METHOD AND APPARATUS TO PROVIDE A PERSONALIZED CHANNEL

• US 20090037958A1
• Filed: 07/18/2008
• Published: 02/05/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 09/28/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Bridges, Bruce D., Traw, Brendan, Balogh, Stephen P., Connelly, Jay H.
• Granted Patent: US 8,943,540 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 21/252 Processing of multiple end-users' preferences to derive collaborative data
• 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 21/4331 Caching operations, e.g. of an advertisement for later insertion during playback
• 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 21/442 Monitoring of processes or resources, e.g. detecting the failure of a recording device, monitoring the downstream bandwidth, the number of times a movie has been viewed, the storage space available from the internal hard disk arrangements for monitoring broadcast services or broadcast-related services H04H60/29; arrangements for identifying or recognising characteristics with a direct linkage to broadcast information H04H60/35; monitoring of user activities for profile generation for accessing a video database G06F16/739; monitoring in wireless networks H04W24/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44224 Monitoring of user activity on external systems, e.g. Internet browsing
• 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 21/458 Scheduling content for creating a personalised stream, e.g. by combining a locally stored advertisement with an incoming stream; Updating operations, e.g. for OS modules ; time-related management operations arrangements for replacing or switching information during the broadcast or during the distribution H04H20/10
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4586 Content update operation triggered locally, e.g. by comparing the version of software modules in a DVB carousel to the version stored locally deployment, distribution, installation, update of software G06F8/65; error detection or correction of the data by redundancy during software upgrading G06F11/1433; arrangements for updating broadcast information or broadcast-related information H04H60/25
• 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 21/6112 involving terrestrial transmission, e.g. DVB-T
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6582 Data stored in the client, e.g. viewing habits, hardware capabilities, credit card number arrangements where receivers interact with the broadcast H04H20/38
• 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

Abstract

A method and apparatus for automatically delivering data files (e.g. television and movies) via a personalized channel to a user, that are based on a user'"'"'s profile and viewing habits, are provided. A client receives meta-data broadcasts from a server system that includes descriptions of a plurality of data files currently being broadcasted or to be broadcast by the server system. In response to a content rating table that is based on a user'"'"'s profile and viewing habits, a data file is automatically selected. The selected data file is displayed on a personalized channel on a display device to the user. The selected data file can be, for example, a currently broadcasting data file or a data file stored in a cache memory of the client. Thus, the user only needs to tune to his or her personalized channel to view personalized content.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving meta-data broadcast by a server system, the meta-data including descriptions of a plurality of data files currently being broadcasted or to be broadcasted by the server system;

rating previously broadcasted data files based on meta-data associated with the broadcasted data files, respectively, in response to a content rating table, wherein the content rating table includes at least a rating value and a rating type for broadcasted data files, wherein the rating value is the combination of a relevance value and a believability factor, the relevance value corresponding to a likelihood that a user will want to watch the broadcasted data file based on the descriptions of the meta-data and the believability factor is a weighting factor corresponding to the accuracy of past relevance value determinations, and the rating type indicates whether the rating value was generated explicitly based upon prior explicit input from the user or implicitly generated without prior explicit input from the user;

storing previously broadcasted data files meeting a pre-determined ranking threshold in a storage device to create a plurality of stored data files;

comparing the rankings of the plurality of stored data files to determine a best stored data file;

rating currently broadcasted data files in response to the content rating table;

comparing the rankings of currently broadcasted data files to determine a best currently broadcasted data file;

selecting the best currently broadcasted data file or best stored data file with the highest ranking; and

displaying the selected best currently broadcasted or stored data file automatically on a personalized channel on a display device.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein a currently broadcasted data file is an immediate viewing data file and is automatically selected.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein if an immediate viewing data file is not selected then a stored data file is selected.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein if neither an immediate viewing data file or a stored data file is selected then the currently broadcasted data file with the highest ranking is selected.

5. The method of claim 4 further comprising displaying the selected data file on a personalized channel on a display device.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the plurality of data files comprise at least one of video information, graphical information, audio information, multi-media information or textual information.

7. An apparatus, comprising:

a processor having circuitry to execute instructions;

a communications interface coupled to the processor, the communications interface coupled to receive data files and meta-data from a server system; and

a storage device coupled to the processor, the storage device having sequences of instructions stored therein, which when executed by the processor cause the processor to;

rate previously broadcasted data files based on meta-data associated with the broadcasted data files, respectively, in response to a content rating table, wherein the content rating table includes at least a rating value and a rating type for broadcasted data files, wherein the rating value is the combination of a relevance value and a believability factor, the relevance value corresponding to a likelihood that a user will want to watch the broadcasted data file based on the descriptions of the meta-data and the believability factor is a weighting factor corresponding to the accuracy of past relevance value determinations, and the rating type indicates whether the rating value was generated explicitly based upon prior explicit input from the user or implicitly generated without prior explicit input from the user;

store previously broadcasted data files meeting a pre-determined ranking threshold in a storage device to create a plurality of stored data files;

compare the rankings of the plurality of stored data files to determine a best stored data file;

rate currently broadcasted data files in response to the content rating table;

compare the rankings of currently broadcasted data files to determine a best currently broadcasted data file;

select the best currently broadcasted data file or best stored data file with the highest ranking; and

display the selected best currently broadcasted or stored data file automatically on a personalized channel on a display device.

8. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein a currently broadcasted data file is an immediate viewing data file and is automatically selected.

9. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein if an immediate viewing data file is not selected then a stored data file is selected.

10. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein if neither an immediate viewing data file or a stored data file is selected then the currently broadcasted data file with the highest ranking is selected.

11. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein the selected data file is displayed on a personalized channel on a display device.

12. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein the plurality of data files comprise at least one of video information, graphical information, audio information, multi-media information or textual information.

13. A machine-readable medium of a storage device having instructions tangibly stored thereon executed by a processor to cause the processor to:

receive meta-data broadcast by a server system, the meta-data including descriptions of a plurality of data files currently being broadcasted or to be broadcasted by the server system;

rate previously broadcasted data files based on meta-data associated with the broadcasted data files, respectively, in response to a content rating table, wherein the content rating table includes at least a rating value and a rating type for broadcasted data files, wherein the rating value is the combination of a relevance value and a believability factor, the relevance value corresponding to a likelihood that a user will want to watch the broadcasted data file based on the descriptions of the meta-data and the believability factor is a weighting factor corresponding to the accuracy of past relevance value determinations, and the rating type indicates whether the rating value was generated explicitly based upon prior explicit input from the user or implicitly generated without prior explicit input from the user;

store previously broadcasted data files meeting a pre-determined ranking threshold in a storage device to create a plurality of stored data files;

compare the rankings of the plurality of stored data files to determine a best stored data file;

rate currently broadcasted data files in response to the content rating table;

compare the rankings of currently broadcasted data files to determine a best currently broadcasted data file;

select the best currently broadcasted data file or best stored data file with the highest ranking; and

display the selected best currently broadcasted or stored data file automatically on a personalized channel on a display device.

14. The machine-readable medium of claim 13 wherein a currently broadcasted data file is an immediate viewing data file and is automatically selected.

15. The machine-readable medium of claim 14 wherein if an immediate viewing data file is not selected then a stored data file is selected.

16. The machine-readable medium of claim 15 wherein if neither an immediate viewing data file or a stored data file is selected then the currently broadcasted data file with the highest ranking is selected.

17. The machine-readable medium of claim 16 wherein the selected data file is displayed on a personalized channel on a display device.