BROWSING HIERARCHIES WITH SPONSORED RECOMMENDATIONS

• US 20120078954A1
• Filed: 12/29/2010
• Published: 03/29/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 09/24/2010
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Rovi Technologies Corporation (Adeia Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Rovi Technologies Corporation (Adeia Inc.)
• Inventors: Araya, Carlos
• Application Number:
  US12/981,354
• Publication Number:
  US 20120078954A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/769
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/90335 Query processing
• 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 21/47 End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4826 using recommendation lists, e.g. of programs or channels sorted out according to their score
• 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

Browsing content stored in a content source. A hierarchical tree structure is accessed. The hierarchical tree structure has nodes that correspond to at least one query for recommended content that is recommended based on sponsored recommendations. Recommended content stored in the content source is browsed by executing the at least one query for recommended content, the at least one query corresponding to at least one node of the hierarchical tree structure. The browsing is performed in accordance with a hierarchy of the hierarchical tree structure.

Claims

1. A method for browsing content stored in a content source, comprising the steps of:

accessing a hierarchical tree structure having nodes that correspond to at least one query for recommended content that is recommended based on sponsored recommendations;

browsing the recommended content stored in the content source by executing the at least one query for recommended content, the at least one query corresponding to at least one node of the hierarchical tree structure, the browsing being performed in accordance with a hierarchy of the hierarchical tree structure.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the content source includes a recommendation engine that adds sponsored recommendations to the content source as content information, and the sponsored recommendations of the content source are searched by using a search functionality of the content source.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein the recommendation engine stores sponsor information for one or more sponsors, the sponsor information including a sponsor identification (ID), a sponsor state, sponsor display information, and one or more sponsored recommendations, the sponsor state identifying a sponsor as active or inactive.

4. The method according to claim 3, a sponsor is active if the sponsor has been authorized by the content source to provide sponsored recommendations, and the sponsor is not active if the sponsor has not been authorized by the content source to provide sponsored recommendations.

5. The method according to claim 3, wherein content identification information for content recommended by the sponsor, and a sponsor identification for the sponsor, and the recommendation engine adds the sponsor'"'"'s identification to the content source as content information for content that has a content identifier that matches the content identifier of the sponsored recommendation.

6. The method according to claim 6, wherein the recommendation engine:

obtains sponsor identification information for each active sponsor;

accesses recommendations provided by each active sponsor;

converts the accessed sponsored recommendations into a format of the content database;

adds the converted sponsored recommendations to the content source, as content information.

7. A guided browse function for browsing content stored in a content source, the guided browse function comprising:

a computer-readable storage medium storing a hierarchical tree structure having nodes that correspond to at least one query for recommended content that is recommended based on sponsored recommendations;

electronic circuitry constructed to browse the recommended content stored in the content source by executing the at least one query for recommended content, the at least one query corresponding to at least one node of the hierarchical tree structure, the browsing being performed in accordance with a hierarchy of the hierarchical tree structure.

8. The guided browse function according to claim 7, wherein the content source includes a recommendation engine that adds sponsored recommendations to the content source as content information, and the sponsored recommendations of the content source are searched by using a search functionality of the content source.

9. The guided browse function according to claim 8, wherein the recommendation engine stores sponsor information for one or more sponsors, the sponsor information including a sponsor identification (ID), a sponsor state, sponsor display information, and one or more sponsored recommendations, the sponsor state identifying a sponsor as active or inactive.

10. The guided browse function according to claim 9, a sponsor is active if the sponsor has been authorized by the content source to provide sponsored recommendations, and the sponsor is not active if the sponsor has not been authorized by the content source to provide sponsored recommendations.

11. The guided browse function according to claim 10, wherein content identification information for content recommended by the sponsor, and a sponsor identification for the sponsor, and the recommendation engine adds the sponsor'"'"'s identification to the content source as content information for content that has a content identifier that matches the content identifier of the sponsored recommendation.

12. The guided browse function according to claim 11, wherein the recommendation engine:

obtains sponsor identification information for each active sponsor;

accesses sponsored recommendations provided by each active sponsor;

converts the accessed sponsored recommendations into a format of the content database;

adds the converted sponsored recommendations to the content source, as content information.

13. A computer-readable storage medium on which is stored computer-executable process steps for causing a computer to browse content stored in a content source, said process steps comprising:

accessing a hierarchical tree structure having nodes that correspond to at least one query for recommended content that is recommended based on sponsored recommendations;

browsing the recommended content stored in the content source by executing the at least one query for recommended content, the at least one query corresponding to at least one node of the hierarchical tree structure, the browsing being performed in accordance with a hierarchy of the hierarchical tree structure.

14. The computer-readable storage medium according to claim 13, wherein the content source includes a recommendation engine that adds sponsored recommendations to the content source as content information, and the sponsored recommendations of the content source are searched by using a search functionality of the content source.

15. The computer-readable storage medium according to claim 14, wherein the recommendation engine stores sponsor information for one or more sponsors, the sponsor information including a sponsor identification (ID), a sponsor state, sponsor display information, and one or more sponsored recommendations, the sponsor state identifying a sponsor as active or inactive.

16. The computer-readable storage medium according to claim 15, a sponsor is active if the sponsor has been authorized by the content source to provide sponsored recommendations, and the sponsor is not active if the sponsor has not been authorized by the content source to provide sponsored recommendations.

17. The computer-readable storage medium according to claim 16, wherein content identification information for content recommended by the sponsor, and a sponsor identification for the sponsor, and the recommendation engine adds the sponsor'"'"'s identification to the content source as content information for content that has a content identifier that matches the content identifier of the sponsored recommendation.

18. The computer-readable storage medium according to claim 17, wherein the recommendation engine:

obtains sponsor identification information for each active sponsor;

accesses sponsored recommendations provided by each active sponsor;

converts the accessed sponsored recommendations into a format of the content database;

adds the converted sponsored recommendations to the content source, as content information.