Method and system for analysis of sensory information to estimate audience reaction

• US 9,854,288 B2
• Filed: 08/11/2015
• Issued: 12/26/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 11/26/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Gibbon, David Crawford, Gopalan, Raghuraman, Renger, Bernard S., Shahraray, Behzad, Zavesky, Eric
• Primary Examiner(s): Lin, Jason K
• Application Number:
  US14/822,937
• Publication Number:
  US 20150350727A1
• Time in Patent Office: 868 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/33 Arrangements for monitoring the users' behaviour or opinions
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/43 for identifying broadcast channels
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/45 for identifying users
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/252 Processing of multiple end-users' preferences to derive collaborative data
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/254 Management at additional data server, e.g. shopping server, rights management server arrangements for maintenance or administration in data networks H04L41/00; network services using third party service providers H04L67/53
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25866 Management of end-user data customer care in data networks H04L41/5077
• 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 21/26291 for providing content or additional data updates, e.g. updating software modules, stored at the client deployment, distribution, installation, update of software G06F8/65; error detection or correction during software upgrading G06F11/1433; arrangements for updating broadcast information or broadcast-related information H04H60/25
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42201 biosensors, e.g. heat sensor for presence detection, EEG sensors or any limb activity sensors worn by the user input arrangements for interaction with the human body based on nervous system activity detection G06F3/015
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42202 environmental sensors, e.g. for detecting temperature, luminosity, pressure, earthquakes
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42203 sound input device, e.g. microphone
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4223 Cameras H04N23/00 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4383 Accessing a communication channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44218 Detecting physical presence or behaviour of the user, e.g. using sensors to detect if the user is leaving the room or changes his face expression during a TV program methods or arrangements for recognising human body or animal bodies or body parts G06V40/10; methods or arrangements for acquiring or recognising human faces, facial parts, facial sketches, facial expressions G06V40/16; methods or arrangements for recognising movements or behaviour G06V40/20; arrangements for identifying users in broadcast systems H04H60/45
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44226 on social networks
• 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 21/4661 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 21/6582 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

Abstract

A system that incorporates the subject disclosure may perform operations, for example, including determining a first correlation value between a behavior of a first audience member and a subject matter being presented at a display processor, wherein the subject matter being presented at the display is observable by the first audience member. A second correlation value is determined between the behavior of the first audience member and a characteristic of an environment in a vicinity of the display and the first audience member. Responsive to the second correlation value exceeding the first correlation value, a determination is made as to whether a present channel selection resulting from user input initiated by the first audience member is responsive to the characteristic of the environment influencing the audience member more than the subject matter being presented at the display. Other embodiments are disclosed.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

monitoring, by a processing system including a processor, a tuning status comprising one of a fixed tune by which a media processor remains tuned to a first channel that provides a first media item, or a tune away by which the media processor is tuned from the first channel to a second channel that provides a second media item, wherein a subject matter presented at a display coupled to the media processor is based on the tuning status;

determining, by the processing system, a first correlation value between a behavior of a first audience member and the subject matter presented at the display, wherein the behavior is based on first sensory data obtained from a first environmental sensor of a plurality of environmental sensors in a vicinity of the display, and wherein the subject matter presented at the display is observable by the first audience member;

determining, by the processing system, a second correlation value between the behavior of the first audience member and a characteristic of an environment in the vicinity of the display wherein the characteristic of the environment is based on second sensory data obtained from a second environmental sensor of the plurality of environmental sensors; and

responsive to the second correlation value exceeding the first correlation value, determining, by the processing system, that the tune away is based on the characteristic of the environment more so than the subject matter presented at the display.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

responsive to the first correlation value exceeding the second correlation value, determining, by the processing system, that the tune away is based on the subject matter presented at the display providing the first media item and not the environment.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, by the processing system, the second sensory data from the second environment sensor of the plurality of environmental sensors; and

detecting, by the processing system, from the second sensory data, a reaction of the first audience member that is associated with the environment and not associated with the subject matter being presented in the first media item.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining, by the processing system, from the second sensory data, a behavior of a second audience member proximate to the display, wherein the subject matter presented by the display is also observable by the second audience member;

determining, by the processing system, a third correlation value between the behavior of the first audience member and the behavior of the second audience member; and

responsive to the third correlation value exceeding the first and second correlation values, determining, by the processing system, that the tune away is based on the second audience member and neither the subject matter presented in the first media item nor the environment.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising determining, by the processing system, from one of the first sensory data, the second sensory data, or both, which of the first audience member and the second audience member the tune away is based on.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the determining which of the first audience member and the second audience member the tune away is based on further comprises:

identifying, by the processing system, from the one of the first sensory data, the second sensory data, or both, a first position of the first audience member and a second position of the second audience member;

identifying, by the processing system, from the one of the first sensory data, the second sensory data or both, a third position of a remote control device; and

associating, by the processing system, the third position with a closer of the first and second positions, wherein the tune away is based on one of the first and second audience members at the closer of the first position and the second position.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining, by the processing system, that the tune away occurs coincident with an advertisement presented during the tune away; and

associating, by the processing system, a gender, an age, an attribute estimator, or a combination thereof with the first audience member.

