System and Method for Measuring Audience Reaction to Media Content

• US 20120072939A1
• Filed: 09/22/2010
• Published: 03/22/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 09/22/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google Technology Holdings LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: General Instrument Corporation (CommScope Holding Company, Inc.)
• Inventors: Crenshaw, James E.
• Granted Patent: US 8,438,590 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/12
• 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: 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 21/4223 Cameras H04N23/00 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4415 using biometric characteristics of the user, e.g. by voice recognition or fingerprint scanning cryptography using biological data H04L9/3231; authentication in networks using biometric H04L63/0861
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44218 Detecting physical presence or behaviour of the user, e.g. using sensors to detect if the user is leaving the room or changes his face expression during a TV program methods or arrangements for recognising human body or animal bodies or body parts G06V40/10; methods or arrangements for acquiring or recognising human faces, facial parts, facial sketches, facial expressions G06V40/16; methods or arrangements for recognising movements or behaviour G06V40/20; arrangements for identifying users in broadcast systems H04H60/45
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/475 End-user interface for inputting end-user data, e.g. personal identification number [PIN], preference data

Abstract

A system and method of measuring audience reaction to media content includes obtaining images or other information of each individual of the audience as the individual views the content and analyzing the images or other information with software to generate emotional response source data for each individual. The emotional response source data identifies the emotion or emotions or change of emotions of the individual as interpreted by the software. The emotional response source data of the individuals is aggregated to identify a set of primary emotions of the audience, and thereafter, the emotional response source data is re-evaluated in view of the primary emotions to refine and more accurately classify the emotional responses of each individual of the audience.

Claims

1. A system for measuring audience reaction to media content, comprising a terminal network device having a receiver connectable to a network such that transmissions of media content including video is receivable by said terminal network device and such that the media content is playable on a display monitor connectable to said terminal network device permitting the media content to be viewable by an individual at a remote end user location where said terminal network device is located, said terminal network device having an input for receiving data obtained by a sensor relating to an emotional response of the individual as the individual views the media content and having a transmitter for transmitting information of the emotional response of the individual in a return path on the network.

2. A system according to claim 1, wherein the data receivable by the terminal network device is a series of images of a face of the individual at the end user location as the individual views the media content.

3. A system according to claim 2, wherein said terminal network device includes at least one microprocessor having image facial analysis software for analyzing facial expressions appearing in the series of images to generate emotional response source data of the individual corresponding to at least one predetermined segment of the media content, the emotional response source data identifying the emotional response of the individual as interpreted by said image facial analysis software.

4. A system according to claim 3, wherein said at least one microprocessor of said terminal network device has software for re-evaluating the emotional response source data in view of information obtained from aggregate emotional response source data of audience reaction receivable by said terminal network device via the network to re-evaluate and more accurately classify the emotional response of the individual.

5. A system according to claim 1, wherein said terminal network device is a set top box.

6. A system according to claim 5, wherein said set top box is connectable to a cable television network whereby the transmissions of media content is received by a receiver of said set top box via downstream transmissions on the cable television network and the transmission of the emotional response is transmitted by said transmitter of said set top box via return path transmission on the cable television network.

7. A system according to claim 1, further comprising an audience reaction server connectable to the network at a remote location relative to the end user location for receiving transmissions of the emotional response from said terminal network device, said audience reaction server having software for aggregating emotional responses of individuals forming an audience to generate a probability density function identifying emotional responses of the audience as a whole during at least one predetermined segment of the media content.

8. A system for measuring audience reaction to media content, comprising an audience reaction server connectable to a network at a headend location of the network remote from end user terminal locations where individuals forming an audience view media content including video, said audience reaction server having at least one microprocessor with software for aggregating data of emotional responses of the individuals of the audience obtained at the end user terminal locations as the individuals view the media content to identify an emotional response of the audience as a whole during at least one predetermined segment of the media content displayed to the individuals.

9. A system according to claim 8, wherein said software generates a probability density function of emotional responses.

10. A system according to claim 8, wherein said audience reaction server has a receiver for receiving transmissions of emotional response source data from each of the end user terminal locations.

11. A system according to claim 8, wherein said audience reaction server has a transmitter for transmitting information concerning the emotional response of the audience as a whole to each of the end user terminal locations.

12. A system according to claim 8, further comprising a terminal network device at each of said end user terminal locations having a receiver connectable to the network such that transmissions of the media content is receivable by said terminal network device and such that the media content is playable on a display monitor connectable to said terminal network device permitting the media content to be viewable by the individual at the terminal end user location where said terminal network device is located, said terminal network device having a sensor for capturing a series of images of the individual at the terminal end user location as the individual views the media content, and the terminal network device having a transmitter for transmitting the emotional response of the individual in a return path on the network to the audience reaction server.

13. A system according to claim 12, wherein each of said terminal network devices is a set top box, and wherein said set top boxes and said audience reaction server are connected to a cable television network whereby the transmission of media content is received by said set top boxes via downstream transmissions on the cable television network and the transmissions of the emotional responses by said set top boxes are via return path transmissions on the cable television network.

14. A method of measuring audience reaction to media content, comprising the steps of:

for each individual of an audience, receiving information sensed from an individual as the individual views the media content including video;

analyzing the information received during said receiving step electronically with software to generate emotional response source data of the individual corresponding to at least one predetermined segment of the media content, the emotional response source data identifying an emotional response of the individual as interpreted by the software; and

re-evaluating the emotional response source data of each individual in view of information concerning aggregate emotional response source data of audience reaction as a whole to accurately classify the emotional response of each individual of the audience to generate re-evaluated emotional response data for each individual.

15. A method according to claim 14, wherein said information obtained during said receiving step is a series of images of the individual.

16. A method according to claim 15, wherein said series of images of the individual include images of a face of the individual, and wherein said software is image facial analysis software.

17. A method according to claim 14, wherein said receiving, analyzing and re-evaluating steps are performed by a terminal network device.

18. A method according to claim 17, where said terminal network device is a set top box connected to a cable television network.

19. A method according to claim 17, wherein the individuals comprising the audience are located at different remote locations with one of said terminal network device being located at each location, and wherein the media content is transmitted via the network via downstream transmissions to said terminal network devices at each of the different remote locations for displaying the media content on a monitor connected to the terminal network device.

20. A method according to claim 19, wherein the media content is a television broadcast, and wherein the different locations are homes of the individuals connected to the network.

21. A method according to claim 14, further comprising the step of electronically transmitting the emotional response source data from a terminal network device via a return path on a network to an audience reaction server which performs a step of aggregating the emotional response source data of the individuals comprising the audience electronically to generate an emotional response of the audience as a whole during the at least one predetermined segment of the media content.

22. A method according to claim 21, wherein said re-evaluating step is performed electronically with software, and wherein, during said re-evaluating step, an emotion identified by the emotional response source data that does not correspond to at least one primary emotion identified by said emotional response of the audience as a whole is re-evaluated and re-classified as one the at least one primary emotion.