OCAP/STB ACAP/satellite-receiver audience response/consumer application

• US 8,453,176 B2
• Filed: 09/16/2010
• Issued: 05/28/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 08/20/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Avaya Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Avaya Incorporated
• Inventors: Campagna, Theresa, Chavez, David, Mohler, David
• Primary Examiner(s): SHEPARD, JUSTIN E
• Application Number:
  US12/883,303
• Publication Number:
  US 20120047525A1
• Time in Patent Office: 985 Days
• Field of Search: 725/46
• US Class Current: 725/46
• 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 21/472 End-user interface for requesting content, additional data or services; End-user interface for interacting with content, e.g. for content reservation or setting reminders, for requesting event notification, for manipulating displayed content end-user interfaces for retrieving video data from a database G06F16/739; network services for supporting unicast streaming H04L65/612
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4751 for defining user accounts, e.g. accounts for children
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4755 for defining user preferences, e.g. favourite actors or genre retrieval personalisation and generation of user profiles for the retrieval of video data G06F16/739; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306

Abstract

An exemplary aspect is directed toward one or more solutions that are capable of providing feedback information about OCAP/ACAP/IMS solutions generally related to audience acceptance and satisfaction, and extensions thereto. For example, one exemplary aspect is directed toward information, such as consumer feedback about their viewing choices, being gathered, evaluated and distributed. Even more specifically, an exemplary aspect is directed toward the use of information, such as personalized or customized information and personal preferences contained in an STB combined with an OCAP/ACAP/IMS intelligent personal agent and application(s) to provide advanced interactive and interoperable services to both obtain and distribute feedback about OCAP/ACAP/IMS services.

Claims

1. A method to operate a set-top box comprising:

managing one or more preferences stored in one or more profiles, each profile of the one or more profiles including personal information and personal preferences, one or more of the personal information and personal preferences being used in association with a service application or a communications application for operation of the service application or the communications application;

interfacing with one or more internet destinations, the one or more internet destinations including one or more of a social networking site, a blog, an RSS feed and a shared website to one or more of determine content for viewing and suggesting content for viewing;

displaying the content to a viewer;

detecting a word or phrase spoken by the viewer in response to viewing the content; and

in response to detecting the word or phrase, rewinding the content and adjusting a volume of the content.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the internet destinations are the social networking site or the blog and further comprising automatically downloading the content based on information posted at the social networking site or the blog.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising monitoring viewing choices and posting a portion of the viewing choices to one or more of the social networking site, the blog, the RSS feed, the shared website and an internet destination.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing a poll to one or more viewers.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising harvesting biometric information from one or more viewers.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising monitoring the quality of the content, and, if the content quality is below a certain threshold, downloading another version of the content.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising synchronizing the set-top box with one or more other devices and transmitting the content to the one or more other devices.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising monitoring one or more performance metrics and providing results of the monitoring to one or more of technical support, regulators, business partners, third parties and suppliers.

9. A non-transitory computer readable information storage media having stored thereon instructions, that if executed by a processor, perform the steps of claim 1.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

determining or integrating information about a group to compare viewing choices of the group, wherein viewers within the group have individual set-top boxes;

coordinating with the individual set-top boxes to track the viewing choices of the group; and

developing content recommendations based on viewing choices of the group, wherein the content recommendations comprise making a recommendation to a specific group member.

11. A set-top box comprising:

one or more profiles that store and manage one or more preferences, each profile of the one or more profiles including personal information and personal preferences, one or more of the personal information and personal preferences being used in association with a service application or a communications application for operation of the service application or the communications application;

a web interface and outreach module that interfaces with one or more internet destinations, the one or more internet destinations including one or more of a social networking site, a blog, an RSS feed and a shared website to one or more of determine content for viewing and suggest content for viewing; and

the set-top box operable to send the content to a display to be viewed by a viewer, detect a word or phrase spoken by the viewer in response to viewing the content, and, in response to detecting the word or phrase, rewind the content and adjust a volume of the content.

12. The set-top box of claim 11, wherein the internet destinations are the social networking site or the blog and further comprising an intelligent agent module that automatically downloads the content based on information posted at the social networking site or the blog.

13. The set-top box of claim 11, wherein viewing choices are monitored and a portion thereof posted to one or more of the social networking site, the blog, the RSS feed, the shared website and an internet destination.

14. The set-top box of claim 11, further comprising an intelligent agent that provides a poll to one or more viewers.

15. The set-top box of claim 11, further comprising a behavior identification module that harvests biometric information from one or more viewers.

16. The set-top box of claim 11, further comprising a customer service application that monitors the quality of the content, and, if the content quality is below a certain threshold, downloads another version of the content.

17. The set-top box of claim 11, further comprising a communications module that synchronizes the set-top box with one or more other devices and transmits the content to the one or more other devices.

18. The set-top box of claim 11, further comprising a customer service application that monitors one or more performance metrics and providing results of the monitoring to one or more of technical support, regulators, business partners, third parties and suppliers.

19. The set-top box of claim 11, further comprising an intelligent agent module that determines or integrates information about a group to compare viewing choices of the group, wherein viewers within the group have individual set-top boxes, coordinates with the individual set-top boxes to track the viewing choices of the group, develops content recommendations based on viewing choices of the group, wherein the content recommendations comprise making a recommendation to a specific group member, and correlates content watched and resulting updates to a profile in the set-top box.

20. A method to operate a set-top box comprising:

managing one or more preferences stored in one or more profiles, each of the one or more profiles including personal information and personal preferences, one or more of the personal information and personal preferences being used in association with a service application or a communications application for operation of the service application or the communications application;

interfacing with one or more internet destinations, the one or more internet destinations including one or more of a social networking site, a blog, an RSS feed and a shared website to one or more of determine content for viewing and suggest content for viewing; and

correlating viewing habits of a viewer with viewing habits of one or more other viewers using the one or more of the social networking site, the blog, the RSS feed and the shared website to provide the suggested content for viewing, the suggested content for viewing being at least based on positive feedback from the viewer regarding watched content;

displaying the suggested content to a viewer;

detecting a word or phrase spoken by the viewer in response to viewing the suggested content; and

in response to detecting the word or phrase, rewinding the suggested content and adjusting a volume of the suggested content.