Interactive television system with custom video-on-demand menus based on personal profiles

• US 20050160458A1
• Filed: 01/21/2004
• Published: 07/21/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 01/21/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: United Video Properties Incorporated (Adeia Inc.)
• Original Assignee: United Video Properties Incorporated (Adeia Inc.)
• Inventors: Baumgartner, Joseph P.
• Application Number:
  US10/762,958
• Publication Number:
  US 20050160458A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/46 for recognising users' preferences
• 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 21/47 End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47202 for requesting content on demand, e.g. video on demand
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4821 using a grid, e.g. sorted out by channel and broadcast time
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/163 by receiver means only
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

An interactive television system is provided in which a user can use an interactive television application to access and request media-on-demand programming. The interactive television application may display customized interface display screens that include video-on-demand programs and categories that may be of particular interest to the user. These programs and categories of interest may be based on the user'"'"'s personal profile. Once a list of programs and categories based on a user'"'"'s personal profile is generated, one or more of these programs may be incorporated in a menu interface template to generate a video-on-demand menu customized for the user.

Claims

1. A method of providing a user with media-on-demand programming using an interactive television application implemented on user equipment, the method comprising:

generating a personal profile based on collected information relating to the user;

determining a media-on-demand program for the user based at least in part on the personal profile;

generating a customized media-on-demand display by incorporating the media-on-demand program into an interface template; and

displaying the customized media-on-demand display to the user.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the generating the personal profile comprises collecting demographic information about the user.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the generating the personal profile comprises collecting information about the user'"'"'s interests.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the generating the personal profile comprises collecting information about the user'"'"'s viewing habits.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the generating the personal profile comprises collecting information about the user'"'"'s interactions with the interactive television application.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining the media-on-demand program comprises correlating the personal profile of the user with a second personal profile of a second user.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining the media-on-demand program comprises comparing attributes of the media-on-demand program with the personal profile.

8. The method of claim 1 further comprising storing the personal profile on the user equipment.

9. The method of claim 1 further comprising modifying the personal profile based on the user'"'"'s interactions with the customized media-on-demand display.

10. User equipment for providing a user with media-on-demand programming using an interactive television application implemented on the user equipment, the user equipment comprising:

a display;

control circuitry configured to;

generate a personal profile based on collected information relating to the user;

determine a media-on-demand program for the user based at least in part on the personal profile;

generate a customized media-on-demand display by incorporating the media-on-demand program into an interface template; and

display the customized media-on-demand display to the user.

11. The user equipment of claim 10, wherein the collected information comprises demographic information about the user.

12. The user equipment of claim 10, wherein the collected information comprises information about the user'"'"'s interests.

13. The user equipment of claim 10, wherein the collected information comprises information about the user'"'"'s viewing habits.

14. The user equipment of claim 10, wherein the collected information comprises information about the user'"'"'s interactions with the interactive television application.

15. The user equipment of claim 10, wherein the control circuitry, when configured to determine the media-on-demand program for the user, is configured to correlate the personal profile of the user with a second personal profile of a second user.

16. The user equipment of claim 10, wherein the control circuitry, when configured to determine the media-on-demand program for the user, is configured to compare attributes of the media-on-demand program with the personal profile.

17. The user equipment of claim 10, wherein the control circuitry is further configured to store the personal profile on the user equipment.

18. The user equipment of claim 10, wherein the control circuitry is further configured to modify the personal profile based on the user'"'"'s interactions with the customized media-on-demand display.

19. A system for providing a user with media-on-demand programming using an interactive television application implemented on the user equipment, the system comprising:

means for generating a personal profile based on collected information relating to the user;

means for determining a media-on-demand program for the user based at least in part on the personal profile;

means for generating a customized media-on-demand display by incorporating the media-on-demand program into an interface template; and

means for displaying the customized media-on-demand display to the user.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the collected information comprises demographic information about the user.

21. The system of claim 19, wherein the collected information comprises information about the user'"'"'s interests.

22. The system of claim 19, wherein the collected information comprises information about the user'"'"'s viewing habits.

23. The system of claim 19, wherein the collected information comprises information about the user'"'"'s interactions with the interactive television application.

24. The system of claim 19, wherein the means for determining the media-on-demand program comprises means for correlating the personal profile of the user with a second personal profile of a second user.

25. The system of claim 19, wherein the means for determining the media-on-demand program comprises means for comparing attributes of the media-on-demand program with the personal profile.

26. The system of claim 19 further comprising means for storing the personal profile on the user equipment.

27. The system of claim 19 further comprising means for modifying the personal profile based on the user'"'"'s interactions with the customized media-on-demand display.

28. Machine-readable media for use in an interactive television application implemented on user equipment, in which the interactive television application provides a user with media-on-demand programming, wherein the media is encoded with machine-readable instructions for performing the method comprising:

generating a personal profile based on collected information relating to the user;

determining a media-on-demand program for the user based at least in part on the personal profile;

generating a customized media-on-demand display by incorporating the media-on-demand program into an interface template; and

displaying the customized media-on-demand display to the user.

29. The machine-readable media of claim 28, wherein the generating the personal profile comprises collecting demographic information about the user.

30. The machine-readable media of claim 28, wherein the generating the user personal profile comprises collecting information about the user'"'"'s interests.

31. The machine-readable media of claim 28, wherein the generating the personal profile comprises collecting information about the user'"'"'s viewing habits.

32. The machine-readable media of claim 28, wherein the generating the personal profile comprises collecting information about the user'"'"'s interactions with the interactive television application.

33. The machine-readable media of claim 28, wherein the determining the media-on-demand comprises correlating the personal profile of the user with a second personal profile of a second user.

34. The machine-readable media of claim 28, wherein the determining the media-on-demand program comprises comparing attributes of the media-on-demand program with the personal profile.

35. The machine-readable media of claim 28 further comprising storing the personal profile on the user equipment.

36. The machine-readable media of claim 28 further comprising modifying the user personal profile based on the user'"'"'s interactions with the customized media-on-demand display.