WO1999007142A1 - Systems and methods for audience monitoring - Google Patents

Systems and methods for audience monitoring Download PDF

Info

Publication number
WO1999007142A1
WO1999007142A1 PCT/US1998/015890 US9815890W WO9907142A1 WO 1999007142 A1 WO1999007142 A1 WO 1999007142A1 US 9815890 W US9815890 W US 9815890W WO 9907142 A1 WO9907142 A1 WO 9907142A1
Authority
WO
WIPO (PCT)
Prior art keywords
viewer
television
data
microprocessor
audio sounds
Prior art date
Application number
PCT/US1998/015890
Other languages
French (fr)
Inventor
Roy J. Mankovitz
Brian L. Klosterman
Daniel C. O'connor
Kenneth S. Hancock
Jacques L. HUGON
Original Assignee
Index Systems, Inc.
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Index Systems, Inc. filed Critical Index Systems, Inc.
Priority to EP98938169A priority Critical patent/EP1016279A1/en
Priority to JP2000505737A priority patent/JP2002511666A/en
Priority to AU86756/98A priority patent/AU8675698A/en
Priority to CA002298569A priority patent/CA2298569C/en
Publication of WO1999007142A1 publication Critical patent/WO1999007142A1/en

Links

Classifications

    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04N—PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION
    • H04N21/00—Selective content distribution, e.g. interactive television or video on demand [VOD]
    • H04N21/40—Client devices specifically adapted for the reception of or interaction with content, e.g. set-top-box [STB]; Operations thereof
    • H04N21/43—Processing of content or additional data, e.g. demultiplexing additional data from a digital video stream; Elementary client operations, e.g. monitoring of home network or synchronising decoder's clock; Client middleware
    • H04N21/442—Monitoring of processes or resources, e.g. detecting the failure of a recording device, monitoring the downstream bandwidth, the number of times a movie has been viewed, the storage space available from the internal hard disk
    • H04N21/44213—Monitoring of end-user related data
    • H04N21/44222—Analytics of user selections, e.g. selection of programs or purchase activity
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04N—PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION
    • H04N21/00—Selective content distribution, e.g. interactive television or video on demand [VOD]
    • H04N21/20—Servers specifically adapted for the distribution of content, e.g. VOD servers; Operations thereof
    • H04N21/25—Management operations performed by the server for facilitating the content distribution or administrating data related to end-users or client devices, e.g. end-user or client device authentication, learning user preferences for recommending movies
    • H04N21/258—Client or end-user data management, e.g. managing client capabilities, user preferences or demographics, processing of multiple end-users preferences to derive collaborative data
    • H04N21/25866—Management of end-user data
    • H04N21/25891—Management of end-user data being end-user preferences
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04N—PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION
    • H04N21/00—Selective content distribution, e.g. interactive television or video on demand [VOD]
    • H04N21/80—Generation or processing of content or additional data by content creator independently of the distribution process; Content per se
    • H04N21/81—Monomedia components thereof
    • H04N21/812—Monomedia components thereof involving advertisement data
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04N—PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION
    • H04N21/00—Selective content distribution, e.g. interactive television or video on demand [VOD]
    • H04N21/80—Generation or processing of content or additional data by content creator independently of the distribution process; Content per se
    • H04N21/83—Generation or processing of protective or descriptive data associated with content; Content structuring
    • H04N21/84—Generation or processing of descriptive data, e.g. content descriptors
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04N—PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION
    • H04N7/00—Television systems
    • H04N7/16—Analogue secrecy systems; Analogue subscription systems
    • H04N7/162—Authorising the user terminal, e.g. by paying; Registering the use of a subscription channel, e.g. billing
    • H04N7/163—Authorising the user terminal, e.g. by paying; Registering the use of a subscription channel, e.g. billing by receiver means only

