GB2490910A

GB2490910A - Identifying user of mobile device linked to communal media receiver, for example for providing targeted, user profile-based advertisements

Info

Publication number: GB2490910A
Application number: GB1108247.6A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Phil Knight
Original assignee: Everything Everywhere Ltd
Current assignee: Everything Everywhere Ltd
Priority date: 2011-05-17
Filing date: 2011-05-17
Publication date: 2012-11-21
Also published as: GB201108247D0

Abstract

A method for identifying a user of a communal media device comprises: profiling a user based on media consumption at a user personal media device 101-103, e.g. smart phone, tablet computer, laptop, or music / video player, forming a user profile; determining that the personal media device is associated with the location of a communal media device 100 â e.g. a television, home entertainment system, set-top box (STB) or digital video recorder (DVR) - operable to receive media content from a content delivery system 104; linking the user profile of the personal media device with the communal media device in the content delivery system; and correlating the user profile with media content accessed by means of the communal media device so as to identify when the respective user is receiving media content from the content delivery system by means of the communal media device. A corresponding system, based on plural personal media devices, is also claimed. Thus, targeted, personalised advertising may be provided for individual users of devices such as mobile phones that are linked with a communal device, e.g. family or household STB or DVR, rather than ads simply based on profile preferences of the communal device bill payer.

Description

t V.' INTELLECTUAL ..* PROPERTY OFFICE Application No. GB 1108247.6 RTM Date:14 September 2012 The following terms are registered trademarks and should be read as such wherever they occur in this document: Sky Adsmart Sky+ Virgin BT Vision Hulu YouTube Wi-Fi Intellectual Properly Office is an operating name of the Patent Office www.ipo.gov.uk ldentifyg Users

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to a method and system for identifying a user of a media device and, in particular, to a method and system for serving adverts to the user of a media device.

In many households, there is typically at least one communal media device that is shared between the members of the household. For example, there may be a television or digital video recorder (DVR) available for use by the members of the household. Much of the content served by a television, DVR or other media device is generally supported by adverts. These may be in the form of advertising served alongside the media content (as might be the case for webpages being browsed over a set-top media box) or in the form of adverts served intermittently during transmission of the media content.

It is becoming increasingly common for adverts to be targeted to users so as to increase the relevance of the adverts to each user and hence the revenue that can be generated by the adverts. Generally, an advert that is of high relevance to a user is of greater value than a less relevant advert because the purchasing decisions of the user are more likely to be influenced by advertising for products or services that the user might well consider buying. Targeting adverts is straightforward for media delivery systems in which the user is known to the ad-serving system, for example, when the adverts are served by a website into which a user has logged in.

Accurately targeting adverts is more difficult when the user of the device is not known. For example, for communal media devices such as televisions or DVR devices, it is not known who is actually using the device at any point in time. An advertising profile of the bill-payer may be known to the media delivery system but providing adverts targeted to the bill payer only is likely to provide adverts of low relevance to other users of the communal device. For example, the Sky AdSmart system allows targeted adverts to be provided over a Sky+ DVR box based on information provided by the customer to Sky, such as address, age, subscription packages, etc. This information allows an advertising profile of the customer to be generated and hence targeted ads to be served over the customer's Sky box, but the customer (i.e. the bill-payer) may not at any given time be the household member actually viewing content over the Sky+ box. Conventional communal media devices cannot identify the actual user of the device and cannot therefore serve adverts targeted to that user.

There is therefore a need for a system for identifying the user of a communal media device so as to allow improved targeting of adverts served over the communal media device.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to a first aspect of the present invention there is provided a method for identifying a user of a communal media device comprising: profiling a user based on media consumption at a personal media device of the user so as to form a user profile; determining that the personal media device is associated with the location of a communal media device operable to receive media content from a content delivery system; in response to the determination, linking the user profile of the personal media device with the communal media device in the content delivery system; and correlating the user profile with media content accessed by means of the communal media device so as to identify when the respective user is receiving media content from the content delivery system by means of the communal media device.

Suitably the personal media device is operable to communicate over a network and the profiling step comprises an entity of the network monitoring accesses by the personal media device to media content accessible over the network and recording those accesses in the user profile.

Suitably the profiling step comprises monitoring by means of an application at the personal media device accesses to media content stored at the personal media device or accessible to the personal media device over a network and recording those accesses in the user profile.

Suitably the personal media device supports an application operable to access media content served by the content delivery system and the profiling step comprises the content delivery system monitoring accesses to media content served by the content delivery system.

Suitably the communal media device is a digital video recorder, the personal media device supports an application operable to send commands to the content delivery system so as to cause the digital video recorder to record media content served by the content delivery system, and the profiling step comprises the content delivery system monitoring commands from the application and storing information representing the media content of the content delivery system to which each command relates, Preferably monitoring accesses to media content comprises storing at the user profile information representing one or more of: the media content accessed; the time at which the media content is accessed; the location of the personal media device when the media content is accessed; the length of time for which the media is consumed. The media content could be one of a music track, a video file, a streamed media resource, and a webpage.

