Correlating Media Instance Information With Physiological Responses From Participating Subjects

• US 20090150919A1
• Filed: 12/01/2008
• Published: 06/11/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 11/30/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Nielsen Company (US) LLC (RR Donnelley & Sons Company)
• Original Assignee: Nielsen Company (US) LLC (RR Donnelley & Sons Company)
• Inventors: Lee, Michael J., Lee, Hans C., Hong, Timmie T.
• Application Number:
  US12/326,016
• Publication Number:
  US 20090150919A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/10
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/235 Processing of additional data, e.g. scrambling of additional data or processing content descriptors
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2547 Third Party Billing, e.g. billing of advertiser
• 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 21/435 Processing of additional data, e.g. decrypting of additional data, reconstructing software from modules extracted from the transport stream
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44245 Monitoring the upstream path of the transmission network, e.g. its availability, bandwidth
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6581 Reference data, e.g. a movie identifier for ordering a movie or a product identifier in a home shopping application
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8456 by decomposing the content in the time domain, e.g. in time segments
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17309 Transmission or handling of upstream communications

Abstract

Embodiments described herein enable the correlation between a media instance and physiological responses of human subjects to the media instance. While the subject is watching and/or listening to the media instance, physiological responses are derived from the physiological data collected from the subject. Additionally, audio and/or video signals of the media instance are collected. Program-identifying information is detected in the collected signals to identify the exact segment of the media instance that the subject is listening to and/or watching. The identified segment of the media instance is then correlated with the one or more physiological responses of the subject.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a media defining module coupled to a processor and a media instance, the media defining module detecting program-identifying information in signals of the media instance, the signals emanating from the media instance when the media instance is playing;

a response module coupled to the processor, the response module deriving physiological responses from physiological data, the physiological data received from at least one subject participating in the playing of the media instance; and

a correlation module coupled to the processor, the correlation module using the program-identifying information to identify segments of the media instance and correlate the identified segments with the physiological responses.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the media defining module collects the signals.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the media defining module collects the signals directly from the media instance.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the media defining module collects the signals indirectly by detecting ambient signals of the media instance.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the media defining module identifies the program-identifying information by detecting and decoding inaudible codes embedded in the signals.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the media defining module identifies the program-identifying information by detecting and decoding invisible codes embedded in the signals.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the media defining module generates and compares the program-identifying information with at least one reference signature.

8. The system of claim 7, comprising a reference database, the reference database managing the at least one reference signature.

9. The system of claim 7, comprising a reference database, the reference database storing the at least one reference signature.

10. The system of claim 7, comprising a reference database, the reference database classifying each section of media.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the response module receives the physiological data from a storage device.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the response module measures the physiological data via at least one physiological sensor attached to the subject.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein the response module receives the physiological data from a sensor worn by the subject.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein the correlation module correlates an exact moment in time of each of the identified segments with the physiological responses at the exact moment.

15. The system of claim 1, wherein the correlation module generates a report including the physiological responses correlated with the segments of the media instance.

16. The system of claim 1, wherein each of the segments is at least one of a song, a line of dialog, a joke, a branding moment, a product introduction in an advertisement, a cut scene, a fight, a level restart in a video game, dialog, music, sound effects, a character, a celebrity, an important moment, a climactic moment, a repeated moment, silence, absent stimuli, a media start, a media stop, a commercial, and an element that interrupts expected media.

17. The system of claim 1, wherein the program-identifying information divides the media instance into a plurality of segments.

18. The system of claim 1, wherein the media instance is a television broadcast.

19. The system of claim 1, wherein the media instance is a radio broadcast.

20. The system of claim 1, wherein the media instance is a live interaction in an environment in which the at least one subject interacts with real world objects.

21. The system of claim 1, wherein correlation of the identified segments with the physiological responses is performed in real time.

22. The system of claim 1, wherein the media instance is played from recorded media.

23. The system of claim 1, wherein the media instance is at least one of a television program, an advertisement, a movie, printed media, a website, a live experience, an experience purchasing a product, an experience interacting with a product, a computer application, a video game, and a live performance.

24. The system of claim 1, wherein the media instance is representative of a product.

25. The system of claim 1, wherein the media instance is at least one of product information and product content.

26. The system of claim 1, wherein the signals of the media instance are audio signals.

27. The system of claim 1, wherein the signals of the media instance are video signals.

28. The system of claim 1, wherein the participating is at least one of viewing images of the media instance and listening to audio of the media instance.

29. The system of claim 1, wherein the physiological data is at least one of heart rate, brain waves, EEG signals, blink rate, breathing, motion, muscle movement, galvanic skin response, eye tracking and a response correlated with change in emotion.

30. The system of claim 1, comprising a signal collection device, the signal collection device transferring, via a network, the physiological data from a sensor attached to the subject to the response module.

31. The system of claim 30, wherein the physiological data is received from at least one of a physiological sensor, an electroencephalogram, an accelerometer, a blood oxygen sensor, a galvanometer, a electromygraph, at least one dry EEG electrode, at least one heart rate sensor, at least one accelerometer.

32. The system of claim 1, wherein the physiological responses have been shown to correlate strongly with at least one of liking, thought, adrenaline, engagement, and immersion in the media instance.

33. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one subject includes a plurality of subjects, wherein the processor synchronizes the physiological data from the plurality of subjects.

34. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one subject includes a plurality of subjects, wherein the processor synchronizes the media instance and the physiological data from the plurality of subjects.

35. The system of claim 1, comprising an interface, wherein the interface provides controlled access to the physiological responses correlated to the segments of the media instance.

36. The system of claim 35, wherein the interface provides remote interactive manipulation of the physiological responses correlated to the segments of the media instance.

37. The system of claim 36, wherein the manipulation includes at least one of dividing, dissecting, aggregating, parsing, organizing, and analyzing.

38. A system comprising:

a response module that receives physiological data collected from at least one subject participating in a media instance and derives physiological responses of the subject from the physiological data;

a media defining module that collects signals of the media instance and detects program-identifying information in the signals of the media instance, the program-identifying information dividing the media instance into a plurality of segments; and

a correlation module that identifies segments of the media instance based on analysis of the program-identifying information and correlates in real time the identified segments of the media instance with the physiological responses.

39. A system comprising:

a response module embedded in a first readable medium, the response module receiving physiological data collected from a subject participating in a media instance, and deriving one or more physiological responses from the collected physiological data;

a media defining module embedded in a second readable medium, the media defining module collecting signals of the media instance in which the subject is participating, and detecting program-identifying information in the collected signals of the media instance, wherein the program-identifying information divides the media instance into a plurality of segments; and

a correlation module embedded in a third readable medium, the correlation module identifying segments of the media instance based on analysis of the program-identifying information, and correlating the identified segments with the one or more physiological responses while the subject is participating in the segment.

40. A method comprising:

detecting program-identifying information in signals of a media instance, the signals emanating from the media instance during playing of the media instance;

deriving physiological responses from physiological data received from a subject participating in the playing of the media instance; and

identifying segments of the media instance using the program-identifying information and correlating the identified segments with the physiological responses.

41. The method of claim 40, comprising receiving the signals directly from the media instance.

42. The method of claim 40, comprising collecting the signals indirectly by detecting ambient signals of the media instance.

43. The method of claim 40, comprising identifying the program-identifying information by detecting and decoding inaudible codes embedded in the signals.

44. The method of claim 40, comprising identifying the program-identifying information by detecting and decoding invisible codes embedded in the signals.

45. The method of claim 40, comprising generating and comparing the program-identifying information with at least one reference signature.

46. The method of claim 40, comprising receiving the physiological data from a storage device.

47. The method of claim 40, comprising measuring the physiological data via at least one physiological sensor attached to the subject.

48. The method of claim 40, comprising receiving the physiological data from a sensor worn by the subject.

49. The method of claim 40, comprising correlating an exact moment in time of each of the identified segments with the physiological responses at the exact moment.

50. The method of claim 40, comprising generating a report including the physiological responses correlated with the segments of the media instance.

51. The method of claim 40, wherein the media instance is at least one of a television program, radio program, played from recorded media, an advertisement, a movie, printed media, a website, a computer application, a video game, and a live performance.

52. The method of claim 40, wherein the media instance is representative of a product.

53. The method of claim 40, wherein the media instance is at least one of product information and product content.

54. The method of claim 40, wherein the signals of the media instance are at least one of audio signals and video signals.

55. The method of claim 40, wherein the participating is at least one of viewing images of the media instance and listening to audio of the media instance.

56. The method of claim 40, wherein the physiological data is at least one of heart rate, brain waves, EEG signals, blink rate, breathing, motion, muscle movement, galvanic skin response, a response correlated with change in emotion.

57. The method of claim 40, comprising transferring, via a network, the physiological data from a sensor attached to the subject to the response module.

58. The method of claim 57, comprising receiving the physiological data from at least one of a physiological sensor, an electroencephalogram, an accelerometer, a blood oxygen sensor, a galvanometer, a electromyograph, at least one dry EEG electrode, at least one heart rate sensor, at least one accelerometer.

59. The method of claim 40, wherein the physiological responses include at least one of liking, thought, adrenaline, engagement, and immersion in the media instance.

60. The method of claim 40, wherein the at least one subject includes a plurality of subjects.

61. The method of claim 40, comprising synchronizing the physiological data from the plurality of subjects.

62. The method of claim 40, comprising synchronizing the media instance and the physiological data from the plurality of subjects.

63. The method of claim 40, comprising providing controlled access from a remote client device to the physiological responses correlated to the segments of the media instance.

64. The method of claim 63, comprising providing, via the controlled access, interactive manipulation of the physiological responses correlated to the segments of the media instance, wherein the manipulation includes at least one of dividing, dissecting, aggregating, parsing, organizing, and analyzing.

65. A method comprising:

receiving physiological data collected from a subject participating in a media instance;

deriving physiological responses of the subject from the physiological data;

collecting signals of the media instance;

detecting program-identifying information in the signals of the media instance, the program-identifying information dividing the media instance into a plurality of segments;

identifying segments of the media instance based on analysis of the program-identifying information; and

correlating the identified segments of the media instance with the physiological responses.