Definitions

  • the present invention relates generally to television systems, and more particularly, to the communication of, statistics and characteristics concerning viewer interactions with a television, including the viewer's interactions with an interactive electronic program guide (“EPG").
  • EPG electronic program guide
  • an advertiser would find it instructive to know which television programs a viewer watches, which advertisements a viewer watches, the number of times a viewer changes channels, and what the viewer was watching immediately before changing channels.
  • An advertiser would also find it instructive to know the number of times a viewer of an EPG, such as Guide Plus+TM, accesses the guide during a specific time period, what program or advertisement the viewer was watching immediately before entering the EPG, and other information concerning the viewer's interaction with the viewer's television and the EPG. Such information can be used to analyze the valuation of advertising on television and through an EPG.
  • the traditional way to monitor some of this information has been to equip a select number of television sets with modems, as is done to collect the Nielsen statistics.
  • the modem-equipped television sets are placed in selected homes, whereby data concerning the viewing habits of the persons in the monitored homes is collected and is transmitted to a central location on some periodic basis, such as on a nightly basis.
  • the above-described modem- equipped television method is expensive and cumbersome, and only provides data for a limited number of selected households.
  • FIG. 1 hereto is a sample screen of one embodiment of an on screen television display of an EPG which provides for several display areas in which advertising messages appear.
  • International Application No. PCT/US95/1 1 173 International Publication No. WO 96/07270
  • PEG Picture-In-Guide
  • the present invention provides systems and methods for communicating viewer profile data to a centralized data center at which analysis of sample viewer profiles can be performed and feedback for advertisers developed.
  • the present invention provides for such communication without the use of a modem in each target household.
  • FIG. 1 is a sample of one embodiment of an on screen television display of an EPG which provides for several display areas in which advertising messages appear.
  • a microprocessor in a television set is programmed to monitor each viewer interaction with the television through the viewer's input device, such as the viewer's remote control device.
  • the microprocessor in the television set is further programmed to translate and convert the data representing the viewer's interaction profile data (the "viewer profile")into a coding scheme.
  • a traditional telephone handset is used to transmit the audio representation of the encoded data.
  • a computer at a central location is programmed to decode the encoded data.
  • the collected data is coded and is stored in RAM, located at each television viewer's television set. The data can be stored over a specific time interval, for instance, a one month period, after which the data is refreshed for the next month.
  • 0701970801971436 might stand for the time period from July 1 to August 1, 1997, during which time the user accessed the EPG 1436 times.
  • the stored data is displayed as a string of numbers on an information screen on the television monitor.
  • the user can be prompted to select the appropriate information screen from the EPG menu.
  • a staff representative of an EPG information provider could call television viewers/EPG users (hereinafter, EPG user) to ask the EPG users to read aloud the encoded information.
  • EPG user television viewers/EPG users
  • a computer at the EPG information provider office could generate requests for EPG users to be called. The request could automatically dial the telephone number of each selected EPG user.
  • Phone numbers for EPG users could, for example, be collected from warranty card information for television sets in which the software was installed.
  • the staff representative would ask the EPG user to access the encoded information by, for instance, pressing a unique key combination on the viewer's remote control device, or by selecting a particular information screen option from the EPG's menu.
  • the EPG user would then be asked to read aloud the numbers displayed on the information screen.
  • the encoded viewer profile information read aloud by the EPG user must be provided to the centralized EPG information service provider's computer.
  • One way to do so is for the audio signal from the telephone to be connected directly to a computer with speech recognition capabilities.
  • Another way to provide the information to the centralized computer is for the EPG information provider staff representative to enter the encoded infonnation online to the computer as the numeric strings are read aloud by the EPG user.
  • the EPG staff representative would signal the computer that the data collection for the particular user has been completed. At that point, the computer could generate the next request and dial the telephone number for the next EPG user.
  • the viewer profile data is collected and is converted into digital representations of audio tones. Then, when the special key combination is pressed, or when the user selects the special information screen, the data is output as audio tones from the television speaker.
  • the EPG information provider staff representative would call EPG users, as is described above, and request that the EPG user place the telephone handset near the speaker of the television before pressing the appropriate remote control device key combination, or selecting the appropriate information screen.
  • the EPG service provider's location there is, at the EPG service provider's location, a telephone connection directly to the centralized EPG service provider's computer.
  • the encoded tones are emitted by the television speaker, transmitted by the telephone connection to the central EPG information service provider's computer, and are recorded by the centralized computer.
  • the tones are subsequently decoded (using, for instance, DTMF decoding).
  • a dictionary of 256 words is created, each word representing a unique combination of 8 bits.
  • the objective in selecting the words is that the words should be distinctive and easily identifiable.
  • the approach of using only a select list of words recognized by a "dictionary" of terms improves recognition by the EPG representative and/or by speech recognition equipment at the central computer.
  • the limited term dictionary approach reduces transcription and/or recognition errors.
  • each word could represent a particular ASCII character, which in turn represents certain information about the television viewer/EPG user.
  • Each such word could represent a single, discrete piece of information about the viewer.
  • each word could represent one of 256 possible combinations of YES/NO flags for eight (8) different categories of information about the television viewer/EPG user.
  • the viewer profile data is collected and is converted, using a translation table, into one or more of the terms of the dictionary.
  • the EPG user is asked to press the appropriate key combination, or select the appropriate information screen, and read aloud into the telephone handset the words listed on the information screen.
  • the EPG service provider's office there is, at the EPG service provider's office, a direct connection to the centralized computer.
  • the EPG user reads the words aloud, they are recorded by the computer.
  • the EPG staff representative can enter the words online by keying them, or can complete an online "questionnaire.”
  • the words read by the EPG user can then be translated by the centralized computer into the appropriate binary data for advertising auditing purposes. Because the words represent binary data, industry standard error checking and correction techniques can be used.
  • This embodiment can be used in combination with the above-described embodiment in which the television speaker emits sounds. That is, instead of asking the user to read the words, the user is asked to place the telephone handset next to the television speaker so that when the user enters the appropriate key combination or selects a particular information screen from the EPG menu, the television speaker will emit audible sounds that represent the dictionary terms that represent the viewer profile information.
  • the embodiments of the ' invention described herein are only considered to be preferred and/or illustrative of the inventive concept; the scope of the invention is not to be restricted to such embodiments.
  • alternative terms for the dictionary of terms can be used.
  • the number of words in the dictionary can vary; any number of words could be used.

Abstract

The present invention provides for modemless communication of television viewer profile data to a central location for analysis and interpretation of viewer interaction with the viewer's television and/or with an on-screen electronic program guide (10).

