SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR DELIVERING CONTENT TO USERS ON A NETWORK

• US 20100115060A1
• Filed: 10/23/2009
• Published: 05/06/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 01/03/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm Atheros Incorporated (Qualcomm, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: ORB Networks Incorporated (Qualcomm, Inc.)
• Inventors: Le Nerriec, Yohan, Dubreuil, Jerome, Costello, Joe, Julia, Luc
• Granted Patent: US 8,281,037 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/219
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/437 Administration of user profiles, e.g. generation, initialisation, adaptation, distribution
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25891 being end-user preferences retrieval of video data in a video database based on user preferences G06F16/739; arrangements for recognizing users' preferences H04H60/46; 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 21/2665 Gathering content from different sources, e.g. Internet and satellite
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/43615 Interfacing a Home Network, e.g. for connecting the client to a plurality of peripherals home Audio Video Interoperability [HAVI] data switching networks H04L12/2805
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4667 Processing of monitored end-user data, e.g. trend analysis based on the log file of viewer selections

Abstract

A system and method for targeting content to users of a device or network of user-operated devices. In an embodiment, profile information is determined about a user'"'"'s media consumption activities. One or more inputs are received from an external source to specify what content to target to the user. One or more content items are selected to target to the user based on the profile information and the one or more inputs. The selection of content items is performed without communicating the profile information outside of the user'"'"'s device or network of user-operated devices.

Claims

1. A method for targeting content to a user, the method being implemented by one or more processors and comprising steps of:

(a) determining profile information, including information about a user'"'"'s media consumption activities;

(b) receiving one or more inputs from an external source to specify what content to target to the user;

(c) selecting one or more content items to target to the user based on the profile information and the one or more inputs; and

wherein steps (a) through (c) are performed without communicating the user'"'"'s profile information outside of a defined network of devices that are operated under control of the user.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein step (a) includes determining information about a user'"'"'s media consumption activities across multiple devices and device platform.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein step (a) includes determining one or more of (i) timing information that indicates a time when the media consumption activities took place, (ii) location information that identifies specific devices on which the media consumption activities took place.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein step (a) includes identifying media content consumed by the user that is of a type corresponding to one or more of music, video, pictures, documents, and online activity.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein step (a) includes identifying media content that is recorded by the user.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein step (a) includes identifying media content that is purchased or rented by the user.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein step (a) includes identifying (i) a number of devices that the user utilizes or owns, (ii) a type of device that the user has to perform some or all of the media consumption activities, (iii) a type, kind or count of devices that the user actually uses to perform the media consumption activities.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein step (a) includes determining one or more of (i) a television program that the user watches, (ii) which program the user watches the most, and/or (iii) what program the user never watches.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein step (a) includes determining volunteer information, in which the user volunteers information about the user or the user'"'"'s preferences.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the user operates a set of devices that are interconnected by a network, and wherein step (a) includes determining the profile information from media consumption activities performed on the set of interconnected devices.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the set of devices include one or more devices selected from a group consisting of a personal computer, a set-top box, a roaming device, an intelligent television, a digital television recorder, a digital picture frame.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein step (c) includes selecting supplemental content.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the supplemental content corresponds to (i) an audio-video commercial, (ii) an audio commercial, (iii) a web advertisement, (iv) a content layover.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein step (c) includes selecting one or more commercials to include with a program being viewed by the user.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein step (c) includes selecting a commercial from a group of commercials that are provided to the user in connection with a program that is being rendered on one of the devices of the user.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein step (c) includes receiving algorithmic input from an advertiser on one of the user'"'"'s devices, then operating the one of the user'"'"'s devices to select the one or more content items.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein step (b) includes receiving one or more inputs that specify an algorithm that generates and/or uses data from one or more queries in order to perform step (c).

18. The method of claim 1, wherein step (a) includes recording the profile information, and step (b) includes enabling a third-party at the external source to specify a query for the one or more inputs.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein step (b) includes enabling the third-party to specify an algorithm for the one or more inputs, the algorithm using a result of the query in performing step (c).

20. The method of claim 1, wherein step (a) includes recording information about media that the user watches and/or listens to each of the devices in the network.

21. The method of claim 1, wherein step (a) includes recording information about media content that the user records on one of the devices in the network.

