System to identify a user of television services by using biometrics

• US 9,054,819 B2
• Filed: 10/20/2011
• Issued: 06/09/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 12/23/2010
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Nagravision SA (Kudelski SA)
• Original Assignee: Nagravision SA (Kudelski SA)
• Inventors: Abdeljaoued, Yousri
• Primary Examiner(s): SYED, NABIL H
• Application Number:
  US13/317,506
• Publication Number:
  US 20120167124A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,328 Days
• Field of Search: 340/5.82, 340/5.52, 340/5.81, 340/5.74, 710/10, 710/11, 710/12, 710/13, 710/14, 382/117
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/45 for identifying users
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/332 Displays for viewing with the aid of special glasses or head-mounted displays [HMD]
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42201 biosensors, e.g. heat sensor for presence detection, EEG sensors or any limb activity sensors worn by the user input arrangements for interaction with the human body based on nervous system activity detection G06F3/015
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4415 using biometric characteristics of the user, e.g. by voice recognition or fingerprint scanning cryptography using biological data H04L9/3231; authentication in networks using biometric H04L63/0861
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44218 Detecting physical presence or behaviour of the user, e.g. using sensors to detect if the user is leaving the room or changes his face expression during a TV program methods or arrangements for recognising human body or animal bodies or body parts G06V40/10; methods or arrangements for acquiring or recognising human faces, facial parts, facial sketches, facial expressions G06V40/16; methods or arrangements for recognising movements or behaviour G06V40/20; arrangements for identifying users in broadcast systems H04H60/45

Abstract

A system to identify a user in relation with television services comprising eyeglasses worn by said user, said eyeglasses having a pair of flexible temples taking on the shape of a portion of the circumference of the user'"'"'s head, a television receiver device comprising a server module communicating wirelessly with sensors arranged on the eyeglasses. The system is characterized in that each of the flexible temples of the eyeglasses incorporates at least one sensor configured for measuring a value of deflection caused by the temple bending around a portion of the circumference of the user'"'"'s head, said value being unique for each user is transmitted as biometric to the server module configured for determining the identity of the user according to the measured value of the portion of the user'"'"'s head circumference.

Claims

1. A system to identify a user in relation with television services, the system comprising:

eyeglasses worn by said user, said eyeglasses having a pair of flexible temples taking on the shape of a portion of the circumference of the user'"'"'s head, and

a television receiver device comprising a server module configured to communicate wirelessly with sensors arranged on the eyeglasses, wherein each of the flexible temples of the eyeglasses incorporates at least one sensor configured for measuring a value of deflection caused by the flexible temples bending around a portion of the circumference of the user'"'"'s head, said value being unique for each user and being transmitted as a biometric to the server module configured for determining the identity of the user according to the measured value of the portion of the user'"'"'s head circumference.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein the at least one sensor is made up of a bend sensor and of a transmitter incorporated in each of the flexible temples of the eyeglasses, said bend sensor producing measurement values corresponding to the temple deflection, said values being transmitted wirelessly by the transmitter to the server module.

3. The system according to claim 2, wherein the bend sensor is a conductive ink-based sensor which electrical resistance changes depending on the amount of deflection on the bend sensor.

4. The system according to claim 2, wherein the bend sensor is a fiber-optic based sensor which light conductivity varies with the amount of deflection on the bend sensor.

5. The system according to claim 2, wherein the bend sensor is conductive fabric, thread, or polymer-based sensor which electrical conductivity varies with the amount of deflection on the bend sensor.

6. The system according to claim 1, wherein the at least one sensor is made up of an optical sensor comprising light reflective markers attached to the flexible temples of the eyeglasses and aligned along the length of the flexible temples, and of at least one camera arranged near the location of the user'"'"'s head acquiring the biometric by measuring the value of deflection of the flexible temples through position variations of the markers determined by the user'"'"'s head circumference, said value being transmitted wirelessly to the server module by a transmitter included in the camera.

7. The system according to claim 6, wherein the position variations of the markers on the flexible temples are determined between a neutral position and a bend position determined by the user'"'"'s head circumference, the neutral position being defined by the position of the markers when the eyeglasses are put off from the user'"'"'s head.

8. The system according to claim 6, wherein the optical sensor further comprises light reflective markers attached to screens of media viewing platforms watched by the user wearing the eyeglasses having optical markers on the flexible temples, the server module being configured to perform audience measurement by estimating a position of the screens and user'"'"'s head pose and identifying the screen currently watched.

9. The system according to claim 1, wherein the server module comprises a receiver connected to a feature extraction module which is connected to a matcher module using an enrollment database, the matcher module being configured to compare a set of features extracted from the received measurement values produced by the sensor by the feature extraction module with reference templates recorded in the enrollment database to establish the identity of the user.