Description

SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR AUDIENCE MONITORING
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates generally to television systems, and more particularly, to the communication of, statistics and characteristics concerning viewer interactions with a television, including the viewer's interactions with an interactive electronic program guide ("EPG").
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
It is highly desirable to be able to monitor various television viewer interactions with the viewer's television set. For instance, an advertiser would find it instructive to know which television programs a viewer watches, which advertisements a viewer watches, the number of times a viewer changes channels, and what the viewer was watching immediately before changing channels. An advertiser would also find it instructive to know the number of times a viewer of an EPG, such as Guide Plus+™, accesses the guide during a specific time period, what program or advertisement the viewer was watching immediately before entering the EPG, and other information concerning the viewer's interaction with the viewer's television and the EPG. Such information can be used to analyze the valuation of advertising on television and through an EPG.
The traditional way to monitor some of this information has been to equip a select number of television sets with modems, as is done to collect the Nielsen statistics. Typically, the modem-equipped television sets are placed in selected homes, whereby data concerning the viewing habits of the persons in the monitored homes is collected and is transmitted to a central location on some periodic basis, such as on a nightly basis. The above-described modem- equipped television method is expensive and cumbersome, and only provides data for a limited number of selected households.
Currently co-pending U.S. Patent Application, Attorney Docket No. 32714/LTR/E190 (Application No. not yet assigned) ("SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR DISPLAYING AND RECORDING CONTROL INTERFACE WITH TELEVISION PROGRAMS, VIDEO, ADVERTISING INFORMATION AND PROGRAM SCHEDULING INFORMATION") discloses an extensive system and method for capturing raw viewer profile data and for analyzing that data and the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference as if fully stated here. Such viewer profile information would provide advertisers with information with which further advertising decisions can be made. For instance, such information can be used to evaluate the effectiveness of a particular advertisement. Such viewer profile information can be used to filter program listings or advertisements, and can be used to customize delivery of advertisements to particular viewers. FIG. 1 hereto is a sample screen of one embodiment of an on screen television display of an EPG which provides for several display areas in which advertising messages appear. International Application No. PCT/US95/1 1 173 (International Publication No. WO 96/07270), the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference herein for all purposes, illustrates an EPG that provides viewer-to-EPG interaction improvements and Picture-In-Guide ("PIG") display of the television program simultaneous with the display of the EPG. Reference is made to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/055,761, ("ELECTRONIC PROGRAM GUIDE FEATURES"), filed on August 14 1997, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference as if fully stated here. Reference is made to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/053,330 ("EPG WITH ADVERTISING MESSAGES") filed July 21, 1997, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference as if fully stated here.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention provides systems and methods for communicating viewer profile data to a centralized data center at which analysis of sample viewer profiles can be performed and feedback for advertisers developed. The present invention provides for such communication without the use of a modem in each target household.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the present invention will become better understood with regard to the following description, appended claims, and accompanying drawings where: FIG. 1 is a sample of one embodiment of an on screen television display of an EPG which provides for several display areas in which advertising messages appear.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
A microprocessor in a television set is programmed to monitor each viewer interaction with the television through the viewer's input device, such as the viewer's remote control device. The microprocessor in the television set is further programmed to translate and convert the data representing the viewer's interaction profile data (the "viewer profile")into a coding scheme. A traditional telephone handset is used to transmit the audio representation of the encoded data. A computer at a central location is programmed to decode the encoded data. In one embodiment of the invention, the collected data is coded and is stored in RAM, located at each television viewer's television set. The data can be stored over a specific time interval, for instance, a one month period, after which the data is refreshed for the next month. In this embodiment, 0701970801971436 might stand for the time period from July 1 to August 1, 1997, during which time the user accessed the EPG 1436 times. Upon pressing a unique combination of remote control keys, the stored data is displayed as a string of numbers on an information screen on the television monitor. As an alternative to pressing the unique combination of remote control keys, the user can be prompted to select the appropriate information screen from the EPG menu.
In this embodiment, a staff representative of an EPG information provider, e.g., a staff representative for the Guide Plus customer service center, could call television viewers/EPG users (hereinafter, EPG user) to ask the EPG users to read aloud the encoded information. A computer at the EPG information provider office could generate requests for EPG users to be called. The request could automatically dial the telephone number of each selected EPG user. Phone numbers for EPG users could, for example, be collected from warranty card information for television sets in which the software was installed.
In this embodiment, the staff representative would ask the EPG user to access the encoded information by, for instance, pressing a unique key combination on the viewer's remote control device, or by selecting a particular information screen option from the EPG's menu. The EPG user would then be asked to read aloud the numbers displayed on the information screen. The encoded viewer profile information read aloud by the EPG user must be provided to the centralized EPG information service provider's computer. One way to do so is for the audio signal from the telephone to be connected directly to a computer with speech recognition capabilities. Another way to provide the information to the centralized computer is for the EPG information provider staff representative to enter the encoded infonnation online to the computer as the numeric strings are read aloud by the EPG user.
Once the EPG user finishes reading the numbers from the screen, the EPG staff representative would signal the computer that the data collection for the particular user has been completed. At that point, the computer could generate the next request and dial the telephone number for the next EPG user. In another embodiment of the invention, the viewer profile data is collected and is converted into digital representations of audio tones. Then, when the special key combination is pressed, or when the user selects the special information screen, the data is output as audio tones from the television speaker.
In this embodiment, the EPG information provider staff representative would call EPG users, as is described above, and request that the EPG user place the telephone handset near the speaker of the television before pressing the appropriate remote control device key combination, or selecting the appropriate information screen. In this embodiment, there is, at the EPG service provider's location, a telephone connection directly to the centralized EPG service provider's computer. When the EPG user enters the information screen, the encoded tones are emitted by the television speaker, transmitted by the telephone connection to the central EPG information service provider's computer, and are recorded by the centralized computer. The tones are subsequently decoded (using, for instance, DTMF decoding).
In still another embodiment of this invention, a dictionary of 256 words is created, each word representing a unique combination of 8 bits. The objective in selecting the words is that the words should be distinctive and easily identifiable. The approach of using only a select list of words recognized by a "dictionary" of terms improves recognition by the EPG representative and/or by speech recognition equipment at the central computer. The limited term dictionary approach reduces transcription and/or recognition errors.
In this embodiment, each word could represent a particular ASCII character, which in turn represents certain information about the television viewer/EPG user. Each such word could represent a single, discrete piece of information about the viewer. Alternatively, each word could represent one of 256 possible combinations of YES/NO flags for eight (8) different categories of information about the television viewer/EPG user.
In this embodiment, the viewer profile data is collected and is converted, using a translation table, into one or more of the terms of the dictionary. When an EPG user is called, as is described above, the EPG user is asked to press the appropriate key combination, or select the appropriate information screen, and read aloud into the telephone handset the words listed on the information screen. As is described above, there is, at the EPG service provider's office, a direct connection to the centralized computer. As the EPG user reads the words aloud, they are recorded by the computer. Alternatively, the EPG staff representative can enter the words online by keying them, or can complete an online "questionnaire." The words read by the EPG user can then be translated by the centralized computer into the appropriate binary data for advertising auditing purposes. Because the words represent binary data, industry standard error checking and correction techniques can be used.
This embodiment can be used in combination with the above-described embodiment in which the television speaker emits sounds. That is, instead of asking the user to read the words, the user is asked to place the telephone handset next to the television speaker so that when the user enters the appropriate key combination or selects a particular information screen from the EPG menu, the television speaker will emit audible sounds that represent the dictionary terms that represent the viewer profile information. The embodiments of the 'invention described herein are only considered to be preferred and/or illustrative of the inventive concept; the scope of the invention is not to be restricted to such embodiments. Various and numerous other arrangements may be devised by one skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of this invention. For example, alternative terms for the dictionary of terms can be used. As an other example, the number of words in the dictionary can vary; any number of words could be used.

