System and method for determining the desirability of video programming events using keyword matching

• US 7,434,247 B2
• Filed: 03/28/2005
• Issued: 10/07/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 11/16/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: MeeVee, Inc. (LiveUniverse, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: MeeVee, Inc. (LiveUniverse, Inc.)
• Inventors: Hitt, Dale Kittrick, Dudkiewicz, Gil Gavriel, Barker, Jonathan Percy
• Primary Examiner(s): Salce; Jason P
• Application Number:
  US11/092,371
• Publication Number:
  US 20050172318A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,289 Days
• Field of Search: 725 45- 46, 725/50, 725/32, 725/35, 709217-219, 711/129, 711/133, 711134-136, 707 3- 5, 707/10
• US Class Current: 725/46
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/735 Filtering based on additional data, e.g. user or group profiles
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/78 Retrieval characterised by using metadata, e.g. metadata not derived from the content or metadata generated manually
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/235 Processing of additional data, e.g. scrambling of additional data or processing content descriptors
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4305 Synchronising client clock from received content stream, e.g. locking decoder clock with encoder clock, extraction of the PCR packets arrangements for synchronising receiver with transmitter by comparing receiver clock with transmitter clock H04L7/0012; arrangements for synchronising receiver with transmitter wherein the receiver takes measures against momentary loss of synchronisation H04L7/0083
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4334 Recording operations recording of a television signal H04N5/76; arrangements for recording or accumulating broadcast information or broadcast-related information H04H60/27
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/435 Processing of additional data, e.g. decrypting of additional data, reconstructing software from modules extracted from the transport stream
• 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 21/454 Content or additional data filtering, e.g. blocking advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/466 Learning process for intelligent management, e.g. learning user preferences for recommending movies services using the results of monitoring in broadcast systems H04H60/61
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4661 Deriving a combined profile for a plurality of end-users of the same client, e.g. for family members within a home user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4665 involving classification methods, e.g. Decision trees
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4668 for recommending content, e.g. movies
• 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 21/4854 for modifying image parameters, e.g. image brightness, contrast
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8405 represented by keywords
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8543 using a description language, e.g. Multimedia and Hypermedia information coding Expert Group [MHEG], eXtensible Markup Language [XML] information retrieval of semistructured data, the underlying structure being taken into account, e.g. mark-up language structure data G06F16/80
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/781 on disks or drums
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/782 on tape
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/85 : on discs or drums
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/163 : by receiver means only
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99932 : Access augmentation or optimizing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 : Query processing, i.e. searching
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99934 : Query formulation, input preparation, or translation
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99935 : Query augmenting and refining, e.g. inexact access
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99943 : Generating database or data structure, e.g. via user interface

Abstract

The desirability of programming events may be determined using metadata for programming events that includes goodness of fit scores associated with categories of a classification hierarchy one or more of descriptive data and keyword data. The programming events are ranked in accordance with the viewing preferences of viewers as expressed in one or more viewer profiles. The viewer profiles may each include preference scores associated with categories of the classification hierarchy and may also include one or more keywords. Ranking is performed through category matching and keyword matching using the contents of the metadata and the viewer profiles. The viewer profile keywords may be qualified keywords that are associated with specific categories of the classification hierarchy. The ranking may be performed such that qualified keyword matches generally rank higher than keyword matches, and keyword matches generally rank higher than category matches. In alternative embodiments, scores may be calculated such that the ranges of scores for qualified keyword matches, keyword matches and category matches are overlapping but are generally ordered as previously described. Related embodiments may pertain to systems that implement such methods. Program rankings may be used to generate an alert schedule for providing alerts to viewers regarding programming events.

Claims

1. A method in a programmable computing device for determining the desirability of programming events, the method comprising executing processing comprising:

receiving metadata describing programming events, the metadata that describes a programming event being comprised of at least one of descriptive data and keyword data;

determining a keyword match score for each programming event having a keyword match, wherein a keyword match is a match of the at least one of descriptive data and keyword data of the programming event metadata and a keyword of the at least one viewer profile, and

ranking the programming events in accordance with the keyword match scores for each programming event;

wherein the metadata for a programming event further comprises goodness of fit scores associated with respective subject matter categories, wherein a goodness of fit score represents the degree to which the corresponding category is descriptive of the subject matter of the programming event;

wherein the method further comprises determining a category match score for each programming event as a function of the metadata goodness of fit scores and viewer profile preference scores of matched categories of the programming event, wherein a matched category is a category for which there is a goodness of fit score in the metadata of the programming event and a preference score in a viewer profile; and

wherein said ranking is performed in accordance with the keyword match scores for each programming event and the category match scores for each programming event.

