Analyzing user access of media for meal plans

• US 10,592,957 B2
• Filed: 07/18/2016
• Issued: 03/17/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 07/20/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Walmart Apollo, LLC (WalMart Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Walmart Apollo, LLC (WalMart Inc.)
• Inventors: Richards, Mark Darrin, Wilkinson, Bruce Walter
• Primary Examiner(s): Desai, Resha
• Assistant Examiner(s): Gibson-Wynn, Kennedy
• Application Number:
  US15/213,059
• Publication Number:
  US 20170024798A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,338 Days
• Field of Search: 705 261- 272
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2200/1637 Sensing arrangement for detection of housing movement or orientation, e.g. for controlling scrolling or cursor movement on the display of an handheld computer
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0631 Item recommendations

Abstract

A system selects meals according to a user'"'"'s tastes and presents media files instructing execution of the meal. The media file is presented as a set of segments, each segment having a thumbnail image and metadata associated therewith. User interactions with the segments are monitored and evaluated to determine whether the segments are viewed, viewed for inspiration, and/or viewed while executing the meal. Actions monitored and evaluated may include movement of a user device during a viewing, pausing of playback, appropriateness of pausing locations to meal preparation steps, and orientation of the device. The metadata of segments and the viewing status thereof is used to determine a user'"'"'s tastes and skill level to facilitate selection of subsequent meals for the user.

Claims

1. A system for evaluating consumer behavior, the system comprising:

a customer knowledge database storing a customer profile for each customer of a plurality of customers, the customer profile for the each customer including a purchase history of items purchased by the each customer and a meal plan history of meal plans executed by the each customer;

a meal media database including a plurality of media files, each media file of the plurality of media files including video content instructing how to prepare a meal and including a plurality of segments, each segment of the plurality of segments corresponding to a different step in preparing the meal and having ingredient attributes and difficulty level attributes associated therewith; and

a server system comprising one or more processors and one or more memory devices operably coupled to the one or more processors, the one or more memory devices storing executable and operational code effective to execute a supply chain engine comprising—

a meal plan module effective to generate, for each customer of the plurality of customers, a meal plan including meals including styles of food and ingredients corresponding to the purchase history and meal plan history of the each customer;

a media module effective to, for each meal of the meal plan for each customer of the plurality of customers, retrieve a media file from the plurality of media files corresponding to the each meal and transmit the media file to the each customer on a date corresponding to the each meal in the meal plan; and

a monitoring module effective to monitor access of the media files by the plurality of customers, receive notifications from sensors of a mobile device of the each customer, the notifications including an output of an accelerometer indicating an orientation of the mobile device, during access of any segments of a media file accessed by the each customer, determine from the notifications that the customer is executing the meal corresponding to the media file accessed by the each customer and, for each customer of the plurality of customers, update the customer profile of the each customer according to the ingredient attributes and difficulty level attributes of any segments of the media files accessed by the each customer.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the media module is further effective to transmit the media file with an interface including thumbnails each effective to invoke playback of a segment of the plurality of segments of the media file.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein a portion of the segments of the plurality of segments represent different sides for inclusion in the each meal.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein a portion of the segments of the plurality of segments represent a plurality of options for executing the each meal.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the monitoring module is further effective to:

determine a skill level of the each customer according to the difficulty level of any segments of the media files accessed by the each customer;

update the profile of the user to record the skill level.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the meal plan module is further effective to select meals for the plurality of customers corresponding to the skill levels of the customer profiles of the plurality of customers.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the notifications include an output of the accelerometer indicating movement of the mobile device of the each customer.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the notifications include an output of a microphone.

9. A method for evaluating consumer behavior, the method comprising:

storing, by a server system, in a customer knowledge database, a customer profile for each customer of a plurality of customers, the customer profile for the each customer including a purchase history of items purchased by the each customer and a meal plan history of meal plans executed by the each customer;

storing, by a server system, a meal media database including a plurality of media files, each media file of the plurality of media files including video content instructing how to prepare a meal and including a plurality of segments, each segment of the plurality of segments corresponding to a different step in preparing the meal and having ingredient attributes and difficulty level attributes associated therewith;

generating, by the server system, for each customer of the plurality of customers, a meal plan including meals including styles of food and ingredients corresponding to the customer profile of the each customer; and

for each meal of the meal plan for each customer of the plurality of customers—

(a) retrieving a media file from the plurality of media files corresponding to the each meal;

(b) transmitting the media file to the each customer on a date corresponding to the each meal in the meal plan;

(c) monitoring access of the media files by the each customer by receiving notifications from sensors of a mobile device of the each customer during access of any segments of a media file accessed by the each customer, the notifications including the output of an accelerometer indicating an orientation of the mobile device of the each customer, and determining from the notifications that the each customer is executing the meal corresponding to the media file accessed by the each customer;

(d) updating the customer profile of the each customer according to the ingredient attributes and difficulty level attributes of any segments of the media files accessed by the each customer.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the media module is further effective to transmit the media file with an interface including thumbnails each effective to invoke playback of a segment of the plurality of segments of the media file.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein a portion of the segments of the plurality of segments represent different sides for inclusion in the each meal.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein a portion of the segments of the plurality of segments represent a plurality of options for executing the each meal.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein updating the customer profile of the each customer according to the ingredient attributes and difficulty level attributes of any segments of the media files accessed by the each customer further comprises:

determining a skill level of the each customer according to the difficulty level of any segments of the media files accessed by the each customer; and

updating the profile of the user to record the skill level.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising selecting meals for the plurality of customers corresponding to the skill levels of the customer profiles of the plurality of customers.

15. The method of claim 9, wherein the notifications include an output of the accelerometer indicating movement of the mobile device of the each customer.

16. The method of claim 9, wherein the notifications include an output of a microphone.