Suitably monitoring accesses to media content comprises storing at the user profile information representing a behaviour of the user with respect to accessed media, including one or more of: the number of media items accessed per unit time; the average time for which each media item is consumed; and the number of media items concurrently consumed.

The method could further comprise profiling a plurality of users based on media consumption at their respective personal media devices so as to form a plurality of user profiles, each personal media device being distinguished by one or more of: a hardware identifier, an identifier stored at a SIM card of the personal media device; login credentials provided by the personal media device; a digital certificate stored at the personal media device; and one or more cookies stored at the personal media device.

Preferably the determining step comprises comparing location information associated with the personal media device with information representing the location of the communal media device so as to establish that the user of the personal media device is associated with the location of the communal media device. Preferably the determination step is successful if the comparison finds a match between the location information associated with the personal media device and the information representing the location of the communal media device. The location information could be one or more of a name, telephone number and address associated with the personal media device. The address could be the registered address of the personal media device.

Suitably the location information represents a position of the personal media device over time, the location information being determined by means of a CR5 receiver of the personal media device and/or cellular positioning methods.

Preferably the linking step comprises storing the user profile at the content delivery system and linking the stored user profile with an account associated with the communal media device.

Preferably the correlating step comprises the content delivery system: monitoring media consumption at the communal media device; correlating the user profile to characteristics of the media consumption at the communal media device; and when a positive correlation is found between the user profile and the characteristics of the media consumption at the communal media device, identifying that the media consumption at the communal media device corresponds to the user associated with that user profile.

Characteristics of the media consumption at the communal media device could include one or more of: the media content accessed; the time at which the media content is accessed; the location of the personal media device when the media content is accessed; the length of time for which the media is consumed; and a behaviour of the user with respect to accessed media, including one or more of the number of media items accessed per unit time, the average time for which each media item is consumed, whether advertising content is skipped or fast-forwarded; and the number of media items concurrently consumed.

Preferably a positive correlation is found in one or more of the following cases: the characteristics of the media consumption at the communal media device indicate that the media consumed at the communal device is related to media content indicated in the user profile; the characteristics of the media consumption at the communal media device indicate that the media consumed at the communal device is of the same genre as media content indicated in the user profile; and the characteristics of the media consumption at the communal media device indicate that the behaviour of the user at the communal device is similar to behaviour indicated in the user profile.

Preferably the media consumed at the communal device is related to media content indicated in the user profile if one or more of the following is true: the media consumed at the communal device and the media content indicated in the user profile are music tracks by the same artist; the media consumed at the communal device and the media content indicated in the user profile are webpages from the same website; the media consumed at the communal device and the media content indicated in the user profile are episodes from the same serial; the media consumed at the communal device and the media content indicated in the user profile are films by the same director; and the media consumed at the communal device and the media content indicated in the user profile are sports programs relating to the same sport.

The method preferably further comprises performing the correlating step for all user profiles linked to the communal media device in the content delivery system.

Preferably a positive correlation is disregarded if more than one of the user profiles linked to the communal media device is found to have a positive correlation to the characteristics of the media consumption at the communal media device.

The method could further comprise, subsequent to identifying the user of the communal media device, further correlating the respective user profile with data representing historical media consumption at the communal device and, when a positive correlation is found, storing in the user profile that part of the data representing historical media consumption at the communal media device for which a positive correlation is found so as to increase the information content of the user profile.

The method preferably further comprises, in response to a user being identified as receiving media content from the content delivery system by means of the communal media device, the content delivery system causing advertising content to be selected in dependence on the user profile of that user and transmitted to the communal media device.

The content delivery system could be a satellite, cable or broadband broadcasting system, or a system for providing advertising content. The communal media device could be one of a digital video recorder, a set-top box, a television, a music system, a computer and a home entertainment system. The personal media device could be one of a mobile phone, a tablet computer, a laptop, a music player and a video player.

According to a second aspect of the present invention there is provided a system for identifying a user of a communal media device comprising a content delivery system for providing media content to a plurality of media devices including a communal media device, the content delivery system being configured to: maintain for a plurality of personal media devices a respective user profile formed based on media consumption at that personal media device; determine of the plurality of personal media devices a set of one or more personal media devices associated with the communal media device and, in dependence on that determination, link in the content delivery system the user profile of each of the personal media devices of the set with the communal media device; and correlate the user profiles linked to the communal media device with media content accessed by means of the communal media device so as to identify when a user corresponding to each user profile is receiving media content from the content delivery system by means of the communal media device.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a schematic drawing of a system configured in accordance with a first exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 2 is a schematic drawing of a system configured in accordance with a second exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The following description is presented to enable any person skilled in the art to make and use the invention, and is provided in the context of a particular application. Various modifications to the disclosed embodiments will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art.