2. The method claimed in claim 1, wherein said programming event metadata further comprises a time and duration of the corresponding programming event, and

wherein the method further comprises determining a programming event recording schedule in accordance with said ranking of said programming events and the times and durations of the programming events.

3. The method claimed in claim 1, wherein said programming event metadata further comprises a time of the corresponding programming event, and

wherein the method further comprises determining a programming event alert schedule in accordance with said ranking of the programming events and the times of the programming events.

4. The method claimed in claim 3, further comprising displaying a graphical alert for a programming event in accordance with the alert schedule.

5. The method claimed in claim 4, wherein the alert includes at least one of a title and a description of the programming event.

6. The method claimed in claim 4, wherein the alert includes a keyword that generated a highest score for the programming event in said ranking process.

7. The method claimed in claim 6, wherein the alert further includes a score associated with the keyword included in the alert.

8. The method claimed in claim 3, wherein the metadata describing programming events includes metadata describing individual segments of television programs, and

wherein the programming event for which the alert is displayed is a segment of a television program.

9. The method claimed in claim 1, wherein programming events having keyword matches are ranked higher than programming events not having keyword matches, and programming events not having keyword matches are ranked based upon category matches.

10. The method claimed in claim 1, wherein said programming event metadata further comprises a time and duration of the corresponding programming event, and

wherein the method further comprises determining a programming event recording schedule in accordance with said ranking of said programming events and the times and durations of the programming events.

11. The method claimed in claim 1, wherein said programming event metadata further comprises a time of the corresponding programming event, and

wherein the method further comprises determining a programming event alert schedule in accordance with said ranking of the programming events and the times of the programming events.

12. The method claimed in claim 11, further comprising displaying a graphical alert for a programming event in accordance with the alert schedule.

13. The method claimed in claim 12, wherein the alert includes at least one of a title and a description of the programming event.

14. The method claimed in claim 12, wherein the alert includes at least one of a category and a keyword that generated a highest score for the programming event in said ranking process.

15. The method claimed in claim 14, wherein the alert further includes a score associated with each category or keyword included in the alert.

16. The method claimed in claim 12, wherein said metadata describing programming events includes metadata describing individual segments of television programs, and

wherein the programming event for which the alert is displayed is a segment of a television program.

17. The method claimed in claim 1, wherein the metadata for a programming event further comprises goodness of fit scores associated with respective subject matter categories, wherein a goodness of fit score represents the degree to which the corresponding category is descriptive of the subject matter of the programming event,

wherein the method further comprises determining a qualified keyword match score for each programming event having a qualified keyword match, wherein a qualified keyword is a keyword that has been associated with a particular subject matter category in the viewer profile, and wherein a qualified keyword match is a match between a qualified keyword of the viewer profile and the at least one of descriptive data and keyword data of the metadata of a programming event that has a goodness of fit score for the category associated with the qualified keyword in the viewer profile, and

wherein said ranking is performed in accordance with the qualified keyword match scores for each programming event, the keyword match scores for each programming event and the category match scores for each programming event.

18. The method claimed in claim 17, wherein programming events having keyword matches are ranked higher than programming events not having keyword matches, and programming events not having keyword matches are ranked based upon category matches.

19. The method claimed in claim 17, wherein said programming event metadata further comprises a time and duration of the corresponding programming event, and

wherein the method further comprises determining a programming event recording schedule in accordance with said ranking of said programming events and the times and durations of the programming events.

20. The method claimed in claim 17, wherein said programming event metadata further comprises a time of the corresponding programming event, and

wherein the method further comprises determining a programming event alert schedule in accordance with said ranking of the programming events and the times of the programming events.

21. The method claimed in claim 20, further comprising displaying a graphical alert for a programming event in accordance with the alert schedule.

22. The method claimed in claim 21, wherein the alert includes at least one of a title and a description of the programming event.

23. The method claimed in claim 21, wherein the alert includes at least one of a category, a keyword and a qualified keyword that generated a highest score for the programming event in said ranking process.

24. The method claimed in claim 23, wherein the alert further includes a score associated with each category, keyword or qualified keyword included in the alert.

25. The method claimed in claim 21, wherein said metadata describing programming events includes metadata describing individual segments of television programs, and

wherein the programming event for which the alert is displayed is a segment of a television program.