JP7628415B2 - ID linking system, ID linking method and program - Google Patents

Description

This disclosure relates to an ID linking system, an ID linking method, and a program.

Conventionally, viewing information of programs viewed on a television (TV) has been collected and analyzed to obtain the viewing ratings of the programs. For example, Patent Literature 1 discloses a system that collects viewing information of programs viewed on a monitor device such as a television device, identifies viewers on an individual basis, and analyzes the viewing status of each program in terms of viewer attributes such as age and gender.

In television broadcasting, commercials (Commercial Messages (CMs)) are broadcast as advertisements. The task of deciding which CMs to broadcast at what time (which may also be called advertising slot selection, planning, etc.) is carried out by planners, people in charge of planning at broadcasting stations (which may also be called the planning desk, etc.). Planners decide the schedule for CMs for the many advertising campaigns that exist, taking into account the program's viewership ratings, awareness of the product/service featured in the CM, sponsor competition, etc.

JP 2003-163949 A

The viewer attributes described in Patent Document 1 are only "name," "gender," "occupation," "address," and "family structure." With only this information, it is not necessarily easy to assign appropriate commercials to each program. For example, simply airing commercials aimed at people in their twenties because a certain program has a large number of male viewers in their twenties does not necessarily result in a high advertising effect, since each person's personality (hobbies, tastes, etc.) is different.

For this reason, it would be desirable to be able to collect information about viewers' personalities on a program-by-program basis. However, such a method has not yet been considered.

Therefore, one of the objectives of this disclosure is to provide an ID linking system, an ID linking method, and a program that can optimally analyze the personalities of viewers for each program.

An ID linking system according to one aspect of the present disclosure includes an acquisition unit that acquires a set of viewing logs including a TV device identifier (ID) for identifying a television (TV) and an Internet Protocol (IP) address, a set of access logs including a device ID for identifying a device and an IP address, and a set of attribute survey results including the device ID and a user ID for identifying a user, and a control unit that extracts a device ID corresponding to a certain IP address from the set of access logs, extracts a TV device ID corresponding to the IP address from the set of viewing logs, and controls storing an association between each extracted device ID and the extracted TV device ID in a first table, and the control unit controls a device ID extracted from the set of attribute survey results to be stored in a first table. the control unit controls to store in a second table an association between a user ID corresponding to a certain IP address and a TV device ID corresponding to the device ID extracted from the first table, and when the number of device IDs corresponding to a certain IP address extracted from the set of access logs is less than a first threshold, the control unit extracts TV device IDs corresponding to the IP address from the set of viewing logs, and controls to store in the first table an association between each extracted device ID and the extracted TV device ID, and the first threshold differs depending on the type of device ID corresponding to a certain IP address extracted from the set of access logs .

According to one aspect of the present disclosure, it is possible to effectively analyze the personalities of viewers for each program.

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a schematic configuration of an ID federation system according to an embodiment. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a sequence of an ID federation method according to an embodiment. FIG. 3 illustrates an example sequence for matching device IDs and attributes of a user of a device, according to one embodiment. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example sequence for matching TV device IDs and attributes of device users according to one embodiment. FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of a functional configuration of the television 10 according to an embodiment. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of the television 10 according to an embodiment.

According to one aspect of the present disclosure, detailed information regarding viewers of a program can be analyzed, which is beneficial for each of the program provider, advertising provider, broadcasting company, and viewers. For example, program providers can use the above information to create programs that are in line with the viewers' sensibilities/preferences and are expected to attract more viewers. Advertising providers can use the above information to provide commercials that are in line with the viewers' sensibilities/preferences and have a higher advertising effect.

Embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the following description, identical parts are given the same reference numerals. Since identical parts have the same names, functions, etc., detailed descriptions will not be repeated.

(ID linking system)
Fig. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a schematic configuration of an ID linking system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The ID linking system 1 shown in Fig. 1 includes a television 10, a device 20, a router 30, a matching server 40, a viewing log management server 50, an advertisement delivery server 60, and an attribute management server 70. Note that the server in the present disclosure may be replaced with an apparatus, a device, a circuit, or the like.

The television (television receiver) 10 is a device that has the function of receiving broadcasts. Note that broadcasting refers to the transmission of electrical communications intended to be received directly by the public, and may include wireless broadcasting, Internet broadcasting, and the like. For example, the television 10 may have the function of receiving at least one of terrestrial broadcasting, broadcasting using a broadcasting satellite (BS)/communications satellite (CS), Internet broadcasting (Internet television), and the like. The television 10 may display (render) the received broadcasts.

Based on the user's consent, the television 10 can collect viewing logs (which may also be called television viewing logs, broadcast viewing logs, viewing history, viewing data, etc.) related to the television 10 and transmit them to the viewing log management server 50. Note that the term "log" in this disclosure may be interpreted interchangeably as log data, data, etc.

