Information processing device

• US 20030140148A1
• Filed: 11/25/2002
• Published: 07/24/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 12/06/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Kondo, Tetsujiro, Ohta, Koji
• Granted Patent: US 7,599,987 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/228
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• 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 21/44224 Monitoring of user activity on external systems, e.g. Internet browsing
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4826 using recommendation lists, e.g. of programs or channels sorted out according to their score
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99932 Access augmentation or optimizing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99936 Pattern matching access

Abstract

The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus which allows high-quality contents to be easily obtained. A WWW browser section 81 sends search request information which includes a keyword for web pages, input by the user, to an evaluation and search server 7. A search section 92 of the evaluation and search server 7 receives the search request information through a transmitting and receiving control section 91, and searches a WWW data base 96 for web pages corresponding to the reported keyword. The search section 92 reports the URLS, access information, of web pages obtained as a search result, to an evaluation section 95 to request the calculation of an evaluation value for each web page. The search section 92 generates search result information including evaluation from the access information of the web pages obtained as a search result and the evaluation value for each web page, reported by the evaluation section 95, and sends it to the WWW browser section 81 through the transmitting and receiving control section 91.

Claims

1. An information processing apparatus characterized by comprising:

viewing-action-information collecting means for collecting viewing-action information representing the viewing action of the user for contents; and

evaluation calculation means for calculating the evaluation value of each user for the contents according to the viewing-action information collected by the viewingaction-information collecting means.

2. An information processing apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that

the viewing-action-information collecting means collects information representing a time when the user outputs the contents, as the viewing-action information.

3. An information processing apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that

the viewing-action-information collecting means collects operation information representing the content of an operation applied by the user to an output apparatus where the contents are output, as the viewing-action information.

4. An information processing apparatus according to claim 3, characterized in that

the viewing-action-information collecting means collects the operation information in which the user specifies recording of the contents.

5. An information processing apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that

the evaluation calculation means calculates the average of the evaluation values of a plurality of users for the contents.

6. An information processing apparatus according to claim 1, characterized by further comprising:

evaluation-information storage means for storing evaluation information representing the evaluation value calculated by the evaluation calculation means; and

evaluation-information providing means for providing the evaluation information stored by the evaluation-information storage means.

7. An information processing apparatus according to claim 6, characterized in that

the evaluation-information storage means stores an evaluation-information list formed of a predetermined number of the evaluation information in the descending order of the evaluation value, for each user;

and

the evaluation-information providing means proving each user with the corresponding list among the evaluation-information lists stored by the evaluation-information storage means.

8. An information processing apparatus according to claim 7, characterized by further comprising:

degree-of-similarity calculation means for calculating the degrees of similarity of preferences between a focused-on user being focused on and other users according to the evaluation-information list of the focused-on user and those of the other users, stored by the evaluation-information storage means, and

characterized in that the evaluation calculation means weights the evaluation values of the other users for predetermined contents according to the degrees of similarity calculated by the degree-of-similarity calculation means, and adds obtained values to calculate the evaluation value of the focused-on user for the predetermined contents.

9. An information processing apparatus according to claim 6, characterized in that

the evaluation-information storage means stores the evaluation information for web-page information, calculated by the evaluation calculation means, and

the evaluation-information providing means provides an URL which specifies web-page information corresponding to a predetermined condition, and the evaluation information of each user for the web-page information corresponding to the condition.

10. An information processing apparatus according to claim 9, characterized in that

the viewing-action-information collecting means collects information representing a time when the user outputs the web-page information, as the viewing-action information.

11. An information processing apparatus according to claim 9, characterized in that

the viewing-action-information collecting means collects information indicating that the user specifies that the web-page information be entered into a bookmark, as the viewing-action information.

12. An information processing apparatus according to claim 9, characterized in that

the viewing-action-information collecting means collects information indicating that the user specifies that the web-page information be printed, as the viewing-action information.

13. An information processing apparatus according to claim 9, characterized in that

the viewing-action-information collecting means collects information indicating that the user specifies that the web-page information be saved, as the viewing-action information.

