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

• US 8,250,098 B2
• Filed: 09/11/2009
• Issued: 08/21/2012
• 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, Song, Jung Min, Jun, Sung Bae
• Primary Examiner(s): Corrielus, Jean M
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ly, Anh
• Application Number:
  US12/558,378
• Publication Number:
  US 20100005116A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,075 Days
• Field of Search: 707/796, 707/797, 707/802, 707/805, 707/E17.143, 707/784, 707/829, 707/956, 707/E17.059, 707/E17.06, 715/745, 715/811, 715/747, 725/46
• US Class Current: 707/784
• 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 computer-implemented method implemented by an apparatus for providing desired multimedia information to one or more information users, the apparatus including a processor and a memory, the method comprising:

establishing, in the memory, a multiple hierarchical structure having individual user preference information including user preference items for a corresponding user; and

changing the hierarchical structure of the individual user preference information to include a place at which one or more of the user preference items are in use for the corresponding user,

wherein changing the hierarchical structure of said individual user preference information further includes registration of a new user preference item, deletion of an existing user preference item, or changing a parent node of a sub-tree of individual user preference information according to the indicated place, and

wherein changing the hierarchical structure further includes changing the preference or non-preference value of a user preference item and changing the preference or non-preference value of a user preference item located in one or more ancestor nodes of the changed preference item, based on the usage history at the indicated place.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein changing the hierarchical structure of the individual user preference information further includes changing the preference/non-preference value using a user interface according to the indicated place.

3. A computer-implemented method implemented by an apparatus for processing multimedia content provided by an information provider in a television broadcast environment and for processing user preferences related to consumption of said multimedia content, the apparatus including a processor and a memory, the method comprising:

selecting one or more user preference items stored in the memory according to a hierarchical data structure representing individual user preference information for a user at one or more places, the selected user preference items being associated with respective content description elements and having at least one preference value characterizing the user'"'"'s preference at a specific place for multimedia content matching the associated content description elements;

searching for multimedia content based on the selected user preference items; and

providing the user with at least a portion of the multimedia content obtained by said search,

wherein the hierarchical data structure includes a plurality of containers representing respective individual user preference information at the same level in the hierarchical data structure, a first container in the plurality of containers including a preference condition that specifies the specific place to which the corresponding individual user preference information apply, and wherein selecting one or more user preference items includes selecting the one or more user preference items from the first container.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein the preference value represents user preference or non-preference for multimedia content matching the content description elements associated with the selected user preference items.

5. The method according to claim 3, wherein searching for multimedia content includes using the preference item for filtering multimedia content.

6. The method according to claim 3, wherein the hierarchical data structure includes a hierarchical tree structure.

7. The method according to claim 3, wherein the specific place is home or a work place.

8. The method according to claim 3, further comprising describing usage history to record information about multimedia content usage.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein the usage history indicates a time when the multimedia content has been used.

10. The method according to claim 8, wherein the usage history indicates how the multimedia content has been used.