Method and a system for acquiring and transmitting information about TV program audiences

• US 5,155,762 A
• Filed: 01/17/1990
• Issued: 10/13/1992
• Est. Priority Date: 03/14/1988
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Croquet & CIE
• Original Assignee: Croquet & CIE
• Inventors: Croquet, Jean-Louis, Bidon, Jean-Pierre, Duval, Pierre-Yves J., Drevon, Jean-Marc
• Primary Examiner(s): Dwyer, James L.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Chan, Wing F.
• Application Number:
  US07/439,399
• Time in Patent Office: 1,000 Days
• Field of Search: 379/92, 379/104, 379/105, 379/201, 358/84
• US Class Current: 379/92.04
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/43 for identifying broadcast channels
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/66 for using the result on distributors' side
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/94 Telephonic networks for accessing the Internet H04H60/84

Abstract

The invention relates to acquiring information about television program audiences and transmitting it in real time by means of detection apparatuses (10) associated with telephone sets (12) and connected via the switched telephone network (12) and the TRANSPAC network (28) to a central unit for collecting and processing the information transmitted in real time by the apparatuses (10).

Claims

1. A system for acquiring and transmitting information about television program audiences, the system comprising:

a plurality of audience detection apparatuses, each associated with each of a plurality of television sets, each audience detection apparatus comprising data acquiring circuits, a microprocessor, information storage memories, a modem, means to store and retrieve a telephone number of a data concentrator and an access code to a central unit, means to automatically dial said telephone number and send said access code at a predetermined time recorded in the memory, and means to transmit the information provided by the audience detection apparatuses to the central unit while a television show is being viewed;

a plurality of data concentrators, each data concentrator being coupled to a plurality of modems of the audience detection apparatuses; and

a digital network coupled to each data concentrator for transmitting information between the central unit and the data concentrators in packets while a television show is being viewed.

2. A system according to claim 1, wherein the system further comprises:

an internal clock within each audience detection apparatus;

a master clock associated with the central unit; and

means to synchronize the internal clocks of the audience detection apparatuses with the master clock of the central unit.

3. A system according to claim 1, wherein the data acquiring circuits further comprise:

a means for detecting the on/off state of the associated television set;

a means for identifying the selected channel; and

a means for determining the number of people present in front of the television set.

4. A system for acquiring and transmitting information about television program audiences, the system comprising:

a plurality of audience detection apparatuses each associated with each of a plurality of television sets;

each audience detection apparatus comprising data acquiring circuits, a microprocessor, information storage memories, a modem, means to store and retrieve a telephone number of a data concentrator and an access code to a central unit, means to automatically dial said telephone number and send said access code at a predetermined time recorded in the memory, and means to transmit the information provided by the audience detection apparatuses to the central unit while a television show is being viewed;

a plurality of data concentrators, each data concentrator being coupled to a plurality of modems of the audience detection apparatuses;

a digital network coupled to each data concentrator for transmitting information both ways between the central unit and the data concentrators in packets while a television show is being viewed; and

means to control the amount of information transmitted in the packets thereby allowing a portion or all of the information stored in the memories of the audience detection apparatuses to be transmitted.