Method and apparatus for collecting and providing viewer feedback to a broadcast

• US 6,317,881 B1
• Filed: 11/04/1998
• Issued: 11/13/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 11/04/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Shah-Nazaroff, Anthony A., Goldschmidt Iki, Jean M., Hackson, David N., Moore, Kenneth A., Smith, Eric O.
• Primary Examiner(s): Grant, Chris
• Application Number:
  US09/186,302
• Time in Patent Office: 1,105 Days
• Field of Search: H04/N.716, H04/N.7173, 345/327, 348/1, 348/3, 348/10, 348/12, 348/13, 455/2, 455/3.1, 455/4.2, 455/5.1, 455/6.2, 455/6.3, 725/39, 725/45, 725/46, 725/47, 725/23, 725/24, 725/9-21
• US Class Current: 725/24
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 2201/30 characterised by the use of a return channel, e.g. for collecting users' opinions, for returning broadcast space/time information or for requesting data
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/33 Arrangements for monitoring the users' behaviour or opinions
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/46 for recognising users' preferences
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/252 Processing of multiple end-users' preferences to derive collaborative data
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25833 involving client hardware characteristics, e.g. manufacturer, processing or storage capabilities allocation of resources considering hardware capabilities in multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/5044; allocation of resources considering software capabilities in multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/5055
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25883 being end-user demographical data, e.g. age, family status or address arrangements for identifying locations of users in broadcast systems H04H60/52
• 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 21/42204 User interfaces specially adapted for controlling a client device through a remote control device; Remote control devices therefor constructive details of casings for the remote control device H01H9/0235; user interfaces for controlling a tuning device of a television receiver through a remote control H03J9/00; remote control of peripheral devices connected to a television receiver through the remote control device of the television receiver H04B1/205
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4532 involving end-user characteristics, e.g. viewer profile, preferences monitoring of user activities for profile generation for accessing a video database G06F16/739; 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 21/4667 Processing of monitored end-user data, e.g. trend analysis based on the log file of viewer selections
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4756 for rating content, e.g. scoring a recommended movie
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4758 for providing answers, e.g. voting
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4826 using recommendation lists, e.g. of programs or channels sorted out according to their score
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17354 in an intermediate station common to a plurality of user terminals

Abstract

The present invention provides an improved method and apparatus to collect and provide viewer feedback to broadcasts. According to one aspect of the present invention, a rating is generated for a broadcast by a server system. The rating is based at least in part on viewer feedback to the broadcast, and the rating indicates a likelihood of interest in the broadcast for potential subsequent viewers. Access to the rating is then provided so that predications can be made as to whether or not the broadcast will be of interest to potential subsequent viewers. According to another aspect of the present invention, the rating is provided from the server system to an entertainment system, and the broadcast can be selected for viewing at an entertainment system based on the rating generated by the server system. In one embodiment, the viewer feedback is received at the entertainment system in response to a feedback questionnaire.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

presenting a broadcast to a viewer;

receiving viewer feedback to the broadcast including providing a questionnaire in response to a request from a viewer to provide feedback;

generating a rating of the broadcast based at least in part on the received viewer feedback to the broadcast, the rating indicating a likelihood of interest in the first broadcast for potential subsequent viewers; and

providing the rating of the broadcast to potential subsequent viewers.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein receiving viewer feedback comprises receiving viewer feedback after a broadcast.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the request from a viewer comprises an identification of one from among a list of recently viewed broadcasts.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein receiving viewer feedback comprises receiving answers to a questionnaire, the questionnaire including questions that are specific to the broadcast.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising offering an incentive to the viewer to encourage the viewer to provide viewer feedback.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein receiving viewer feedback comprises receiving viewer feedback at a programming guide server from a system controller of a viewer entertainment system.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising receiving viewer characteristic information along with the viewer feedback.

8. The method of claim 7 further comprising storing the viewer characteristic information in a system controller of a viewer entertainment system.