Claims

WHAT IS CLAIMED IS:
1. A method for communicating data concerning a television viewer's interactions with the viewer's television comprising the steps: encoding the data collected concerning a television viewer's interactions with the viewer's television; prompting said television viewer to communicate via telephone with a central data collection service which includes a computer; prompting said television viewer to access said encoded data; displaying said encoded data on the display monitor of said television viewer's television; prompting said television viewer to read aloud into said television viewer's telephone handset the encoded data displayed on said television viewer's television display monitor; communicating said encoded data into said computer, said computer recognizing said encoded data read by said viewer; converting said encoded data into said computer into binary data representing said viewer's profile data.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein said encoded data comprises terms selected from a pre-established dictionary of terms.
3. The method of claim 1 , wherein said encoded data comprises alphanumeric strings.
4. A method for communicating data concerning a television viewer's interactions with the viewer's television comprising the steps: translating the data collected concerning a television viewer's interactions with the viewer's television to digital audio data; prompting said television viewer to communicate via telephone with a central data collection service which includes a computer; prompting said television viewer to place the viewer's telephone handset in close physical proximity to the speaker of said television; prompting said television viewer to access the store of digital audio data; emitting said digitized audio sounds by said television's speaker; entering said audio sounds into said computer, said computer recognizing said audio sounds; converting said audio sounds into binary data representing said viewer's profile data.
5. A microprocessor programmed to operate with a display monitor having a screen and a RAM local to said microprocessor so as to generate signals that display information stored in the RAM on the display monitor; said microprocessor additionally programmed to store in said RAM every viewer instruction sent to the television by the viewer's remote control device and store in said RAM data related to the status of the television, the television tuner and the content of the signal tuned immediately prior to said instruction to the television and immediately following said instruction to the television, including but not limited to the: Date of said instruction, time of said instruction, channel tuned by said television immediately prior to said instruction, channel tuned immediately following said instruction, operating mode of said television immediately prior to said instruction, operating mode of said television immediately following said instruction, the identity of advertisements that the viewer watched, the identity of advertisements that the viewer was watching immediately before changing channels, the identity of programs that the viewer watched, and the identity of programs that the viewer was watching immediately before changing channels.
6. The microprocessor of claim 5, additionally programmed to: retrieve television scheduling data, including program titles, advertising data, and other types of information including but not limited to news data, and sports data; display said television scheduling data, said advertising data, and said other types of information including but not limited to said news data, and said sports data on said display monitor in viewable form as an on screen electronic television program guide; provide for the selection of one of the displayed program titles from display of said on screen electronic television program guide for display on said display monitor; provide for the selection of one of the displayed program titles for recording; provide for the selection of one of the displayed program titles for watching; provide for the selection of advertisements displayed on said display monitor as part of said on screen electronic television program guide for display of additional information concerning said advertisement.
7. The microprocessor of claim 6, additionally programmed to: store in said RAM every viewer instruction sent to said on screen electronic television program guide by the viewer's remote control device and store in said RAM data concerning the on screen television program guide and the content of said guide immediately prior to said instruction to said guide and immediately following said instruction to said guide, including but not limited to: the identity of every said displayed program title for which the viewer requests additional information, the identity of every set of said news data for which the viewer requests additional information, the identity of every set of said sports data for which the viewer requests additional infoπnation, the identity of every program title that the viewer selects to be recorded, and the identity of every program title that the viewer selects to be watched.
8. The microprocessor of claim 5, additionally programmed to translate said stored viewer instruction data and said related data into words selected from a dictionary of terms stored in said RAM local to said microprocessor; said microprocessor additionally programmed to display said words on an information screen on said display monitor of said television.
9. The microprocessor of claim 7, additionally programmed to translate said stored viewer instruction data and said related data into words selected from a dictionary of terms stored in said RAM local to said microprocessor; said microprocessor additionally programmed to display said words on an information screen on said display monitor of said television.
10. The microprocessor of claim 5, additionally programmed to translate said stored viewer instruction data and said related data into binary representations of digitized audio sounds; said microprocessor additionally programmed to store said binary representations of digitized audio sounds in said RAM local to said microprocessor; said microprocessor additionally programmed to produce, in response to user instruction, digitized audio sounds, representative of said binary representation of digitized audio sounds.
11. The microprocessor of claim 7, additionally programmed to translate said stored viewer instruction data and said related data into binary representations of digitized audio sounds; said microprocessor additionally programmed to store said binary representations of digitized audio sounds in said RAM local to said microprocessor; said microprocessor additionally programmed to produce, in response to user instruction, digitized audio sounds, representative of said binary representation of digitized audio sounds.
12. The microprocessor of claim 5, additionally programmed to translate said stored viewer instruction data and said related data into binary representations of digitized audio sounds; said microprocessor additionally programmed to store said binary representations of digitized audio sounds in said RAM local to said microprocessor; said microprocessor additionally programmed to produce, in response to user instruction, digitized audio sounds, representative of said binary representation of digitized audio sounds; a second microprocessor programmed to recognize said digitized audio sounds; said second microprocessor programmed to decode said digitized audio sounds to binary representations of said audio sounds; said second microprocessor programmed to convert said binary representation of said audio sounds to binary representations of said viewer instruction data and said related data.
13. The microprocessor of claim 7, additionally programmed to translate said stored viewer instruction data into binary representations of digitized audio sounds; said microprocessor additionally programmed to store said binary representations of digitized audio sounds in said RAM local to said microprocessor; said microprocessor additionally programmed to produce, in response to user instruction, digitized audio sounds, representative of said binary representation of digitized audio sounds; a second microprocessor programmed to recognize said digitized audio sounds; said second microprocessor programmed to decode said digitized audio sounds to binary representations of said audio sounds; said second microprocessor programmed to convert said binary representation of said audio sounds to binary representations of viewer instruction data and said related data.
PCT/US1998/015890 1997-07-30 1998-07-30 Systems and methods for audience monitoring WO1999007142A1 (en)

