Automatic selection of favorite media selections of a user of an media presentation device

• US 20020175953A1
• Filed: 04/20/2001
• Published: 11/28/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 04/20/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sisvel S.p.A. (Fineur International S.A.)
• Original Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Inventors: Lin, Yun-Ting
• Granted Patent: US 6,934,917 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/811
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42204 User interfaces specially adapted for controlling a client device through a remote control device; Remote control devices therefor constructive details of casings for the remote control device H01H9/0235; user interfaces for controlling a tuning device of a television receiver through a remote control H03J9/00; remote control of peripheral devices connected to a television receiver through the remote control device of the television receiver H04B1/205
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4332 by placing content in organized collections, e.g. local EPG data repository interfaces, Database management systems or updating for information retrieval G06F16/23; details of retrieval of video data and associated meta data in video database G06F16/739
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44224 Monitoring of user activity on external systems, e.g. Internet browsing
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8186 specially adapted to be executed by a peripheral of the client device, e.g. by a reprogrammable remote control

Abstract

A system and method provides for the automatic generation of a list of channels, stations, selections, etc., that are selected most often on a media presentation device by a user during a particular period of time.

Claims

1. A method of automatically generating a list of favorite media selections of a user of an media presentation device offering a plurality of media selections, comprising:

recording for each of a plurality of selections a total time which the media presentation device has selected the each of the plurality of selections over a particular period of time; and

generating a favorite selection list comprising N selections of the plurality of selections which the media presentation device has most frequently selected as determined from the recorded total time each of the plurality of selections has been selected over the particular period of time, wherein N is a predetermined number of selections that may be included on the favorite selection list.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the media presentation device comprises one of a television, a radio, a music compact disc player, and a computer operating an internet browsing program.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of recording a total time which media presentation device has selected each of the plurality of selections comprises, for each selection, recording a start time and an end time for selecting the selection, and calculating a total time that the particular selection has been selected during the particular period of time based on the recorded start and end times.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising retrieving the start and end times from a time-keeping device linked to the media presentation device.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the favorite selection list is referenced upon receipt of a scan command by the media presentation device to scan through the N selections on the favorite selection list, pausing at each of the N selections until the scan command is discontinued.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising at least one of manually adding selections to and deleting selections from the automatically generated favorite selection list.

7. The method of claim 2, wherein the plurality of selections comprise a plurality of television channels.

8. The method of claim 2, wherein the plurality of selections comprise a plurality of radio stations.

9. The method of claim 2, wherein the plurality of selections comprise a plurality of music selections on at least one music compact disc.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the favorite selections list is employed to influence a random play feature of the media presentation device to present the music selections on the favorite selections list more frequently than music selections not on the favorite selections list.

11. The method of claim 2, wherein the plurality of selections comprise a plurality of internet web sites.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein a selection is added to the favorite selection list only if the accumulated time that the selection has been selected during a sampling period exceeds a threshold time period.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the selections comprise one of television channels, radio stations, music selections on at least one music compact disc, and internet web sites.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein the selections comprise music selections on at least one music compact disc, and wherein the favorite selections list is employed to influence a random play feature of the media presentation device to present the music selections on the favorite selections list more frequently than music selections not on the favorite selections list.

16. The system of claim 13, wherein the time-keeping device provides to the selection statistics manager a start time and an end time for a time interval during which the media presentation device has selected a particular selection of the plurality of selections each time the media presentation device has selected the particular selection, and wherein the selection statistics manager further comprises means for calculating a total time that the particular selection has been selected during the particular period of time based on the start and end times.

17. The system of claim 13, wherein the time-keeping device comprises one of a timer and a clock.

18. The system of claim 13, wherein the favorite selection list is referenced upon receipt of a scan command by the media presentation device to scan through the N selections on the favorite selection list, pausing the media presentation device at each of the N selections until the scan command is discontinued.

19. The system of claim 13, further comprising means for one of manually adding selections to and deleting selections from the automatically generated favorite selection list.

20. The system of claim 13, wherein a selection is added to the favorite selection list only if the accumulated time that the selection has been selected during a sampling period exceeds a threshold time period.

13. A system for automatically generating a list of favorite selections for a user of a media presentation device having a plurality of selections, the system comprising:

a time-keeping device for use in tracking how long the media presentation device has selected each of a plurality of available media selections over a particular period of time; and

a selection statistics manager linked to the time-keeping device for generating a favorite selection list comprising N selections of the plurality of selections to which the media presentation device has selected most frequently based on the total time the media presentation device has selected each of the plurality of selections over the particular period of time, wherein N is a predetermined number of selections that may be included on the favorite selection list.