INCORPORATION OF LEAD ACTOR INFORMATION FOR TV RECOMMENDERS

• US 20090043725A1
• Filed: 11/01/2005
• Published: 02/12/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 11/04/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Koninklijke Philips N.V.
• Original Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Inventors: Gutta, Srinivas
• Granted Patent: US 7,840,980 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 706/54
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44008 involving operations for analysing video streams, e.g. detecting features or characteristics in the video stream arrangements characterised by components specially adapted for monitoring, identification or recognition of video in broadcast systems H04H60/59
• 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 21/4532 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 21/4668 for recommending content, e.g. movies
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4755 for defining user preferences, e.g. favourite actors or genre retrieval personalisation and generation of user profiles for the retrieval of video data G06F16/739; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306
• 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 7/163 by receiver means only

Abstract

A program recommender (300) that receives one or more starring actor data fields for a program. The recommender adjusts one or more of the received starring actor data fields (600) by utilizing a source separate from the received starring actor data fields to identify one or more starring actors in the program. The adjusted data fields may be made available for use in creating a viewer profile (400), or alternatively may be made available for determining a recommendation (330) for the program.

Claims

1. ) A program recommender (300) that receives one or more starring actor data fields with a program, the recommender adjusting (600) one or more of the received starring actor data fields by utilizing a source separate from the received starring actor data fields to identify one or more starring actors in the program.

2. ) The recommender as in claim 1, wherein the recommender (300) analyzes text of the program video to identify the one or more starring actors in the program.

3. ) The recommender as in claim 1, wherein the recommender (300) utilizes a database of programs to identify the one or more starring actors in the program.

4. ) The recommender as in claim 1, wherein the recommender (300) inserts one or more of the starring actors identified into the first one or more of the received starring actor data fields, respectively.

5. ) The recommender as in claim 1, wherein the recommender (300) initially determines whether to adjust one or more of the starring actor data fields received with the program.

6. ) The recommender as in claim 1, wherein the recommender (300) selectively adjusts one or more of the received starring actor data fields based at least in part on a comparison between one or more of the identified starring actors and starring actors named in the one or more received starring actor data fields.

7. ) The recommender as in claim 6, wherein the comparison comprises determining the names of any of the one or more identified starring actors that also appear in the received starring actor data fields.

8. ) The recommender as in claim 1, wherein the recommender (300) resides in at least one processor (302) and at least one associated memory (304).

9. ) A method for processing data regarding a received program (700) for use in creating a viewer profile for making automated television recommendations, the method comprising the steps of:

a) accessing a separate information source containing starring actor information;

b) determining whether the separate information source identifies one or more starring actors in the program received (704);

c) adjusting the received data using one or more of the identified starring actors if the separate information source contains the identity of one or more starring actors in the program (708); and

d) making the adjusted data for the program available for use in the creation of the viewer profile (712).

10. ) The method as in claim 9, wherein accessing the separate information source comprises accessing the video of the received program.

11. ) The method as in claim 10, wherein determining whether the separate information source contains the identity of one or more starring actors in the program received (708) comprises applying text-based analysis to the received video.

12. ) The method as in claim 11, wherein the text is searched for the names of starring actors in the program.

13. ) The method as in claim 10, wherein determining whether the separate information source contains the identity of one or more starring actors in the program received (708) comprises detecting faces in the video received.

14. ) The method as in claim 9, wherein accessing the separate information source comprises accessing a database including program information.

15. ) The method as in claim 9, further including the step of initially determining whether to adjust data regarding one or more starring actors received with the program.

16. ) The method as in claim 9, wherein adjusting the received data using the identified one or more starring actors (708) comprises determining whether to change at least one of a name and a rank of one or more starring actors included with the received data.

17. ) The method as in claim 16, wherein determining whether to change at least one of a name and a rank of one or more starring actors included with the received data comprises comparing one or more of the identified starring actors with one or more of the received starring actors.

18. ) The method as in claim 9, wherein adjusting the received data using the identified one or more starring actors (708) comprises inserting one or more of the identified starring actors as the first one or more starring actors included with the received data.

19. ) The method as in claim 9, wherein the method for processing data regarding a received program is part of a television recommender (300).

20. ) An automated recommendation system component, comprising at least one processor (302) that receives program data of a program, said at least one processor (302):

a) accessing a separate information source containing starring actor information;

b) determining whether the separate information source identifies one or more starring actors in the program (600);

c) adjusting the received data using one or more of the identified starring actors if the separate information source contains the identity of one or more starring actors in the program (600); and

d) making available the adjusted data for the program for use in the creation (315) of a viewer profile (400).

21. ) The automated recommendation system component of claim 20, wherein accessing the separate information source containing starring actor information comprises receiving video of the program (312).

22. ) The automated recommendation system component of claim 21, wherein determining whether the separate information source identifies at least one starring actor in the program received comprises analyzing the received video of the program for text of starring actor names (600).

23. ) The automated recommendation system component as in claim 20, wherein accessing the separate information source containing starring actor information comprises accessing a database containing program information.

24. ) The automated recommendation system component as in claim 20, wherein making available the adjusted data for the program for use in the creation (315) of a viewer profile (400) comprises making the adjusted data available to a television recommender (300).

25. ) The automated recommendation system component as in claim 20, wherein processing tasks a-d are part of a television recommender (300) embodied in the at least one processor (302) and at least one associated memory (304), the television recommender (300) also creating the viewer profile (400).

26. ) A method for processing electronic programming data (740) received for a program for use in automated television program recommendations, the method comprising:

a) accessing a separate information source containing starring actor information (744);

b) determining whether the separate information source identifies one or more starring actors in the program (744);

c) adjusting the received electronic programming data using one or more of the identified starring actors if the separate information source contains the identity of one or more starring actors in the program (748); and

d) making the adjusted electronic programming data for the program available for use in an automated recommendation determination of the program (752).

27. ) The method as in claim 26, wherein accessing the separate information source comprises accessing a database.

28. ) The method as in claim 26, wherein adjusting the received data is further a function of whether the received data for the program also includes one or more of the identified starring actors.

29. ) The method as in claim 26, wherein the method further comprises an initial determination of whether to adjust the received data.

30. ) The method as in claim 26, wherein the method for processing electronic programming data (740) is part of an automated television recommender (300).