Client-side multimedia content targeting system

• US 20030182567A1
• Filed: 01/08/2003
• Published: 09/25/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 10/20/1999
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: TiVo Inc. (Adeia Inc.)
• Original Assignee: TiVo Inc. (Adeia Inc.)
• Inventors: Look, Howard, Barton, James M.
• Application Number:
  US10/339,699
• Publication Number:
  US 20030182567A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/193
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2094 Redundant storage or storage space G06F11/2056 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2097 maintaining the standby controller/processing unit updated initialisation or re-synchronisation thereof G06F11/1658 and subgroups
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2201/80 Database-specific techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2201/82 Solving problems relating to consistency ensuring consistency in mirrored systems G06F11/2064
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/27 Arrangements for recording or accumulating broadcast information or broadcast-related information
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/46 for recognising users' preferences
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/65 for using the result on users' side
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/235 Processing of additional data, e.g. scrambling of additional data or processing content descriptors
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/251 Learning process for intelligent management, e.g. learning user preferences for recommending movies details of learning user preferences for the retrieval of video data in a video database G06F16/739; computer systems using learning methods G06N3/08
• 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 21/4147 PVR [Personal Video Recorder] H04N5/76 takes precedence ; arrangements for broadcast with accumulation-type receivers H04H20/40
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4331 Caching operations, e.g. of an advertisement for later insertion during playback
• 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 21/4335 Housekeeping operations, e.g. prioritizing content for deletion because of storage space restrictions storage management, e.g. defragmentation G06F3/0604; unloading stored programs G06F9/445; storage management in file systems G06F16/10; buffering arrangements in a network node or in an end terminal in packet networks H04L49/90
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/435 Processing of additional data, e.g. decrypting of additional data, reconstructing software from modules extracted from the transport stream
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44222 Analytics of user selections, e.g. selection of programs or purchase activity monitoring of user selections in data processing systems G06F11/34; arrangements for monitoring the user's behaviour or opinions in broadcast systems H04H60/33
• 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 21/458 Scheduling content for creating a personalised stream, e.g. by combining a locally stored advertisement with an incoming stream; Updating operations, e.g. for OS modules ; time-related management operations arrangements for replacing or switching information during the broadcast or during the distribution H04H20/10
• 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 21/4667 : Processing of monitored end-user data, e.g. trend analysis based on the log file of viewer selections
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4668 : for recommending content, e.g. movies
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47214 : for content reservation or setting reminders; for requesting event notification, e.g. of sport results or stock market stock exchange data over packet-switching network H04L12/1804; push services over packet-switching network H04L12/1859; notification of incoming messages in packet switching networks H04L51/224
• 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 21/6582 : Data stored in the client, e.g. viewing habits, hardware capabilities, credit card number arrangements where receivers interact with the broadcast H04H20/38
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 : involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/76 : Television signal recording
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/91 : Television signal processing therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/025 : Systems for the transmission of digital non-picture data, e.g. of text during the active part of a television frame transmission of digital non-picture data during the vertical blanking interval only H04N7/088
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/088 : the inserted signal being digital
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/162 : Authorising the user terminal, e.g. by paying; Registering the use of a subscription channel, e.g. billing
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17327 : with deferred transmission or handling of upstream communications

Abstract

A client-side multimedia content targeting system schedules the recording, storing, and deleting of multimedia content on a client system storage device. The invention accepts as input a prioritized list of program viewing preferences which is compared with a database of program guide objects that indicate when programs of interest are actually broadcast. The viewer may request that certain content be captured, which results in the highest possible priority for those content. The viewer may also explicitly express preferences using appurtenances provided through the viewer interface. Preferences may additionally be inferred from viewing patterns. The viewer'"'"'s client system locally retains the viewer'"'"'s preferences and other personal information that the viewer has entered and is sent targeting information relating to program guide objects by a server. Using the viewer'"'"'s preferences and personal information, the client system creates a viewer profile, which is used with the targeting information by the client system to record content that is within the viewer profile. The invention'"'"'s client-based form of targeting can be applied to almost any multimedia situation, including, but not limited to: TV shows, movies, advertisements, product and service offerings, music, radio, audio, etc.

Claims

1. A process for targeting multimedia content to a viewer using a client system, comprising the steps of:

providing a plurality of client systems;

tracking a viewer'"'"'s preferences on a client system;

wherein said client system profiles the viewer using said tracked preferences;

providing information receiving means on a client system for receiving information from a server relating to content to be broadcast in the future; and

providing content recording means on a client system for selecting content listed in said received information using said viewer profile.

2. The process of claim 1, wherein said received information contains:

content show time, content title, content targeting information, and channel information.

3. The process of claim 2, wherein said content recording means selects content by comparing a content'"'"'s targeting information with said viewer profile, and wherein if said content'"'"'s targeting information falls within a predetermined range of specific information in said viewer profile, then said content recording means schedules the content for recording.

4. The process of claim 1, wherein said content to be broadcast includes, but is not limited to:

TV shows, movies, advertisements, product and service offerings, and audio content.

5. The process of claim 1, wherein said content recording means tunes to a specific channel at a specified time to record selected content.

13. The method of claim 2, wherein said content recording means selects content by comparing a content'"'"'s targeting information with said viewer profile, and wherein if said content'"'"'s targeting information falls within a predetermined range of specific information in said viewer profile, then said content recording means schedules the content for recording.

6. An apparatus for targeting multimedia content to a viewer using a client system, comprising:

a plurality of client systems;

tracking a viewer'"'"'s preferences on a client system;

wherein said client system profiles the viewer using said tracked preferences;

information receiving means on a client system for receiving information from a server relating to content to be broadcast in the future; and

content recording means on a client system for selecting content listed in said received information using said viewer profile.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein said received information contains:

content show time, content title, content targeting information, and channel information.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein said content recording means selects content by comparing a content'"'"'s targeting information with said viewer profile, and wherein if said content'"'"'s targeting information falls within a predetermined range of specific information in said viewer profile, then said content recording means schedules the content for recording.

9. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein said content to be broadcast includes, but is not limited to:

TV shows, movies, advertisements, product and service offerings, and audio content.

10. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein said content recording means tunes to a specific channel at a specified time to record selected content.

11. A program storage medium readable by a computer, tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by the computer to perform method steps for targeting multimedia content to a viewer using a client system, comprising the steps of:

providing a plurality of client systems;

tracking a viewer'"'"'s preferences on a client system;

wherein said client system profiles the viewer using said tracked preferences;

providing information receiving means on a client system for receiving information from a server relating to content to be broadcast in the future; and

providing content recording means on a client system for selecting content listed in said received information using said viewer profile.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein said received information contains:

content show time, content title, content targeting information, and channel information.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein said content to be broadcast includes, but is not limited to:

TV shows, movies, advertisements, product and service offerings, and audio content.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein said content recording means tunes to a specific channel at a specified time to record selected content.