The general principles defined herein may be applied to other embodiments and applications without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention.

Thus, the present invention is not intended to be limited to the embodiments shown, but is to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and features disclosed herein.

The present invention relates to media devices served by content delivery systems, such as satellite and cable television operators (e.g. Sky and Virgin) and broadband media providers (e.g. BT Vision, Hulu and YouTube). Content delivery systems provide media and advertising content to media devices. Specifically, the present invention relates to the provision of advertising content that can be selected by the content delivery system at the time of broadcast so as to provide advertising targeted to the user of a media device.

Communal media devices are those devices to which content is served by a content delivery system and which are typically used by more than one individual.

For example, a household typically has one main home entertainment system that includes a television and a set-top box configured to receive media content over satellite, cable or the internet. Such a system will generally be used by all the members of the household, which could comprise a family, co-habiting tenants, or a larger collection of residents (e.g. student accommodation).

A first example of the present invention is shown in figure 1 in which 100 is a communal media device served by content delivery system 104, and 101, 102 and 103 are personal media devices. In this example, communal media device is a set-top DVR configured to receive content from content delivery system 104 over medium 106, which could be a satellite signal, fibre optic cable or broadband connection. The content delivery system 104 comprises media servers 107 and an ad server 108 from which media content and adverts are served to DVR 100. Figure 1 is a schematic diagram only: media and adverts could be served by a content delivery system having any configuration and any number or type of servers or other content-serving entities. For example, ad server 108 could be located at a different content provider to media servers 107, such as a dedicated provider of digital adverts.

Personal media devices 101 and 103 are in this example mobile phones (or in this case "smartphones") equipped with a data connection to network 105, which is typically an internet gateway served by the network provider of the media devices.

Personal media device 102 is a tablet computer also equipped with a data connection to network 105. The personal media devices could belong to different network providers and network 105 represents any data network (e.g. GSM, 30, Wi-Fi or WiMAX) over which data can be routed from the personal media devices to the content delivery system. Devices 101, 102 and 103 allow a user to access media that is accessible over network 105 (such as websites and streaming radio services) or stored at the device (such as a music and videos). More generally each of the devices 101, 102 and 103 could be any personal media device such as a laptop, PDA, music and/or video player. Content delivery system 104 is coupled to network 105 so as to allow information describing the use of devices 101, 102 and 103 to be gathered by the content delivery system.

Personal media devices 101, 102 and 103 are owned by users resident at the household served by set-top box 100. It is not possible to determine which of the users is using the set-top box at any given time and it is not therefore possible to serve adverts targeted to that user. However, the present invention recognises that capturing the media consumption habits of the users of the personal media devices and correlating those habits with the viewing habits of media consumed by users of the set-top box allows the identity of the user of the set-top box to be guessed at least some of the time.

A profile of the user of a personal media device can be formed according to several methods, as will now be illustrated by way of example with each of the three personal media devices 101 to 103 being configured to support a different method. Personal media device 101 supports an application configured to monitor the media consumption habits of the user of that device and immediately or periodically upload that data over network 105 for content delivery system 104.

The application could be provided to user 101 by the provider of the content delivery system on the user consenting to having their media consumption habits being monitored. Such an application would upload the profile information it collects to the content delivery system over network 105. Alternatively, the application could be provided by the network provider of mobile device 101 so as to allow the network provider to gather profile information describing the media consumption of the user of the device. In this case the network provider would provide the profile information gathered from the device to content delivery system 104. This could be a source of revenue to the network provider, who might arrange to sell information regarding the media consumption habits of its mobile users to providers of content delivery systems such as 104.

The application is configured to monitor media files accessed by means of the device, through opening media files stored at the device and/or accessing media content over network 105, such as a streaming music service. By recording details of the media accessed, the application can build up a profile of the media consumption habits of the user. The profile information is uploaded for use by the content delivery system. This could be performed immediately as the profile information is collected, periodically according to some predetermined schedule, or on a request from the content delivery system or the network provider, as appropriate. The application could be configured to run silently as a background process of the device.

The application could itself provide media content to a user and the profile information could be gathered only in respect of media content accessed through the application. The application could be further configured to allow the user to indicate their media preferences in terms of their favourite genres of music/television/film, or the types of website (e.g. sports, news, entertainment) in which they are most interested. This information could be provided as profile information for use by the content delivery system. For example, the application might aggregate news from various websites or types of websites in which the user has expressed an interest and provide that media to the user; or the application might provide access to online streaming radio stations selected or rated by the user.

