METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR SOCIALLY RANKING PROGRAMS

• US 20120117581A1
• Filed: 03/25/2010
• Published: 05/10/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 03/25/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Concert Technology Corporation
• Original Assignee: Eloy Technology, LLC (Concert Technology Corporation)
• Inventors: Curtis, Scott, Amidon, Christopher M., Evans, Gregory M.
• Granted Patent: US 9,088,757 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/9
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0484 for the control of specific functions or operations, e.g. selecting or manipulating an object, an image or a displayed text element, setting a parameter value or selecting a range
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/252 Processing of multiple end-users' preferences to derive collaborative data
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4263 involving specific tuning arrangements, e.g. two tuners
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4312 involving specific graphical features, e.g. screen layout, special fonts or colors, blinking icons, highlights or animations
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4334 Recording operations recording of a television signal H04N5/76; arrangements for recording or accumulating broadcast information or broadcast-related information H04H60/27
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/43615 Interfacing a Home Network, e.g. for connecting the client to a plurality of peripherals home Audio Video Interoperability [HAVI] data switching networks H04L12/2805
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/43622 Interfacing an external recording device
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44224 Monitoring of user activity on external systems, e.g. Internet browsing
• 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 21/458 Scheduling content for creating a personalised stream, e.g. by combining a locally stored advertisement with an incoming stream; Updating operations, e.g. for OS modules ; time-related management operations arrangements for replacing or switching information during the broadcast or during the distribution H04H20/10
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4583 Automatically resolving scheduling conflicts, e.g. when a recording by reservation has been programmed for two programs in the same time slot
• 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 21/47214 for content reservation or setting reminders; for requesting event notification, e.g. of sport results or stock market stock exchange data over packet-switching network H04L12/1804; push services over packet-switching network H04L12/1859; notification of incoming messages in packet switching networks H04L51/224
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4756 for rating content, e.g. scoring a recommended movie
• 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 21/6543 for forcing some client operations, e.g. recording remote booting in general G06F9/4416
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6582 Data stored in the client, e.g. viewing habits, hardware capabilities, credit card number arrangements where receivers interact with the broadcast H04H20/38
• 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 5/76 Television signal recording
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/765 : Interface circuits between an apparatus for recording and another apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/782 : on tape
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/8205 : involving the multiplexing of an additional signal and the colour video signal

Abstract

A method and system for displaying program representation. Program rating information derived from a plurality of identified users regarding a plurality of programs is obtained. A social rank of the plurality of programs is determined based on the rating information. A plurality of program representations are displayed to a viewer, wherein the program representations represent corresponding ones of the plurality of programs and wherein a differentiating visual characteristic of each of the plurality of program representations is based on the social ranking.

Claims

1. A method for presenting a program representation, comprising:

obtaining, by a media controller, program rating information derived from a plurality of identified users regarding a plurality of programs;

determining a social ranking of the plurality of programs based on the program rating information; and

causing a display of a plurality of program representations to a viewer, wherein the plurality of program representations represent corresponding ones of the plurality of programs and wherein a differentiating visual characteristic of each of the plurality of program representations is based on the social ranking.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of identified users is identified based on a degree of separation value corresponding to the each of the plurality of identified users with respect to the viewer.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the plurality of identified users is identified based on the degree of separation value corresponding to each of the plurality of identified users with respect to the viewer by comparing the degree of separation value corresponding to each of the plurality of identified users to a viewer selectable threshold degree of separation value.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the viewer selectable threshold degree of separation value is greater than 1, and wherein the plurality of identified users include a plurality of users that have a direct relationship with the viewer and a plurality of users that have an indirect relationship with the viewer.

5. The method of claim 2, further comprising providing, by the media controller, a threshold degree of separation value to identify the plurality of identified users.

6. The method of claim 2, wherein the program rating information derived from each of the plurality of identified users comprises information identifying a one of the plurality of programs currently being accessed by a corresponding each of the plurality of identified users.

