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WO2002035842A2 - Collecte et transmission de donnees d'affinite - Google Patents

Collecte et transmission de donnees d'affinite Download PDF

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Publication number
WO2002035842A2
WO2002035842A2 PCT/US2001/050123 US0150123W WO0235842A2 WO 2002035842 A2 WO2002035842 A2 WO 2002035842A2 US 0150123 W US0150123 W US 0150123W WO 0235842 A2 WO0235842 A2 WO 0235842A2
Authority
WO
WIPO (PCT)
Prior art keywords
data
video
viewer
top box
affinity
Prior art date
Application number
PCT/US2001/050123
Other languages
English (en)
Other versions
WO2002035842B1 (fr
WO2002035842A3 (fr
Inventor
Steven O. Markel
Ian Zenoni
Thomas Lemmons
Original Assignee
Intellocity Usa, 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 Intellocity Usa, Inc. filed Critical Intellocity Usa, Inc.
Priority to AU2002231252A priority Critical patent/AU2002231252A1/en
Priority to EP01989021A priority patent/EP1330923A2/fr
Priority to CA002426926A priority patent/CA2426926A1/fr
Publication of WO2002035842A2 publication Critical patent/WO2002035842A2/fr
Publication of WO2002035842A3 publication Critical patent/WO2002035842A3/fr
Publication of WO2002035842B1 publication Critical patent/WO2002035842B1/fr

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Classifications

    • G—PHYSICS
    • G06—COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
    • G06Q—INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES; SYSTEMS OR METHODS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • G06Q30/00—Commerce
    • G06Q30/02—Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
    • 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
    • H04N21/254—Management at additional data server, e.g. shopping server, rights management server
    • H04N21/2543—Billing, e.g. for subscription services
    • 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]
    • H04N21/40—Client devices specifically adapted for the reception of or interaction with content, e.g. set-top-box [STB]; Operations thereof
    • H04N21/41—Structure of client; Structure of client peripherals
    • H04N21/422—Input-only peripherals, i.e. input devices connected to specially adapted client devices, e.g. global positioning system [GPS]
    • H04N21/42201—Input-only peripherals, i.e. input devices connected to specially adapted client devices, e.g. global positioning system [GPS] biosensors, e.g. heat sensor for presence detection, EEG sensors or any limb activity sensors worn by the user
    • 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
    • H04N21/435—Processing of additional data, e.g. decrypting of additional data, reconstructing software from modules extracted from the transport stream
    • 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
    • H04N21/44224—Monitoring of user activity on external systems, e.g. Internet browsing
    • 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
    • H04N21/45—Management operations performed by the client for facilitating the reception of or the interaction with the content or administrating data related to the end-user or to the client device itself, e.g. learning user preferences for recommending movies, resolving scheduling conflicts
    • H04N21/4508—Management of client data or end-user data
    • H04N21/4532—Management of client data or end-user data involving end-user characteristics, e.g. viewer profile, 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]
    • H04N21/40—Client devices specifically adapted for the reception of or interaction with content, e.g. set-top-box [STB]; Operations thereof
    • H04N21/45—Management operations performed by the client for facilitating the reception of or the interaction with the content or administrating data related to the end-user or to the client device itself, e.g. learning user preferences for recommending movies, resolving scheduling conflicts
    • H04N21/454—Content or additional data filtering, e.g. blocking advertisements
    • 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
    • H04N21/45—Management operations performed by the client for facilitating the reception of or the interaction with the content or administrating data related to the end-user or to the client device itself, e.g. learning user preferences for recommending movies, resolving scheduling conflicts
    • H04N21/462—Content or additional data management, e.g. creating a master electronic program guide from data received from the Internet and a Head-end, controlling the complexity of a video stream by scaling the resolution or bit-rate based on the client capabilities
    • H04N21/4622—Retrieving content or additional data from different sources, e.g. from a broadcast channel and the Internet
    • 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
    • H04N21/47—End-user applications
    • H04N21/472—End-user interface for requesting content, additional data or services; End-user interface for interacting with content, e.g. for content reservation or setting reminders, for requesting event notification, for manipulating displayed content
    • H04N21/4722—End-user interface for requesting content, additional data or services; End-user interface for interacting with content, e.g. for content reservation or setting reminders, for requesting event notification, for manipulating displayed content for requesting additional data associated with the content
    • H04N21/4725—End-user interface for requesting content, additional data or services; End-user interface for interacting with content, e.g. for content reservation or setting reminders, for requesting event notification, for manipulating displayed content for requesting additional data associated with the content using interactive regions of the image, e.g. hot spots
    • 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
    • H04N21/47—End-user applications
    • H04N21/478—Supplemental services, e.g. displaying phone caller identification, shopping application
    • H04N21/4782—Web browsing, e.g. WebTV
    • 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
    • H04N21/47—End-user applications
    • H04N21/478—Supplemental services, e.g. displaying phone caller identification, shopping application
    • H04N21/4784—Supplemental services, e.g. displaying phone caller identification, shopping application receiving rewards
    • 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
    • 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
    • H04N7/165—Centralised control of user terminal ; Registering at central
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04N—PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION
    • H04N7/00—Television systems
    • H04N7/16—Analogue secrecy systems; Analogue subscription systems
    • H04N7/173—Analogue secrecy systems; Analogue subscription systems with two-way working, e.g. subscriber sending a programme selection signal
    • H04N7/17309—Transmission or handling of upstream communications
    • H04N7/17318—Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Definitions

