Methods, Apparatus and Computer Program Products for Audience-Adaptive Control of Content Presentation Based on Sensed Audience Demographics

• US 20070271580A1
• Filed: 10/16/2006
• Published: 11/22/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 05/16/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Bellsouth Intellectual Property Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Bellsouth Intellectual Property Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Koch, Robert A., Tischer, Steven N., Frank, Scott M.
• Application Number:
  US11/549,698
• Publication Number:
  US 20070271580A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/35
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/07 characterised by processes or methods for the generation
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/45 for identifying users
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/66 for using the result on distributors' side
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42202 environmental sensors, e.g. for detecting temperature, luminosity, pressure, earthquakes
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4415 using biometric characteristics of the user, e.g. by voice recognition or fingerprint scanning cryptography using biological data H04L9/3231; authentication in networks using biometric H04L63/0861
• 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 21/4532 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 7/163 by receiver means only

Abstract

Content is presented by sensing attributes of unknown audience members and determining demographics of the unknown audience members from the attributes that are sensed. A content presentation device is controlled based on the demographics that are determined. Related methods, systems, and computer program products are disclosed.

Claims

1. A method of presenting content, the method comprising:

sensing attributes of a plurality of unknown audience members;

determining demographics of the plurality of unknown audience members from the attributes that are sensed; and

controlling a content presentation device based on the demographics that are determined.

2. A method according to claim 1 wherein sensing attributes is repeatedly performed, wherein determining demographics of the plurality of unknown audience members is repeatedly performed with increasing levels of confidence in response to the repeated sensing and wherein controlling a content presentation device is repeatedly performed in response to the increasing levels of confidence.

3. A method according to claim 1 wherein sensing attributes is repeatedly performed, wherein determining demographics comprises determining changes in the demographics of the plurality of unknown audience members in response to the repeated sensing and wherein controlling a content presentation device is repeatedly performed in response to the changes in the demographics.

4. A method according to claim 1 further comprising detecting addition or loss of at least one of the unknown audience members and wherein sensing attributes, determining demographics and controlling a content presentation device are again performed in response to detecting the addition or loss.

5. A method according to claim 1 further comprising determining demographics of at least one audience member in response to information provided by the at least one audience member and wherein controlling a content presentation device is performed in response to the demographics that were determined by sensing attributes and from the information provided by the at least one audience member.

6. A method according to claim 5 wherein the information provided by the at least one audience member comprises demographic information for the at least one audience member and/or an identification of the at least one audience member.

7. A method according to claim 5 wherein controlling the content presentation device is performed by assigning different weight to the information provided by the at least one audience member than to the demographics that are determined.

8. A method according to claim 1 wherein sensing attributes is performed by multiple sensors of same and/or different types.

9. A method according to claim 8 wherein the multiple sensors comprise at least one image sensor, audio sensor and/or olfactory sensor and wherein the corresponding attributes comprise an image, sound and/or smell of the plurality of unknown audience members.

10. A method according to claim 1 wherein the demographics comprise gender, age, nationality, language, physical activity, attentiveness and/or intoxication demographics of the plurality of audience members.

11. A method according to claim 1 wherein sensing attributes comprises sensing an image of the audience members, wherein determining demographics comprises determining a predominant gender and a predominant nationality of the audience members from the image and wherein controlling a content presentation device comprises controlling the content presentation device to present content that is directed to the predominant gender and the predominant nationality, and in a language of the predominant nationality.

12. A method according to claim 1 wherein sensing attributes comprises sensing sound from the audience members, wherein determining demographics comprises determining a predominant gender and/or a predominant nationality of the audience members from the sound and wherein controlling a content presentation device comprises controlling the content presentation device to present content that is directed to the predominant gender and the predominant nationality, and in a language of the predominant nationality.

13. A method according to claim 1 wherein sensing attributes comprises sensing motion of the audience members, wherein determining demographics comprises determining an activity level of the audience from the motion and wherein controlling a content presentation device comprises controlling the content presentation device to present content that is directed to the activity level of the audience.

14. A method according to claim 1 wherein sensing attributes, determining demographics and controlling a content presentation device are performed without affirmatively identifying the unknown audience members.

15. A method according to claim 1 wherein controlling a content presentation device based on the demographics that were determined comprises controlling a type of content presented on the content presentation device, a language of the content, a version of the content, a sound volume of the content and/or advertising content based on the demographics that are determined.

16. A method according to claim 1 wherein sensing attributes comprises time-stamping the attributes that are sensed, wherein determining demographics comprises determining demographics of the plurality of unknown audience members over time from the time-stamped attributes that are sensed and wherein controlling a content presentation device comprises controlling the content presentation device based on a current time and the demographics that are determined.

17. A content presentation system comprising:

a content presentation device configured to provide an audio and/or visual output; and

an audience-adaptive controller configured to sense attributes of a plurality of unknown audience members, determine demographics of the plurality of unknown audience members from the attributes that are sensed and control the content presentation device based on the demographics that are determined.

18. A system according to claim 17 wherein the attributes comprise an image, sound and/or smell of the plurality of unknown audience members and wherein the demographics comprise gender, age, nationality, language, physical activity, attentiveness and/or intoxication demographics of the plurality of audience members.

19. A computer program product for presenting content, the computer program product comprising a computer usable storage medium having computer-readable program code embodied in the medium, the computer-readable program code comprising:

computer-readable program code configured to sense attributes of a plurality of unknown audience members;

computer-readable program code configured to determine demographics of the plurality of unknown audience members from attributes that are sensed; and

computer-readable program code configured to control a content presentation device based on the demographics that are determined.

20. A computer program product according to claim 19 wherein the attributes comprise an image, sound and/or smell of the plurality of unknown audience members and wherein the demographics comprise gender, age, nationality, language, physical activity, attentiveness and/or intoxication demographics of the plurality of audience members.