It is preferable that the viewing log includes the IP address of the television 10, identification information of the television 10 (which may be called television identification information, TV device identifier (ID), TVID, etc.), viewing start date and time (or the time the television 10 was turned on), viewing end date and time (or the time the television 10 was turned off), information indicating the location of the television 10 (e.g., postal code, address), etc.

The viewing log may include information recorded by linking content viewed on the television 10 to time information. For example, the viewing log may include information regarding viewed program information (e.g., a broadcast station ID that identifies the broadcast station, time, etc.), viewed commercials, etc. The viewing log may include information that can identify at least one of viewing behavior such as terrestrial broadcasting via the television 10, time-shift playback, browser startup, and execution of an online service. The viewing log may include timestamps corresponding to the dates and times when these events occurred.

The TV device ID may be at least one of the serial number (manufacturing number) of the television 10, the product model number, information about a device required to play broadcasts on the television 10 (e.g., a B-CAS (BS Conditional Access Systems) (registered trademark) card), an identifier used for a specific service on the television 10 (e.g., a login ID), etc., or it may be a value calculated based on these values (e.g., a hashed value of the serial number).

The device 20 is a device that executes an application such as a browser in response to a user's operation. The device 20 may receive an advertisement from the advertisement delivery server 60 in conjunction with the operation of the application. The advertisement is delivered to each device 20 based on the advertisement ID.

The advertising ID here is, for example, an anonymous and unique identifier for advertisement delivery (an identifier related to advertisements) from which the user can opt out. The advertising ID may be a unique cookie ID related to a small file (cookie) stored in the browser of the device 20. Note that the cookie ID may be a different ID for each browser. The advertising ID may be called cookie information, etc.

The advertising ID may also be an identifier obtained from an application installed on the device 20 (can be obtained via an app), such as IDFA (Identification (Identifier) For Advertisers), ADID (Advertising ID), or other advertising identifiers. IDs that are primarily used on mobile terminals, such as IDFA and ADID, may also be called mobile advertising IDs, mobile IDs, etc.

The television 10 and the device 20 may each be a mobile terminal (mobile communication terminal) such as a mobile phone, smartphone, or tablet terminal, or a fixed communication terminal such as a personal computer (PC), a server, a television (TV), a multifunction television, a smart TV, an IP (Internet Protocol) TV, or a set-top box. In other words, the television 10 in this specification can be interpreted as a device other than a television (for example, a communication device).

The television 10 and the device 20 may each communicate with a network (e.g., the Internet) via wired and/or wireless (e.g., Long Term Evolution (LTE), ^5th Generation New Radio (5G NR), Wi-Fi (registered trademark), etc.).

The router 30 is assigned an IP address by an Internet provider and relays communications between devices in a LAN (Local Area Network) and devices on the WAN (Wide Area Network) side. The TV 10 and devices 20 are connected to the router 30 by wire and/or wireless (e.g., Wi-Fi (registered trademark)). The TV 10 and devices 20 included in the same LAN communicate with an external network (such as the Internet) via the router 30.

In the configuration of FIG. 1, when IPv4 (IP Version 4) is used, the IP address that is visible to the communication partner in the communication between the TV 10 and the device 20 is the IP address of the router 30 (the same IP address). This is achieved by the IP masquerade (NAPT: Network Address Port Translation) function of the router 30, etc.

The IP address may be either IPv4 or IPv6, or may be an extended/modified version of these. In this specification, the IP address may be replaced with other information (such as a specific address for identifying a device, identification information, etc.).

The matching server 40 is a device that performs association to determine the attributes of a user watching the television 10 based on the attributes of the user of the device 20 (e.g., to determine that the two users are the same). Note that "matching" in this disclosure may be interpreted interchangeably as "mapping," "association," "matching," etc.

The viewing log management server 50 is a device that has the function of managing (collecting, analyzing, etc.) viewing logs related to the television 10. The viewing log management server 50 may be owned by the manufacturer of the television 10, or may be owned by the broadcasting station (television station) that broadcasts to the television 10.

The advertisement delivery server 60 may be a device having a function of delivering Internet advertisements to the device 20. The advertisements may be composed of, for example, text, images (still images, moving images), audio, other media, or a combination of these. Note that the advertisement delivery server 60 may also be capable of transmitting content other than advertisements to the device 20.

The advertisement delivery server 60 may be configured to include a Data Management Platform (DMP) and may determine the advertisements to be delivered using the DMP. The advertisement delivery server 60 may also be a delivery server that uses a Demand Side Platform (DSP), or may be an advertisement delivery server (ad server) other than a DSP, or a delivery server that uses an ad server.

The ad server may be a distribution server that uses an API (Application Programming Interface) (Ads-API) provided by a specific company (e.g., Twitter (registered trademark), Facebook (registered trademark), etc.). The ad server may also be a video ad distribution server that distributes online video ads, or a CMS (Content Management System) that distributes ads to television sets. The ad distribution server 60 may also cooperate with ad servers such as DSPs, APIs, video ad distribution, and CMSs via a DMP (e.g., a public DMP).