Priority Applications (4)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
EP98938169A EP1016279A1 (en) 1997-07-30 1998-07-30 Systems and methods for audience monitoring
JP2000505737A JP2002511666A (en) 1997-07-30 1998-07-30 Audience monitor system and method
AU86756/98A AU8675698A (en) 1997-07-30 1998-07-30 Systems and methods for audience monitoring
CA002298569A CA2298569C (en) 1997-07-30 1998-07-30 Systems and methods for audience monitoring

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
US5426097P 1997-07-30 1997-07-30
US60/054,260 1997-07-30

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
WO1999007142A1 true WO1999007142A1 (en) 1999-02-11

Family

ID=21989830

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
PCT/US1998/015890 WO1999007142A1 (en) 1997-07-30 1998-07-30 Systems and methods for audience monitoring

Country Status (6)

Country Link
EP (1) EP1016279A1 (en)
JP (1) JP2002511666A (en)
CN (1) CN1269942A (en)
AU (1) AU8675698A (en)
CA (1) CA2298569C (en)
WO (1) WO1999007142A1 (en)

Cited By (38)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
JP2000250575A (en) * 1999-03-01 2000-09-14 Matsushita Electric Ind Co Ltd Speech understanding device and method for automatically selecting bidirectional tv receiver
WO2001045408A1 (en) * 1999-12-17 2001-06-21 Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. Method and apparatus for recommending television programming using decision trees
EP1111824A2 (en) * 1999-10-28 2001-06-27 Nec Corporation Apparatus and method for receiving and storing broadcast schedule information transmitted with a broadcast programme
US7441260B1 (en) 2000-09-20 2008-10-21 Koninklijke Philips Electronics, N.V. Television program recommender with automatic identification of changing viewer preferences
US7581237B1 (en) 2000-10-30 2009-08-25 Pace Plc Method and apparatus for generating television program recommendations based on prior queries
US8850477B2 (en) 1995-10-02 2014-09-30 Starsight Telecast, Inc. Systems and methods for linking television viewers with advertisers and broadcasters
US8863170B2 (en) 2000-03-31 2014-10-14 United Video Properties, Inc. System and method for metadata-linked advertisements
US8869204B2 (en) 1996-05-03 2014-10-21 Starsight Telecast, Inc. Method and system for displaying advertisements in an electronic program guide
US8904441B2 (en) 2003-11-06 2014-12-02 United Video Properties, Inc. Systems and methods for providing program suggestions in an interactive television program guide
US8918807B2 (en) 1997-07-21 2014-12-23 Gemstar Development Corporation System and method for modifying advertisement responsive to EPG information
US8931008B2 (en) 1999-06-29 2015-01-06 United Video Properties, Inc. Promotional philosophy for a video-on-demand-related interactive display within an interactive television application
US9015739B2 (en) 2000-03-31 2015-04-21 Rovi Guides, Inc. Systems and methods for improved audience measuring
US9015750B2 (en) 1998-05-15 2015-04-21 Rovi Guides, Inc. Interactive television program guide system for determining user values for demographic categories
US9021538B2 (en) 1998-07-14 2015-04-28 Rovi Guides, Inc. Client-server based interactive guide with server recording
US9071872B2 (en) 2003-01-30 2015-06-30 Rovi Guides, Inc. Interactive television systems with digital video recording and adjustable reminders
US9075861B2 (en) 2006-03-06 2015-07-07 Veveo, Inc. Methods and systems for segmenting relative user preferences into fine-grain and coarse-grain collections
US9113207B2 (en) 1995-10-02 2015-08-18 Rovi Guides, Inc. Systems and methods for contextually linking television program information
US9113107B2 (en) 2005-11-08 2015-08-18 Rovi Guides, Inc. Interactive advertising and program promotion in an interactive television system
US9125169B2 (en) 2011-12-23 2015-09-01 Rovi Guides, Inc. Methods and systems for performing actions based on location-based rules
US9147198B2 (en) 2013-01-10 2015-09-29 Rovi Technologies Corporation Systems and methods for providing an interface for data driven media placement
US9166714B2 (en) 2009-09-11 2015-10-20 Veveo, Inc. Method of and system for presenting enriched video viewing analytics
US9172987B2 (en) 1998-07-07 2015-10-27 Rovi Guides, Inc. Methods and systems for updating functionality of a set-top box using markup language
US9177081B2 (en) 2005-08-26 2015-11-03 Veveo, Inc. Method and system for processing ambiguous, multi-term search queries
US9215504B2 (en) 2006-10-06 2015-12-15 Rovi Guides, Inc. Systems and methods for acquiring, categorizing and delivering media in interactive media guidance applications
US9226012B2 (en) 1998-08-26 2015-12-29 Rovi Guides, Inc. Systems and methods for providing a program as a gift using an interactive application
US9294799B2 (en) 2000-10-11 2016-03-22 Rovi Guides, Inc. Systems and methods for providing storage of data on servers in an on-demand media delivery system
US9319735B2 (en) 1995-06-07 2016-04-19 Rovi Guides, Inc. Electronic television program guide schedule system and method with data feed access
US9326025B2 (en) 2007-03-09 2016-04-26 Rovi Technologies Corporation Media content search results ranked by popularity
US9402102B2 (en) 1995-10-02 2016-07-26 Rovi Guides, Inc. System and method for using television schedule information
US9426509B2 (en) 1998-08-21 2016-08-23 Rovi Guides, Inc. Client-server electronic program guide
US9521451B2 (en) 1998-08-26 2016-12-13 Rovi Guides, Inc. Television chat system
US9591251B2 (en) 1997-10-06 2017-03-07 Rovi Guides, Inc. Interactive television program guide system with operator showcase
US9736524B2 (en) 2011-01-06 2017-08-15 Veveo, Inc. Methods of and systems for content search based on environment sampling
US9749693B2 (en) 2006-03-24 2017-08-29 Rovi Guides, Inc. Interactive media guidance application with intelligent navigation and display features
US9848276B2 (en) 2013-03-11 2017-12-19 Rovi Guides, Inc. Systems and methods for auto-configuring a user equipment device with content consumption material
US10063934B2 (en) 2008-11-25 2018-08-28 Rovi Technologies Corporation Reducing unicast session duration with restart TV
US10631066B2 (en) 2009-09-23 2020-04-21 Rovi Guides, Inc. Systems and method for automatically detecting users within detection regions of media devices
US11375276B2 (en) 2017-03-30 2022-06-28 Rovi Guides, Inc. Methods and systems for recommending media assets based on the geographic location at which the media assets are frequently consumed

Families Citing this family (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US11605042B1 (en) * 2020-11-20 2023-03-14 Amazon Technologies, Inc. Artificial intelligence system for content presentation impact estimation

Citations (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US5519433A (en) * 1991-11-20 1996-05-21 Zing Systems, L.P. Interactive television security through transaction time stamping
US5758257A (en) * 1994-11-29 1998-05-26 Herz; Frederick System and method for scheduling broadcast of and access to video programs and other data using customer profiles

Patent Citations (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US5519433A (en) * 1991-11-20 1996-05-21 Zing Systems, L.P. Interactive television security through transaction time stamping
US5758257A (en) * 1994-11-29 1998-05-26 Herz; Frederick System and method for scheduling broadcast of and access to video programs and other data using customer profiles

