Personalizing content using an intermediary bridge

• US 7,243,104 B2
• Filed: 05/30/2003
• Issued: 07/10/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 05/30/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AOL LLC (Apollo Global Management, Inc.)
• Inventors: Bill, David S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Breene; John
• Assistant Examiner(s): Myint; Dennis
• Application Number:
  US10/448,316
• Publication Number:
  US 20040243592A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,502 Days
• Field of Search: 700/94, 455/179.1, 707/100
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/40 of multimedia data, e.g. slideshows comprising image and additional audio data retrieval of still image data G06F16/50; retrieval of audio data G06F16/60; retrieval of video data G06F16/70
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/48 Retrieval characterised by using metadata, e.g. metadata not derived from the content or metadata generated manually

Abstract

A user'"'"'s access to content may be managed by determining a mood originating point for a present track for a user, with the mood originating point being related to a mood indicator for the present track, identifying a mood destination for a user playlist, the mood destination being related to a mood indicator for an end track that is targeted for the user, and calculating a mood transition from the mood originating point to the mood destination. The mood transition includes one or more intermediary tracks between the mood destination and the mood originating point, such that a quantified mood transition between two tracks in a user playlist including the present track, the intermediary tracks, and the end track, is less than an identified mood transition threshold.

Claims

1. A method of managing content accessed by a user, the method comprising:

determining a mood originating point for a present track for a user, the mood originating point being related to a mood indicator for the present track;

identifying a mood destination for a user playlist, the mood destination being related to a mood indicator for an end track that is targeted for the user;

calculating a mood transition from the mood originating point to the mood destination, the mood transition comprises one or more intermediary tracks between the mood destination and the mood originating point, such that a quantified mood transition between two tracks in a user playlist comprising the present track, the intermediary tracks, and the end track is less than an identified mood transition threshold; and

enabling the user to access the one or more intermediary tracks.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising determining the mood indicator for the present track or the end track by accessing a model of user mood states.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein calculating the mood transition includes using a coordinate system to determine that the quantified mood transition lies within boundaries of a mood indicator for content acting as a baseline in determining the quantified mood transition.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the mood transition threshold varies asymmetrically with a mood indicator for content acting as a baseline in determining the quantified mood transition.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein the asymmetric mood transition threshold reflects priorities for identifying a track.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising enabling the user to access a playlist of the present track, the intermediary tracks, and the end track.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein enabling the user to access the playlist includes transmitting the content in the playlist to the user.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the mood originating point indicates a mood of the content the user receives.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein The mood originating point indicates the mood of the user.

10. The method of claim 1 further comprising enabling the user to access the intermediary tracks.

11. The method of claim 1 further comprising identifying an updated mood state for the user to determine if the updated mood state is compatible with a calculated mood state for the mood transition.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein identifying the updated mood state for the user is performed as the user is accessing the intermediary tracks.

13. The method of claim 11 further comprising selecting a new end track for the user when the updated mood state is incompatible with the calculated mood state.

14. The method of claim 11 further comprising selecting one or more new intermediary tracks when the updated mood state is incompatible with the calculated mood state.

15. The method of claim 1 wherein determining the mood originating point for the present track for the user, identifying the mood destination for the user playlist, and calculating the mood transition includes determining the mood originating point, identifying the mood destination, and calculating the mood transition for an audience of multiple users.

16. The method of claim 14 wherein determining the mood originating point, identifying the mood destination, and calculating the mood transition for the audience includes modeling the audience based on aggregated mood state information from one or more individual users in the audience.

17. The method of claim 15 wherein modeling the audience includes modeling the audience as a single user.

18. The method of claim 15 wherein modeling the audience includes sampling a subset of the audience and using one or more sampled results to calculate the mood transition.

19. The method of claim 15 wherein modeling the audience includes modeling the audience as a collection of groups.

20. A content media-based communications system comprising:

an origination code section structured and arranged to determine a mood originating point for a present track for a user, the mood originating point being related to a mood indicator for the present track;

an identification code segment structured and arranged to identify a mood destination for a user playlist, the mood destination being related to a mood indicator for an end track that is targeted for the user;

a calculation code segment structured and arranged to calculate a mood transition from the mood originating point to the mood destination, the mood transition comprises one or more intermediary tracks between the mood destination and the mood originating point, such that a quantified mood transition between two tracks in user playlist comprising the present track, the intermediary tracks, and the end track, is less than an identified mood transition threshold; and

an access code segment structured and arranged to enable the user to access the one or more intermediary tracks.

21. The system of claim 20 further comprising a mood modeling engine structured and arranged to determine the mood indicator for the present track or the end track by accessing a model of user mood states.

22. The system of claim 20 wherein the calculation code segment is structured and arranged to use a coordinate system to determine that the quantified mood transition lies within boundaries of a mood indicator for content acting as a baseline in determining the quantified mood transition.

23. The system of claim 20 wherein the mood transition threshold used varies asymmetrically with a mood indicator for content acting as a baseline in determining the quantified mood transition.

24. The system of claim 22 wherein the asymmetric mood transition threshold reflects priorities for identifying a track.

25. The system of claim 20 further comprising a communications interface structured and arranged to enable the user to access a playlist of the present track, the intermediary tracks, and the end track.

26. The system of claim 24 wherein the communications interface is structured and arranged to transmit the content in the playlist to the user.

27. The system of claim 20 wherein the mood originating point indicates a mood of the content that the user receives.

28. The system of claim 20 wherein the mood originating point indicates the mood of the user.

29. The system of claim 20 further comprising a communications interface structured and arranged to enable the user to access the intermediary tracks.

30. The system of claim 20 further comprising an updating code segment structured and arranged to identify an updated mood state for the user to determine if the updated mood state is compatible with a calculated mood state for the mood transition.

31. The system of claim 29 wherein the updating code segment is structured and arranged to identify the updated mood state for the user is performed as the user is accessing the intermediary tracks.

32. The system of claim 29 further comprising an alternate end track selection code segment structured and arranged to select a new end track for the user when the updated mood state is incompatible with the calculated mood state.

33. The system of claim 29 further comprising an alternate intermediary track code segment structured and arranged to select one or more new intermediary tracks when the updated mood state is incompatible with the calculated mood state.

34. The system of claim 20 wherein the origination code segment, the identification code segment, and the calculation code segment are structured and arranged to determine the mood originating point, identify the mood destination, and calculate the mood transition for an audience of multiple users.

35. The system of claim 20 wherein the origination code segment, the identification code segment, and the calculation code segment are structured and arranged to model the audience based on aggregated mood state information from one or more individual users in the audience.

36. The system of claim 34 wherein the origination code segment, the identification code segment, and the calculation code segment are structured and arranged to model the audience as a single user.

37. The system of claim 34 wherein the origination code segment, the identification code segment, and the calculation code segment are structured and arranged to sample a subset of the audience and using one or more sampled results to calculate the mood transition.

38. The system of claim 34 wherein the origination code segment, the identification code segment, and the calculation code segment are structured and arranged to model the audience as a collection of groups.

39. A content media-based communications system comprising:

means for determining a mood originating point for a present track for a user, the mood originating point being related to a mood indicator for the present track;

means for identifying a mood destination for a user playlist, the mood destination being related to a mood indicator for an end track that is targeted for the user;

means for calculating a mood transition from the mood originating point to the mood destination, the mood transition comprises one or more intermediary tracks between the mood destination and the mood originating point, such that a quantified mood transition between two tracks in user playlist comprising the present track, the intermediary tracks, and the end track, is less than an identified mood transition threshold; and

means for enabling the user to access the one or more intermediary tracks.