Providing recommendations based on passive microphone detections

• US 10,616,649 B2
• Filed: 07/19/2018
• Issued: 04/07/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 07/19/2018
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ROVI Product Corporation (Xperi Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Rovi Guides, Inc. (Adeia Inc.)
• Inventors: Blake, John
• Primary Examiner(s): Chokshi, Pinkal R
• Application Number:
  US16/039,624
• Publication Number:
  US 20200029126A1
• Time in Patent Office: 628 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/26 Speech to text systems G10L15/08 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/251 Learning process for intelligent management, e.g. learning user preferences for recommending movies details of learning user preferences for the retrieval of video data in a video database G06F16/739; computer systems using learning methods G06N3/08
• 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 21/42203 sound input device, e.g. microphone
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44218 Detecting physical presence or behaviour of the user, e.g. using sensors to detect if the user is leaving the room or changes his face expression during a TV program methods or arrangements for recognising human body or animal bodies or body parts G06V40/10; methods or arrangements for acquiring or recognising human faces, facial parts, facial sketches, facial expressions G06V40/16; methods or arrangements for recognising movements or behaviour G06V40/20; arrangements for identifying users in broadcast systems H04H60/45
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4668 for recommending content, e.g. movies
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6582 Data stored in the client, e.g. viewing habits, hardware capabilities, credit card number arrangements where receivers interact with the broadcast H04H20/38

Abstract

Systems and methods for providing media content recommendations. For example, a media guidance application may determine that a phrase spoken by a first user during a conversation with a second user indicates that the first user will not be consuming media content with the second user during a future time interval. In response to determining that the first user will not be consuming media content with the second user during the future time interval, the media guidance application may identify media assets available for consumption during the future time interval having a given characteristic favored by the second user and a characteristic disfavored by the first user. The media guidance application may then generate, for the future time interval, a media content recommendation of a media asset having the given characteristic, and generate for display, to the second user, the media content recommendation.

Claims

1. A method for providing media content recommendations, the method comprising:

receiving an input, via a microphone, of a conversation between a first user and a second user;

detecting a phrase spoken by the first user in the conversation;

determining that a given audio template of a plurality of audio templates matches the phrase;

determining that the given audio template indicates that the first user will not be consuming media content with the second user during a future time interval;

in response to determining that the given audio template indicates that the first user will not be consuming media content with the second user during the future time interval;

identifying a subset of media asset identifiers from a plurality of media asset identifiers for media assets available for consumption during the future time interval, wherein a characteristic of each media asset of each media asset identifier in the subset matches a characteristic favored by the second user and a characteristic disfavored by the first user; and

generating, for the future time interval, a media content recommendation of a media asset corresponding to a media asset identifier included in the subset; and

generating for display, to the second user, the media content recommendation.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein determining that the given audio template of the plurality of audio templates matches the phrase further comprises:

generating an audio signature corresponding to the phrase;

retrieving, from a database, a plurality of audio signatures corresponding to the plurality of audio templates; and

comparing the generated audio signature to each of the plurality of audio signatures corresponding to the plurality of audio templates.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein determining that the given audio template indicates that the first user will not be consuming media content with the second user during the future time interval further comprises:

identifying a plurality of keywords corresponding to the given audio template;

determining that the plurality of keywords indicate a meaning of the phrase; and

determining that the meaning of the phrase indicates that the first user will not be consuming media content with the second user during the future time interval.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein identifying the subset of media asset identifiers from the plurality of media asset identifiers for media assets available for consumption during the future time interval further comprises:

identifying a plurality of media assets available for consumption during the future time interval;

retrieving, from a database, a characteristic of each of the plurality of media assets;

retrieving, from the database, a user profile of the second user;

extracting, from the user profile of the second user, the characteristic favored by the second user; and

comparing the characteristic of each of the plurality of media assets available for consumption during the future time interval with the characteristic favored by the second user.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein the subset of media asset identifiers is a first subset of media asset identifiers, and wherein identifying the first subset of media asset identifiers from the plurality of media asset identifiers for media assets available for consumption during the future time interval further comprises:

identifying a second subset of media asset identifiers, the second subset of media asset identifiers including media asset identifiers for each of the plurality of media assets having a characteristic that matches the characteristic favored by the second user;

retrieving, from the database, a user profile of the first user;

extracting, from the user profile of the first user, a characteristic disfavored by the first user;

comparing the characteristic of each media asset corresponding to the media asset identifiers included in the second subset of media asset identifiers with the characteristic disfavored by the first user; and

selecting, for inclusion in the first subset of media asset identifiers, media asset identifiers included in the second subset of media asset identifiers for media assets having a characteristic that matches the characteristic disfavored by the first user.

