User Attention Level Detection via Set-Top Box Input Analysis
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for measuring viewer attention to video presentations, such as broadcast programs or movies, are inadequate as they primarily count viewers without determining actual attention levels, relying on viewer logs or monitoring devices that do not assess engagement.
Innovation Solution
An apparatus at user premises detects user inputs relative to an addressable video stream and associates them with corresponding positions, generating a data structure to identify attention levels by specifying whether user inputs were made during or after the presentation, enabling the determination of attention levels based on user engagement.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If audience measurement techniques use monitoring devices to track viewing habits, then the quantity of viewers watching a program can be determined, but the attention level of viewers cannot be measured
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary system comprising a server, set-top box, and remote control that mediates between the viewer and the video presentation. This intermediary captures user inputs (remote control commands) as indicators of attention levels, enabling measurement of engagement without directly monitoring the viewer's physiological state or consciousness.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces traditional mechanical/direct monitoring methods with an electronic signal-based system. Instead of using complex monitoring devices to directly observe viewer attention, the system substitutes electronic capture and analysis of remote control inputs, which serve as proxies for attention and engagement with the video content.
2Measurement precision
If viewer logs are used to complete viewing information, then some attention data can be obtained, but the process is complex and requires active viewer participation
Solution Approach 1:
The system enables self-service automation where the set-top box and server automatically capture, process, and analyze remote control inputs without requiring viewer intervention. The system serves itself by autonomously generating attention level measurements from passive capture of user inputs, eliminating the need for manual logging while reducing complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts the attention measurement function from the complex manual logging process. By separating the automated capture of remote control inputs from the analysis and interpretation phases, the system removes the burden of active participation from viewers while maintaining measurement precision through systematic data collection.
3Quantity of substance
If traditional monitoring devices are installed to track viewing habits, then viewing quantity can be measured, but the devices do not assess actual engagement or attention
Solution Approach 1:
The patent makes the monitoring system universal by enabling it to perform multiple functions: tracking viewing quantity (traditional function) and assessing attention levels (new function). The same set-top box and server infrastructure that manage video delivery also capture and analyze remote control inputs, providing both viewing volume and engagement metrics through a single integrated system.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent adds another dimension to traditional viewing measurement by transitioning from single-dimensional data (viewing quantity) to multi-dimensional data (viewing quantity plus attention level). The system captures not only whether viewers are watching but also their level of engagement through remote control interaction patterns, creating a more comprehensive measurement space.
Data Source
AI summary
In one embodiment, a method comprises identifying, by an apparatus at a user premises, a presentation of an addressable video stream to a user; detecting by the apparatus whether the user has supplied a user input, relative to the presentation, to at least one user input device; the apparatus selectively associating each user input detected relative to the presentation with a corresponding identified position of the addressable video stream; and generating, by the apparatus, a data structure enabling identification of an attention level by the user toward at least a portion of the addressable video stream, the data structure specifying an identifier for the addressable video stream and specifying whether the user supplied any user input relative to the presentation, including selectively adding to the data structure at least one user input and the corresponding identified position.