Keyword creation method and its apparatus

• US 6,430,560 B1
• Filed: 10/14/1999
• Issued: 08/06/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 11/29/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Saturn Licensing LLC (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Yoshida, Kimiyoshi, Takahashi, Yasushi, Fujiwara, Yoshihito
• Primary Examiner(s): Shah, Sanjiv
• Application Number:
  US09/416,297
• Time in Patent Office: 1,027 Days
• Field of Search: 707/2, 707/4, 707/6, 707/3, 707/507, 382/306, 382/181, 358/403, 713/600, 700/17, 700/83, 386/83
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/3322 using system suggestions G06F16/3325 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/90324 using system suggestions
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/74 of satellite networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/46 for recognising users' preferences
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/47 for recognising genres
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/72 using electronic programme guides [EPG] focusing on identifying broadcast space time H04H60/39 ; menu type display of EPG in television receivers H04N21/47
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/426 Internal components of the client ; Characteristics thereof H04N5/44 takes precedence
• 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 21/4662 characterized by learning algorithms
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4668 for recommending content, e.g. movies
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47 End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4755 for defining user preferences, e.g. favourite actors or genre retrieval personalisation and generation of user profiles for the retrieval of video data G06F16/739; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4756 for rating content, e.g. scoring a recommended movie
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/482 End-user interface for program selection broadcast systems using EPGs H04H60/72
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4828 for searching program descriptors retrieval of video data G06F16/739
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8405 represented by keywords
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/163 by receiver means only
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99934 Query formulation, input preparation, or translation
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99936 Pattern matching access

Abstract

A keyword creation method and its apparatus to simply create keywords in user'"'"'s retrieving a desired item of information from a vast amount of information. The habitual situation characteristics and the degree of typical liking tendency of a user are calculated on the basis of answers on daily items of the user, typical situation dependent keyword(s) of the user in one or more individual typical situations previously prepared is (are) created in accordance with the degree of typical liking tendency of the user and typical situation dependent keyword(s) is (are) revised in accordance with the habitual situation characteristics of the user, so that keyword(s) according to the actual situation of the user can be created.

Claims

1. An apparatus for selecting one or more programs meeting a user'"'"'s preference, comprising:

a user interface which enables answers to be inputted to a number of questions given to a user;

a processor, coupled to said user interface, which creates a keyword of said user on the basis of the answers of said user; and

a receiver which receives program guide information including genre information for a number of programs;

wherein said processor determines a number of programs which may be of interest to the user by use of said keyword and said genre information.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said user interface includes a remote command device.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said user interface includes a display which displays the number of questions.

4. The apparatus according to claim 3, wherein said display displays the number of programs which may be of interest to the user.

5. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said program guide information is multiplexed in a broadcast signal.

6. Method for selecting one or more programs meeting a user'"'"'s preference, comprising the steps of:

inputting answers to a number of questions given to a user;

creating a keyword of said user on the basis of the answers of said user;

receiving program guide information including genre information for a number of programs; and

determining a number of programs which may be of interest to the user by use of said keyword and said genre information.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein the inputting step is performed by a user interface having a remote command device.

8. The method according to claim 6, wherein the inputting step is performed by a user interface having a display which displays the number of questions.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein said display displays the number of programs which may be of interest to the user.

10. The method according to claim 6, wherein said program guide information is multiplexed in a broadcast signal.