7. The method of claim 2, wherein the program rating information derived from each of the plurality of identified users comprises information identifying a one of the plurality of programs accessed by a corresponding each of the plurality of identified users.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein determining the social ranking of the plurality of programs based on the program rating information further comprises determining the social ranking of the plurality of programs based on a number of the plurality of identified users that accessed each of the plurality of programs.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein determining the social ranking of the plurality of programs based on the program rating information further comprises determining the social ranking of the plurality of programs based on viewer preference information identifying a priority for at least some of the plurality of identified users.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the program rating information derived from each of the plurality of identified users comprises a rating value provided by the each of the plurality of identified users that rates at least one of the plurality of programs.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein determining the social ranking of the plurality of programs based on the program rating information comprises determining the social ranking of the plurality of programs based on an average of rating values of the plurality of programs by the plurality of identified users.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein determining the social ranking of the plurality of programs based on the program rating information further comprises determining the social ranking of the plurality of programs based on viewer preference information identifying a priority for at least some of the plurality of users.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of identified users is identified based on a match between a viewer profile and a user profile corresponding to the each of the plurality of identified users.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the program rating information derived from each of the plurality of users comprises information identifying a one of the plurality of programs currently being viewed by a corresponding each of the plurality of identified users.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the program rating information derived from each of the plurality of identified users comprises a rating value provided by the each of the plurality of identified users that rates at least one of the plurality of programs.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein the match between the viewer profile and the profile of each of the plurality of identified users is based on a viewer selectable threshold degree of similarity value.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein causing the display of the plurality of program representations to the viewer further comprises causing the display of a first program representation and a second program representation, wherein the first program representation has a first social rank that is greater than a second social rank of the second program representation, and wherein the first program representation has a greater size than the second program representation.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein the differentiating visual characteristic comprises a size of the corresponding each of the plurality of program representations.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein the differentiating visual characteristic comprises a background color of the corresponding each of the plurality of program representations.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein the differentiating visual characteristic comprises a color of a border of the corresponding each of the plurality of program representations.

21. The method of claim 1, wherein a first plurality of identified users of the plurality of identified users are identified based on a degree of separation value corresponding to the each of the first plurality of identified users with respect to the viewer, and wherein a second plurality of identified users of the plurality of identified users are identified based on a match between a viewer profile and a user profile corresponding to the each of the second plurality of identified users.

22. The method of claim 1, wherein each of at least some of the plurality of identified users are identified based on a degree of separation value corresponding to the each of the at least some of the plurality of identified users with respect to the viewer, and on a match between a viewer profile and a user profile corresponding to the each of the at least some of the plurality of identified users.

23. The method of claim 1, wherein the program rating information derived from a first group of the plurality of identified users comprises information identifying a one of the plurality of programs accessed by a corresponding each of the plurality of identified users in the first group, and the program rating information derived from a second group of the plurality of identified users comprises a rating value provided by a corresponding each of the plurality of identified users in the second group that rates at least one of the plurality of programs.

24. A media controller, comprising:

a network interface adapted to communicate with a network; and

a control system comprising a processor and coupled to the network interface, the control system adapted to;

obtain program rating information derived from a plurality of identified users regarding a plurality of programs;

determine a social ranking of the plurality of programs based on the program rating information; and

cause a display of a plurality of program representations to a viewer, wherein the plurality of program representations represent corresponding ones of the plurality of programs and wherein a differentiating visual characteristic of a first of the plurality of program representations is different from a differentiating visual characteristic of a second of the plurality of program representations based on the social ranking of a first of the plurality of programs and a second of the plurality of programs.

25. The media controller of claim 24, wherein each of the plurality of identified users is identified based on a degree of separation value corresponding to the each of the plurality of identified users with respect to the viewer.

26. The media controller of claim 25, wherein the program rating information for each of the plurality of identified users comprises information identifying a one of the plurality of programs accessed by a corresponding each of the plurality of identified users.

27. A computer program product, comprising a computer usable medium having a computer readable program code embodied therein, the computer readable program code adapted to be executed to implement a method for presenting a program representation, the method comprising:

obtaining program rating information derived from a plurality of identified users regarding a plurality of programs;

determining a social ranking of the plurality of programs based on the program rating information; and

causing a display of a plurality of program representations to a viewer, wherein the plurality of program representations represent corresponding ones of the plurality of programs and wherein a differentiating visual characteristic of each of the plurality of program representations is based on the social ranking.