Multiple item user preference information data structure and method for providing multi-media information

• US 20060179455A1
• Filed: 04/06/2006
• Published: 08/10/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 09/22/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Yoon, Kyoung Ro, Jun, Sung Bae
• Granted Patent: US 7,945,927 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/235 Processing of additional data, e.g. scrambling of additional data or processing content descriptors
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/435 Processing of additional data, e.g. decrypting of additional data, reconstructing software from modules extracted from the transport stream
• 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 21/84 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 7/163 by receiver means only

Abstract

A user preference information data structure which is capable of classifying and setting user'"'"'s preference information regarding multi-media contents with multiple items to thereby provide users with user'"'"'s request-based whole or partial multi-media information, and a method for providing multi-media information by using the user preference information data structure. The multiple item user preference information data structure for multi-media contents comprising: single item user preference information for single items related to the multi-media information; and multiple items user preference information for multiple items formed by combining the single items.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for processing multimedia data, the method comprising:

receiving a user preference description defining a hierarchical structure to describe preferences for filtering and searching of multimedia content, the hierarchical structure including first and second preference elements, the first preference element identifying a single content description component and the second preference element identifying a combination of a plurality of content description components, wherein the user preference description specifies a first preference value for the first preference element and a second preference value for the second preference element; and

using the user preference description to filter or search for multimedia content.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of content description components identified by the second preference element includes the single content description component identified by the first preference element.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the second preference value is independent from the first preference value.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein using the preference description to filter or search for multimedia content includes using the first and second preference values as relative weights of the first and second preference elements for searching or filtering of multimedia content.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein each of the first and second preference values is selected from a range including negative and positive values, the negative values indicating non-preference and the positive values indicating preference.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

storing the user preference description in a non-volatile memory.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the non-volatile memory includes a portable non-volatile memory.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of content description components specifies at least one genre, director, or actor.

9. A computer program product, tangibly embodied in an information carrier, for processing multimedia data, the computer program comprising instructions to cause data processing apparatus to perform operations, comprising:

receiving a user preference description defining a hierarchical structure to describe preferences for filtering and searching of multimedia content, the hierarchical structure including first and second preference elements, the first preference element identifying a single content description component and the second preference element identifying a combination of a plurality of content description components, wherein the user preference description specifies a first preference value for the first preference element and a second preference value for the second preference element; and

using the user preference description to filter or search for multimedia content.

10. The product of claim 9, wherein the plurality of content description components identified by the second preference element includes the single content description component identified by the first preference element.

11. The product of claim 10, wherein the second preference value is independent from the first preference value.

12. The product of claim 9, wherein using the preference description to filter or search for multimedia content includes using the first and second preference values as relative weights of the first and second preference elements for searching or filtering of multimedia content.

13. The product of claim 9, wherein each of the first and second preference values is selected from a range including negative and positive values, the negative values indicating non-preference and the positive values indicating preference.

14. The product of claim 9, the computer program further comprising instructions to cause data processing apparatus to perform operations comprising:

storing the user preference description in a non-volatile memory.

15. The product of claim 14, wherein the non-volatile memory includes a portable non-volatile memory.

16. The product of claim 9, wherein the plurality of content description components specifies at least one genre, director, or actor.

17. A system for processing multimedia data, the system comprising:

a data storage device storing a user preference description defining a hierarchical structure to describe preferences for filtering and searching of multimedia content, the hierarchical structure including first and second preference elements, the first preference element identifying a single content description component and the second preference element identifying a combination of a plurality of content description components, wherein the user preference description specifies a first preference value for the first preference element and a second preference value for the second preference element; and

data processing apparatus configured to perform operations comprising;

receiving the user preference description stored at the data storage device; and

using the received user preference description to filter or search for multimedia content.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the plurality of content description components identified by the second preference element includes the single content description component identified by the first preference element.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the second preference value is independent from the first preference value.

20. The system of claim 17, wherein using the preference description to filter or search for multimedia content includes using the first and second preference values as relative weights of the first and second preference elements for searching or filtering of multimedia content.

21. The system of claim 17, wherein each of the first and second preference values is selected from a range including negative and positive values, the negative values indicating non-preference and the positive values indicating preference.

22. The system of claim 17, wherein the data storage device stores the user preference description in a non-volatile memory.

23. The system of claim 22, wherein the non-volatile memory includes a portable non-volatile memory.

24. The system of claim 22, wherein the plurality of content description components specifies at least one genre, director, or actor.