  • the present disclosure pertains generally to interactive television and video systems and more particularly to the collection, analysis, and transmission of affinity data. That is collection of affinity data from television, video, or similar - - transmissions. b. Description of the Background
  • the collected data may also have a low reliability because of the manner of collection of the data.
  • companies like Neilson may use manual data collection techniques which require manual logging of activity and ratings.
  • Manual 0 recording of affinity data leads to many inaccuracies and inefficiencies. For example, one potential inaccuracy can occur when the TV is on during a meal. The viewer may have logged the show that is being watched, but is clearly occupied with other pursuits. Similarly, some viewers may tune to stations that play music videos and use these stations for background music. These viewers only occasionally glance at the TV. Other inaccuracies occur when viewers change channels during advertisements. In this instance, the program is actually being watched, but the advertisement is not watched.
  • this type of sampling of data does not provide any indication as to whether the viewer is reacting favorably or not to the content of the data that is being broadcast. For example, a viewer may turn away, turn the sound down, or change channels during one segment of a show, and then return to that show when the content becomes more compelling. For example, consider a viewer watching a baseball game who is only interested in watching a particular player. The viewer may tune away knowing that the player will not be at.bat for several innings. The viewer may log that game as being watched for its entire duration, yet only pay attention to certain small portions of the game.
  • affinity data can be extremely valuable to advertisers, content providers, political organizations, analysts, and other such organizations, especially if that data can be provided on a real-time or near real-time basis. Further, it would be advantageous to utilize affinity data to direct the programming of alternative video segments from an origination site such as a TV producer, a head-end, etc. or locally on the set-top box.
  • the present invention overcomes disadvantages and limitations of the prior art by providing a system in which affinity data is collected and can be made available for use on either a real-time or near real-time basis.
  • the present invention utilizes feedback systems from the viewer that provide raw data to the set-top box that can be analyzed to generate affinity data.
  • the raw data can comprise biometric data such as biological responses of the viewer, manually entered data, such as data that is manually entered through a remote control device, motion sensors, audio sensors, or any other types of sensors or devices for providing direct feedback from the viewer in response to the programming content that is being provided in the broadcast. Sensing of information could be done either actively by having devices connected directly to the viewer, or passively by simply detecting information from the set-top box.
  • the system can be used with video broadcast information such as TV shows, movies, sporting events, etc., audio broadcasts through a cable or other downlink, or with data such as video games, software programs, etc.
  • the present invention may therelore comprise a method of selecting and displaying a video segment to a viewer comprising: transmitting a plurality of video segments from a broadcast center to a viewer; displaying the video segments to the viewer; sensing input from the viewer through at least one sensor; transmitting the input to a remote computer; analyzing the input to generate affinity data; selecting a specific video segment based on the affinity data; transmitting the specific video segment from the broadcast center to the viewer; and displaying the specific video segment to the viewer.
  • the present invention may further comprise a method of collecting affinity data comprising: transmitting a plurality of video segments from a broadcast center to a viewer; displaying the video segments to a viewer; sensing input from the viewer through at least one sensor; analyzing the input to generate affinity data; selecting a specific video signal from a plurality of video signals being broadcast to the viewer, the selection being based on the affinity data; transmitting the affinity data to a remote computer; and displaying the specific video signal to the viewer.
  • affinity data can be collected on a real-time or nearly real-time basis that provides valuable information to affinity data users such as content providers, networks, advertising agencies, software vendors, producers, etc. Because of the real-time or nearly real-time format of this data, various decisions can be made quickly by the affinity data users for various purposes such as changing the content of the programming, branching to alternative segments, providing different viewing angles of the content, altering approaches during political debates, removing advertising more quickly that is offensive or unsuccessful for other reasons, designing future advertising campaigns based upon successful results, etc. Further, real time analysis of the affinity data maybe used for real time contact of the viewer through telemarketing. Internet marketing, or other direct marketing techniques.
  • Analysis of the data in real-time or nearly real-time allows for immediate decisions to be made to alter the program content and provide affinity data users with valuable affinity data.
  • various methods can be used for analyzing the raw data that is obtained from the sensors to determine the affinity rating.