The advertisement delivery server 60 acquires the device ID (e.g., a cookie ID or an advertisement ID) of the device 20. The advertisement delivery server 60 can deliver Internet advertisements (hereinafter also simply referred to as advertisements) to the device 20. Note that the advertisement delivery server 60 does not necessarily have to deliver advertisements, and may be referred to as a device ID acquisition server.

The advertisement delivery server 60 may acquire (receive, generate) a web access log (access log) of the device 20. The access log may include the IP address of the device 20, specific information of the device 20 (which may be called a device ID), a timestamp indicating the time when the device ID was acquired, and the like. The device ID may be at least one of the above-mentioned advertisement ID (e.g., a cookie ID, a mobile advertisement ID), an identifier used for a specific service (such as a login ID), and the like.

The advertisement delivery server 60 may cooperate with the matching server 40 to deliver advertisements that take into account the viewing history of the television 10 to users (devices 20) who have been successfully matched. This allows suitable advertisements to be delivered to users who are watching a specific television program, achieving high advertising effectiveness.

The attribute management server 70 may be a device that distributes questionnaires to the devices 20 to investigate the attributes of users (consumers) and collects the results. In an embodiment of the present disclosure, "attributes" include demographics (gender, age, residential area, income, occupation, educational background, etc.), hobbies and preferences, lifestyle habits, lifestyle consciousness, involvement with products, media exposure, etc. For example, "interested in purchasing a home," "not living with children," "hobby is music," "interested in running," "female and working full-time," "male/female aged 25-39, likes alcohol or snacks," etc. also fall under the "attributes" of the present disclosure. The attribute management server 70 may be configured using a DMP.

An example of the functional configuration and hardware configuration of each device, such as the television 10 and the device 20, will be described later.

Note that this system configuration is an example and is not limited to this. For example, while FIG. 1 shows a configuration in which one of each device is included, the number of each device is not limited to this and there may be multiple devices. Furthermore, the ID linking system 1 may be configured not to include some devices, or may be configured in such a way that the functions of a given device are realized by multiple devices.

Functions of multiple devices may also be realized by one device. For example, the matching server 40, the viewing log management server 50, and the advertisement delivery server 60 may be implemented on one server.

(ID linking method)
An ID federation method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described below. Each ID federation method may be applied to the above-mentioned ID federation system.

<Associating TV with devices>
First, a description will be given of the association between the viewing log of the television 10 and the device ID of the device 20. The association may be performed based on the viewing log and the access log, as will be described with reference to FIG.

Figure 2 shows an example of a sequence for matching a TV equipment ID and a device ID according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

The television 10 transmits the viewing log to the viewing log management server 50 (step S101). The timing of transmitting the viewing log may be periodic (e.g., every hour, every day, etc.) or at any timing. The viewing log management server 50 accumulates the viewing logs of a large number of televisions 10 (step S102). The viewing log management server 50 may store these viewing logs in a specific table (which may be called, for example, a viewing log table).

In addition, in this disclosure, a table may be interchangeably read as a set, a list, an array, a memory area, a storage area, a storage device, etc. Also, the tables in this disclosure do not necessarily have to be implemented as tables, but rather it is sufficient if a process equivalent to the process using the table can be realized using a function or the like.

The device 20 receives advertisements delivered from the advertisement delivery server 60 during web browsing and/or application usage (step S103). Step S103 may be omitted. The advertisement delivery server 60 may accumulate access logs of a large number of devices 20 (step S104). The advertisement delivery server 60 may store these access logs in a specific table (which may be called, for example, an access log table).

In steps S103 and S104, the device 20 detects that an advertisement in the app (any Web advertisement such as a banner advertisement or a video advertisement) has been clicked on by the user, and accordingly transmits a device ID (e.g., a mobile advertisement ID) to the advertisement delivery server 60, which may store the IP address, the device ID, a timestamp, and the like as an access log. Note that when the device 20 accesses a Web page that includes a specific site-installed tag, the advertisement delivery server 60 may obtain/generate the device ID (e.g., a cookie ID) of the device 20 and include it in the access log.

The matching server 40 acquires the viewing log from the viewing log management server 50 (step S105). Note that in step S105, it is not necessary to acquire the entire viewing log, and only a portion of the viewing log (e.g., IP address, TV device ID, timestamp) may be received. Hereinafter, this portion of the viewing log will also be simply referred to as the viewing log.

The matching server 40 acquires the access log from the advertisement delivery server 60 (step S106). Note that in step S106, it is not necessary to acquire the entire access log, and only a portion of the access log (e.g., IP address, device ID, timestamp) may be received. In the following, this portion of the access log will also be simply referred to as the access log.

The matching server 40 associates the TV device ID of the television 10 with the device ID of the device 20 based on the IP address (step S107). The matching server 40 determines whether the IP address of the television 10 and the IP address of the device 20 are the same (matching), and if they are the same, stores a combination of the corresponding TV device ID and the corresponding device ID (which may be called user information). Multiple device IDs may be associated with one TV device ID. The user information may include any information from the viewing log and any information from the access log.

