Method and system for managing timed responses to A/V events in television programming

• US 7,269,835 B2
• Filed: 07/18/2005
• Issued: 09/11/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 12/21/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Alphonso, Inc.
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Matz, William R., Swix, Scott R.
• Primary Examiner(s): BUI, KIEU OANH T
• Application Number:
  US11/183,450
• Publication Number:
  US 20050262540A1
• Time in Patent Office: 785 Days
• Field of Search: 725/10, 725/12, 725/14, 725/32, 725/36, 725/42, 725/87, 725/98, 725/99, 725/110, 725/118, 725/134, 725/135, 725/23, 725/24
• US Class Current: 725/23
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 7/00 Electrically-operated teaching apparatus or devices working with questions and answers mechanically operated G09B3/00; computing arrangements G06F
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/28 Arrangements for simultaneous broadcast of plural pieces of information
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/33 Arrangements for monitoring the users' behaviour or opinions
• 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: H04N 21/42204 User interfaces specially adapted for controlling a client device through a remote control device; Remote control devices therefor constructive details of casings for the remote control device H01H9/0235; user interfaces for controlling a tuning device of a television receiver through a remote control H03J9/00; remote control of peripheral devices connected to a television receiver through the remote control device of the television receiver H04B1/205
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42213 for facilitating data entry
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/433 Content storage operation, e.g. storage operation in response to a pause request, caching operations
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44213 Monitoring of end-user related data arrangements for monitoring the users' behaviour or opinions in broadcast systems H04H60/33
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44222 Analytics of user selections, e.g. selection of programs or purchase activity monitoring of user selections in data processing systems G06F11/34; arrangements for monitoring the user's behaviour or opinions in broadcast systems H04H60/33
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4758 for providing answers, e.g. voting
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/485 End-user interface for client configuration
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/658 Transmission by the client directed to the server
• 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 7/17309 Transmission or handling of upstream communications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

Exemplary embodiments provide an incentive for a viewer to watch and react to audio/video programming. For example, the viewer may be prompted during a program to provide an indicated response to an event within an indicated time period. Thereafter, the indicated response to the event may be detected, a response time of the indicated response to the event may be measured, viewer performance may be evaluated based upon the response time, and the incentive may be presented to the viewer based upon the response time. According to an exemplary embodiment, a viewer actuates a pushbutton key of a set-top box remote control unit and a signal that corresponds with the key is transmitted to and recorded by the set-top box. Other exemplary embodiments include a media delivery device for providing incentives, rewards, discounts, marketing data, and/or measurements to the viewer and a media delivery network.

Claims

1. A method for evaluating the performance of a viewer watching television programming, comprising:

receiving the television programming comprising transmission of at least one of a live media session and a recorded media session;

presenting the television programming and a cue, the cue associated with content of the television programming such that the cue prompts the viewer during presentation of the television programming to provide a response to an event within an indicated time period, the event comprising an occurrence of specified content within the television programming; and

when the viewer responds to the cue within the indicated time period, then

detecting the response,

measuring a response time of the response to the event, wherein the response time is the time between the time when the event occurred and when the viewer provided the response,

evaluating viewer performance based upon the response time such that the response time is compared to a reference response time, and

providing an incentive to the viewer based upon the viewer'"'"'s performance.

2. The method of claim 1, the content comprising a product, a word, a sound, an action by an actor, an effect, and a recognizable event.

3. The method of claim 2, the event comprising an intentional occurrence of the content presented to the viewer during the television programming.

4. The method of claim 2, the event comprising an incidental occurrence of the content presented to the viewer during the television programming.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving a signal in response to the cue.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising communicating the response to a server.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising inserting cue into the television programming.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising stamping the response with a time of receipt.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the television programming comprises receiving the cue encoded into the television programming.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

processing the television programming and the cue for presentation.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising creating a log of responses to cues.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising storing a sequence of viewer actions and comparing to another sequence of events.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a personal identification number of the viewer, the personal identification number distinguishing the viewer from another viewer.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein when the incentive is provided to the viewer, then presenting an award cue describing the incentive.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein when the viewer responds to the cue within the indicated time period, then presenting a subsequent cue during the television programming.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein when the viewer responds to the cue within the indicated time period, then presenting a subsequent comments cue that prompts the viewer for a comment associated with the event.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein when a plurality of incentives is provided to the viewer, then presenting an award cue describing the plurality of incentives.

18. A method for evaluating the performance of a viewer watching television programming, comprising:

receiving the television programming, the television programming comprising transmission of at least one of a live media session and a recorded media session;

presenting the television programming and a cue, the cue associated with content of the television programming such that the cue prompts the viewer during presentation of the television programming to provide a response to an event within an indicated time period, the event comprising a survey of two or more possible responses; and

when the viewer responds to the cue within the indicated time period, then

detecting the response to the event,

populating a database with the response, and

presenting a subsequent cue comprising a summary of a plurality of responses to the event by a plurality of viewers.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising receiving the response at an interface.

20. The method of claim 18, the survey comprising a voting event.

21. The method of claim 18, wherein the survey comprises a polling event.

22. A media delivery device for evaluating a viewer watching programming, the media delivery device operable to:

receive the programming, the programming comprising transmission of at least one of a live media session and a recorded media session;

present the programming and a cue, the cue associated with content of the programming such that the cue prompts the viewer during presentation of the programming to provide a response to an event within an indicated time period, the event comprising an occurrence of specified content within the programming; and

when the viewer responds to the cue within the indicated time period, then

detect the response to the event,

measure a response time of the response to the event, wherein the response time is the time between the time when the event occurred and when the viewer provided the response,

evaluate viewer performance based upon the response time such that the response time associated with the viewer is compared to a reference response time, and

provide an incentive to the viewer based upon the viewer'"'"'s performance.

23. The device of claim 22, further operable to receive the cue encoded into the programming.

24. The device of claim 22, further operable to insert the cue into the programming.