Cited By (63)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US9319735B2 (en) 1995-06-07 2016-04-19 Rovi Guides, Inc. Electronic television program guide schedule system and method with data feed access
US9113207B2 (en) 1995-10-02 2015-08-18 Rovi Guides, Inc. Systems and methods for contextually linking television program information
US9124932B2 (en) 1995-10-02 2015-09-01 Rovi Guides, Inc. Systems and methods for contextually linking television program information
US8850477B2 (en) 1995-10-02 2014-09-30 Starsight Telecast, Inc. Systems and methods for linking television viewers with advertisers and broadcasters
US9402102B2 (en) 1995-10-02 2016-07-26 Rovi Guides, Inc. System and method for using television schedule information
US9423936B2 (en) 1996-05-03 2016-08-23 Rovi Guides, Inc. Information system
US9027058B2 (en) 1996-05-03 2015-05-05 Rovi Guides, Inc. Information system
US8869204B2 (en) 1996-05-03 2014-10-21 Starsight Telecast, Inc. Method and system for displaying advertisements in an electronic program guide
US9191722B2 (en) 1997-07-21 2015-11-17 Rovi Guides, Inc. System and method for modifying advertisement responsive to EPG information
US8918807B2 (en) 1997-07-21 2014-12-23 Gemstar Development Corporation System and method for modifying advertisement responsive to EPG information
US9015749B2 (en) 1997-07-21 2015-04-21 Rovi Guides, Inc. System and method for modifying advertisement responsive to EPG information
US9591251B2 (en) 1997-10-06 2017-03-07 Rovi Guides, Inc. Interactive television program guide system with operator showcase
US9635406B2 (en) 1998-05-15 2017-04-25 Rovi Guides, Inc. Interactive television program guide system for determining user values for demographic categories
US9015750B2 (en) 1998-05-15 2015-04-21 Rovi Guides, Inc. Interactive television program guide system for determining user values for demographic categories
US9172987B2 (en) 1998-07-07 2015-10-27 Rovi Guides, Inc. Methods and systems for updating functionality of a set-top box using markup language
US9154843B2 (en) 1998-07-14 2015-10-06 Rovi Guides, Inc. Client-server based interactive guide with server recording
US9021538B2 (en) 1998-07-14 2015-04-28 Rovi Guides, Inc. Client-server based interactive guide with server recording
US9055319B2 (en) 1998-07-14 2015-06-09 Rovi Guides, Inc. Interactive guide with recording
US9055318B2 (en) 1998-07-14 2015-06-09 Rovi Guides, Inc. Client-server based interactive guide with server storage
US9232254B2 (en) 1998-07-14 2016-01-05 Rovi Guides, Inc. Client-server based interactive television guide with server recording
US9226006B2 (en) 1998-07-14 2015-12-29 Rovi Guides, Inc. Client-server based interactive guide with server recording
US9118948B2 (en) 1998-07-14 2015-08-25 Rovi Guides, Inc. Client-server based interactive guide with server recording
US10075746B2 (en) 1998-07-14 2018-09-11 Rovi Guides, Inc. Client-server based interactive television guide with server recording
US9426509B2 (en) 1998-08-21 2016-08-23 Rovi Guides, Inc. Client-server electronic program guide
US9521451B2 (en) 1998-08-26 2016-12-13 Rovi Guides, Inc. Television chat system
US9226012B2 (en) 1998-08-26 2015-12-29 Rovi Guides, Inc. Systems and methods for providing a program as a gift using an interactive application
JP2000250575A (en) * 1999-03-01 2000-09-14 Matsushita Electric Ind Co Ltd Speech understanding device and method for automatically selecting bidirectional tv receiver
US8931008B2 (en) 1999-06-29 2015-01-06 United Video Properties, Inc. Promotional philosophy for a video-on-demand-related interactive display within an interactive television application
EP1111824A2 (en) * 1999-10-28 2001-06-27 Nec Corporation Apparatus and method for receiving and storing broadcast schedule information transmitted with a broadcast programme
EP1111824A3 (en) * 1999-10-28 2003-01-15 Nec Corporation Apparatus and method for receiving and storing broadcast schedule information transmitted with a broadcast programme
WO2001045408A1 (en) * 1999-12-17 2001-06-21 Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. Method and apparatus for recommending television programming using decision trees
US10015562B2 (en) 2000-03-31 2018-07-03 Rovi Guides, Inc. System and method for metadata-linked advertisements
US8863170B2 (en) 2000-03-31 2014-10-14 United Video Properties, Inc. System and method for metadata-linked advertisements
