Methods, systems, and products for evaluating performance of viewers

• US 20070250846A1
• Filed: 06/20/2007
• Published: 10/25/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 12/21/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Alphonso, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: At&T Delaware Intellectual Property, Inc. (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Matz, William, Swix, Scott
• Granted Patent: US 8,468,556 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/10
• 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

Methods, systems, and products are disclosed for evaluating the performance of a viewer watching media programming. The media programming is received and includes at least one of a live media program and a recorded media program. Display is caused of the media programming and a cue. The cue prompts the viewer during presentation of the media programming to provide a response to the cue within a time period. Upon receiving the response to the cue within the time period, then the response is detected and a response time of the response is measured. The response time is a time between occurrence of the cue and receipt of the response. The viewer'"'"'s performance is evaluated by comparing the response time to a reference response time.

Claims

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

receiving the media programming comprising at least one of a live media program and a recorded media program;

causing display of the media programming and a cue, the cue prompting the viewer during presentation of the media programming to provide a response to the cue within a time period; and

upon receiving the response to the cue within the time period, then

detecting the response,

measuring a response time of the response to the cue, wherein the response time is a time between occurrence of the cue and receipt of the response, and

evaluating the viewer'"'"'s performance by comparing the response time to a reference response time.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing an incentive to the viewer based on the evaluation of the viewer'"'"'s performance.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising communicating the response to a server.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising inserting the cue into the media programming.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the media programming comprises receiving the cue encoded in the media programming.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising stamping the response with a time of receipt.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising creating a log of responses to cues.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising causing presentation of a subsequent cue upon receiving the response to the cue within the time period.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving a personal identification number associated with the viewer, the personal identification number distinguishing the viewer from another viewer.

10. A system for evaluating the performance of a viewer watching media programming, comprising:

means for receiving the media programming comprising at least one of a live media program and a recorded media program;

means for causing display of the media programming and a cue, the cue prompting the viewer during presentation of the media programming to provide a response to the cue within a time period; and

upon receiving the response to the cue within the time period, then

means for detecting the response,

means for measuring a response time of the response to the cue, wherein the response time is a time between occurrence of the cue and receipt of the response, and

means for evaluating the viewer'"'"'s performance by comparing the response time to a reference response time.

11. The system of claim 10, further comprising means for providing an incentive to the viewer based on the evaluation of the viewer'"'"'s performance.

12. The system of claim 10, further comprising means for communicating the response to a server.

13. The system of claim 10, further comprising means for inserting the cue into the media programming.

14. The system of claim 10, further comprising means for receiving the cue encoded in the media programming.

15. The system of claim 10, further comprising means for stamping the response with a time of receipt.

16. A computer program product storing processor-readable instructions for performing a method for evaluating the performance of a viewer watching media programming, the method comprising:

receiving the media programming comprising at least one of a live media program and a recorded media program;

causing display of the media programming and a cue, the cue prompting the viewer during presentation of the media programming to provide a response to the cue within a time period; and

upon receiving the response to the cue within the time period, then

detecting the response,

measuring a response time of the response to the cue, wherein the response time is a time between occurrence of the cue and receipt of the response, and

evaluating the viewer'"'"'s performance by comparing the response time to a reference response time.

17. The computer program product of claim 16, further comprising providing an incentive to the viewer based on the evaluation of the viewer'"'"'s performance.

18. The computer program product of claim 16, further comprising communicating the response to a server.

19. The computer program product of claim 16, further comprising inserting the cue into the media programming.

20. The computer program product of claim 16, wherein receiving the media programming comprises receiving the cue encoded in the media programming.