Event invalidation method

• US 7,236,941 B2
• Filed: 09/12/2002
• Issued: 06/26/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 01/13/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Erinmedia
• Inventors: Conkwright, G. Colby, Vinson, Michael J., Foster, IV, Frank S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Colbert, Ella
• Application Number:
  US10/241,841
• Publication Number:
  US 20030149649A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,748 Days
• Field of Search: 705/1, 705/10, 705/14, 705/26, 705/27, 705/35, 707/104.1, 707/217, 707/1, 707 7- 11, 707/100, 709/217, 725/1, 725/14, 725/42, 725/100, 725/2, 725/9, 725/10, 725/26, 725/27, 725/34, 725/35, 725/116, 725/46, 725/60, 725/61, 345/719
• US Class Current: 705/7.29
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0201 Market modelling; Market analysis; Collecting market data
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0204 Market segmentation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0205 Location or geographical consideration
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0242 Determining effectiveness of advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0254 based on statistics
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0255 based on user history
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0269 based on user profile or attribute
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0273 Determination of fees for advertising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0277 Online advertisement
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/00 Finance; Insurance; Tax strategies; Processing of corporate or income taxes
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99931 Database or file accessing

Abstract

The invention concerns a computerized method of invalidating set-top box events. The method may include monitoring set-top box events, storing the set-top box events in a first array, calculating a first trend in the first array of set-top box events, invalidating the set-top box events which are one or more statistical outliers from the first trend, storing the invalidated set-top box events in a second array, and calculating a second trend in the second array of invaidated set-top box events, wherein invalidated set-top box events are revalidated and new set-top box event categories to be ignored are identified based on the second trend.

Claims

1. A computerized method of invalidating set-top box events, comprising the steps of:

monitoring set-top box events;

storing the set-top box events in a first array;

calculating a first trend in the first array of set-top box events;

invalidating the set-top box events which are one or more statistical outliers from the first trend;

storing the invalidated set-top box events in a second array; and

calculating a second trend in the second array of invalidated set-top box events, wherein invalidated set-top box events are revalidated and new set-top box event categories to be ignored are identified based on the second trend.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the set-top box events are monitored without knowing individual-specific demographic information.

3. A computerized method of invalidating set-top box events, comprising the steps of:

monitoring set-top box events;

storing the set-top box events in a first array;

calculating a first trend in the first array of set-top box events;

invalidating the set-top box events which match previously defined invalid set-top box events that are one or more statistical outliers from the first trend;

storing the invalidated set-top box events in a second array; and

calculating a second trend in the second array of invalidated set-top box events, wherein invalidated set-top box events are revalidated and new set-top box event categories to be ignored are identified based on the second trend.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the set-top box events are monitored without knowing individual-specific demographic information.