Personal media device 102 also supports an application, but in this second method the application is provided by the provider of the content delivery system so as to allow the user to (a) remotely access at least some of the media services provided by the content delivery system, and/or (b) remotely control set-top box 100, and/or (c) access account information associated with the set-top box of the content delivery system. The application is preferably configured to directly connect to the content delivery system over network 105 and becomes registered to the subscription account in the content delivery system that is associated with set-top box 100. This allows the content delivery system to monitor the media consumption habits of the user of that device. Registration of the device could be by one or more of login credentials, a digital certificate, or a prior association of a unique identifier of the device with the subscription account in the content delivery system (e.g. the SIM card number of a mobile device could be used to authenticate the device to the content delivery system). Typically, device 102 would be owned by the household member that holds the subscription account with the content delivery system; alternatively, the device could be owned by a user that holds a subsidiary account linked to the main subscription account with the content delivery system.

The application provided at media device 102 preferably allows the user to remotely access services to which set-top box 100 is subscribed. For example, if the set-top box is subscribed to receive a package of sports channels then, following registration with the content delivery system, the application would be enabled to receive those sports channels at the personal media device. This allows the user of device 102 to consume the content to which they have subscribed at home over the set-top box, or on the move over device 102. The application might alternatively or additionally allow the user to control the set-top box so as to, for example, remotely configure box 100 to record a program, delete a recording, or enable a power-saving mode of the box.

Once the application is registered to the account of set-top box 100, the content delivery system can be confident that the user of device 102 is a user of the set-top box. Consumption of media served by the content delivery system at personal media device 102 can therefore be used to build up a profile of the user that is useful in determining when that particular user is using the set-top box and allows targeted content to be served to that user by means of the set-top box. For example, any content from the content delivery system that is viewed at device 102 by means of the application can be assumed to be of interest to that particular user. Furthermore, any content handled at the set-top box that the user controls by means of the application running at the personal media device (e.g. by arranging the content to be recorded, or deleting such content from the set-top box) can be assumed to be of interest to that particular user.

The relevant network provider is configured to gather information describing the media consumption habits of personal media device 103 in accordance with a third method: by monitoring media accessed by the device over network 105. The media accessed by the device is logged at network entity 109 and provided to content delivery system 104 with the consent of the user of device 103. For example, network entity 109 can be configured to record a list of websites and media streams (such as online radio and streaming music or video services) accessed by the device. Such information can be gathered by the network provider which mediates all accesses to network 105 because each personal device is uniquely identifiable to the network provider. For example, in the case of a mobile phone, a cellular network provider can identify the device by its SIM card; in the case of a Wi-Fi network, a device can be identified by its MAC address; and, in the case of a fixed broadband network, a device can be identified by the line (e.g. telephone line or cable point) to which the device is connected.

More generally, a personal media device can be identified to a network entity 109 by means of any one of: login credentials; a digital certificate; a cookie or other tracking data; a unique identifier of the device hardware. Network entity 109 need not belong to the provider of network 105 and could be a distinct entity configured to track the media usage of media devices. For example, the network entity could belong to an advertising company configured to track media usage information at devices that have opted into a tracking system. The network entity could be configured to identify those devices by means of a cookie or other persistent identifier of the device when those devices access websites or other resources over network 105.

With any of the above methods, the profile information gathered on the media consumption habits of a user could comprise any of the following details: * information identifying the media accessed; for music media this might include artist, album, genre, year of release; for video media this might include name of the program/channel/episode/series/film, genre, year of release; for website media this might include website address, name of webpage, type of webpage (e.g. sports, news or entertainment).

* the time of consumption of the media, i.e. when the music, video or website was accessed; * the location at which the media was accessed; * the length of time the media was viewed/listened to; * general behaviour of the user in relation to accessed media, such as the number of websites/music tracks/videos/channels accessed per unit time and the average time for which each website/music track/video/channel is consumed.

Profile information gathered by an application at a personal media device or by a network entity is passed to the content delivery system, which must determine to which set-top box of the system each personal media device belongs. In the second method described above, this determination is straighiforward because the application itself is already linked to the account associated with set-top box 100. If such a link has not already been established, the content delivery system could be configured to identify which personal media devices belong to users resident at the location of set-top box 100. This can be achieved by a combination of one or more of any of the following: * by comparing an address associated with each personal media device with a database of addresses at which set-top boxes are located -this can be achieved by arranging that the network providers pass the registered address of devices for which profile information has been gathered to the content delivery system; * by comparing location information associated with each personal media device to a database of addresses at which set-top boxes are located -location information of a personal media device could be gathered by means of a GPS receiver at the device or by cellular positioning methods that allow the position of a device to be determined with respect of local cell towers; * by comparing a name associated with each personal media device with a database of names with which set-top boxes are associated; * by comparing a telephone number, email address or other identifying information associated with each personal media device with a database of telephone numbers, email addresses or other identifying information with which set-top boxes are associated; * by means of information held in an account subsidiary to the main account of the communal device, the subsidiary account being associated with a personal media device; * by means of a set of previously registered permissions accessible to the content delivery system, the permissions indicating that a personal media device is enabled to access one or more remote functions of the communal media device.

