Measurement method and system

• US 9,439,563 B2
• Filed: 10/27/2014
• Issued: 09/13/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 11/09/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Teller, Eric
• Primary Examiner(s): HASAN, MOHAMMED A
• Application Number:
  US14/524,753
• Publication Number:
  US 20150042953A1
• Time in Patent Office: 687 Days
• Field of Search: 359630-634, 359/13, 351200-246
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2503/12 Healthy persons not otherwise provided for, e.g. subjects of a marketing survey
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 3/113 for determining or recording eye movement
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0138 comprising image capture systems, e.g. camera
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/014 comprising information/image processing systems
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0178 Eyeglass type eyeglass details G02C
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0187 slaved to motion of at least a part of the body of the user, e.g. head, eye
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/0093 with means for monitoring data relating to the user, e.g. head-tracking, eye-tracking
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/017 Head mounted
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/0172 characterised by optical features
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/14 operating by reflection only
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/013 Eye tracking input arrangements G06F3/015 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0254 based on statistics
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/18 Eye characteristics, e.g. of the iris
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/19 Sensors therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/33 Arrangements for monitoring the users' behaviour or opinions
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/46 for recognising users' preferences

Abstract

Methods and systems for determining an individual gaze value are disclosed herein. An exemplary method involves: (a) receiving gaze data for a first wearable computing device, wherein the gaze data is indicative of a wearer-view associated with the first wearable computing device, and wherein the first wearable computing device is associated with a first user-account; (b) analyzing the gaze data from the first wearable computing device to detect one or more occurrences of one or more advertisement spaces in the gaze data; (c) based at least in part on the one or more detected advertisement-space occurrences, determining an individual gaze value for the first user-account; and (d) sending a gaze-value indication, wherein the gaze-value indication indicates the individual gaze value for the first user-account.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

receiving, by a computing device, gaze data that is indicative of a wearer-view associated with a first wearable computing device, wherein the wearable computing device is associated with a first user-account;

analyzing, by the computing device, the gaze data to detect one or more occurrences of one or more advertisement spaces in the gaze data, wherein the one or more detected advertisement-space occurrences are indicative of one or more viewings of the one or more advertisement spaces that are associated with the first user-account;

determining, by the computing device, at least one context associated with the wearable computing device;

based at least in part on (a) the one or more detected advertisement-space occurrences, and (b) the at least one context associated with the wearable computing device the computing device, the computing device determining an individual gaze value for the first user-account; and

sending, by the computing device, a gaze-value indication, wherein the gaze-value indication indicates the individual gaze value for the first user-account.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the individual gaze value indicates a value provided to one or more advertisers from the one or more advertisement-space viewings that are associated with the first account.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, by the computing device, supplemental gaze data that is indicative of a wearer-view associated with at least one other computing device, wherein the at least one other computing device is also associated with the first user-account;

analyzing the supplemental gaze data to detect one or more occurrences of at least one advertisement space in the gaze data; and

using the one or more occurrences of the at least one advertisement space detected in the supplemental gaze data as a further basis for determining the individual gaze value for the first user-account.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the at least one other computing device comprises one or more of:

(a) a mobile phone and (b) a tablet computer.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the gaze data comprises a point-of-view image data captured at the wearable computing device.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the wearable computing device comprises a head-mounted display (HMD) that includes an outward-facing camera, and wherein the point-of-view image data is captured by the outward-facing camera.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the individual gaze value for the first user-account comprises:

for each of the one or more detected occurrences of an advertisement in the gaze data, determining a gaze-value contribution of the detected occurrence; and

using the one or more gaze-value contributions for the one or more detected occurrences as a basis for determining the individual gaze value for the user-account.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the individual gaze value for the first user-account comprises:

for one or more of the one or more detected occurrences of an advertisement in the gaze data;

(a) determining a context associated with the user-account at or near a time of the detected occurrence, and (b) determining a gaze-value contribution of the detected occurrence based at least in part on the context associated with the user-account at or near the time of the detected occurrence; and

using the one or more gaze-value contributions for the one or more detected occurrences as a basis for determining the individual gaze value for the user-account.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein determining the gaze-value contribution of at least one detected occurrence comprises:

using the gaze data as a basis for determining a focus value corresponding to the at least one detected occurrence of the given advertisement space, wherein the focus value is indicative of attention paid to the given advertisement space during the occurrence; and

using the focus value as a basis for determining the gaze-value contribution of the at least one detected occurrence.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein determining the focus value corresponding to the at least one detected occurrence comprises:

determining movement of the given advertisement space during the at least one detected occurrence; and

using the determined movement of the given advertisement space as a basis for determining the focus value for the at least one detected occurrence.