14. An information processing apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that

the viewing-action-information collecting means collects information representing a viewing action applied by the user, in a receiving and reproduction apparatus for receiving broadcasting contents and reproducing them, to the broadcasting contents, as the viewing-action information, and

the evaluation calculation means calculates the evaluation value of each user for the broadcasting contents according to the viewing-action information collected by the viewing-action-information collecting means.

15. An information processing apparatus according to claim 14, characterized in that

the viewing-action-information collecting means collects switching-timing information representing timing when the channel for the broadcasting contents is switched, as the viewing-action information and

the evaluation calculation means calculates the evaluation value according to the switching-timing information.

16. An information processing apparatus according to claim 15, characterized in that,

when the switching-timing information indicates that the channel has been switched immediately after a predetermined commercial message was broadcasted, the evaluation calculation means increases the evaluation value for the broadcasting contents which had been broadcasted immediately before the commercial message was broadcasted, by a predetermined value.

17. An information processing apparatus according to claim 15, characterized in that,

when the switching-timing information indicates that certain broadcasting contents have been selected after the channel was continuously switched, the evaluation calculation means increases the evaluation value for the selected broadcasting contents, by a predetermined value.

18. An information processing apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that

the viewing-action-information collecting means collects information representing operation contents applied by the user, in a reproduction apparatus for reproducing recording-medium contents stored in a predetermined recording medium, to the recording-medium contents, as the viewing-action information, and

the evaluation calculation means calculates the evaluation value of each user for the recording-medium contents according to the viewing-action information collected by the viewing-action-information collecting means.

19. An information processing apparatus according to claim 18, characterized in that

the evaluation calculation means calculates the evaluation value according to the viewing-action information representing the reproduction speed of the recording-medium contents, collected by the viewing-action-information collecting means.

20. An information processing apparatus according to claim 18, characterized in that

the evaluation calculation means increases the evaluation value by a predetermined value when the viewing-action information indicates that the entire recording-medium contents or a predetermined part thereof has been repeatedly being reproduced.

21. An information processing apparatus according to claim 18, characterized in that

the evaluation calculation means increases the evaluation value by a predetermined value when the viewing-action information indicates that a predetermined part of the recording-medium contents has been fast-forwarded.

22. An information processing apparatus according to claim 18, characterized in that

the evaluation calculation means increases the evaluation value by a predetermined value when the viewing-action information indicates that the recording-medium contents have been paused.

23. An information processing apparatus according to claim 18, characterized in that

the evaluation calculation means increases the evaluation value by a predetermined value when the viewing-action information indicates that the reproduction of the recording-medium contents had been paused, and then was restarted at a paused position.

24. An information processing method characterized by comprising:

a viewing-action-information collecting step of collecting viewing-action information representing the viewing action of the user for contents; and

an evaluation calculation step of calculating the evaluation value of each user for the contents according to the viewing-action information collected by a process in the viewing-action-information collecting step.

25. A recording medium storing a computer-readable program, the program characterized by comprising:

a viewing-action-information collecting control step of controlling the collection of viewing-action information representing the viewing action of the user for contents; and

an evaluation calculation step of calculating the evaluation value of each user for the contents according to the viewing-action information collected by a process in the viewing-action-information collecting control step.

26. An information processing apparatus characterized by comprising:

output means for outputting contents;

viewing-action-information generation means for generating viewing-action information representing a viewing action of the user, according to an input applied to the contents output from the output means; and

communication means for sending the viewing-action information generated by the viewing-action-information generation means to another information processing apparatus.

27. An information processing apparatus according to claim 26, characterized in that

the viewing-action-information generation means generates information representing a time when the output means outputs the contents, as the viewing-action information.

28. An information processing apparatus according to claim 26, characterized in that

the viewing-action-information generation means generates the viewing-action information according to operation information representing an operation content performed by the user.

29. An information processing apparatus according to claim 28, characterized in that

the viewing-action-information generation means generates the viewing-action information according to the operation information specifying recording of the contents.

30. An information processing apparatus according to claim 26, characterized by further comprising

requesting means managed by the another information processing apparatus, for requesting transmission of evaluation information representing an evaluation value serving as an evaluation for contents.

31. An information processing apparatus according to claim 30, characterized in that

the requesting means requests the another information processing apparatus to send evaluation-information list formed of a predetermined number of the evaluation information in the descending order of the evaluation value.