  • techniques can be used to obtain the desired data in a reliable manner.
  • various triggering techniques can be utilized to obtain data at predetermined sampling times.
  • a trigger may be placed in a video feed during the video blanking interval (VBI) to prompt a response from the viewer.
  • VBI video blanking interval
  • a prompt may occur during a commercial such that the user can enter a response.
  • rewards may be provided for users that provide responses such as discounts on products or reduction in cable billing rates, etc.
  • FIGURE 1 is a schematic block diagram that generally illustrates one embodiment of the present invention.
  • FIGURE 2 is a schematic block diagram that generally illustrates another embodiment of the present invention.
  • FIGURE 3 is a schematic block diagram that generally illustrates a further embodiment of the present invention.
  • FIGURE 4 is a schematic block diagram that illustrates a further embodiment of the present invention.
  • FIGURE 5 is a schematic block diagram illustrating a further embodiment of the present invention.
  • FIGURE 6 is a schematic block diagram illustrating a further embodiment of the present invention.
  • FIGURE 7 is a schematic block diagram illustrating one embodiment of the set- top box.
  • FIGURE 8 is a schematic block diagram illustrating an implementation of the set- top box with discrete sensors.
  • FIGURE 9 is a schematic flow diagram of the functions performed by the set-top box in capturing, storing, and later transmitting data.
  • FIGURE 10 is a schematic flow diagram of the functions of the set-top box in capturing, storing, and transmitting data in real-time or nearly real-time.
  • FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram that generally illustrates one embodiment to the present invention.
  • an origination site 10 either generates or provides video, audio, and or data information 12.
  • an origination site may be a content provider such as a TV network, a TV studio, a live broadcast from a sporting event such as a football game, a server providing data such, as an applications service provider, ah Internet service provider, and any other type of content provider that may be capable of broadcasting content to users through cable connections, satellite connections, RF connections, etc.
  • the embodiment of figure 1 shows only a single source of content 12, whereas other embodiments illustrated herein provide multiple sources of content.
  • the origination site can also comprise a head-end device that is connected to one of the content providers that supplies the source of content.
  • ), and/or data (Di ), which are collectively referred to as the content data 12, are broadcast over a link 14 to a set-top box 16.
  • the link may comprise of a RF link, satellite link, a cable connection, etc.
  • the set-top box 16 is connected to a TV 18 which may comprise a monitor or type of display device for displaying information provided by the set-top bpx 16.
  • the set-top box 16 can be incorporated in the TV 18 or any other type of display and constitute an integral portion of the display if desired.
  • the set-top box 16 is capable. of obtaining feedback information 22 that is provided by a user 20.
  • the feedback information 22 can comprise various types of information such as biometric data, manual data, audio data, visual data, recognition data, etc.
  • this data can be collected in many different ways such as by remotely sensing information pertaining to the viewers, by connection directly to the viewer, or detecting manually entered data provided by the viewer,, as well as other techniques disclosed herein.
  • the feedback data 22 that is obtained by the set-top box 16 in some manner is transmitted back to the origination site 10 by a return path 24 which can comprise any one of the return paths disclosed herein.
  • the return path can be out of band transmissions in the upstream path through a cable, a RF connection, a satellite link, etc.
  • the return path 24 can be an asymmetric link such as a telecommunications link or any other desired uplink.
  • the data provided on the return path 24 can either be analyzed at the set-top box 16, or can comprise the raw feedback data 22 that is obtained by the set-top box 16.
  • the feedback data is not analyzed in the set-top box 16 but may be processed in some fashion prior to transmission on the return path 24 to the origination site 10.
  • the origination site 10 then transmits the feedback data to a database 28 via link 26.
  • the database 28 may be located at the origination site or at a remote location.
  • the database 28 stores the data such that the analysis device 30 can access the feedback data that has been stored in database 28.
  • the analysis device can comprise an analysis computer or any other type of device that is capable of analyzing the feedback data 22 to generate affinity data 31.
  • the affinity data 31 is then transmitted to an affinity data user 32 that can use this data for various purposes as disclosed herein, such as statistical analysis, content selection, immediate marketing, etc.
  • Figure 2 is a schematic block diagram that generally discloses another embodiment of the present invention.
  • an origination site 40 may internally generate or receive from outside sources video (Vi), audio (Ai), and/or data (Di), collectively referred to as content 42.
  • the content 42 is. broadcast on a link 44, which again may constitute any desired link to a set-top box 46.
  • Set-top box 46 provides the broadcast content to a TV 48, which again may comprise any type of display such as plasma displays, flat panel displays, CRT monitors, etc.