The matching server 40 may store the pair of TV device ID and device ID associated in step S105 in a specific table (which may be called, for example, a TV device ID-device ID table). The TV device ID-device ID table may store the IP address of the device 20 instead of or in addition to the device ID.

The matching server 40 may determine whether or not a matching process is to be performed based on the timestamp attached to the viewing log and the timestamp attached to the access log. For example, the matching server 40 may control the viewing log and the access log to perform the matching process if the time difference between the two timestamps is less than a predetermined value (e.g., one day). Since IP addresses may change over time, this configuration makes it possible to effectively identify televisions 10 and devices 20 that are believed to belong to the same household.

It is preferable that the matching server 40 determines IP addresses that are not to be matched before step S107. For example, the matching server 40 may extract access logs whose timestamps fall within a predetermined period (e.g., a certain day), and if the number of device IDs corresponding to a certain IP address is less than a predetermined threshold, match the TV device ID and device ID for that IP address.

The matching server 40 may also extract logs with a specific type of device ID (e.g., cookie ID or mobile ID) from among the access logs whose timestamps fall within a specific period (e.g., a certain day), and if the number of device IDs of that specific type corresponding to a certain IP address is less than a specific threshold, match the TV device ID and device ID for that IP address. With this configuration, logs that are difficult to identify (analyze) individuals can be excluded from the matching targets, which is expected to improve the accuracy of the analysis.

The predetermined threshold may vary depending on the type of device ID. For example, if the device ID is for a cookie ID, the predetermined threshold may be threshold 1 (e.g., 9), and if the device ID is for a mobile advertising ID, the predetermined threshold may be threshold 2 (e.g., 6).

<Associating devices with user attributes>
Next, the association between the device ID of the device 20 and the attributes of the user of the device will be described.

FIG. 3 illustrates an example sequence for matching device IDs and device user attributes according to one embodiment. This sequence and the sequence in FIG. 2 may be performed in any order.

In step S201, the attribute management server 70 distributes a questionnaire to the device 20 to investigate the attributes of the user (consumer) (e.g., gender, age, hobbies and preferences, lifestyle awareness, product involvement, media exposure, etc.). The device 20 replies to the attribute management server 70 with the questionnaire results based on the user's input.

In step S202, the attribute management server 70 extracts user attributes from the survey results, and stores the extracted user attributes in association with the device ID and unique ID (UID) of the device 20. The attribute management server 70 may store the set of UID, device ID, and user attributes associated in step S202 in a specific table (which may be called, for example, a UID-user attribute table). The UID-user attribute table may be called an attribute survey result table.

Here, the device ID may be obtained in the same manner as described in step S104. The UID is an ID that uniquely corresponds to the user (resident) who responded to the questionnaire, and may be called a user ID, etc. The attribute management server 70 may generate the UID in an appropriate manner, and may generate it based on at least one of the current time, the device ID, the IP address, etc.

The UID-user attribute table may store the IP address of the device 20 instead of or in addition to the device ID.

<Associating TV with user attributes>
Next, the association between the TV device ID of the television 10 and the attributes of the user of the device 20 will be described.

Figure 4 illustrates an example sequence for matching TV device IDs and device user attributes, according to one embodiment. This sequence is performed after the sequences of Figures 2 and 3.

The matching server 40 associates the TV device ID and the UID based on the association of the TV device ID and the device ID in step S107 and the association of the device ID and the UID in step S202 (step S301). The matching server 40 may associate the TV device ID and the UID corresponding to the same device ID. The matching server 40 may store the pair of the TV device ID and the UID associated in step S301 in a specific table (which may be called, for example, a TV device ID-UID table).

The association in step S301 may be performed based on the IP address instead of the device ID if both the TV device ID-device ID table and the TV device ID-UID table contain IP addresses. In this case, even if the device 20 that responded to the questionnaire is different from the device 20 that the user normally uses (accesses the ad delivery server 60), the IP address is assumed to be the same (in the case of IPv4) as long as it is connected to the router 30, and matching can be performed appropriately. In other words, in the present disclosure, the device ID and IP address may be interpreted as interchangeable in the UID-user attribute table.

When a certain UID is associated with a number of TV device IDs equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold (e.g., 3), the matching server 40 may exclude (delete) the association of the UID and one or more TV device IDs from the TV device ID-UID table. This configuration makes it possible to preferably exclude cases in which a user connects the device 20 to a network while watching different televisions 10 in various locations during a certain period of time. In this case, the TV device IDs associated with the UID in step S301 include TV device IDs of televisions 10 installed at friends' houses, restaurants, hospitals, etc., so that the above exclusion makes it possible to avoid treating viewing logs for TVs that the user cannot operate (in other words, that the user is not necessarily watching because he or she wants to) as the viewing log of the user.