11. A system comprising:

at least one processor;

a non-transitory computer-readable medium; and

program instructions stored on the non-transitory computer-readable medium and executable by the at least one processor to;

receive gaze data that is indicative of a wearer-view associated with a first wearable computing device, wherein the wearable computing device is associated with a first user-account;

analyze the gaze data to detect one or more occurrences of one or more advertisement spaces in the gaze data, wherein the one or more detected advertisement-space occurrences are indicative of one or more viewings of the one or more advertisement spaces that are associated with the first user-account;

determine at least one context associated with the wearable computing device;

based at least in part on (a) the one or more detected advertisement-space occurrences, and (b) the at least one context associated with the wearable computing device the computing device, determine an individual gaze value for the first user-account; and

send a gaze-value indication, wherein the gaze-value indication indicates the individual gaze value for the first user-account.

12. The system of claim 11, further comprising program instructions stored on the non-transitory computer-readable medium and executable by the at least one processor to:

receive supplemental gaze data that is indicative of a wearer-view associated with at least one other computing device, wherein the at least one other computing device is also associated with the first user-account;

analyze the supplemental gaze data to detect one or more occurrences of at least one advertisement space in the gaze data; and

use the one or more occurrences of the at least one advertisement space detected in the supplemental gaze data as a further basis to determine the individual gaze value for the first user-account.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the at least one other computing device comprises one or more of:

(a) a mobile phone and (b) a tablet computer.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein the gaze data comprises a point-of-view image data captured at the wearable computing device.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the wearable computing device comprises a head-mounted display (HMD) that includes an outward-facing camera, and wherein the point-of-view image data is captured by the outward-facing camera.

16. The system of claim 11, wherein the program instructions stored on the non-transitory computer-readable medium and executable by the at least one processor to determine the individual gaze value for the first user-account comprise program instructions stored on the non-transitory computer-readable medium and executable by the at least one processor to:

for each of the one or more detected occurrences of an advertisement in the gaze data, determine a gaze-value contribution of the detected occurrence; and

use the one or more gaze-value contributions for the one or more detected occurrences as a basis to determine the individual gaze value for the user-account.

17. The system of claim 11, wherein the program instructions stored on the non-transitory computer-readable medium and executable by the at least one processor to determine the individual gaze value for the first user-account comprise program instructions stored on the non-transitory computer-readable medium and executable by the at least one processor to:

for one or more of the one or more detected occurrences of an advertisement in the gaze data;

(a) determine a context associated with the user-account at or near a time of the detected occurrence, and (b) determine a gaze-value contribution of the detected occurrence based at least in part on the context associated with the user-account at or near the time of the detected occurrence; and

use the one or more gaze-value contributions for the one or more detected occurrences as a basis to determine the individual gaze value for the user-account.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein program instructions stored on the non-transitory computer-readable medium and executable by the at least one processor to determine the gaze-value contribution of at least one detected occurrence comprise program instructions stored on the non-transitory computer-readable medium and executable by the at least one processor to:

use the gaze data as a basis to determine a focus value corresponding to the at least one detected occurrence of the given advertisement space, wherein the focus value is indicative of attention paid to the given advertisement space during the occurrence; and

use the focus value as a basis to determine the gaze-value contribution of the at least one detected occurrence.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein program instructions stored on the non-transitory computer-readable medium and executable by the at least one processor to determine the focus value corresponding to the at least one detected occurrence comprise program instructions stored on the non-transitory computer-readable medium and executable by the at least one processor to:

determine movement of the given advertisement space during the at least one detected occurrence; and

use the determined movement of the given advertisement space as a basis to determine the focus value for the at least one detected occurrence.

20. A computer-implemented method comprising:

receiving, by a computing device, first gaze data that is indicative of a wearer-view associated with a first wearable computing device, wherein the wearable computing device is associated with a first user-account;

analyzing, by the computing device, the first gaze data to detect one or more occurrences of one or more advertisement spaces in the first gaze data;

receiving, by the computing device, second gaze data that is indicative of a wearer-view associated with at least one other computing device, wherein the at least one other computing device is also associated with the first user-account;

analyzing, by the computing device, the second gaze data to detect one or more occurrences of one or more advertisement spaces in the second gaze data;

based at least in part on (a) the one or more advertisement-space occurrences detected in the first gaze data, and (b) the one or more advertisement-space occurrences detected in the first gaze data, the computing device determining an individual gaze value for the first user-account; and

sending, by the computing device, a gaze-value indication, wherein the gaze-value indication indicates the individual gaze value for the first user-account.