  • the set-top'box 46 is equipped with one or more sensors 50 that are capable of sensing the feedback data 52 from the user 54.
  • the sensors maybe built into the set-top box, such as illustrated in figure 7, or may constitute one or more individual sensors that are connected to the set-top box via a serial port, as illustrated in figure 8.
  • the feedback information 52 is sensed by one or more sensors 50.
  • the set-top box 46 may provide some processing of the feedback data prior to transmission on link 56 through the Internet 58.
  • the set-top box may wrap the feedback data 52 in an IP transport and address the data for transmission through the Internet 58 to the IP address of the affinity data user 60.
  • set-top box 46 is capable of generating IP signals that can be transmitted to any desired IP address over the Internet.
  • the feedback data 52 is processed and packaged for transmission on the Internet 58, it is sent to an affinity database 62 and an analysis computer 64.
  • the database 62 stores the feedback data that is received from the Internet connection and provides that data to an analysis computer 64.
  • the analysis computer 64 analyzes the feedback data to generate affinity data that can be used by the affinity data user 60.
  • FIG. 3 is a schematic block diagram of another embodiment of the present invention that may either internally generate or receive multiple sets of content information.
  • an origination site 70 such as a TV studio, a headend, etc. may receive multiple video feeds 72, multiple audio feeds 74, and/or multiple data feeds 76.
  • the origination site 70 selects a particular set of content for broadcast on the link 78.
  • a particular video feed (V L ), a particular audio feed (A M ), and/or a particular set of data (D N ) may be provided by the origination site 70 in response to the feedback data provided on the return path 88.
  • the content data V L , A M , and/or D N is broadcast to the set- top box 80 via link 78.
  • the set-top box 80 then transmits the content to TV 82 which may comprise any desired type of display or a computer in the case where data is being supplied such as software for use on a computer.
  • the origination site 70 may comprise an ASP
  • the TV 82 may comprise a computer that is utilizing software provided by the ASP 70.
  • the user 86 provides feedback data 84 in any one of the ways disclosed herein to the set-top box 80.
  • the feedback data is then provided via the return path to the origination site 70.
  • the return path can comprise any one of the desired return paths disclosed herein.
  • Figure 3 therefore provides feedback data to the origination site 70.
  • the origination site 70 can then process the feedback data to generate affinity data using an analysis computer to select a parti eular set of content data 72, 74, 76 for broadcast over link 78.
  • the origination site 70 may use any desired techniques for providing alter ative sources of content information based on the affinity data that is generated from the feedback information 84 obtained by the set-t ⁇ p box 80.
  • the origination site 70 may transmit affinity data to a database 73.
  • the affinity data in the database 73 may be analyzed by an analysis device 75 and prepared for an affinity data user 77.
  • FIG. 4 is a schematic block diagram that illustrates another implementation of the present invention.
  • a TV studio 90 receives various feeds of content information such as video feeds 92, audio feeds 94, and data feeds 96:
  • the TV studio 90 can comprise a TV studio receiving live feeds of content information such as a trailer located, outside of a football stadium that is receiving live video and audio feeds relating to the football game.
  • the TV studio may have multiple monitors for displaying the multiple video feeds as well as multiple audio feeds.
  • the TV producer may then select particular content for video broadcast on link 98. For example, the TV producer may decide at any particular time to transmit a particular video feed V L , a particular audio feed A M , and a particular data feed D N .
  • the data.feed may constitute closed captioning data. In addition, it may provide data such as statistics regarding players and other factual information.
  • the broadcast of the content data is provided over link 98 to . the set-top box 100.
  • the link 98 can comprise any desired link such as disclosed herein.
  • the set-top box 100 provides the content to TV 102 for display.
  • the TV 102 can comprise any of the desired devices such, as a separate computer with a monitor, a flat panel display, a cathode ray tube display, etc.
  • Set-top box 100 is. arranged to receive feedback data.106 from a remote control device 108 that is operated by the user 104.
  • the feedback data is then provided by the set-top box 100 over the Internet, connection 110 to the TV studio 90.
  • the TV studio 90 may transmit affinity data to a database
  • the affinity data in the database 93 may be analyzed by an analysis device 95 and prepared for an affinity data user 97.
  • the. user 104 of figure 4 may generate feedback data 106 using remote control 108. when prompted by triggers provided in the broadcast transmission 98.
  • the TV producer in the TV studio 90 may periodically alter the content feed and provide triggers to prompt responses from the user 104 to generate feedback data from the remote control 108. For example, during a football broadcast the producer may provide end zone shots during certain plays and generate a trigger to prompt a response of feedback data from the user 104. Depending upon the responses provided, various angles can be displayed to the user. Further, various audio feeds can be provided. For important live events, various levels of content information can be provided on different channels, For example, during a Super Bowl broadcast one channel may provide the standard video and audio content that is of interest to standard viewers.
