Systems and methods for managing content

• US 20070157220A1
• Filed: 12/29/2005
• Published: 07/05/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 12/29/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: United Video Properties Incorporated (Adeia Inc.)
• Original Assignee: United Video Properties Incorporated (Adeia Inc.)
• Inventors: Walker, Todd, Cordray, Charles
• Application Number:
  US11/324,172
• Publication Number:
  US 20070157220A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/9
• 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 21/4147 PVR [Personal Video Recorder] H04N5/76 takes precedence ; arrangements for broadcast with accumulation-type receivers H04H20/40
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4331 Caching operations, e.g. of an advertisement for later insertion during playback
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/43615 Interfacing a Home Network, e.g. for connecting the client to a plurality of peripherals home Audio Video Interoperability [HAVI] data switching networks H04L12/2805
• 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 21/4667 Processing of monitored end-user data, e.g. trend analysis based on the log file of viewer selections
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47 End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4751 for defining user accounts, e.g. accounts for children
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/775 between a recording apparatus and a television receiver
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/782 on tape
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/0884 for the transmission of additional display-information, e.g. menu for programme or channel selection
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17309 Transmission or handling of upstream communications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/8042 involving data reduction

Abstract

A “New To Me” feature is provided for an interactive media guidance system implemented as a home network having multiple user equipment devices. Functionally speaking, the “New To Me” feature of the interactive media guidance system identifies programs or advertisements that have been previously viewed by an individual user or a user equipment device within the home network, or even by a household. The interactive media guidance system may use the information gathered regarding the programs and/or advertisements that have already been seen by a user, device or household to, for example, remove the programs or advertisements from future displays of recommendations, search results or listings of available programming.

Claims

1. A method for using an interactive media guidance application, comprising:

providing a plurality of user equipment devices each capable of supporting an interactive media guidance application and that are communicatively coupled to each other via a home network;

determining the identity of a user using one of the user devices;

providing a viewing history of the identified user, the viewing history including monitored interactions by the identified user on all of the user devices; and

generating interactive content based on the viewing history of the identified user for display using any user device communicatively coupled to the home network.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising displaying the generated interactive content on a display screen of a first one of the user devices for the identified user.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising displaying the generated interactive content on a display screen of a second one of the user devices for the identified user.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining comprises using an identification system to determine the identity of the identified user.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining comprises receiving a user input command that indicates the identity of the identified user.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining comprises selecting a default identity for the user.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

selecting a user profile for the identified user.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the selected user profile comprises the viewer history for the identified user.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

monitoring interactions performed by the identified user on all of the user devices; and

updating the viewer history for the identified user based on the monitored interactions.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the generated interactive content is accessible by each of the user devices.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the viewer history is accessible by each of the user devices.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

storing the viewer history on a database.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the database is located locally on one of the user devices.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the database is a home network database that is communicatively coupled to the home network.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein the database is a remote database that is communicatively coupled to the home network.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the remote database is located on a server or a distribution facility.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein the viewing history comprises data that indicates which programming has been viewed by the identified user, data that monitors the identified user'"'"'s interactions with the interactive media guidance application, data that indicates which advertisements have been viewed or selected by the identified user, or data that indicates which additional information has been viewed or selected by the identified user.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein the generated interactive content comprises a list of programming that has not been viewed by the identified user, advertisements that have not been viewed by the identified user, additional information that has not been viewed by the identified user, additional information that informs the identified user whether a particular program has been viewed, additional information that informs the identified user the last time a particular program was viewed, or a list of programming that has been ranked according to predetermined criteria.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein the generated interactive content comprises a listing of programming, the method further comprising:

storing in a database an identifier associated with each program that has been viewed by the identified user; and

cross-referencing identifiers associated with all available programming with the identifiers stored in the database to determine which programming can be included in the listing of programming.

20. The method of claim 1, wherein the generated interactive content comprises a listing of programming, the method further comprising:

providing a group of identifiers corresponding to all programming available that can be viewed for the identified user, wherein the listing of programming is derived from the group of identifiers; and

removing from the group identifiers corresponding to programming that has been viewed by the identified user.

