Set-Top Box Usage Pattern Analysis for Illegitimate Commercial Use Detection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for detecting illegitimate use of residential set-top boxes (STBs) in commercial locations are inefficient, requiring significant human resources and inconveniencing both residential and commercial users, as they often involve manual verification and overt broadcast fingerprinting.
Innovation Solution
A computer-implemented method that analyzes TV usage pattern data to identify suspicious devices and predicts their location of use, using predictive analytics and data science techniques to correlate with commercial establishment data, thereby reducing the need for extensive manual verification.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If manual verification and overt broadcast fingerprinting are used to detect illegitimate use of residential STBs, then detection accuracy is improved, but human resources required and user inconvenience increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces manual verification processes with automated computer-implemented analysis. The system automatically collects TV usage data from STBs, analyzes usage patterns to identify suspicious behavior, and predicts commercial locations without requiring human investigators to manually verify each case, thereby reducing human resources while maintaining detection accuracy
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs self-service detection by automatically monitoring and analyzing STB usage patterns without requiring active participation or inconvenience to users. The analysis occurs in the background using collected data, eliminating the need for users to manually provide information or experience inconvenience during the detection process
2Reliability
If manual verification is used to identify illegitimate STB use, then detection reliability is improved, but operational expenses increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces expensive manual verification operations with automated computer-based analysis. The system uses algorithms to analyze TV usage data, identify suspicious patterns, and predict locations, eliminating the need for human investigators and significantly reducing operational expenses while maintaining reliable detection through consistent automated application of detection criteria
3Difficulty of detecting and measuring
If overt broadcast fingerprinting is deployed to detect commercial use of residential STBs, then detection capability is improved, but user inconvenience increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs detection through self-service monitoring of STB usage patterns without requiring active user involvement. The analysis occurs automatically in the background using collected data, eliminating the need for users to manually provide information or experience inconvenience during the detection process
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces overt broadcast fingerprinting with automated computer-based pattern analysis. The system analyzes TV usage data to identify commercial usage patterns without requiring explicit signals or active participation from users, thereby maintaining detection capability while eliminating user inconvenience
4Measurement precision
If comprehensive manual verification is conducted across all commercial establishments, then detection thoroughness is improved, but time required and productivity decrease
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary automated analysis of TV usage data to identify suspicious patterns and predict likely commercial locations before manual verification is needed. This pre-screening process filters out clear residential uses and prioritizes only the most suspicious cases for further investigation, enabling thorough detection while significantly improving productivity by avoiding unnecessary manual verification of all establishments
Data Source
AI summary
In one illustrative example, TV usage data associated with a residential set-top box (STB) are obtained and stored over a plurality of repeated (e.g. weekly) time periods. TV usage pattern data associated with the residential STB are derived based on the stored TV usage data. A suspected illegitimate use of the residential STB is identified based on identifying a match or correlation between the TV usage pattern data and one of a plurality of predetermined commercial TV usage patterns. Further, for each listing data of one or more published listings of business hours, types, and themes associated with one or more commercial establishments, a comparison or correlation is performed between the TV usage pattern data and the listing data. A commercial establishment associated with illegitimate use is identified based on identifying a match or correlation between the TV usage pattern data and the listing data associated with the commercial establishment.