SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR PREDICTIVE CURATION, PRODUCTION INFRASTRUCTURE, AND PERSONAL CONTENT ASSISTANT

• US 20170351417A1
• Filed: 06/01/2017
• Published: 12/07/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 06/02/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kodak Alaris Inc (KPP (no. 2) Trustees Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Kodak Alaris Inc (KPP (no. 2) Trustees Ltd.)
• Inventors: Manico, Joseph A., No, Young, Das, Madirakshi, Loui, Alexander C.
• Granted Patent: US 10,546,229 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/435 Filtering based on additional data, e.g. user or group profiles
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/50 of still image data
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04817 using icons graphical or visual programming using iconic symbols G06F8/34
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04847 Interaction techniques to control parameter settings, e.g. interaction with sliders or dials
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/453 Help systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06N 3/006 based on simulated virtual individual or collective life forms, e.g. social simulations or particle swarm optimisation [PSO]
• CPC Class Codes: G06N 5/022 Knowledge engineering; Knowledge acquisition
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/101 Collaborative creation, e.g. joint development of products or services
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/1093 Calendar-based scheduling for persons or groups
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0621 Item configuration or customization
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 13/40 of characters, e.g. humans, animals or virtual beings

Abstract

Data points, calendar entries, trends, behavioral patterns may be used to predict and pre-emptively build digital and printable products with selected collections of images without the user'"'"'s active participation. The collections are selected from files on the user'"'"'s device, cloud-based photo library, or other libraries shared among other individuals and grouped into thematic products. Based on analysis of the user'"'"'s collections and on-line behaviors, the system may estimate types and volumes of potential media-centric products, and the resources needed for producing and distributing such media-centric products for a projected period of time. A user interface may take the form of a “virtual curator”, which is a graphical or animated persona for augmenting and managing interactions between the user and the system managing the user'"'"'s stored media assets. The virtual curator can assume one of many personas, as appropriate, with each user. For example, the virtual curator can be presented as an avatar-animated character in an icon, or icon that floats around the screen. The virtual curator can also interact with the user via text messaging, or audio messaging.

Claims

1. A method for proactive interactions with a user which includes providing one or more customized media-centric products created from one or more of the user'"'"'s collections of media assets stored in one or more storage devices accessible by one or more processors, the method comprising;

monitoring the collections of media assets, and the user'"'"'s media recordings and media usage behaviors;

identifying the user'"'"'s relationship and life-events based on the user'"'"'s social network activities and information collected in the user'"'"'s accounts, contacts, calendars, texts, posts, time and date information, location information; and

based on the monitored media recordings and media usage behaviors, selecting for the user a user persona from a set of predetermined or dynamically created user personas, the user persona reflecting the user'"'"'s preferred style and a type of proactive interaction modality.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein selecting for the user the user persona comprises presenting for selection by the user one or more styles and types of proactive interaction modalities likely to be preferred by the user.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the proactive interaction modality includes one or more of:

an interactive animated virtual character, interactive text, and interactive audio communication means.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the type of proactive interaction modality guides presentation of at least one virtual version of each customized media-centric products incorporating the user'"'"'s media assets selected from the user'"'"'s collections of media assets.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein identifying the user'"'"'s relationship and life-events also identifies one or more recipients, and one or more life-events to be recognized by the user prior to occurrence of the life-event.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the selected user persona determines the proactive interaction modality with respect to one or more of:

appearance, format, communication style, language, pacing, directness, subtly, emotions and frequency of communication.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the proactive interaction modality is adapted to accommodate ethnic and cultural preferences.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the proactive interactions include one or more of:

making recommendations of customized media-centric products, identifying special images, and recommending image modifications, improvements, and enhancements on selected media assets.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the proactive interactions include gathering information about the user and use preferences through asking relevant questions and recording the responses.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein the relevant questions include one or more of:

multiple choice questions, yes or no questions, and specific questions regarding names for individuals, objects, and locations.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein identifying the user'"'"'s relationships and life-events further comprises analyzing content, metadata, comments, shares, and tags associated with the user'"'"'s collections of assets.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising analyzing each user'"'"'s collections of media assets to determine important media assets of that user.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the important media assets include assets that have been used or shared with or by the user or by others in the user'"'"'s social network.

14. The method of claim 12, further comprising creating and presenting to the user virtual versions of one or more of the custom media-centric products incorporating the important media assets of the user, at least one suggested recipient, and an event to be recognized as appropriate for the user.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising providing the user with an option to select, modify, or request alternatives to the presented virtual versions of the customized media-centric products.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the alternatives are provided based upon one or more personas associated with or dynamically determined from analyzing activities of individuals associated with the user'"'"'s social network.

17. The method of claim 14, further comprising presenting the user an option to purchase the customized media-centric products represented by the presented virtual versions of the media-centric products.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein the user persona guides customization of the media-centric products for specific recipients and events to be recognized from the user'"'"'s identified relationships and events.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein the selected user persona is further based on analyzing the user'"'"'s media accounts, collections of media assets, media usage behaviors, media product purchase histories, and media product type and format preferences.

20. The method of claim 1, the collections of media assets include still images and video sequences recorded by or accessible to the users.

21. The method of claim 1, wherein the customized media-centric products include one or more of hardcopy prints, photo albums, photo calendars, photo greeting cards, posters, collages, various physical products with a tangible surface incorporating printed versions of the user'"'"'s images such as mugs and T-shirts, soft display digital multimedia slide shows, digital movies, highlight videos, video key frames, and virtual reality objects and presentations.

22. The method of claim 1, further comprising creating a hardcopy of each of the customized media-centric products.

23. The method of claim 22, further comprising transmitting a softcopy of each of the customized media-centric products to the recipients.

24. The method of claim 22, further the customized media-centric products include one or more still images of an extracted person, or one or more sequences extracted from video recordings of the extracted person.

25. The method of claim 1, wherein each user is associated with one or more of the customized media-centric products, such products being customized by one or more of the processors, each such processor residing on a device accessible by that user.

26. The method of claim 1, wherein one or more of the customized media-centric products are customized with assistance from a remote operator, by a crowd sourced operator, or by the user.

27. The method of claim 1, wherein monitoring media recordings and media usage behaviors comprises monitoring frequencies and durations of:

recording, viewing, sharing, editing, manipulation, rating, printing, or making of photo-centric products using or incorporating the collections of media assets.

28. The method of claim 1, wherein the life-events identified comprises one or more of:

birthdays, weddings, anniversaries, births, illnesses, deaths, new jobs, recurring events, spontaneous events, new relationships, new homes, awards, accolades, aggregations of events, important events, objects of interest, locations of interest, temporal events, academic events, hobbies, recreational activities, sporting events, vacations, parties, national holidays, religious holidays, secular holidays, and combinations thereof.

29. The method of claim 1, wherein some of the customized media-centric products incorporate one or more of:

professionally produced or crowd-sourced graphics, clip art, music, audio, narration, text, transitions, special effects, 3-D rendered objects and environments, still images, and videos sequences.

30. The method of claim 1, wherein some of the customized media-centric products are based on a planned or spontaneous event.

31. The method of claim 1, wherein one of the recipients is a user.

32. The method of claim 1, wherein one of the storage devices is locally resident to one of the processors.

33. The method of claim 1, wherein one of the storage devices in remotely accessible to one of the processors via a communication network.

34. The method of claim 1, further comprising interacting with each user using a graphical user interface having a curator persona selected based on analyzing users preferences from the monitoring of the collections of media assets, and the users'"'"' media recordings and media usage behaviors;

35. The method of claim 29, wherein the curator persona further interacts with the user via voice and audio interactions.