SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR COLLECTING OPINION DATA

• US 20090183204A1
• Filed: 01/10/2008
• Published: 07/16/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 01/10/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Knowledge Ventures, L.P. (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: WHITE, SCOTT
• Granted Patent: US 8,793,718 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/44
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2221 being a cable television head-end CATV in broadcast systems H04H20/78
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2225 Local VOD servers
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25883 being end-user demographical data, e.g. age, family status or address arrangements for identifying locations of users in broadcast systems H04H60/52
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/443 OS processes, e.g. booting an STB, implementing a Java virtual machine in an STB or power management in an STB
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4622 Retrieving content or additional data from different sources, e.g. from a broadcast channel and the Internet web site content organization and management for information retrieval from the Internet G06F16/958; transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82; stock exchange data over packet-switching network H04L12/1804; push services including data channel over packet-switching network H04L12/1859
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4758 for providing answers, e.g. voting
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6125 involving transmission via Internet transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6175 involving transmission via Internet broadcast-related systems characterised by the transmission system being the Internet H04H60/82
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6405 Multicasting data broadcast and multicast in packet switching networks H04L12/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8166 involving executable data, e.g. software arrangements for executing specific programs G06F9/44; broadcasting computer programmes in broadcast systems H04H20/91; involving the movement of software or configuration parameters H04L67/34
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8355 involving usage data, e.g. number of copies or viewings allowed

Abstract

A system that incorporates teachings of the present disclosure may include, for example, a media processor having a controller to present a user of the media processor a solicitation initiated by a media content supplier requesting an opinion survey of unpublished media content, receive the unpublished media content responsive to submitting an acceptance of the solicitation, and submit the opinion survey to the media content supplier responsive to receiving a response from the user. Other embodiments are disclosed.

Claims

1. A computer-readable storage medium, comprising computer instructions for:

receiving unpublished media content;

soliciting a plurality of subscribers to review the unpublished media content over a Set-Top Box (STB);

transmitting the unpublished media content to one or more STBs of at least a portion of the plurality of subscribers responsive to receiving an agreement from each of the portion of the plurality of subscribers to complete an opinion survey on a presentation of the unpublished media content; and

receiving the opinion survey from the portion of the plurality of subscribers.

2. The storage medium of claim 1, comprising computer instructions for applying a security procedure to the unpublished media content to prevent copying of the unpublished media content by the portion of subscribers.

3. The storage medium of claim 2, wherein the security procedure corresponds to at least one among applying a digital rights management policy to the unpublished media content to restrict its usage, preventing a recipient STB from storing the unpublished media content, restricting the distribution of the unpublished media content by the recipient STB, and degrading a presentation of the unpublished media content by the recipient STB.

4. The storage medium of claim 1, wherein the unpublished media content comprises at least one among audio content, video content, and still image content, and wherein the unpublished media content comprises copyrighted media content not yet commercially distributed.

5. The storage medium of claim 1, comprising computer instructions for soliciting the plurality of subscribers by way of the STB of each subscriber.

6. The storage medium of claim 1, comprising computer instructions for selecting the plurality of subscribers to review the unpublished media content according to at least one among demographic and psychographic information.

7. The storage medium of claim 1, comprising computer instructions for offering the plurality of subscribers one or more rewards for reviewing the unpublished media content.

8. The storage medium of claim 7, wherein the one or more rewards comprises at least one among a first discount applied to fees associated with media services supplied to the subscribers, and a second discount applied to fees associated with other media consumable by the subscribers.

9. The storage medium of claim 1, wherein the computer-readable storage medium operates in at least one among a packet-switched communication system, and a circuit-switched communication system.

10. The storage medium of claim 1, wherein the computer-readable storage medium operates as survey system in at least one among an Internet Protocol Television communication system, a cable TV communication system, a satellite TV communication system, a Public Switched Telephone Network, a Voice over IP (VoIP) communication system, and a IP Multimedia Subsystem combining the PSTN and VoIP communication systems.

