System and method for monitoring viewer attention with respect to a display and determining associated charges

• US 20080147488A1
• Filed: 10/22/2007
• Published: 06/19/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 10/20/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Studio Imc
• Original Assignee: Studio Imc
• Inventors: Huang, Kuan, Barba, Evan, Rizzaro, Tony L., Tunick, James A.
• Application Number:
  US11/975,834
• Publication Number:
  US 20080147488A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/10
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0201 Market modelling; Market analysis; Collecting market data
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0273 Determination of fees for advertising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0283 Price estimation or determination
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/04 Billing or invoicing
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 10/446 using Haar-like filters, e.g. using integral image techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/16 Human faces, e.g. facial parts, sketches or expressions
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/20 Movements or behaviour, e.g. gesture recognition recognition of facial expressions G06V40/16

Abstract

In an example of an embodiment of the invention, data relating to at least one impression of at least one person with respect to a display is detected, and a party associated with the display is charged an amount based at least in part on the data. The at least one impression may include an action of the person with respect to the display. The action may comprise a gaze, for example, and the method may comprise detecting the gaze of the person directed toward the display. The person'"'"'s gaze may be detected by a sensor, for example, which may comprise a video camera. An invoice may be generated based at least in part on the data, and sent to a selected party. The display may comprise one or more advertisements, for example. A face monitoring update method is also disclosed. Systems are also disclosed.

Claims

1. A method to charge a party for a display, comprising:

detecting data relating to at least one impression of at least one person with respect to a display; and

charging a party associated with the display an amount based at least in part on the data.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one impression includes at least one action of the at least one person with respect to the display.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the action comprises a gaze, the method comprising:

detecting a gaze, of the at least one person, directed toward the display.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

detecting the gaze of the at least one person, by a sensor.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the sensor comprises at least one video camera, the method further comprising:

examining at least one video image; and

identifying the impression based at least in part on information in the video frame.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein detecting the data comprises:

generating an image; and

deriving information from the image.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the display comprises at least one advertisement.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

deriving second data based at least in part on the data;

wherein the second data comprises one or more items of information relating to the at least one person, chosen from the group consisting of;

a number of impressions that occur during a selected time period, a duration of at least one impression, an average duration of impressions occurring during a selected time period, a number of concurrent impressions, a total number of gazes toward the display, an amount of time associated with one or more gazes, a number of concurrent gazes by the at least one person, a part of the display viewed by the at least one person, age information, race information, ethnicity information, gender information, average age information, one or more facial expressions of the at least one person, one or more emotions of the at least one person, information relating to a voice of the at least one person, one or more gestures of the at least one person, whether the at least one person has appeared multiple times before the display, mobile device use, whether and how often the at least one person has made any phone calls, whether and how often the at least one person has used Bluetooth, whether and how often the at least one person has used text messaging, information obtained from a cell phone, information obtained from a Radio Frequency Identification Technology device, crowd flow analysis information, one or more colors worn by the at least one person, and time data.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

generating an invoice based at least in part on the data; and

sending the invoice to a selected party.

10. The method of claim 1, comprising:

detecting data relating to at least one impression of a plurality of persons during a predetermined time period.

11. A system to charge a party for a display, comprising:

at least one device configured to;

detect data relating to at least one impression of at least one person with respect to a display; and

at least one processor configured to;

charge a party associated with the display an amount based at least in part on the data.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the at least one impression includes at least one action of the at least one person with respect to the display.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the at least one device is further configured to:

detect a gaze, of the at least one person, directed toward the display.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the at least one device comprises:

at least one video camera configured to;

generate at least one video image; and

at least one second processor configured to;

examine the at least one video image; and

identify the impression based at least in part on information in the video frame.

15. The system of claim 11, wherein the display comprises at least one advertisement.

16. The system of claim 11, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to:

generate an invoice based at least in part on the data; and

send the invoice to a selected party.

17. The system of claim 11, wherein the at least one processor is configured to:

detect data relating to at least one impression of a plurality of persons during a predetermined time period.

18. A method to charge a party for a display, comprising:

obtaining data relating to at least one impression of at least one person with respect to a display; and

charging a party associated with the display an amount based at least in part on the data.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the display comprises at least one advertisement.

20. The method of claim 18, comprising:

receiving the data relating to at least one impression of at least one person with respect to a display.

21. The method of claim 20, comprising:

receiving the data relating to at least one impression of at least one person with respect to a display, by a first party from a second party different from the first party.

22. A method to acquire information concerning actions by individuals with respect to a display, comprising:

examining an image comprising a representation of at least one first person proximate to a display;

identifying a first face of the first person;

comparing the first face to one or more second faces of one or more respective second persons, the second faces being represented by data stored in at least one memory;

if the first face matches a second face;

updating second data representing the matching second face based at least in part on the first face;

if the first face does not match any second face stored in the at least one memory;

storing third data representing the first face in the at least one memory;

generating a report based at least in part on information relating to the first and second faces stored in the at least one memory; and

providing the report to a selected party.

23. The method of claim 22, further comprising:

generating the image comprising the representation of the at least one first person, by a sensor.

