Time Warner Cable Enterprises LLC

Justin Tidwell

Eduardo G Samame

Craig Engel

Bryan Santangelo

Ethan Wolf

Chris Roosenraad

Luis Roberto Anaya

Craig Goldberg

Steven Ernest Riedl

Gary Cronk

Forrest Murphy

Edward G Samame

Ramon Herrera

Cory Kin

Dipan Patel

Johnathan Saginaw

Sohil Sami

Methods and apparatus for detecting and correlating content consumption, e.g., viewing of programs and/or accessing websites, across platforms of different types are described. Content consumption, e.g., requests and/or streaming is monitored and recorded on a per subscriber basis for a wide variety of platforms, e.g., set boxes, IP content playback devices such as cell phones or pad devices with IP streaming support, and/or other devices. Web site access and corresponding content consumption is determined based on DNS requests thereby avoiding the need for monitoring at web site servers and allowing centralized monitoring of web site access operations in the form of DNS requests to be detected by a Web service provider who, at least in some embodiments, is also a content provider.

Methods and apparatus for cross platform monitoring and customer targeting

Apparatus and methods for providing primary and secondary content and data to users. In one embodiment, management entities at a content delivery network core cooperate to provide primary content with contextually related or germane inserted secondary content to user devices. Inserted secondary content may include e.g., advertisements, multimedia applications, interactive programming, and scheduled programming. A network entity monitors user-specific data such as demographics, geographic location, and viewing patterns, and facilitates content selection and delivery based thereon. Content insertion may further be managed by a campaign manager according to business rules. In another embodiment, the primary and secondary content is pushed to a device at or near the network edge based on the applicability thereof to devices serviced by the edge device.

Apparatus and methods for dynamic secondary content and data insertion and delivery

Methods and apparatus for identification and characterization of latency in a content delivery network. In one embodiment, interaction of users with content is recorded via collection of tuning records; the latency is then utilized to adjust the timing on the tuning records to account for lapses in time for sending these between entities of the network and the user devices, and for processing occurring at the devices. The latency is determined by taking into account a device specific latency component, and a network latency component. The network latency component is determined in one variant by sending a message to the device from the network requesting a response. Once the timing of the tuning records is adjusted, these tuning records may be relied upon as being accurate on a second-by-second basis. Accordingly, tuning records may be obtained and analyzed for content which lasts for a very short period of time.

Apparatus and methods for identifying and characterizing latency in a content delivery network

Methods and apparatus for ensuring the privacy of users and/or devices in a content delivery network from which data regarding the users' interaction with content is collected and distributed. In one embodiment, 'tuning' records which describe the interaction of users with content or other activities of interest are collected. It is determined whether an opportunity for compromise of the user's privacy (e.g., by derivative association) is present. If it is determined that such an opportunity exists, at least portions of the data are modified (e.g., collapsed). The modification may comprise replacing a first explicit data value with a second descriptive data value, increasing a range for the value, generalizing the value, removing the value, or encoding the value. Further processing of the collected tuning records may include, validating the data, accounting for latency, and generating reports based thereon.

Apparatus and methods ensuring data privacy in a content distribution network

Methods and apparatus for identification and insertion of content targeted to a particular audience within a content-based network, such as a cable television or satellite network. In one embodiment of the invention, audience qualities are identified and distributed to an advertisement decision maker, which uses the information to fulfill advertisement placement opportunities. Qualifiers about an existing or projected audience are classified utilizing an algorithm for qualifier weight and variance in order to determine the proximity any given qualifier may be to a target audience for an advertisement. Subscriber privacy and anonymity is also optionally maintained via e.g., hashing or encrypting data relating to the CPE and/or subscriber, thus ensuring that audience data is not traceable to a specific user account. Business methods are also disclosed.

Methods and apparatus for targeted secondary content insertion

Apparatus and methods for enabling presence-based and/or use-based services. In one embodiment, a presence database and an evaluation entity collect information relating to a device's location and activity. The presence database collects location-based data to build anonymized user profiles; estimates a physical location of the device; and provides targeted content to the device. The user profiles are stored at e.g., a user premises, or at a headend network or elsewhere within the 'cloud'. Additionally, in one variant, signals are collected from 'smart' appliances (in a home or other premises) to create personal, shared, and family environmental settings which are instantiated when a user enters the premises. Methods and apparatus to collect browsing behavior across desktop and mobile devices on third party sites (including web browsing, social networking, and e-commerce) which are represented by the managed network are also provided.

Apparatus and methods for enabling presence-based and use-based services

Methods and apparatus for identification and characterization of latency in a content delivery network. In one embodiment, interaction of users with content is recorded via the collection of a plurality of tuning records; the latency is then utilize to adjust the timing on the tuning records to account for lapses in time for sending these from between entities of the network and the user devices, and for processing occurring at the devices as required. The latency is determined by taking into account an experimentally or manufacturer-derived device specific latency component, and a network latency component. The network latency component is determined in one variant by sending a message to the device from the network requesting a current system time (or other response). Once the timing of the tuning records is adjusted, these tuning records may be relied upon as being accurate representations of subscriber interaction with content on a second-by-second basis. Accordingly, tuning records may be obtained and analyzed for content which lasts for very short periods of time (e.g. advertisements).

Apparatus and methods for providing media options over a network. In one embodiment, the media options are presented in conjunction with a promotion or advertisement for particular content. The precise ones of a plurality of disclosed options that will be presented may be determined based at least in part on a campaign established by a content management entity and a current availability of the content. For example, certain media options may only be made available for content that is currently available, while other options may be only available for content available at a future date/time, or during a particular time window. Rules for determining which options are to be provided in conjunction with which content and/or advertisements are established and by a content management entity, such as an entity of a multiple systems operator (MSO).

Apparatus and methods for enabling media options in a content delivery network

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.

Growing community of inventors

Waxhaw, NC, United States of America

Justin Tidwell