Personalizing content based on mood

• US 7,764,311 B2
• Filed: 12/30/2004
• Issued: 07/27/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 05/30/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AOL Inc. (Apollo Global Management, Inc.)
• Inventors: Bill, David S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Aggarwal; Yogesh K
• Application Number:
  US11/025,881
• Publication Number:
  US 20060143647A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,035 Days
• Field of Search: 348/222.1, 345/619, 382/118, 382/603
• US Class Current: 348/222.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/636 by using biological or physiological data
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/639 using playlists
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/68 Retrieval characterised by using metadata, e.g. metadata not derived from the content or metadata generated manually
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/683 using metadata automatically derived from the content
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 1/00 Details of electrophonic musical instruments
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2240/085 Mood, i.e. generation, detection or selection of a particular emotional content or atmosphere in a musical piece
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2240/131 Library retrieval, i.e. searching a database or selecting a specific musical piece, segment, pattern, rule or parameter set
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/105 of operating discs
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/28 by using information signals recorded by the same method as the main recording G11B27/22 takes precedence

Abstract

In order to increase the efficacy of a mood-based playlisting system, a mood sensor such as a camera may be used to provide mood information to the mood model. When the mood sensor includes a camera, a camera may be used to capture an image of the user. The image is analyzed to determine a mood for the user so that content may be selected responsive to the mood of the user.

Claims

1. A computer program on a non-transitory computer readable storage device configured to manage content accessed by a user, the computer program being structured and arranged to:

use a camera to capture an image of the user;

analyze the image to determine an actual mood for the user;

identify a desired mood state indicating a intended mood value for the user for a designated event; and

determine whether the user is ready to participate in the designated event by;

comparing the actual mood to the desired mood state; and

based on results of the comparison, selecting transitional content for the user if the comparison indicates that the actual mood does not support the desired mood state, the transitional content selected to inspire transition of the actual mood to the desired mood state, and

selecting destination content associated with the designated event if the comparison indicates that the actual mood does not support the desired mood state.

2. The computer program of claim 1 wherein analyzing the image to determine the actual mood for the user includes analyzing one or more facial expressions for the user.

3. The computer program of claim 2 wherein analyzing the facial expressions includes at least one of:

determining if a brow is furrowed to indicate an angry mood, an upset mood, or an intensity of a mood,

determining if the brow is unfurrowed to indicate a neutral mood, a content mood, or a mood of lesser intensity, and

analyzing a user'"'"'s mouth features to determine if the user is smiling, frowning, angry, experiencing an intense mood, or experiencing a neutral mood.

4. The computer program of claim 2 wherein analyzing the facial expression includes identifying a change in a location of a facial feature, and using the change in the location to determine the actual mood.

5. The computer program of claim 4 wherein analyzing the change in the location of the facial feature includes determining that a brow, a wrinkle, a dimple, a hairline, an ear, a nose, a mouth, or a chin is located in a different location.

6. The computer program of claim 1 wherein analyzing the image to determine the actual mood includes:

comparing current information related to a current image with previous information related to a previous image;

identifying a differential describing how the current information differs from the previous information; and

using the differential to determine the actual mood.

7. The computer program of claim 1 wherein analyzing the image to determine the actual mood includes:

identifying a level of user movement, and

using the user movement to determine the mood.

8. The computer program of claim 7 wherein:

identifying the level of user movement includes identifying a rhythmic motion, and

using the user movement to determine the mood includes using the rhythmic motion to identify the actual mood.

9. The computer program of claim 1 further comprising:

determining that selected content did not transition the user to the desired mood, and

adjusting a user profile to reflect a variation between the predicted mood and the actual mood.

10. The computer program of claim 1 further comprising:

enrolling the user in a training regimen to determine a user profile for the user; and

using the user profile determine the actual mood for the user.

11. The computer program of claim 10 wherein enrolling the user in the training regimen includes associating one or more facial expressions of the user with one or more moods.

12. The computer program of claim 10 wherein enrolling the user in the training regimen includes evaluating a user response to one or more selections of content.

13. The computer program of claim 12 wherein evaluating the user response to the one or more selections of content includes:

generating perceivable output for a first content selection;

presenting an image of the user captured in response to the generation of the perceivable output; and

prompting the user to specify the actual mood as depicted in the image.

14. The computer program of claim 13 further comprising enabling the user to identify facial features indicative of the actual mood.

15. The computer program of claim 12 wherein evaluating the user response to the one or more selections of content includes:

generating perceivable output for a first content selection; and

prompting the user to specify the actual mood.

16. The computer program of claim 10 wherein enrolling the user in the training regimen includes prompting the user to confirm that a mood determined by evaluating an image relates to an actual mood.

17. The computer program of claim 10 wherein enrolling the user in the training regimen includes generating perceivable output from a content selection configured to test the user'"'"'s response;

using the image to evaluate a user'"'"'s response;

generating a mood model using the user'"'"'s response; and

selecting content using the mood model.

18. The computer program of claim 17 further comprising repeating the operations of:

generating additional perceivable output from the mood impulse content selection; and

using the image to evaluate the mood impulse response to generate a comprehensive mood impulse response function such that additional mood information for different moods is gleaned.