Method and system for gathering and recording real-time market survey and other data from radio listeners and television viewers utilizing telephones including wireless cell phones

• US 7,797,186 B2
• Filed: 09/26/2006
• Issued: 09/14/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 10/18/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Donnelly Andrew Dybus
• Original Assignee: Donnelly Andrew Dybus
• Inventors: Dybus, Donnelly Andrew
• Primary Examiner(s): Boswell, Beth V
• Assistant Examiner(s): Pats, Justin M
• Application Number:
  US11/526,972
• Publication Number:
  US 20070107008A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,449 Days
• Field of Search: 705/10
• US Class Current: 705/7.32
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0203 Market surveys; Market polls
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0251 Targeted advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0254 based on statistics
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/44 for identifying broadcast stations
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/45 for identifying users
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/46 for recognising users' preferences
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/58 of audio determination or detection of speech characteristics in general G10L25/00; speech recognition in general G10L15/00
• 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 21/4334 Recording operations recording of a television signal H04N5/76; arrangements for recording or accumulating broadcast information or broadcast-related information H04H60/27
• 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 21/4758 for providing answers, e.g. voting

Abstract

The invention records real-time radio and television listener data utilizing automated, interactive questions and radio and television broadcast audio segments recorded by telephone, including wireless cell phones. Telephone users are asked to hold their phone in the direction of any broadcast audio they are hearing or listening to. Streaming program audio directly from radio and television broadcasts is matched to the program audio recorded from telephone users using computer audio matching technology. When an audio match is made, recorded data will automatically populate an alpha/numeric database creating a record including fields for identifying the radio or TV station, time of recording, the phone user'"'"'s 10 digit telephone number and demographic information on the listener. Demographics may be obtained prior to the call or by automated interactive questioning, during a call, with the phone user responding to questions verbally or by pushing appropriate keys on the telephone keypad.

Claims

1. A method to obtain from radio listeners and television viewers on a real time, accurate and verifiable basis said radio listeners'"'"' and television viewers'"'"' radio and television listening and viewing habits and preferences, survey data, and demographic and other listener and viewer derived information, the method comprising the following steps:

(a) making individual computer-automated interactive telephone calls to each of said radio listeners and television viewers;

(b) (A) receiving and recording radio and television broadcast audio segments then being listened to or heard by and (B) posing computer-automated prerecorded questions to and receiving and recording answers thereto from each said radio listener and television viewer during a completed computer-automated interactive telephone call, rendering a completed telephone call;

(c) giving, during each said completed computer-automated interactive telephone call, prerecorded information and instructions for each said radio and television listener and viewer to point the mouthpiece, that is, the microphone portion, of his or her telephone in the direction of the source of any radio and television broadcast program audio then being heard or listened to by said radio listener and television viewer;

(d) receiving and recording, during each said completed computer-automated interactive telephone call, a segment of said radio and television broadcast program audio then being heard or listened to by each said radio listener and television viewer, using said mouthpiece of each said radio listener'"'"'s and television viewer'"'"'s telephone to capture each said segment of radio and television broadcast program audio, and transmitting said segment to the call center that made said computer-automated interactive telephone calls over wireless or wired telephone transmission systems and networks utilized to make said computer-automated interactive telephone calls;

(e) recording answers to each of said computer-automated prerecorded questions posed to each said radio listener and television viewer during each said completed telephone call (A) by each said radio listener and television viewer depressing one or more designated keys on a keypad of each said radio listener'"'"'s and television viewer'"'"'s telephone to give said answers, or (B) by recording verbal responses made by each said radio listener and television viewer to said automated recorded questions into each said radio listener'"'"'s and television viewer'"'"'s telephone mouthpiece to give said answers, as directed and instructed in said computer-automated prerecorded information and instructions given to each said radio listener and television viewer during each said completed telephone call;

(f) monitoring, receiving, recording and saving, on a real time basis, and identifying by each radio and television station of origin, date and time, streaming radio and television broadcast program audio emanating from each of the radio and television broadcast stations operating in one or more radio or television broadcast markets of said radio listeners and television viewers, and emanating from sources of said radio and television broadcast program audio available to said radio listeners and television viewers, including from RF signals received over the airwaves transmitted from terrestrial and space-based antennas, and transmissions over the Internet and cable systems;