Once a personal media device (e.g. device 101, 102 or 103) has been linked to the household at which the set-top box 100 resides, the profile information gathered in respect of media usage at that personal device can be correlated against media consumption by means of set-top box 100 so as to allow the content delivery system to guess when that user is using the set-top box.

Preferably the profile information is stored by the content delivery system as a user profile associated with the account of set-top box 100, along with the user profiles of any other personal media devices that are determined to belong to users resident at the address of the communal media device 1 00.

Preferably the profile information gathered from each personal media device is processed so as to form a user profile that is an abstraction of the user represented by the profile information and in a form that allows that user to be readily identified from the media consumed at the communal device.

The content delivery system is configured to correlate usage of communal media device 100 with the user profiles associated with that communal device so as to determine which of the users associated with the communal device is in fact likely to be using it at a given point in time. This can be achieved in a number of ways: * if media accessed at the communal device is closely related to media indicated in only one user profile associated with the communal device then the user represented by that user profile can be assumed to be using the communal device -closely related media could include music by the same artist, webpages from the same website, episodes from the same serial, films by the same director, programs relating to the same sport; * if media accessed at the communal device is of the same genre as media indicated in only one user profile associated with the communal device then the user represented by that user profile can be assumed to be using the communal device -media of the same genre could include music of the same genre, webpages from websites of the same type (e.g. sports websites rather than news or entertainment websites), serials of a particular genre (e.g. drama, comedy), films of a particular genre (e.g. action, comedy), programs of the same type (e.g. sports, documentaries, dramas); * if the behaviour of the user of the communal device is similar to behaviour indicated in only one user profile associated with the communal device then the user represented by that user profile can be assumed to be using the communal device -for example, if the user of the communal device hops between channels according to a recognizable pattern and one of the user profiles indicates a user that generally hops between media content according to a similar pattern (e.g. on the basis of the channels on which the user dwells, the time spent on each channel and/or the number of channels visited within a given time period) then the user of the communal device can be assumed to be the user represented by that user profile; or, if the user of the communal device generally fast forwards through adverts when consuming visual media (such as broadcast or streamed video) and one of the user profiles indicates a user that also fast forwards through adverts then the user of the communal device can be assumed to be the user represented by that user profile; or, if only one user profile indicates a user that consumes content late at night then any content consumed late at night could be assumed to be down to that user.

It is advantageous if the content delivery system is configured to establish as many of the above correlations as possible with the aim of improving the likelihood that the identified user is in fact using the communal device.

When the content delivery system determines that there is a correlation between the usage of the communal media device and a user profile, the content delivery system is configured to assume that the user of the communal media device is the user indicated by that user profile and can serve content targeted to that user. In preferred embodiments of the present invention, the content delivery system is configured to serve, or cause to be served by an ad server, adverts targeted to the particular user. For example, at least some of the advertising spots in the advert breaks of a television program can be populated by adverts targeted to that user. Preferably the content delivery system is configured to provide targeted adverts in both broadcast and time-shifted programming. In the absence of a correlation between the usage of a communal media device and a user profile, adverts can be served assuming a generic user.

As is well known in the art, adverts can be targeted to a user in dependence on characteristics of the user, such as their age, sex, relationship status, hobbies and interests. Such characteristics are preferably stored as part of the user profile and could be provided by the user themselves or gathered from any number of sources and associated with the personal media device of that user. Alternatively, no such characteristics are stored and targeted adverts are selected in dependence on the media in which the user's profile indicates the user is interested. For example, if the media habits described in a user's profile indicate that the user is interested in football and a particular set of news websites, then comparison with a predetermined set of user types might indicate that the user is likely to be a male of 25 to 30 years, and adverts can be targeted to that user accordingly.

A second example of the present invention is shown in figure 2 in which a communal computer 200 is connected to the internet 205, along with personal media devices 201 and 202. In this example, device 201 is a personal laptop or tablet computer and device 202 is a smartphone, but more generally each device could be any personal media device such as a mobile phone, tablet computer, PDA, music and/or video player. An ad server 209 is also connected to the internet 205 and is configured to provide advertising content to communal computer 200. Ad server 209 might in practice be a network of servers or other network entities configured to provide adverts to internet-connected computers.

A communal computer would typically be used in a household to browse the internet, consume media of various sorts and run applications. In particular circumstances it may be possible for ad server 209 to provide targeted advertising to a user of the communal computer -for example, when the user authenticates themselves to a website by logging in -but often targeted advertising will be of limited impact because either (a) information representing a "user" of the computer is in fact a mix of the various users of the computer, or (b) adverts targeted to a particular user of the computer might in fact be served to a different user.

