User preference information structure having multiple hierarchical structure and method for providing multimedia information using the same

• US 7,599,955 B2
• Filed: 02/14/2006
• Issued: 10/06/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 09/22/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Yoon, Kyoung Ro, Jun, Sung Bae, Song, Jung Min
• Primary Examiner(s): Fleurantin; Jean B.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ly; Anh
• Application Number:
  US11/354,322
• Publication Number:
  US 20060129544A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,330 Days
• Field of Search: 707/10, 707100-102, 707/104.1
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/435 Filtering based on additional data, e.g. user or group profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/235 Processing of additional data, e.g. scrambling of additional data or processing content descriptors
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25883 being end-user demographical data, e.g. age, family status or address arrangements for identifying locations of users in broadcast systems H04H60/52
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25891 being end-user preferences retrieval of video data in a video database based on user preferences G06F16/739; arrangements for recognizing users' preferences H04H60/46; 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 21/435 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 21/4667 Processing of monitored end-user data, e.g. trend analysis based on the log file of viewer selections
• 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 7/163 by receiver means only
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99936 Pattern matching access
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99943 Generating database or data structure, e.g. via user interface
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 Object-oriented database structure processing

Abstract

A user preference information structure having a multiple hierarchical structure in which an information is provided to a user according to a user preference in a multi-media environment consisting of an information provider and an information user, comprising user use information by using information desired by the user; user preference information of information desired by the user; and individual user preference information that is differently set depending on situations in which the user is put and positioned in a sub-tree of the user preference information. The hierarchical data structure is able to provide the user preference for providing information desired by the user is provided depending on the environment, based on which various information can be provided. The hierarchical data structure constructing the user preference makes it possible for the user to receive information fitting the situation in which he or she is put by using a proper individual user preference information, automatically or according to user'"'"'s selection.

Claims

1. A method implemented by an apparatus comprising a memory for processing and storing multimedia content and user preferences pertaining to multimedia consumption, the method comprising:

generating a user description including a user identifier to identify a user, the user description also including a user preference description and a usage history for the user, the user preference description having a hierarchical structure to describe the user'"'"'s preferences for filtering and searching the multimedia content, the hierarchical structure including a parent preference element and first and second child preference elements of the parent preference element, each of the parent and first and second child preference elements including at least one corresponding multimedia preference description to identify preferred multimedia content, wherein the first child preference element includes a first preference condition to specify a first condition for applying the multimedia preference description corresponding to the first child preference element and the second child preference element includes a second preference condition to specify a second condition for applying the multimedia preference description corresponding to the second child preference element, and wherein the usage history describes events of the user'"'"'s multimedia consumption and specifies a respective user action type for each of the described events of multimedia consumption; and

selecting the first or the second child preference element for use in searching the multimedia content for the user based on the first and second preference conditions;

wherein generating the user description includes receiving information about the events of multimedia consumption, using the information about the events of multimedia consumption to generate at least a portion of the user preference description, and generating at least a portion of the usage history based on the information about the events of multimedia consumption.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first or second preference condition specifies a place at which the corresponding multimedia preference description applies.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein each of the parent and child preference elements has a preference value to characterize relative importance of the respective multimedia preference description.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein providing the user description includes receiving user input specifying information for at least one of the parent and child preference elements.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the user action types indicates a user action including play, review, pause, fast forward, or stop.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the multimedia preference description in one of the parent and child preference elements specifies a multimedia classification attribute.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the multimedia classification attribute includes a multimedia genre.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the multimedia preference description in one of the parent and child preference elements specifies an actor or a director.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

updating the user description.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein updating the user description includes updating the usage history.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

storing the user description.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the user description includes a user identifier specifying a name.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein selecting the first or the second child preference element for use in searching multimedia content includes receiving a user selection.

