Class / Patent application number | Description | Number of patent applications / Date published |
725021000 | Combined with detecting VCR operation | 12 |
20090265730 | METHODS AND APPARATUS TO DETECT AN INTERNALLY GENERATED SIGNAL MODE OF A LOCAL MEDIA PLAYBACK DEVICE - Methods and apparatus to detect an internally generated signal mode of a local media playback device are disclosed. A disclosed method comprises tuning a harmonic frequency of a chrominance signal output by a local media playback device, and determining that the local media playback device is in an internally generated signal mode if the measured harmonic frequency exceeds a predetermined threshold. | 10-22-2009 |
20100088715 | Content Promotion to Anonymous Clients - Techniques involving anonymous content promotion are described. In an implementation, content, which may include one or more advertisements embedded by a content provider, is promoted to clients who anonymously indicate behaviors. A client may generate behavior data matching behaviors of the client to unique codes. The client communicates the behavior data having the matched behaviors/unique codes anonymously to a network operator. A network operator collects behavior data from multiple clients. The network operator associates unique codes corresponding to a behavior to content to promote the content to clients who anonymously indicate the behavior through the unique codes in the behavior data. The network operator may output a promotion having the associated unique codes to multiple clients to enable each client to identify its own unique codes and obtain corresponding content recommendations and/or content. | 04-08-2010 |
20100229191 | METHODS AND APPARATUS TO DETECT AN INTERNALLY GENERATED SIGNAL MODE OF A LOCAL MEDIA PLAYBACK DEVICE - Methods and apparatus to detect an internally generated signal mode of a local media playback device are disclosed. A disclosed method comprises tuning a harmonic frequency of a chrominance signal output by a local media playback device, and determining that the local media playback device is in an internally generated signal mode if the measured harmonic frequency exceeds a predetermined threshold. | 09-09-2010 |
20100333126 | SOURCE DETECTION APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR AUDIENCE MEASUREMENT - A system identifies which of first and second signal sources is supplying a program signal to a monitored receiver. The first and second signal sources and the monitored receiver are located in a household. The system extracts a reference program signature representative of an output of the monitored receiver and first and second source program signatures representative of an output of the first and second signal sources. The system identifies which of the first and second signal sources is a source of the program signal in response to the reference program signature and the first and second source program signatures. | 12-30-2010 |
20120011533 | METHODS AND APPARATUS TO DETERMINE AUDIENCE VIEWING OF RECORDED PROGRAMS - Methods and apparatus to determine audience viewing of recorded programs are disclosed. An example method disclosed herein comprises processing first bus information obtained by monitoring a bus of a time shifting device to determine a record time corresponding to when the time-shifting device stored data associated with first media content being recorded for later presentation, processing second bus information obtained by monitoring the bus of the time shifting device to determine a playback time corresponding to when the time-shifting device later retrieved the data to present the recorded first media content, and estimating a possible distribution time corresponding to when the first media content was initially distributed to the time-shifting device based on a difference between the playback time and the record time. | 01-12-2012 |
20120192218 | Automatically Generated TV Favorites List - A favorite channel list for a media system is generated by observing the viewing, surfing, and recording habits of a user. The viewing habits may include the duration and frequency of viewing a channel. A user's surfing habits, including navigation habits of a guide, the method used for navigation to a channel, and information queries made during a surfing session may be used to determine which channels may be added to a favorites list. When the user has an ability to record a program and view the program later, the user's behavior in selecting programs for recording, and the behaviors of playing back and archiving recorded shows may also be used to identify favorite channels. In some embodiments, the favorites list may be customized for a user or node of a playback system, as well as time of day. | 07-26-2012 |
20120260280 | METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR DETECTING NON-POWERED VIDEO PLAYBACK DEVICES - A method and system for identifying tune data from set top boxes associated with televisions, video monitors, or other video playback devices that are likely powered off. In some embodiments, survival curves are constructed that predict a length of time before a video playback device is powered off after a tuning event. The survival curves are used to predict the likelihood that a video playback device is powered off. Viewership estimates made from tune data reported from set top boxes can be adjusted to take account of the video playback devices that are predicted to be powered off. | 10-11-2012 |
20140351842 | METHOD OF COLLECTING USAGE INFORMATION - A method and system for micro-cloud computing is described. An application serving node, which is a specifically configured piece of customer premises equipment such as a set-top box, is the server for a micro-cloud network. Various user devices that form part of the micro-cloud network, such as television sets and smart phones, communicate with the application serving node. The application serving node is configured with software that allows various heterogeneous types of data to be obtained and streamed to the user devices in multiple ways. The application serving node performs much of the processing necessary for such content streaming itself and thus represents an edge-based network architecture. | 11-27-2014 |
20150074705 | PARENTAL MONITORING IN A HOME GATEWAY ENVIROMENT - The methodologies, systems and teachings disclosed herein can be embodied in gateway device that is capable of monitoring content accessed through the gateway device. Captures of screen content of the content accessed are obtained and a log of the content accessed is generated from the captured screen content. The log can then be displayed to a user who can use a remote control to navigate through the log to view the captured screen content at different instances of time. | 03-12-2015 |
20150100976 | SYSTEMS, METHODS, AND MEDIA FOR INHIBITING THE PRESENTATION OF SPOILER CONTENT BASED ON REQUESTED CONTENT - Systems, methods, and media for inhibiting the presentation of spoiler content based on requested content are provided. In some embodiments, a method for content management is provided, the method comprising: determining a channel that has been selected for presenting content to a user; identifying the content presented on the channel as requested content based on a comparison of first metadata associated with the content and second metadata associated with recorded content on a storage device; determining that the requested content contains spoiler content based on one or more criterion, wherein the one or more criterion include (i) determining that the first metadata associated with the content includes episode data or airing data; (ii) determining that the first metadata associated with the content indicates that the content belongs to a non-excluded content category; or (iii) determining, for the recorded content not viewed to completion, that the second metadata associated with the recorded content indicates an earlier occurrence than the first metadata associated with the requested program; and, in response to determining that a plurality of the one or more criterion have been met, selecting an alternate channel for presentation. | 04-09-2015 |
20150121410 | METHOD AND A NETWORK FOR DETERMINING USER BEHAVIOR DURING DELIVERY OF VIDEO CONTENT - For allowing an intelligent and/or resource efficient delivery of video content and/or determining of video content popularity and/or user behavior a method for determining user behavior during delivery of video content is claimed, wherein a user is requesting a delivery of a video content from a provider via a network. The method is characterized in that the provider exploits information transmitted between the user and the provider due to the execution of a trick play function by the user for scheduling the delivery and/or determining video content popularity and/or user behavior. Further, an according network is claimed, preferably for carrying out the above mentioned method. | 04-30-2015 |
20150365730 | GENERATION AND USE OF USER BEHAVIORAL DATA FOR A PROGRAM - A method, a device, and a non-transitory storage medium to output a program during a program session; monitor trick play inputs during the outputting of the program; receive a trick play input during the outputting of the program; capture trick play data and time data based on a receipt of the trick play input; store the trick play data and the time data as behavioral data; and use the stored behavioral data to govern a subsequent outputting of the program during another program session. | 12-17-2015 |