Methods and apparatus for audience data collection and analysis in a content delivery network

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9693103-B2
Application number	US-201414304791-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 13, 2014
Priority date	Nov 11, 2009
Publication date	Jun 27, 2017
Grant date	Jun 27, 2017

Abstract

Methods and apparatus for collection and processing of data relating to users of a content-delivery network. In one embodiment, the content delivery network is a cable or satellite or HFCu network, and the apparatus includes an architecture for routinely harvesting, parsing, processing, and storing data relating to the activities of the users (e.g., subscribers) of the network. In one variant, at least portions of the data are anonymized to protect subscriber privacy.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for collecting and analyzing of data relating to delivery of digital content via a digital network, said method comprising:
collecting a plurality of user activity data from one or more user devices in data communication with said digital network, said user activity data comprising data relating to usage or interaction by a user with said digital content via said one or more user devices, said plurality of user activity data collected via a collection entity in data communication with said network, each of said plurality of user activity data comprising at least a tune-in time for a user session;
receiving a plurality of digital reference data at said collection entity from a database in data communication with at least said collection entity, said digital reference data describing said digital content;
identifying one or more of said plurality of user activity data which lack a tune-out time corresponding to said tune-in time for said user session;
in response to said identification, excluding said identified one or more of said plurality of user activity data which lack said tune-out time;
correlating, via mapping logic stored on a storage device in data communication with said collection entity, at least a remaining portion of said user activity data to said reference data to create a plurality of viewing impressions, each of said remaining portion of said plurality of user activity data comprising said tune-out time corresponding to said tune-in time for said user session; and
transmitting said plurality of viewing impressions from said collection entity to an analysis entity for analysis thereof, said analysis entity in data communication with at least said collection entity.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein said plurality of user activity data comprises tuning event data.

3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
validating at least a portion of said plurality of user activity data;
anonymizing at least a portion of said plurality of user activity data; and
enriching at least a portion of said plurality of user activity data.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein said act of validating at least a portion of said data comprises ensuring a Media Access Control (MAC) address of a device associated with said plurality of user activity data comprises a MAC address of one of said one or more devices associated with said user.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein said act of anonymizing at least said portion of said plurality of user activity data comprises utilizing at least one obfuscation process to obfuscate said MAC address.

6. The method of claim 3 , wherein said act of enriching at least said portion of said plurality of user activity data comprises adding non-identifiable user-specific information to said plurality of user activity data.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein said analysis entity comprises a third party entity.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein said network comprises a managed network, and said analysis entity comprises a billing entity within said managed network.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein each of said plurality of user activity data further comprises information regarding one or more of:
a program viewed;
a start/end date/time of said program;
a tune-in event type;
a tune-out event type; and
an anonymized Media Access Control (MAC) address.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein said act of identifying said one or more of said plurality of user activity data which lack said tune-out time corresponding to said tune-in time for said user session comprises:
calculating a duration of user inactivity after said start time; and
determining said duration of user inactivity is equal to or greater than a pre-determined threshold.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein said act of identifying said one or more of said plurality of user activity data which lack said tune-out time corresponding to said tune-in time for said user session further comprises:
in response to determining said duration of user activity is equal to or greater than said pre-determined threshold, generating a forced tune-out time corresponding to said tune-in time for said user session; and
assigning an indicator of said forced tune-out time to each of said identified one or more of said plurality of user activity data which lack said tune-out time.

12. A method for managing digital data in an operator-managed digital content delivery network, said method comprising:
receiving a first plurality data at a collection entity in data communication with said managed digital content delivery network, said first plurality of data comprising a plurality of fields comprising data relating to a subscriber's interaction with a plurality of content delivered thereto from at least one user device in data communication with said managed digital content delivery network;
determining validity of at least a portion of said first plurality of data so as to ensure said at least one user device from which said first plurality of data is received is associated with said subscriber;
in response to determining validity of said at least portion of said first plurality of data, parsing said validated portion of said first plurality of data to individual ones of said plurality of fields;
receiving a second plurality of data from a database in data communication with said managed digital content delivery network, said second plurality of data comprising reference data describing said plurality of content; and
processing said individual ones of said plurality of fields to generate a plurality of digital records correlating said individual ones of said plurality of fields to said reference data, said plurality of records correlating said individual ones of said plurality of fields to said reference data being utilized to describe a period of time in which said subscriber is presumed to be utilizing a particular one of said plurality of content at said at least one user device.

13. The method of claim 12 , further comprising transmitting said plurality of records correlating said individual ones of said plurality of fields to said reference data to a computerized analysis entity configured to utilize information contained therein to derive viewing patterns.

14. The method of claim 12 , further comprising transmitting said plurality of records correlating said individual ones of said plurality of fields to said reference data to an analysis entity of said managed network configured to create at least one report describing behavior of said subscriber or a plurality of subscribers.

15. The method of claim 14 , wherein said at least one report comprises a report of viewership of primary content contained within said particular one of said plurality of content for a plurality of user devices as a function of time, said plurality of user devices each associated with at least said subscriber, said at least one user device being one of said plurality of user devices.

16. The method of claim 14 , wherein said at least one report comprises a report of viewership of secondary content contained within said particular one of said plurality of content for a plurality of user devices as a function of time, said plurality of user devices each associated with at least said subscriber, said at least one user device being one of said plurality of user devices.

17. The method of claim 14 , wherein said at least one report comprises a report of video on demand (VOD) usage for a plurality of user devices, said plurality of user devices each associated with at least said subscriber, sai

Assignees

• Time Warner Cable Entpr Llc

Inventors

• Cronk Gary
• Engel Craig
• Tidwell Justin
• Anaya Luis Roberto
• Herrera Ramon
• Kin Cory
• Patel Dipan
• Saginaw Johnathan
• Sami Sohil

Classifications

• H04N21/2408

  Monitoring of the upstream path of the transmission network, e.g. client requests (monitoring data switching networks utilization H04L43/0876; scheduling or organising the servicing of application requests H04L67/60) · CPC title

• H04N21/254

  Management at additional data server, e.g. shopping server, rights management server {(arrangements for maintenance or administration in data networks H04L41/00; network services using third party service providers H04L67/53)} · CPC 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

• H04N21/25883

  being end-user demographical data, e.g. age, family status or address (arrangements for identifying locations of users in broadcast systems H04H60/52) · CPC 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