For example, when a certain UID is associated with a number of TV device IDs equal to or greater than the above-mentioned predetermined threshold, the matching server 40 may exclude (delete) all associations related to that UID (all associations related to that UID and to any TV device ID) from the TV device ID-UID table, or may exclude (delete) associations related to that UID and to specific TV device IDs from the TV device ID-UID table so that the number of TV device IDs associated with that UID is less than the predetermined threshold.

The specific TV device ID to be deleted may be a TV device ID with a relatively small amount of corresponding viewing logs. In other words, the TV device ID remaining in the TV device ID-UID table may be a TV device ID with a relatively large amount of corresponding viewing logs (for example, the TV device ID with the first or second largest amount of viewing logs in the viewing logs for each TV device ID related to the UID). This is because a television 10 corresponding to a TV device ID with a relatively large amount of corresponding viewing logs is presumed to be in the user's home.

Based on the association in step S301, the matching server 40 associates the viewing log (or simply the TV device ID) corresponding to the TV device ID with the user attributes corresponding to the UID (step S302).

In relation to step S302, the matching server 40 may store pairs of viewing logs (and/or TV device IDs) and user attributes (and/or UIDs) in a specific table.

In relation to step S302, the matching server 40 may update the viewing log in the viewing log management server 50 to a viewing log with the associated UID (or user attributes corresponding to the UID) (or may send an instruction to such an update).

In relation to step S302, the matching server 40 may update an entry in the UID-user attribute table in the attribute management server 70 to an entry with the associated TV device ID (or a viewing log corresponding to the TV device ID) (or may send an instruction to such an update).

Based on the association in step S302, the matching server 40 may extract viewer attributes for each broadcast slot (program) (step S303). For example, the matching server 40 may determine whether each viewing log associated in step S302 includes a log of viewing a certain program, and if so, may assume that the user with the corresponding UID viewed the program, and may include the user attributes as viewer attributes for that program. This makes it possible to derive the proportion of viewer attributes for each program that go beyond the viewer ratings, and to appropriately determine favorable commercial allocations.

The process of step S303 may be performed by excluding viewing logs in which the difference between the viewing end date and time and the viewing start date and time is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold (e.g., 4 hours). With this configuration, viewing logs that are left on (as if no one is watching) can be appropriately ignored.

The matching server 40 and/or the advertisement delivery server 60 may determine the commercial allocation for each broadcast slot based on the viewer attributes for each broadcast slot (program) obtained in step S303, or may deliver advertisements to the device corresponding to the UID taking into account the viewing history. For example, the matching server 40 and/or the advertisement delivery server 60 may control the allocation of commercials for a certain program so that commercials that are likely to interest viewers who frequently watch that program are allocated. With this configuration, for example, by broadcasting commercials in programs aimed at specific targets based not only on age and gender but also on interests and preferences, it is possible to realize effective commercial broadcasting that can reach a wider range of viewers of the specific targets.

According to the embodiment described above, for example, it is possible to grasp the composition of the real data of the viewing log based on various rich profiles such as consciousness and lifestyle habits. In addition, since the detailed attributes of the audience of each program can be specifically analyzed, it is possible to optimize the advertising cost for each program.

It is expected that the above embodiment can be applied to broadcasts with a relatively small number of viewers to more effectively identify viewers.

(Equipment configuration)
Fig. 5 is a diagram showing an example of a functional configuration of a television 10 according to an embodiment. As shown in this example, the television 10 has a control unit 110, a storage unit 120, a communication unit 130, an input unit 140, and an output unit 150. Note that Fig. 5 mainly shows functional blocks characteristic of this embodiment, and the television 10 may also have other functional blocks necessary for other processes. Also, the television 10 may have a configuration that does not include some of the functional blocks.

The control unit 110 controls the television 10. For example, the control unit 110 displays images based on user operations and controls the transmission of viewing logs. The control unit 110 can be configured as a controller, control circuit, or control device that is described based on common understanding in the technical field related to the present invention.

The memory unit 120 stores (holds) information used by the television 10. For example, the memory unit 120 sequentially stores a viewing log. The memory unit 120 can be configured, for example, with a memory, storage, storage device, etc. that are described based on a common understanding in the technical field related to the present invention.

The communication unit 130 transmits the viewing log to the matching server 40 and/or the viewing log management server 50. The communication unit 130 also outputs various information received from the device 20 and/or the router 30 (including the matching server 40, etc.) to the control unit 110.

The communication unit 130 may be configured with a transmitter/receiver, a transmission/reception circuit, or a transmission/reception device that is described based on a common understanding in the technical field related to the present invention. The communication unit 130 may be configured with a transmission unit and a reception unit.

The input unit 140 accepts input through user operation. The input unit 140 may also be connected to a specific device, storage medium, etc., and accept data input. The input unit 140 may output the input result to, for example, the control unit 110.

The input unit 140 can be configured with input devices such as a keyboard, mouse, and buttons, input/output terminals, and input/output circuits, which are described based on common understanding in the technical field related to the present invention. The input unit 140 may also be configured as an integrated unit with a display unit (e.g., a touch panel).

