Audiovisual management system

• US 20030061610A1
• Filed: 03/27/2001
• Published: 03/27/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 03/27/2001
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Sharp Laboratories of America Incorporated (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Sharp Laboratories of America Incorporated (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Errico, James H.
• Application Number:
  US09/819,126
• Publication Number:
  US 20030061610A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/46
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/40 of multimedia data, e.g. slideshows comprising image and additional audio data retrieval of still image data G06F16/50; retrieval of audio data G06F16/60; retrieval of video data G06F16/70
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/20 Disc-shaped record carriers
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/90 Tape-like record carriers
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/105 of operating discs
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/107 of operating tapes
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/28 by using information signals recorded by the same method as the main recording G11B27/22 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/34 Indicating arrangements indicating means incorporated in magazine or cassette G11B23/046 and G11B23/0875; indicating measured values in general G01D
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2803 Home automation networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2812 describing content present in a home automation network, e.g. audio video content retrieval from the Internet G06F16/95
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/2849 Audio/video appliances
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4182 for identification purposes, e.g. storing user identification data, preferences, personal settings or data restricting access to computer systems by authenticating users using a predetermined code in combination with an additional device, e.g. dongle or smart card G06F21/123
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4334 Recording operations recording of a television signal H04N5/76; arrangements for recording or accumulating broadcast information or broadcast-related information H04H60/27
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44224 Monitoring of user activity on external systems, e.g. Internet browsing
• 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 21/4665 involving classification methods, e.g. Decision trees
• 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 21/8543 using a description language, e.g. Multimedia and Hypermedia information coding Expert Group [MHEG], eXtensible Markup Language [XML] information retrieval of semistructured data, the underlying structure being taken into account, e.g. mark-up language structure data G06F16/80
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8549 Creating video summaries, e.g. movie trailer retrieval in video databases by using presentations in form of a video summary G06F16/739
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/76 Television signal recording
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/163 : by receiver means only

Abstract

A system for selecting desirable audiovisual materials for a user.

Claims

1. A method for selecting at least one of audio and video comprising:

¹

(a) receiving user attribute information corresponding to user preferences wherein said user attribute information includes preferences;

(b) receiving program attribute information corresponding to said at least one of said audio and video, where said program attribute information corresponds with said user preferences, where at least one of said user attribute information and said program attribute information includes hierarchical levels; and

(c) determining the desirability of said at least one of said audio and video based upon said preferences, wherein said preferences selectively include data indicative of at least a first, a second, and a third option;

(i) said first option including a preference indicative of the desirability of said at least one of audio and video;

(ii) said second option including a preference indicative of non-desirability of said at least one of audio and video;

(iii) said third option including a preference indicative of indifference desirability of said at least one of audio and video;

¹ Claims the preference values being positive, negative, and indifferent.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein said first option is a non-binary preference value.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein said second option is a non-binary preference value.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein said first option is positive preference value.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein said second option is a negative preference value.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein said preferences are adjustable by a user.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein said preferences include at least one default value.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein said preferences are adjustable by a user.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein said determining results in a value.

10. A method for selecting at least one of audio and video comprising:

(a) receiving user attribute information corresponding to user preferences wherein said user attribute information includes preferences;

(b) receiving first program attribute information corresponding to said at least one of said audio and video, where said first program attribute information corresponds with said user preferences, where at least one of said user attribute information and said first program attribute information includes hierarchical levels;

(c) receiving second program attribute information corresponding to said at least one of said audio and video, where said second program attribute information corresponds with said user preferences, where at least one of said user attribute information and said second program attribute information includes hierarchical levels; and

(c) determining the desirability of said at least one of said audio and video based upon a relative ranking between said first program attribute information and said second program attribute information.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein said determining the desirability includes:

(a) calculating a first ranking value for said first program attribute information;

(b) calculating a second ranking value for said second program attribute information; and

(c) determining said relative ranking based upon said first ranking value and said second ranking value.

12. The method of claim 10 wherein said determining the desirability includes:

(a) calculating a first ranking value for said first program attribute information which is based in part upon said second attribute information;

(b) calculating a second ranking value for said second program attribute information which is based in part upon said first attribute information; and

(c) determining said relative ranking based upon said first ranking value and said second ranking value.

13. The method of claim 10 wherein said determining the desirability includes and operation where,

(a) said first program attribute information includes a first attribute and free from a second attribute;

(b) said second program attribute information includes said first attribute and said second attribute; and

(c) said determining said relative ranking indicates said second program as more desirable than said first program.

14. The method of claim 10 wherein said determining the desirability includes and operation where,

(a) said first program attribute information includes a first attribute and free from a second attribute;

(b) said second program attribute information includes said first attribute and a relatively smaller presence of said second attribute in comparison to said first attribute; and

(c) said determining said relative ranking indicates said second program as more desirable than said first program.

15. The method of claim 10 wherein said determining the desirability includes and operation where,

(a) said first program attribute information includes a first attribute and a second attribute, where said second attribute has a first relatively smaller presence than said first attribute in said first program;

(b) said second program attribute information includes said first attribute and said second attribute, where said second attribute has a second relatively smaller presence than said first attribute in said second program, where said first relatively smaller presence is smaller than said second relatively smaller presence; and

(c) said determining said relative ranking indicates said second program as more desirable than said first program.

16. The method of claim 10 wherein said determining the desirability includes and operation where,

(a) said first program attribute information includes a first attribute and free from a second attribute and free from a third attribute;

(b) said second program attribute information includes said second attribute and said third attribute and is free from said third attribute;

(c) said determining said relative ranking indicates said first program as more desirable than said second program.