Method, system and apparatus for dynamically creating content channel based on end user wish lists

• US 7,836,095 B2
• Filed: 11/09/2006
• Issued: 11/16/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 11/09/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google Technology Holdings LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: General Instrument Corporation (CommScope Holding Company, Inc.)
• Inventors: Carter, Anthony, Hill, Thomas C., Adwankar, Sandeep M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lu; Kuen S
• Application Number:
  US11/558,087
• Publication Number:
  US 20080115168A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,468 Days
• Field of Search: 707/104.1, 707/803, 707/693
• US Class Current: 707/803
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/252 Processing of multiple end-users' preferences to derive collaborative data
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2668 Creating a channel for a dedicated end-user group, e.g. insertion of targeted commercials based on end-user profiles information retrieval from the Internet by querying with filtering and personalisation G06F16/9535; arrangements for replacing or switching information during the broadcast H04H20/10; push services over packet-switching network H04L12/1859; adaptation of message content in packet-switching networks H04L51/063
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/472 End-user interface for requesting content, additional data or services; End-user interface for interacting with content, e.g. for content reservation or setting reminders, for requesting event notification, for manipulating displayed content end-user interfaces for retrieving video data from a database G06F16/739; network services for supporting unicast streaming H04L65/612
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

A system (10), apparatus (12) and method (40) for providing content channels to end users based on end user wish lists. The method includes a domain channel manager apparatus accessing a plurality of end user wish lists maintained at end user devices, such as end user residential gateways and home servers. The domain channel manager accesses the plurality of wish lists and aggregates the wish list items, organizing and ranking the wish list items if necessary. Based on the aggregated wish list items from the plurality of end users, the domain channel manager retrieves content from all available content sources, such as content providers and existing content repositories. The domain channel manager creates content channels based on the retrieved content and offers those content channels to end users whose preferences match the content of the particular channel offered.

Claims

1. A method for providing content to at least one end user, comprising the steps of:

aggregating a plurality of content wish lists generated from at least one end user device, wherein the content wish list includes a list or description of content desired by an end user;

retrieving, by a domain channel manager, content based on the aggregation of the plurality of content wish lists;

generating, by the domain channel manager, at least one content channel based on the retrieved content, wherein the at least one content channel includes at least a portion of the retrieved content; and

providing the at least one content channel to the at least one end user.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the retrieving step includes comparing the aggregation of the plurality of content wish lists with content available from a content repository.

3. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the retrieving step includes retrieving content from at least one of a plurality of content sources and a content repository.

4. The method as recited in claim 3, further comprising the step of providing at least a portion of the aggregation of the plurality of content wish lists to at least one potential content source in such a manner that the potential content source can become one of the plurality of content sources.

5. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising the step of creating a channel set based on the aggregation of the plurality of content wish lists, and wherein the retrieving step includes retrieving content based on the channel set.

6. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein at least a portion of at least one of the content wish lists has metadata associated therewith, wherein the aggregating step includes aggregating metadata associated with the plurality of content wish lists, and wherein the retrieving step includes retrieving content based on the aggregated metadata.

7. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising the step of providing information to the end user based on the retrieved content in such a manner that the provided information can be used by the end user to update the end user content wish list.

8. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the retrieving step includes retrieving content based on at least one of content price, content availability, content size and content source quality.

9. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the providing step further comprises offering the content channel for sale or subscription to the end user.

10. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the providing step includes encrypting at least a portion of the retrieved content being provided to the at least one end user and providing at least one decryption key to authorized end users for decrypting the encrypted content.

11. A domain channel manager apparatus for providing content to at least one end user, comprising:

a storage unit for storing a plurality of content wish lists generated by at least one end user and received by the apparatus, wherein the content wish list includes a list or description of content desired by an end user; and

a processor coupled to the storage unit and configured to aggregate the plurality of content wish lists,

wherein the processor is configured to retrieve content based on the aggregation of the plurality of content wish lists,

wherein the processor is configured to generate at least one content channel based on the retrieved content,

wherein the at least one content channel includes at least a portion of the retrieved content, and

wherein the processor is configured to provide the at least one content channel to the at least one end user.

12. The apparatus as recited in claim 11, wherein the processor is configured to retrieve content from at least one of a plurality of content sources coupled to the domain channel manager apparatus and a content repository coupled to the domain channel manager apparatus.

13. The apparatus as recited in claim 11, wherein the processor is configured to retrieve content based on the comparison of the aggregation of the plurality of content wish lists to content available from a content repository coupled to the domain channel manager apparatus.

14. The apparatus as recited in claim 11, wherein the processor is configured to provide the aggregation of the plurality of content wish lists to at least one potential content source coupled to the domain channel manager apparatus in such a manner that the potential content source can become one of the plurality of content sources.

15. The apparatus as recited in claim 11, wherein the processor is configured to create a channel set based on the aggregation of the plurality of content wish lists and to retrieve the content based on the channel set.

16. The apparatus as recited in claim 11, wherein at least a portion of at least one of the plurality of content wish lists has metadata associated therewith, and wherein the processor is configured to aggregate the metadata and retrieved content based on the aggregated metadata.

17. The apparatus as recited in claim 11, further comprising a wish list repository coupled to the processor for storing at least a portion of the aggregation of the plurality of content wish lists.

18. The apparatus as recited in claim 11, wherein the processor is configured to provide information to the end user based on the retrieved content in such a manner that the end user can update the end user content wish list.

19. The apparatus as recited in claim 11, wherein the processor is configured to retrieve content based on at least one of content price, content availability, content size, and content source quality.

20. The apparatus as recited in claim 11, wherein the processor is configured to provide the at least one content channel to the end user in such a manner that the at least one content channel is offered for sale or subscription to the end user.

21. The apparatus as recited in claim 11, wherein the processor is configured to encrypt at least a portion of the retrieved content provided to the at least one end user, and wherein the processor is configured to provide to authorized end users at least one decryption key for decrypting the encrypted content.

22. The apparatus as recited in claim 11, wherein the apparatus further comprises a device selected from the group consisting of a residential gateway device, a home media server, a signal converter box, a signal decoder box, a digital video disk recorder, a personal video recorder device, a computer, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a mobile communication device, an audio receiver and a video receiver.