Television viewer data collection system

• US 4,566,030 A
• Filed: 06/09/1983
• Issued: 01/21/1986
• Est. Priority Date: 06/09/1983
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Arbitron Inc. (MOOD Media Corporation)
• Original Assignee: CTBA Associates Co.
• Inventors: Nickerson, Rand B., Welsh, Russell J.
• Primary Examiner(s): NOT, DEFINED
• Application Number:
  US06/502,654
• Time in Patent Office: 957 Days
• Field of Search: 179/2 AS, 179/2 AM, 358/84, 455/2, 455/4, 455/5
• US Class Current: 379/92.04
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/32 Arrangements for monitoring conditions of receiving stations, e.g. malfunction or breakdown of receiving stations
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/33 Arrangements for monitoring the users' behaviour or opinions
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/40 for identifying broadcast time
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/43 for identifying broadcast channels
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/94 Telephonic networks for accessing the Internet H04H60/84
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 11/002 with telemetering systems telemetering in general G08C
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 11/085 using a television receiver, e.g. viewdata system
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2007/17381 the upstream transmission being initiated by the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2007/1739 the upstream communication being transmitted via a separate link, e.g. telephone line
• 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 21/44222 Analytics of user selections, e.g. selection of programs or purchase activity monitoring of user selections in data processing systems G06F11/34; arrangements for monitoring the user's behaviour or opinions in broadcast systems H04H60/33
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17327 with deferred transmission or handling of upstream communications
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 379/902 Auto-switch for an incoming voice data, or fax telephone call, e.g. comp/fax/tel
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 379/91 Bar code or optical character reader with telephone

Abstract

A data storage and transmission system is provided for accumulating and transmitting data from a plurality of remote T.V. panelist locations to a central location. Each remote unit includes a microprocessor, a control memory, and a data store memory. The control memory stores control information for the remote unit, which may include dynamic allocation information. The data store memory is event driven and stores data as to television channel selection and times thereof, and can store viewer reaction data and the like. At a preselected time, each remote unit initiates a telephone call to a central location and identifies itself. Upon successful telephone connection between a remote unit and the central location, any data such as viewer habit and/or reaction data and the like contained in the data store memory is transmitted over the telephone line to the central location.

Claims

1. In a system for monitoring habits of cooperating television viewers or panelists, including a central location and a plurality of remote units at a plurality of panelist locations, a remote unit for connection to a television broadcast receiver comprising:

means for receiving a television broadcast signal;

a viewer control means including a channel selector and a channel lock switch actuable between channel lock and unlock positions and coupled to said means for receiving a television broadcast signal, said channel lock switch functioning in said channel lock position to lock the associated television broadcast receiver to the channel currently selected notwithstanding any subsequent changes in the channel selector;

a microprocessor;

first memory means for storing programming information for said microprocessor and second memory means for storing data;

timing means for generating time of day information;

means for coupling said viewer control means through said microprocessor to the television broadcast receiver, said microprocessor functioning to monitor changes in said channel selector and the state of said channel lock switch and to store same, together with time of day information, in said second memory means, changes in said channel selector while said channel lock switch is in the unlock position being stored as channel viewing data and changes in said channel selector while said channel lock switch is in the lock position being stored as one of viewer reaction and viewer identification data;

a modem for connection of the non-dedicated telephone network, said modem being coupled to and under the control of said microprocessor;

register means for setting a unique identification signal for each remote unit, each such unique identification signal corresponding to a preselected unique call-in time for each such remote unit;

said microprocessor functioning to establish communication through said modem with the central location at the preselected unique call-in time and to transmit the data stored in said second memory means to the central location; and

wherein said second memory means includes a channel substitution table and wherein the contents of said channel substitution table are down loaded from the central location to the remote unit during communication at said unique call-in time, said microprocessor controlling channel selection to effect substitute channel selection at preselected times in accordance with said channel substitution table regardless of the manually viewer selected channel.

2. A remote unit in accordance with claim 1 wherein said means for receiving a television broadcast signal comprises a cable converter.

3. A remote unit in accordance with claim 1 wherein said channel substitution table includes preselected time of day information for said substitute channel selection, and wherein said microprocessor effects the substitute channel selection in accordance with the preselected time of day information.

4. A remote unit in accordance with claim 1 which includes a control signal detector means coupled to said means for receiving a television broadcast signal for detecting a control signal contained within said television broadcast signal, and wherein substitute channel selection is effected at preselected times corresponding to occurrence of the control signal in the television broadcast signal.