9. The method of claim 7 wherein the viewer characteristic information includes hardware capabilities of a viewer entertainment system.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the rating comprises an indication of a proportion of viewer feedback which is positive toward the broadcast.

11. The method of claim 7 wherein generating a rating comprises generating a rating using the viewer characteristic information to generate separate ratings for different categories of viewers.

12. The method of claim 1 further comprising providing the rating of the broadcast to programming providers.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein providing the rating comprises providing the rating along with a programming guide.

14. The method of claim 1 wherein providing the rating comprises repeatedly updating provided ratings as viewer feedback is received.

15. The method of claim 1 further comprising presenting a programming guide of available broadcasts to a viewer wherein the available broadcasts are ranked based on the rating.

16. The method of claim 7 further comprising:

assembling a list of available broadcasts using viewer characteristic information for a selected viewer;

ranking the available broadcasts in the list based on the rating for each respective broadcast; and

presenting a programming guide showing the ranked list to the selected viewer.

17. The method of claim 7 further comprising presenting a programming guide of available broadcasts to a viewer wherein the available broadcasts are ranked based on the rating and on the viewer characteristic information.

18. The method of claim 7 further comprising presenting a programming guide of available broadcasts to a viewer wherein the available broadcasts are ranked based on viewer characteristic information.

19. A method comprising:

receiving viewer feedback to a broadcast from a plurality of different viewers of the broadcast including providing a questionnaire in response to a request from a viewer to provide feedback;

generating a rating of the broadcast based at least in part on the received viewer feedback to the broadcast, the rating indicating a likelihood of interest in the first broadcast for potential subsequent viewers; and

providing the rating of the broadcast through an electronic communications device for display to potential subsequent viewers of the broadcast.

20. The method of claim 19 wherein receiving viewer feedback comprises receiving answers to a questionnaire, the questionnaire including questions that are specific to the broadcast.

21. The method of claim 19 further comprising offering an incentive to the viewer to encourage the viewer to provide viewer feedback.

22. The method of claim 19 further comprising receiving viewer characteristic information along with the viewer feedback.

23. The method of claim 22 wherein the viewer characteristic information includes hardware capabilities of a viewer entertainment system.

24. The method of claim 22 wherein generating a rating comprises generating a rating using the viewer characteristic information to generate separate ratings for different categories of viewers.

25. The method of claim 19 wherein providing the rating comprises providing the rating along with a programming guide.

26. The method of claim 19 wherein providing the rating comprises repeatedly updating provided ratings as further feedback from additional ones of the plurality of viewers is received.

27. The method of claim 19 further comprising presenting a programming guide of available broadcasts to a viewer wherein the available broadcasts are ranked based on the rating.

28. The method of claim 22 further comprising:

assembling a list of available broadcasts using viewer characteristic information for a selected viewer;

ranking the available broadcasts in the list based on the rating for each respective broadcast; and

presenting a programming guide showing the ranked list to the selected viewer.

29. The method of claim 22 further comprising presenting a programming guide of available broadcasts to a viewer wherein the available broadcasts are ranked based on viewer characteristic information.

30. A machine-readable medium having stored thereon data representing sequences of instructions which, when executed by a machine, cause the machine to perform operations comprising:

presenting a broadcast to a viewer;

receiving viewer feedback to the broadcast including providing a questionnaire in response to a request from a viewer to provide feedback;

generating a rating of the broadcast based at least in part on the received viewer feedback to the broadcast, the rating indicating a likelihood of interest in the first broadcast for potential subsequent viewers; and

providing the rating of the broadcast to potential subsequent viewers.

31. The medium of claim 30 wherein the instructions causing the machine to perform operations comprising generating a rating further comprise instructions causing the machine to perform operations comprising generating a rating using viewer characteristic information to generate separate ratings for different categories of viewers.