24. The method of claim 22, further comprising:

storing fourth data representing the first face in a selected database in the least one memory; and

removing the fourth data from the selected database, if the first face matches a second face.

25. The method of claim 22, wherein the display comprises at least one advertisement.

26. The method of claim 22, wherein the data representing the second faces comprises one or more data items chosen from the group consisting of:

a center of a selected second face, a unique identifier of the selected second face, an indicator of a time in which the selected second face first appeared, an indicator of a video frame in which the selected second face first appeared, a number of video frames in which the selected second face has appeared, a number of video frames in which the selected second face has not appeared since the selected face second first appeared, coordinates associated with a rectangle containing the selected second face, an indicator indicating whether or not the selected second face has appeared in a previous video frame, and an indicator indicating whether or not the selected second face is considered a person.

27. The method of claim 22, further comprising:

selecting a second face represented by specified data in the at least one memory;

examining a first value indicating a first number of images in which the selected second face has appeared and a second value indicating a second number of images in which the selected second face has not appeared;

if the first value exceeds a first predetermined threshold and the second value exceeds a second predetermined threshold;

removing the specified data representing the selected second face from the at least one memory.

28. The method of claim 22, comprising:

identifying the first face, by a processor; and

comparing, by the processor, the first face to one or more second faces of one or more respective second persons, the second faces being represented by data stored in the at least one memory.

29. The method of claim 22, further comprising:

deriving fourth data based at least in part on information relating to the first and second faces stored in the at least one memory;

wherein the fourth data comprises one or more items of information relating to the at least one person, chosen from the group consisting of;

a number of impressions that occur during a selected time period, a duration of at least one impression, an average duration of impressions occurring during a selected time period, a number of concurrent impressions, a total number of gazes toward the display, an amount of time associated with one or more gazes, a number of concurrent gazes by the at least one person, a part of the display viewed by the at least one person, age information, race information, ethnicity information, gender information, average age information, one or more facial expressions of the at least one person, one or more emotions of the at least one person, information relating to a voice of the at least one person, one or more gestures of the at least one person, whether the at least one person has appeared multiple times before the display, mobile device use, whether and how often the at least one person has made any phone calls, whether and how often the at least one person has used Bluetooth, whether and how often the at least one person has used text messaging, information obtained from a cell phone, information obtained from a Radio Frequency Identification Technology device, crowd flow analysis information, one or more colors worn by the at least one person, and time data.

30. The method of claim 22, wherein the at least one memory comprises one or more databases, the method further comprising:

comparing the first face to one or more second faces of one or more respective second persons, the second faces being represented by data stored in the one or more databases.

31. A system to acquire information concerning actions by individuals with respect to a display, comprising:

at least one memory configured to;

store data;

at least one processor configured to;

examine an image comprising a representation of at least one first person;

identify a first face of the first person;

compare the first face to one or more second faces of one or more respective second persons, the second faces being represented by data stored in the at least one memory;

if the first face matches a second face;

update second data representing the matching second face based at least in part on the first face;

if the first face does not match any second face stored in the at least one memory;

store third data representing the first face in the at least one memory;

generate a report based at least in part on information relating to the first and second faces stored in the at least one memory; and

provide the report to a party in response to a request for desired information relating to first person and second persons.

32. The system of claim 31, further comprising:

at least one sensor configured to;

generate the image comprising the representation of the at least one first person.

33. The system of claim 31, further wherein the at least one processor is further configured to:

store fourth data representing the first face in a selected database stored in the at least one memory; and

remove the fourth data from the selected database, if the first face matches a second face.

34. The system of claim 31, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to:

select a second face represented by specified data in the at least one memory;

examine a first value indicating a first number of images in which the selected second face has appeared and a second value indicating a second number of images in which the selected second face has not appeared;

if the first value exceeds a first predetermined threshold and the second value exceeds a second predetermined threshold;

remove the specified data representing the selected second face from the at least one memory.

35. The system of claim 31, wherein:

the at least one memory is further configured to;

store data in one or more databases;

the at least one processor being configured to;

compare the first face to one or more second faces of one or more respective second persons, the second faces being represented by data stored in the one or more databases.

36. A computer readable medium encoded with computer readable program code, the program code comprising instructions operable to:

examine an image comprising a representation of at least one first person;

identify a first face of the first person;

compare the first face to one or more second faces of one or more respective second persons, the second faces being represented by data stored in the at least one memory;

if the first face matches a second face;

update second data representing the matching second face based at least in part on the first face; and

if the first face does not match any second face stored in the at least one memory;

store third data representing the first face in the at least one memory.

37. The computer readable medium of claim 36, wherein the program code further comprises instructions operable to:

generate a report based at least in part on information relating to the first and second faces stored in the at least one memory; and

provide the report to a party in response to a request for desired information relating to first person and second persons.

38. The computer readable medium of claim 36, wherein the program code comprises instructions operable to:

compare the first face to one or more second faces of one or more respective second persons, the second faces being represented by data stored in one or more databases maintained in, the at least one memory.