Real-time audience monitoring, content rating, and content enhancing

• US 8,006,259 B2
• Filed: 08/21/2007
• Issued: 08/23/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 08/31/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: RPX Corporation
• Original Assignee: Nokia Siemens Networks GmbH & Company KG (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Drake, Eddie, Vrudhula, Padmaja, Long, Xiping
• Primary Examiner(s): Saltarelli; Dominic D
• Application Number:
  US11/894,416
• Publication Number:
  US 20070294740A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,463 Days
• Field of Search: 725 9- 21, 725/108, 725/131, 725/139, 725/151
• US Class Current: 725/13
• 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 21/44224 Monitoring of user activity on external systems, e.g. Internet browsing
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47202 for requesting content on demand, e.g. video on demand
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6405 Multicasting data broadcast and multicast in packet switching networks H04L12/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

A method, system, and computer-readable medium for collecting usage information in real-time for a computing device receiving digital content for presentation, such as to enable various types of real-time content modifications or content-related service enhancements. In some situations, real-time information is collected about Set-Top Boxes that allow viewers to receive various types of content (e.g., video broadcasts such as single-channel or multi-channel television programming, audio broadcasts, media-on-demand, etc.) and to interact with the content and with related services in various ways, such as information about content viewing and types of viewer interactions. Having access to information related to content viewing and to various types of user interactions provides a variety of benefits, with real-time or near real-time collection of such information enabling dynamic modifications to provided content, functionality, and services.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

at a Set-Top Box;

monitoring received input from one or more viewers, the Set-Top Box comprising a temporary power backup, the Set-Top Box comprising a software component adapted to send an event notification to an event server responsive to a determination that the Set-Top Box is no longer receiving AC power, the event notification indicating that the Set-Top Box is receiving power from the temporary power backup;

while the Set-Top Box is receiving AC power, in response to detecting that the received input is an interaction of a type of interest, sending an event message to the event server, the event message identifying the type of the detected interaction and an indication of the Set-Top Box and receiving new digital content responsive to the event message;

wherein the Set-Top Box uses a network connection for connection with the event server,

wherein the Set-Top Box communicates with the event server via packet-switched technology and IP packets,

wherein the event server is an Audience Tracker Server adapted to, based on the event message, dynamically rate content usage or enhance content.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein when a detected interaction is of a content control type that indicates a change in digital content, additionally sending an indication of the detected interaction to a content provider, so that the content provider can provide new digital content that corresponds to the indicated change.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the sending of the event message is performed in real-time.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the event message additionally includes information specific to a current occurrence of the detected interaction.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the event message additionally includes information related to one or more of the one or more viewers.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the Set-Top Box is connected to a display device on which video content is presented to the one or more viewers.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the Set-Top Box is connected to one or more speakers on which audio content is presented to the one or more viewers.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the Set-Top Box assists in presenting digital content to the one or more viewers by receiving the digital content and providing the digital content to a content presentation device.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein the content presentation device is a television.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the Set-Top Box assists in presenting digital content to the one or more viewers by modifying received digital content before the digital content is provided to a content presentation device.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein the Set-Top Box assists in presenting digital content to the one or more viewers by generating content to be provided to a content presentation device.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein the event message is sent using a User Datagram Protocol.

13. The method of claim 1 including, in response to detecting a removal of AC power from the Set-Top Box, sending an event message to the event server indicating the removal of AC power.

14. The method of claim 1 including receiving a ping message from the event server, and in response sending a ping response message that indicates that the Set-Top Box is functioning.

15. The method of claim 1 including receiving a message from the event server requesting status information related to the Set-Top Box, and in response gathering the requested status information and sending the gathered information to the event server.

16. The method of claim 1 including receiving a message from the event server requesting information from the one or more viewers, and in response obtaining the requested information from the one or more viewers and sending the obtained information to the event server.

17. The method of claim 1 wherein the detected interaction is an instruction to change a channel.

18. The method of claim 1 wherein the detected interaction is an instruction to control flow of digital content being presented.

