Methods and systems for collaborative capture of television viewer generated clickstreams

• US 7,617,508 B2
• Filed: 12/12/2003
• Issued: 11/10/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 12/12/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Alphonso, Inc.
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Brothers, Thomas Jefferson, Gray, James Harold
• Primary Examiner(s): Saltarelli, Dominic D
• Application Number:
  US10/735,309
• Publication Number:
  US 20050132402A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,160 Days
• Field of Search: 725/9, 725/13, 725/14
• US Class Current: 725/13
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/33 Arrangements for monitoring the users' behaviour or opinions
• 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 21/4622 Retrieving content or additional data from different sources, e.g. from a broadcast channel and the Internet web site content organization and management for information retrieval from the Internet G06F16/958; transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82; stock exchange data over packet-switching network H04L12/1804; push services including data channel over packet-switching network H04L12/1859
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6582 Data stored in the client, e.g. viewing habits, hardware capabilities, credit card number arrangements where receivers interact with the broadcast H04H20/38
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17309 Transmission or handling of upstream communications

Abstract

Methods and systems provide clickstream captures at both local and remote components by receiving user commands generated by the viewer locally where at least some of those commands are then sent to the remote component concurrently relative to when they are generated by the viewer. Commands may be captured and stored locally while the commands that are sent to the remote component are captured and then stored remotely from the premises of the viewer. Additionally, the user commands may be executed locally such as at a viewer appliance and/or remotely such as at a video control system of a television network. Information related to these user commands continues to be stored locally and/or remotely from the premises of the viewer after the user commands have been executed. Thus, the information related to these user commands can be processed as necessary and used for various purposes.

Claims

1. A method of capturing user commands from a viewer that are related to viewing content, comprising:

receiving a first user command at a viewer appliance at a premises of the viewer;

determining whether the first user command is an automatic function that is automatically locally stored in memory of the viewer appliance or performing a look-up;

performing the look-up when the first user command is not automatically locally stored in the viewer appliance to determine if local storage is required;

when local storage is required, then capturing and locally storing the first user command and executing the first user command at the viewer appliance;

when local storage is not required, then forwarding the first command to a remotely-located video switch;

determining by the video switch whether the first command is to be remotely stored at a network location;

when remote storage is determined, then capturing and forwarding the first user command to the network location and executing the first command at the video switch; and

when remote storage is not determined, then declining network storage and executing the first command at the video switch.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein when the first user command is to be remotely stored at the network location, then forwarding the first user command from the viewer appliance.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising forwarding the information related to the first user command from the viewer appliance to the component located remotely from the premises of the viewer.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein when the first user command is not to be stored at the viewer appliance, then further comprising forwarding the user command to the network location.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising receiving a second user command and performing the look-up for the second user command.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising determining a result of the second user command relative to a present context and including the result in the information related to the second user command that is remotely stored from the viewer appliance.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein determining the result of the second user command relative to a present context comprises receiving a new video stream relative to the present context.

8. The method of claim 5, wherein receiving the first user command and the second user command comprises receiving the first user command and the second user command at a set-top box integrated with a television.

9. The method of claim 5, further comprising receiving different content based upon the information related to the second user command.

10. A system for capturing user commands from a viewer that are related to viewing content, comprising:

a reception mechanism receiving a first user command at a viewer appliance at a premises of the viewer;

a transfer mechanism that determines whether the first user command is an automatic function that is automatically locally stored in memory of the viewer appliance or that performs a look-up;

the transfer mechanism performs the look-up when the first user command is not automatically locally stored in the viewer appliance to determine if local storage is required;

when local storage is required, then the reception mechanism captures and locally stores the first user command and executes the first user command at the viewer appliance;

when local storage is not required, then the transfer mechanism forwards the first command to a remotely-located video switch;

the video switch determines whether the first command is to be remotely stored at a network location;

when remote storage is determined, then the video switch captures and forwards the first user command to the network location and executes the first command at the video switch; and

when remote storage is not determined, then the video switch declines network storage and executes the first command at the video switch.

11. The system according to claim 10, wherein when the first user command is to be remotely stored at the network location, then the transfer mechanism forwards the first user command from the viewer appliance.

12. The system according to claim 10, wherein the transfer mechanism forwards the information related to the first user command from the viewer appliance to the component located remotely from the premises of the viewer.

13. The system according to claim 10, wherein when the first user command is not to be stored at the viewer appliance, then the user command is forwarded to the network location.

14. The system according to claim 10, where the reception mechanism receives a second user command and performs the look-up for the second user command.

15. The system according to claim 14, wherein the system receives the first user command and the second user command at a set-top box integrated with a television.

16. The system according to claim 10, wherein the system determines a result of the second user command relative to a present context and includes the result in the information related to the second user command that is remotely stored from the viewer appliance.

17. The system according to claim 16, wherein the system receives a new video stream relative to the present context.

18. The system according to claim 10, wherein the system receives different content based upon the information related to the second user command.

19. A method of capturing user commands, comprising:

receiving a first user command at a viewer appliance at a premises of a viewer;

performing a look-up when the first user command is not automatically locally stored in the viewer appliance to determine if local storage is required;

when local storage is required, then capturing and locally storing the first user command and executing the first user command at the viewer appliance;

when local storage is not required, then forwarding the first command to a remotely-located video switch;

determining by the video switch whether the first command is to be remotely stored at a network location;

when remote storage is determined, then capturing and forwarding the first user command to the network location and executing the first command at the video switch; and

when remote storage is not determined, then declining network storage and executing the first command at the video switch.

20. A system for capturing user commands, comprising:

receiving a first user command at a viewer appliance at a premises of the viewer;

performing a look-up to determine if local storage is required;

when local storage is required, then capturing and locally storing the first user command and executing the first user command at the viewer appliance;

when local storage is not required, then forwarding the first command to a remotely-located video switch;

determining by the video switch whether the first command is to be remotely stored at a network location;

when remote storage is determined, then capturing and forwarding the first user command to the network location and executing the first command at the video switch; and

when remote storage is not determined, then declining network storage and executing the first command at the video switch.