Collecting preference information

• US 20050288991A1
• Filed: 06/28/2004
• Published: 12/29/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 06/28/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Hubbard, Thomas, Salmenkaita, Jukka-Pekka
• Granted Patent: US 9,553,937 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/7.29
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2133 Verifying human interaction, e.g., Captcha
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0201 Market modelling; Market analysis; Collecting market data
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/105 of operating discs
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/535 Tracking the activity of the user network monitoring arrangements H04L43/00; recording of computer activity G06F11/34
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/565 Conversion or adaptation of application format or content adding application control or application functional data H04L67/561
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/61 taking into account QoS or priority requirements
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/20 Servers specifically adapted for the distribution of content, e.g. VOD servers; Operations thereof

Abstract

In order to allow a first presentation application to utilize tracked information collected by a second presentation application, the tracked information being how digital content is presented in user equipment, the information is collected by user equipment into a presentation application independent ratings data file.

Claims

1. A method for collecting preference information on consumption of digital content, the method comprising

maintaining a ratings data file usable at least by two different applications;

receiving a user input in a presentation application, the user input relating to presenting the digital content; and

collecting, in response to the user input, information on the input into the ratings data file in a presentation application independent format.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising

calling, in response to the user input, an operating system;

and

collecting said information on the basis of said call.

3. The method as claimed in claim 2, the collecting comprising

recognizing the call on a platform level;

transforming information in the call into a presentation application independent format on the platform level; and

using transformed information to collect the ratings data file.

4. The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

displaying the ratings data file to a user; and

updating the ratings data file in response to the user amending the ratings data file.

5. The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

filtering the collected ratings data file according to user defined filtering rules; and

distributing the filtered ratings data file.

6. User equipment for presenting digital content, the user equipment comprising

a presentation application for presenting the digital content;

and

a preference client for logging information on how the digital content is consumed into rating information, whose content type is presentation application independent.

7. The user equipment as claimed in claim 6, further comprising

an operating system with which the presentation application communicates when presenting the digital content,

a plug-in for sending information to the preference client on the basis of said communication between the presentation application and the operating system.

8. The user equipment as claimed in claim 7, wherein the plug-in is for the presentation application and arranged to send the information to the preference client in a presentation application independent format.

9. The user equipment as claimed in claim 6, further comprising

an operating system with which the presentation application communicates when presenting the digital content,

a codec for converting communication from the presentation application to the operating system into a format used by the operating system, the codec being configured to send information to the preference client on the basis of said communication in a presentation application independent format.

10. The user equipment as claimed in claim 6, wherein the presentation application is configured to send the information to the preference client.

11. The user equipment as claimed in claim 6, wherein the preference client is configured to collect information from all presentation applications in the user equipment.

12. The user equipment as claimed in claim 6, wherein the preference client is configured to allow a user to modify explicitly the ratings data file.

13. The user equipment as claimed in claim 6, wherein the user equipment is a mobile terminal.

14. The user equipment as claimed in claim 6, wherein the rating information contains at least one rating record in a metadata format.

15. A system comprising

a server maintaining a database containing preference information, and

user equipment for presenting digital content, for logging presentation application independently information on how the digital content is consumed into presentation application independent rating information, and for sending the presentation application independent rating information to the server,

wherein the server is configured to receive the presentation application independent rating information and to process it into the database.

16. The system as claimed in claim 15, wherein the user equipment is arranged to filter the presentation application independent rating information and only after filtering to send the filtered presentation application independent rating information to the server.

17. The system as claimed in claim 15, the system further comprising at least another server to which said server maintaining the database is configured to distribute the received presentation application independent rating information.

18. A software application comprising program instructions, wherein execution of said program instructions cause user equipment to collect preference information presentation application independently on the basis of inputs received by a presentation application in the user equipment.

19. The software application as claimed in claim 18, comprising further program instructions, wherein execution of said further program instructions cause user equipment to collect preference information on the basis of calls which a presentation application in the user equipment send to an operating system of the user equipment.

20. A server for maintaining a database containing preference information on presentable digital content, the server being configured to receive rating information from user equipment in a presentation application independent format and to process it into the database.

21. The server as claimed in claim 20, the server being further configured to request the rating information from the user equipment.

22. The server as claimed in claim 20, the server being further configured to distribute the received presentation application independent rating information.

23. The server as claimed in claim 20, the server being further configured to provide recommendations on the basis of the received rating information.