Method and system for ascertaining the consumption habits of a test population

• US 5,034,902 A
• Filed: 07/02/1990
• Issued: 07/23/1991
• Est. Priority Date: 12/09/1986
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Schweizerische Radio- und Fernsehgesellschaft
• Original Assignee: Schweizerische Radio- und Fernsehgesellschaft
• Inventors: Steinmann, Matthias
• Primary Examiner(s): Dixon, Joseph L.
• Application Number:
  US07/546,706
• Time in Patent Office: 386 Days
• Field of Search: 364/550, 364/551.01, 364/406, 358/83-85, 358/335, 377/13, 379/92, 379/93, 379/107, 455/2
• US Class Current: 386/200
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/28 Arrangements for simultaneous broadcast of plural pieces of information
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/43 for identifying broadcast channels
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/765 Interface circuits between an apparatus for recording and another apparatus

Abstract

A method and system for determining the television consumption habits of a test population by obtaining data relating to the program being viewed and/or recorded and transmitting the data through telephone connection to a central computer for evaluation. The data is obtained in a manner which enables the elimination of intervention or supervision by specialized person in the data acquisition process. Any data that is not decoded or is decoded with uncertainty can be determined or verified by means of a dialog with the central computer.

Claims

1. A method for determining the television and video comsumption habits of a test population which may receive, record and view video programs by means of a video receiver and a video recorder and display means associated with said video receiver and said video recorder for displaying video information, said method comprising the steps of:

producing data characterizing video programs received and recorded on said video recorder, the operating mode of said television receiver and the operating mode of said video recorder;

transmitting said data to a central computer for evaluation to determine the video comsumption habits of a test population;

transmitting interrogation data to and from said central computer to said display means for interrogation of said test population; and

providing means associated with said video receiver and video recorder for transmitting data to said central computer; and

transmitting replies to said interrogation data from users to said central computer wherein said interrogation data is evaluated at said central computer against stored data within said central computer to determine if further interrogation is required.

2. An apparatus for determining the television and video consumption habits of a test population comprising:

a television receiver;

a video recorder connected to said television receiver, said video recorder comprising;

a demodulator for demodulating received television signals;

a video input;

switch means for changing over from a record mode to a play mode, said switch means including a first switch selectively connectable to said video input through said demodulator;

a video module comprising data writing and data read out means;

said first switch being selectively connectable to an input of said data writing and data read out means for transmitting video signals thereto;

wherein an output of said data writing means is connected to a recording amplifier;

wherein a play amplifier is connected to said switch means and to said data read out means when said video recorder is in said play mode;

wherein characterizing data is added to a video signal being recorded during said record mode by said data writing means and said characterizing data is read out from said video signal in said play mode by said data read out means; and

wherein said characterizing data read out from said video signal is sent to a control computer to determine the viewing habits of a test population.

3. An apparatus for obtaining information relating to the use of video equipment comprising:

detection means associated with said video equipment for detecting data characterizing use of said video equipment; and

means for transmitting said detected data to a central processor means for processing said data to obtain information relating to the use of video equipment;

said central processor means comprising;

transmission means for transmitting interrogation data from said processor means to said video equipment;

said video equipment further comprising;

input means for enabling responses to said interrogation data to be transmitted to said central processor means;

wherein said central processor means further comprises interrogating means for interrogating a viewer in the event that said central processor means receives a transmission of said stored data not containing all of said characterizing data; and

display means for displaying data from the central processor means for interrogating a viewer.

4. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein said detection means includes means for detecting universal product codes of products used by a viewer.

5. A method for obtaining information relating to the use of video equipment by a test population wherein said video equipment comprises video recorder means for reproducing and recording video programs, said method comprising the steps of:

recording, during video program recording, data characterizing the recorded program on a synchronization track of a video recording medium, including the steps of analyzing synchronization pulses occurring on said synchronization track; and

recording said characterizing data between said synchronization pulses;

detecting, during video program reproduction, said recorded characterizing data to identify characteristics of said video programs;

storing said detected data;

transmitting said stored data to a central computer to obtain information relating to the use of video equipment by a test environment; and

wherein said characterizing data is recorded at a first level and reproduced at a second level, and wherein differences in the levels of these signals are used to distinguish between video recording and video reproduction modes.

6. The method according to claim 5 wherein said characterizing data is recorded and reproduced at a level less than a level of the synchronization pulses.

7. An apparatus for obtaining information relating to the use of video equipment by a test population, said video equipment comprising video recording and reproducing means and video viewing means, said apparatus comprising:

detection means, associated with said video equipment, for detecting use of said video equipment; and

means for transmitting said detected data to a central computer for evaluation;

wherein said detection means comprises a video module operatively connected to said video recording and video reproducing means through a bidirectional amplifier for recording data characterizing programs on a synchronization track of a recording medium during recording of said video programs and for reading said characterizing data during reproduction of said programs to obtain information relating to the use of video equipment by a test population;

wherein said characterizing data is recorded between synchronization pulses of said synchronization track; and

wherein said bi-directional amplifier is capable of distinguishing between a recording mode and a reading mode.

8. An apparatus according to claim 7 wherein said video module comprises a circuit for detecting the level of received signals and for outputting data corresponding to said detected level to indicate a recording or reproducing condition of said video recording and reproducing means based on said detected level means.

9. An apparatus according to claim 7 wherein said central computer comprises means for evaluating the video reproduction data and for transmitting interrogations to a user;

said video viewing means comprising display means for displaying said interrogations and input means for enabling responses to said interrogations to be transmitted to said central computer.

10. In an apparatus for obtaining information relating to the video viewing habits of a test population, a device allowing the monitoring of information by a central computer of a television signal being viewed or recorded and video programs or text being viewed, said device comprising:

means for determining if a video cassette player/recorder is in a record mode or a reproducing mode;

means for writing characterization data of a program being recorded onto a synchronization track of a video cassette if the video cassette player/recorder is in a recording mode;

means for reading characterization data from the synchronization track of a video cassette if the video cassette player/recorder is in a reproduction mode;

switch means responsive to said means for determining for changing over from a record mode to a play mode, said switch means being selectively connectable to an input of said means for writing characterization data and said means for reading characterization data; and

means for sending characterization data read from a video cassette to a control computer to determine the viewing habits of a test population.