Graded access to profile spaces

• US 20060053449A1
• Filed: 11/25/2003
• Published: 03/09/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 12/10/2002
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Pace PLC (CommScope Holding Company, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Inventors: Gutta, Srinivas
• Application Number:
  US10/538,092
• Publication Number:
  US 20060053449A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2547 Third Party Billing, e.g. billing of advertiser
• 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 21/4532 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 21/454 Content or additional data filtering, e.g. blocking advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4668 for recommending content, e.g. movies
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4826 using recommendation lists, e.g. of programs or channels sorted out according to their score
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

A method for generating a recommendation for video content to a viewer where the viewer has a user profile corresponding to a viewing history of the viewer. The method including: accessing at least one other user profile corresponding to a viewing history of another user (202); combining a portion of the at least one other user profile with the user profile of the viewer to create a combined user profile (208); and determining a recommendation for video content based on the combined user profile (210).

Claims

1. A method for generating a recommendation for video content to a viewer, the viewer having a user profile corresponding to a viewing history of the viewer, the method comprising:

accessing at least one other user profile corresponding to a viewing history of another user;

combining a portion of the at least one other user profile with the user profile of the viewer to create a combined user profile; and

determining a recommendation for video content based on the combined user profile.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the accessing comprises the other user providing at least partial access to the at least one other user profile through a communication channel (104).

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the viewer has limited access to the at least one other user profile and the combining, comprises the other user designating the portion of the at least one other user profile which can be combined with the user profile of the viewer.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the viewer has access to more than the portion of the at least one other user profile and the combining comprises the viewer designating the portion of the at least one other user profile which is to be combined with the user profile of the viewer.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein the combining comprises automatically combining the user profile of the viewer with the portion of the at least one other user profile according to a predetermined criteria.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the predetermined criteria comprises adding sub-portions of the at least one other user profile to the user profile of the viewer which are not present in the user profile of the viewer.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising assigning weights to at least a portion of the portion of the at least one other user profile before the combining to create a weighted combined user profile, wherein the determining comprises determining the recommendation for the video content based on the weighted combined user profile.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the accessing comprises:

requesting the at least one other user profile according to a predetermined characteristic;

receiving at least one response to the request; and

selecting the at least one response based on the predetermined characteristic.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the receiving further comprises soliciting a corresponding price for the use of the at least one other user profile, wherein the selecting comprises selecting the at least one response based on the predetermined characteristic and the corresponding price.

10. An apparatus (100) for generating a recommendation for video content to a viewer, the viewer having a user profile corresponding to a viewing history of the viewer, the apparatus comprising:

communication means (102, 104, 114) for accessing at least one other user profile corresponding to a viewing history of another user;

a processor (106) for combining a portion of the at least one other user profile with the user profile of the viewer to create a combined user profile; and

a recommender (110) for determining a recommendation for video content based on the combined user profile.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the viewer has access to more than the portion of the at least one other user profile and the apparatus further comprises a user interface in which the viewer designates the portion of the at least one other user profile which is to be combined with the user profile of the viewer.

12. The apparatus of claim 10, further comprising means for automatically combining the user profile of the viewer with the portion of the at least one other user profile according to a predetermined criteria.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the means for automatically combining the user profile of the viewer with the portion of the at least one other user profile comprises the processor (106).

14. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the predetermined criteria comprises adding sub-portions of the at least one other user profile to the user profile of the viewer which are not present in the user profile of the viewer.

15. The apparatus of claim 10, further comprising a user interface for assigning weights to at least a portion of the portion of the at least one other user profile to create a weighted combined user profile, wherein the recommender (110) determines the recommendation for the video content based on the weighted combined user profile.

16. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the communication means (102, 104, 114) comprises:

means (102) for transmitting a request for the at least one other user profile according to a predetermined characteristic;

means (102) for receiving at least one response to the request; and

a user interface (114) for selecting the at least one response based on the predetermined characteristic.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein a corresponding price for the use of the at least one other user profile is also received with the at least one response, wherein the user interface (114) comprises means (118) for selecting the at least one response based on the predetermined characteristic and the corresponding price.

18. A program storage device readable by machine, tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by the machine to perform method steps for generating a recommendation for video content to a viewer, the viewer having a user profile corresponding to a viewing history of the viewer, the method comprising:

accessing at least one other user profile corresponding to a viewing history of another user;

combining a portion of the at least one other user profile with the user profile of the viewer to create a combined user profile; and

determining a recommendation for video content based on the combined user profile.

19. A computer program product embodied in a computer-readable medium for generating a recommendation for video content to a viewer, the viewer having a user profile corresponding to a viewing history of the viewer, the computer program product comprising:

computer readable program code means for accessing at least one other user profile corresponding to a viewing history of another user;

computer readable program code means for combining a portion of the at least one other user profile with the user profile of the viewer to create a combined user profile; and

computer readable program code means for determining a recommendation for video content based on the combined user profile.