The present invention allows ad server 209 to more accurately identify who is using the communal computer 200 at a given point in time. Personal media devices 201 and 202 are configured so as to allow a profile of the user of each device to be formed. For each device this could be, as is described above in relation to the first example of the present invention, by means of an application supported at the device that is configured to monitor the media consumption habits of the user of that device, or by means of one or more network entities configured to monitor media accessed by the device over network 205.

Generally, any of the methods for forming a profile of the user of a personal media device that are could be used at a personal media device configured for use with the present invention. It is advantageous however if the a personal media device supports an application so as to allow the monitoring of the consumption of media accessed both locally at the device (e.g. music or video that is stored at the device) and media accessed over network 205.

In the present example, laptop 201 supports an application running as a background process configured to monitor media consumed at the device and upload information describing the consumption of media at the device to ad server 209 (i.e. the first method described above in relation to the first example of the present invention). Smartphone 202 is arranged to access internet 205 by means of a cellular network provider that is also configured to monitor the media resources accessed over the internet by the device (i.e. the third method described above in relation to the first example of the present invention).

The application running at device 201 is configured to periodically upload data over the internet to ad server 209. The application could be provided to the user of device 201 by the provider of the ad server 209 or the internet service provider (ISP) by means of which the device connects to the internet, which could be a cellular, Wi-Fi, or fixed broadband network provider. The application is configured to monitor media files accessed by means of the device, through opening media files stored at the device and/or accessing media content over network 105, such as a streaming music service. By recording details of the media accessed, the application can build up a profile of the media consumption habits of the user.

The profile information is uploaded for use by the ad server. This could be performed immediately as the profile information is collected, periodically accord ing to some predetermined schedule, or on a request from the ad server or the iSP, as appropriate.

The cellular network provider for device 202 is configured to gather information describing the media consumption habits of the user of personal media device 202. The media accessed by the device is logged by the cellular network provider and provided to ad server 209 with the consent of the user of device 202. For example, the cellular network provider can be configured to record a list of websites and media streams (such as online radio and streaming music or video services) accessed by the device. Such information can be gathered by the network provider because the provider mediates all accesses by the device to the internet and because each personal device is uniquely identifiable to the network provider. For example, smartphone 202 could be identified by its SIM card.

Once profiles of the users of personal media devices 201 and 202 have been formed and provided to ad server 209, the ad server is configured to link those user profiles to one or more communal media devices -in this case, communal computer 200. This can be achieved in accordance with any of the methods described in relation to the first example of the present invention -for example, by comparing address or location information associated with each personal media device with the address of the communal computer. On a personal media device being determined to belong to a user resident at the address at which the communal computer is located, the user profile associated with that personal media device is linked to the communal computer by the ad server. For example, the ad server could be configured to store the user profiles along with corresponding data that identifies communal computer 200, such as a unique identifier stored in a cookie or other persistent identifier at the communal computer, an IP address, a hardware identifier (e.g. a MAC address), or some other unique fingerprint of the communal computer.

The profile information gathered in respect of media usage at personal devices 201 and 202 can be correlated against media consumption by means of communal computer 200 SO as to allow the content delivery system to guess when that user is using the computer. Preferably the profile information gathered from each personal media device is processed so as to form a user profile that is an abstraction of the user represented by the profile information and in a form that allows that user to be readily identified from the media consumed at the communal computer.

In order to allow the user of communal computer 200 to be determined, it is necessary to determine the media being consumed at the communal computer.

This can be achieved by means of an application installed at the communal computer that monitors the use of media consumed at the device -for example, local media such as music and videos that are opened at the computer and remote media such as websites, streaming music and videos that are accessed by the computer over internet 205. Alternatively, and preferably, the consumption of media at the computer is monitored by means of the ad server and/or associated entities. For example, an ad server is typically arranged to serve adverts to a device when that device requests content from a set of websites that employ that ad server to fulfil its advertising requirements. This allows the ad server to gather information identifying at least some of the webpages, streaming music and video, and other content that is requested by a particular device, such as communal computer 200.

It is advantageous if the ad server can further capture information identifying the time of day media content is being accessed at the communal device, and behavioural information such as the length of the time each media item is accessed for, the number of media items simultaneously accessed by the user (e.g. the number of webpages concurrently held open in tabs at a browser of the computer), and the rate at which new media items are accessed.

