Protecting identification information in usage reports
US8561094B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Apr 29, 2011 |
| Grant date | Oct 15, 2013 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Aug 16, 2031 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH04N21/6581
- WIPO fieldAudio-visual technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A television program ratings method and system includes transferring information associated with households from a cable provider to a ratings provider such that the ratings provider has access to information associated with sampled households and lacks access to information associated with non-sampled households. To this end, identity information and usage information associated with the households are respectively anonymized and encrypted. Knowledge of the identities of the sampled households enables the anonymized identity information and the encrypted usage information for the sampled households to be respectively de-anonymized and decrypted. The ratings provider knows which households are sampled households. As such, the ratings provider de-anonymizes and decrypts the information associated with the sampled households and then uses the de-anonymized and decrypted information to determine television program ratings. The cable provider anonymizes and encrypts the information for all households as the cable provider does not know which households are sampled households.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.