Channel tune dwell time log processing

• US 8,438,591 B2
• Filed: 11/22/2011
• Issued: 05/07/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 04/03/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Smith, Geoffrey R., Kaustuv, Zigmond, Daniel J., Shrauner, Jay, Hawkins, John Alastair, Rowe, Simon M., Killianey, Michael A., Volovich, Yaroslav, Merrick, Iain
• Primary Examiner(s): Beliveau, Scott
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ryan, Patrick A
• Application Number:
  US13/302,531
• Publication Number:
  US 20120072935A1
• Time in Patent Office: 532 Days
• Field of Search: 725 9- 22, 725/32, 725/36, 705/7, 705/10, 705/14.69, 705/14.72, 705/17.73, 348/E5.097
• US Class Current: 725/19
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0242 Determining effectiveness of advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0273 Determination of fees for advertising
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2407 Monitoring of transmitted content, e.g. distribution time, number of downloads arrangements for monitoring programmes for broadcast or for distribution combined with broadcast H04H20/14
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2547 Third Party Billing, e.g. billing of advertiser
• 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 21/812 involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02

Abstract

Reporting data related to content processing devices, e.g., television devices, are processed to identify channel tunes and corresponding tune times of the content processing devices. Automatically generated channel tunes based on the corresponding tune times are identified. Content items that are aired during a time period defined by the corresponding tune times can be adjusted.

Claims

1. Software stored in one or more computer-readable storage devices and storing instructions executable by one or more computers that upon such execution cause the one or more computers to perform operations comprising:

identifying channel tunes and corresponding tune times of television processing devices from reporting data related to television processing devices;

for each television processing device;

identify channel tune cluster pairs, each channel tune cluster pair being a first channel tune-in to a first channel at a first time and a subsequent channel tune out for the first channel at a second time and without an intervening channel tune-in or tune-out between the first time and the second time, the first time occurring before the second time;

for each channel tune cluster pair, determining a dwell time based on a difference between the first time and the second time;

determining that only channel tunes for channel tune cluster pairs having a dwell time that is a characteristic dwell time are automatically generated channel tunes, wherein each characteristic dwell time is indicative of a channel tune generated by a programmed recording device.

2. The software of claim 1, wherein each characteristic dwell time corresponds to a default padding time of a recording device.

3. The software of claim 1, wherein the instructions cause the one or more computers to perform operations comprising adjusting an advertising cost for an advertisement that aired over a television processing during a time period defined by a channel tune cluster pair having a characteristic dwell time for the television processing device.

4. The software of claim 3, wherein adjusting the advertising cost comprises one of discounting the advertising cost, delaying the advertising cost, or waiving the advertising cost.

5. The software of claim 3, wherein adjusting the advertising cost comprises discounting the advertising cost in substantial proportion to a length of the time period defined by the channel tune cluster pair.

6. The software of claim 1, wherein:

a channel tune-in is one of the television processing device tuning from another channel to the first channel or the television processing device turning on; and

a channel tune-out is one of the television processing device tuning to another channel from the first channel or the television processing device turning off.

7. A computer implemented method, comprising:

identifying, by one or more computers, channel tunes and corresponding tune times of television processing devices from reporting data related to television processing devices;

for each television processing device;

identify, by the one or more computers, channel tune cluster pairs, each channel tune cluster pair being a first channel tune-in to a first channel at a first time and a subsequent channel tune out for the first channel at a second time and without an intervening channel tune-in or tune-out between the first time and the second time, the first time occurring before the second time;

for each channel tune cluster pair, determining, by the one or more computers, a dwell time based on a difference between the first time and the second time;

determining, by the one or more computers, that only channel tunes for channel tune cluster pairs having a dwell time that is a characteristic dwell time are automatically generated channel tunes, wherein each characteristic dwell time is indicative of a channel tune generated by a programmed recording device.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein each characteristic dwell time corresponds to a default padding time of a recording device.

9. The software of claim 7, further comprising adjusting an advertising cost for an advertisement that aired over a television processing during a time period defined by a channel tune cluster pair having a characteristic dwell time for the television processing device.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein adjusting the advertising cost comprises one of discounting the advertising cost, delaying the advertising cost, or waiving the advertising cost.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein adjusting the advertising cost comprises discounting the advertising cost in substantial proportion to a length of the time period defined by the channel tune cluster pair.

12. The method of claim 7, wherein:

a channel tune-in is one of the television processing device tuning from another channel to the first channel or the television processing device turning on; and

a channel tune-out is one of the television processing device tuning to another channel from the first channel or the television processing device turning off.

13. A system, comprising:

one or more computers;

a computer memory system storing instructions that cause the one or more computers to perform operations comprising;

identifying channel tunes and corresponding tune times of television processing devices from reporting data related to television processing devices;

for each television processing device;

identify channel tune cluster pairs, each channel tune cluster pair being a first channel tune-in to a first channel at a first time and a subsequent channel tune out for the first channel at a second time and without an intervening channel tune-in or tune-out between the first time and the second time, the first time occurring before the second time;

for each channel tune cluster pair, determining a dwell time based on a difference between the first time and the second time;

determining that only channel tunes for channel tune cluster pairs having a dwell time that is a characteristic dwell time are automatically generated channel tunes, wherein each characteristic dwell time is indicative of a channel tune generated by a programmed recording device.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein each characteristic dwell time corresponds to a default padding time of a recording device.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein the instructions cause the one or more computers to perform operations comprising adjusting an advertising cost for an advertisement that aired over a television processing during a time period defined by a channel tune cluster pair having a characteristic dwell time for the television processing device.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein adjusting the advertising cost comprises one of discounting the advertising cost, delaying the advertising cost, or waiving the advertising cost.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein adjusting the advertising cost comprises discounting the advertising cost in substantial proportion to a length of the time period defined by the channel tune cluster pair.

18. The system of claim 13, wherein:

a channel tune-in is one of the television processing device tuning from another channel to the first channel or the television processing device turning on; and

a channel tune-out is one of the television processing device tuning to another channel from the first channel or the television processing device turning off.