The ad server is configured to correlate usage of communal computer 200 with the user profiles that have been linked to the communal computer so as to determine which of the users associated with the computer is in fact likely to be using it at a given point in time. This can be achieved in a number of ways: * if media accessed at the communal computer is closely related to media indicated in only one user profile linked to the communal computer then the user represented by that user profile can be assumed to be using the communal computer -closely related media could include music by the same artist, webpages from the same website, episodes from the same serial, films by the same director, programs relating to the same sport; * if media accessed at the communal computer is of the same genre as media indicated in only one user profile associated with the communal computer then the user represented by that user profile can be assumed to be using the communal computer -media of the same genre could include music of the same genre, webpages from websites of the same type (e.g. sports websites rather than news or entertainment websites), serials of a particular genre (e.g. drama, comedy), films of a particular genre (e.g. action, comedy), programs of the same type (e.g. sports, documentaries, dramas); * if the behaviour of the user of the communal computer is similar to behaviour indicated in only one user profile associated with the communal computer then the user represented by that user profile can be assumed to be using the communal computer -for example, if the user of the communal computer opens new webpages at a fast rate and rapidly hops between them and the user profile of laptop 201 indicates that the user of that device also generally opens new webpages at a fast rate and rapidly hops between them, then the user of the communal computer can be assumed to be the user represented by that user profile. To give another example: if the user of the communal computer generally fast forwards through adverts when consuming visual media (such as broadcast or streamed video), or channel hops according to a recognisable pattern, and the user profile of the laptop indicates that the user of that device also generally fast forwards through adverts/channel hops according to the recognisable pattern, then the user of the communal computer can be assumed to be the user represented by that user profile.

It is advantageous if the ad server is configured to establish as many of the above correlations as possible with the aim of improving the likelihood that the identified user is in fact using the communal computer.

When the ad server determines that there is a correlation between the usage of the communal computer and a user profile, the ad server is configured to assume that the user of the communal computer is the user indicated by that user profile and serves adverts to the communal computer that are targeted to that user. For example, when the user requests webpages that include adverts provided by ad server 209, those adverts are served by the ad server as targeted adverts tailored to that particular user. In the absence of a correlation between the usage of a communal computer and a user profile, adverts are served assuming a generic user.

It is further advantageous if, once a correlation has been found between a user profile and media consumption at the communal device, further correlations are performed between the user profile and historical data describing previous media consumption at the communal device. Such historical data may be available at the communal device (e.g. data stored at a set-top box that describes the viewing history of the device, or data stored at a computer that describes the website browsing history of the device), at the content delivery system or ad server itself, or from third party sources, such as internet companies that track website usage.

Historical data that can be correlated to a particular user profile linked to the communal device is preferably added to that user profile so as to improve the reliability of identifications made in accordance with the system of the present invention. For example, further media items (e.g. films, websites, music artists and serials) that belong to a genre or media type that is associated with a particular user profile can be added to that profile so as to expand the set of media items held by the user profile and allow future correlations to be made in dependence on those newly-added media items.

The present invention has been described in relation to its use for determining the identity of the user of a DVR set-top box and a home computer. More generally the communal media device could be any media device shared by multiple persons, including but not limited to a television, projector, laptop or tablet computer, media PC, music system.

The applicant hereby discloses in isolation each individual feature described herein and any combination of two or more such features, to the extent that such features or combinations are capable of being carried out based on the present specification as a whole in the light of the common general knowledge of a person skilled in the art, irrespective of whether such features or combinations of features solve any problems disclosed herein, and without limitation to the scope of the claims. The applicant indicates that aspects of the present invention may consist of any such individual feature or combination of features. In view of the foregoing description it will be evident to a person skilled in the art that various modifications may be made within the scope of the invention.