32. An information processing apparatus according to claim 30, characterized in that

the requesting means reports a predetermined condition related to web-page information serving as the contents, and requests the another information processing apparatus to send the evaluation information;

the communication means receives an URL specifying the web-page information corresponding to the condition, and the evaluation information of each of web-page information corresponding to the condition, sent from the another information processing apparatus; and

the output means outputs the URL and the evaluation information received by the communication means.

33. An information processing apparatus according to claim 32, characterized in that

the viewing-action-information generation means generates information representing a time when the output means outputs the web-page information, as the viewingaction information.

34. An information processing apparatus according to claim 32, characterized in that

the viewing-action-information generation means generates the viewing-action information according to information indicating that the user specifies that the web-page information be entered into a bookmark.

35. An information processing apparatus according to claim 32, characterized in that

the viewing-action-information generation means generates the viewing-action information according to information indicating that the user specifies that the web-page information be printed.

36. An information processing apparatus according to claim 32, characterized in that

the viewing-action-information generation means generates the viewing-action information according to information indicating that the user specifies that the web-page information be saved.

37. An information processing apparatus according to claim 26, characterized by further comprising:

acquisition means for acquiring broadcasting contents; and

evaluation calculation means for calculating an evaluation value for the broadcasting contents according to switching-timing information representing timing when the channel of the broadcasting contents acquired by the acquisition means is switched, and

characterized in that the output means displays the broadcasting contents acquired by the acquisition means; and

the viewing-action generation means generates the viewing-action information including the evaluation value calculated by the evaluation calculation means.

38. An information processing apparatus according to claim 37, characterized in that,

when the switching-timing information indicates that the channel has been switched immediately after a predetermined commercial message was broadcasted, the evaluation calculation means increases the evaluation value for the broadcasting contents which had been broadcasted immediately before the commercial message was broadcasted, by a predetermined value.

39. An information processing apparatus according to claim 37, characterized in that,

when the switching-timing information indicates that the channel had been continuously switched and then predetermined broadcasting contents were selected, the evaluation calculation means increases the evaluation value for the selected broadcasting contents by a predetermined value.

40. An information processing apparatus according to claim 26, characterized by further comprising:

reproduction means for reproducing recording-medium contents stored in a predetermined recording medium; and

evaluation calculation means for calculating an evaluation value for the recording-medium contents according to operation information representing the content of an operation applied by the user to the recording-medium contents reproduced by the reproduction means, and

characterized in that the output means outputs the recording-medium contents reproduced by the reproduction means, and

the viewing-action-information generation means generates the viewing-action information including the evaluation value calculated by the evaluation calculation means.

41. An information processing apparatus according to claim 40, characterized in that

the evaluation calculation means calculates the evaluation value according to the operation information representing the reproduction speed of the recording-medium contents.

42. An information processing apparatus according to claim 40, characterized in that

the evaluation calculation means increases the evaluation value by a predetermined value when the operation information indicates that the entire recording-medium contents or a predetermined part thereof has been repeatedly reproduced.

43. An information processing apparatus according to claim 40, characterized in that

the evaluation calculation means increases the evaluation value by a predetermined value when the operation information indicates that a predetermined part of the recording-medium contents has been fast-forwarded.

44. An information processing apparatus according to claim 40, characterized in that

the evaluation calculation means increases the evaluation value by a predetermined value when the operation information indicates that the recording-medium contents have been paused.

45. An information processing apparatus according to claim 40, characterized in that

the evaluation calculation means increases the evaluation value by a predetermined value when the operation information indicates that the reproduction of the recording-medium contents had been paused, and then was restarted at a paused position.

46. An information processing method characterized by comprising:

an output step of outputting contents;

a viewing-action-information generation step of generating viewing-action information representing a viewing action of the user, according to an input applied to the contents output by a process in the output step; and

a communication step of sending the viewing-action information generated by a process in the viewing-action-information generation step, to another information processing apparatus.

47. A recording medium recording a computer-readable program, the program characterized by comprising:

an output control step of outputting contents;

a viewing-action-information generation step of generating viewing-action information representing a viewing action of the user, according to an input applied to the contents output by a process in the output control step; and

a communication control step of controlling transmission of the viewing-action information generated by a process in the viewing-action-information generation step, to another information processing apparatus.