SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR IMPORTING RATINGS FOR MEDIA CONTENT

• US 20130046707A1
• Filed: 08/17/2012
• Published: 02/21/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 08/19/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Redbox Automated Retail LLC (Chicken Soup For The Soul Holdings LLC)
• Original Assignee: Redbox Automated Retail LLC (Chicken Soup For The Soul Holdings LLC)
• Inventors: Maskatia, Imran, Rubinstein, Jason
• Granted Patent: US 9,767,476 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/347
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0241 Advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25875 involving end-user authentication restricting access to computer systems by authenticating users using a predetermined code G06F21/33; arrangements for secret or secure communication including means for verifying the identity or authority of a user of the system H04L9/32; networks authentication protocols H04L63/08; authentication in wireless network security H04W12/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25891 being end-user preferences retrieval of video data in a video database based on user preferences G06F16/739; arrangements for recognizing users' preferences H04H60/46; 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 21/4532 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 21/454 Content or additional data filtering, e.g. blocking advertisements
• 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 21/4756 for rating content, e.g. scoring a recommended movie

Abstract

Methods of aggregating and importing user-generated and/or professional ratings of media content are provided. User-generated ratings may have been previously created at a ratings source by a user associated with a customer profile. The method for aggregating ratings includes importing the ratings from the ratings source, storing the ratings in a customer profile, normalizing the ratings, and storing the normalized ratings. The normalized rating may be used to determine recommendations and preferences. The method for importing ratings includes receiving authentication information for a ratings source, authenticating to the ratings source, importing the ratings from the ratings source, and storing the ratings in a customer profile. Changes in the ratings may be detected and updated in the customer profile.

Claims

1. A method of importing a first rating of a first piece of media content into a customer profile, the customer profile stored in a customer profile database connected to a processor, the method comprising:

receiving authentication information for a first ratings source;

authenticating to the first ratings source based on the authentication information;

importing the first rating of the first piece of media content from the first ratings source, wherein the first rating was previously generated at the first ratings source by a user associated with the customer profile; and

storing the first rating in the customer profile.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first rating comprises one or more of a star rating, a numerical rating, a grade rating, a like/dislike rating, a thumbs up/thumbs down rating, a passive rating, or an age appropriateness rating.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the authentication information comprises one or more of a username or a password for the first ratings source.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein importing the first rating comprises:

initiating communication with the first ratings source through an application programming interface (API);

transmitting commands conforming to the API for retrieving the first rating; and

receiving the first rating from the first ratings source through the API.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein importing the first rating comprises scraping the first ratings source to retrieve the first rating.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein:

the first ratings source comprises a website; and

scraping the first ratings source comprises extracting text of the first rating from the website.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

normalizing the first rating and a second rating to produce a normalized rating for the first piece of media content, wherein the second rating is from a second ratings source; and

storing the normalized rating in the customer profile.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising aggregating the first rating in the customer profile with the second rating, wherein the first rating and the second rating each comprise a subjective assessment of the first piece of media content.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the second rating was previously generated at the second ratings source by the user associated with the customer profile or was previously generated at the second ratings source by a professional critic.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein normalizing comprises:

converting the first rating and the second rating to produce a converted first rating and a converted second rating, the converted first rating and the converted second rating having a common format;

weighting the converted first rating and the converted second rating to produce a weighted converted first rating and a weighted converted second rating; and

averaging the weighted converted first rating and the weighted converted second rating to produce the normalized rating.

11. The method of claim 7, further comprising determining a recommendation of a second piece of media content in the customer profile, based on one or more of the first rating, the second rating, or the normalized rating.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

detecting a change in the first rating at the first ratings source; and

updating the stored first rating in the customer profile with the detected change in the first rating.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the first piece of media content comprises one or more of a media article or a media selection, wherein the media article comprises at least one of a digital video disc, a Blu-Ray disc, or a video game, and the media selection comprises at least one of a video on demand, a streaming video, a downloadable video, a streaming video game, or a downloadable video game.

14. A computer readable medium for importing a first rating of a first piece of media content into a customer profile, the customer profile stored in a customer profile database connected to a processor, the computer readable medium comprising:

a first code segment for receiving authentication information for a first ratings source;

a second code segment for authenticating to the first ratings source based on the authentication information;

a third code segment for importing the first rating of the first piece of media content from the first ratings source, wherein the first rating was previously generated at the first ratings source by a user associated with the customer profile; and

a fourth code segment for storing the first rating in the customer profile.

15. The computer readable medium of claim 14, wherein the first rating comprises one or more of a star rating, a numerical rating, a grade rating, a like/dislike rating, a thumbs up/thumbs down rating, a passive rating, or an age appropriateness rating.

16. The computer readable medium of claim 14, wherein the authentication information comprises one or more of a username or a password for the first ratings source.

17. The computer readable medium of claim 14, wherein the third code segment for importing the first rating comprises:

a fifth code segment for initiating communication with the first ratings source through an application programming interface (API);

a sixth code segment for transmitting commands conforming to the API for retrieving the first rating; and

a seventh code segment for receiving the first rating from the first ratings source through the API.

18. The computer readable medium of claim 14, wherein the third code segment for importing the first rating comprises an eighth code segment for scraping the first ratings source to retrieve the first rating.

19. The computer readable medium of claim 18, wherein:

the first ratings source comprises a website; and

the eighth code segment for scraping the first ratings source comprises a ninth code segment for extracting text of the first rating from the website.

20. The computer readable medium of claim 14, further comprising:

a tenth code segment for normalizing the first rating and a second rating to produce a normalized rating for the first piece of media content, wherein the second rating is from a second ratings source; and

an eleventh code segment for storing the normalized rating in the customer profile.

21. The computer readable medium of claim 20, further comprising a twelfth code segment for aggregating the first rating in the customer profile with the second rating, wherein the first rating and the second rating each comprise a subjective assessment of the first piece of media content.

22. The computer readable medium of claim 20, wherein the second rating was previously generated at the second ratings source by the user associated with the customer profile or was previously generated at the second ratings source by a professional critic.

23. The computer readable medium of claim 20, wherein the tenth code segment for normalizing comprises:

a thirteenth code segment for converting the first rating and the second rating to produce a converted first rating and a converted second rating, the converted first rating and the converted second rating having a common format;

a fourteenth code segment for weighting the converted first rating and the converted second rating to produce a weighted converted first rating and a weighted converted second rating; and

a fifteenth code segment for averaging the weighted converted first rating and the weighted converted second rating to produce the normalized rating.

24. The computer readable medium of claim 20, further comprising a sixteenth code segment for determining a recommendation of a second piece of media content in the customer profile, based on one or more of the first rating, the second rating, or the normalized rating.

25. The computer readable medium of claim 14, further comprising:

a sixteenth code segment for detecting a change in the first rating at the first ratings source; and

a seventeenth code segment for updating the stored first rating in the customer profile with the detected change in the first rating.

26. The computer readable medium of claim 14, wherein the first piece of media content comprises one or more of a media article or a media selection, wherein the media article comprises at least one of a digital video disc, a Blu-Ray disc, or a video game, and the media selection comprises at least one of a video on demand, a streaming video, a downloadable video, a streaming video game, or a downloadable video game.