Claims

CLAIMS1. A method for identifying a user of a communal media device comprising: profiling a user based on media consumption at a personal media device of the user so as to form a user profile; determining that the personal media device is associated with the location of a communal media device operable to receive media content from a content delivery system; in response to the determination, linking the user profile of the personal media device with the communal media device in the content delivery system; and correlating the user profile with media content accessed by means of the communal media device so as to identify when the respective user is receiving media content from the content delivery system by means of the communal media device.
2. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the personal media device is operable to communicate over a network and the profiling step comprises an entity of the network monitoring accesses by the personal media device to media content accessible over the network and recording those accesses in the user profile.
3. A method as claimed in I or 2, wherein the profiling step comprises monitoring by means of an application at the personal media device accesses to media content stored at the personal media device or accessible to the personal media device over a network and recording those accesses in the user profile.
4. A method as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the personal media device supports an application operable to access media content served by the content delivery system and the profiling step comprises the content delivery system monitoring accesses to media content served by the content delivery system.
5. A method as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the communal media device is a digital video recorder, the personal media device supports an application operable to send commands to the content delivery system so as to cause the digital video recorder to record media content served by the content delivery system, and the profiling step comprises the content delivery system monitoring commands from the application and storing information representing the media content of the content delivery system to which each command relates.
6. A method as claimed in any of claims 2 to 5, wherein monitoring accesses to media content comprises storing at the user profile information representing one or more of: the media content accessed; the time at which the media content is accessed; the location of the personal media device when the media content is accessed; the length of time for which the media is consumed.
7. A method as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the media content is one of a music track, a video file, a streamed media resource, and a webpage.
8. A method as claimed in any of claims 2 to 7, wherein monitoring accesses to media content comprises storing at the user profile information representing a behaviour of the user with respect to accessed media, including one or more of: the number of media items accessed per unit time; the average time for which each media item is consumed; and the number of media items concurrently consumed.
9. A method as claimed in any preceding claim, further comprising profiling a plurality of users based on media consumption at their respective personal media devices so as to form a plurality of user profiles, each personal media device being distinguished by one or more of: a hardware identifier, an identifier stored at a SIM card of the personal media device; login credentials provided by the personal media device; a digital certificate stored at the personal media device; and one or more cookies stored at the personal media device.
10. A method as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the determining step comprises comparing location information associated with the personal media device with information representing the location of the communal media device so as to establish that the user of the personal media device is associated with the location of the communal media device.
11. A method as claimed in claim 10, wherein the determination step is successful if the comparison finds a match between the location information associated with the personal media device and the information representing the location of the communal media device.
12. A method as claimed in claim 10 or 11, wherein the location information is one or more of a name, telephone number and address associated with the personal media device.
13. A method as claimed in claim 12, wherein the address is the registered add ress of the personal media device.
14. A method as claimed in any of claims 10 to 13, wherein the location information represents a position of the personal media device over time, the location information being determined by means of a OPS receiver of the personal media device and/or cellular positioning methods.
15. A method as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the linking step comprises storing the user profile at the content delivery system and linking the stored user profile with an account associated with the communal media device.
16. A method as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the correlating step comprises the content delivery system: monito ring media consumption at the communal media device; correlating the user profile to characteristics of the media consumption at the communal media device; and when a positive correlation is found between the user profile and the characteristics of the media consumption at the communal media device, identifying that the media consumption at the communal media device corresponds to the user associated with that user profile.
17. A method as claimed in claim 16, wherein characteristics of the media consumption at the communal media device include one or more of: the media content accessed; the time at which the media content is accessed; the location of the personal media device when the media content is accessed; the length of time for which the media is consumed; and a behaviour of the user with respect to accessed media, including one or more of the number of media items accessed per unit time, the average time for which each media item is consumed, whether advertising content is skipped or fast-forwarded; and the number of media items concurrently consumed.
18. A method as claimed in claim 16 or 17, wherein a positive correlation is found in one or more of the following cases: the characteristics of the media consumption at the communal media device indicate that the media consumed at the communal device is related to media content indicated in the user profile; the characteristics of the media consumption at the communal media device indicate that the media consumed at the communal device is of the same genre as media content indicated in the user profile; and the characteristics of the media consumption at the communal media device indicate that the behaviour of the user at the communal device is similar to behaviour indicated in the user profile.
19. A method as claimed in claim 18, wherein the media consumed at the communal device is related to media content indicated in the user profile if one or more of the following is true: the media consumed at the communal device and the media content indicated in the user profile are music tracks by the same artist; the media consumed at the communal device and the media content indicated in the user profile are webpages from the same website; the media consumed at the communal device and the media content indicated in the user profile are episodes from the same serial; the media consumed at the communal device and the media content indicated in the user profile are films by the same director; and the media consumed at the communal device and the media content indicated in the user profile are sports programs relating to the same sport.
20. A method as claimed in any preceding claim, further comprising performing the correlating step for all user profiles linked to the communal media device in the content delivery system.
21. A method as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein a positive correlation is disregarded if more than one of the user profiles linked to the communal media device is found to have a positive correlation to the characteristics of the media consumption at the communal media device.22. A method as claimed in any preceding claim, further comprising, subsequent to identifying the user of the communal media device, further correlating the respective user profile with data representing historical media consumption at the communal device and, when a positive correlation is found, storing in the user profile that part of the data representing historical media consumption at the communal media device for which a positive correlation is found so as to increase the information content of the user profile.
22. A method as claimed in any preceding claim, further comprising, in response to a user being identified as receiving media content from the content delivery system by means of the communal media device, the content delivery system causing advertising content to be selected in dependence on the user profile of that user and transmitted to the communal media device.
23. A method as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the content delivery system is a satellite, cable or broadband broadcasting system, or a system for providing advertising content.
24. A method as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the communal media device is one of a digital video recorder, a set-top box, a television, a music system, a computer and a home entertainment system.
25. A method as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the personal media device is one of a mobile phone, a tablet computer, a laptop, a music player and a video player.
26. A system for identifying a user of a communal media device comprising a content delivery system for providing media content to a plurality of media devices including a communal media device, the content delivery system being configured to: maintain for a plurality of personal media devices a respective user profile formed based on media consumption at that personal media device; determine of the plurality of personal media devices a set of one or more personal media devices associated with the communal media device and, in dependence on that determination, link in the content delivery system the user profile of each of the personal media devices of the set with the communal media device; and correlate the user profiles linked to the communal media device with media content accessed by means of the communal media device so as to identify when a user corresponding to each user profile is receiving media content from the content delivery system by means of the communal media device.
27. A system for identifying a user of a communal media device substantially as described herein with reference to figures 1 or 2.