Method and Apparatus for Generation of a Preferred Broadcasted Programs List

• US 20090138902A1
• Filed: 02/02/2009
• Published: 05/28/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 10/19/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: JLB Ventures, LLC
• Original Assignee: JLB Ventures, LLC
• Inventors: Kamen, Yakov
• Granted Patent: US 8,516,523 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/9
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44204 Monitoring of content usage, e.g. the number of times a movie has been viewed, copied or the amount which has been watched monitoring of user activities for profile generation for accessing a video database G06F16/739; protecting generic digital content where the protection is independent of the precise nature of the content G06F21/10; arrangements for monitoring the use made of the broadcast services in broadcast systems H04H60/31
• 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 21/466 Learning process for intelligent management, e.g. learning user preferences for recommending movies services using the results of monitoring in broadcast systems H04H60/61
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47 End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4756 for rating content, e.g. scoring a recommended movie
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/482 End-user interface for program selection broadcast systems using EPGs H04H60/72
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4826 using recommendation lists, e.g. of programs or channels sorted out according to their score

Abstract

A second set of broadcasted programs is added to a first set of broadcasted programs. The second set of broadcasted programs includes broadcasted programs viewed by a viewer for a period of time at least equal to a first threshold. A third set of broadcasted programs is removed from the first set of broadcasted programs. The third set of broadcasted programs includes broadcasted programs not viewed by a viewer for a period of time at least equal to a second threshold. In one embodiment, a fourth set of broadcasted programs selected by the viewer is added to the first set of broadcasted programs. In one embodiment, the first threshold and the second threshold are updated upon the viewer indicating dissatisfaction. In one embodiment, the first threshold and the second threshold are updated upon the viewer returning to a schedule list more than a predetermined number of times. In one embodiment, the first threshold is set to be a first percentage of a period of time that a channel was viewed, and the second threshold is set to be a second percentage of the period of time that the channel was viewed.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

displaying a first set of preferred broadcasted programs on a display device;

receiving an indication of a level of user satisfaction with the displayed first set of preferred broadcast programs; and

based on the received indication of the level of user satisfaction, updating at least one viewing time threshold associated with the first set of preferred broadcasted programs.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one viewing time threshold corresponds to a number of times a broadcast program was tuned to or an accumulated viewing time for a broadcast program.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the indication of the level of user satisfaction comprises determining that a viewer returned to a complete schedule of programs more than a predetermined number of times.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one viewing time threshold comprises a percentage of a maximum time that any broadcasted channel was viewed.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the updating comprises determining that raising the at least one viewing time threshold will decrease the number of broadcast programs in the first set to below a maximum program number threshold.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the updating comprises determining that lowing the at least one viewing time threshold will increase the number of broadcast programs in the first set to more than a minimum program number threshold.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the first set of preferred broadcasted programs comprise a set of broadcasted programs manually selected by a viewer.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the received indication of the level of user satisfaction is based on a boolean user input corresponding to satisfaction with the displayed first set of preferred broadcast programs.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

calculating and storing a number of times that a user returned to a complete schedule of programs;

comparing the number of times that the user returned to the complete schedule of programs to a first predetermined value;

lowering the at least one viewing time threshold only if the number of times that the user returned to the complete schedule of programs is greater than the first predetermined value;

comparing the number of times that the user returned to the complete schedule of programs to a second predetermined value; and

raising the at least one viewing time threshold only if the number of times that the user returned to the complete schedule of programs is less than the second predetermined value.

10. An apparatus comprising:

a processor configured to control at least some operations of the apparatus;

a memory storing computer executable instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the apparatus to;

display a first set of preferred broadcasted programs on a display device;

receive an indication of a level of user satisfaction with the displayed first set of preferred broadcast programs; and

based on the received indication of the level of user satisfaction, update at least one viewing time threshold associated with the first set of preferred broadcasted programs.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein receiving the indication of the level of user satisfaction comprises determining that a viewer returned to a complete schedule of programs more than a predetermined number of times.

12. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the updating comprises determining that raising the at least one viewing time threshold will decrease the number of broadcast programs in the first set to below a maximum program number threshold.

13. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the updating comprises determining that lowing the at least one viewing time threshold will increase the number of broadcast programs in the first set to more than a minimum program number threshold.

14. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the at least one viewing time threshold corresponds to a number of times a broadcast program was tuned to or an accumulated viewing time for a broadcast program.

15. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the received indication of the level of user satisfaction is based on a boolean user input corresponding to satisfaction with the displayed first set of preferred broadcast programs.

16. The apparatus of claim 10, further comprising computer executable instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the apparatus to:

calculating and storing a number of times that a user returned to a complete schedule of programs;

comparing the number of times that the user returned to the complete schedule of programs to a first predetermined value;

lowering the at least one viewing time threshold only if the number of times that the user returned to the complete schedule of programs is greater than the first predetermined value;

comparing the number of times that the user returned to the complete schedule of programs to a second predetermined value; and

raising the at least one viewing time threshold only if the number of times that the user returned to the complete schedule of programs is less than the second predetermined value.

18. The computer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein the at least one viewing time threshold corresponds to a number of times a broadcast program was tuned to or an accumulated viewing time for a broadcast program.

17. A computer-readable medium storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed, perform a method comprising

displaying a first set of preferred broadcasted programs on a display device;

receiving an indication of a level of user satisfaction with the displayed first set of preferred broadcast programs; and

based on the received indication of the level of user satisfaction, updating at least one viewing time threshold associated with the first set of preferred broadcasted programs.

19. The computer-readable medium of claim 17, wherein the received indication of the level of user satisfaction is based on a boolean user input corresponding to satisfaction with the displayed first set of preferred broadcast programs.

20. The computer-readable medium of claim 17, the method further comprising:

calculating and storing a number of times that a user returned to a complete schedule of programs;

comparing the number of times that the user returned to the complete schedule of programs to a first predetermined value;

lowering the at least one viewing time threshold only if the number of times that the user returned to the complete schedule of programs is greater than the first predetermined value;

comparing the number of times that the user returned to the complete schedule of programs to a second predetermined value; and

raising the at least one viewing time threshold only if the number of times that the user returned to the complete schedule of programs is less than the second predetermined value.