Multimedia service system based on user history

• US 7,853,967 B2
• Filed: 12/10/2004
• Issued: 12/14/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 07/13/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Lee, Jin Soo, Yoon, Kyoung Ro, Jun, Sung Bae
• Primary Examiner(s): Kelley; Christopher
• Assistant Examiner(s): Shepard; Justin E
• Application Number:
  US11/008,676
• Publication Number:
  US 20050114539A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,195 Days
• Field of Search: 725/9
• US Class Current: 725/9
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/33 Arrangements for monitoring the users' behaviour or opinions
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/37 for identifying segments of broadcast information, e.g. scenes or extracting programme ID
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/40 for identifying broadcast time
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/46 for recognising users' preferences
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/611 for multicast or broadcast systems for broadcast or conference H04L12/18; arrangements for broadcast or distribution combined with broadcast H04H20/00; arrangements for broadcast applications with a direct linkage to broadcast information or to broadcast space-time H04H60/00; selective distribution of broadcast services, e.g. multimedia broadcast multicast service [MBMS], H04W4/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/612 for unicast
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/06 specially adapted for file transfer, e.g. file transfer protocol [FTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/62 Establishing a time schedule for servicing the requests
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4147 PVR [Personal Video Recorder] H04N5/76 takes precedence ; arrangements for broadcast with accumulation-type receivers H04H20/40
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/418 External card to be used in combination with the client device, e.g. for conditional access
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/426 Internal components of the client ; Characteristics thereof H04N5/44 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4333 Processing operations in response to a pause request
• 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 21/44204 Monitoring of content usage, e.g. the number of times a movie has been viewed, copied or the amount which has been watched monitoring of user activities for profile generation for accessing a video database G06F16/739; protecting generic digital content where the protection is independent of the precise nature of the content G06F21/10; arrangements for monitoring the use made of the broadcast services in broadcast systems H04H60/31
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44222 Analytics of user selections, e.g. selection of programs or purchase activity monitoring of user selections in data processing systems G06F11/34; arrangements for monitoring the user's behaviour or opinions in broadcast systems H04H60/33
• 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 21/4627 Rights management associated to the content security in data switching network management H04L41/28; security management or policies for network security H04L63/20; access security in wireless networks H04W12/08
• 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 21/6582 : Data stored in the client, e.g. viewing habits, hardware capabilities, credit card number arrangements where receivers interact with the broadcast H04H20/38
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8352 : involving content or source identification data, e.g. Unique Material Identifier [UMID]
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/163 : by receiver means only
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17327 : with deferred transmission or handling of upstream communications

Abstract

Disclosed is a user history based multimedia service system, wherein user history data include a multimedia consumption type and/or consumption behavior of the user. The consumption type data includes a start time or end time of the multimedia content consumption (i.e., simple view data), content recording time and format, content backup time and format, and content transfer time and format. The consumption behavior data includes a content access/play data such as a normal finish, skimmed, skipped, slowed, or replay, and a stopped data of the content access/play. The consumption type or consumption behavior data include information on program identification and information on access to the consumption type/consumption behavior data. The respective data is provided for each user and program.

Claims

1. A system for processing a hierarchical user history data structure embodied in a machine readable medium, the system comprising:

a processor configured to process data in the hierarchical user history data structure; and

a memory for storing the processed data,

wherein the hierarchical user history data structure comprises;

a user information element including information for identifying a user; and

a first user action list and a separate, second user action list that are respective first and second structural elements at the same level in the hierarchical user history data structure for separately recording different first and second user action types of the user'"'"'s multimedia consumption, wherein the first user action list records prior or current user actions corresponding to the first user action type that includes playing content from multimedia streams and the second user action list records prior or current user actions corresponding to the second user action type that includes skipping content portions of the multimedia streams, each of the first and second user action lists including a respective list of user action data items, wherein each user action data item in the first user action list includes a content reference identifier of a multimedia program which has been played by the user, and wherein each user action data item in the second user action list includes a content reference identifier that identifies a multimedia program a portion of which has been skipped by the user, and wherein each content reference identifier enables access to content related metadata that is not provided in the hierarchical user history data structure.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the hierarchical user history data structure further comprises data protection information for indicating whether the user desires to keep information in the user action data items for the user'"'"'s private use.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein each of the user action data items further includes an operation time indicating when the corresponding user action took place.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the hierarchical user history data structure is suitable for use in a portable storage medium.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the portable storage medium includes a smart card.

6. A method implemented by an apparatus for describing user history data in a hierarchical user history data structure embodied in a machine readable medium, the apparatus including a processor and associated memory configured to process the hierarchical user history data structure, the method comprising:

describing user information in a user information element of the hierarchical user history data structure for identifying a user; and

describing at least consumption or behavior data in a first user action list and a separate, second user action list that are respective first and second structural elements located at the same level in the hierarchical user history data structure for separately recording different first and second user action types of the user'"'"'s multimedia consumption or behavior, the consumption or behavior data including at least one consumption or behavior type, wherein the first user action list records prior or current user actions corresponding to the first user action type that includes playing content from multimedia streams and the second user action list records prior or current user actions corresponding to the second user action type that includes skipping content portions of the multimedia streams, wherein each of the first and second user action lists includes a respective list of user action data items, wherein each user action data item in the first user action list includes a content reference identifier of a multimedia program which has been played by the user and wherein each user action data item in the second user action list includes a content reference identifier that identifies a multimedia program a portion of which has been skipped by the user and wherein each content reference identifier enables access to content related metadata that is not provided in the hierarchical user history data structure.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising describing a data protection flag for indicating whether the user desires to keep the consumption or behavior data for the user'"'"'s private use.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the hierarchical user history data structure is suitable for use in a portable storage medium.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the portable storage medium includes a smart card.

10. A method implemented by an apparatus for describing user action history in a hierarchical user history data structure embodied in a machine readable medium, the apparatus including a processor and associated memory configured to process the hierarchical user history data structure, the method comprising:

describing a first user action list and a separate, second user action list that are respective first and second structural elements at the same level in the hierarchical user history data structure for separately recording different first and second user action types of a user'"'"'s multimedia consumption, wherein the first user action list records prior or current user actions corresponding to the first user action type that includes playing content from multimedia streams and the second user action list records prior or current user actions corresponding to the second user action type that includes skipping content portions of the multimedia streams, each of the first and second user action lists including a respective list of user action data items recording the prior or current actions of the user; and

describing user actions in the user action data items, wherein each user action is associated in the corresponding user action item with an operation time describing a time when the action took place or a duration thereof, and a content reference identifier providing a unique identifier of a program associated with said action and enabling access to multimedia content related metadata that is not provided in the hierarchical user history data structure.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising describing an automatic update flag for setting whether the user action history is automatically updated.

12. The structure of claim 11, further comprising describing a data protection flag for indicating whether the user desires to keep the user action history for said user'"'"'s private use.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein the hierarchical user history data structure is suitable for use in a portable storage medium.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the portable storage medium includes a smart card.