Systems and methods for improved audience measuring

• US 10,743,064 B2
• Filed: 04/16/2015
• Issued: 08/11/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Rovi Guides, Inc. (Adeia Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Rovi Guides, Inc. (Adeia Inc.)
• Inventors: Berezowski, David M., Ellis, Michael D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Rabovianski, Jivka A
• Application Number:
  US14/688,962
• Publication Number:
  US 20150271550A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,944 Days
• Field of Search: 725 14, 725 32, 725 35, 725 58, 725110, 725112
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/38 Arrangements for distribution where lower stations, e.g. receivers, interact with the broadcast
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/31 Arrangements for monitoring the use made of the broadcast services
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/63 for services of sales data processing systems or methods specially adapted for electronic commerce G06Q30/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/65 for using the result on users' side
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/252 Processing of multiple end-users' preferences to derive collaborative data
• 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 21/25891 being end-user preferences retrieval of video data in a video database based on user preferences G06F16/739; arrangements for recognizing users' preferences H04H60/46; 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 21/4147 PVR [Personal Video Recorder] H04N5/76 takes precedence ; arrangements for broadcast with accumulation-type receivers H04H20/40
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4312 involving specific graphical features, e.g. screen layout, special fonts or colors, blinking icons, highlights or animations
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4314 for fitting data in a restricted space on the screen, e.g. EPG data in a rectangular grid
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4316 for displaying supplemental content in a region of the screen, e.g. an advertisement in a separate window
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44204 Monitoring of content usage, e.g. the number of times a movie has been viewed, copied or the amount which has been watched monitoring of user activities for profile generation for accessing a video database G06F16/739; protecting generic digital content where the protection is independent of the precise nature of the content G06F21/10; arrangements for monitoring the use made of the broadcast services in broadcast systems H04H60/31
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44224 Monitoring of user activity on external systems, e.g. Internet browsing
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47 End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47214 for content reservation or setting reminders; for requesting event notification, e.g. of sport results or stock market stock exchange data over packet-switching network H04L12/1804; push services over packet-switching network H04L12/1859; notification of incoming messages in packet switching networks H04L51/224
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47217 for controlling playback functions for recorded or on-demand content, e.g. using progress bars, mode or play-point indicators or bookmarks specific graphical features in visual interfaces H04N21/4312
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4722 for requesting additional data associated with the content
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/488 Data services, e.g. news ticker systems specially adapted for using meteorological information in broadcast systems H04H60/71
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6125 involving transmission via Internet transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6175 : involving transmission via Internet broadcast-related systems characterised by the transmission system being the Internet H04H60/82
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 : involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/445 : for displaying additional information H04N5/50 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/76 : Television signal recording
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/765 : Interface circuits between an apparatus for recording and another apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/775 : between a recording apparatus and a television receiver
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/85 : on discs or drums
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/165 : Centralised control of user terminal subsequent to an upstream request signal H04N7/17345; Registering at central by two-way working H04N7/17309
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 : Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17354 : in an intermediate station common to a plurality of user terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/8042 : involving data reduction

Abstract

Systems and methods for measuring audience information of programs are described. Systems and methods for providing audience information to users of interactive television applications are described.

Claims

1. A method for providing popularity ratings of media content, the method comprising:

retrieving, using control circuitry, by way of the Internet, indications of user actions from a database, the user actions having been performed in relation to a program;

retrieving, from memory, grading information that indicates ratings to assign to the user actions to calculate a popularity for the program;

assigning a first rating to a first user action of the user actions based on the grading information and a type of the first user action, wherein the first user action is an action other than viewing the program;

assigning a second rating to a second user action of the user actions based on the grading information and a type of the second user action, wherein the second user action is an action to play back the program, and wherein the second rating is different than the first rating;

calculating an indication of popularity for the program by combining based on the first rating and the second rating;

generating for display a plurality of media asset identifiers, wherein the plurality of media asset identifiers includes an identifier for the program;

generating for display a graphical representation of the calculated indication of popularity of the program; and

determining whether the second user action is an action to play back the program for a first time or a second time,

wherein, in response to determining that the second user action is an action to play back the program for the first time, assigning the second rating to the second user action comprises assigning a high rating to the second user action, and

wherein, in response to determining that the second user action is an action to play back the program for the second time, assigning the second rating to the second users action comprises assigning a low rating to the second user action.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the second user action is selected from a group comprising:

fast-forward, rewind, stop, pause, record, play, viewing additional information about the upcoming media item, purchasing the upcoming media item in advance, setting a reminder for the upcoming media item, or scheduling to record the upcoming media item.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the program is either a recorded program or an upcoming program.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the indication of popularity for the program includes information about a user who performed the user actions.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the information about the user who performed the user actions includes demographic information.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining a group that includes a user who performed the user actions; and

filtering the user actions based on the group that includes the user who performed the user actions.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein calculating the indication of popularity for the program comprises calculating the indication of popularity for the program based on the filtered user actions.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the indications of the user actions are received in real-time.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the first user action is an action to record the program.

10. A system for providing popularity ratings of media content, the system comprising:

a memory; and

control circuitry configured to;

retrieve, by way of the Internet, indications of user actions from a database, the user actions having been performed in relation to a program;

retrieve, from the memory, grading information that indicates ratings to assign to user actions to calculate a popularity for the program;

assign a first rating to a first user action of the user actions based on a type of the first user action and the grading information, wherein the first user action is an action other than viewing the program;

assign a second rating to a second user action of the user actions based on a type of the second user action and the grading information, wherein the second user action is an action to play back the program, and wherein the second rating is different than the first rating;

calculate an indication of popularity for the program by combining the first rating and the second rating;

generate for display a plurality of media asset identifiers, wherein the plurality of media asset identifiers includes an identifier for the program;

generate for display a graphical representation of the calculated indication of popularity of the program; and

determine whether the second user action is an action to play back the program for a first time or a second time,

wherein, in response to determining that the second user action is an action to play back the program for the first time, the control circuitry is configured to assign the second rating to the second user action by assigning a high rating to the second user action, and

wherein, in response to determining that the second user action is an action to play back the program for the second time, the control circuitry is configured to assign the second rating to the second user action by assigning a low rating to the second user action.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the second user action is selected from a group comprising:

fast-forward, rewind, stop, pause, record, play, viewing additional information about the upcoming media item, purchasing the upcoming media item in advance, setting a reminder for the upcoming media item, or scheduling to record the upcoming media item.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the program is either a recorded program or an upcoming program.

13. The system of claim 10, wherein the indication of popularity for the program includes information about a user who performed the user actions.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the information about the user who performed the user actions includes demographic information.

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

determine a group that includes a user who performed the user actions; and

filter the user actions based on the group that includes the user who performed the user actions.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the control circuitry is configured to calculate the indication of popularity for the program by calculating the indication of popularity for the program based on the filtered user actions.

17. The system of claim 10, wherein the indications of the user actions are received in real-time.

18. The system of claim 10, wherein the first user action is an action to record the program.