11. The storage medium of claim 1, comprising computer instructions for receiving the opinion survey from at least one among the STB and a communication device of each of the one or more of the portion of subscribers.

12. The storage medium of claim 11, wherein the opinion survey comprises at least one among text, image, and audio feedback supplied by a corresponding subscriber.

13. The storage medium of claim 1, comprising computer instructions for combining the opinion surveys received from the portion of subscribers.

14. The storage medium of claim 13, comprising computer instructions for producing a desirability rating of the unpublished media content according to the combined opinion surveys.

15. A computer-readable storage medium, comprising computer instructions for soliciting users of Set-Top Boxes (STBs) to provide a response to a presentation of unpublished media content over the respective STBs of the users.

16. The storage medium of claim 15, comprising computer instructions for soliciting the users according to at least one among demographic and psychographic information.

17. The storage medium of claim 15, wherein the unpublished media content comprises at least one among audio content, video content, and still image content, and wherein the unpublished media content comprises copyrighted media content not yet commercially distributed.

18. The storage medium of claim 15, comprising computer instructions for:

applying a security procedure to the unpublished media content to prevent distribution of the unpublished media content, wherein the security procedure corresponds to at least one among applying a digital rights management policy to the unpublished media content to restrict its usage, preventing a recipient STB from storing the unpublished media content, restricting the distribution of the unpublished media content by the recipient STB, and degrading a presentation of the unpublished media content by the recipient STB; and

offering the users of STBs one or more rewards for reviewing the unpublished media content.

19. The storage medium of claim 15, comprising computer instructions for:

receiving responses from at least a portion of the users from at least one among the STB and a communication device of each of the users;

combining the responses; and

producing a desirability rating of the unpublished media content according to the combined responses, wherein the responses comprise at least one among text, image, and audio feedback supplied by a corresponding user of the STB, and wherein the computer-readable storage medium operates in at least one among an Internet Protocol Television communication system, a cable TV communication system, a satellite TV communication system, a Public Switched Telephone Network, a Voice over IP (VoIP) communication system, and a IP Multimedia Subsystem combining the PSTN and VoIP communication systems.

20. A media processor, comprising a controller to:

present a user of the media processor a solicitation initiated by a media content supplier requesting an opinion survey of unpublished media content;

receive the unpublished media content responsive to submitting an acceptance of the solicitation; and

submit the opinion survey to the media content supplier responsive to receiving a response from the user.

21. The media processor of claim 20, wherein the media processor comprises at least one among a Set-Top Box, a Digital Video Recorder, a computer, a media player, a portable wireless phone, and a fixed line phone, wherein the unpublished media content comprises at least one among audio content, video content, and still image content, wherein the unpublished media content comprises copyrighted media content not yet commercially distributed.

22. The media processor of claim 20, wherein the media processor operates in at least one among an Internet Protocol Television communication system, a cable TV communication system, a satellite TV communication system, a Public Switched Telephone Network, a Voice over IP (VoIP) communication system, and a IP Multimedia Subsystem combining the PSTN and VoIP communication systems, and wherein the controller is adapted to:

secure the presentation of the unpublished media content;

present the opinion survey; and

prevent presentation of other media content until the opinion survey has been completed by the user.

23. A method, comprising:

soliciting a subscriber of a media processor operating in an internet protocol television communication system a response to a presentation of unpublished media content on the media processor;

determining a commercialization plan according to the response supplied by the subscriber; and

publishing the unpublished media content according to the commercialization plan.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein the media processors correspond to at least one among a Set-Top Box, a Digital Video Recorder, a computer, a media player, a wireless communication device, and a fixed line communication device, wherein the unpublished media content comprises at least one among audio content, video content, and still image content, and wherein the unpublished media content comprises copyrighted media content not yet commercially distributed, and wherein the method comprises:

updating the unpublished media content before the publishing step according to the responses received from at least a portion of the subscribers; and

publishing the updated unpublished media content according to the commercialization plan.

25. The method of claim 23, comprising applying one or more security measures to the unpublished media content to prevent its distribution.