Receiver and System Using an Electronic Questionnaire for Advanced Broadcast Services

• US 20110247028A1
• Filed: 03/11/2011
• Published: 10/06/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 04/01/2010
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Saturn Licensing LLC (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Saturn Licensing LLC (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Eyer, Mark
• Application Number:
  US13/046,579
• Publication Number:
  US 20110247028A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/13
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0208 Trade or exchange of goods or services in exchange for incentives or rewards
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0212 Chance discounts or incentives
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0242 Determining effectiveness of advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0269 based on user profile or attribute
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/33 Arrangements for monitoring the users' behaviour or opinions
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/66 for using the result on distributors' side
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/74 using programme related information, e.g. title, composer or interpreter
• 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 21/433 Content storage operation, e.g. storage operation in response to a pause request, caching operations
• 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 21/454 Content or additional data filtering, e.g. blocking advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4667 Processing of monitored end-user data, e.g. trend analysis based on the log file of viewer selections
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4758 for providing answers, e.g. voting

Abstract

According to one embodiment of the invention, a computer-implemented method for a digital broadcast system is described. The method involves an operation of receiving an electronic questionnaire that includes a plurality of questions registered to avoid duplication of any one of the plurality of questions. The electronic questionnaire, when processed by a receiver of the digital broadcast system, generates for display a plurality of questions. The receiver acquires answers to the electronic questionnaire, where the answers are used in adjusting content subsequently downloaded to the receiver.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for a digital broadcast system, the method comprising:

receiving an electronic questionnaire by a digital receiver of the digital broadcast system, the electronic questionnaire includes a plurality of questions that are registered to avoid duplication of any one of the plurality of questions;

processing the electronic questionnaire to generate for display a plurality of questions; and

acquiring answers to the electronic questionnaire by the receiver, the answers being used in adjusting content subsequently downloaded to the receiver.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the electronic questionnaire comprises a plurality of questions targeted to solicit information from a viewer and a unique question identifier for each of the plurality of registered questions.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, wherein the electronic questionnaire further comprises a reply format identifier that identifies an answer format that comprises at least one of a Boolean type answer, a variable integer type answer, a multiple selection type answer, a single selection type answer, and a variable text type answer.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 wherein the plurality of questions are registered to formulate the electronic questionnaire by submitting a question inquiry request and receiving a response that identifies whether the question inquiry request either has been granted or has been denied, the question inquiry request comprises (i) a proposed question and (ii) information that identifies a reply format to the proposed question.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 4, wherein the response comprises information to identify whether the request has been granted or denied, and either (i) a question identifier that uniquely identifies a registered question identical or similar to the proposed question when the request has been granted so as to avoid registration of duplicate questions from different service providers, or (ii) information to identify one or more reasons for a denial of the request.

6. A digital receiver comprising:

a storage device configured to store (i) an electronic questionnaire received from at least one service provider of a digital broadcast system and (ii) answers directed to questions within the electronic questionnaire; and

a processing logic coupled to the storage device, the processing logic configured to process information within the electronic questionnaire to generate one or more displayable images including a plurality of questions that are unique and registered for universal access by multiple service providers including the at least one service provider, the plurality of questions being adapted to prompt the answers to the displayed question for use in altering content received by the receiver.

7. The digital receiver of claim 6, wherein each question for the electronic questionnaire comprises a question identifier and a question associated with the question identifier.

8. The digital receiver of claim 7 wherein the electronic questionnaire further comprises a reply format identifier that comprises at least one of a Boolean type answer, a variable integer type answer, a multiple selection type answer, a single selection type answer, and a variable text type answer.

9. The digital receiver of claim 6 wherein the plurality of questions are registered to formulate the electronic questionnaire by submitting a question inquiry request and receiving a response that identifies whether the question inquiry request either has been granted or has been denied, the question inquiry request comprises (i) a proposed question and (ii) information that identifies a reply format to the proposed question.

10. The digital receiver of claim 9, wherein the response comprises information to identify whether the request has been granted or denied, and either (i) a question identifier that uniquely identifies a registered question identical or similar to the proposed question when the request has been granted so as to avoid registration of duplicate questions from different service providers, or (ii) information to identify one or more reasons for a denial of the request.

11. A broadcast system, comprising:

a digital receiver; and

a registration entity in communication with a digital receiver, the registration entity adapted to receive a question inquiry request being information that identifies a proposed question for registration and subsequent inclusion in an electronic questionnaire, the electronic questionnaire being downloaded to the digital receiver for subsequent display so that information pertaining to answers to the displayed questions within the electronic questionnaire is routed to the service provider in order to tailor content transmitted to the digital receiver.

12. The broadcast system of claim 11, wherein the question inquiry request received by the registration entity comprises (i) information that identifies a reply format to the proposed question and (ii) the proposed question.

13. The broadcast system of claim 12, wherein the reply format to the proposed question includes at least one of a Boolean and an integer type.

14. The broadcast system of claim 11, wherein the electronic questionnaire comprises a question identifier and a question associated with the question identifier.

15. The broadcast system of claim 14 wherein the electronic questionnaire further comprises a type of answer identifier that comprises at least one of a Boolean type answer, a variable integer type answer, a multiple selection type answer, a single selection type answer, and a variable text type answer.

16. The broadcast system of claim 11, wherein the response comprises information to identify whether the request has been granted or denied, and either (i) a question identifier that uniquely identifies a registered question identical or similar to the proposed question when the request has been granted so as to avoid registration of duplicate questions from different service providers, or (ii) information to identify one or more reasons for a denial of the request.