Method and apparatus to determine and use audience affinity and aptitude

• US 7,043,433 B2
• Filed: 09/16/1999
• Issued: 05/09/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 10/09/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Virentem Ventures LLC
• Original Assignee: Enounce Incorporated
• Inventors: Hejna, Jr., Donald J.
• Primary Examiner(s): ARMSTRONG, ANGELA A
• Application Number:
  US09/398,612
• Publication Number:
  US 20030046080A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,427 Days
• Field of Search: 704/270, 704/500, 704/260, 704/200, 704/201, 704207-208, 704/503, 704/211, 725/88, 715/500
• US Class Current: 704/270
• 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: G09B 19/00 Teaching not covered by other main groups of this subclass teaching or practice apparatus for gun-aiming or gun-laying F41G3/26
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 5/00 Electrically-operated educational appliances working with questions and answers G09B7/00; simulators G09B9/00; advertising or displaying in general G09F
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 5/06 with both visual and audible presentation of the material to be studied
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 21/04 Time compression or expansion
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 21/043 by changing speed
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/005 Reproducing at a different information rate from the information rate of recording for television signals H04N5/783

Abstract

Embodiments of the present invention provide method and apparatus for determining audience affinity and/or aptitude in portions of media works and for developing information that represent measures of the audience affinity and/or aptitude. Further embodiments of present invention provide method and apparatus for utilizing the information to create altered media works and/or to present the altered media works to an audience. One embodiment of the present invention is a method for inferring audience affinity or aptitude with regard to content or properties of portions of a media work which includes: (a) presenting the media work to an audience; (b) obtaining user input regarding presentation rates for the portions of the media work; (c) correlating content or properties of the portion with the presentation rates; and; (d) associating audience affinity or aptitude with the correlated content or properties.

Claims

1. A method for inferring audience affinity or aptitude with regard to content or properties of portions of a media work which comprises:

presenting the media work to an audience;

obtaining user input regarding presentation rates for the portions of the media work;

correlating the content or properties of the portions with the presentation rates; and

associating audience affinity or aptitude with the presentation rates for the correlated content or properties.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the presentation rates include a rate which causes a portion to be skipped.

3. A method of utilizing audience affinity or aptitude associated with content or properties to present a media work which comprises:

detecting the content or properties in a portion of the media work;

associating the audience affinity or aptitude associated with the detected content or properties with a presentation rate for the portion; and

presenting the portion at the presentation rate.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein associating includes accepting user input to determine the presentation rate.

5. A method of presenting a media work which comprises:

detecting content or properties in portions of the media work;

associating a presentation order with the detected content or properties that is different from the order of detection;

reordering the portions according to die presentation order; and

presenting the media work in accordance with the presentation order.

6. A method of presenting a media work which comprises:

detecting content or properties in portions of the media work;

associating a presentation order with the detected content or properties that is different from the order of detection; and

presenting the media work in accordance with the presentation order;

wherein the step of associating further comprises associating a presentation rate of the portion with the detected content or properties; and

the step of presenting comprises presenting the media work in accordance with the presentation order and the presentation rates.

7. A method of testing aptitude of an audience for content or properties of portions of a media work which comprises:

presenting the media to the audience;

obtaining user input regarding presentation rates for the portions of the media work; and

correlating the presentation rates with the aptitude for the content or properties of the portions.

8. A method of presenting a media work which comprises:

detecting media work content properties in a portion of the media work;

associating a presentation rate of the portion with the detected media work content properties; and

presenting the portion at the presentation rate;

wherein the presentation rates provide a substantially uniform rate of content presentation.

9. A method of presenting a media work which comprises:

detecting media work content properties in a portion of the media work;

associating a presentation rate of the portion with the detected media work content properties;

presenting the portion at the presentation rate; and

wherein the media work content properties comprise indicia of actions of objects.

10. A method of determining the duration of an altered media work having a presentation rate of one or more of its segments that differs from that of a media work used to create the altered media work, which method comprises:

segmenting the media work into segments having a single presentation rate;

determining the length of the segments of the media work;

computing the duration of the segments of the media work after application of the presentation rate; and

summing the durations to determine the duration of the altered media work.

11. The method of claim 10 which further comprises:

excising segments from the media work having a presentation rate that exceeds a predetermined threshold.