The output unit 150 plays back and outputs a specified content. For example, the output unit 150 may be configured to include a display unit that displays images, an audio output unit that outputs audio, and the like. The display unit may be configured, for example, by a display device such as a display or monitor that is described based on a common understanding in the technical field related to the present invention. Furthermore, the audio output unit may be configured by an output device such as a speaker that is described based on a common understanding in the technical field related to the present invention.

The output unit 150 can be configured to include, for example, a calculator, a calculator circuit, a calculator, a player, an image/video/audio processing circuit, an image/video/audio processing device, an amplifier, etc., which are described based on common understanding in the technical field related to the present invention.

The device 20, router 30, matching server 40, viewing log management server 50, advertisement delivery server 60, attribute management server 70, etc. may also have the same configuration as that shown in FIG. 5. A person skilled in the art can understand the description related to the television 10 in the explanation of FIG. 5 by appropriately interpreting it.

Below, some of the parts will be described as examples. The symbols of the devices corresponding to the functional blocks in FIG. 5 are expressed by applying the first digit of the symbol indicating each device (for example, the first digit of "20" for device 20) to the first digit in the diagram.

The control unit 210 of the device 20 may control the execution of an application such as a browser in accordance with a user's operation. The communication unit 230 may send an advertisement request to the advertisement delivery server 60 and receive an advertisement or send and receive an advertisement ID in accordance with the operation of the application.

The communication unit 430 of the matching server 40 may acquire a set of viewing logs (e.g., a viewing log table) including a TV device identifier (ID) for identifying a television (TV) and an Internet Protocol (IP) address, a set of access logs (e.g., an access log table) including a device ID for identifying a device and an IP address, and a set of attribute survey results (in other words, user attributes) (e.g., a UID-user attribute table) including the device ID and a user ID for identifying a user. Any one or a combination of the communication unit 430, the input unit 440, and the control unit 410 may be referred to as an acquisition unit.

The control unit 410 of the matching server 40 may extract a device ID corresponding to a certain IP address from the set of access logs, extract a TV device ID corresponding to the IP address from the set of viewing logs, and store the association between each extracted device ID and the extracted TV device ID in a first table (e.g., a TV device ID-device ID table) of the storage unit 420.

The control unit 410 of the matching server 40 may control the storage of an association between a user ID corresponding to a certain device ID extracted from the set of attribute survey results and a TV device ID corresponding to the device ID extracted from the first table in a second table (e.g., a TV device ID-UID table) of the storage unit 420.

The control unit 410 of the matching server 40 may perform control to extract TV device IDs corresponding to an IP address from the set of viewing logs when the number of device IDs corresponding to the IP address extracted from the set of access logs is less than a first threshold value, and to store the association between each extracted device ID and the extracted TV device ID in the first table.

The first threshold may vary depending on the type of device ID corresponding to an IP address extracted from the set of access logs. For example, if the device ID is a cookie ID, the first threshold may be threshold 1 (e.g., 9), and if the device ID is a mobile advertising ID, the first threshold may be threshold 2 (e.g., 6).

The control unit 410 of the matching server 40 may perform control to delete all associations related to a user ID from the second table when the number of TV device IDs corresponding to the user ID in the second table is equal to or greater than a second threshold value (e.g., 3).

The control unit 410 of the matching server 40 may control associating the viewing log corresponding to the TV device ID with the user attributes corresponding to the user ID based on the association in the second table.

The control unit 410 of the matching server 40 may extract viewer attributes for each broadcast slot based on the association between the viewing log and the user attributes.

The first threshold, second threshold, etc. may be determined in advance or may be determined based on user input, etc.

(Hardware configuration)
The block diagrams used to explain the above embodiments show functional blocks. These functional blocks (components) are realized by any combination of hardware and/or software. The means for realizing each functional block is not particularly limited. That is, each functional block may be realized by one physically connected device, or may be realized by two or more physically separated devices connected by wire or wirelessly.

For example, a device (such as a television 10) in one embodiment of the present disclosure may function as a computer that performs processing of the ID linking method of the present disclosure. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of a hardware configuration of a television 10 or the like in one embodiment. The above-mentioned matching server 40 or the like may be physically configured as a computer device including a processor 1001, a memory 1002, a storage 1003, a communication device 1004, an input device 1005, an output device 1006, a bus 1007, and the like.

In this disclosure, the terms apparatus, circuit, device, unit, server, etc. may be used interchangeably. The hardware configuration of the matching server 40, etc. may be configured to include one or more of the devices shown in the figure, or may be configured to exclude some of the devices.

For example, although only one processor 1001 is shown, there may be multiple processors. Furthermore, processing may be performed by one processor, or processing may be performed by two or more processors simultaneously, sequentially, or using other techniques. Furthermore, the processor 1001 may be implemented by one or more chips.

Each function of the matching server 40 etc. is realized by loading a specific software (program) onto hardware such as the processor 1001 and memory 1002, causing the processor 1001 to perform calculations and control communication via the communication device 1004, and the reading and/or writing of data in the memory 1002 and storage 1003, etc.

