Program viewing history

• US 8,429,683 B2
• Filed: 03/23/2007
• Issued: 04/23/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 03/23/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: Dasgupta, Sudeep
• Primary Examiner(s): Beliveau, Scott
• Assistant Examiner(s): TELAN, MICHAEL R
• Application Number:
  US11/690,644
• Publication Number:
  US 20080235348A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,223 Days
• Field of Search: 725 9- 21, 725/46
• US Class Current: 725/9
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/37 for identifying segments of broadcast information, e.g. scenes or extracting programme ID
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/40 for identifying broadcast time
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/43 for identifying broadcast channels
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/45 for identifying users
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/64 for providing detail information
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/65 for using the result on users' side
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4227 Providing Remote input by a user located remotely from the client device, e.g. at work
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44204 Monitoring of content usage, e.g. the number of times a movie has been viewed, copied or the amount which has been watched monitoring of user activities for profile generation for accessing a video database G06F16/739; protecting generic digital content where the protection is independent of the precise nature of the content G06F21/10; arrangements for monitoring the use made of the broadcast services in broadcast systems H04H60/31
• 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 21/6582 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 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

A method may include tracking program viewing information via a set-top box and storing the tracked program viewing information.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a set-top box to;

track a plurality of parameters relating to a first program to which the set-top box is tuned,

the plurality of parameters including information relating to a date, a time, a name of the first program, and user identification information,

when tracking the plurality of parameters, the set-top box is to;

initiate a first timer, for the first program, when the set-top box is tuned to the first program for a time exceeding a first threshold corresponding to a first time duration,

pause the first timer when the set-top box is tuned to another program,

track an amount of time that the set-top box is tuned away from the first program, and

resume the first timer when the set-top box is retuned to the first program and the amount of time away from the first program does not exceed a second threshold corresponding to a second time duration different than the first time duration,

when the set-top box is retuned to the first program, the first timer being not resumed when the amount of time away from the first program exceeds the second threshold,

detect that a second program has started based on tracking the plurality of parameters relating to the first program,

store the tracked plurality of parameters relating to the first program when the second program has started, and

provide the tracked plurality of parameters to a user.

2. The system of claim 1 where the set-top box is further to:

transfer the tracked plurality of parameters to a remote server.

3. The system of claim 2 where, when providing the tracked plurality of parameters, the set-top box is to:

send a request for the tracked plurality of parameters to the remote server, and

receive the tracked plurality of parameters from the remote server.

4. The system of claim 1 where, when providing the tracked plurality of parameters, the set-top box is to:

cause the tracked plurality of parameters to be provided visually.

5. The system of claim 1 where, when providing the tracked plurality of parameters, the set-top box is to:

cause the tracked plurality of parameters to be provided audibly.

6. The system of claim 1 where the set-top box provides the tracked plurality of parameters automatically.

7. The system of claim 1 where the set-top box provides the tracked plurality of parameters based on a request from the user.

8. A method comprising:

tracking, by a set-top box, program viewing information, tracking the program viewing information including;

initiating a first timer, associated with the set-top box, when the set-top box is tuned to a first program on a first channel,

determining whether a first time period tracked by the first timer exceeds a first threshold associated with a first amount of time,

initiating a second timer when the set-top box is tuned to another program on a second channel and the first time period exceeds the first threshold, the second channel being different than the first channel, and

determining whether a second time period tracked by the second timer exceeds a second threshold associated with a second amount of time,

the second amount of time being different than the first amount of time;

when the second time period does not exceed the second threshold;

determining, by the set-top box, whether a second program, on the first channel, has started when the set-top box is tuned to the other program on the second channel, and

storing, by the set-top box, the tracked program viewing information for the first program when the second program has started; and

when the second time period exceeds the second threshold;

storing, by the set-top box and independent of determining whether the second program has started, the tracked program viewing information for the first program when the set-top box is tuned to the other program on the second channel.

9. The method of claim 8 where tracking the program viewing information further includes:

storing information relating to a third program when the set-top box is tuned to the third program for a time period that exceeds a third threshold.

10. The method of claim 8 where storing the tracked program viewing information, when the second time period exceeds or does not exceed the second threshold, includes:

storing the program viewing information locally at the set-top box.

