Method and system for monitoring television viewing

• US 5,374,951 A
• Filed: 07/08/1993
• Issued: 12/20/1994
• Est. Priority Date: 06/01/1990
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Peach Media Research Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Peach Media Research Incorporated
• Inventors: Welsh, Russell J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Eisenzopf, Reinhard J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): FAILE, ANDREW I
• Application Number:
  US08/089,672
• Time in Patent Office: 530 Days
• Field of Search: 455/2, 455/3.1, 455/4.1, 455/4.2, 455/5.1, 455/6.1, 455/6.2, 455/6.3, 380/10, 358/84, 358/85, 358/86, 348/4, 348/12, 379/92
• US Class Current: 725/20
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/40 for identifying broadcast time
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/48 for recognising items expressed in broadcast information
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/94 Telephonic networks for accessing the Internet H04H60/84
• 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 7/088 the inserted signal being digital
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/10 Adaptations for transmission by electrical cable H04N7/12 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17327 with deferred transmission or handling of upstream communications

Abstract

A system for monitoring and recording as data television program viewing habits utilizing a plurality of remote program monitor units in panelists households and automatically periodically reporting such data to a central computer via a conventional telephone network.

Claims

1. A program monitoring unit for monitoring the viewing of television programs by collecting data with respect to cooperating television viewers or panelists at a remote location for later transmission to a central computer for processing, the program monitoring unit comprising:

a) comparison table storing means for storing an updatable table of character strings;

b) signal acquisition means for acquiring a television signal being viewed by the cooperating television viewer;

c) decoding means for decoding character strings from the closed captioning signal that is embedded in the viewed television signal;

d) matching means for matching decoded character strings with character strings found in the table of character strings;

e) memory means for storing the decoded character strings that match character strings found in the table of character strings;

f) modem means for periodically establishing telephone communications between the program monitoring unit and the central computer via a public switched telephone network to i) transfer the matched character strings stored in the memory means to the central computer and ii) periodically update the table of character strings stored in the comparison table storing means.

2. A program monitoring unit in accordance with claim 1 wherein the character strings stored by the program monitoring unit are stored along with the date and time at which they were decoded.

3. A program monitoring unit in accordance with claim 2 wherein each character string and the date and time at which it was decoded is transferred to the central computer to allow the central computer to determine when the television program was viewed.

4. A program monitoring unit in accordance with claim 1 wherein the television programs identified are television commercials.

5. A system for collecting data with respect to cooperating television viewers or panelists comprising:

a) a remote unit connected to a television receiver such that the remote unit is able to monitor television programs being viewed by the cooperating television viewers, the remote unit having

i) first memory means for electronically storing an updatable table of character strings and respective associated program identification codes such that every character string has a corresponding program identification code in the table;

ii) decoding means for decoding a character string from the closed captioning signal that is embedded in a television program being viewed;

iii) comparing means for comparing each decoded character string to the strings stored in the table to determine when a match is found;

iv) second memory means for storing as a data event in an event data log the program identification codes corresponding to table character strings found to match the decoded character strings;

b) a central computer;

c) communication means for periodically establishing telephone communications between the remote unit and the central computer, transferring the data events stored in the second memory means to the central computer, and for receiving updates to the updatable table of character strings; and

d) associating means in the central computer for associating the data events transferred from the remote unit with the television programs viewed.

6. A system in accordance with claim 5 wherein the data events stored by the remote unit further comprise a date and time at which the comparing means matched the decoded character string with the table character string.

7. A system in accordance with claim 5 wherein the television programs identified are television commercials.

8. A method of collecting data on television viewing experience of a plurality of television viewing panelists at remote household locations comprising the steps of:

a) monitoring a television signal being viewed by the panelists for character strings found in the closed captioning signal embedded in the television signal;

b) matching the closed captioning character strings to character strings stored in an updatable table;

c) recording a program identification code corresponding to the signal being viewed whenever a match is made in step b);

d) repeating steps a), b) and c) over a predetermined time interval;

e) periodically reporting the program identification codes recorded in step to a central computer via a telephone network; and

f) periodically receiving updates to the character strings stored in the table from the central computer.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein the television signal being viewed comprises a television commercial.

10. The method of claim 8 wherein step c) further comprises recording a time at which the signal was viewed.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein step c) further comprises recording the date on which the signal was viewed.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein step e) further comprises reporting the time and date recorded in step c) to the central computer.

13. A system for collecting data on television viewing experience comprising:

a) a central computer; and

b) a plurality of remote household program monitoring units, each unit having;

i) decoding means for decoding a character string from the closed captioning signal that is embedded in a television program currently being displayed on a television set in the household,

ii) code storage means for storing program identification codes,

iii) means for associating the decoded character string with one of the program identification codes;

iv) data log means for electronically storing the program identification code that is associated with the decoded character string in step ii),

v) modem means for;

1) periodically establishing telephone communication between each remote program monitoring unit and the central computer and

2) transferring the contents of the data log means from each remote unit to the central computer, and

3) updating the program identification codes stored in the code storage means.

14. The system of claim 13 wherein each program monitoring unit further comprises a real-time clock means for identifying and recording in the data log the date and time at which a particular television program was displayed.

15. The system of claim 14 wherein the particular television program displayed comprises a television commercial.

16. The system of claim 13 wherein the central computer further comprises

i) viewing table which contains a household identification number, a time and a date corresponding to each program identification code transferred from the data log means to the central computer;

and

ii) report generating means for generating a program viewing report of how many households had their television sets tuned to a predetermined program.

17. The system of claim 16 wherein the viewing table further comprises a panel identification number for identifying a panel to which each respective household belongs.

18. The system of claim 16 wherein the central computer further comprises

iii) a demographic table comprising a set of demographic data for each respective household, and further wherein the report generating means utilizes said demographic data in said program viewing report.