19. The method of claim 1 wherein digital content is sent from a content server to the Set-Top Box in a multi-cast mode.

20. The method of claim 1 wherein digital content is sent from a content server to the Set-Top Box in a single-cast mode.

21. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the event server forwards received event and/or status information to an event data base comprising real time information, including information indicating content being provided to a pluralty of Set-Top Boxes.

22. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the event server forwards received event and/or status information to an event data base comprising real time information, including information indicating content being provided to a pluralty of Set-Top Boxes, the event data base comprising powerdown status information for each of said plurality of Set-Top Boxes.

23. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the event server forwards received event and/or status information to an event data base comprising real time information, including information indicating content being provided to a pluralty of Set-Top Boxes, the event data base comprising real-time and near real-time information used to provide a content enhancement.

24. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the content enhancement is dependent on a real-time change of an overall number of viewers.

25. The method of claim 1, wherein:

said interaction is one of a subscriber/viewer -initiated event, a remote software update event, a subscriber/viewer-initiated error event, and a Set-Top Box error event.

26. A computer-readable storage device encoded with computer software adapted to cause a computing device to perform a method comprising:

at the computing device, monitoring received input from one or more viewers, the computing device comprising a temporary power backup, the computer software comprising a software component adapted to send an event notification to an event server responsive to a determination that the computing device is no longer receiving AC power, the event notification indicating that the Set-Top Box is receiving power from the temporary power backup; and

in response to detecting that the received input is an interaction of a type of interest, sending an event message to the event server that identifies the type of the detected interaction and that includes an indication of the computing device or of one or more of the one or more viewers and receiving new digital content responsive to the event message;

wherein the computing device uses a network connection for connection with the event server,

wherein the computing device communicates with the event server via packet-switched technology and IP packets,

wherein the event server is an Audience Tracker Server adapted to, based on the event message, dynamically rate content usage or enhance content.

27. The computer-readable storage device of claim 26 wherein the computing device is a Set-Top Box.

28. The computer-readable storage device, of claim 26 wherein the computer-readable medium is a memory of the computing device.

29. The computer-readable storage device of claim 26 wherein the method further comprises transmitting a generated data signal containing digital content.

30. The computer-readable storage device of claim 26 wherein the computer software comprises instructions that when executed cause the computing device to perform the method.

31. The computer-readable storage device of claim 26 wherein the computing device is an Audience Tracking Server.

32. A computing device comprising:

at the computing device, a monitoring component capable of monitoring received input from one or more viewers, the computing device comprising a temporary power backup, the computing device comprising a software component adapted to send an event notification to an event server responsive to a determination that the computing device is no longer receiving AC power, the event notification indicating that the Set-Top is receiving power from the temporary power backup; and

a notification component capable of, in response to detecting that the received input is an interaction of a type of interest, sending an event message to the event server that identifies the type of the detected interaction and that includes an indication of the computing device or of the one or more viewers and receiving new digital content responsive to the event message;

wherein the computing device uses a network connection for connection with the event server,

wherein the computing device communicates with the event server via packet-switched technology and IP packets,

wherein the event server is an Audience Tracker Server adapted to, based on the event message, dynamically rate content usage or enhance content.

33. The computing device of claim 32 wherein the monitoring component and the notification component are executing in memory of the computing device.

34. The computing device of claim 32 wherein the computing device is a Set-Top Box.

35. A computing device, comprising:

means for monitoring received input from one or more viewers, the computing device comprising a temporary power backup, the computer software comprising a software component adapted to send an event notification to an event server responsive to a determination that the computing device is no longer receiving AC power, the event notification indicating that the Set-Top Box is receiving power from the temporary power backup; and

means for, in response to detecting that the received input is an interaction of a type of interest, sending an event message to the event server that identifies the type of the detected interaction and that includes an indication of the computing device or of the one or more viewers and receiving new digital content responsive to the event message;

wherein the computing device uses a network connection for connection with the event server,

wherein the computing device communicates with the event server via packet-switched technology and IP packets,

wherein the event server is an Audience Tracker Server adapted to, based on the event message, dynamically rate content usage or enhance content.