  • the audio content may contain information of interest to standard viewers such as "the momentum of the game” and other types of novice information.
  • the video may track the motion of the quarterback and provide shots of the ball flying through the air prior to reception.
  • a more advanced version of the game may not isolate on individual players during the live feed but may show video such as game clips that provide a view that includes both the offense and defense.
  • the audio clips may be more advanced and refer to the particular offensive and defensive sets and the particular plays that are run from these sets by both the offense and defense.
  • An even more advanced set of information can be provided on alternate audio and video feeds as well as alternative data feeds. Again, these are just- examples of a particular use of the content data.
  • the feedback data 106 can provide the TV producer with an indication of the sophistication of the user 104 so that the broadcast 98 can be designed to meet that particular sophistication level.
  • the feedback is shown as being provided through the Internet 110 in accordance with figure 4, it can be provided in any desired manner to the producer in the TV studio, such as the other methods disclosed herein. Further, manual inputs can be provided by any desired method as an alternative to the remote control device 108.
  • FIG. 5 is a schematic block diagram of another embodiment for the present invention.
  • a head-end 112 receives multiple video feeds 114, multiple audio feeds 116, and/or multiple data feeds 118, Head-end 112 selects a certain video, audio, and/or data feeds (V L , A M , D N ) based upon feedback information provided over the two-way broadcast system 120.
  • the two-way broadcast system 120 may comprise a cable system 120 in which the video, audio, and/or data feeds are provided downstream to the set-top box 122 while feedback information 130 is provided upstream via the cable 120 to the head-end 112.
  • the upstream communication over the cable 120 to the head-end 112 can be out-of-band signaling such as digital data streams that co-exist on the cable with the regular broadcast data that is being transmifted downstream.
  • the set-top box 122 transmits the content information to the TV 124, which again, can constitute any desired type of device such as a computer or a display device,
  • the set-top box 122 contains one or more sensors 126 that sense the feedback information 130 that is generated by the user 128.
  • the head-end 112 may contain analysis computers that analyze the feedback data 130 and automatically select the content feed that is transmitted downstream to the set-top box 122.
  • the analysis computer (not shown) that is contained within the head-end 112 generates affinity data that provides automatic selection criteria to select the particular type of content that is desired by the majority of the user 128 that provide feedback data 130.
  • the ID codes of each of the set-top boxes 122 can be provided with the upstream data that identifies the particular set- top box and the associated affinity data.
  • the feedback data 130 that is provided upstream to the head-end 112 can also contain an associated ID for the set-top box 122.
  • the head-end 112 can then process the feedback data 130 to generate affinity data to automatically select the content feed 114, 116, 118 to which the user 128 shows an affinity.
  • a video stream can then be placed on the downstream portion of the two-way broadcast system 120 with a decoding signal for the set-top box 122 in the same fashion as the decoding signals are provided to set-top boxes for Pay-for-View broadcasts.
  • the set-top box 122 may be required to be changed to a different channel to receive the preferential broadcast that is custom selected by the head-end 112 from the various content data based upon the viewer preferences are sensed by the feedback data 130.
  • a control signal from the head-end 112 can be generated to tune the set-top box 122 to the specific channel based on those preferences.
  • automated selected based upon feedback data that may be provided automatically through the use of sensors on the set-top box, or otherwise, can be provided by the system illustrated in figure 5.
  • FIG. 6 is a schematic block diagram illustrating another implementation of the present invention.
  • an origination site 132 obtains from an outside source, or internally generates, multiple video feeds 134, multiple audio feeds 136, and/or multiple data feeds 138.
  • the origination site 132 which can comprise any of the different types of origination sites disclosed herein, produces a multiple media broadcast 140 that contains all or a subset of the content data 134, 136, and or 138.
  • This multiple media broadcast 140 is transmitted over a link to the set-top box 142.
  • the set-top box 142 contains one or more internally or externally mounted sensors for obtaining feedback data 150 from user 152.
  • Set-top box 142 includes one or more logic devices, such as a microprocessor or state machine, that is capable of reading and processing the feedback data 150 to generate affinity data that can then be used to automatically select the combination of content data 134, 136, and 138 to which the user 152 shows affinity.
  • the selected video (V E , A F , DQ) 144 is then transmitted to the TV 146 for display.
  • the TV can comprise any desired type of display device or a computer.