21. The method of claim 20, further comprising:

adding new identifiers to the group as new programming becomes available; and

deleting identifiers from the group when programming corresponding to the deleted identifiers is no longer available.

22. The method of claim 1, wherein the identified user is a first user and the generated interactive content is first user generated interactive content, the method further comprising:

determining that a second user is using one of the user devices; and

generating second user interactive content based on a viewing history for the second user for display on a display screen of any user device communicatively coupled to the home network.

23. The method of claim 1, wherein the interactive media guidance application is an interactive television program guide or an online television program guide.

24. A system for using an interactive media guidance application, comprising:

a plurality of user equipment devices communicatively coupled to each other via a home network, wherein at least one user equipment device is operative to;

determine the identity of a user;

provide a viewing history of the identified user, the viewing history including monitored interactions by the identified user on the plurality of user equipment devices; and

generate interactive content based on the viewing history of the identified user for display.

25. The system of claim 24, wherein any one of the user equipment devices is operative to display the generated interactive content for the identified user.

26. The system of claim 24, wherein the at least one user equipment device is operative to display the generated interactive content for the identified user.

27. The system of claim 24, wherein the at least one user equipment device is operative to determine the identity of the identified user using an identification system.

28. The system of claim 24, wherein the at least one user equipment device is operative to receive a user input command that indicates the identity of the identified user.

29. The system of claim 24, wherein the at least one user equipment device is operative to select a default identity for the user.

30. The system of claim 24, wherein the at least one user equipment device is operative to:

select a user profile for the identified user.

31. The system of claim 30, wherein the selected user profile comprises the viewer history for the identified user.

32. The system of claim 24, wherein the at least one user equipment device is operative to:

monitor interactions performed by the identified user on all of the user devices; and

update the viewer history for the identified user based on the monitored interactions.

33. The system of claim 24, wherein the generated interactive content is accessible by each of the user equipment devices.

34. The system of claim 24, wherein the viewer history is accessible by each of the user equipment devices.

35. The system of claim 24, wherein the at least one user equipment device is operative to:

store the viewer history on a database.

36. The system of claim 35, wherein the database is located locally on one of the user equipment devices.

37. The system of claim 35, wherein the database is a home network database that is communicatively coupled to the home network.

38. The system of claim 35, wherein the database is a remote database that is communicatively coupled to the home network.

39. The system of claim 38, wherein the remote database is located on a server or a distribution facility.

40. The system of claim 24, wherein the viewing history comprises data that indicates which programming has been viewed by the identified user, data that monitors the identified user'"'"'s interactions with the user equipment devices, data that indicates which advertisements have been viewed or selected by the identified user, or data that indicates which additional information has been viewed or selected by the identified user.

41. The system of claim 24, wherein the generated interactive content comprises a list of programming that has not been viewed by the identified user, advertisements that have not been viewed by the identified user, additional information that has not been viewed by the identified user, additional information that informs the identified user whether a particular program has been viewed, additional information that informs the identified user the last time a particular program was viewed, or a list of programming that has been ranked according to predetermined criteria.

42. The system of claim 24, wherein the generated interactive content comprises a listing of programming, wherein the at least one user equipment device is operative to:

store in a database an identifier associated with each program that has been viewed by the identified user; and

cross-reference identifiers associated with all available programming with the identifiers stored in the database to determine which programming can be included in the listing of programming.

43. The system of claim 24, wherein the generated interactive content comprises a listing of programming, wherein the at least one user equipment device is operative to:

provide a group of identifiers corresponding to all programming available that can be viewed for the identified user, wherein the listing of programming is derived from the group of identifiers; and

remove from the group identifiers corresponding to programming that has been viewed by the identified user.

44. The system of claim 43, wherein the at least one user equipment device is operative to:

add new identifiers to the group as new programming becomes available; and

delete identifiers from the group when programming corresponding to the deleted identifiers is no longer available.

45. The system of claim 24, wherein the identified user is a first user and the generated interactive content is first user generated interactive content, wherein the at least one user equipment device is operative to:

determine that a second user is using one of the user devices; and

generate second user interactive content based on a viewing history for the second user for display on a display screen of any user device communicatively coupled to the network.

46. The system of claim 24, wherein the interactive media guidance application is an interactive television program guide or an online television program guide.