# US 12,015,815 B2 · Mobile content tracking platform apparatuses, methods and systems > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 12,015,815 B2 - Document ID: US12015815B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 14/148,662 - Filed: 2014-01-06 - Published: 2014-06-19 - Granted: 2024-06-18 - Earliest claimed: 2011-07-06 - Assignees: Symphony Advanced Media - Applicants: Symphony Advanced Media - Inventors: Manish Bhatia; Michael Scott Saxon; Nigel Stephen Pratt; Pyeush Gurha - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12015815B2 ## CPC - H04N 21/2668: Creating a channel for a dedicated end-user group, e.g. insertion of targeted commercials based on end-user profiles {(information retrieval from the Internet by querying with filtering and personalisation G06F16/9535; arrangements for replacing or switching information during the broadcast H04H20/10; push services over packet-switching network H04L12/1859; adaptation of message content in packet-switching networks H04L51/063)} - G06Q 30/02: Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising - G06Q 30/0201: Market modelling; Market analysis; Collecting market data - G06Q 30/0241: Advertisements - G06Q 30/0245: {Surveys} - G06Q 30/0267: {Wireless devices} - H04H 60/31: Arrangements for monitoring the use made of the broadcast services - H04N 21/251: {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)} - H04N 21/252: {Processing of multiple end-users' preferences to derive collaborative data} - H04N 21/2541: {Rights Management (protecting software against unauthorised usage in a vending or licensing environment G06F21/10; security in data switching network management H04L41/28; security management or policies for network security H04L63/20; access security in wireless networks H04W12/08)} - H04N 21/25808: {Management of client data (terminal profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/303)} - H04N 21/25891: {being end-user preferences (retrieval of video data in a video database based on user preferences G06F16/739; arrangements for recognizing users' preferences H04H60/46; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306; processing of user preferences or user profiles in wireless networks H04W8/18)} - H04N 21/41265: {having a remote control device for bidirectional communication between the remote control device and client device (unidirectional remote control device H04N21/42204)} - H04N 21/42203: {sound input device, e.g. microphone} - H04N 21/42204: {User interfaces specially adapted for controlling a client device through a remote control device; Remote control devices therefor (constructive details of casings for the remote control device H01H9/0235; user interfaces for controlling a tuning device of a television receiver through a remote control H03J9/00; remote control of peripheral devices connected to a television receiver through the remote control device of the television receiver H04B1/205)} - H04N 21/4222: {Remote control device emulator integrated into a non-television apparatus, e.g. a PDA, media center or smart toy (remote control device for a television receiver integrated into a mobile phone H04M1/72415)} - H04N 21/42221: {Transmission circuitry, e.g. infrared [IR] or radio frequency [RF]} - H04N 21/437: Interfacing the upstream path of the transmission network, e.g. for transmitting client requests to a VOD server {(flow control in data networks H04L47/10; streaming protocols, e.g. RTP or RTCP, H04L65/65; scheduling or organising the servicing of application requests in data packet switching networks H04L67/60)} - H04N 21/44204: {Monitoring of content usage, e.g. the number of times a movie has been viewed, copied or the amount which has been watched (monitoring of user activities for profile generation for accessing a video database G06F16/739; protecting generic digital content where the protection is independent of the precise nature of the content G06F21/10; arrangements for monitoring the use made of the broadcast services in broadcast systems H04H60/31)} - H04N 21/44218: {Detecting physical presence or behaviour of the user, e.g. using sensors to detect if the user is leaving the room or changes his face expression during a TV programme (methods or arrangements for recognising human body or animal bodies or body parts G06V40/10; methods or arrangements for acquiring or recognising human faces, facial parts, facial sketches, facial expressions G06V40/16; methods or arrangements for recognising movements or behaviour G06V40/20; arrangements for identifying users in broadcast systems H04H60/45)} - H04N 21/44222: {Analytics of user selections, e.g. selection of programmes or purchase activity (monitoring of user selections in data processing systems G06F11/34; arrangements for monitoring the user's behaviour or opinions in broadcast systems H04H60/33)} - H04N 21/44224: {Monitoring of user activity on external systems, e.g. Internet browsing} - H04N 21/44226: {on social networks} - H04N 21/4758: {for providing answers, e.g. voting} - H04N 21/47815: {Electronic shopping (payment schemes, payment architectures or payment protocols for electronic shopping systems G06Q20/12)} - H04N 21/4788: communicating with other users, e.g. chatting {(arrangements for providing for computer conferences, e.g. chat rooms, to substation in data switching networks H04L12/1813; distributed application using peer-to-peer [P2P] networks H04L67/104)} - H04N 21/482: End-user interface for programme selection - H04N 21/4821: {using a grid, e.g. sorted out by channel and broadcast time} - H04N 21/4826: {using recommendation lists, e.g. of programmes or channels sorted out according to their score} - H04N 21/6334: for authorisation, e.g. by transmitting a key {(wireless communications network key management H04W12/04; wireless communications network access security H04W12/08)} - H04N 21/812: {involving advertisement data (advertising per se G06Q30/02)} - H04N 21/8545: for generating interactive applications - H04N 21/8586: {by using a URL (processing chained hypermedia data for information retrieval G06F16/94; information retrieval from the Internet by using URLs G06F16/955; URL in broadcast information H04H20/93; Web-based protocols H04L67/02)} - H04N: PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION - 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 - H04H: BROADCAST COMMUNICATION (multiplex communication H04J; pictorial communication aspects of broadcast systems H04N) ## Abstract The MOBILE CONTENT TRACKING PLATFORM METHODS (“Mobile-Track”) transforms TV program schedule listing information and user channel selection via Mobile-Track components, into TV audience viewing data and ad effects data. A method is disclosed, comprising: obtaining TV program schedule listing data; providing the obtained TV program schedule listing data to a user mobile device; receiving an indication of user channel selection; determining a media program associated with the received indication of user channel selection; determining an ad associated with the determined media program; providing a survey question related to the determined ad to the user mobile device; and receiving a user response to the survey question. