METHOD FOR MONITORING THE VIEWING OF VIDEO CONTENT

• US 20110223894A1
• Filed: 11/12/2009
• Published: 09/15/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 11/25/2008
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: GfK Telecontrol AG
• Original Assignee: GfK Telecontrol AG
• Inventors: Battiston, Daniel, Clement, Christian
• Application Number:
  US13/128,666
• Publication Number:
  US 20110223894A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/414.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/29 Arrangements for monitoring broadcast services or broadcast-related services
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/35 Arrangements for identifying or recognising characteristics with a direct linkage to broadcast information or to broadcast space-time, e.g. for identifying broadcast stations or for identifying users
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/91 Mobile communication networks for accessing the Internet H04H60/85
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/254 Management at additional data server, e.g. shopping server, rights management server arrangements for maintenance or administration in data networks H04L41/00; network services using third party service providers H04L67/53
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/41407 embedded in a portable device, e.g. video client on a mobile phone, PDA, laptop constructional details of equipment or arrangements specially adapted for portable computer application G06F1/1626; arrangements specially adapted for mobile receivers in broadcast systems H04H20/57
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44204 Monitoring of content usage, e.g. the number of times a movie has been viewed, copied or the amount which has been watched monitoring of user activities for profile generation for accessing a video database G06F16/739; protecting generic digital content where the protection is independent of the precise nature of the content G06F21/10; arrangements for monitoring the use made of the broadcast services in broadcast systems H04H60/31
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6131 involving transmission via a mobile phone network wireless downlink channel access H04W74/006
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6181 involving transmission via a mobile phone network arrangements for providing broadcast or conference services to substation in data switching networks in combination with wireless systems H04L12/189; wireless uplink channel access H04W74/004
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6582 Data stored in the client, e.g. viewing habits, hardware capabilities, credit card number arrangements where receivers interact with the broadcast H04H20/38
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a method for monitoring the viewing of video content transmitted via a first wireless link (70) to a mobile terminal (200), in particular to a mobile telecommunication device, includes the steps of: within the mobile terminal (200) automatically gathering information relating to the viewing of the video content; forwarding the gathered information to an interface (210) of the mobile terminal (200), the interface (210) allowing for sending data via a second wireless link (50); and transmitting the information to a data collection center (60) via the second wireless link (50). Therefore, the information is directly gathered within the mobile terminal (200), i.e. the integrity of the gathered data is not affected by the video display and audio playback means used. The transmission of the gathered information by means of a wireless link (50) allows for an instant (or short-term) analysis of the data at the data collection center. The monitored user (and therefore its viewing habits) are completely unaffected by the inventive monitoring method.

Claims

1. A method for monitoring the viewing of video content transmitted via a first wireless link to a mobile terminal, in particular to a mobile telecommunication device, comprising the steps of:

a) within the mobile terminal automatically gathering information relating to the viewing of the video content;

b) forwarding the gathered information to an interface of the mobile terminal, the interface allowing for sending data via a second wireless link (50);

c) transmitting the information to a data collection center via the second wireless link.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the gathered information relates to at least one of the following:

a) an active channel;

b) program content;

c) a visibility of the video content on a display;

d) a volume level of sound related to the video content.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the first wireless link is a digital video broadcast link.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the first wireless link is a mobile telecommunication link and in that the video content is streamed to the terminal.

5. The method claim 1, wherein the information relating to the viewing of the video content is gathered by a viewer application of the mobile terminal, the viewer application being capable of outputting information relating to the video content displayed by the viewer application.

6. The method claim 1, wherein the information relating to the viewing of the video content is gathered by monitoring a functioning of a viewer application of the mobile terminal.

7. The method of claim 4, wherein the information relating to the viewing of the video content is gathered by monitoring a content of a data stream or data packets received via the first wireless link.

8. The method claim 1, wherein the second wireless link is a mobile telecommunication link.

9. The method of claim 1, comprising the further step of prompting a user of the mobile terminal to provide additional information to be forwarded together with the gathered information relating to the viewing of the video content.

10. A mobile terminal, in particular a mobile telecommunication device, comprising

a) an interface for receiving video content transmitted over a first wireless link;

b) a viewer application for displaying the video content on a display of the mobile terminal;

c) a communication application for sending data via a second wireless link;

d) a data gathering application for automatically gathering information relating to the viewing of the video content;

whereas the data gathering application forwards the gathered information to the communication application for transmitting the information to a data collection center via the second wireless link.

11. The mobile terminal of claim 10, wherein the viewer application is capable of outputting information relating to the video content displayed by the viewer application to the data gathering application.

12. The mobile terminal of claim 10, further comprising a monitoring application for monitoring a functioning of the viewer application in order to generate information relating to the viewing of the video content.

13. The mobile terminal of claim 10, further comprising a sniffing application for monitoring a content of a data stream or data packets received via the first wireless link, the data representing the video content, in order to generate information relating to the viewing of the video content.

14. The mobile terminal claim 10, further comprising an announce application for prompting a user of the mobile terminal to provide additional information to be forwarded together with the gathered information relating to the viewing of the video content.

15. A computer program product, that when executed on a mobile terminal device causes the mobile terminal device to carry out the method of claim 10.