Method and apparatus for delivery of targeted video programming

• US 7,370,342 B2
• Filed: 05/22/2006
• Issued: 05/06/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 06/12/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Thomson Licensing SAS (Vantiva SA)
• Original Assignee: Metabyte Networks Incorporated (Metabyte, Inc.)
• Inventors: Ismail, Labeeb K., Gogoi, Amar N., Mehta, Manu
• Primary Examiner(s): BUI, KIEU OANH T
• Application Number:
  US11/438,928
• Publication Number:
  US 20060212900A1
• Time in Patent Office: 715 Days
• Field of Search: 725/46, 725/95, 725/116, 725/146
• US Class Current: 725/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/06 Arrangements for scheduling broadcast services or broadcast-related services
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/44 for identifying broadcast stations
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/46 for recognising users' preferences
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/61 Arrangements for services using the result of monitoring, identification or recognition covered by groups H04H60/29-H04H60/54
• 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 21/2668 Creating a channel for a dedicated end-user group, e.g. insertion of targeted commercials based on end-user profiles information retrieval from the Internet by querying with filtering and personalisation G06F16/9535; arrangements for replacing or switching information during the broadcast H04H20/10; push services over packet-switching network H04L12/1859; adaptation of message content in packet-switching networks H04L51/063
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44224 Monitoring of user activity on external systems, e.g. Internet browsing
• 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 21/454 Content or additional data filtering, e.g. blocking advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/458 Scheduling content for creating a personalised stream, e.g. by combining a locally stored advertisement with an incoming stream; Updating operations, e.g. for OS modules ; time-related management operations arrangements for replacing or switching information during the broadcast or during the distribution H04H20/10
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/466 Learning process for intelligent management, e.g. learning user preferences for recommending movies services using the results of monitoring in broadcast systems H04H60/61
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4661 Deriving a combined profile for a plurality of end-users of the same client, e.g. for family members within a home user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4663 involving probabilistic networks, e.g. Bayesian networks
• 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 21/4668 for recommending content, e.g. movies
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4826 using recommendation lists, e.g. of programs or channels sorted out according to their score
• 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 21/84 Generation or processing of descriptive data, e.g. content descriptors systems specially adapted for using meta-information in broadcast systems H04H60/73
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/0884 : for the transmission of additional display-information, e.g. menu for programme or channel selection
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/163 : by receiver means only
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/173 : with two-way working, e.g. subscriber sending a programme selection signal

Abstract

A system residing preferably in a television set-top box monitors the television watching habits of one or more viewers and creates one or more profiles for each viewers descriptive of various characteristics of each viewers, including television watching preferences and demographics. The set-top box is able to select among various available video programming segments to create customized and/or targeted video programs for delivery to the viewer or viewers as a linear program. The customized linear video programs may include targeted content, advertising, and other video programming.

Claims

1. A method to deliver customized linear video programming to each of a plurality of individual viewers, comprising the steps of:

(a) obtaining information representative of viewing habits and associated characteristics of a representative sample of the general population;

(b) analyzing said representative information to generate parameters of a predictive model that explains the relationship between the viewing habits and the associated characteristics;

(c) processing information indicative of preferences of each of the plurality of viewers in accordance with the predictive model, to develop viewer characteristics target information for each of the viewers; and

(d) configuring a set of video programming segments for each viewer selected from a plurality of available video programming segments, to create an apparently linear program for linear delivery to the viewer in accordance with the viewer characteristics target information.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein analyzing said representative information further includes the steps of:

constructing a Bayesian network to calculate maximum a posteriori values for the parameters of the predictive model to predict television program viewing preferences for each viewer.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein processing information indicative of preferences of each of the plurality of viewers includes the steps of:

using said parameters in viewer devices, to develop viewer characteristics target information for each of the viewers.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein processing information indicative of preferences of each of the plurality of viewers includes the steps of:

using said parameters in viewer devices to predict viewing preferences of individual viewers.

5. The method of claim 3 wherein processing information indicative of preferences of each of the plurality of viewers includes the steps of:

using said parameters in viewer devices to predict viewing preferences of individual viewers, without divulging private information about viewing habits to the outside world.

6. The method of claim 5 further comprising the steps of communicating the predictive model parameters to viewer devices using a one way communication channel.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the step of device configuring a set of video programming segments further includes the steps of:

using said parameters in each viewer device to predict viewing preferences of individual viewers; and

each viewer device configuring said set of video programming segments for each viewer selected from a plurality of available video programming segments, to create an apparently linear program for linear delivery to the viewer in accordance with the viewing preferences of individual viewers.

8. The method of claim 3 further comprising the steps of:

receiving at least two simultaneous streams of video programming, each programming stream including a set of discrete alternative video programming segments, the video programming segments defining a plurality of content elements unrelated to one another;

subdividing each video programming stream into its component set of discrete video programming segments, such that sequential display of the video programming segments results in an apparently linear video program;

choosing particular ones of the discrete alternative video programming segments from each of the video programming streams based upon the viewer characteristics information;

wherein the step of configuring a set of video programming segments further includes the steps of;

configuring the chosen alternative video programming segments for each viewer, such that content elements of one programming stream meet the viewer characteristics target information for each of the viewers and are interspersed with unrelated content elements of the other programming stream which also meet the viewer characteristics target information for each of the viewers; and

assembling the chosen alternative video programming segments from each of the video programming streams into a customized and apparently linear program for linear delivery to each of the plurality of viewers in accordance with the viewer characteristics information, the assembly performed without regard to a characteristic time duration of any one of the chosen alternative video programming segments so long as the apparently linear program runs within a given time period.

9. The method of claim 3 wherein processing information indicative of preferences of each of the plurality of viewers further includes the steps of:

processing information indicative of television programs watched by each of the plurality of viewers.

