Methods and systems for determining user engagement based on user interactions during different advertisement slots

• US 10,051,326 B2
• Filed: 12/27/2016
• Issued: 08/14/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 12/27/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Rovi Guides, Inc. (Adeia Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Rovi Guides, Inc. (Adeia Inc.)
• Inventors: Maughan, Benjamin H., Stathacopoulos, Paul, Matthews, Sean
• Primary Examiner(s): Kumar, Pankaj
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hicks, Charles N
• Application Number:
  US15/391,660
• Publication Number:
  US 20180184169A1
• Time in Patent Office: 595 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25883 being end-user demographical data, e.g. age, family status or address arrangements for identifying locations of users in broadcast systems H04H60/52
• 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 21/4667 Processing of monitored end-user data, e.g. trend analysis based on the log file of viewer selections
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8455 involving pointers to the content, e.g. pointers to the I-frames of the video stream

Abstract

Systems and methods are described herein for determining a level of user engagement based on user interactions. A media guidance application is configured to retrieve a first record of a first plurality of user inputs, including input type, received during a first advertisement slot. A second advertisement slot, that overlaps the first advertisement slot, is selected and second record of a second plurality of user inputs received during the second advertisement slot, including input type, is retrieved. A level of user engagement for the first advertisement slot is determined based on the comparison between the first record and the second record.

Claims

1. A method for determining user engagement based on user interactions, the method comprising:

selecting a first advertisement slot, wherein the first advertisement slot has a first start time and a first end time;

retrieving a first record of a first plurality of user inputs from a first plurality of users received during the first advertisement slot, wherein the first record indicates an input type for each of the first plurality of user inputs;

selecting a second advertisement slot, wherein the second advertisement slot has a second start time and a second end time, and wherein at least one of the second start time and the second end time falls between the first start time and the first end time;

retrieving a second record of a second plurality of user inputs from a second plurality of users received during the second advertisement slot, wherein the second record indicates an input type for each of the second plurality of user inputs;

determining a first frequency of each input type of the first plurality of user inputs during the first advertisement slot;

determining a second frequency of each input type of the second plurality of user inputs during the second advertisement slot;

generating a first metric that describes the first frequency of each input type of the first plurality of user inputs during the first advertisement slot;

generating a second metric that describes the second frequency of each input type of the second plurality of user inputs during the second advertisement slot;

assigning to the first advertisement slot the first metric and to the second advertisement slot the second metric; and

determining a level of user engagement for the first advertisement slot based on the first metric and the second metric by;

comparing the first frequency of each input type in the first plurality of user inputs with a corresponding second frequency of each input type in the second plurality of user inputs;

calculating respective percent differences between the first frequency of each input type in the first plurality of user inputs and the corresponding second frequency in the second plurality of user inputs; and

determining the level of user engagement for the first advertisement slot based on the respective percent differences.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, from a user, the first plurality of user inputs, wherein each user input in the first plurality of user inputs comprises an identification code;

transmitting, to a database, a plurality of queries requesting an input type for each input in the first plurality of user inputs, wherein each query in the plurality of queries includes a respective identification code for each input in the first plurality of user inputs;

receiving, from the database, a respective input type for each input in the first plurality of user inputs; and

storing for each input in the first plurality of user inputs an associated input type.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the first frequency of each input type of the first plurality of user inputs during the first advertisement slot comprises:

identifying, for the first plurality of user inputs, a plurality of different input types;

iterating, for each input type in the plurality of different input types, through the first plurality of user inputs; and

updating a respective frequency count for each input type in the plurality of different input types when an input of the first plurality of user inputs matches a respective input type.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein generating the first metric that describes the first frequency of each input type of the first plurality of user inputs during the first advertisement slot comprises generating a vector comprising a data structure that includes a plurality of different input types and a corresponding frequency of user inputs for each input type of the plurality of different input types.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining that one or more users of the first plurality of users are disregarding media content during the first advertisement slot; and

in response to the determining, updating the first metric with an amount of time that the one or more users have been disregarding the media content.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein selecting a second advertisement slot comprises:

identifying a plurality of advertisement slots, wherein at least one of the second start time and the second end time falls between the first start time and the first end time;

determining a respective product category associated with each advertisement slot of the plurality of advertisement slots;

comparing a product category associated with the first advertisement slot with the respective product category associated with each advertisement slot of the plurality of advertisement slots; and

selecting the second advertisement slot based on the comparing.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein assigning the first advertisement slot the first metric and the second advertisement slot the second metric comprises:

generating a data structure for storing the first metric, wherein the data structure includes a first field for each input type associated with the first metric and a second field for a frequency corresponding to a respective input type that is associated with the first metric; and

storing with metadata associated with the first advertisement slot a link to the data structure.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the first plurality of users and the second plurality of users share a common characteristic.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the common characteristic is based on at least one of demographics and media content preferences.

