SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR GENERATING AND TRANSMITTING DATA WITHOUT PERSONALLY IDENTIFIABLE INFORMATION

• US 20140379599A1
• Filed: 06/20/2014
• Published: 12/25/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 06/20/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fourthwall Media Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Fourthwall Media Incorporated
• Inventors: FEININGER, William, DAVIS, Eric H.
• Granted Patent: US 10,019,770 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/325
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/265 Personal security, identity or safety
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0421 Anonymous communication, i.e. the party's identifiers are hidden from the other party or parties, e.g. using an anonymizer
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/53 using third party service providers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/535 Tracking the activity of the user network monitoring arrangements H04L43/00; recording of computer activity G06F11/34
• 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 21/25883 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 21/478 Supplemental services, e.g. displaying phone caller identification, shopping application

Abstract

A system and method for generating and transmitting data without personally identifiable information. The method may include receiving a set of one or more unique identifiers (IDs) and a first set of data associated with a subscriber. The method may send the IDs to a third party provider of datasets. The method may receive a second set of data associated with the subscriber identified using the unique IDs. The method may generate aggregated viewing data based on the first and second sets of data. The set of unique IDs may be based on a one-way hash of personally identifiable information associated with the subscriber. In this way, the unique IDs may be appended with the data from third party providers so additional information regarding the household is available to clients, but the personally identifiable information is unavailable to any of the parties.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

receiving, at a data processor, a set of one or more unique identifiers (IDs) and a first set of data, wherein the set of one or more unique IDs are associated with at least one subscriber and the first set of data are further descriptive of the at least one subscriber;

sending, the one or more unique IDs to a third party provider of datasets;

receiving, from the third party provider, a second set of data associated with the at least one subscriber identified using the one or more unique IDs; and

appending, at the data processor, the first set of data with the second set of data.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the first set of data comprises television viewing behaviors of the at least one subscriber.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the second set of data comprises demographic, purchase habits, or behaviors of the at least one subscriber.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

generating, using the data processor, aggregated viewership data based on the first set of data and the second set of data; and

sending the aggregated viewership data to one or more clients.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the set of one or more unique IDs are based on personally identifiable information associated with the at least one subscriber.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 5, wherein the personally identifiable information comprises one or more combinations of a subscriber name and a subscriber address.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 5, wherein the set of one or more unique IDs are based on a one-way hash of the personally identifiable information.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 7, wherein a secret key is included in the one-way hash of personally identifiable information.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the set of unique IDs, the first set of data, and the second set of data are free of personally identifiable information.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 9, wherein the personally identifiable information includes one or more of a name, an address, a social security number, a date of birth, a credit card number, employment information, and biometric data.

11. A system comprising:

memory storing data and instructions; and

at least one processor configured to access the memory and execute the instructions, causing the at least one processor to;

receive a set of one or more unique identifiers (IDs) and a first set of data, wherein the set of one or more unique IDs are associated with at least one subscriber and the first set of data are further descriptive of the at least one subscriber;

send the set of one or more unique IDs to a third party provider of datasets;

receive, from the third party provider, a second set of data associated with the at least one subscriber identified using the set of one or more unique IDs; and

append the first set of data with the second set of data.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the first set of data comprises television viewing behaviors of the at least one subscriber.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the second set of data comprises demographic, purchase habits, or behaviors of the at least one subscriber.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to:

generate aggregated viewership data based on the first set of data and the second set of data; and

send, over a network, the aggregated viewership data to one or more clients.

15. The system of claim 11, wherein the set of one or more unique IDs are based on personally identifiable information associated with the at least one subscriber.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the personally identifiable information comprises one or more combinations of a subscriber name and a subscriber address.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein the set of one or more unique IDs are based on a one-way hash of the personally identifiable information.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein a secret key is included in the one-way hash of personally identifiable information.

19. The system of claim 11, wherein the set of unique IDs, the first set of data, and the second set of data are free of personally identifiable information.

20. A computer-implemented method comprising:

creating, using a processor, one or more unique identifiers (IDs) based on one or more combinations of a subscriber name and a subscriber address;

generating, using the processor, a subscriber file using a one-way hash process, wherein the subscriber file includes the one or more unique IDs and subscriber data; and

transmitting the subscriber file to a data processor for data aggregation.

21. The computer-implemented method of claim 20, further including:

transmitting, to the data processor, set-top box data corresponding to viewing habits at the subscriber location.

22. The computer-implemented method of claim 20, wherein the generating the subscriber file includes:

generating a subscriber file using a one-way hash process based on at least one of a subscriber name and subscriber address.

23. The computer-implemented method of claim 20, wherein the subscriber file is free of personally identifiable information.

24. The computer-implemented method of claim 23, wherein the personally identifiable information includes one or more of a name, an address, a social security number, a date of birth, a credit card number, employment information, and biometric data.