32. The medium of claim 30, the instructions causing the machine to perform operations further comprising:

assembling a list of available broadcasts using viewer characteristic information for a selected viewer;

ranking the available broadcasts in the list based on the rating for each respective broadcast; and

presenting a programming guide showing the ranked list to the selected viewer.

33. A machine-readable medium having stored thereon data representing sequences of instructions which, when executed by a machine, cause the machine to perform operations comprising:

receiving viewer feedback to a broadcast from a plurality of different viewers of the broadcast;

generating a rating of the broadcast based at least in part on the received viewer feedback to the broadcast, the rating indicating a likelihood of interest in the first broadcast for potential subsequent viewers and the rating using viewer characteristic information to generate separate ratings for different categories of viewers; and

providing the rating of the broadcast through an electronic communications device for display to potential subsequent viewers of the broadcast.

34. The medium of claim 33 wherein the instructions causing the machine to perform operations comprising providing the rating further comprise instructions causing the machine to perform operations comprising providing the rating along with a programming guide.

35. The medium of claim 33, the instructions causing the machine to perform operations further comprising:

assembling a list of available broadcasts using viewer characteristic information for a selected viewer;

ranking the available broadcasts in the list based on the rating for each respective broadcast; and

presenting a programming guide showing the ranked list to the selected viewer.

36. An entertainment system controller comprising:

a storage medium to store a questionnaire regarding a broadcast that is presented to a viewer on a display device;

control circuitry to provide a feedback questionnaire to a viewer of the broadcast, the control circuitry retrieving the questionnaire from the storage medium in response to a request from the viewer;

a viewer interface to receive viewer feedback to the broadcast based on the feedback questionnaire; and

a communications interface to provide the viewer feedback to the broadcast to a server system and to receive ratings from the server system regarding other available broadcasts based on viewer feedback from other viewers, the ratings indicating a likelihood of interest in the available broadcasts for the viewer,

wherein the control circuitry further provides the ratings regarding other available broadcasts to the viewer.

37. The entertainment system controller of claim 36 wherein the communications interface comprises at least one of a local area network, a wide area network, internet, cable television line, twisted pair line, fiber optic line, or radio frequency communications interface.

38. The entertainment system controller of claim 36 wherein the communications interface provides viewer characteristic information to the server system along with the viewer feedback.

39. The entertainment system controller of claim 36 further comprising a register containing information regarding the entertainment system of the viewer and wherein the communications interface provides hardware capabilities information from the register to the server system along with the viewer feedback.

40. The entertainment system controller of claim 36 further comprising a storage medium to store information regarding available broadcasts and wherein the control circuitry

assembles a list of available broadcasts using viewer characteristic information for a selected viewer;

ranks the available broadcasts in the list based on the rating for each respective broadcast; and

presents a programming guide showing the ranked list to the selected viewer.

41. An entertainment server system comprising:

a communications interface to receive viewer feedback to a broadcast from a plurality of different viewers of the broadcast, the communications interface receiving viewer characteristic information along with the viewer feedback; and

a processor to generate a rating of the broadcast based at least in part on the received viewer feedback to the broadcast, the rating indicating a likelihood of interest in the first broadcast for potential subsequent viewers, the rating being generated using the viewer characteristic information to generate separate ratings for different categories of viewers,

wherein

the communications interface provides the rating of the broadcast to viewer entertainment systems for display to potential subsequent viewers of the broadcast.

42. The system of claim 41 further comprising a programming guide server to provide a programming guide to viewer entertainment systems through the communications interface the broadcasts of the programming guide being associated with a rating.

43. The system of claim 41 further comprising a storage medium to store information regarding available broadcasts and wherein the control circuitry

assembles a list of available broadcasts using viewer characteristic information for a selected viewer;

ranks the available broadcasts in the list based on the rating for each respective broadcast; and

wherein the communications interface provides a programming guide showing the ranked list to an entertainment system of the selected viewer.