METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR GENERATING A USER PROFILE

• US 20090063537A1
• Filed: 08/30/2007
• Published: 03/05/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 08/30/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Motorola Mobility, Inc. (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Motorola, Inc. (Motorola Solutions, Inc.)
• Inventors: Mercer, Kevin C., Bouzid, Makram, Lhuillier, Nicolas, Bonnefoy-Cudraz, David
• Application Number:
  US11/847,858
• Publication Number:
  US 20090063537A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/337 Profile generation, learning or modification

Abstract

A method of generating a user profile initially comprises receiving (201, 203) characterising data, and optionally user preferences, for content items. The characterising data describes characteristics, such as content or context characteristics, of each content item. The content items are then clustered (205) into content item clusters in response to characterising data associated with each content item. For each content item cluster, cluster characterising data is determined (207) in response to characterising data and possibly user preferences associated with each content item in the content item cluster. First characterising data is then received (209) for a first content item and a first content item cluster is selected (211) in response to a comparison of the first characterising data and the cluster characterising data of each content item cluster. A user profile is then generated (211) for the first content item in response to first cluster characterising data of the first content item cluster.

Claims

1. A method of generating a user profile, the method comprising:

receiving characterising data for a plurality of content items, the characterising data describing characteristics of each content item;

clustering the plurality of content items into content item clusters in response to characterising data associated with each content item;

for each content item cluster of the content item clusters determining cluster characterising data in response to characterising data associated with each content item in the content item cluster;

receiving first characterising data for a first content item;

selecting a first content item cluster from the content item clusters in response to a comparison of the first characterising data and the cluster characterising data of each content item cluster;

generating a user profile for the first content item in response to first cluster characterising data of the first content item cluster.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of receiving user preferences for the plurality of content items, the user preferences being from a plurality of users;

and wherein the step of determining cluster characterising data comprises determining the cluster characterising data in response to user preferences associated with each content item in the content item cluster.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the cluster characterising data for a content item cluster comprises user preference data determined in response to user preferences of content items in the content item cluster;

and wherein the user profile for the first content item comprises user preference data determined in response to user preference data of the first cluster characterising data.

4. The method of claim 2 wherein clustering the plurality of content items into content item clusters is further in response to user preferences associated with each content item.

5. The method of claim 2 wherein at least some of the user preferences for the plurality of content items are anonymous.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising selecting an associated content item for the first content item from a group of content items in response to the user profile.

7. The method of claim 6 further comprising combining at least the first content item and the associated content item to generate a presentation content item and presenting the presentation content item to a user.

8. The method of claim 6 further comprising transmitting the user profile to a remote server and wherein the selecting of the associated content item is performed by the remote server.

9. The method of claim 6 wherein the group of content items is locally stored.

10. The method of claim 6 wherein the first characterising data is received in advance of the first content item and the method further comprises downloading the associated content item from a remote server in advance of receiving the first content item.

11. The method of claim 6 wherein the associated content item is an advert.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein the clustering comprises a clustering of the plurality of content items using a k-means clustering algorithm.

13. The method of claim 1 further comprising updating the cluster characterising data for the first content item cluster in response to at least one of the first characterising data and a user preference indication for the first content item.

14. The method of claim 1 further comprising repeatedly re-clustering the plurality of content items into content item clusters.

15. The method of claim 1 wherein a same similarity measure is used for the clustering and the comparison of the first characterising data and the cluster characterising data.

16. The method of claim 1 wherein the plurality of content items and the first content item are television programmes.

17. An apparatus for generating a user profile, the apparatus comprising a processing system including a memory arranged to store one or more sets of programming instructions that control the processing system to:

receive characterising data for a plurality of content items, the characterising data describing characteristics of each content item;

cluster the plurality of content items into content item clusters in response to characterising data associated with each content item;

for each content item cluster of the content item clusters determine cluster characterising data in response to characterising data associated with each content item in the content item cluster;

receive first characterising data for a first content item;

select a first content item cluster from the content item clusters in response to a comparison of the first characterising data and the cluster characterising data of each content item cluster;

generate a user profile for the first content item in response to first cluster characterising data of the first content item cluster.

18. A media arranged to store programming instructions that control a processing system to:

receive characterising data for a plurality of content items, the characterising data describing characteristics of each content item;

cluster the plurality of content items into content item clusters in response to characterising data associated with each content item;

for each content item cluster of the content item clusters determine cluster characterising data in response to characterising data associated with each content item in the content item cluster;

receive first characterising data for a first content item;

select a first content item cluster from the content item clusters in response to a comparison of the first characterising data and the cluster characterising data of each content item cluster;

generate a user profile for the first content item in response to first cluster characterising data of the first content item cluster.