(g) matching each segment of radio and television broadcast program audio received and recorded during completed telephone calls to radio listeners and television viewers, as described in subsection 1(d), above, to its identical counterpart within said streaming radio and television broadcast program audio emanating from each of the radio and television broadcast stations operating in said radio listeners'"'"' and television viewers'"'"' radio and said one or more one or more television broadcast markets, by computer, using computer audio matching technology, including technologies that decode inaudible or subaudible signals imbedded in said radio and television broadcast program audio, rendering an audio match;

(h) identifying and confirming the radio and television station of origin and date and time of broadcast of said radio and television broadcast program audio segments recorded during each said completed telephone call to each said radio listener and television viewer by comparing and matching by computer, using the computer audio matching technology as described in subsection 1(g) above;

(A) each radio and television broadcast program audio segment received and recorded during each said completed telephone call to each said radio listener and television viewer as described in subsection 1(d) above to; and

(B) the streaming radio and television broadcast program audio emanating from each of the radio and television broadcast stations in said radio and television listener'"'"'s and viewer'"'"'s radio and said one or more television broadcast market that is received and recorded, as described in subsection 1(f) above, at the same time as the radio and television broadcast program audio segments from each said completed telephone call to each said radio listener and television viewer to be compared are received and recorded, as described in subsection 1(d), above;

(i) determining duration of listening or hearing of radio and television station broadcast program audio by said radio listeners and television viewers;

(A) by timed recalls to said radio listeners and television viewers after the completed telephone call, giving automated prerecorded instructions to repeat the audio recording process described in subsection 1(d), above, to determine whether said radio listeners and television viewers are then still listening or hearing the same radio or television broadcast station and programming audio that was recorded during the immediately preceding completed call, or

(B) by recording answers to computer-automated prerecorded questions on the issue of said duration given by said radio listeners and television viewers posed either in the completed telephone call or a recall, as described in subsection 1(i)(A) immediately above, by depressing designated keys on the keypads of said telephones, as instructed during said telephone calls, or by recording verbal responses given by said radio listeners and television viewers to said questions as described in subsection 1(e), above;

(j) determining the identity of each said radio or television broadcast station, and the radio and television programming listened to or heard and recorded over the telephone by said radio listeners and television viewers during each said computer-automated interactive telephone call;

(k) determining the date and time said radio or television broadcast station programming is listened to or heard and recorded over the telephone by said radio listeners and television viewers;

(l) upon the audio match as described in subsections 1(g) and 1(h), above, automatically populating a computer database with records that include fields for (i) the identity of each said radio listener and television viewer, (ii) each said radio listener'"'"'s and television viewer'"'"'s ten digit telephone number, (iii) the specific radio and television broadcast station, by call sign, and source of program audio listened to, heard and recorded, as described in subsection 1(d) above, by each said radio listener and television viewer during each said computer-automated interactive telephone call, (iv) the date, time and duration each said radio listener and television viewer listened to or heard each said radio and television broadcast program audio segment received and recorded as described in subsection 1(d), above, (v) demographic and other listener and viewer derived information, including each said radio listener'"'"'s and television viewer'"'"'s age, gender, ethnicity, occupation, market and geographic location, and (vi) additional data and information obtained and recorded by means of said computer-automated prerecorded questions and answers during each said computer-automated interactive telephone call to each said radio listener and television viewer, as described in subsection 1(e) above, or alternatively in the event said radio listener or television viewer is pre-enrolled by his or her telephone company or carrier as part of a promotion or inducement for said radio listener and television viewer to accept said computer-automated interactive telephone calls from the operator of the invention and said additional data and information is given at that time;

(m) capturing, analyzing and delivering to advertisers, advertising agencies, radio and television broadcast companies, data and information on radio listener and television viewer listening and viewing behavior and habits, radio and television station and programming preferences, demographic and other listener and viewer derived information, on a real time basis in electronic format, software format, or by other delivery methods, including by facsimile, the Internet, email, US Postal Service and private or commercial couriers;

(n) rating competing radio and television broadcast stations and programming based on comparative listenership and viewership levels in a radio and television market, based on the data and information gathered by steps 1(a)-1(m);

wherein the above steps are for the purposes of gathering and recording on a real time basis, analyzing and disseminating accurate, comprehensive, verifiable, market survey data and other information from radio listeners and television viewers regarding said radio listeners'"'"' and television viewers'"'"' radio and television broadcast station and programming preferences, listening and viewing habits and attitudes, demographics and other listener and viewer derived information, collectively market survey data, utilizing ordinary telephones, including wireless cell phones, to receive and record said market survey data, including radio and television broadcast program audio segments actually being listened to or heard by each said radio listener, and radio listener and television viewer answers to automated prerecorded questions utilizing computer automated interactive telephony, audio matching, tone frequency identification, audible and subaudible signal detection, voice recognition, computer software and database functionality, and providing radio and television broadcast companies, and advertisers with statistically significant, timely, accurate and useful market survey data necessary or useful for making programming and advertising decisions by said radio and television broadcast companies, and advertisers.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising auditing and reviewing for accuracy (1) the recorded and saved radio and television broadcast program audio segments recorded during each said completed telephone call to each said radio listener and television viewer;