6. The method according to claim 4, wherein the subset of media asset identifiers is a first subset of media asset identifiers, and wherein identifying the first subset of media asset identifiers from the plurality of media asset identifiers for media assets available for consumption during the future time interval further comprises:

identifying a second subset of media asset identifiers, the second subset of media asset identifiers including media asset identifiers for each of the plurality of media assets having a characteristic that matches the characteristic favored by the second user;

retrieving, from the database, a user profile of the first user;

extracting, from the user profile of the first user, a characteristic disfavored by the first user;

comparing the characteristic of each of the plurality of media assets available for consumption during the future time interval with the characteristic disfavored by the first user;

identifying a third subset of media asset identifiers, the third subset of media asset identifiers including media asset identifiers for each of the plurality of media assets having a characteristic that matches the characteristic disfavored by the first user; and

selecting, for inclusion in the first subset of media asset identifiers, media asset identifiers included in both the second subset of media asset identifiers and the third subset of media asset identifiers.

7. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

determining a degree of matching of the characteristic of each of the media assets corresponding to media asset identifiers included in the subset of media asset identifiers to the characteristic favored by the second user;

generating a list of the plurality of media assets corresponding to media asset identifiers included in the subset; and

ordering the list according to the degree of matching.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein generating, for the future time interval, a media content recommendation of a media asset corresponding to a media asset identifier included in the subset of media asset identifiers further comprises selecting, from the list, a media asset identifier of a media asset having a characteristic with a highest degree of matching as the media asset for the media content recommendation.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein the characteristic disfavored by the first user is a plurality of characteristics disfavored by the first user, wherein the characteristic favored by the second user is a plurality of characteristics favored by the second user, and wherein generating, for the future time interval, a media content recommendation of a media asset corresponding to a media asset identifier included in the subset of media asset identifiers further comprises:

comparing the plurality of characteristics disfavored by the first user to the plurality of characteristics favored by the second user;

determining that a given characteristic is one of both the plurality of characteristics disfavored by the first user and the plurality of characteristics favored by the second user; and

selecting, from the media asset identifiers included in the subset of media asset identifiers, a media asset identifier for a media asset having the given characteristic as the media asset for the media content recommendation.

10. The method according to claim 1, wherein generating for display, to the second user, the media content recommendation further comprises generating for display, to the second user, the media content recommendation at the future time interval.

11. A system for providing media content recommendations, the system comprising:

control circuitry configured to;

receive an input, via a microphone, of a conversation between a first user and a second user;

detect a phrase spoken by the first user in the conversation;

determine that a given audio template of a plurality of audio templates matches the phrase;

determine that the given audio template indicates that the first user will not be consuming media content with the second user during a future time interval;

in response to determining that the given audio template indicates that the first user will not be consuming media content with the second user during the future time interval;

identify a subset of media asset identifiers from a plurality of media asset identifiers for media assets available for consumption during the future time interval, wherein a characteristic of each media asset of each media asset identifier in the subset matches a characteristic favored by the second user and a characteristic disfavored by the first user; and

generate, for the future time interval, a media content recommendation of a media asset corresponding to a media asset identifier included in the subset; and

generate for display, to the second user, the media content recommendation.

12. The system according to claim 11, wherein the control circuitry, when determining that the given audio template of the plurality of audio templates matches the phrase, is further configured to:

generate an audio signature corresponding to the phrase;

retrieve, from a database, a plurality of audio signatures corresponding to the plurality of audio templates; and

compare the generated audio signature to each of the plurality of audio signatures corresponding to the plurality of audio templates.

