System and method for presenting information

• US 20060090184A1
• Filed: 04/11/2005
• Published: 04/27/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 10/26/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Oath Inc. (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Oath Inc. (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: Essas, Joseph, Zito, David
• Application Number:
  US11/104,322
• Publication Number:
  US 20060090184A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/46
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/24578 using ranking
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/437 Administration of user profiles, e.g. generation, initialisation, adaptation, distribution
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/735 Filtering based on additional data, e.g. user or group profiles
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9538 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0256 User search
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/33 Arrangements for monitoring the users' behaviour or opinions
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/46 for recognising users' preferences
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/65 for using the result on users' side
• 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 21/2668 Creating a channel for a dedicated end-user group, e.g. insertion of targeted commercials based on end-user profiles information retrieval from the Internet by querying with filtering and personalisation G06F16/9535; arrangements for replacing or switching information during the broadcast H04H20/10; push services over packet-switching network H04L12/1859; adaptation of message content in packet-switching networks H04L51/063
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42204 User interfaces specially adapted for controlling a client device through a remote control device; Remote control devices therefor constructive details of casings for the remote control device H01H9/0235; user interfaces for controlling a tuning device of a television receiver through a remote control H03J9/00; remote control of peripheral devices connected to a television receiver through the remote control device of the television receiver H04B1/205
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42209 for displaying non-command information, e.g. electronic program guide [EPG], e-mail, messages or a second television channel
• 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 21/47815 Electronic shopping payment schemes, payment architectures or payment protocols for electronic shopping systems G06Q20/12
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4828 for searching program descriptors retrieval of video data G06F16/739
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4858 for modifying screen layout parameters, e.g. fonts, size of the windows
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/488 Data services, e.g. news ticker systems specially adapted for using meteorological information in broadcast systems H04H60/71
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 : involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/84 : Generation or processing of descriptive data, e.g. content descriptors systems specially adapted for using meta-information in broadcast systems H04H60/73
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/445 : for displaying additional information H04N5/50 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 : Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17336 : Handling of requests in head-ends

Abstract

System and method for presenting information. In one embodiment, viewers watching behavior and/or searching habits may be tracked and used to develop a viewer profile. This view profile may then be used to target advertisements, information and/or future programming options to the viewer. Commercial items may also be targeted to the individual user based on such television viewing and/or searching habits.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving a plurality of viewer requests;

displaying content on a display device in response to at least one of said plurality of viewer requests;

communicating data representative of said plurality of viewer requests to a remote server over a network;

maintaining a viewer profile; and

updating said viewer profile based on said plurality of viewer requests.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving, using a client-side device coupled to said display device, broadcast content from a broadcast source and non-broadcast content over said network.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein said client-side device is a set-top box, the method further comprising providing a video signal to said display device by said set-top box representative of said broadcast content and said non-broadcast content.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising associating a client-side device, coupled to said display device, with said viewer profile using a unique identification code.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein said maintaining said viewer profile comprises maintaining said viewer profile in a global viewer database stored on said remote server, said viewer profile usable to customize content that is to be provided to said client-side device.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining a plurality of content options based on said viewer profile; and

presenting one or more of said plurality of content options on said display device.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein said plurality of content options includes at least one of advertisements, commercial offers, current programming information and future programming information.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein said plurality of viewer requests include one or more of a set of search criteria, broadcast content viewed, non-broadcast content requested, content selected for recording, channel changing activities, and volume adjustments.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

monitoring said plurality of viewer requests by a client-side device;

transmitting data representative of said plurality of viewer requests to said remote server; and

updating said viewer profile based on said data representative of the plurality of viewer requests.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising submitting one or more search criteria to a client-side device using a search-enabled remote control.

11. The method of claim 10, displaying one or more search results on a display portion of said search-enabled remote control, wherein said one or more search results are based on said one or more search criteria.

28. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein said computer readable program code to maintain said viewer profile comprises computer readable program code to maintain said viewer profile in a global viewer database stored on said remote server, said viewer profile usable to customize content that is to be provided to said client-side device.

12. An apparatus comprising:

a processor;

an input means coupled to said processor; and

a memory coupled to said processor, said memory to include instructions sequences to cause the processor to,

process a plurality of viewer requests entered using said input means, and

transmit said plurality of viewer requests to a remote server over a network, wherein said plurality of viewer requests are used to update a viewer profile.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein said apparatus is a set top box that receives broadcast content from a broadcast source and non-broadcast content over said network.

14. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein said memory further includes instructions sequences to cause the processor to provide a video signal to the display device representative of said broadcast content and said non-broadcast content.

15. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein said memory further includes instructions sequences to cause the processor to associate said viewer profile to a unique identification code.

16. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein said remote server maintains said viewer profile in a global viewer database, said viewer profile usable to customize content that is to be provided to said apparatus.

17. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein said remote server is to determine a plurality of content options based on said viewer profile, and to transmit one or more of said plurality of content options to said apparatus for display on said display device.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein said plurality of content options includes at least one of advertisements, commercial offers, current programming information and future programming information.

19. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein said plurality of viewer requests includes one or more of a set of search criteria, broadcast content viewed, non-broadcast content requested, content selected for recording, channel changing activities, and volume adjustments.

20. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein said memory further includes instruction sequences to cause said processor to monitor said plurality of viewer requests and transmit data representative of said plurality of viewer requests to said remote server, wherein said remote server is to update said viewer profile based on said plurality of viewer requests.

21. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein said viewer profile is a dynamic representation of a viewer'"'"'s viewing preferences which is updated based on said plurality of viewer requests.

22. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein said memory further includes instruction sequences to cause said processor to receive one or more search criteria from a search-enabled remote control.

23. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein said search-enabled remote control includes a display portion to display one or more results based on said one or more search criteria.

24. A computer program product comprising:

a computer usable medium having computer program code embodied therein to display information, the computer program product having;

computer readable program code to receive a plurality of viewer requests;

computer readable program code to display content on a display device in response to at least one of said plurality of viewer requests;

computer readable program code to communicate data representative of said plurality of viewer requests to a remote server over a network;

computer readable program code to maintain a viewer profile; and

computer readable program code to update said viewer profile based on said plurality of viewer requests.

25. The computer program product of claim 24, further comprising computer readable program code to receive, using a client-side device coupled to said display device, broadcast content from a broadcast source and non-broadcast content over said network.

26. The computer program product of claim 25, wherein said client-side device is a set-top box, and the computer program product further includes computer readable program code to provide a video signal to said display device by said set-top box representative of said broadcast content and said non-broadcast content.

27. The computer program product of claim 24, further comprising computer readable program code to associate a client-side device, coupled to said display device, with said viewer profile using a unique identification code.

29. The computer program product of claim 24, further comprising:

computer readable program code to determine a plurality of content options based on said viewer profile, and

computer readable program code to present one or more of said plurality of content options on said display device.

30. The computer program product of claim 29, wherein said plurality of content options includes at least one of advertisements, commercial offers, current programming information and future programming information.

31. The computer program product of claim 24, wherein said plurality of viewer requests include one or more of a set of search criteria, broadcast content viewed, non-broadcast content requested, content selected for recording, channel changing activities, and volume adjustments.

32. The computer program product of claim 31, further comprising:

computer readable program code to monitor said plurality of viewer requests by a client-side device,

computer readable program code to transmit data representative of said plurality of viewer requests to said remote server, and

computer readable program code to update said viewer profile based on said data representative of the plurality of viewer requests.

33. The computer program product of claim 24, further comprising computer readable program code to submit one or more search criteria to a client-side device using a search-enabled remote control.

34. The computer program product of claim 33, further comprising computer readable program code to display one or more search results on a display portion of said search-enabled remote control, wherein said one or more search results are based on said one or more search criteria.