Content notification and delivery

• US 20070169148A1
• Filed: 04/02/2004
• Published: 07/19/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 04/03/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cox Communications Incorporated (Cox Enterprises Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Cox Communications Incorporated (Cox Enterprises Incorporated)
• Inventors: Oddo, Anthony, Hosea, Devin, Thurston, Nathaniel, Perdon, Albert, Renger, Thomas
• Granted Patent: US 9,247,300 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/252 Processing of multiple end-users' preferences to derive collaborative data
• 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 21/4383 Accessing a communication channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44222 Analytics of user selections, e.g. selection of programs or purchase activity monitoring of user selections in data processing systems G06F11/34; arrangements for monitoring the user's behaviour or opinions in broadcast systems H04H60/33
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/443 OS processes, e.g. booting an STB, implementing a Java virtual machine in an STB or power management in an STB
• 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 21/4622 Retrieving content or additional data from different sources, e.g. from a broadcast channel and the Internet web site content organization and management for information retrieval from the Internet G06F16/958; transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82; stock exchange data over packet-switching network H04L12/1804; push services including data channel over packet-switching network H04L12/1859
• 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 21/4758 for providing answers, e.g. voting
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4788 communicating with other users, e.g. chatting arrangements for providing for computer conferences, e.g. chat rooms, to substation in data switching networks H04L12/1813; distributed application using peer-to-peer [P2P] networks H04L67/104
• 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 21/4882 for displaying messages, e.g. warnings, reminders arrangements for providing short real-time information to substation in data switching networks H04L12/1895
• 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 7/173 with two-way working, e.g. subscriber sending a programme selection signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17336 Handling of requests in head-ends

Abstract

Disclosed are methods and systems for displaying content recommendations to a television viewer. In one aspect of the invention, when the user changes channel, the system displays contact recommendations to the user before going to the next channel. The recommendations are based on user profiles and/or aggregated multi-user content. In a further aspect, the user can decide on one of the recommendations (or answer a yes/no query) to migrate to the corresponding content.

Claims

1-20. -20. (canceled)

21. A method of displaying content recommendations to a user, the method comprising:

providing, in response to the detection of a channel change event, a content recommendation; and

allowing a user to selectively view the recommended content or content associated with a newly selected channel.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the content recommendation is provided using one or more of a rating engine, recommendation engine and profile engine.

23. The method of claim 21, wherein the content recommendation comprises:

generating at least one recommendation of local or remote content.

24. A method of providing a user perceptible indicator of available content, the method comprising:

monitoring content viewed by a plurality of users;

based on the content viewed by the plurality of users, generating the user perceptible indicator of content, wherein the generating occurs at a change in system state; and

allowing the user to interact with the user perceptible indicator.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein the monitoring comprises:

detecting content viewed by a subset of the plurality of users.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein the change in system state comprises activation of a client device.

27. The method of claim 25, wherein the change in system state comprises activation of a television viewing system or set top box associated with the user.

28. The method of claim 25, wherein the change in system state comprises a channel change event.

29. The method of claim 25, wherein the interacting further comprises:

responding to signals generated by a user-operated remote control device.

30. A system for displaying content recommendations to a viewer, the system comprising:

means for detecting when a viewer changes channels;

means for providing a content recommendation responsive to a detection of a channel change event; and

means for allowing the viewer to select the recommended content.

31. A system for providing a user perceptible indicator of available content, the system comprising:

means for receiving at least one recommendation of available content;

means for generating a perceptible indicator of the recommended content in response to a change in system state; and

means for allowing the user to interact with the user perceptible indicator.

32. The system of claim 31, wherein the change in system state comprises activation of a client device.