INTELLIGENT AUTOMATIC DIGITAL VIDEO RECORDER

• US 20090178071A1
• Filed: 04/24/2008
• Published: 07/09/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 01/09/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Paloma Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Verizon Corporate Services Group Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: WHITEHEAD, Steven D.
• Granted Patent: US 8,789,107 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/15
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/2746 Sorting, e.g. according to history or frequency of use

Abstract

A system measures a frequency with which a user views a television program and identifies the television program as one of the user'"'"'s favorite programs based on the measured frequency. The system automatically records, without intervention of the user, the one of the user'"'"'s favorite programs.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

monitoring a user'"'"'s television program viewing behavior; and

automatically recording at least one television program based on the user'"'"'s television program viewing behavior.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, where the user includes an individual person or a group of persons.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, where the computer-implemented method is performed at a first set top box and where the first set top box and one or more other set top boxes are associated with the group of persons.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 3, where the first set top box and the one or more other set top boxes may reside in a single household.

5. The method of claim 1, where automatically recording the at least one television program comprises recording the at least one television program without intervention of the user.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

identifying topical interests associated with the user; and

automatically recording at least one other television program based on the identified topical interests.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

identifying a television program that is likely to be of interest to the user based on other users'"'"' viewing behavior; and

automatically recording the identified television program.

8. The method of claim 1, where the recording comprises digital video recording (DVR).

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

identifying at least one television program as a favorite program of the user based on the user'"'"'s television program viewing behavior,

where automatically recording the at least one television program comprises automatically recording the identified favorite program.

10. The method of claim 1, where monitoring of the user'"'"'s television program viewing behavior occurs via interaction with a set top box associated with the user.

11. The method of claim 1, where monitoring the user'"'"'s television program viewing behavior comprises:

measuring a frequency with which the user views a television program; and

identifying the television program as one of the user'"'"'s favorite programs based on the measured frequency.

12. The method of claim 11, where automatically recording the least one television program comprises automatically digitally recording the user'"'"'s favorite programs.

13. The method of claim 12, where automatically recording the user'"'"'s favorite program is based on whether the user'"'"'s favorite program is already scheduled to be recorded and based on whether the user is viewing the favorite program when the program is scheduled to be broadcast.

14. The method of claim 13, where automatically recording the user'"'"'s favorite program is further based on whether digital recording capacity is available at the time the user'"'"'s favorite program is to be automatically recorded.

15. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

displaying the recorded at least one television program to the user via a user interface.

16. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

automatically providing recommendations to the user, via a user interface, for recording one or more television programs based on the user'"'"'s television program viewing behavior.

17. A system, comprising:

a digital video recorder (DVR); and

a processing unit to;

monitor television program viewing behavior of a user over a period of time,

identify at least one television program based on the user'"'"'s television program viewing behavior, and

cause the DVR to record the identified at least one television program without intervention by the user.

18. The system of claim 17, where the user includes an individual person or a group of persons, where the system comprises a set top box and where the set top box and one or more other set top boxes are associated with the group of persons.

19. The system of claim 18, where the set top box and the one or more other set top boxes may reside in a single household.

20. The system of claim 17, where the system comprises a set top box.

21. The system of claim 17, where the processing unit is further configured to:

identify topical interests associated with the user, and

cause the DVR to automatically record at least one other television program based on the identified topical interests.

22. The system of claim 17, where the processing unit is further configured to:

identify a television program that is likely to be of interest to the user based on other users'"'"' viewing behavior and other sources of user preference data, and

cause the DVR to automatically record the identified television program.

23. The system of claim 17, where the processing unit is further configured to:

measure frequency with which the user views a television program, and

identify the television program as one of the user'"'"'s favorite programs based on the measured frequency.

24. A computer-readable medium containing instructions executable by at least one processor, the computer-readable medium comprising:

one or more instructions for measuring a frequency with which a user views a television program;

one or more instructions for identifying the television program as one of the user'"'"'s favorite programs based on the measured frequency; and

one or more instructions for automatically recording, without intervention of the user, the one of the user'"'"'s favorite programs.

25. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

monitoring a user'"'"'s television program viewing behavior; and

automatically providing recommendations to the user, via a user interface, for recording one or more television programs based on the user'"'"'s television program viewing behavior.