Systems and methods for automatically outputting a reply to a message relating to a media asset a user is currently watching when the user's device is on a do-not-disturb mode

• US 10,631,056 B2
• Filed: 04/30/2019
• Issued: 04/21/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 03/07/2018
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Rovi Guides, Inc. (Adeia Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Rovi Guides, Inc. (Adeia Inc.)
• Inventors: Nasir, Sahir
• Primary Examiner(s): Davis, Chenea
• Application Number:
  US16/399,299
• Publication Number:
  US 20190320231A1
• Time in Patent Office: 357 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/7867 using information manually generated, e.g. tags, keywords, comments, title and artist information, manually generated time, location and usage information, user ratings
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/41407 embedded in a portable device, e.g. video client on a mobile phone, PDA, laptop constructional details of equipment or arrangements specially adapted for portable computer application G06F1/1626; arrangements specially adapted for mobile receivers in broadcast systems H04H20/57
• 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 21/4532 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 21/4788 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 21/4882 for displaying messages, e.g. warnings, reminders arrangements for providing short real-time information to substation in data switching networks H04L12/1895
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8405 represented by keywords

Abstract

Systems and methods are provided herein for receiving, at a first device of a first user, a message from a second device of a second user, and determining that the first user device is programmed to refrain from alerting the first user to the message. In response to determining that the first user device is programmed to refrain from alerting the first user to the message, the systems and methods determine whether the message is related to a media asset that the first user is presently viewing. In response to determining that the message is related to a media asset that the first user is presently viewing, the systems and methods alert the first user to the message, notwithstanding that the first user device is programmed to refrain from alerting the first user to the message.

Claims

1. A method for selectively generating message alerts, the method comprising:

receiving, at a first device, a message from a second device, the first device being programmed to refrain from generating message alerts;

determining whether the first device is presenting a media asset;

in response to determining that the first device is presenting the media asset, extracting a keyword from the message;

retrieving, from a database, keywords describing the media asset;

determining whether the keyword from the message matches at least one of the keywords describing the media asset; and

in response to determining that the keyword from the message matches at least one of the keywords describing the media asset, generating an alert for the message via the first device notwithstanding that the first device is programmed to refrain from generating message alerts.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining that the media asset is an episode of a series of episodes;

determining that the content of the message relates to a different episode of the series;

determining whether a first user of the first device has viewed the different episode; and

in response to determining that the first user has not viewed the media asset, transmitting a recommendation to the second device to recall the message.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein transmitting the recommendation to the second device to recall the message comprises:

determining whether the message comprises a spoiler of a plot of the different episode; and

in response to determining that the message comprises the spoiler, transmitting the recommendation to the second device to recall the message.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

extracting a keyword from the message;

accessing a database comprising a transcription of a conversation between a first user of the first device and a second user of the second device;

comparing the keyword from the message to a keyword of the transcription that is related to the media asset;

determining, based on the comparing, whether the keyword from the message matches the keyword from the transcription; and

in response to determining that the keyword from the message matches the keyword from the transcription, determining that the message is related to the media asset and that the media asset was previously discussed in a conversation between the first user and the second user,

wherein generating the alert for the message via the first device notwithstanding that the first device is programmed to refrain from generating message alerts occurs further in response to determining that the media asset was previously discussed in the conversation between the first user and the second user.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein determining that the media asset was previously discussed in the conversation between the first user and the second user comprises:

determining a present point in time;

determining a point in time at which the conversation occurred;

determining whether the present point in time is within a threshold period of time to the point in time at which the conversation occurred; and

in response to determining that the present point of time is within the threshold period of time, determining that the media asset was previously discussed in a conversation between the first user and the second user.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein comparing the keyword from the message to the keyword of the transcription that is related to the media asset comprises:

comparing each respective keyword of the transcription to keywords indicated by a database of terms related to media assets;

determining whether a respective keyword of the transcription matches a term related to a media asset of the media assets; and

