Television and market research data collection system and method

• US 4,658,290 A
• Filed: 10/05/1984
• Issued: 04/14/1987
• Est. Priority Date: 12/08/1983
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Arbitron Inc. (MOOD Media Corporation)
• Original Assignee: CTBA Associates Co.
• Inventors: McKenna, William J., Nickerson, Rand B., Stryzak, Bohdan, Walker, Harold R., Welsh, Russell J., Cullity, Joseph A., Silvers, Kenneth W.
• Primary Examiner(s): George, Keith E.
• Application Number:
  US06/658,378
• Time in Patent Office: 921 Days
• Field of Search: 179/2 AS, 179/2 AM, 179/2 CA, 358/84, 358/86, 455/2, 235/383
• US Class Current: 725/14
• 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 60/43 for identifying broadcast channels
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/45 for identifying users
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 11/002 with telemetering systems telemetering in general G08C
• 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

Abstract

A data gathering system includes a plurality of remote units which are controlled from a central location. Each of the remote units is attached to a television receiver which is generally but not necessarily attached to a cable system. Each of the remote units can function to determine which of several TV modes is in use as well as to store TV channel selector data, data from an optical input device, and/or data input by viewers representative of the composition of the viewing audience. The data is stored for either later collection by a portable data collector, or for direct transmission to the central location. A video message for a TV viewer, such as a survey, may be transmitted from the central location and stored at the remote units, for later display on the TV receiver associated with the remote units. Substitution of alternate programming information may also be achieved by the central control point on selected of the remote units.

Claims

1. A system for collecting data with respect to cooperating television viewers or panelists, including a centrally located computer and a plurality of remote units at a corresponding plurality of panelist locations, each of said remote units being for connection to a television broadcast receiver and comprising receiving means for receiving a television broadcast signal;

a viewer control means including a channel selector coupled to said means for receiving a television broadcast signal;

a data collection unit for coupling said receiving means to the television broadcast receiver, said data collection unit including a microprocessor and memory means for storing programming information for said microprocessor and for storing data;

said viewer control means being monitored by said microprocessor which stores data representing the state of said viewer control means in said memory means;

an optical reader associated with said data collection unit and for use by a panelist to scan data, said data being stored in said memory means under control of said microprocessor;

a portable data collection unit including data storage means for periodic connection to said data collection unit to effect a transfer of data stored in said data collection unit memory means to the data storage means of said portable data collection unit, said portable data collection unit being connectable to said centrally located computer for transferring the contents of the portable data collection unit data storage means thereto.

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

3. A system in accordance with claim 1 wherein said receiving means for receiving a television broadcast signal comprises a cable converter for connections to a cable system and wherein said data collection unit is responsive under control of said microprocessor to enter a channel lock condition upon selection of a first predetermined channel by said channel selector, whereby the cable converter under microprocessor control stays tuned to whatever channel is currently selected despite further changes in said channel selector, and wherein selection of a second predetermined channel by said channel selector exits the channel lock condition, the events of entering and exiting the channel-lock condition being stored in said memory as events, any channel numbers selected while in the channel-lock condition also being stored in said memory as events.

4. A method of collecting data from a plurality of cooperating panelists at a plurality of remote locations comprising the steps of:

providing at each remote location receiving means for receiving a television broadcasting signal for use with an associated television broadcast receiver;

providing at each remote location a viewer control means coupled to the receiving means including at least a channel selector;

providing at each remote location an optical reader for use by a panelist to scan data, and storing at each remote location the data scanned by the optical reader;

monitoring the viewer control means and storing at each remote location data indicative of changes therein;

providing a portable data collection unit having memory storage means;

periodically coupling the portable data collection unit to apparatus at each of the remote locations for transferring data collected at each remote location to the portable data collection unit corresponding to changes in the viewer control means and data scanned by the optical reader; and

transferring data from the portable data collection unit to a central computer for analysis.

5. A method in accordance with claim 4 including the step of periodically providing on screen prompts on the television broadcast receiver with changes in the viewer control means in response thereto being indicative of the identity of persons in the audience.

6. A method in accordance with claim 4 wherein the viewer control means is provided with means for selecting a channel lock condition and a non channel lock condition, and including the step of periodically providing on screen prompts on the television broadcast receiver, and wherein changes in the channel selector during the channel-lock condition are indicative of the identity of persons in the viewing audience.

7. A method in accordance with claim 6 wherein the on screen prompts are overlayed visible prompts and including the step of automatically switching into the channel-lock condition of the channel selector when the overlayed visable prompts appear, whereby subsequent changes in the channel selector are indicative of the identity of persons in the viewing audience.

8. A method of collecting data from plurality of cooperating panelists at a plurality of remote locations comprising the steps of:

providing at each remote location receiving means for receiving a television broadcasting signal for use with an associated television broadcast receiver;

providing at each remote location a viewer control means coupled to the receiving means including at least a channel selector;

providing at each remote location an optical reader for use by a panelist to scan data and storing the data in a memory at the remote location;

monitoring the viewer control means and storing data in said memory at the remote location indicative of changes therein;

periodically initiating at each remote location on-screen prompts overlayed on normal programming on the television broadcast receiver inquiring as to the identity of the persons in the audience viewing the television broadcast receiver with changes in the viewer control means in response thereto being indicative of identity of persons in the audience; and

periodically establishing telephone communications between a central location and each of the remote locations for transferring data stored at each remote location in said memory with respect to the viewer control means and data optically scanned by a panelist to the central location.

9. A method of collecting data from a plurality of cooperating panelists at a plurality of remote locations comprising the steps of:

providing at each remote location receiving means for receiving a television broadcasting signal for use with an associated television broadcast receiver;

providing at each remote location a viewer control means coupled to the receiving means including at least a channel selector;

monitoring the viewer control means and storing data at each remote location indicative of changes therein;

periodically initiating at each remote location on-screen prompts overlayed on normal programming on the television broadcast receiver inquiring as to the identity of persons in the audience viewing the television broadcast receiver with changes in the viewer control means in response thereto being indicative of the identity of persons in the audience; and

periodically establishing telephone communications between a central location and each of the remote locations for transferring data stored at each remote location with respect to the viewer control means.

10. A system for collecting data with respect to cooperating television viewers or panelists, including a centrally located computer and a plurality of remote units at a corresponding plurality of panelist locations, each of said remote units being for connection to a television broadcast receiver and comprising receiving means for receiving a television broadcast signal;

a viewer control means including a channel selector coupled to said means for receiving a television broadcast signal;

a data collection unit for coupling said receiving means to the television broadcast receiver, said data collection unit including a microprocessor and memory means for storing programming information for said microprocessor and for storing data, said viewer control means being monitored by said microprocessor which stores data representing the state of said viewer control means in said memory means, means under control of said microprocessor in said data collection units for initiating at the remote locations on-screen prompts overlayed on normal programming on the television receiver inquiring as to the identity of persons viewing the television receiver at the time of the prompts, said microprocessor functioning to place said viewer control means in a channel lock condition in association with the on-screen prompts, whereby changes entered in the viewer control means during on-screen prompts are stored in said memory means as representations of the identity of persons viewing the television receiver.

11. A system in accordance with claim 10 including means for periodically establishing telephone communications between the centrally located computer and each of the remote units for transferring stored data with respect to the viewer control means back to the central computer.