Keyword creation method and its apparatus

• US 7,373,589 B2
• Filed: 03/17/2005
• Issued: 05/13/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 11/29/1996
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• 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): Bashore; William L.
• Assistant Examiner(s): RIES, LAURIE ANNE
• Application Number:
  US11/082,502
• Publication Number:
  US 20050165769A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,153 Days
• Field of Search: 715/500.1, 715/505, 715/526, 715/221, 715/273, 725/61
• US Class Current: 715/221
• 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 recommending one or more particular content that meet a user'"'"'s preference, comprising:

a user interface that enables answers to be inputted to a number of questions provided to a user;

creating means for creating user preference information which includes habitual situation characteristics of said user and a degree of a typical tendency of said user based on the answers,

wherein the user preference information is generated based on a group of retrieval keywords such that one or more keywords correspond to one or more attribute clusters,

wherein the attribute clusters are formed from a plurality of users'"'"' answers,

wherein the users'"'"' answers are values on attribute classification axes, indicating individual directionalities, and

wherein the one more keywords are linked to the attribute clusters;

a user'"'"'s preference database for storing said created user preference information;

a processor adapted to search content that may be of interest to the user as a function of said user'"'"'s preference database and content guide information; and

a display processor adapted to generate a display signal representing a list of said searched content.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, said user interface enables said user to select one or more content from said displayed list viewing.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a decoder for decoding compressed video and audio signals which represents said selected one or more content.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a content guide for receiving content guide information and content guide database for storing received content guide information.

5. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a tuner for receiving a television signal and wherein said user'"'"'s preference database tuning history data of said tuner.

6. A method for recommending one or more particular content that meet a user'"'"'s preference, comprising:

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

creating user preference information, which includes habitual situation characteristics of said user and a degree of a typical tendency of said user based on the answers,

wherein the user preference information is generated based on a group of retrieval keywords such that one or more keywords correspond to one or more attribute clusters,

wherein the attribute clusters are formed from a plurality of users'"'"' answers,

wherein the users'"'"' answers are values on attribute classification axes, indicating individual directionalities, and

wherein the one more keywords are linked to the attribute clusters;

storing said created user preference information;

searching content that may be of interest to the user as a function of said user preference information and content guide information; and

generating a display signal representing a list of said searched content.

7. The method according to claim 6, further comprising selecting one or more content from said displayed list viewing.

8. The method according to claim 6, further comprising decoding compressed video and audio signals which represents said selected one or more content.

9. The method according to claim 6 further comprising receiving content guide information and content guide database for storing received content guide information.

10. The method according to claim 6, further comprising receiving a television signal and wherein said user'"'"'s preference database tuning history data of said tuner.