10. The method of claim 3 wherein processing information indicative of preferences of each of the plurality of viewers further includes the steps of:

processing information indicative of television programs recorded by each of the plurality of viewers.

11. The method of claim 3 wherein processing information indicative of preferences of each of the plurality of viewers further includes the steps of:

processing information indicative of television programs not watched by each of the plurality of viewers.

12. The method of claim 3 wherein processing information indicative of preferences of each of the plurality of viewers further includes the steps of:

processing information indicative of television program guide information requested by each of the plurality of viewers.

13. The method of claim 3 wherein processing information indicative of preferences of each of the plurality of viewers further includes the steps of:

processing information indicative of television program guide information not requested by each of the plurality of viewers.

14. The method of claim 1 wherein processing information indicative of preferences of each of the plurality of viewers to develop viewer characteristics target information for each of the viewers further includes the steps of:

processing information indicative of preferences of each of the plurality of viewers to develop demographic information for each of the viewers.

15. The method of claim 1 wherein configuring a set of video programming segments comprises:

configuring a set of video programming segments selected from the group of video programming segments comprising advertising, entertainment, news, weather, financial, sports, educational, and shopping programming.

16. The method of claim 1 wherein configuring a set of video programming segments further comprises:

selecting one or more of the video programming segments from a plurality of available alternative video programming segments to create an apparently linear program for linear delivery to the viewer, the program exhibiting content customized in accordance with the viewer characteristics information.

17. The method of claim 1 wherein configuring a set of video programming segments further comprises:

selecting one or more of the video programming segments from a plurality of available alternative video programming segments to create an apparently linear program for linear delivery to the viewer, the program exhibiting content targeted to the viewer characteristics information.

18. A system to deliver customized linear video programming content to each of a plurality of individual viewers, comprising:

a predictive module that analyzes information representative of viewing habits and associated characteristics of a representative sample of the general population, to generate parameters of a predictive model that explains the relationship between the viewing habits and the associated characteristics;

a processor that processes information indicative of preferences of each of the plurality of viewers in accordance with the predictive model, to develop viewer characteristics target information for each of the viewers,

a programming controller that configures a set of video programming segments for each viewer selected from a plurality of available video programming segments, to create an apparently linear program for linear delivery to the viewer in accordance with the viewer characteristics target information.

19. The system of claim 18 wherein the predictive module analyzes said representative information to construct a Bayesian network to calculate maximum a posteriori values for the parameters of the predictive model to predict television program viewing preferences for each viewer.

20. The system of claim 18 wherein the processor further uses said parameters in viewer devices to develop viewer characteristics target information for each of the viewers.

21. The system of claim 20 further comprising viewer devices, wherein the processor further uses said parameters in viewer devices to predict viewing preferences of individual viewers.

22. The system of claim 20 wherein the processor further uses said parameters in viewer devices to predict viewing preferences of individual viewers, without divulging private information about viewing habits to the outside world.

23. The system of claim 22 wherein the predictive model parameters are communicated to viewer devices using a one way communication channel.

24. The system of claim 23 wherein the programming controller uses said parameters in each viewer device to predict viewing preferences of individual viewers, and configures said set of video programming segments for each viewer selected from a plurality of available video programming segments, to create an apparently linear program for linear delivery to the viewer in accordance with the viewing preferences of individual viewers.

25. The system of claim 20 wherein:

each viewer device comprises a receiver for receiving at least two simultaneous streams of video programming, each programming stream including a set of discrete alternative video programming segments, the video programming segments defining a plurality of content elements unrelated to one another;

the programming controller comprises;

a programmer operative to subdivide each linear video program sequence into its component set of discrete video programming segments, means for choosing particular ones of the discrete alternative video programming segments from each of the video programming streams based upon the viewer characteristics information, means for configuring the chosen alternative video programming segments for each viewer such that content elements of one programming stream meet the viewer characteristics target information for each of the viewers and are interspersed with unrelated content elements of at least one of the other programming stream which also meet the viewer characteristics target information for each of the viewers, and means for assembling the chosen alternative video programming segments from each of the video programming streams into a customized and apparently linear program for linear delivery to each of the plurality of viewers in accordance with the viewer characteristics information.

26. The system of claim 20 wherein the processor further processes information indicative of television programs watched by each of the plurality of viewers.

27. The system of claim 20 wherein the processor further processes information indicative of television programs recorded by each of the plurality of viewers.

28. The system of claim 20 wherein the processor further processes information indicative of television programs not watched by each of the plurality of viewers.

29. The system of claim 20 wherein the processor further processes information indicative of preferences of each of the plurality of viewers further includes the steps of:

processing information indicative of television program guide information requested by each of the plurality of viewers.

30. The system of claim 20 wherein the processor further processes information indicative of television program guide information not requested by each of the plurality of viewers.

31. The system of claim 18 wherein the processor further processes information indicative of preferences of each of the plurality of viewers to develop demographic information for each of the viewers.

32. The system of claim 18 wherein the programming controller configures a set of video programming segments by configuring a set of video programming segments selected from the group of video programming segments comprising advertising, entertainment, news, weather, financial, sports, educational, and shopping programming.

33. The system of claim 18 wherein the programming controller configures a set of video programming segments by selecting one or more of the video programming segments from a plurality of available alternative video programming segments to create an apparently linear program for linear delivery to the viewer, the program exhibiting content customized in accordance with the viewer characteristics information.

34. The system of claim 18 wherein the programming controller configures a set of video programming segments by selecting one or more of the video programming segments from a plurality of available alternative video programming segments to create an apparently linear program for linear delivery to the viewer, the program exhibiting content targeted to the viewer characteristics information.