Annotating meta-data with user responses to digital content

• US 20050071865A1
• Filed: 09/30/2003
• Published: 03/31/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2003
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Martins, Fernando C. M.
• Application Number:
  US10/677,145
• Publication Number:
  US 20050071865A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/10
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/33 Arrangements for monitoring the users' behaviour or opinions
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/45 for identifying users
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/73 using meta-information
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/74 using programme related information, e.g. title, composer or interpreter
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25435 involving characteristics of content or additional data, e.g. video resolution or the amount of advertising
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25866 Management of end-user data customer care in data networks H04L41/5077
• 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 21/42201 biosensors, e.g. heat sensor for presence detection, EEG sensors or any limb activity sensors worn by the user input arrangements for interaction with the human body based on nervous system activity detection G06F3/015
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42203 sound input device, e.g. microphone
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4223 Cameras H04N23/00 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4415 using biometric characteristics of the user, e.g. by voice recognition or fingerprint scanning cryptography using biological data H04L9/3231; authentication in networks using biometric H04L63/0861
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44204 Monitoring of content usage, e.g. the number of times a movie has been viewed, copied or the amount which has been watched monitoring of user activities for profile generation for accessing a video database G06F16/739; protecting generic digital content where the protection is independent of the precise nature of the content G06F21/10; arrangements for monitoring the use made of the broadcast services in broadcast systems H04H60/31
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44218 Detecting physical presence or behaviour of the user, e.g. using sensors to detect if the user is leaving the room or changes his face expression during a TV program methods or arrangements for recognising human body or animal bodies or body parts G06V40/10; methods or arrangements for acquiring or recognising human faces, facial parts, facial sketches, facial expressions G06V40/16; methods or arrangements for recognising movements or behaviour G06V40/20; arrangements for identifying users in broadcast systems H04H60/45
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44224 Monitoring of user activity on external systems, e.g. Internet browsing
• 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

Abstract

The embodiments of the present invention relate generally to digital content and more specifically to annotating meta-data describing digital content. An exemplary embodiment of the present invention is a computerized method comprising receiving data representing a user'"'"'s reaction to digital content and generating through computer automated operations meta-data based on the user'"'"'s reaction. Another embodiment of the invention is a method that includes identifying a user of digital content, collecting the user'"'"'s reactions to digital content, generating meta-data associated with the digital content based on the user'"'"'s reactions, and storing the meta-data by the a receiver.

Claims

1. A computerized method comprising:

receiving data representing a user'"'"'s reaction to digital content; and

generating through computer automated operations meta-data based on the user'"'"'s reaction.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising receiving data identifying a user.

3. The method of claim 2 further comprising generating a ranking of one or more items of digital content based on the reaction of one or more users to the digital content.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the data representing the user'"'"'s reaction is data representing an individual'"'"'s reaction.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the data representing the user'"'"'s reaction is data representing a group'"'"'s reaction.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein receiving data representing a user'"'"'s reaction further comprises receiving data representing physiological processes.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the data representing physiological processes is selected from the group consisting of breathing, heart rate, blood pressure, galvanic response, eye movement, and muscle activity.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein receiving data representing the user'"'"'s reaction further comprises receiving data representing nonverbal communications.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein the data representing nonverbal communications is data representing facial gestures.

10. The method of claim 8 wherein the data representing nonverbal communications is data representing gazing patterns of the user.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein the receiving data representing the user'"'"'s reaction further comprises receiving data representing verbal communications.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the data representing verbal communications comprises data representing speech patterns.

13. The method of claim 11 wherein the data representing verbal communications comprise data representing the user'"'"'s vocabulary.

14. The method of claim 1 wherein receiving data representing the user'"'"'s reaction further comprises receiving data representing the user'"'"'s pattern used to browse the digital content.

15. A method comprising:

identifying a user of digital content;

collecting the user'"'"'s reactions to digital content;

generating meta-data associated with the digital content based on the user'"'"'s reactions; and

storing the meta-data by the a receiver.

18. The method of claim 15 wherein identifying a user is performed using an electronic identification devices.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein the electronic identification device is worn by the user.

20. The method of claim 18 wherein the electronic identification device is carried by the user.

21. The method of claim 18 wherein the electronic identification device is remote from the user.

22. The method of claim 15, wherein identifying a user is performed using a biometric identification device.

23. The method of claim 20 wherein the biometric identification device is selected from the group consisting of a fingerprinting device, a voice recognition device, an iris pattern identification device, a retinal pattern identification device, a face recognition device, and a key stroke rhythm detection device.

