Video system with viewer analysis and methods for use therewith

• US 9,282,367 B2
• Filed: 03/18/2014
• Issued: 03/08/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/18/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: VIXS Systems Incorporated (Pixelworks Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: VIXS Systems Incorporated (Pixelworks Incorporated)
• Inventors: Daub, Sally Jean
• Primary Examiner(s): IDOWU, OLUGBENGA O
• Application Number:
  US14/217,819
• Publication Number:
  US 20150271548A1
• Time in Patent Office: 721 Days
• Field of Search: 725/9, 725/12
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/33 Arrangements for monitoring the users' behaviour or opinions
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/45 for identifying users
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/47 for recognising genres
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4126 The peripheral being portable, e.g. PDAs or mobile phones
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4223 Cameras H04N23/00 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44008 involving operations for analysing video streams, e.g. detecting features or characteristics in the video stream arrangements characterised by components specially adapted for monitoring, identification or recognition of video in broadcast systems H04H60/59
• 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
• 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 21/454 Content or additional data filtering, e.g. blocking advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/458 Scheduling content for creating a personalised stream, e.g. by combining a locally stored advertisement with an incoming stream; Updating operations, e.g. for OS modules ; time-related management operations arrangements for replacing or switching information during the broadcast or during the distribution H04H20/10
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02

Abstract

A system includes a viewer sensor that generates sensor data for sensing one or more viewers of a video display device. A viewer analysis module analyzes the sensor data to generate viewer data. A selection module selects selected content based on the viewer data and generates selected content data based on the selected content for display to the viewer or viewers via the video display device or via a mobile device associated with the viewer or viewers.

Claims

1. A system for use with a video display device that displays a video signal, the system comprising:

a viewer sensor that generates sensor data for sensing at least one viewer of the video display device;

a viewer analysis module, coupled to the image capture device, that analyzes the sensor data to generate viewer data, wherein analyzing the sensor data includes recognizing the at least one viewer, tracking eye movements of the at least one viewer to determine a concentration point of the at least one viewer in a spatial portion of an image contained in the video signal, recognition of an object that appears in the spatial portion of the image corresponding to the concentration point of the at least one viewer and determining interest of the at least one viewer in the object based on analysis of facial characteristics of the at least one viewer; and

a selection module, coupled to the viewer analysis module, that selects selected content based on the viewer data and generates selected content data based on the selected content for display to the at least one viewer;

wherein recognizing the at least one viewer includes comparing the sensor data to a captured image of the at least one viewer from a social media site to identify the at least one viewer;

wherein the viewer analysis module generates the viewer data to indicate an identification of the at least one viewer and a social media address of the at least one viewer for the social media site;

wherein the selection module selects the selected content based on the identification of the at least one viewer;

wherein a transmit module transmits the selected content data to a mobile device associated with the at least one viewer via the social media address; and

wherein the selected content is displayed to the at least one viewer by displaying the selected content data via the mobile device.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the viewer analysis module analyzes the sensor data to generate the viewer data that indicates a number of viewers that are present.

3. The system of claim 1

wherein the selection module selects the selected content based on the viewer interest in the content being displayed.

4. The system of claim 3 wherein the viewer analysis module further identifies at least one of:

a theme associated with a scene in the content being displayed, and a character presented in the content being displayed.

5. The system of claim 1 further comprising:

an insertion module, coupled to the video display device and the selection module, that inserts the selected content data in the video signal to generate a processed video signal;

wherein the selected content is displayed to the at least one viewer by displaying the processed video signal via the video display device.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein the viewer sensor includes an image capture device and the sensor data includes image data.

7. A method for use with a video display device that displays a video signal, the method comprising:

generating image data of at least one viewer of the video display device via an image capture device;

analyzing the image data to generate viewer data, wherein analyzing the image data includes recognizing the at least one viewer, tracking eye movements of the at least one viewer to determine a concentration point of the at least one viewer in a spatial portion of an image contained in the video signal, recognition of an object that appears in the spatial portion of the image corresponding to the concentration point of the at least one viewer and determining interest of the at least one viewer in the object based on analysis of facial characteristics of the at least one viewer;

selecting selected content based on the viewer data; and

generating selected content data based on the selected content for display to the at least one viewer;

wherein recognizing the at least one viewer includes comparing the sensor data to a captured image of the at least one viewer from a social media site to identify the at least one viewer;

wherein the viewer data indicates an identification of the at least one viewer and a social media address of the at least one viewer for the social media site;

wherein the selected content is selected based on the identification of the at least one viewer;

wherein the selected content data is transmitted to a mobile device associated with the at least one viewer via the social media address; and

wherein the selected content is displayed to the at least one viewer by displaying the selected content data via the mobile device.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein the viewer data indicates a number of viewers that are present.

9. The method of claim 7 further comprising:

inserting the selected content data in the video signal to generate a processed video signal;

wherein the selected content is displayed to the at least one viewer by displaying the processed video signal via the video display device.