Responding to request for data

• US 7,343,293 B1
• Filed: 04/14/2000
• Issued: 03/11/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 04/14/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: audiohighway.com, Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Richards, Ted
• Primary Examiner(s): OUELLETTE, JONATHAN P
• Application Number:
  US09/550,306
• Time in Patent Office: 2,888 Days
• Field of Search: 705/1, 705/14
• US Class Current: 705/14.73
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0277 Online advertisement

Abstract

A user information item is associated with a data set selected by a user for delivery over an electronic network. The user'"'"'s present and previous data selections are analyzed to identify a user information category related to at least one of these data selections, and the user information item is chosen from the identified user information category. User information items can be combined or associated with a video, animation or multimedia data set selected by a user for delivery over an electronic network.

Claims

1. A method for providing user information related to a user'"'"'s selection of audio data, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving a user'"'"'s selection of audio data and an indicium identifying the user;

analyzing the user'"'"'s present selection of audio data and previous selections of audio data, and identifying at least one user interest category based on the user'"'"'s present and previous audio data selections;

selecting at least one user information item from the at least one identified user interest category;

associating or combining the at least one user information item with the user'"'"'s audio data selection; and

delivering the associated or combined at least one user information item and the user'"'"'s audio data selection to the user over an electronic network,

wherein said step of analyzing and identifying comprises the steps of;

assigning each of said user'"'"'s present audio data selections and said user'"'"'s previous audio data selections to said at least one user interest category, assigning each of said user'"'"'s present audio data selections and each of said user'"'"'s previous audio data selections an approximate time at which said audio data selection was received, assigning each of said audio data selections a weighting factor that decreases as the difference between a present time and the approximate time at which said audio data selection was received, multiplying the numerical value of an assignment to each of said at least one user interest category by a corresponding weighting factor to produce a numerical value for a weighted assignment to each of said at least one user interest category, and counting the numerical value of the weighted assignment to each of said at least one user interest category; and

when the accumulated number of weighted assignments to a selected one of said at least one user interest category is greater than a selected threshold number, identifying the selected one of said at least one user interest category as a category from which said at least one user information item is selected.

2. A system for providing user information related to a user'"'"'s selection of audio data, the system comprising:

an audio data server that receives a user'"'"'s selection of audio data and an indicium identifying the user;

a user information server that analyzes the user'"'"'s present selection of audio data and previous selections of audio data, that identifies at least one user interest category based on the user'"'"'s present and previous audio data selections that selects at least one user information item from the at least one identified user interest category, and that associates or combines the at least one user information item with the user'"'"'s audio data selection; and

an audio data delivery system that delivers the associated or combined at least one user information item and the user'"'"'s audio data selection to the user over an electronic network, wherein said user information server assigns each of said user'"'"'s present audio data selections and said user'"'"'s previous audio data selections to said at least one user interest category, assigns each of said user'"'"'s present audio data selections and each of said user'"'"'s previous audio data selections an approximate time at which said audio data selection was received, assigns each of said audio data selections a weighting factor that decreases as the difference between a present time and the approximate time at which said audio data selection was received, multiplies the numerical value of an assignment to each of said at least one user interest category by a corresponding weighting factor to produce a numerical value for a weighted assignment to each of said at least one user interest category, and counts the numerical value of the weighted assignment to each of said at least one user interest category; and

when the accumulated number of weighted assignments to a selected one of said at one user interest category is greater than a selected threshold number, said user information server identifies the selected one of said at least one user interest category as a category from which said at least one user information item is selected.