  • the sensing of feedback data 150 can occur in any of the desired ways described herein such as via a remote control and biometric data provided by remote sensors or sensors that are actually connected to the user, for example.
  • a typical way that the selection process may be performed locally at the set-top box, such as illustrated in figure 6, is that the various video feeds V] through V x are provided by the set-top box 142 to the TV 146 and the user 152 says, "no" or "yes” to a particular video feed.
  • An audio sensor having pattern recognition can recognize the "yes” or “no” response from the user. Further, the sensor may be able to detect other terms such as "change video” or “change audio” to allow other selections using the "yes” or “no” command.
  • the set top box 148 may transmit affinity data via the Internet 135 to a database 137.
  • the affinity data in the database 137 may be analyzed by an analysis device 139 and prepared for an affinity data user 141.
  • Figure 7 is a schematic illustration of a set-top box 154 having a plurality of built it or attached sensors.
  • the set-top box 154 can include a motion sensor 156, an audio sensor 158, an infrared sensor 160, and video sensor 162, various biometric sensors 164, and a keypad 165.
  • Motion sensor 156 can be used to detect motion within the room where people are viewing the broadcast. The amount of motion in the room can indicate the level of interest or affinity to a particular program that is showing. For example, if this motion sensor senses a great deal of motion in the room, rvhich-may provide an-indication-that there is very little interest in the display broadcast.
  • the motion sensor data can be analyzed in any desired fashion to generate the affinity data including empirical techniques. Of course, various methods of analyzing the motion data can be used with other sources of data to produce accurate affinity data.
  • the audio sensor 158 can be used to detect sources of noise within the room that may also aid in generating affinity data. For example, if the noise level is high within the room that may indicate that there is little attention being paid to the broadcast program. Additionally, the audio level of the program can be determined as well as the various frequencies at which that audio signal is being broadcast so that a feedback signal can be generated to cancel out the audio signal from the TV broadcast. Also, audio recognition techniques can be used to recognize the input of affinity data such as the user speaking the terms "poor,” “ok,” “good,” or “excellent.” hi other embodiments, the user may clap once to indicate "good” and clap twice to indicate "bad". Again, audio .user data can be combined with other sensor data using various statistical methods to generate a reliable source of affinity data.
  • Infrared sensor 160 illustrated in figure 7 detects various types of infrared radiation.
  • infrared detector 160 may detect black body radiation to determine if and how many people are located in the room in which the broadcast is being displayed.
  • the infrared sensor 160 are potentially capable of detecting changes in heart rate and other biometric factors of the individuals who are located in the room.
  • Video sensor 162 illustrated in figure 7 is capable of sensing video images of people within the room and maybe designed to use recognition techniques for determining if the video image includes the images of people as opposed to animals, etc. In this fashion, the set-top box 154 can determine the number of people in the room that can be used in generating the affinity data.
  • the biometric sensors 164 may be sensors that can be mounted in the set-top box 154 that detect biometric data of the people within the room to aid in generating affinity data.
  • various types of heart rate or pulse rate sensors may be able to remotely detect heart rate and pulse rate of individuals within the room and other types of biometric data that can be remotely sensed from the set-top box 154.
  • any type of detector can be used to detect activity, motion, biometric responses, etc. of the individuals jn the room to produce accurate affinity data indicating the interest of the viewer in the program that is being , viewed.
  • Keypad 165 illustrated in figure 7 may be any form, of key switch capable of being operated by a person.
  • the keypad 165 may take the form of a. standard computer keyboard, a button or set of buttons on a remote control, or any other type or configuration of key switches.
  • FIG 8 is a schematic block diagram of another implementation of a set-top box 166.
  • the set-top box 166 includes a serial port 168 that can be attached to a plurality of sensors.
  • serial data can be generated from the various sensors illustrated in figure 8 and transmitted to the serial port 168 of the set-top box 166.
  • the various sensors can include a motion sensor 170, an audio sensor 172, an infrared sensor. 174, a video sensor 176, one or more biometric sensors 178, and keypad 179. Each of these three sensors can be configured as remote sensors.
  • the biometric sensors 178 may be physically attached to various viewers to obtain biometric response data.
  • a galvanic skin resistance meter can be used to detect changes in galvanic skin resistance.
  • an electroencephalogram can be used to detect alpha or beta type waves that are generated by one or more viewers.
  • Figure 9 is a flow diagram illustrating the steps 188 of capturing,- storing, and later transmitting sensor data
  • the set-top box begins the process of capturing sensor data from the sensors illustrated in figure 7 and 8.
  • the capturing of sensor data can be done periodically or in response to a start trigger 191.