13. The system according to claim 11, wherein the control circuitry, when determining that the given audio template indicates that the first user will not be consuming media content with the second user during the future time interval, is further configured to:

identify a plurality of keywords corresponding to the given audio template;

determine that the plurality of keywords indicate a meaning of the phrase; and

determine that the meaning of the phrase indicates that the first user will not be consuming media content with the second user during the future time interval.

14. The system according to claim 11, wherein the control circuitry, when identifying the subset of media asset identifiers from the plurality of media asset identifiers for media assets available for consumption during the future time interval, is further configured to:

identify a plurality of media assets available for consumption during the future time interval;

retrieve, from a database, a characteristic of each of the plurality of media assets;

retrieve, from the database, a user profile of the second user;

extract, from the user profile of the second user, the characteristic favored by the second user; and

compare the characteristic of each of the plurality of media assets available for consumption during the future time interval with the characteristic favored by the second user.

15. The system according to claim 14, wherein the subset of media asset identifiers is a first subset of media asset identifiers, and wherein the control circuitry, when identifying the first subset of media asset identifiers from the plurality of media asset identifiers for media assets available for consumption during the future time interval, is further configured to:

identify a second subset of media asset identifiers, the second subset of media asset identifiers including media asset identifiers for each of the plurality of media assets having a characteristic that matches the characteristic favored by the second user;

retrieve, from the database, a user profile of the first user;

extracting, from the user profile of the first user, a characteristic disfavored by the first user;

compare the characteristic of each media asset corresponding to the media asset identifiers included in the second subset of media asset identifiers with the characteristic disfavored by the first user; and

select, for inclusion in the first subset of media asset identifiers, media asset identifiers included in the second subset of media asset identifiers for media assets having a characteristic that matches the characteristic disfavored by the first user.

16. The system according to claim 14, wherein the subset of media asset identifiers is a first subset of media asset identifiers, and wherein the control circuitry, when identifying the first subset of media asset identifiers from the plurality of media asset identifiers for media assets available for consumption during the future time interval, is further configured to:

identify a second subset of media asset identifiers, the second subset of media asset identifiers including media asset identifiers for each of the plurality of media assets having a characteristic that matches the characteristic favored by the second user;

retrieve, from the database, a user profile of the first user;

extracting, from the user profile of the first user, a characteristic disfavored by the first user;

compare the characteristic of each of the plurality of media assets available for consumption during the future time interval with the characteristic disfavored by the first user;

identify a third subset of media asset identifiers, the third subset of media asset identifiers including media asset identifiers for each of the plurality of media assets having a characteristic that matches the characteristic disfavored by the first user; and

select, for inclusion in the first subset of media asset identifiers, media asset identifiers included in both the second subset of media asset identifiers and the third subset of media asset identifiers.

17. The system according to claim 11, wherein the control circuitry is further configured to:

determine a degree of matching of the characteristic of each of the media assets corresponding to media asset identifiers included in the subset of media asset identifiers to the characteristic favored by the second user;

generate a list of the plurality of media assets corresponding to media asset identifiers included in the subset; and

order the list according to the degree of matching.

18. The system according to claim 17, wherein the control circuitry, when generating, for the future time interval, a media content recommendation of a media asset corresponding to a media asset identifier included in the subset of media asset identifiers is further configured to select, from the list, a media asset identifier of a media asset having a characteristic with a highest degree of matching as the media asset for the media content recommendation.

19. The system according to claim 11, wherein the characteristic disfavored by the first user is a plurality of characteristics disfavored by the first user, wherein the characteristic favored by the second user is a plurality of characteristics favored by the second user, and wherein the control circuitry, when generating, for the future time interval, a media content recommendation of a media asset corresponding to a media asset identifier included in the subset of media asset identifiers, is further configured to:

compare the plurality of characteristics disfavored by the first user to the plurality of characteristics favored by the second user;

determine that a given characteristic is one of both the plurality of characteristics disfavored by the first user and the plurality of characteristics favored by the second user; and

select, from the media asset identifiers included in the subset of media asset identifiers, a media asset identifier for a media asset having the given characteristic as the media asset for the media content recommendation.

20. The system according to claim 11, wherein the control circuitry, when generating for display, to the second user, the media content recommendation is further configured to generate for display, to the second user, the media content recommendation at the future time interval.