User viewing data collection for generating media viewing achievements

• US 8,719,854 B2
• Filed: 10/28/2011
• Issued: 05/06/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 10/28/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Baker, Erica, Bayer, Jason, Bragg, Richard William
• Primary Examiner(s): Flynn, Nathan
• Assistant Examiner(s): KIM, WILLIAM JW
• Application Number:
  US13/283,777
• Publication Number:
  US 20130111510A1
• Time in Patent Office: 921 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 725/14
• 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 21/44204 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 21/466 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 21/4784 receiving rewards
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4788 communicating with other users, e.g. chatting arrangements for providing for computer conferences, e.g. chat rooms, to substation in data switching networks H04L12/1813; distributed application using peer-to-peer [P2P] networks H04L67/104
• 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

Abstract

Methods, systems, and apparatuses, including computer programs encoded on computer-readable media, for receiving user viewing data that includes a media source, a viewing time, and a username. The username identifies a user, and the user viewing data is associated with a media viewing device. The user viewing data is recorded by passively monitoring user input to the media viewing device. A program viewed on the media viewing device is determined based upon the user viewing data. A plurality of viewing achievement rules are stored in memory. The viewing achievement rules include one or more criteria based upon user viewing data. At least one achievement rule comprises a criterion that a user view the program. If the user viewing data matches the criteria of one or more of the viewing achievement rules is determined. An indication of one or more achievements is stored in association with the username.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, at a processing circuit, user viewing data comprising a media source, a viewing time, and a username, wherein the username identifies a social networking user, wherein the user viewing data is associated with a first media viewing device and the user viewing data is recorded by passively monitoring user input to the first media viewing device;

determining a program viewed on the first media viewing device based upon the user viewing data;

receiving, from the first media viewing device, a plurality of viewing achievement rules related to the user viewing data, wherein the plurality of viewing achievement rules each include one or more criteria;

determining whether the one or more criteria of a viewing achievement rule of the plurality of viewing achievement rules matches the user viewing data;

in response to the one or more criteria of the viewing achievement rule of the plurality of viewing achievement rules matching the user viewing data;

providing an achievement to a social networking website associated with the social media user,

displaying, to the user, the achievement; and

in response to the one or more criteria of the viewing achievement rule of the plurality of viewing achievement rules not matching the user viewing data;

providing an indication of the user'"'"'s progress to achieving the achievement, wherein the indication includes information indicative of additional user viewing data to achieve the achievement, and

providing a link to a search for media associated with the additional user viewing data or a link to the media associated with the additional user viewing data.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising verifying the program was completely viewed based upon the user viewing data.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving the username from a second media viewing device;

associating the username with the second media viewing device;

receiving additional user viewing data, wherein the user viewing data is associated with the second media viewing device, and wherein the additional user viewing data is passively captured from the second media viewing device;

aggregating the user viewing data and the additional user viewing data; and

determining whether the aggregated user viewing data matches the one or more criteria of a viewing achievement rule of the plurality of viewing achievement rules.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the media source comprises a television channel.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the media source comprises a uniform resource locator (URL).

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more criteria of a viewing achievement rule comprise a criterion based upon a number of changes in the media source over a predetermined period of time.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more criteria of a viewing achievement rule comprise a criterion based upon a social networking user concurrently watching a program and requesting information associated with the program.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more criteria of a viewing achievement rule comprise a criterion based upon a social networking user watching a program in entirety without fast forwarding.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more criteria of a viewing achievement rule comprise a criterion based upon a social networking user watching episodes of a media series on two or more distinct media viewing devices.

10. The method of claim 1, the one or more criteria of a viewing achievement rule comprise a criterion based upon a social networking user watching episodes of a media series from multiple media sources.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the user viewing data matches the one or more criteria of a viewing achievement rule of the plurality of viewing achievement rules comprises determining the user viewing data matches each criteria of a completed viewing achievement rule.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of viewing achievement rules are created by the media source.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of viewing achievement rules are created by a service provider.

12. A system comprising:

one or more processing circuits configured to;

receive user viewing data comprising a media source, a viewing time, and a username, wherein the username identifies a social networking user, wherein the user viewing data is associated with a first media viewing device and the user viewing data is recorded by monitoring user input to the first media viewing device;

determine a program viewed on the first media viewing device based upon the user viewing data;

receive, from the first media viewing device, a plurality of viewing achievement rules related to the user viewing data, wherein the plurality of viewing achievement rules each include one or more criteria;

determine whether the one or more criteria of a viewing achievement rule of the plurality of viewing achievement rules matches the user viewing data;

in response to the one or more criteria of the viewing achievement rule of the plurality of viewing achievement rules matching the user viewing data;

provide an achievement to a social networking website associate with the social networking user,

display, to the user, the achievement; and

in response to the one or more criteria of the viewing achievement rule of the plurality of viewing achievement rules not matching the user viewing data;

provide an indication of the user'"'"'s progress to achieving the achievement, wherein the indication includes information indicative of additional user viewing data to achieve the achievement, and

providing a link to a search for media associated with the additional user viewing data or a link to the media associated with the additional user viewing data.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the one or more processing circuits are further configured to verify the program was completely viewed based upon the user viewing data.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein the one or more processing circuits are further configured to:

receive the username from a second media viewing device;

associate the username with the second media viewing device;

receive additional user viewing data, wherein the user viewing data is associated with the second media viewing device, and wherein the additional user viewing data is passively captured from the second media viewing device;

aggregate the user viewing data and the additional user viewing data; and

determine whether the aggregated user viewing data matches the one or more criteria of a viewing achievement rule of the plurality of viewing achievement rules.

15. The system of claim 12, wherein the one or more criteria of a viewing achievement rule comprise a criterion based upon a social networking user concurrently watching a program and requesting information associated with the program.

16. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having instructions stored thereon, the instructions comprising:

instructions to receive user viewing data comprising a media source, a viewing time, and a username, wherein the username identifies a social networking user, wherein the user viewing data is associated with a first media viewing device and the user viewing data is recorded by monitoring user input to the first media viewing device;

instructions to determine a program viewed on the first media viewing device based upon the user viewing data;

instructions to receive, from the first media viewing device, a plurality of viewing achievement rules related to the user viewing data, wherein the plurality of viewing achievement rules each include one or more criteria;

instructions to determine whether the one or more criteria of a viewing achievement rule of the plurality of viewing achievement rules matches the user viewing data;

instructions to, in response to the one or more criteria of the viewing achievement rule of the plurality of viewing achievement rules matching the user viewing data;

provide an achievement to a social networking website associated with the social networking user,

display, to the user, the achievement; and

instructions to, in response to the one or more criteria of the viewing achievement rule of the plurality of viewing achievement rules not matching the user viewing data;

provide an indication of the user'"'"'s progress to achieving the achievement, wherein the indication includes information indicative of additional user viewing data to achieve the achievement, and

providing a link to a search for media associated with the additional user viewing data or a link to the media associated with the additional user viewing data.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 16, further comprising:

instructions to receive the username from a second media viewing device;

instructions to associate the username with the second media viewing device;

instructions to receive additional user viewing data, wherein the user viewing data is associated with the second media viewing device, and wherein the additional user viewing data is passively captured from the second media viewing device;

instructions to aggregate the user viewing data and the additional user viewing data; and

instructions to determine whether the aggregated user viewing data matches the one or more criteria of a viewing achievement rule of the plurality of viewing achievement rules.