Method of recommending broadcasting contents and recommending apparatus therefor in multimedia contents reproducing device

• US 10,277,951 B2
• Filed: 10/14/2015
• Issued: 04/30/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 04/24/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Choi, Chang-hwan, O'Conner, Noel, Kim, Jun-ki, Gurrin, Cathal, Sav, Sorin
• Primary Examiner(s): Lewis, Jonathan V
• Application Number:
  US14/882,965
• Publication Number:
  US 20160044381A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,294 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25 Management operations performed by the server for facilitating the content distribution or administrating data related to end-users or client devices, e.g. end-user or client device authentication, learning user preferences for recommending movies maintenance or administration in data networks H04L41/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/252 Processing of multiple end-users' preferences to derive collaborative data
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25866 Management of end-user data customer care in data networks H04L41/5077
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25875 involving end-user authentication restricting access to computer systems by authenticating users using a predetermined code G06F21/33; arrangements for secret or secure communication including means for verifying the identity or authority of a user of the system H04L9/32; networks authentication protocols H04L63/08; authentication in wireless network security H04W12/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25891 being end-user preferences retrieval of video data in a video database based on user preferences G06F16/739; arrangements for recognizing users' preferences H04H60/46; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306; processing of user preferences or user profiles in wireless networks H04W8/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2668 Creating a channel for a dedicated end-user group, e.g. insertion of targeted commercials based on end-user profiles information retrieval from the Internet by querying with filtering and personalisation G06F16/9535; arrangements for replacing or switching information during the broadcast H04H20/10; push services over packet-switching network H04L12/1859; adaptation of message content in packet-switching networks H04L51/063
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44226 on social networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4532 involving end-user characteristics, e.g. viewer profile, preferences monitoring of user activities for profile generation for accessing a video database G06F16/739; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306; processing of user preferences or user profiles in wireless networks H04W8/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4668 for recommending content, e.g. movies
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47 End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4756 for rating content, e.g. scoring a recommended movie
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4788 communicating with other users, e.g. chatting arrangements for providing for computer conferences, e.g. chat rooms, to substation in data switching networks H04L12/1813; distributed application using peer-to-peer [P2P] networks H04L67/104
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/482 End-user interface for program selection broadcast systems using EPGs H04H60/72
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4821 using a grid, e.g. sorted out by channel and broadcast time
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4826 using recommendation lists, e.g. of programs or channels sorted out according to their score
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4888 for displaying teletext characters
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/445 for displaying additional information H04N5/50 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/163 by receiver means only
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17309 Transmission or handling of upstream communications

Abstract

Provided are a method and apparatus for recommending broadcasting contents by using a multimedia contents reproducing device, the method including the operations of generating a user list about one or more second users related to a first user; displaying the user list on a screen of the multimedia contents reproducing device; selecting at least a third user from among the one or more second users in the user list; and transmitting a recommendation message to the third user, wherein the recommendation message is related to recommending a first broadcasting content currently being watched by the first user, or a second broadcasting content selected from an Electronic Program Guide (EPG).

Claims

1. A method of recommending contents in a display apparatus comprising a display, the method comprising:

performing, by at least one processor of the display apparatus, operations comprising;

controlling the display to display an electronic program guide (EPG);

controlling the display to display groups of second users related to a first user according to a status of the respective second users, the groups including a first group of second users watching a same broadcasting program as the first user and second users about to start watching the same broadcasting program as the first user, and a second group of second users not watching the same broadcasting program as the first user, wherein the displaying the groups of second users includes;

controlling the display to display the first group of second users, together with a time one or more second users began watching the same broadcasting program as the first user; and

controlling the display to display the second group of second users not watching the same broadcasting program as the first user, together with a title of a broadcasting program being watched by one or more second users of the second group;

receiving a selection, by the first user, of a broadcasting program among one or more programs included in the EPG;

receiving a selection, by the first user, of at least one second user among the displayed groups of second users; and

transmitting a message to the selected at least one second user, wherein the message includes a message recommending the selected program among the one or more programs included in the EPG, without requiring the first user to separately retrieve the selected at least one second user when the first user transmits the message.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise extracting the EPG from streams of broadcasting contents.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the EPG comprises program information about at least one of broadcasting program which is currently being displayed on a device, broadcasting programs which are broadcast in other channels, and broadcasting programs to be broadcast at a later time.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise generating a second user list comprising the second users, wherein the generating of the second user list comprises:

registering an account of the first user in a server connected via a network;

retrieving the second users from the server; and

registering the retrieved second users in the account of the first user.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise displaying the EPG based on an event input by the first user.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the EPG is displayed on a broadcasting program which is being broadcast.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the second group of second users not watching the same broadcasting program as the first user includes at least one of second users watching a different broadcasting program as the first user and second users with an off-line status.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise controlling the display to display a second icon for indicating a recommendation refusal, for one or more second users in the second group that refuse to receive the message, wherein the message is not transmitted to the one or more second users displayed with the second icon for indicating the recommendation refusal.

9. A non-transitory computer readable recording medium having recorded thereon a program for executing the method of claim 1.

10. A broadcasting program recommending apparatus, the apparatus comprising:

a display;

at least one memory storing instructions; and

at least one processor that executes the instructions to;

control the display to display an electronic program guide (EPG) and groups of second users related to a first user according to a status of the respective second users, the groups including a first group of second users watching a same broadcasting program as the first user and second users about to start watching the same broadcasting program as the first user, and a second group of second users not watching the same broadcasting program as the first user, wherein the displaying of the groups of second users includes displaying the first group of second users, together with a time one or more second users began watching the same broadcasting program as the first user;

receive a selection, by the first user, of a broadcasting program among one or more programs included in the EPG and a selection, by the first user, of at least one second user among the displayed groups of second users;

transmit a message to the selected at least one second user, wherein the message comprising a message recommending the selected program among the one or more programs include in the EPG, without requiring the first user to separately retrieve the selected at least one second user when the first user transmits the message; and

control the display to display a second icon for indicating a recommendation refusal, for one or more second users in the second group that refuse to receive the message, wherein the message is not transmitted to the one or more second users displayed with the second icon for indicating the recommendation refusal.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the at least one processor further executes the instructions to extract the EPG from streams of broadcasting contents.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the at least one processor further executes the instructions to control the display to display program information about at least one of broadcasting program which is currently being displayed, broadcasting programs which are broadcast in other channels, and broadcasting programs to be broadcast at a later time.

13. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the at least one processor further executes the instructions to generate a second user list comprising the second users.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein to generate the second user list, the at least one processor further executes the instructions to:

register an account of the first user;

retrieve the second users; and

register the retrieved second users in the account of the first user.

15. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the at least one processor further executes the instructions to control the display to display the EPG based on an event input by the first user.

16. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the at least one processor further executes the instructions to control the display to display the EPG on a broadcasting program which is being broadcast.

17. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the second group of second users not watching the same broadcasting program as the first user includes at least one of second users watching a different broadcasting program as the first user and second users with an off-line status.

18. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the at least one processor further executes the instructions to control the display to display the second group of second users not watching the same broadcasting program as the first user, together with a title of a broadcasting program being watched by one or more second users of the second group.