8. A system, comprising:

a processing system including a processor; and

a memory that stores executable instructions that, when executed by the processing system, facilitate performance of operations, comprising;

monitoring a tuning status comprising one of a fixed tune by which a media processor remains tuned to a first channel that provides a first media item, or a tune away by which the media processor is tuned from the first channel to a second channel that provides a second media item, wherein a subject matter presented at a display coupled to the media processor is based on the tuning status;

determining a first correlation value between a characteristic of a first audience member and the subject matter presented at the display, wherein the characteristic is based on first sensory data obtained from a first environmental sensor of a plurality of environmental sensors in a vicinity of the display, and wherein the subject matter presented at the display is observable by the first audience member;

determining a second correlation value between the characteristic of the first audience member and a characteristic of an environment in a vicinity of the first audience member, wherein the characteristic of the environment is based on second sensory data obtained from a second environmental sensor of the plurality of environmental sensors; and

responsive to the second correlation value exceeding the first correlation value, determining that the tune away is based on the characteristic of the environment more so than the subject matter presented at the display.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the operations further comprise:

responsive to the second correlation value exceeding the first correlation value, determining that the tune away is based on the subject matter presented at the display presenting the first media item and not the environment.

10. The system of claim 8 further comprising:

receiving the second sensory data obtained from the second environment sensor of the plurality of environmental sensors; and

detecting from the second sensory data, a reaction of the first audience member that is associated with the environment and not associated with the subject matter being presented in the first media item.

11. The system of claim 8, wherein the operations further comprise:

determining from sensory data obtained from an environmental sensor of the plurality of environmental sensors, a characteristic of a second audience member proximate to the display, wherein the first media item presented at the display is observable by the second audience member;

determining a third correlation value between the characteristic of the first audience member and the characteristic of the second audience member; and

responsive to the third correlation value exceeding the first and second correlation values, determining that the tune away is based on the second audience member more so than the subject matter presented in the first media item or the environment.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the operations further comprise determining from the sensory data, which of the first audience member and the second audience member is responsible for a present channel selection.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the determining which of the first audience member and the second audience member is responsible for the present channel selection further comprises:

identifying from the sensory data, a first position of the first audience member and a second position of the second audience member;

identifying from the sensory data, a third position of a remote control device; and

associating the third position with a closer of the first position and the second position, wherein one of the first audience member and the second audience member that is at the closer of the first position and the second position is determined responsible for the present channel selection.

14. The system of claim 8, wherein a plurality of audience members is proximate to the display, and wherein the operations further comprise:

associating members of the plurality of audience members by gender, age, attribute estimator, or combinations thereof.

15. A machine-readable storage device, comprising executable instructions that, responsive to being executed by a processing system including a processor, facilitate performance of operations comprising:

monitoring a tuning status comprising one of a fixed tune by which a media processor remains tuned to a first channel that provides a first media item, or a tune away by which the media processor is tuned from the first channel to a second channel that provides a second media item, wherein a subject matter presented at a display coupled to the media processor is based on the tuning status;

determining a first correlation value between a characteristic of a first audience member and the subject matter presented at the display, wherein the characteristic is based on first sensing data obtained from a first environmental sensor of a plurality of environmental sensors in a vicinity of the display, and wherein the subject matter presented at the display is observable by the first audience member;

determining a second correlation value between the characteristic of the first audience member and a characteristic of an environment in a vicinity of the first audience member, wherein the characteristic of the environment is based on second sensing data obtained from a second environmental sensor of the plurality of environmental sensors; and

responsive to the second correlation value exceeding the first correlation value, determining that the tune away is based on the characteristic of the environment more so than the subject matter presented at the display.

16. The machine-readable storage device of claim 15, wherein the operations further comprise, responsive to the first correlation value exceeding the second correlation value, determining that the tune away is based on the subject matter presented at the display more so than the environment.

17. The machine-readable storage device of claim 16, wherein the determining that the tune away is based on the characteristic of the environment, further comprises:

accessing the second sensing data; and

detecting from the second sensing data a reaction of one of the first audience member, a second audience member, or both, that is associated with the environment and not associated with the subject matter in the first media item, thereby resulting in the second correlation value exceeding the first correlation value.

18. The machine-readable storage device of claim 15, wherein the operations further comprise:

determining from the second sensing data, a characteristic of a second audience member, wherein the first media item presented at the display is observable by the second audience member;

determining a third correlation value between the characteristic of the first audience member and the characteristic of the second audience member; and

responsive to the third correlation value exceeding the first correlation value and the second correlation value, determining that the tune away is based on the second audience member more so than the subject matter presented in the first media item or the environment.

19. The machine-readable storage device of claim 18, wherein the operations further comprise determining from the first sensing data, the second sensing data, or both, which of the first audience member and the second audience member the tune away is based on.

20. The machine-readable storage device of claim 19, wherein the determining which of the first audience member and the second audience member the tune away is based on further comprises:

identifying from one of the first sensing data, the second sensing data, or both, a first position of the first audience member and a second position of the second audience member;

identifying from one of the first sensing data, the second sensing data, or both, a third position of a remote control device; and

associating the third position with a closer of the first position and second position, wherein the tune away is based on one of the first audience member and the second audience member that is at the closer of the first position and the second position.