Method For Updating a User Profile

• US 20080215709A1
• Filed: 02/22/2007
• Published: 09/04/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 02/22/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Deutschland GmbH (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Deutschland GmbH (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Kemp, Thomas
• Granted Patent: US 9,256,877 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/219
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/00 Commerce
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/133 Protocols for remote procedure calls [RPC]

Abstract

The invention provides a method for updating a user profile on a server (2) based on user content items on a client (1), the server (2) being able to communicate with the client (1) via a communication network (3), comprising the following steps: a) for each of at least a part of said user content items on the client (1), providing characteristic information suitable to identify a respective user content item; b) transferring the characteristic information of the user content items from the client (1) to the server (2); c) comparing the characteristic information of the user content items with characteristic information suitable to identify the server content items; and d) updating the user profile on the server (2) based on the comparison carried out in c).

Claims

1. Method for updating a user profile on a server (2) based on user content items on a client (1), the server (2) being able to communicate with the client (1) via a communication network (3), comprising the following steps:

a) for each of at least a part of said user content items on the client (1), providing characteristic information suitable to identify a respective user content item;

b) transferring the characteristic information of the user content items from the client (1) to the server (2);

c) comparing the characteristic information of the user content items with characteristic information suitable to identify the server content items; and

d) updating the user profile on the server (2) based on the comparison carried out in c).

5. Method according to any one of the preceding claims,

wherein the method is repeated each time a user content item is added to and/or deleted from the client (1).

6. Method according to any one of the preceding claims,

wherein the characteristic information of a content item corresponds to the content item itself and/or to an identification code identifying the content item.

8. Method according to any one of the preceding claims,

wherein the step of updating the user profile on the server (2) comprises the further step of for each of the user content items showing a match with a respective server content item, determining if there is descriptive data available for the respective content item on the server (2).

9. Method according to claim 8,

comprising the further step of in case descriptive data are available for the respective content item, updating the user profile based on the respective descriptive data.

10. Method according to claim 8 or 9,

comprising the further step of in case no descriptive data are available for the respective content item, discarding the respective content item when updating the user profile.

11. Method according to any one claims 8 to 10,

comprising the further step of in case no descriptive data are available for the respective content item, analyzing the respective content item and updating the user profile based on a result of the analysis.

12. Method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein

in case the user profile comprises a plurality of channels, whereas content items are assignable to at least one channel, updating the user profile based on the respective content item merely with respect to the at least one channel.

13. Method according to any one of the preceding claims,

comprising the further steps of:

rating the respective content item with respect to each of the channels; and

determining the at least one channel as the channel having the best rating.

14. Method according to claim 13,

wherein said at least one channel as the channel having the best rating is updated as a best channel.

15. Method according to any one of the preceding claims,

wherein the respective content item is discarded from updating the user profile in case the best rating does not exceed a predetermined minimum rating.

16. Method according to any one of the preceding claims,

wherein a user input is requested on the client (1) prior to carrying out the steps as defined in any one of the preceding claims and the update of the user profile is either continued, retarded or cancelled depending on the user input.

19. Computer program product,

comprising computer program means which is adapted to perform a method according to any of claims 1 to 16 or to at least partially embody the client (1) according claim 17 and/or the server (2) according to claim 18.

20. Computer readable storage medium,

comprising a computer program product according to claim 19.

2. Method for updating a user profile on a server (2) based on user content items on a client (1), the server (2) being able to communicate with the client (1) via a communication network (3), comprising the following steps:

a) transferring characteristic information from the server (2) to the client (1), the characteristic information being suitable to identify each of a part of server content items;

b) for each of the part of server content items;

b1) comparing the respective characteristic information with characteristic information on the client (1) suitable to identify each of the client'"'"'s content items;

b2) generating an automatic feedback information in case the characteristic information of a respective server content item matches with the characteristic information of a user content item,

b3) in particular otherwise generating a user feedback information based on a user input related to the respective server content item and/or based on the absence of an user input, whereas the automatic user feedback information corresponds to one out of possible stages or states of user feedback information;

c) transferring the feedback information for each of the part of the server content items from the client (1) to the server (2); and

d) updating the user profile on the server (2) based on the automatic user feedback information and/or user feedback information of each of the part of server content items.

3. Method according to claim 2,

wherein the number of possible stages or states of user feedback information equals two.

4. Method according to claim 2,

wherein the user input comprises explicit and implicit input.

7. Method according to any one of claims 2 to 6,

wherein the part of server content items comprises server content items of a content recommendation list stored on the server (2).

17. Client (1) being adapted to communicate with a server (2) via a communication network (3) for updating a user profile on the server based on user content items on the client,

comprising:

means for receiving characteristic information from the server (2), the characteristic information being suitable to identify each of a part of server content items;

means for comparing the respective characteristic information for each of the part of server content items with characteristic information on the client (1) suitable to identify each of the client'"'"'s content items;

means for generating an automatic feedback information in case the characteristic information of a respective server content item matches with the characteristic information of a user content item and for generating a user feedback information based on a user input related to the respective server content item, whereas the automatic user feedback information corresponds to one out of possible stages or states of user feedback information; and

means for transferring the feedback information for each of the part of the server content items from the client (1) to the server (2).

18. Server (2) being adapted to communicate with a client (1) via a communication network (3) for updating a user profile on the server (2) based on user content items on the client (1),

comprising:

means for receiving characteristic information of at least part of the user content items from the client (1), said characteristic information being suitable to identify a respective user content item;

means for comparing the characteristic information of the user content items with characteristic information suitable to identify the server content items; and

means for updating the user profile on the server (2) based on the comparison carried out in said comparison means.

21. Method for updating data, comprising a user profile, stored on a server (2) based on user content items stored on a client (1), the server (2) being able to communicate with the client (1) via a communication network (3), comprising the following steps:

a) for each of at least a part of said user content items stored on the client (1), determining characteristic information suitable to identify a respective user content item;

b) transferring the characteristic information of the user content items from the client (1) to the server (2);

c) comparing the characteristic information of the user content items with characteristic information determined from the server content items; and

d) updating the user profile and storing it on the server (2) based on the comparison carried out in c).

22. Client (1) being adapted to communicate with a server (2) via a communication network (3) for updating data, comprising a user profile, stored on the server based on user content items stored on the client, comprising:

means for receiving characteristic information from the server (2), the characteristic information being suitable to identify each of a part of server content items;

means for comparing the respective characteristic information for each of the part of server content items with characteristic information determined on the client (1) suitable to identify each of the client'"'"'s content items;

means for generating an automatic feedback information in case the characteristic information of a respective server content item matches with the characteristic information of a user content item and for generating a user feedback information based on a user input related to the respective server content item, whereas the automatic user feedback information corresponds to one out of possible stages or states of user feedback information; and

means for transferring the feedback information for each of the part of the server content items from the client (1) to the server (2).

23. Server (2) being adapted to communicate with a client (1) via a communication network (3) for updating data, comprising a user profile, stored on the server (2) based on user content items stored on the client (1), comprising:

means for receiving characteristic information of at least part of the user content items from the client (1), said characteristic information being suitable to identify a respective user content item;

means for comparing the characteristic information of the user content items with characteristic information suitable to identify the server content items; and

means for updating the user profile on the server (2) based on the comparison carried out in said comparison means.