Television audience monitoring system and method employing tuner interface of set-top converter box

• US 6,405,370 B1
• Filed: 10/09/1998
• Issued: 06/11/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 10/09/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Benhov GmbH, LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: ADcom Information Services, Inc.
• Inventors: Jarrell, Lester L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Kostak, Victor R.
• Application Number:
  US09/169,056
• Time in Patent Office: 1,341 Days
• Field of Search: 348/1, 348/10, 348/5.5, 455/2, 725/14, 725/15, 725/18
• US Class Current: 725/14
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/41 for identifying broadcast space, i.e. broadcast channels, broadcast stations or broadcast areas

Abstract

A tuner interface device and method for determining a currently tuned-to channel of a set-top converter box having an electronic tuner that is addressable over a bus within the set-top converter box. The tuner interface device includes an electrical connection to the electronic tuner and a controller. The controller monitors communications over the bus for a unique identifier of the tuner and for commands to change channels that follow the unique identifier. When the unique identifier is received and it is verified that the commands to the tuner are to change a channel, the controller generates information representative of the new tuned-to tuned channel for use by downstream components. The information representative of the tuned channel may be output as an ASCII value representative of the currently tuned-to channel. The tuner interface may be part of a viewership metering system when used in conjunction with a viewership collection meter to determine viewer habits.

Claims

1. A tuner interface device for use in determining a currently tuned-to channel of a set-top converter box having an electronic tuner which tunes to a viewer-selected channel in response to commands provided thereto by said set-top converter device, said tuner interface device comprising:

an electrical connection to a communications bus of said electronic tuner, said communications bus carrying at least one signal representing said commands, said electrical connection being adapted to communicate said commands from said bus to said tuner interface device;

a controller, said controller being connected to said electronic tuner by said electrical connection and receiving said commands transmitted to said electronic tuner via said electrical connection,

wherein said controller receives and interprets said commands to generate information representative of said currently tuned-to channel.

2. The tuner interface as recited in claim 1, wherein said tuner is electrically connected to the bus, wherein electrical components within said set-top converter box communicate over said bus, and wherein said tuner is addressable by a unique identifier that is communicated over said bus.

3. The tuner interface as recited in claim 2, wherein said controller monitors communications over said bus, and said commands are communicated to said electronic tuner following the communication of said unique identifier, and

wherein when said unique identifier is communicated to said electronic tuner, said controller captures said commands in order to determine said currently tuned-to channel.

4. The tuner interface as recited in claim 3, said controller determining if said commands are to change said electronic tuner from a first tuned-to channel to a second tuned-to channel and determining if said second tuned-to channel is different than said first tuned-to channel, wherein said second tuned-to channel is to become said currently tuned-to channel.

5. The tuner interface as recited in claim 4, wherein said information representative of said tuned channel comprises an ASCII value representative of said currently tuned-to channel, and wherein said controller outputs said ASCII value to a viewership meter connected to said tuner interface via a second electrical connection.

6. The tuner interface as recited in claim 5, wherein said viewership meter comprises an audio matching circuit, said audio matching circuit comparing a first audio signal of a predetermined channel tuned by said viewership collection meter with a second audio signal output by a television to which said set-top converter is connected, wherein if said first audio signal and said second audio signal match, said viewership collection meter determines that said channel to which said set-top converter box is tuned is said predetermined channel.

7. The tuner interface as recited in claim 1, wherein said information representative of said tuned channel is output to a second device connected to said tuner interface via a second electrical connection, and wherein said second device receives and further processes said information representative of said currently tuned-to channel.

8. The tuner interface as recited in claim 7, wherein said second device comprises a viewership collection meter, and wherein said viewership collection meter stores said information representative of said currently tuned-to channel and forwards it to a predetermined location at selected times.

9. The tuner interface as recited in claim 8, wherein said information representative of said tuned channel comprises an ASCII value representative of said currently tuned-to channel, and wherein said controller outputs said ASCII value to said viewership meter via said second electrical connection.

10. The tuner interface as recited in claim 7, wherein said tuner interface device is adapted to receive power and additional data via said second electrical connection.

11. A system for determining viewership of channels tunable by a set-top converter box having an electronic tuner, said system comprising:

a tuner interface device connected to a communications bus of said electronic tuner, said tuner interface device adapted to determine a channel to which said set-top converter is tuned from commands on said communications bus; and

a viewership collection meter connected to said tuner interface, said viewership meter periodically storing a channel to which said set-top converter is tuned,

wherein said channel to which said set-top converter is tuned is determined by said tuner interface and communicated to said viewership collection meter, and wherein said viewership collection meter stores said channel and forwards it to a predetermined location at selected times.

12. The system for determining viewership of channels tunable by a set-top converter box as recited in claim 11, wherein said viewership collection meter further comprises an audio matching circuit, said audio matching circuit comparing a first audio signal of a predetermined channel tuned by said viewership collection meter with a second audio signal output by a television to which said set-top converter is connected, wherein if said first audio signal and said second audio signal match, said viewership collection meter determines that said channel to which said set-top converter box is tuned is said predetermined channel.

13. The tuner interface as recited in claim 12, wherein said tuner is electrically connected to a bus, wherein electrical components within said set-top converter box communicate over said bus, and wherein said tuner is addressable by a unique identifier that is communicated over said bus.

14. The tuner interface as recited in claim 13, wherein said controller monitors communications over said bus, and said commands are communicated to said electronic tuner following the communication of said unique identifier, and

wherein when said unique identifier is communicated to said electronic tuner, said controller captures said commands in order to determine said currently tuned-to channel.

15. The tuner interface as recited in claim 14, said controller determining if said commands are to change said electronic tuner from a first tuned-to channel to a second tuned-to channel and determining if second tuned-to channel is different than said first tuned-to channel, wherein said second tuned-to channel is to become said currently tuned-to channel.

16. A method of determining a currently tuned-to channel of a set-top converter device having an electronic tuner which tunes to a viewer-selected channel in response to commands provided thereto by said set-top converter device, said method comprising:

tapping into a communications bus of said tuner, said bus carrying at least one signal representing said commands, and as a result of said tapping, receiving said commands at a tuner interface;

determining said currently tuned-to channel by interpreting said commands;

generating a coded representation of said currently tuned-to channel; and

outputting said coded representation.

17. The method as recited in claim 16, wherein said electronic tuner is electrically connected to abus, over which electrical components within said set-top converter box communicate, and said tuner is addressable by a unique identifier that is communicated over said bus, said step of receiving said commands at said tuner interface comprising:

monitoring, at said controller, communications over said bus;

determining when said unique identifier is communicated; and

capturing said commands that follow said unique identifier.

18. The method as recited in claim 17, further comprising:

determining if said commands comprise instructions to change from a first tuned-to channel to a second tuned-to channel different than said first tuned-to channel; and

if so, designating said second tuned-to channel as said currently tuned-to channel.

19. The method as recited in claim 16, wherein said step of generating a coded representation of said determined channel comprises generating an ASCII value of said channel to which said set-top converter box is tuned.

20. The method as recited in claim 18, wherein said step of outputting said coded representation comprises serially transmitting said ASCII value to a viewership meter.