  • the start trigger 191 may be a signal that is generated by the content provider, head-end, studio producer, or " other upstream source.
  • the start trigger may be generated in the form of a tag or marker that is transmitted during the vertical blanking interval (VBI) in a manner similar to that disclosed in US Patent Application Serial Number 60/227890 filed August 25, 2000 entitled iSelect Video.
  • VBI vertical blanking interval
  • the data from the sensors is captured based upon the trigger, timing window, boot up of the system, shut down, or the beginning or end of a video segment, etc..
  • Various periodic timing windows may be provided for detecting sensor data in a manner similar to a trigger signal. Further, sensor data may be sampled during a boot up of the system or shut down of the system. Additionally, markers and tags may be provided at the beginning/end of each video segment to gauge the response of a particular, video segment. .
  • triggers may be generated at any time during a video segment such as after a joke has been told by a standup comedian, after a point has been made by a politician in a debate, during a commercial to gauge the interest in the commercial, and at.other opportune times for sampling data,-
  • these triggers can be inserted by TV producers during live broadcasts or can be preprogrammed into the video feed by content providers. Additionally, triggers can be inserted at the beginning and end of each video segment so thai data can be captured for that data segment whether it is a scene in a movie, a.commercial, a video skit, a music video, etc. Further, the triggers inserted in the VBI or.
  • triggers that are generated automatically within the set-top box as a result of a timing window or other triggering mechanisms can produce an icon on the video display indicating that the user should enter manual data during the timing window that. the. icon is displayed.
  • the triggers may be broadcast to all set top. boxes simultaneously or may be sent to individual set top. boxes.
  • the manual data may be entered via the remote control to indicate the level of interest of the viewer in the particular video segment.
  • the viewer may be rewarded for manually responding to the display of the icon such, as by entering the viewer into a grand prize drawing for each time the viewer enters data, providing rebate coupons for the purchase of items, or even reducing the cable TV bill by a certain amount each time the viewer responds. In this fashion, the viewer response by manually entering affinity data, or entering voice responses, is obtained.
  • the data that is collected from the sensors is formatted. For example, it is scaled, unitized, filtered, time stamped and provided with a content ID number. Other types of formatting of the signal can also occur.
  • the formatted data is temporarily stored.
  • a decision is made as to whether to continue. For example, it may be determined whether a stop trigger 199 has been received during the vertical blanking interval. If a stop trigger has not been received, the process will continue to gather data and return to step 192. If a stop trigger has been received, the process will proceed to step 200 where a decision is made to transmit the data.
  • the set-top box may only transmit the data upon receiving a transmit trigger 201 in the vertical blanking interval. If a trigger has not been received to transmit, the process will loop on itself until a transmit trigger has been received. Further, the set-top box may be programmed to generate its own trigger signals that may occur during start up, shut down, or on some periodic basis. If a trigger has been received to transmit the data at step 200, the process proceeds to step 202 where the set-top box prepares the data for transmission. For example, the data may be compiled, collated, wrapped in an P transport, encrypted, prepared as an attachment to an e-mail, or other type of preparation. At step 204, the data is then transmitted in accordance with one of the methods illustrated herein.
  • FIG 10 is a schematic flow diagram of the steps 210 that are used for capturing, storing, and transmitting data ⁇ n real-time or nearly real-time.
  • the set-top box starts capturing data at step 212 which may occur in response to a trigger 214.
  • a trigger 214 any of the different ways of providing triggering, including triggers inserted in the vertical blanking interval, periodic triggers generated by the set-top box, and other ways of implementing triggers can be used.
  • data is captured from the sensors.
  • this data is compiled and formatted.
  • the data is posted and transmitted on one of the return paths in accordance with one of the methods indicated herein.
  • the data may be transmitted over the Internet 222 to an analysis computer 224 for use by an affinity data user 226.
  • the process then proceeds to step 228 where a decision is made as to whether the process should continue.
  • a stop trigger 230 may trigger the cessation of the capturing of data. In that case, the process proceeds to step 232 to stop the process. If a trigger 230 has not been received, the process returns to step 216.
  • the present invention therefore provides a unique system and method for capturing affinity data that can be used for various purposes including selection of video, audio and data feed, generation of affinity data in real-time for modification of content, statistical analysis, and other various purposes.
  • the invention illustratively disclosed or claimed herein suitably may be practiced in the absence of any element which is not specifically disclosed or claimed herein.
  • the invention may comprise, consist of, or consist essentially of the elements disclosed or claimed herein.

