Methods and apparatus for audience research in a content-based network

• US 9,094,140 B2
• Filed: 09/04/2008
• Issued: 07/28/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 04/28/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Time Warner Cable Enterprises LLC (Charter Communications Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Time Warner Cable Enterprises LLC (Charter Communications Incorporated)
• Inventors: Tidwell, Justin, Santangelo, Bryan, Riedl, Steven, Murphy, Forrest
• Primary Examiner(s): Bruckart, Benjamin R
• Assistant Examiner(s): THOMAS, JASON M
• Application Number:
  US12/231,655
• Publication Number:
  US 20100131969A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,518 Days
• Field of Search: 725/32, 725/34, 725/35, 725/46, 725 86- 88, 725 91- 97, 725/100, 725/105, 725114-116, 725118-120, 725/131, 725/139, 725/151, 725 9- 11, 725/13, 725/14, 725/16, 725 37- 39, 725/44, 725/47, 725/50, 725/12, 725/15, 705/50, 705/51, 705/64, 705/74, 705/14.4, 705/14.41, 705/14.44, 709/223, 709/224, 707/609, 707/610, 707613-616, 707/620, 707/623, 707/624, 707/625
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/31 Arrangements for monitoring the use made of the broadcast services
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25808 Management of client data terminal profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/303
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4334 Recording operations recording of a television signal H04N5/76; arrangements for recording or accumulating broadcast information or broadcast-related information H04H60/27
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44224 Monitoring of user activity on external systems, e.g. Internet browsing
• 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

Abstract

Methods and apparatus for accurate, secure and uniform exchange of audience research data. In one embodiment, viewership data is provided in real-time and offers the ability to monitor audience activities regarding, among others, broadcast, VOD or DVR content. A standardized message configuration is optionally used also to permit maximum uniformity and accessibility of the data. Accuracy of data exchange is enforced by implementing a method of detecting system failures, and the transmission of incomplete messages. Subscriber privacy and anonymity is also maintained via e.g., hashing or encrypting data relating to the CPE and/or subscriber, thus ensuring that stored data is not traceable to a specific user account. The methods and apparatus may also be utilized in conjunction with systems enabling the insertion and/or recommendation of content or advertising based on data collected regarding user actions or events. Business methods are also disclosed.

Claims

1. A data collection entity for use in a content delivery network, said data collection entity communicates with at least one of a plurality of consumer premises equipment (CPE) in said content delivery network, said data collection entity comprising:

an apparatus that collects a plurality of audience viewership event data from at least one of said plurality of CPE, said plurality of audience viewership event data associated with one or more events which occur on said at least one CPE;

a digital processor, said digital processor runs at least one computer application thereon, said at least one computer application comprising a plurality of instructions which when executed;

generate an event message for individual ones of said plurality of audience viewership event data collected, said event message comprising an identifier, said identifier comprising a first output of a first one-way hash function and a second output of a second one-way hash function, said first one-way hash function comprising a hash of a first salt value and a media access control (MAC) address of said at least one CPE, and said second one-way hash function comprising a hash of a second salt value and a customer identifier; and

identify information contained in said event message which is not stored in said plurality of audience viewership event data that has been previously collected; and

an interface, said interface that sends said event message to a destination.

2. The data collection entity of claim 1, wherein said destination comprises at least one of:

another data collection entity;

or

a storage entity.

3. The data collection entity of claim 1, wherein said destination comprises a data warehouse configured to store said plurality of audience viewership event data into one or more profiles, said one or more profiles each configured to correspond to individual ones of said plurality of CPE.

4. An audience measurement system that collects and analyzes a plurality of viewership events which occur on a plurality of client devices in a content delivery network, said audience measurement system comprising:

at least one processing entity which;

receives and analyzes event messages to generate a plurality of audience research data;

generates one or more records based at least on said audience research data and user-profile data; and

pseudonymizes user-identifiable information of said one or more records based at least in part on collected user preference information;

a data warehouse that stores said one or more records that had said user-identifiable information pseudonymized; and

at least one headend entity in data communication with said data warehouse;

wherein said one or more at least partly pseudonymized records are transmitted via said at least one headend entity to said data warehouse; and

wherein said pseduonymization of said user-identifiable information comprises performance of a first hash function comprising a hash of a first random value and a media access control (MAC) address of a client device associated to said user-identifiable information, and performance of a second hash function comprising a hash of a second random value and an identifier associated to a user of said client device.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein said system further comprises at least one hub entity in data communication with said at least one headend entity and at least one of said plurality of client devices, and collects said plurality of audience research data from at least one of said plurality of client devices, and send said audience research data to said at least one headend entity.