10. A system for determining user engagement based on user interactions, the system comprising:

control circuitry configured to;

select a first advertisement slot, wherein the first advertisement slot has a first start time and a first end time;

retrieve a first record of a first plurality of user inputs from a first plurality of users received during the first advertisement slot, wherein the first record indicates an input type for each of the first plurality of user inputs;

select a second advertisement slot, wherein the second advertisement slot has a second start time and a second end time, and wherein at least one of the second start time and the second end time falls between the first start time and the first end time;

retrieve a second record of a second plurality of user inputs from a second plurality of users received during the second advertisement slot, wherein the second record indicates an input type for each of the second plurality of user inputs;

determine a first frequency of each input type of the first plurality of user inputs during the first advertisement slot;

determine a second frequency of each input type of the second plurality of user inputs during the second advertisement slot;

generate a first metric that describes the first frequency of each input type of the first plurality of user inputs during the first advertisement slot;

generate a second metric that describes the second frequency of each input type of the second plurality of user inputs during the second advertisement slot;

assign to the first advertisement slot the first metric and to the second advertisement slot the second metric; and

determine a level of user engagement for the first advertisement slot based on the first metric and the second metric by;

comparing the first frequency of each input type in the first plurality of user inputs with a corresponding second frequency of each input type in the second plurality of user inputs;

calculating respective percent differences between the first frequency of each input type in the first plurality of user inputs and the corresponding second frequency in the second plurality of user inputs; and

determining the level of user engagement for the first advertisement slot based on the respective percent differences.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the control circuitry is further configured to:

receive, from a user, the first plurality of user inputs, wherein each user input in the first plurality of user inputs comprises an identification code;

transmit, to a database, a plurality of queries requesting an input type for each input in the first plurality of user inputs, wherein each query in the plurality of queries includes a respective identification code for each input in the first plurality of user inputs;

receive, from the database, a respective input type for each input in the first plurality of user inputs; and

store for each input in the first plurality of user inputs an associated input type.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the control circuitry is configured, when determining the first frequency of each input type of the first plurality of user inputs during the first advertisement slot, to:

identify, for the first plurality of user inputs, a plurality of different input types;

iterate, for each input type in the plurality of different input types, through the first plurality of user inputs; and

update a respective frequency count for each input type in the plurality of different input types when an input of the first plurality of user inputs matches a respective input type.

13. The system of claim 10, wherein the control circuitry is configured, when generating the first metric that describes the first frequency of each input type of the first plurality of user inputs during the first advertisement slot, to generate a vector comprising a data structure that includes a plurality of different input types and a corresponding frequency of user inputs for each input type of the plurality of different input types.

14. The system of claim 10, wherein the control circuitry is further configured to:

determine that one or more users of the first plurality of users are disregarding media content during the first advertisement slot; and

in response to the determining, update the first metric with an amount of time that the one or more users have been disregarding the media content.

15. The system of claim 10, wherein the control circuitry is configured, when selecting a second advertisement slot, to:

identify a plurality of advertisement slots, wherein at least one of the second start time and the second end time falls between the first start time and the first end time;

determine a respective product category associated with each advertisement slot of the plurality of advertisement slots;

compare a product category associated with the first advertisement slot with the respective product category associated with each advertisement slot of the plurality of advertisement slots; and

select the second advertisement slot based on the comparing.

16. The system of claim 10, wherein the control circuitry is configured, when assigning the first advertisement slot the first metric and the second advertisement slot the second metric, to:

generate a data structure for storing the first metric, wherein the data structure includes a first field for each input type associated with the first metric and a second field for a frequency corresponding to a respective input type that is associated with the first metric; and

store with metadata associated with the first advertisement slot a link to the data structure.

17. The system of claim 10, wherein the first plurality of users and the second plurality of users share a common characteristic.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the common characteristic is based on at least one of demographics and media content preferences.