US10743064B2 (en) 2000-03-31 2020-08-11 Rovi Guides, Inc. Systems and methods for improved audience measuring
US9015739B2 (en) 2000-03-31 2015-04-21 Rovi Guides, Inc. Systems and methods for improved audience measuring
US7441260B1 (en) 2000-09-20 2008-10-21 Koninklijke Philips Electronics, N.V. Television program recommender with automatic identification of changing viewer preferences
US9294799B2 (en) 2000-10-11 2016-03-22 Rovi Guides, Inc. Systems and methods for providing storage of data on servers in an on-demand media delivery system
US7581237B1 (en) 2000-10-30 2009-08-25 Pace Plc Method and apparatus for generating television program recommendations based on prior queries
US9071872B2 (en) 2003-01-30 2015-06-30 Rovi Guides, Inc. Interactive television systems with digital video recording and adjustable reminders
US9369741B2 (en) 2003-01-30 2016-06-14 Rovi Guides, Inc. Interactive television systems with digital video recording and adjustable reminders
US8904441B2 (en) 2003-11-06 2014-12-02 United Video Properties, Inc. Systems and methods for providing program suggestions in an interactive television program guide
US10880607B2 (en) 2003-11-06 2020-12-29 Rovi Guides, Inc. Systems and methods for providing program suggestions in an interactive television program guide
US10986407B2 (en) 2003-11-06 2021-04-20 Rovi Guides, Inc. Systems and methods for providing program suggestions in an interactive television program guide
US9191719B2 (en) 2003-11-06 2015-11-17 Rovi Guides, Inc. Systems and methods for providing program suggestions in an interactive television program guide
US9177081B2 (en) 2005-08-26 2015-11-03 Veveo, Inc. Method and system for processing ambiguous, multi-term search queries
US9113107B2 (en) 2005-11-08 2015-08-18 Rovi Guides, Inc. Interactive advertising and program promotion in an interactive television system
US9128987B2 (en) 2006-03-06 2015-09-08 Veveo, Inc. Methods and systems for selecting and presenting content based on a comparison of preference signatures from multiple users
US9075861B2 (en) 2006-03-06 2015-07-07 Veveo, Inc. Methods and systems for segmenting relative user preferences into fine-grain and coarse-grain collections
US10984037B2 (en) 2006-03-06 2021-04-20 Veveo, Inc. Methods and systems for selecting and presenting content on a first system based on user preferences learned on a second system
US9092503B2 (en) 2006-03-06 2015-07-28 Veveo, Inc. Methods and systems for selecting and presenting content based on dynamically identifying microgenres associated with the content
US9749693B2 (en) 2006-03-24 2017-08-29 Rovi Guides, Inc. Interactive media guidance application with intelligent navigation and display features
US9215504B2 (en) 2006-10-06 2015-12-15 Rovi Guides, Inc. Systems and methods for acquiring, categorizing and delivering media in interactive media guidance applications
US10694256B2 (en) 2007-03-09 2020-06-23 Rovi Technologies Corporation Media content search results ranked by popularity
US9326025B2 (en) 2007-03-09 2016-04-26 Rovi Technologies Corporation Media content search results ranked by popularity
US10063934B2 (en) 2008-11-25 2018-08-28 Rovi Technologies Corporation Reducing unicast session duration with restart TV
US9166714B2 (en) 2009-09-11 2015-10-20 Veveo, Inc. Method of and system for presenting enriched video viewing analytics
US10631066B2 (en) 2009-09-23 2020-04-21 Rovi Guides, Inc. Systems and method for automatically detecting users within detection regions of media devices
US9736524B2 (en) 2011-01-06 2017-08-15 Veveo, Inc. Methods of and systems for content search based on environment sampling
US9125169B2 (en) 2011-12-23 2015-09-01 Rovi Guides, Inc. Methods and systems for performing actions based on location-based rules
US9147198B2 (en) 2013-01-10 2015-09-29 Rovi Technologies Corporation Systems and methods for providing an interface for data driven media placement
US9848276B2 (en) 2013-03-11 2017-12-19 Rovi Guides, Inc. Systems and methods for auto-configuring a user equipment device with content consumption material
US11375276B2 (en) 2017-03-30 2022-06-28 Rovi Guides, Inc. Methods and systems for recommending media assets based on the geographic location at which the media assets are frequently consumed
US11622151B2 (en) 2017-03-30 2023-04-04 Rovi Guides, Inc. Methods and systems for recommending media assets based on the geographic location at which the media assets are frequently consumed