The processor 1001, for example, operates an operating system to control the entire computer. The processor 1001 may be configured as a central processing unit (CPU) including an interface with peripheral devices, a control device, an arithmetic unit, a register, etc. Each unit, such as the control unit 110 described above, may be realized by the processor 1001.

The processor 1001 also reads out programs (program codes), software modules, data, etc. from at least one of the storage 1003 and the communication device 1004 into the memory 1002, and executes various processes according to these. The programs used are those that cause a computer to execute at least some of the operations described in the above-mentioned embodiments. For example, the control unit 110 may be realized by a control program stored in the memory 1002 and running on the processor 1001, and similar implementations may be made for other functional blocks.

The memory 1002 is a computer-readable recording medium, and may be composed of, for example, at least one of a ROM (Read Only Memory), an EPROM (Erasable Programmable ROM), an EEPROM (Electrically EPROM), a RAM (Random Access Memory), or other suitable storage medium. The memory 1002 may also be called a register, a cache, a main memory, or the like. The memory 1002 may store executable programs (program codes), software modules, and the like for implementing a method according to one embodiment.

Storage 1003 is a computer-readable recording medium, and may be composed of at least one of a flexible disk, a floppy disk, a magneto-optical disk (e.g., a compact disk (CD-ROM (Compact Disc ROM)), a digital versatile disk, a Blu-ray (registered trademark) disk), a removable disk, a hard disk drive, a smart card, a flash memory device (e.g., a card, a stick, a key drive), a magnetic stripe, a database, a server, and other suitable storage media. Storage 1003 may be called an auxiliary storage device. Note that the above-mentioned storage unit 120 may be realized by memory 1002 and/or storage 1003.

The communication device 1004 is hardware (transmission/reception device) for communicating between computers via at least one of a wired network and a wireless network, and is also called, for example, a network device, a network controller, a network card, or a communication module. The communication device 1004 may include a SIM card. The above-mentioned communication unit 130 may be realized by the communication device 1004.

The input device 1005 is an input device (e.g., a keyboard, a mouse, etc.) that accepts input from the outside. The output device 1006 is an output device (e.g., a display, a speaker, etc.) that performs output to the outside. The input device 1005 and the output device 1006 may be integrated into one (e.g., a touch panel). The above-mentioned input unit 140 and output unit 150 may be realized by the input device 1005 and the output device 1006, respectively.

Furthermore, each device such as the processor 1001 and memory 1002 is connected by a bus 1008 for communicating information. The bus 1007 may be configured by a single bus, or may be configured by different buses between the devices.

The matching server 40 and the like may be configured to include hardware such as a microprocessor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a programmable logic device (PLD), or a field programmable gate array (FPGA), and some or all of the functional blocks may be realized by the hardware. For example, the processor 1001 may be implemented by at least one of these pieces of hardware.

(Modification)
In addition, terms explained in this disclosure and/or terms necessary for understanding this disclosure may be replaced with terms having the same or similar meanings.

The information, parameters, etc. described in this disclosure may be expressed using absolute values, may be expressed using relative values from a predetermined value, or may be expressed using other corresponding information. Furthermore, the names used for parameters, etc. in this disclosure are not limiting in any way.

The information, signals, etc. described in this disclosure may be represented using any of a variety of different technologies. For example, data, instructions, commands, information, signals, bits, symbols, chips, etc. that may be referred to throughout the above description may be represented by voltages, currents, electromagnetic waves, magnetic fields or magnetic particles, optical fields or photons, or any combination thereof.

Information, signals, etc. may be input and output via multiple network nodes. The input and output information, signals, etc. may be stored in a specific location (e.g., memory) or may be managed using a table. The input and output information, signals, etc. may be overwritten, updated, or added to. Output information, signals, etc. may be deleted. Input information, signals, etc. may be transmitted to another device.

In addition, notification of specific information (e.g., notification that "X is the case") is not limited to explicit notification, but may be implicit (e.g., by not notifying the specific information or by notifying other information).

Software shall be construed broadly to mean instructions, instruction sets, code, code segments, program code, programs, subprograms, software modules, applications, software applications, software packages, routines, subroutines, objects, executable files, threads of execution, procedures, functions, etc., whether referred to as software, firmware, middleware, microcode, hardware description language, or otherwise.

Software, instructions, information, etc. may also be transmitted and received via at least one of a transmission medium and a signal waveform. For example, if software is transmitted from a website, server, or other remote source using at least one of wired technologies (such as coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, Digital Subscriber Line (DSL)) and wireless technologies (such as infrared, microwave), then at least one of these wired and wireless technologies is included within the definition of a transmission medium.

As used in this disclosure, the terms "system" and "network" may be used interchangeably.

Each aspect/embodiment described in this disclosure may be used alone, in combination, or switched between depending on the implementation. In addition, the processing procedures, sequences, flow charts, etc. of each aspect/embodiment described in this disclosure may be rearranged as long as there is no inconsistency. For example, the methods described in this disclosure present elements of various steps using an exemplary order, and are not limited to the particular order presented.