24. The method of claim 15 wherein collecting the user'"'"'s reactions is performed using a sensor.

25. The method of claim 24 wherein the sensor in physical contact with the user.

16. The method of 15 further comprising transferring the meta-data from the receiver to an originator.

17. The method of 15 further comprising transferring the meta-data from the receiver to a location identified by the originator.

26. A apparatus comprising:

a mechanism to identify a user of digital content;

a mechanism to collect the user'"'"'s responses to the digital content;

a mechanism to generate a plurality of meta-data associated with the digital content based on the user'"'"'s responses; and

a mechanism to transfer the plurality of meta-data generated throughout a network to a location identified by an originator.

27. The apparatus of claim 26 wherein the location identified is the location of the originator.

28. The apparatus of claim 26 wherein the mechanism to identify a user further comprises one or more electronic identification devices.

29. The apparatus of claim 26 wherein the mechanism to identify a user further comprises one or more biometric identification devices.

30. The apparatus of claim 26 wherein the mechanism to collect the user'"'"'s response further comprises one or more sensors.

31. The method of claim 26 wherein the mechanism to collect the user response is a device selected from the group consisting of a keyboard, a mouse, a remote control, a touchpad, a joystick, a speech recognition device, a video camera, and a microphone.

32. An electronic system comprising:

a memory to store instructions for annotating digital content;

a storage device to store meta-data associated with the digital content; and

a processor programmed to;

execute the instructions for annotating digital content from the memory,

annotate the meta-data with one or more user'"'"'s responses to the digital content, and

store the meta-data on the storage device.

33. The electronic system of claim 32 further comprising one or more devices for identifying a user of digital content.

34. The electronic system of claim 32 further comprising one or more devices to collect data representing a user'"'"'s response to digital content.

35. An article comprising a machine-accessible medium having associated data, wherein the data, when accessed, results in a machine performing:

receiving data representing a user'"'"'s reaction to digital content; and

annotating through computer automated operations the user'"'"'s reaction in meta-data associated with the digital content.

36. The article of claim 35 wherein the machine-accessible medium further includes data, wherein the data, when accessed by the machine, results in the machine performing identifying the user.

37. The article of claim 35 wherein the machine-accessible medium further includes data, when accessed by the machine, results in the machine performing transferring the meta-data to a designated location.

38. An article comprising a machine-accessible media having associated data, wherein the data comprises a data structure for use by the machine, the data structure comprising:

a first field containing data representing digital content; and

a second field containing data representing meta-data associated with the digital content wherein the meta-data comprises one or more annotations representing a user'"'"'s response to the digital content.

39. The article of claim 38 wherein the machine-accessible media further includes data, wherein the data comprises a data structure for use by the machine, the data structure comprising a third field containing data representing an originator of the digital content.

40. The article of claim 38 wherein the machine-accessible media further includes data, wherein the data comprises a data structure for use by the machine, wherein the data representing the digital content is a Digital Item.

41. The article of claim 38 wherein the machine-accessible media further includes data, wherein the data comprises a data structure for use by the machine, wherein the data representing meta-data is stored using a schema based on MPEG-21.

42. The article of claim 38 wherein the machine-accessible media further includes data, wherein the data comprises a data structure for use by the machine, wherein the annotation identifies an event.

43. The article of claim 38 wherein the machine-accessible media further includes data, wherein the data comprises a data structure for use by the machine, wherein the data representing meta-data comprises responses from multiple users.

44. The article of claim 38 wherein the machine-accessible media further includes data, wherein the data comprises a data structure for use by the machine, wherein the data representing meta-data comprises statistical summaries of response from multiple users.

45. A system comprising:

means to identify a user of digital content;

means to collect the user'"'"'s reactions to digital content;

means to generate meta-data associated with the digital content based on the user'"'"'s responses/reactions; and

means to consolidate in a local database the multiple meta-data generated throughout the network.

46. The system of claim 45 further comprising means to provide a ranking based on the consolidated meta-data.

47. The system of claim 45 further comprising means to browse selected items of digital content based on the meta-data.

48. A computerized method comprising:

automatically consolidating, from across a network, a plurality of meta-data describing a plurality of user'"'"'s responses to digital content.

49. The computerized method of claim 48 wherein consolidating the meta-data is performed when a network is idle.

50. The computerized method of claim 48 further comprising adjusting a price for the digital content in response to the user responses to the digital content annotated in the meta-data.

51. The computerized method of claim 48 further comprising conducting market research using the user responses to the digital content annotated in the meta-data.

52. The computerized method of claim 48 further comprising analyzing verbal communication delivered in the form of digital content, the analyzing performed using user responses to the digital content annotated in the meta-data.

53. The computerized method of claim 48 wherein the consolidated meta-data provides an automatic ethnographic ranking system for digital content.