22. The method of claim 1, wherein step (a) includes recording information about media that the user has purchased.

23. The method of claim 1, wherein step (a) includes determining profile information programmatically and automatically.

24. The method of claim 1, wherein responsive to step (c), the method further comprises receiving and processing information that identifies a count of individual instances in which the selected one or more content items are displayed to the user.

25. A system for targeting content to a user, the system comprising:

a profile generating subsystem that is configured to determine profile information about media consumption activities of the user;

an interface to enable a third-party to specify one or more inputs; and

a content selector that is configured to select one or more content items for the user based on the profile information and the one or more inputs of the third-party;

wherein the system is implemented by one or more devices that are owned or controlled by the user, so that the profile information is not communicated outside of devices that are owned or operated by the user.

26. The system of claim 25, wherein the one or more inputs includes (i) one or more queries that operate on the profile information, and (ii) algorithmic input that specifies an algorithm, wherein the content selector uses the algorithm to select the one or more content items.

27. The system of claim 25, wherein the interface includes a programmatic component that enables the system to receive algorithm data from the third-party concurrently with a library of supplemental content items, and wherein the content selector is configured to select content items that correspond to one or more of the supplemental content items of the library using the algorithm data.

28. The system of claim 25, wherein the interface includes a programmatic component that enables the system to receive algorithm data from the third-party concurrently with a library of supplemental content items and a desired media content selected by the user, and wherein the content selector is configured to select content items that correspond to one or more of the supplemental content items of the library using the algorithm data.

29. The system of claim 25, wherein the interface includes a programmatic component that enables the system to receive algorithm data from the third-party concurrently with a desired media content selected by the user, and wherein the content selector is configured to select one or more supplemental content items for the media content using the algorithm data.

30. The system of claim 29, wherein the interface is provided on a device in which the user operates to download or receive the desired program over a network.

31. The system of claim 30, wherein the device is a personal computer or a set-top box.

32. The system of claim 25, wherein the system is implemented on a set of devices interconnected by one or more networks, and wherein the profile generating subsystem is implemented by one or more agents that interface with each of the devices in the set.

33. The system of claim 32, wherein the set of devices include one or more devices selected from a group consisting of a personal computer, a set-top box, a roaming device, an intelligent television, a digital television recorder, a digital picture frame.

34. The system of claim 33, wherein the profile generating subsystem is omniscient of media consumption activities of the user performed through the set of interconnected devices.

35. The system of claim 25, further comprising a feedback mechanism that signals feedback to a content provider, the feedback identifying individual instances in which the selected content item is rendered or viewed on the system.

36. A system for targeting content to a user, the system comprising:

a time-shift subsystem comprising;

a storage medium;

a record component that is operable by a user to select and record, at a given time, a media program on the storage medium;

a playback component that is operable by a user to enable the user to playback a recorded media program over a duration that is subsequent to when the program was recorded;

a content selector configured to select a supplemental content item to present when the recorded program is played back in the subsequent duration, wherein the content selector is configured to select, for each recorded media program, the supplemental content item based at least in part on a time of the subsequent duration when payback occurs, rather than at the given time when the media program is recorded.

37. The system of claim 36, wherein the time-shift subsystem is configured to receive and store a set of supplemental content items from which the content selector is able to select for presentation when the recorded program is played back.

38. The system of claim 36, further comprising a profile generator that that operates with or on the time-shifting subsystem in order to record profile information corresponding to one or more of (i) what media programs the user records, and/or (ii) when the user plays back the recorded media programs.

39. The system of claim 36, wherein the time-shifting subsystem records information corresponding to what and/or how many supplemental content items the user viewed when playing back the recorded media program.

40. The system of claim 36, further comprising:

a plurality of interconnected devices, including one or more devices of the time-shift subsystem,

a profile generating subsystem that is configured to communicate or operate on at least some of the plurality of interconnected devices in order to determine profile information about one or more media consumption activities of the user.

41. The system of claim 40, wherein the content selector communicates with the profile generating subsystem, and receives one or more inputs from a third-party in order to select the supplemental content item to present at the subsequent duration, based in part on a result of the content selector executing an algorithm specified by the one or more inputs that use the profile information.

42. The system of claim 36, further comprising a control mechanism that is configured to identify a number of instances in which the user previously skipped or fast-forwarded supplemental content in connection with viewing time-shifted content, then precludes the user in a present instance from being able to skip or fast-forward time-shifted content if the number of instances exceeds a threshold.