Method and apparatus for intelligent and automatic preference detection of media content

• US 7,035,871 B2
• Filed: 12/19/2000
• Issued: 04/25/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 12/19/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Hunt, Preston J., Bright, Matthew A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Gaffin, Jeffrey
• Assistant Examiner(s): ABEL JALIL, NEVEEN
• Application Number:
  US09/741,600
• Publication Number:
  US 20020078056A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,953 Days
• Field of Search: 395/200.02, 395/154, 395/200.15, 707/10, 707/5, 707/9, 707/100, 707/101, 707/104.1, 709/232, 709/236, 709/238, 709/219, 725/46, 725/9, 725/115, 725/61, 725/59, 725/97
• US Class Current: 707/802
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99942 Manipulating data structure, e.g. compression, compaction, compilation
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 Object-oriented database structure processing

Abstract

A system and method is provided for an automatic user preference detection system, comprising an accessing device to access attribute information of media content files distributed to a user by a media content file distribution source; a database to store a preference file for each user of the media content file distribution source, wherein the preference file for each user is utilized to determine which media content file to select to distribute to the user; and a program adapted to learn, based on the user'"'"'s responses to the play of media content files, the user'"'"'s media content file preferences.

Claims

1. An automatic user preference detection computer system, comprising:

a preference determination module, independent of a user computing device, to determine a preference profile for a user of a media content distribution source, the preference profile being based on previously determined media scores for the user and local media content files determined by scanning a disk drive of the user computing device to determine the local media content files stored on the user computing device;

a database, independent of the user computing device, to store the preference profile for the user of the media content file distribution source;

a score calculation module, independent of the user computing device, to determine a score for a media content file distributed to the user by the media content file distribution source, wherein the score is calculated based on a comparison of a length of time in which the user allows the media content file to be played at the user computing device relative to a total length of the media content file; and

a processing module, independent of the user computing device, to modify the preference profile based on the score to create a new preference profile, wherein the processing module further selects a second media content file to distribute to the user based on the new preference profile,

wherein the score for the media content file is stored in a temporary storage file and if the user allows multiple media content files to be played, in their entirety, for a predetermined length of time by not pressing a media control point, the score for the media content file is not moved to a permanent storage file.

2. An automatic user preference detection computer system, comprising:

a preference determination module, independent of a user computing device, to determine a preference profile for a user of a media content distribution source, the preference profile being based on previously determined media scores for the user and local media content files determined by scanning a disk drive of the user computing device to determine the local media content files stored on the user computing device;

a database, independent of the user computing device, to store the preference profile for the user of the media content file distribution source;

a score calculation module, independent of the user computing device, to determine a score for a media content file distributed to the user by the media content file distribution source, wherein the score is calculated based on a comparison of a length of time in which the user allows the media content file to be played at the user computing device relative to a total length of the media content file; and

a processing module, independent of the user computing device, to modify the preference profile based on the score to create a new preference profile, wherein the processing module further selects a second media content file to distribute to the user based on the new preference profile,

wherein the score calculation module stops calculating the score for succeeding media content files after a predetermined length of time if the user allows multiple media content files to be played in their entirety by not pressing a media control point.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the media content file is a music file.

4. The system of claim 2, wherein a rate at which the processing module modifies the preference profile is configurable.

5. The system of claim 2, wherein the preference detection computer system determines the length based on user'"'"'s responses made with a user control point.

6. The system of claim 2, wherein the user control point is a remote control.

7. The system according to claim 2, wherein the second media content file is sent to the user computing device via an Internet stream.

8. The system of claim 2, wherein the processing module periodically selects testing media content files to distribute to the user, wherein the testing media content files are randomly selected to test whether the user'"'"'s media content file preferences have changed.

9. The system of claim 2, wherein the processing module further modifies the preference profile based on responses of other users having similar media preferences.

10. The automatic user preference detection computer system of claim 2, wherein the selection of the media content file to distribute to the user is based on the initial preference profile and a time of the week, such as a night of a week.