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
JP2002511666A (en) 2002-04-16
EP1016279A1 (en) 2000-07-05
CN1269942A (en) 2000-10-11
CA2298569A1 (en) 1999-02-11
AU8675698A (en) 1999-02-22
CA2298569C (en) 2003-11-04

Similar Documents

Publication Publication Date Title
CA2298569C (en) Systems and methods for audience monitoring
US5570295A (en) System and method of capturing encoded data transmitted over a communications network in a video system
JP4287053B2 (en) Audience rating system for digital TV
US6467089B1 (en) Audience measurement system incorporating a mobile handset
US7293279B1 (en) Advanced set top terminal having a program pause feature with voice-to-text conversion
JP4551371B2 (en) Interactive program generation system and interactive system and method for receiving composite interactive signals
KR100281989B1 (en) Program information broadcasting system, broadcasting apparatus, and receiving terminal apparatus
US20020147986A1 (en) Interactive response system for digital television
US20110209168A1 (en) Method and apparatus for interactive programming using captioning
AU4244101A (en) Television
CN102460578A (en) Automatic contact information transmission system
JP2000224617A (en) Real time investigation information acquisition system for media program and its method
JPH08506939A (en) Network controller for cable television distribution system
WO2003017660A1 (en) Content rating, advisory and profiling system for interactive television
US7780528B2 (en) Reception apparatus, reception method and recording medium
WO2001089217A1 (en) Method of delivering advertising through an interactive video distribution system
US20120066734A1 (en) System and method for transmitting data contents
JPH07307813A (en) Method for receiving request from user utilizing broadcast medium and communication terminal used for the method
EP0461107A4 (en) A system and device for data transmission, and related method
US20040010797A1 (en) Television audience interaction system
EP1552686A1 (en) Method and system for supporting user interaction in broadcasting
JP2002077872A (en) Transaction method for utilizing data multiplex broadcasting
KR20010097950A (en) Examination method of audience rating by disposition of viewer and system for the same
KR20050094315A (en) Service system and method for personal video recording channel
AU766596B2 (en) Audience measurement system for digital television

Legal Events

Date Code Title Description
WWE Wipo information: entry into national phase

Ref document number: 98808924.6

Country of ref document: CN

AK Designated states

Kind code of ref document: A1

Designated state(s): AL AM AT AU AZ BA BB BG BR BY CA CH CN CU CZ DE DK EE ES FI GB GE GH GM HR HU ID IL IS JP KE KG KP KR KZ LC LK LR LS LT LU LV MD MG MK MN MW MX NO NZ PL PT RO RU SD SE SG SI SK SL TJ TM TR TT UA UG US UZ VN YU ZW

AL Designated countries for regional patents

Kind code of ref document: A1

Designated state(s): GH GM KE LS MW SD SZ UG ZW AM AZ BY KG KZ MD RU TJ TM AT BE CH CY DE DK ES FI FR GB GR IE IT LU MC NL PT SE BF BJ CF CG CI CM GA GN GW ML MR NE SN TD TG

DFPE Request for preliminary examination filed prior to expiration of 19th month from priority date (pct application filed before 20040101)
121 Ep: the epo has been informed by wipo that ep was designated in this application
ENP Entry into the national phase

Ref document number: 2298569

Country of ref document: CA

Ref document number: 2298569

Country of ref document: CA

Kind code of ref document: A

NENP Non-entry into the national phase

Ref country code: KR

WWE Wipo information: entry into national phase

Ref document number: 1998938169

Country of ref document: EP

WWE Wipo information: entry into national phase

Ref document number: 09463717

Country of ref document: US

REG Reference to national code

Ref country code: DE

Ref legal event code: 8642

WWP Wipo information: published in national office

Ref document number: 1998938169

Country of ref document: EP

WWW Wipo information: withdrawn in national office

Ref document number: 1998938169

Country of ref document: EP