and (2) the matched segments of said streaming radio and television broadcast program audio emanating from the radio and television broadcast stations in said radio listener'"'"'s and television viewer'"'"'s radio and television broadcast market.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the computer database is an alpha/numeric market database, created and populated with radio listener and television viewer preferences and said demographic data in real time as the preferences and demographic data are received, which data can be stored and formatted in a database computer program.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the computer, alpha/numeric market data base is for the purposes of rating the relative listenership and viewership of radio and television broadcast programming in a particular market or markets and detecting and analyzing trends and anomalies, giving advertisers the ability to determine, during the actual radio and television broadcast of programming, whether to modify or pull advertisements based on saturation, demographics or other listener and viewer derived information thereby obtained.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising generating survey data that is statistically significant from the completed telephone calls.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising gathering and making available on an accurate, verifiable, real time basis data and information regarding whether the surveyed radio listeners and television viewers are actually listening to and paying attention to or merely hearing the radio and television broadcast program audio that their radio or television set is tuned to and receiving.

7. A system to obtain from radio listeners and television viewers on a real time, accurate and verifiable basis said radio listeners'"'"' and television viewers'"'"' radio and television listening and viewing habits and preferences, survey data, and demographic and other listener and viewer derived information, the system comprising:

a telephone, a broadcasting device, and at least one computing device for performing the following operations;

(a) making individual computer-automated interactive telephone calls to each of said radio listeners and television viewers;

(b) (A) receiving and recording radio and television broadcast audio segments then being listened to or heard by and (B) posing computer-automated prerecorded questions to and receiving and recording answers thereto from each said radio listener and television viewer during a completed computer-automated interactive telephone call, rendering a completed telephone call;

(c) giving, during each said completed computer-automated interactive telephone call, prerecorded information and instructions for each said radio and television listener and viewer to point the mouthpiece, that is, the microphone portion of his or her telephone in the direction of the source of any radio and television broadcast program audio then being heard or listened to by said radio listener and television viewer;

(d) receiving and recording, during each said completed computer-automated interactive telephone call, a segment of said radio and television broadcast program audio then being heard or listened to by each said radio listener and television viewer, using said mouthpiece of each said radio listener'"'"'s and television viewer'"'"'s telephone to capture each said segment of radio and television broadcast program audio, and transmitting said segment to the call center that made said computer-automated interactive telephone calls over wireless or wired telephone transmission systems and networks utilized to make said computer-automated interactive telephone calls;

(e) recording answers to each of said computer-automated prerecorded questions posed to each said radio listener and television viewer during each said completed telephone call (A) by each said radio listener and television viewer depressing one or more designated keys on a keypad of each said radio listener'"'"'s and television viewer'"'"'s telephone to give said answers, or (B) by recording verbal responses made by each said radio listener and television viewer to said automated recorded questions into each said radio listener'"'"'s and television viewer'"'"'s telephone mouthpiece to give said answers, as directed and instructed in said computer-automated prerecorded information and instructions given to each said radio listener and television viewer during each said completed telephone call;

(f) monitoring, receiving, recording and saving, on a real time basis, and identifying by each radio and television station of origin, date and time, streaming radio and television broadcast program audio emanating from each of the radio and television broadcast stations operating in one or more radio or television broadcast markets of said radio listeners and television viewers, and emanating from sources of said radio and television broadcast program audio available to said radio listeners and television viewers, including from RF signals received over the airwaves transmitted from terrestrial and space-based antennas, and transmissions over the Internet and cable systems;

(g) matching each segment of radio and television broadcast program audio received and recorded during completed telephone calls to radio listeners and television viewers, as described in subsection 9(d), above, to its identical counterpart within said streaming radio and television broadcast program audio emanating from each of the radio and television broadcast stations operating in said radio listeners'"'"' and television viewers'"'"' radio and said one or more one or more television broadcast markets, by computer, using computer audio matching technology, including technologies that decode inaudible or subaudible signals imbedded in said radio and television broadcast program audio, rendering an audio match;

