Profiling and identification of television viewers

• US 8,046,798 B1
• Filed: 05/21/2007
• Issued: 10/25/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 01/11/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Prime Research Alliance E, LLC
• Original Assignee: Prime Research Alliance E., Inc.
• Inventors: Schlack, John A., Sutton, Andrew, Rampulla, Andrew J., Eldering, Charles A
• Primary Examiner(s): Kumar, Pankaj
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hicks, Charles N
• Application Number:
  US11/751,154
• Time in Patent Office: 1,618 Days
• Field of Search: 725/9, 725/10, 725/14, 725/46
• US Class Current: 725/46
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• 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 60/37 for identifying segments of broadcast information, e.g. scenes or extracting programme ID
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/45 for identifying users
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/46 for recognising users' preferences
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/66 for using the result on distributors' side
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/94 Telephonic networks for accessing the Internet H04H60/84
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/97 using uplink of the CATV systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/30 Profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/535 Tracking the activity of the user network monitoring arrangements H04L43/00; recording of computer activity G06F11/34
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23113 involving housekeeping operations for stored content, e.g. prioritizing content for deletion because of storage space restrictions storage management, e.g. defragmentation G06F3/0604; snloading stored programs G06F9/445; housekeeping operations in file systems, e.g. deletion policies G06F16/10; buffering arrangements in a network node or in an end terminal in packet networks H04L49/90
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23424 involving splicing one content stream with another content stream, e.g. for inserting or substituting an advertisement
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23608 Remultiplexing multiplex streams, e.g. involving modifying time stamps or remapping the packet identifiers
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/252 Processing of multiple end-users' preferences to derive collaborative data
• 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 21/2668 Creating a channel for a dedicated end-user group, e.g. insertion of targeted commercials based on end-user profiles information retrieval from the Internet by querying with filtering and personalisation G06F16/9535; arrangements for replacing or switching information during the broadcast H04H20/10; push services over packet-switching network H04L12/1859; adaptation of message content in packet-switching networks H04L51/063
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4344 Remultiplexing of multiplex streams, e.g. by modifying time stamps or remapping the packet identifiers
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44016 involving splicing one content stream with another content stream, e.g. for substituting a video clip
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/441 : Acquiring end-user identification , e.g. using personal code sent by the remote control or by inserting a card
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44224 : Monitoring of user activity on external systems, e.g. Internet browsing
• 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 21/466 : Learning process for intelligent management, e.g. learning user preferences for recommending movies services using the results of monitoring in broadcast systems H04H60/61
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4661 : Deriving a combined profile for a plurality of end-users of the same client, e.g. for family members within a home user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4662 : characterized by learning algorithms
• 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 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

Profiling a television viewer by monitoring and processing, locally at a television viewing environment, the viewer'"'"'s interactivity (e.g., via a remote control unit) with the television viewing environment. Generating one or more profiles for each viewer based on one or more of the multitude of interactions of each viewer and on, in general, the viewing habits and preferences of the viewer. Automatically and reliably, detecting or inferring at a particular time, which specific individual or individuals, are actually interacting with the TV in household comprising more than one individual. Such viewer identification and profile generation can be used to facilitate the delivery of targeted content, including targeted advertising.

Claims

1. A method of differentiating viewers interacting with a content presentation device, the method comprising:

(a) monitoring a first plurality of inputs from at least one first viewer to the content presentation device during a first session, wherein the first plurality of inputs form at least one first session profile;

(b) merging, based on a correlation threshold, the at least one first session profile into at least one signature profile, wherein the at least one signature profile is formed independently of viewer characteristics stored in the content presentation device prior to the monitoring of (a);

(c) monitoring a second plurality of inputs from a second viewer to the content presentation device during a second session, wherein the second plurality of inputs form at least one second session profile;

(d) comparing the at least one second session profile to the at least one signature profile; and

(e) identifying a matching signature profile corresponding to the at least one second session profile if the at least one signature profile is sufficiently correlated to the second session profile, wherein the matching signature profile is selected from the at least one signature profile.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the matching signature profile is identified without knowing the actual identity of the second viewer.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

(f) delivering content to the content presentation device, wherein the content is targeted to the matching signature profile identified in (e).

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the content is targeted based on determining a demographic profile of the matching signature profile.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the content is targeted based on determining preference probabilities from the matching signature profile.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one first session profile and the at least one signature profile identify viewing habits of the at least one first viewer including at least some subset of program genre viewing habits, program category viewing habits, network viewing habits, and dwell time habits.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one first session profile and the at least one signature profile identify probable demographic traits of the at least one first viewer.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the demographic traits distinguish the at least one second session profile from the at least one signature profile.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the demographic traits are generated by applying heuristic rules to the at least one first session profile and the at least one signature profile.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the heuristic rules are applied to program genre and program categories viewed.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the heuristic rules are applied based on time that the first and second plurality of inputs are received.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one signature profile includes a time weighted average of the at least one first session profile generated based on previous interactions with the content presentation device.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining, based on the matching signature profile that the second viewer is different than the at least one first viewer.

14. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining, based on the matching signature profile that the second viewer is the same as the at least one first viewer.

15. A method of differentiating viewers using a content presentation device, the method comprising:

monitoring a first plurality of inputs from at least one first viewer to the content presentation device during a first session, wherein the first plurality of inputs form at least one first session profile;

merging, based on a correlation threshold, the at least one first session profile into at least one signature profile, wherein the at least one signature profile is formed independently of viewer characteristics stored in the content presentation device prior to the monitoring of the first plurality of inputs;

monitoring a second plurality of inputs from a second viewer to the content presentation device during a second session, wherein the second plurality of inputs form at least one second session profile;

determining at least one signature channel search sequence corresponding to the at least one signature profile;

retrieving a session channel search sequence corresponding to the at least one second session profile; and

identifying a matching signature profile corresponding to the at least one second session profile based on a comparison of the session channel search sequence to the at least one signature channel search sequence for each of the least one signature profiles.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

determining based on the identifying a matching signature profile that the second viewer is likely a viewer corresponding to the matching signature profile, without knowing the actual identity of the viewer, and therefore has characteristics determinable by analysis of the matching signature profile.

17. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

retrieving a signature channel dwell time for the identified matching signature profile; and

determining, based on the signature channel dwell time, a list of channels in the session channel search sequence to be included in determining the characteristics of the matching signature profile.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

determining to which program each channel in the session channel search sequence corresponds, based on the determined list of channels.