Anonymous Aggregated Data Collection

• US 20090055852A1
• Filed: 10/27/2008
• Published: 02/26/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 06/11/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Sardera, Esteban
• Granted Patent: US 8,181,195 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/9
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/252 Processing of multiple end-users' preferences to derive collaborative data
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44224 Monitoring of user activity on external systems, e.g. Internet browsing
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6156 specially adapted to the upstream path of the transmission network
• 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 7/17309 Transmission or handling of upstream communications

Abstract

An anonymous aggregated data collection system aggregates media access information in an anonymous data collection component without associating the media access information with any one particular client device. The anonymous data collection component further prevents a network operator, content provider, or third party from correlating the media access information obtained from a client device with any one particular subscriber by comparing a unique identifier of the client device with corresponding subscription account and subscriber personal identification information.

Claims

1. A data collection system, comprising:

client devices each configured to receive content from a content provider;

a first client device configured to perform a method, the method comprising;

receiving an anonymous data collection component from a second client device, the anonymous data collection component having aggregated media access information for one or more additional client devices;

storing media access information of the first client device in the anonymous data collection component, the media access information of the first client device being anonymous within the anonymous data collection component.

2. A data collection system as recited in claim 1, wherein the method further comprises decrypting the anonymous data collection component.

3. A data collection system as recited in claim 1, wherein the method further comprises decrypting the anonymous data collection component with a private key and password corresponding to the first client device.

4. A data collection system as recited in claim 1, wherein the method further comprises storing viewer profile data associated with the first client device in the anonymous data collection component.

5. A data collection system as recited in claim 1, wherein the method further comprises determining whether each client device identified in a set of unique identifiers has received the anonymous data collection component.

6. A data collection system as recited in claim 5, wherein the method further comprises:

determining whether each client device identified in a set of unique identifiers has received the anonymous data collection component;

selecting randomly a third client device from the set of unique identifiers if the third client device has not received the anonymous data collection component;

encrypting the anonymous data collection component to generate an encrypted data structure with a public key corresponding to the third client device, the public key corresponding to the third client device being obtained from the set of unique identifiers; and

communicating the anonymous data collection component to the third client device.

7. A data collection system as recited in claim 5, wherein the method further comprises:

communicating the anonymous data collection component to the content provider, the anonymous data collection component having aggregated media access information for each client device identified in the set of unique identifiers.

8. A data collection system as recited in claim 5, wherein the method further comprises:

communicating the anonymous data collection component to the content provider if each client device identified in the set of unique identifiers has received the anonymous data collection component, the anonymous data collection component having aggregated media access information for each client device identified in the set of unique identifiers.

9. A data collection system as recited in claim 8, wherein the method further comprises deleting the set of unique identifiers from the anonymous data collection component before the anonymous data collection component is communicated to the content provider.

10. A television-based entertainment system comprising the data collection system as recited in claim 1.

11. A digital video recording system comprising the data collection system as recited in claim 1.

12. A personal video recording system comprising the data collection system as recited in claim 1.

13. A data collection system, comprising:

client devices each configured to receive content from a content provider and execute a data collection application;

each data collection application configured to;

receive an anonymous data collection component from a client device; and

store media access information of a corresponding client device in the anonymous data collection component, the anonymous data collection component having aggregated media access information for one or more of the client devices, the aggregated media access information being configured to maintain anonymity of the client devices from which each of the media access information is received.

14. A data collection system as recited in claim 13, wherein each data collection application is further configured to decrypt the anonymous data collection component.

15. A data collection system as recited in claim 13, wherein each data collection application is further configured to decrypt the anonymous data collection component with a private key and password of the corresponding client device.

16. A data collection system as recited in claim 13, wherein:

each data collection application is further configured to store viewer profile data associated with the corresponding client device in the anonymous data collection component, and

the anonymous data collection component is further configured to maintain aggregated viewer profile data corresponding to the aggregated media access information.

17. A television-based entertainment system comprising the data collection system as recited in claim 13.

18. A digital video recording system comprising the data collection system as recited in claim 13.

19. A personal video recording system comprising the data collection system as recited in claim 13.

20. A method for anonymously collecting data, comprising:

receiving an anonymous data collection component;

storing media access information in the anonymous data collection component, the media access information being aggregated with additional media access information from one or more client devices and configured to maintain anonymity of the one or more client devices from which the media access information is received; and

determining whether to communicate the anonymous data collection component to a client device.

21. A method for anonymously collecting data as recited in claim 20, further comprising storing viewer profile data in the anonymous data collection component, and correlating the viewer profile data with the media access information.

22. A method for anonymously collecting data as recited in claim 20, further comprising decrypting the anonymous data collection component.

23. A method for anonymously collecting data as recited in claim 20, further comprising decrypting the anonymous data collection component with a private key and password.

24. A method for anonymously collecting data as recited in claim 20, wherein determining includes determining whether each of the one or more client devices has received the anonymous data collection component and the media access information of each of the one or more client devices has been aggregated in the anonymous data collection component.

25. A method for anonymously collecting data as recited in claim 20, further comprising communicating the anonymous data collection component to a content provider if each of the one or more client devices has received the anonymous data collection component and the media access information of each of the one or more client devices has been aggregated in the anonymous data collection component.

26. A method for anonymously collecting data as recited in claim 20, further comprising communicating the anonymous data collection component to the client device if the client device has not received the anonymous data collection component.

27. A method for anonymously collecting data as recited in claim 20, further comprising encrypting the anonymous data collection component with a public key corresponding to the client device to generate an encrypted data structure, and communicating the encrypted data structure to the client device if the client device has not received the anonymous data collection component.

28. A method for anonymously collecting data as recited in claim 27, further comprising requesting the public key corresponding to the client device from a key server.

29. One or more computer-readable media comprising computer-executable instructions that, when executed, direct a digital video recording system to perform the method of claim 20.