SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR IMPROVED AUDIENCE MEASURING

• US 20120304211A1
• Filed: 07/09/2012
• Published: 11/29/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: UV Corporation (Adeia Inc.)
• Original Assignee: United Video Properties Incorporated (Adeia Inc.)
• Inventors: Berezowski, David M., Ellis, Michael D.
• Granted Patent: US 9,015,739 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/14
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/38 Arrangements for distribution where lower stations, e.g. receivers, interact with the broadcast
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/31 Arrangements for monitoring the use made of the broadcast services
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/63 for services of sales data processing systems or methods specially adapted for electronic commerce G06Q30/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/65 for using the result on users' side
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/252 Processing of multiple end-users' preferences to derive collaborative data
• 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 21/25891 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 21/4147 PVR [Personal Video Recorder] H04N5/76 takes precedence ; arrangements for broadcast with accumulation-type receivers H04H20/40
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4312 involving specific graphical features, e.g. screen layout, special fonts or colors, blinking icons, highlights or animations
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4314 for fitting data in a restricted space on the screen, e.g. EPG data in a rectangular grid
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4316 for displaying supplemental content in a region of the screen, e.g. an advertisement in a separate window
• 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 21/44224 Monitoring of user activity on external systems, e.g. Internet browsing
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47 End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47214 for content reservation or setting reminders; for requesting event notification, e.g. of sport results or stock market stock exchange data over packet-switching network H04L12/1804; push services over packet-switching network H04L12/1859; notification of incoming messages in packet switching networks H04L51/224
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47217 for controlling playback functions for recorded or on-demand content, e.g. using progress bars, mode or play-point indicators or bookmarks specific graphical features in visual interfaces H04N21/4312
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4722 for requesting additional data associated with the content
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/488 Data services, e.g. news ticker systems specially adapted for using meteorological information in broadcast systems H04H60/71
• 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 21/6582 : 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 21/812 : involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/445 : for displaying additional information H04N5/50 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/76 : Television signal recording
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/765 : Interface circuits between an apparatus for recording and another apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/775 : between a recording apparatus and a television receiver
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/85 : on discs or drums
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/165 : Centralised control of user terminal subsequent to an upstream request signal H04N7/17345; Registering at central by two-way working H04N7/17309
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 : Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17354 : in an intermediate station common to a plurality of user terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/8042 : involving data reduction

Abstract

Systems and methods for measuring audience information of programs are described. Systems and methods for providing audience information to users of interactive television applications are described.

Claims

1. A method for providing audience size information, comprising:

receiving, over the Internet, data from a plurality of users indicating user actions performed in relation to a media item;

calculating the audience size information for the media item based on the received data indicating user actions performed in relation to the media item;

transmitting the calculated audience size information over the Internet to a user equipment.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising transmitting, to the user equipment over the Internet, a sorted list of a plurality of listings for media items, wherein the list is sorted based on the audience size information.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising generating an indication of the audience size information for display in an application operating on the user equipment.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the application is a web browser.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the user equipment comprises a personal computer.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the user actions comprise actions controlling playback of the media item.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the user actions comprise actions selected from the group consisting of:

fast-forward, rewind, stop, pause, record, and play.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the media item is a recorded media item.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein the user actions comprise the number of times the recorded media item is played back.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the media item is an upcoming media item.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein the user actions comprise actions selected from the group consisting of:

viewing additional information about the upcoming media item, purchasing the upcoming media item in advance, setting a reminder for the upcoming media item, or scheduling to record the upcoming media item.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein calculating the audience size information comprises calculating the audience size information based on a graded approach by assigning a predetermined quantity of points to each of the user actions.

13. A system for providing audience size information, comprising:

control circuitry configured to;

receive, over the Internet, data from a plurality of users indicating user actions performed in relation to a media item;

calculate the audience size information for the media item based on the received data indicating user actions performed in relation to the media item;

transmit the calculated audience size information over the Internet to a user equipment.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the control circuitry is further configured to transmit, to a user equipment over the Internet, a sorted list of a plurality of listings for media items, wherein the list is sorted based on the audience size information.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein the control circuitry is further configured to generate an indication of the audience size information for display in an application operating on the user equipment.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the application is a web browser.

17. The system of claim 13, wherein the user equipment comprises a personal computer.

18. The system of claim 13, wherein the user actions comprise actions controlling playback of the media item.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the user actions comprise actions selected from the group consisting of:

fast-forward, rewind, stop, pause, record, and play.

20. The system of claim 13, wherein the media item is a recorded media item.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein the user actions comprise the number of times the recorded media item is played back.

22. The system of claim 13, wherein the media item is an upcoming media item.

23. The system of claim 22, wherein the user actions comprise actions selected from the group consisting of:

viewing additional information about the upcoming media item, purchasing the upcoming media item in advance, setting a reminder for the upcoming media item, or scheduling to record the upcoming media item.

24. The system of claim 13, wherein the control circuitry is configured to calculate the audience size information by calculating the audience size information based on a graded approach by assigning a predetermined quantity of points to each of the user actions.