Method and system for determining a user profile

• US 20020080169A1
• Filed: 07/19/2001
• Published: 06/27/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 07/21/2000
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Pace Micro Technology Ltd. (CommScope Holding Company, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Pace Micro Technology Ltd. (CommScope Holding Company, Inc.)
• Inventors: Diederiks, Elmo Marcus Attila
• Application Number:
  US09/908,606
• Publication Number:
  US 20020080169A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/744
• 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 21/454 Content or additional data filtering, e.g. blocking advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/466 Learning process for intelligent management, e.g. learning user preferences for recommending movies services using the results of monitoring in broadcast systems H04H60/61
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4662 characterized by learning algorithms
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4755 for defining user preferences, e.g. favourite actors or genre retrieval personalisation and generation of user profiles for the retrieval of video data G06F16/739; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/163 by receiver means only

Abstract

In television receivers and similar systems, user profiles (301, 302, 303, 311, 312, 313, 321, 322, 323) are needed for use with interactive agents which suggest or recommend content. The invention relates to a method and system for determining a user profile for a user. A first set (30) of profiles is presented, from which the user makes a selection. Next “generations” (31, 32) of profiles are created based upon previous ones, preferably using a genetic algorithm. Each next generation (31, 23) will be more suited to the user'"'"'s preferences, because the relevant attributes are passed on to this next generation. Presentation of the profiles can be adapted to the attributes, so that the user can visually recognize each profile and make a more informed selection.

Claims

1. A method of determining a user profile (321) for a user, comprising the steps of

(a) generating a first generation (30) of profiles;

(b) presenting the current generation (30, 31, 32) of profiles to the user;

(c) receiving a user selection of one or more profiles from the current generation (30, 31, 32);

(d) if the user selection comprises exactly one profile,

determining the user profile (321) as the exactly one profile, and otherwise

generating a next generation (31, 32) of profiles from the current generation (30, 31, 32),

and executing steps (b), (c) and (d) for this next generation of profiles.

2. The method of claim 1, where the next generation of profiles is generated using a genetic algorithm.

3. The method of claim 1, where the next generation (31, 32) of profiles is generated from a combination of values of attributes of the profiles of the current generation.

4. A system for determining a user profile (321) for a user, comprising

initialization means (20) for generating a first generation (30) of profiles;

presentation means (21) for presenting the current generation (30, 31, 32) of profiles to the user;

receiving means (10) for receiving a user selection of one or more profiles from the current generation (30, 31, 32);

generation means (22) for determining if the user selection comprises exactly one profile, and if so determining the user profile (321) as the exactly one profile, and otherwise generating a next generation (31, 32) of profiles from the current generation (30, 31, 32), and activating the presentation means (21).

5. The system of claim 4, where the initialization means (20) are arranged to determine values of attributes (A-F) of the profiles (301, 302, 303) of the first generation (30) in a pseudo-random fashion.

6. The system of claim 4, where the generation means (22) are arranged to generate the next generation (31, 32) of profiles using a genetic algorithm.

7. The system of claim 4, where the generation means (22) are arranged to generate the next generation (31, 32) of profiles from a combination of values of attributes (A-F) of the profiles of the current generation (30, 31, 32).

8. The system of claim 4, where the generation means (22) are arranged to determine if the user selection comprises exactly one profile, and the number of generations previously generated exceeds a predetermined number, and if so, to determine the user profile as the exactly one profile, and otherwise to generate a next generation of profiles from the current generation, and activating the presentation means (21).

9. The system of claim 4, where the presentation means (21) are arranged to adapt the presentation of a profile of the current generation based on values of attributes (A-F) of the profile.

10. Television receiver comprising a system as defined in claim 4.

11. A computer program product enabling a programmable device when executing said computer program product to function as a system as defined in claim 4.