11. An article comprising a storage medium having stored thereon instructions that when executed by a machine result in the following:

storing a preference profile for a user of a media content file distribution source at the media content file distribution source which is independent of a user computing device, the preference profile being based on previously determined media scores for the user and media content files of the user computing device determined by scanning a disk drive of the user computing device;

determining a score for a media content file, at a preference processing subsystem independent of the user computing device, distributed to the user by the media content file distribution source, wherein the score is calculated based on a comparison of a length of time in which the user allows the media content file to be played at the user computing device relative to a total length of the media content file;

modifying the preference profile, at the preference processing subsystem independent of the user computing device, based on the score to create a modified preference profile; and

selecting a second media content file, at the preference processing subsystem of the user computing device, to distribute to the user based on the modified preference profile,

wherein the score calculation module stops calculating the score for succeeding media content files after a predetermined length of time if the user allows multiple media content files to be played in their entirety by not pressing a media control point.

12. The article of claim 11, wherein media content file is a music file.

13. The article of claim 11, wherein a rate at which the preference profile is modified is configurable.

14. The article of claim 11, wherein the instructions further result in determining the length based on the user'"'"'s responses made with a user control point.

15. The article of claim 11, wherein the instructions further result in sending the second media content file to the user computing device via an Internet stream.

16. The article of claim 11, wherein the instructions further result in periodically selecting testing media content files to distribute to the user, the testing media content files being randomly selected to test whether the user'"'"'s media content file preferences have changed.

17. The article of claim 11, wherein the instructions further result in modifying the preference profile based on responses of other users having similar media preferences.

18. A method of automatically detecting media content preferences, comprising:

storing a preference profile for a user of a media content file distribution source at the media content file distribution source which is independent of a user computing device, the preference profile being based on previously determined media scores for the user and media content files of the user computing device determined by scanning a disk drive of the user computing device;

determining a score, at a preference processing subsystem independent of the user computing device, for a media content file distributed to the user by the media content file distribution source, wherein the score is calculated based on a comparison of a length of time in which the user allows the media content file to be played at the user computing device relative to a total length of the media content file;

modifying the preference profile, at the preference processing subsystem independent of the user computing device, based on the score to create a modified preference profile; and

selecting, at the preference processing subsystem independent of the user computing device, a second media content file to distribute to the user based on the modified preference profile,

wherein the score for the media content file is stored in a temporary storage file and if the user allows multiple media content files to be played, in their entirety, for a predetermined length of time by not pressing a media control point, the score for the media content file is not moved to a permanent storage file.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the media content file is a music file.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein a rate at which the preference profile is modified is configurable.

21. A method of automatically detecting media content preferences, comprising:

storing a preference profile for a user of a media content file distribution source at the media content file distribution source which is independent of a user computing device, the preference profile being based on previously determined media scores for the user and media content files of the user computing device determined by scanning a disk drive of the user computing device;

determining a score, at a preference processing subsystem independent of the user computing device, for a media content file distributed to the user by the media content file distribution source, wherein the score is calculated based on a comparison of a length of time in which the user allows the media content file to be played at the user computing device relative to a total length of the media content file;

modifying the preference profile, at the preference processing subsystem independent of the user computing device, based on the score to create a modified preference profile; and

selecting, at the preference processing subsystem independent of the user computing device, a second media content file to distribute to the user based on the modified preference profile,

wherein the score calculation module stops calculating the score for succeeding media content files after a predetermined length of time if the user allows multiple media content files to be played in their entirety by not pressing a media control point.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the media content file is a music file.

23. The method of claim 21, wherein a rate at which the preference profile is modified is configurable.

24. The method of claim 21, further including determining the length based on the user'"'"'s responses made with a user control point.

25. The method according to claim 21, further including sending the second media content file to the user computing device via an Internet stream.

26. The method of claim 21, further including periodically selecting testing media content files to distribute to the user, wherein the testing media content files are randomly selected to test whether the user'"'"'s media content file preferences have changed.

27. The method of claim 21, further including modifying the preference file based on responses of other users having similar media preferences.