METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR INTELLIGENT MEDIA SELECTION USING AGE AND/OR GENDER

• US 20070276870A1
• Filed: 05/15/2007
• Published: 11/29/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 01/27/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Outland Research LLC
• Original Assignee: Outland Research LLC
• Inventors: Rosenberg, Louis
• Application Number:
  US11/749,130
• Publication Number:
  US 20070276870A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/40 of multimedia data, e.g. slideshows comprising image and additional audio data retrieval of still image data G06F16/50; retrieval of audio data G06F16/60; retrieval of video data G06F16/70

Abstract

Methods and apparatus for automatically selecting a media file for play to a user from a plurality of available media files is disclosed, the selecting being performed with consideration of the age and/or gender of the user. In some embodiments the selecting is performed, at least in part, using an identified age of the user and age-specific popularity data for each of a plurality of media files. In some embodiments the selecting is performed using an identified gender of the user and gender-specific popularity data associated with a plurality of media files. In some embodiments both age and gender are used in combination. In some embodiments an age and/or gender of the user is predicted based upon a history of media file selections and/or preferences of the user.

Claims

1. A method of selecting a media file for play to a user comprising:

receiving an identified gender of a user;

identifying a plurality of candidate media files;

assigning each of the plurality of candidate media files a score based at least in part upon a correlation between gender popularity data associated with each of the plurality of candidate media files and the identified gender of the user; and

selecting the media file based at least in part upon the score.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the identified gender of the user is denoted by a single variable.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the selecting step is based at least in part upon a gender correlation factor indicative of a statistical relevance that gender has in selecting a user-preferred media file.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the score is an absolute value on a scale.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the score of each of the plurality of candidate media files is a value relative to the score of others of the plurality of candidate media files.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the gender popularity data is maintained at a server.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the identified gender of the user is maintained at a server or at a media player.

8. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

adjusting the score based upon a history of media file preferences of the user.

9. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

adjusting the score based upon a history of media file preferences of other users of the same gender as the user.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the identified gender of the user is predicted based upon a history of media file selections of the user.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein the receiving the identified gender of the user comprises accessing a data file associated with the user.

12. A method of selecting a media file for play to a user comprising:

receiving an identified age of a user;

identifying a plurality of candidate media files;

assigning each of the plurality of candidate media files a score based at least in part upon a correlation between age popularity data associated with each of the plurality of candidate media files and the identified age of the user; and

selecting the media file based at least in part upon the score.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein the identified age group of the user is an indication of the annual age of the user or a range of annual ages.

14. The method of claim 12 wherein the selecting step is based at least in part upon an age correlation factor indicative of a statistical relevance that age has in selecting a user-preferred media file.

15. The method of claim 12 wherein the score is an absolute value on a scale.

16. The method of claim 12 wherein the score of each of the plurality of candidate media files is a value relative to the score of others of the plurality of candidate media files.

17. The method of claim 12 wherein the age popularity data is maintained at a server.

18. The method of claim 12 wherein the identified age of the user is maintained at a server or at a media player.

19. The method of claim 12 further comprising:

adjusting the score based upon a history of media file preferences of the user.

20. The method of claim 12 further comprising:

adjusting the score based upon a history of media file preferences of other users of the same age as the user.

21. The method of claim 12 wherein the identified age of the user is predicted based upon a history of media file selections of the user.

22. The method of claim 12 wherein the selecting step further comprises using a weighting factor that indicates the relative impact that the identified age has upon media file preference as compared to at least one other factor.

23. A method of selecting a media file for play to a user comprising:

receiving an identified age and an identified gender of a user;

identifying a plurality of candidate media files;

assigning each of the plurality of candidate media files a score based at least in part upon the identified age and the identified gender of the user; and

selecting the media file based at least in part upon the score.

24. The method of claim 23 wherein the assigning step further comprises using a weighting factor that affects the impact of the identified age upon the score as compared to the impact of the identified gender upon the score.

25. A device for selecting a musical song for play to a user comprising:

one or more processors adapted to;

receive a user characteristic of a user,

identify a plurality of candidate musical songs,

assign each of the plurality of candidate musical songs a score based at least in part upon a correlation between the user characteristic and characteristic-specific popularity data associated with each of the plurality of candidate songs, and

select the musical song from the plurality of candidate musical songs based at least in part upon the score.

26. The device of claim 25 wherein the user characteristic is the gender of the user.

27. The device of claim 25 wherein the user characteristic is the age of the user.

28. A method of predicting a gender of a user comprising:

receiving a history of media selections of a user;

determining a correlation between the history of the media selections of the user and gender popularity data associated with the media selections; and

predicting a gender of the user based at least in part upon the correlation.

29. The method of claim 28 further comprising:

selecting automatically future media for play to the user based at least in part upon the predicted gender of the user.

30. A method of predicting an age of a user comprising:

receiving a history of media selections of a user;

determining a correlation between the history of the media selections of the user and age popularity data associated with the media selections; and

predicting an age of the user based at least in part upon the correlation.

31. The method of claim 30 further comprising:

selecting automatically future media for play to the user based at least in part upon the predicted age of the user.