Media queue monitor

• US 20040158503A1
• Filed: 02/02/2004
• Published: 08/12/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 01/31/2003
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Media Queue LLC
• Original Assignee: Media Queue LLC
• Inventors: Gross, John N.
• Application Number:
  US10/770,767
• Publication Number:
  US 20040158503A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/26
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]

Abstract

An intelligent queue monitor works on behalf of subscribers to an electronic media service provider to ensure that an adequate and interesting list of titles is made available to the subscriber. The queue monitor can be integrated as part of the e-commerce website, at a separate monitoring site, or as a stand alone package based at the user'"'"'s client computing system.

Claims

1. A method of monitoring a queue maintained by a content provider for a subscriber, the method comprising the steps of:

(a) setting up a subscriber rental queue for the subscriber, said subscriber rental queue consisting of a list of one or more playable media items desired by the subscriber;

(b) setting up queue monitoring control rules for the subscriber rental queue; and

(c) monitoring said subscriber rental queue in accordance with said queue monitoring control rules to determine if a change should be made to a composition and/or ordering of said list; and

(d) automatically selecting a proposed playable media item to be added to the subscriber rental queue, or removed from the subscriber rental queue;

(e) modifying said subscriber rental queue based on an authorization from the subscriber to generate a new list of one or more playable media items in response to the results of steps (c) and (d).

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the authorization from the subscriber can be specified in advance of step (c).

3. The method of claim 1 wherein said list of one or more playable media items are set up by a subscriber-defined priority in a delivery sequence ranging from a first playable media item to be delivered from said subscriber rental queue to a last playable media item to be delivered from said subscriber rental queue.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said new ordered list is generated automatically without sending a further notification to the subscriber.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein said subscriber rental queue is automatically modified after a predefined time delay.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein said queue monitor control rules include a trigger event to be used in determining when said subscriber rental queue should be modified.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein said trigger event is associated with a quantity of playable media items remaining in said subscriber delivery queue.

8. The method of claim 6 wherein said trigger event is associated with a determination by an item recommendation system that said additional playable media item should be added to said subscriber delivery queue as a recommended playable media item.

9. The method of claim 6, wherein said trigger event is based on a predetermined time period.

10. A method of monitoring a queue of playable media items over an electronic network to a subscriber of a media rental service, the method comprising the steps of:

(a) receiving subscriber preference data for the subscriber during a first data session, including queue monitroing options for a rental queue of desired playable media items associated with the subscriber;

(b) generating a subscriber profile for the subscriber suitable for use by a recommender system;

(c) monitoring said rental queue in accordance with said subscriber preference data to determine if a change should be made to said rental queue;

(d) processing said subscriber profile using said recommender system to identify a proposed media item that is likely to be of interest to the subscriber;

(e) automatically inserting said proposed media item into said rental queue based on an authorization from the subscriber, and without requiring a second data session by the subscriber with said media rental service.

11. A media rental service system for distributing playable media items to a subscriber, the system comprising:

(a) a subscriber preference routine for capturing subscriber preference data from the subscriber during a first data session, said subscriber preference data including queue monitoring options and content selection options;

(b) a subscriber selection routine for storing titles of one or more playable media items in a subscriber selection queue;

(c) a subscriber queue monitoring routine configured for reviewing title selections in said subscriber selection queue in accordance with said queue monitoring options and content selection options;

wherein said subscriber queue monitoring routine generates status information concerning said subscriber selection queue which is communicated to the subscriber, including availability of new content at the media rental service system which could be included in said subscriber selection queue.

12. The media rental service system of claim 11, wherein said subscriber selection queue is maintained at a content provider website, and said subscriber preference routine is operable from a separate service website.

13. The media rental service system of claim 11, wherein said subscriber selection queue is maintained within a client computing system operated by the subscriber.

14. The media rental service system of claim 11, wherein said content selection options can include recommendations for titles to be added to said subscriber selection queue from a recommender system which uses a content filtering algorithm and/or a collaborative filtering algorithm.

15. The media rental service system of claim 11, wherein said media rental service system is operated at an Internet website.

16. The media rental service system of claim 11, wherein said playable media items are movies.

17. The media rental service system of claim 11, further including a notification routine for sending a notice to the subscriber of any changes to be made to said subscriber selection queue.

18. The media rental service system of claim 11, wherein a subscriber queue replenishing routine ensures that at least one item is always maintained in said subscriber selection queue.

19. The media rental service system of claim 11, wherein the subscriber can further alter an order of titles in said subscriber selection queue based on said queue monitoring options without further additional subscriber input.

20. The media rental service system of claim 11, wherein said status information provides directions for the subscriber to accept and/or modify a proposed change to said subscriber selection queue.