Apparatus and method to provide a recommedation of content

• US 20060100987A1
• Filed: 10/15/2003
• Published: 05/11/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 11/08/2002
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Original Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Inventors: Leurs, Nathalie Dorothee Pieternel
• Application Number:
  US10/533,753
• Publication Number:
  US 20060100987A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4147 PVR [Personal Video Recorder] H04N5/76 takes precedence ; arrangements for broadcast with accumulation-type receivers H04H20/40
• 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 21/466 Learning process for intelligent management, e.g. learning user preferences for recommending movies services using the results of monitoring in broadcast systems H04H60/61
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4662 characterized by learning algorithms
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4668 for recommending content, e.g. movies
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47 End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4755 for defining user preferences, e.g. favourite actors or genre retrieval personalisation and generation of user profiles for the retrieval of video data G06F16/739; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/76 Television signal recording
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/782 on tape
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/163 by receiver means only

Abstract

The invention relates to a recommender for recommending content to a user. The recommender comprises a recommender processor (111) which performs the steps of determining (201) a user preference profile and determining (205) if a content item interest does not correspond to the user preference profile. If the content item interest does not match the user preference profile, a temporary user preference profile is generated (207) in response to the content item. The recommender processor (111) then tests (209), through a user interface (107) the temporary user preference profile by recommending a plurality of other content items, and determining user preference values for them. If the preference value for the temporary user preference profile is high (211), the user preference profile is updated (213) accordingly. Otherwise, the temporary user preference profile is deleted (215). The update to the user preference profile may be temporary and have a higher update rate, thereby allowing the recommender to track temporary variations of user preferences. The recommender is particularly applicable to a Private Video Recorder (101).

Claims

1. A method of providing a recommendation of content to a user the method comprising the steps of:

determining (201) a user preference profile;

detecting (203) a content item interest;

determining (205) if the content item interest does not correspond to the user preference profile; and

if so determining (207) a temporary user preference profile in response to the content item interest;

determining (209) if other content items associated with the temporary user preference profile achieve high user preference values and only if so, modifying (213) the user preference profile in response to the temporary user preference profile.

2. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein a number of preference content items associated with the temporary user profile are recommended to the user.

3. A method as claimed in claim 2, wherein the step of determining (209) if the other content items achieve a high user preference value comprises determining a selection rate of the preference content items.

4. A method as claimed in claim 3, wherein the number of preference content items recommended before deciding whether to modify the user preference profile depends on the selection rate.

5. A method as claimed in claim 2, wherein the step of determining (209) if the other content items achieve a high user preference value comprises determining a user rating of at least some of the preference content items.

6. A method as claimed in claim 5, wherein the number of preference content items recommended before deciding whether to modify the user preference profile depends on the user rating of at least some of the preference content items.

7. A method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising the step of modifying the temporary user preference profile in response to the user preference values of the other content items

8. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the modification (213) of the user preference profile is realized by including a user preference profile addition.

9. A method as claimed in claim 8, wherein the user preference profile addition is temporary.

10. A method as claimed in claim 8, wherein a dynamic update characteristic of the user preference profile addition is different from a dynamic update characteristic of the user preference profile.

11. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the content item interest is detected from a detection of a user selection of a content item.

12. A method as claimed in claim 11, further comprising the step of recommending the content item for initial selection.

13. A method as claimed in claim 12, wherein the recommendation of the content item is in response to an increase of preference values of other users for content items associated with the content item.

14. A method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising the step of receiving topic interest information from an external source and wherein the content item interest is detected in response to the topic interest information.

15. A method as claimed in claim 13, wherein the external source comprises at least one source chosen from the group of:

a. newspapers;

b. websites; and

c. broadcast sources.

16. A computer program enabling a method to be carried out according to claim 1.

17. A recommender for providing a recommendation of content to a user, the recommender comprising:

a recommender processor (111) for determining a user preference profile;

a user interface controller (107) for detecting a content item interest;

wherein the recommender processor (111) is operable to

determine if the content item interest does not correspond to the user preference profile; and

if so, to

determine a temporary user preference profile in response to the selected content item; and

determine if other content items associated with the temporary user preference profile achieve high user preference values and only if so, modifying the user preference profile in response to the temporary user preference profile.

18. A private video recorder (101) comprising a recommender as claimed in claim 17.