14. A system for processing user preferences, the system comprising:

a memory for processing and storing multimedia content and user preferences;

a data storage device; and

data processing apparatus configured to perform operations comprising;

generating a user description including a user identifier to identify a user, the user description also including a user preference description and a usage history for the user, the user preference description having a hierarchical structure to describe the user'"'"'s preferences for filtering and searching the multimedia content, the hierarchical structure including a parent preference element and first and second child preference elements of the parent preference element, each of the parent and first and second child preference elements including at least one corresponding multimedia preference description to identify preferred multimedia content, wherein the first child preference element includes a first preference condition to specify a first condition for applying the multimedia preference description corresponding to the first child preference element and the second child preference element includes a second preference condition to specify a second condition for applying the multimedia preference description corresponding to the second child preference element, and wherein the usage history describes events of the user'"'"'s multimedia consumption and specifies a respective user action type for each of the described events of multimedia consumption;

storing the user description in the data storage device; and

selecting the first or the second child preference element for use in searching the multimedia content for the user based on the first and second preference conditions;

wherein generating the user description includes receiving information about the events of multimedia consumption, using the information about the events of multimedia consumption to generate at least a portion of the user preference description, and generating at least a portion of the usage history based on the information about the events of multimedia consumption.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the first or second preference condition specifies a place at which the corresponding multimedia preference description applies.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein each of the parent and child preference elements has a preference value to characterize relative importance of the respective multimedia preference description.

17. The system of claim 14, wherein providing the user description includes receiving user input specifying information for at least one of the parent and child preference elements.

18. The system of claim 14, wherein at least one of the user action types indicates a user action including play, review, pause, fast forward, or stop.

19. The system of claim 14, wherein the multimedia preference description in one of the parent and child preference elements specifies a multimedia classification attribute.

20. The system of claim 14, wherein the data processing apparatus is further configured to perform operations comprising:

updating the user description.

21. The system of claim 14, wherein the user description includes a user identifier specifying a name.

22. The system of claim 14, wherein selecting the first or the second child preference element for use in searching multimedia content includes receiving a user selection.

23. A computer program product, tangibly embodied in a machine readable storage medium, for processing multimedia content and user preferences pertaining to multimedia consumption, the computer program comprising instructions to cause data processing apparatus to perform operations comprising:

generating a user description including a user identifier to identify a user, the user description also including a user preference description and a usage history for the user, the user preference description having a hierarchical structure to describe the user'"'"'s preferences for filtering and searching the multimedia content, the hierarchical structure including a parent preference element and first and second child preference elements of the parent preference element, each of the parent and first and second child preference elements including at least one corresponding multimedia preference description to identify preferred multimedia content, wherein the first child preference element includes a first preference condition to specify a first condition for applying the multimedia preference description corresponding to the first child preference element and the second child preference element includes a second preference condition to specify a second condition for applying the multimedia preference description corresponding to the second child preference element, and wherein the usage history describes events of the user'"'"'s multimedia consumption and specifies a respective user action type for each of the described events of multimedia consumption; and

selecting the first or the second child preference element for use in searching the multimedia content for the user based on the first and second preference conditions;

wherein generating the user description includes receiving information about the events of multimedia consumption, using the information about the events of multimedia consumption to generate at least a portion of the user preference description, and generating at least a portion of the usage history based on the information about the events of multimedia consumption.

24. The computer program product of claim 23, wherein the first or second preference condition specifies a place at which the corresponding multimedia preference description applies.

25. The computer program product of claim 23, wherein each of the parent and child preference elements has a preference value to characterize relative importance of the respective multimedia preference description.

26. The computer program product of claim 23, wherein at least one of the user action types indicates a user action including play, review, pause, fast forward, or stop.

27. The computer program product of claim 23, wherein the multimedia preference description in one of the parent and child preference elements specifies a multimedia genre, an actor, or a director.

28. The computer program product of claim 23, further comprising instructions to cause data processing apparatus to perform operations comprising:

updating the user description.

29. The computer program product of claim 28, wherein updating the user description includes updating the usage history.

30. The computer program product of claim 23, further comprising instructions to cause data processing apparatus to perform operations comprising:

storing the user description.

31. The computer program product of claim 23, wherein selecting the first or the second child preference element for use in searching multimedia content includes receiving a user selection.