11. The method of claim 8 where storing the tracked program viewing information, when the second time period exceeds or does not exceed the second threshold, includes:

transferring the program viewing information to a server for storage.

12. The method of claim 11 further comprising:

retrieving, via the set-top box, the program viewing information from the server; and

providing the retrieved program viewing information to a user.

13. The method of claim 11 further comprising:

retrieving, via a web browser, the program viewing information from the server; and

providing the retrieved program viewing information to a user.

14. The method of claim 8 further comprising:

automatically providing, via the set-top box, the tracked program viewing information to a user.

15. The method of claim 8 further comprising:

providing, via the set-top box, the tracked program viewing information based on a request from a user.

16. The method of claim 8 where the program viewing information includes a date associated with tracking the program information, a time associated with tracking the program information, a name of the first program, and user identification information, the user identification comprising at least one of information identifying a user of the set-top box or information identifying the set-top box.

17. A method performed by a set-top box, the method comprising:

tracking program information for a first program on a first channel to which the set-top box is tuned,

the program information including information relating to a date associated with the first program, information relating to a time associated with the first program, a name of the first program, and user identification information;

initiating a first timer for the first program when the set-top box is tuned to the first program for a time exceeding a first threshold that is associated with a first period of time;

initiating a second timer, different than the first timer, when the set-top box is tuned away from the first program to another program on a second channel that is different than the first channel;

tracking an amount of time that the set-top box is tuned away from the first program based on the second timer;

when the tracked amount of time does not exceed a second threshold that is associated with a second period of time different than the first period of time;

determining whether a second program, on the first channel, has started when the set-top box is tuned away from the first program to the other program on the second channel, and

recording the tracked program information for the first program when the second program has started;

when the tracked amount of time exceeds the second threshold;

recording the tracked program information for the first program when the set-top box is tuned away from the first program to the other program on the second channel; and

automatically providing, via the set-top box and during a third program, an alert relating to the recorded program information,

automatically providing the alert comprising automatically retrieving particular information, of the recorded program information, based on a current time during which the third program is provided.

18. The method of claim 17 further comprising:

recording program information associated with the third program when the set-top box is tuned to the third program for a time period that exceeds the first threshold.

19. The method of claim 18 where the first threshold is user-configurable.

24. The method of claim 17, where at least one of the first threshold or the second threshold is user-configurable.

25. The method of claim 17, where the program information for the first program is tracked on a first date,

where the third program is provided on a second date, following the first date, and

where the alert is automatically provided based on the current time, on the second date, corresponding to a time, on the first date, when the program information for the first program was tracked.

20. A method performed by a network device, the method comprising:

receiving program information for a first program to which a first network device is tuned,

the program information including a date associated with the first program, a time associated with the first program, a name of the first program, and user identification information;

initiating a first timer for the first program when the first network device is tuned to the first program for a time exceeding a first threshold associated with a first time duration;

pausing the first timer when the first network device is tuned away from the first program to another program;

tracking a period of time that the first network device is tuned away from the first program;

resuming the first timer when the first network device is retuned to the first program and the period of time away from the first program does not exceed a second threshold associated with a second time duration different than the first time duration,

when the first network device is retuned to the first program, the first timer being not resumed when the period of time away from the first program exceeds the second threshold;

storing the program information for the first program in a memory, based on an amount of time tracked by the first timer,

the memory storing information for a plurality of programs, the information for at least one of the plurality of programs including a date, a time, a program name, and user identification information;

retrieving the program information, for the first program, from the stored information for the plurality of programs; and

providing the retrieved program information, for the first program, to a second network device different than the first network device.

21. The method of claim 20 where the first network device includes a set-top box and the second network device includes at least one of a personal computer, a laptop, a personal digital assistant, or a cell phone.

22. The method of claim 20 where providing the retrieved program information includes at least one of:

automatically sending the program information to the second network device, or sending the program information to the second network device based on a request from the second network device.

23. The method of claim 22, where sending the program information to the second network device comprises:

receiving the request from the second network device, the request comprising the user identification information included in the program information for the first program; and

retrieving the program information based on the received request.