(h) identifying and confirming the radio and television station of origin and date and time of broadcast of said radio and television broadcast program audio segments recorded during each said completed telephone call to each said radio listener and television viewer by comparing and matching by computer, using the computer audio matching technology as described in subsection 9(g) above;

(A) each radio and television broadcast program audio segment received and recorded during each said completed telephone call to each said radio listener and television viewer as described in subsection 9(d) above to; and

(B) the streaming radio and television broadcast program audio emanating from each of the radio and television broadcast stations in said radio and television listener'"'"'s and viewer'"'"'s radio and said one or more television broadcast markets that is received and recorded, as described in subsection 9(f) above, at the same time as the radio and television broadcast program audio segments from each said completed telephone call to each said radio listener and television viewer to be compared are received and recorded, as described in subsection 9(d), above;

(i) determining duration of listening or hearing of radio and television station broadcast program audio by said radio listeners and television viewers;

(A) by timed recalls to said radio listeners and television viewers after the completed telephone call, giving automated prerecorded instructions to repeat the audio recording process described in subsection 9(d), above, to determine whether said radio listeners and television viewers are then still listening or hearing the same radio or television broadcast station and programming audio that was recorded during the immediately preceding completed call, or

(B) by recording answers to computer-automated prerecorded questions on the issue of said duration given by said radio listeners and television viewers posed either in the completed telephone call or a recall, as described in subsection 9(i)(A) immediately above, by depressing designated keys on the keypads of said telephones, as instructed during said telephone calls, or by recording verbal responses given by said radio listeners and television viewers to said questions as described in subsection 9(e), above;

(j) determining the identity of each said radio or television broadcast station, and the radio and television programming listened to or heard and recorded over the telephone by said radio listeners and television viewers during each said computer-automated interactive telephone call;

(k) determining the date and time said radio or television broadcast station programming is listened to or heard and recorded over the telephone by said radio listeners and television viewers;

(l) upon the audio match as described in subsections 9(g) and 9(h), above, automatically populating a computer database with records that include fields for (i) the identity of each said radio listener and television viewer, (ii) each said radio listener'"'"'s and television viewer'"'"'s ten digit telephone number, (iii) the specific radio and television broadcast station, by call sign, and source of program audio listened to, heard and recorded, as described in subsection 9(d) above, by each said radio listener and television viewer during each said computer-automated interactive telephone call, (iv) the date, time and duration each said radio listener and television viewer listened to or heard each said radio and television broadcast program audio segment received and recorded as described in subsection 9(d), above, (v) demographic and other listener and viewer derived information, including each said radio listener'"'"'s and television viewer'"'"'s age, gender, ethnicity, occupation, market and geographic location, and (vi) additional data and information obtained and recorded by means of said computer-automated prerecorded questions and answers during each said computer-automated interactive telephone call to each said radio listener and television viewer, as described in subsection 9(e) above, or alternatively in the event said radio listener or television viewer is pre-enrolled by his or her telephone company or carrier as part of a promotion or inducement for said radio listener and television viewer to accept said computer-automated interactive telephone calls from the operator of the invention and said additional data and information is given at that time;

(m) capturing, analyzing and delivering to advertisers, advertising agencies, radio and television broadcast companies, data and information on radio listener and television viewer listening and viewing behavior and habits, radio and television station and programming preferences, demographic and other listener and viewer derived information, on a real time basis in electronic format, software format, or by other delivery methods, including by facsimile, the Internet, email, US Postal Service and private or commercial couriers;

(n) rating competing radio and television broadcast stations and programming based on comparative listenership and viewership levels in a radio and television market, based on the data and information gathered by operations 9(a)-9(m);

wherein the above operations are for the purposes of gathering and recording on a real time basis, analyzing and disseminating accurate, comprehensive, verifiable, market survey data and other information from radio listeners and television viewers regarding said radio listeners'"'"' and television viewers'"'"' radio and television broadcast station and programming preferences, listening and viewing habits and attitudes, demographics and other listener and viewer derived information, collectively market survey data, utilizing ordinary telephones, including wireless cell phones, to receive and record said market survey data, including radio and television broadcast program audio segments actually being listened to or heard by each said radio listener, and radio listener and television viewer answers to automated prerecorded questions utilizing computer automated interactive telephony, audio matching, tone frequency identification, audible and subaudible signal detection, voice recognition, computer software and database functionality, and providing radio and television broadcast companies, and advertisers with statistically significant, timely, accurate and useful market survey data necessary or useful for making programming and advertising decisions by said radio and television broadcast companies, and advertisers.