content provider;

a presentation device for presenting the content to a user;

a plurality of sensors for monitoring a response of the user to the content and generating sensor data corresponding thereto;

a memory for storing the sensor data; and

a processor for processing the sensor data to provide feedback to the content provider on the presentation of the content.

22. The apparatus of claim 21, the presentation device further comprises a digital picture frame.

23. The apparatus of claim 21, the processor further for determining an emotional response of the user to the item based on the sensor data.