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A TV mobile control device processor-implemented method, comprising: obtaining local TV program schedule listing data, wherein a user mobile device provides indication of its geographical locality and the user mobile device obtains local TV program schedule listing data automatically responsive to the indicated geographical locality; providing the local obtained TV program schedule listing data to a user mobile device communicatively coupled to a wireless communication component; receiving a user media program selection message from the user mobile device, wherein the received user media program selection message contains a selection of one of items from the local obtained TV program schedule listing data, and wherein the user mobile device converts said user media program selection message to a local TV remote channel selection, and transmits said local TV remote channel selection to a TV receiver via the wireless communication component, and wherein the local TV remote channel selection is a content source identifier for the user media program selection; determining the TV receiver is displaying a channel source matching the local TV remote channel selection, wherein the TV receiver is unmodified to include programming triggered by receipt of signal which when triggered by receipt of the signal by the TV receiver would obtain from existing stored data inside the TV receiver, and wherein the TV receiver is any of a television, monitor, set top box; determining whether the received user media program selection message indicates a user watching event; determining a user watching time length associated with the user selected channel when the received user media program selection message is determined to indicate the user watching event; and generating and storing a user watching event log file including the user selected channel and the determined user watching time length. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising: filtering the received user media program selection message when the receive user media program selection message is determined not to indicate a user watching event. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the user mobile device comprises any of a smartphone, a personal data assistant, a cellular phone, a laptop, a tablet computer, and a standalone table unit. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the TV program schedule listing data is transmitted via a wireless network. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the user mobile device transmits a local TV remote channel selection to a TV set-top box via the wireless communication component. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the TV remote channel selection message comprises a non-live media program selection message. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The method of claim 6, wherein the non-live media program selection message comprises any of a DVD control message, a DVR control message and an on-demand media control message. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the determining whether the received user media program selection message indicates a user watching event comprises: calculating a time lapse between two consecutively received program selection messages; and determining whether the time lapse is sufficiently long to indicate a user watching event. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the determining a user watching time length comprises determining whether a time lapse between two consecutively received program selection messages exceeds a capping threshold. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the determining a user watching time length comprises applying watching time caps based on any of TV on/off events, set-top box on/off events and heuristics. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising feeding the user watching event log file for user viewing data record associated with the selected media program. ### Claim 12 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the user mobile device is configured to operate any of the following: automatically scan on a communication stack for a physical address of a TV set; and connecting to a TV set based on user configured physical address. ### Claim 13 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the user mobile device receives user submitted TV parameters to scan for a TV set. ### Claim 14 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising: obtaining an atmospherics data artifact from an atmospherics data package associated with the user mobile device. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The method of claim 14, further comprising: extracting user instant activities information based on analysis of the atmospherics data artifact. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The method of claim 15, further comprising: generating a user viewing status indication based on the user instant activities information; and incorporating the user viewing status indication into viewer measurement data of the user selected channel. ### Claim 17 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the received TV program schedule listing data is received at a server and comprises a plurality of ad tags. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) The method of claim 17, further comprising: retrieving an ad tag associated with the user selected media program from the TV program schedule listing data. ### Claim 19 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising: retrieving an ad tag associated with the user selected media program from the TV program schedule listing data; and generating a product survey question based on the ad tag. ### Claim 20 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising: receiving audience monitoring atmospherics data from the user mobile device. ### Claim 21 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the wireless communication component is one of: an infrared communication component, a wifi communication component, an RF communication component and a Bluetooth communication component. ### Claim 22 (depends on 20) The method of claim 20, further comprising: determining audience watching status indicia from the received audience monitoring atmospherics data.