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Abstract

La présente invention concerne un système et un procédé pour produire des données d'affinité, c'est-à-dire des données qui indiquent l'intérêt d'un téléspectateur ou d'un utilisateur dans des informations de diffusion, telles qu'une diffusion vidéo, une diffusion audio ou une diffusion de données. Une sélection automatisée ou manuelle peut être réalisée soit au niveau d'un site en amont, soit au niveau du décodeur, et permet de sélectionner des sources alternatives de contenu, sur la base des données d'affinité. Des voies de retour peuvent être fournies par des transmissions en amont, par l'intermédiaire d'un câble, de connexions Internet, etc., à un site d'origine qui peut comprendre un fournisseur de contenu, un studio de télévision, une tête de réseau ou un autre emplacement en amont. Des données d'affinité peuvent être captées à distance au moyen de capteurs qui sont intégrés ou connectés au décodeur. De plus, des données d'affinité peuvent être produites manuellement par le téléspectateur ou par l'utilisateur, au moyen de divers procédés tels que la saisie manuelle de données en réponse à des icônes de déclenchement qui apparaissent sur une diffusion vidéo ou sur une transmission audio. Des déclencheurs permettant de déclencher des réponses et de transmettre des données peuvent être insérés dans l'intervalle de suppression verticale d'une alimentation vidéo ou peuvent être produits périodiquement par le décodeur.
PCT/US2001/050123 2000-10-26 2001-10-26 Collecte et transmission de donnees d'affinite WO2002035842A2 (fr)

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CA002426926A CA2426926A1 (fr) 2000-10-26 2001-10-26 Collecte et transmission de donnees d'affinite

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WO2008065526A2 (fr) * 2006-11-30 2008-06-05 Alcatel Lucent Dispositif de publicité par télévision ip fondé sur un système de fidélité de la clientèle
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CN106231399A (zh) * 2016-08-01 2016-12-14 乐视控股（北京）有限公司 视频分割方法、设备以及系统

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WO2000005884A1 (fr) * 1998-07-20 2000-02-03 Mate - Media Access Technologies Ltd. Procede de selection automatique de canaux video

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WO1998031114A1 (fr) * 1997-01-06 1998-07-16 Bellsouth Corporation Procede et systeme de suivi de l'utilisation des reseaux
WO2000005884A1 (fr) * 1998-07-20 2000-02-03 Mate - Media Access Technologies Ltd. Procede de selection automatique de canaux video

Cited By (8)

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Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
WO2006072605A1 (fr) * 2005-01-10 2006-07-13 21St Century Entertainment Group Ag Programme de fidelite pour consommateur, procede et systeme servant a recompenser le consommateur
WO2008065526A2 (fr) * 2006-11-30 2008-06-05 Alcatel Lucent Dispositif de publicité par télévision ip fondé sur un système de fidélité de la clientèle
WO2008065526A3 (fr) * 2006-11-30 2008-07-24 Alcatel Lucent Dispositif de publicité par télévision ip fondé sur un système de fidélité de la clientèle
WO2012162038A1 (fr) * 2011-05-25 2012-11-29 Echostar Technologies L.L.C. Appareils, systèmes et procédés pour la gestion de présentation d'un contenu multimédia se rapportant à l'érotisme
US10097875B2 (en) 2011-05-25 2018-10-09 Echostar Technologies L.L.C. Apparatus, systems and methods for presentation management of erotica-related media content
US10555029B2 (en) 2011-05-25 2020-02-04 DISH Technologies L.L.C. Apparatus, systems and methods for presentation management of media content
US11323762B2 (en) 2011-05-25 2022-05-03 DISH Technologies L.L.C. Apparatus, systems and methods for presentation management of media content
US12114033B2 (en) 2011-05-25 2024-10-08 DISH Technologies L.L.C. Apparatus, systems and methods for presentation management of media content

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CA2426926A1 (fr) 2002-05-02

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