6. The system of claim 4, wherein said at least one headend entity comprises a video on demand (VOD) server, and said plurality of data comprises VOD-related audience measurement data.

7. The system of claim 4, wherein said data warehouse stores said plurality of data into one or more profiles, said one or more profiles each configured to correspond to individual ones of said client devices.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein said one or more profiles are maintained anonymously by at least one hash function run on unique identifying information associated with at least one said client device to which individual ones of said plurality of event messages relate.

9. The system of claim 4, wherein at least one of said plurality of client devices comprises a home network having a plurality of media devices in communication therewith, and said plurality of data is collected by said home network, said data comprising audience measurement data of one or more of said plurality of media devices.

10. The system of claim 4, further comprising:

at least one gateway in data communication with said content delivery network; and

at least one wireless service provider network in data communication with a gateway network created via said at least one gateway;

wherein at least one of said plurality of client devices comprises a mobile client device, said mobile client device communicates with said headend entity of said content delivery network via said wireless service provider network and said gateway network.

11. A method of managing user profiles in a network, said method comprising:

collecting a plurality of audience viewership event data from at least one of a plurality of client devices, said plurality of audience viewership event data associated with one or more events occurring on said at least one client device;

generating an event message for individual ones of said plurality of audience viewership event data collected, said event message comprising an identifier, said identifier comprising a first output of a first one-way hash function and a second output of a second one-way hash function, said first one-way hash function comprising a hash of a first salt value and a media access control (MAC) address of said at least one client device, and said second one-way hash function comprising a hash of a second salt value and a customer identifier;

identifying information contained in said event message which is not stored in said plurality of audience viewership event data that has been previously collected; and

sending said event message to a destination.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein said destination comprises at least one of:

(i) another data collection entity;

or (ii) a storage entity.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein destination entity comprises a data warehouse configured to store a plurality of user profiles, said plurality of user profiles each relating to individual ones of said plurality of client devices of a household in said network.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising correlating said event message to at least one of said plurality of user profiles.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein said plurality of audience viewership event data comprises data regarding events occurring on at least one of said plurality of client devices of said network.

16. A method for collecting and analyzing a plurality of viewership events occurring on a plurality of client devices in a content delivery network, said method comprising:

receiving and analyzing event messages for generating a plurality of audience research data;

generating one or more records based at least on said audience research data and user-profile data;

pseudonymizing user-identifiable information of said one or more records based at least in part on collected user preference information;

said pseduonymizing of said user-identifiable information comprises performance of a first hash function comprising a hash of a first random value and a media access control (MAC) address of a client device associated to said user-identifiable information, and performance of a second hash function comprising a hash of a second random value and an identifier associated to a user of said client device; and

storing said one or more records that had said user-identifiable information pseudonymized.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein said event messages comprise audience viewership and said event messages are associated with one or more events occurring on at least one of said plurality of client devices associated with said content delivery network.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein said act of generating one or more records comprises correlating individual ones of said plurality of audience research data to a data set associated with individual ones of said plurality of client devices within said content delivery network.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein said data set associated with individual ones of said plurality of client devices maintains user anonymity by said act of pseudonymizing.

20. The method of claim 16, further comprising sending a portion of said generated one or more records based at least on said audience research data and user-profile data to a third-party content delivery network.

21. The method of claim 16, wherein a user associated with said user profile may opt-in to user-identifiable participation.

22. The method of claim 16, further comprising sending a portion of said generated one or more records based at least on said audience research data and user-profile data at least one headend entity.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein said at least one headed entity comprises a video on demand (VOD) server, and said event messages comprises VOD-related audience measurement data.

24. The method of claim 16, wherein said act of storing further comprises sending said one or more records that had said user-identifiable information pseudonymized to a data warehouse for storing.