As used in this disclosure, the phrase "based on" does not mean "based only on," unless expressly stated otherwise. In other words, the phrase "based on" means both "based only on" and "based at least on."

Any reference to elements using designations such as "first," "second," etc., used in this disclosure does not generally limit the quantity or order of those elements. These designations may be used in this disclosure as a convenient way to distinguish between two or more elements. Thus, a reference to a first and a second element does not imply that only two elements may be employed or that the first element must precede the second element in some way.

When the terms "include," "including," and variations thereof are used in this disclosure, these terms are intended to be inclusive, similar to the term "comprising." Additionally, the term "or," as used in this disclosure, is not intended to be an exclusive or.

In this disclosure, where articles have been added through translation, such as a, an, and the in English, the disclosure may include that the nouns following these articles are in the plural form.

Although the invention disclosed herein has been described in detail above, it is clear to those skilled in the art that the invention disclosed herein is not limited to the embodiments described herein. The invention disclosed herein can be implemented in modified and altered forms without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the claims. Therefore, the description of the disclosure is intended as an illustrative example and does not impose any limiting meaning on the invention disclosed herein.

Claims (6)

An acquisition unit that acquires a set of viewing logs including a TV device identifier (ID) for identifying a television (Television (TV)) and an Internet Protocol (IP) address, a set of access logs including a device ID for identifying a device and an IP address, and a set of attribute survey results including the device ID and a user ID for identifying a user;
a control unit that performs control to extract a device ID corresponding to a certain IP address from the set of access logs, extract a TV device ID corresponding to the IP address from the set of viewing logs, and store the association between each extracted device ID and the extracted TV device ID in a first table;
the control unit performs control to store, in a second table, an association between a user ID corresponding to a certain device ID extracted from the set of the attribute survey results and a TV device ID corresponding to the device ID extracted from the first table ;
when the number of device IDs corresponding to a certain IP address extracted from the set of access logs is less than a first threshold, the control unit performs control to extract TV device IDs corresponding to the IP address from the set of viewing logs, and to store, in the first table, associations between each extracted device ID and the extracted TV device ID;
An ID linking system in which the first threshold varies depending on the type of device ID corresponding to a certain IP address extracted from the set of access logs . The ID linking system of claim 1, wherein the control unit performs control to delete all associations related to a user ID from the second table when the second table contains a number of TV device IDs corresponding to a certain user ID that is equal to or greater than a second threshold value. The ID linking system according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the control unit controls associating the viewing log corresponding to the TV device ID with user attributes corresponding to the user ID based on the association in the second table. The ID linking system according to claim 3 , wherein the control unit extracts viewer attributes for each broadcast slot based on the association between the viewing log and the user attributes. A step of acquiring a set of viewing logs including a TV device identifier (ID) for identifying a television (Television (TV)) and an Internet Protocol (IP) address, a set of access logs including a device ID for identifying a device and an IP address, and a set of attribute survey results including the device ID and a user ID for identifying a user;
A step of controlling the extraction of a device ID corresponding to a certain IP address from the set of access logs, the extraction of a TV device ID corresponding to the IP address from the set of viewing logs, and storing an association between each extracted device ID and the extracted TV device ID in a first table;
and performing a control step of storing, in a second table, an association between a user ID corresponding to a certain device ID extracted from the set of attribute survey results and a TV device ID corresponding to the device ID extracted from the first table ;
in the step of controlling storage in the first table, when the number of device IDs corresponding to a certain IP address extracted from the set of access logs is less than a first threshold, a control is performed to extract a TV device ID corresponding to the IP address from the set of viewing logs, and to store in the first table an association between each extracted device ID and the extracted TV device ID;
An ID federation method for an ID federation system , wherein the first threshold value varies depending on the type of device ID corresponding to an IP address extracted from the set of access logs . On the computer,
A procedure for acquiring a set of viewing logs including a TV device identifier (ID) for identifying a television (Television (TV)) and an Internet Protocol (IP) address, a set of access logs including a device ID for identifying a device and an IP address, and a set of attribute survey results including the device ID and a user ID for identifying a user;
A procedure for controlling extraction of a device ID corresponding to a certain IP address from the set of access logs, extraction of a TV device ID corresponding to the IP address from the set of viewing logs, and storing an association between each extracted device ID and the extracted TV device ID in a first table;
a procedure for controlling storage in a second table of an association between a user ID corresponding to a certain device ID extracted from the set of attribute survey results and a TV device ID corresponding to the device ID extracted from the first table ;
In the procedure of controlling storage in the first table, when the number of device IDs corresponding to a certain IP address extracted from the set of access logs is less than a first threshold value, a control is performed to extract a TV device ID corresponding to the IP address from the set of viewing logs, and to store in the first table an association between each extracted device ID and the extracted TV device ID.
wherein the first threshold value differs depending on the type of device ID corresponding to a certain IP address extracted from the set of access logs .

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