Triggering an action in a computer device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016227266-A1
Application number	US-201415021639-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Sep 11, 2014
Priority date	Sep 11, 2013
Publication date	Aug 4, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

A computer-implemented method of triggering an action based on behaviour of a user consuming content at a user device, the method comprising receiving content change signals at a processor executing a content change detection algorithm, wherein the content change signals denote a change of content on the user device; wherein the detection algorithm compares the content change signals with a content change behaviour associated with that device to detect a surfing condition and generates a triggering control signal for triggering an action when the surfing condition for that device is detected.

First claim

1 . A computer-implemented method of triggering an action based on behaviour of a user consuming content at a user device, the method comprising:
receiving content change signals at a processor executing a content change detection algorithm, wherein the content change signals denote a change of content on the user device; wherein the detection algorithm compares the content change signals with a content change behaviour associated with that device to detect a surfing condition and generates a triggering control signal for triggering an action when the surfing condition for that device is detected.

2 . A method according to claim 1 , wherein the action is transmission of data to be displayed to a user.

3 . A method according to claim 2 , wherein the data is recommendation data for possible content to be selected by a user.

4 . A method according to claim 2 or 3 , wherein the recommendation data is displayed on the user device.

5 . A method according to claim 2 or 3 , wherein the recommendation data is displayed on a companion device.

6 . A method according to any preceding claim 1 , wherein viewing content is delivered by channels selectable by a user.

7 . A method according to any of claims 2 to 6 , wherein the recommendation data comprises a set of displayed recommendation options, and wherein a user selects one of said options by activating the option, wherein activating the option causes the user device to change the channel to the activated option.

8 . A method according to any of claims 2 to 7 , comprising the step of receiving input from a user at the processor executing the detection algorithm, wherein the user input is responsive to the data.

9 . The method according to claim 8 , wherein the input from the user is analysed by the detection algorithm to determine the content change behaviour with which the content change signals are compared.

10 . A method according to any preceding claim, wherein the triggering control signal is transmitted to a computer device via a communication network.

11 . A method according to claim 10 , wherein the computer device transmits data for display to a user of the viewing device on receipt of the triggering control signal.

12 . A method according to any preceding claim, wherein the content change signals are detected using audio content recognition for recognising audio signals from content viewed on the user device.

13 . A method according to claim 6 , wherein content change signals are detected by detecting the output of a channel controller which generates channel change signals which activate the user device to change the viewing channel.

14 . A method according to claim 13 , wherein the recommendation data is displayed on a companion device which acts as the channel controller.

15 . A method according to any preceding claim, wherein the companion device, when present, or viewing device is connected by a network to other devices, and wherein the action is at least one of:
displaying what is being viewed at at least one other device; displaying a social media portal for entering comments to be transmitted to at least one other device.

16 . A method according to any preceding claim, wherein the action is at least one of:
displaying at least one partially viewed asset which the user had not viewed in its entirety; displaying information about availability of content tailored to the user; displaying advertisements tailored to the user.

17 . A method according to claim 8 , wherein prior to the step of receiving user input, the channel hop detection algorithm operates based on at least one of:
no initial data; a sample profile; a fixed starting point.

18 . A method according to claim 1 , wherein the content is consumed at the user device by a user viewing the content.

19 . A method according to claim 1 , wherein the content is consumed at the user device by a user listening to the content.

20 . A method according to claim 1 , wherein the content change behaviour associated with the user device is recorded in a user profile of a user associated with that user device.

21 . A method according to claim 3 , which comprises monitoring content change signals of a user when consuming content which has been selected based on the recommendation data, feeding back detection of a surfing condition to a supplier of the recommendation data and altering the recommendation data if a surfing condition is detected within a predetermined time of commencement of the content.

22 . A method according to claim 1 , comprising associating detection of a surfing condition with a location in a piece of content being consumed at the user device, and recording that location in association with the content in a user profile.

23 . A method according to the preceding claim, comprising monitoring multiple user profiles, each of which records a location in a piece of content where surfing by the users was detected, and using said monitoring to provide an indication of the quality of the content.

24 . A method according to claim 1 , wherein the content change behaviour is recorded in a user profile for the user, and a second content change behaviour is recorded in a user profile associated with a second user, wherein the surfing condition detected for the first user differs from the surfing condition detected for the second user.

25 . A method according to any preceding claim, comprising:
detecting the start of a piece of content being consumed at the user device, monitoring the content change signals and recording a content change behaviour based on monitoring the content change signals, storing the content change behaviour in a user profile associated with the user.

26 . A method according to claim 25 , wherein the content change behaviour associated with the user is used to control recommendation data delivered to the user.

27 . A method according to claim 16 , comprising monitoring content change signals while a user is viewing the at least one partially viewed asset, information about availability of content or advertisement, and changing the at least one partially viewed asset, information about availability of content or advertisement based on the monitoring of the content change signals.

28 . A computer device comprising:
a processor operable to execute a content change detection algorithm and configured to receive content change signals which denote a change of content on a user device; wherein the channel hop detection algorithm is configured to compare the content change signals with a content change behaviour associated with that device to detect a surfing condition and to generate a triggering control signal for triggering an action when the surfing condition for that device is detected.

29 . A computer device according to claim 28 , wherein content is viewing content delivered by channels and the device comprises a channel change event detector configured to detect channel change events of the viewing device and to supply said channel change signals to the processor.

30 . A computer device according to 28 or 29 , comprising a network interface for transmitting the triggering control signal to a remote computer configured to supply, responsive to the triggering control signal, data for possible viewing channels to be selected by a user.

Assignees

• Piksel Inc

Inventors

• Shaw Philip Antony
• Weaver Miles Eusebius
• Kanigsberg Issar Amit

Classifications

• H04L51/02

  using automatic reactions or user delegation, e.g. automatic replies or chatbot-generated messages · CPC title

• H04N21/4882

  for displaying messages, e.g. warnings, reminders (arrangements for providing short real-time information to substation in data switching networks H04L12/1895) · CPC title

• H04N21/251

  Learning process for intelligent management, e.g. learning user preferences for recommending movies (details of learning user preferences for the retrieval of video data in a video database G06F16/739; computer systems using learning methods G06N3/08) · CPC title

• H04N21/4532

  involving end-user characteristics, e.g. viewer profile, preferences (monitoring of user activities for profile generation for accessing a video database G06F16/739; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306; processing of user preferences or user profiles in wireless networks H04W8/18) · CPC title

• H04N21/25841

  involving the geographical location of the client (retrieval from the Internet by querying based on geographical locations G06F16/9537; arrangements for identifying locations of receiving stations in broadcast systems H04H60/51; location of the user terminal in data switching networks H04L67/52; services making use of the location of users or terminals in wireless networks H04W4/02; locating users or terminals in wireless networks H04W64/00) · CPC title