in response to determining that the respective keyword matches the term, comparing the keyword from the message to the respective keyword of the transcription that matches the term.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein determining whether the first device is presenting the media asset comprises:

querying the first device to determine a given media asset that the first device is presently generating for display;

determining whether the given media asset is the media asset; and

in response to determining that the given media asset is the media asset, determining that the first device is presenting the media asset.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining whether the first device transmitted a reply to the message within a threshold period of time from receiving the message; and

in response to determining that the first device did not transmit the reply to the message within the threshold period of time, automatically transmitting a recommendation relating to the media asset to the second device.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining whether a first user of the first device is viewing the media asset.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining that the first device is programmed to refrain from generating message alerts.

11. A system for selectively generating message alerts, the system comprising:

control circuitry configured to;

receive, at a first device, a message from a second device, the first device being programmed to refrain from generating message alerts;

determine whether the first device is presenting a media asset;

in response to the determination that the first device is presenting the media asset, extract a keyword from the message;

retrieve, from a database, keywords describing the media asset;

determine whether the keyword from the message matches at least one of the keywords describing the media asset; and

in response to the determination that the keyword from the message matches at least one of the keywords describing the media asset, generate an alert for the message via the first device notwithstanding that the first device is programmed to refrain from generating message alerts.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the control circuitry is further configured to:

determine that the media asset is an episode of a series of episodes;

determine that the content of the message relates to a different episode of the series;

determine whether a first user of the first device has viewed the different episode; and

in response to the determination that the first user has not viewed the media asset, transmit a recommendation to the second device to recall the message.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein, to transmit the recommendation to the second device to recall the message, the control circuitry is further configured to:

determine whether the message comprises a spoiler of a plot of the different episode; and

in response to the determination that the message comprises the spoiler, transmit the recommendation to the second device to recall the message.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein the control circuitry is further configured to:

extract a keyword from the message;

access a database comprising a transcription of a conversation between a first user of the first device and a second user of the second device;

compare the keyword from the message to a keyword of the transcription that is related to the media asset;

determine, based on the comparison, whether the keyword from the message matches the keyword from the transcription; and

in response to the determination that the keyword from the message matches the keyword from the transcription, determine that the message is related to the media asset and that the media asset was previously discussed in a conversation between the first user and the second user,

wherein the generation of the alert for the message via the first device notwithstanding that the first device is programmed to refrain from generating message alerts occurs further in response to the determination that the media asset was previously discussed in the conversation between the first user and the second user.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein, to determine that the media asset was previously discussed in the conversation between the first user and the second user, the control circuitry is further configured to:

determine a present point in time;

determine a point in time at which the conversation occurred;

determine whether the present point in time is within a threshold period of time to the point in time at which the conversation occurred; and

in response to the determination that the present point of time is within the threshold period of time, determine that the media asset was previously discussed in a conversation between the first user and the second user.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein, to compare the keyword from the message to the keyword of the transcription that is related to the media asset, the control circuitry is further configured to:

compare each respective keyword of the transcription to keywords indicated by a database of terms related to media assets;

determine whether a respective keyword of the transcription matches a term related to a media asset of the media assets; and

in response to the determination that the respective keyword matches the term, compare the keyword from the message to the respective keyword of the transcription that matches the term.

17. The system of claim 11, wherein, to determine whether the first device is presenting the media asset, the control circuitry is further configured to:

query the first device to determine a given media asset that the first device is presently generating for display;

determine whether the given media asset is the media asset; and

in response to the determination that the given media asset is the media asset, determine that the first device is presenting the media asset.

18. The system of claim 11, wherein the control circuitry is further configured to:

determine whether the first device transmitted a reply to the message within a threshold period of time from the receipt of the message; and

in response to the determination that the first device did not transmit the reply to the message within the threshold period of time, automatically transmit a recommendation relating to the media asset to the second device.

19. The system of claim 11, wherein the control circuitry is further configured to determine whether a first user of the first device is viewing the media asset.

20. The system of claim 11, wherein the control circuitry is further configured to determine that the first device is programmed to refrain from generating message alerts.