TV user interface with recommended content entry in favorites menu

• US 8,549,561 B2
• Filed: 01/21/2010
• Issued: 10/01/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 08/19/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Yeh, Sabrina Tai-Chen, Sampathkumaran, Sriram
• Primary Examiner(s): Lonsberry, Hunter B
• Application Number:
  US12/691,308
• Publication Number:
  US 20110047568A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,349 Days
• Field of Search: 725/40, 725/43, 725/44, 725/46
• US Class Current: 725/46
• 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 21/47 End-user applications
• 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 21/4826 using recommendation lists, e.g. of programs or channels sorted out according to their score
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6125 involving transmission via Internet transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82

Abstract

A “recommendation” genus entry is added to the list of other genre in a TV “favorites” menu. Entries in the recommendation genus entry are depicted in a stack and sorted by recommendation strength and channel number. A user can elect to hide the recommendation entry from the favorites menu.

Claims

1. TV comprising:

display;

processor configured for controlling presentation on the display;

computer readable storage medium accessible to the processor and storing a content recommendation module executable by the processor to output recommended content based at least in part on user viewing behavior;

the processor configured to execute the module to present a favorite genre user interface (UI) including a recommended content genus entry, the processor being responsive to a screen cursor to establish a non-focused presentation of the recommended content genus entry, wherein a recommended content genus title and a thumbnail of at least one recommended content is presented, and a focused presentation of the recommended content genus entry, wherein the recommended content genus title is not presented and a thumbnail of at least one recommended content is presented along with a program title, channel number, and program description associated with the thumbnail, the processor when executing the module being configured for causing “

N”

recommended contents associated with the recommended content genus entry to be sorted at least in part by recommendation strength;

wherein a recommendations icon is presented on the display in the non-focused presentation, the recommendations icon not being presented on the display in the focused presentation.

2. The TV of claim 1, wherein recommended contents with the same recommendation strength are sorted by channel number, wherein at least one content is recommended at least based on the duration a user has viewed at least one TV channel.

3. The TV of claim 1, wherein the favorite genre UI further includes a photo genus entry, a music genus entry, a video genus entry, an Internet TV genus entry, an inputs genus entry, and a widgets genus entry.

4. The TV of claim 1, wherein the favorite genre UI includes, from left to right on the display, a photo genus entry, a music genus entry, a video genus entry, an Internet TV genus entry, a tuned-to channel history genus entry, the recommended content genus entry, a favorite TV channel genus entry, an inputs genus entry of the favorite inputs of a user of the favorite genre UI, and a widgets genus entry.

5. The TV of claim 1, wherein the recommended contents are presented as a stack on the display, the stack being established by two-dimensional objects overlaid on each other in an overlapping relationship such that a first object appearing beneath a second object appears to be partially eclipsed by the second object, the stack being manipulable based on user input to at least cause the second object to appear beneath the first object to appear to be partially eclipsed by the first object.

6. The TV of claim 5, wherein the stack is periodically refreshed along with refreshing other genus entries.

7. The TV of claim 1, wherein the processor is responsive to user input to clear the recommended contents from the recommended content genus entry presented on the favorite genre UI.

18. The TV of claim 1, wherein the favorite genre user interface (UI) includes a favorite TV channel genus entry and a tuned-to channel history genus entry, the recommended content genus entry being straddled by the favorite TV channel genus entry and the tuned-to channel history genus entry.

8. Method comprising:

enabling a user to select a user interface (UI) presentable on a consumer electronics (CE) device; and

presenting the UI on at least one CE device;

wherein the UI includes a recommended content genus entry, the UI having a first configuration including a non-focused presentation of the recommended content genus entry wherein a recommended content genus title and a thumbnail of at least one recommended content is presented, and the UI having a second configuration including a focused presentation of the recommended content genus entry wherein the recommended content genus title is not presented and a thumbnail of at least one recommended content is presented along with a program title, channel number, and program description associated with the thumbnail.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the UI includes a favorite TV channel genus entry and a tuned-to channel history genus entry, the recommended content entry being straddled by the favorite TV channel genus entry and the tuned-to channel history genus entry.

10. The method of claim 9, comprising selectively removing the recommended content entry from the UI.

11. The method of claim 9, comprising causing “

N”

recommended contents associated with the recommended content entry to be sorted at least in part by recommendation strength.

12. The method of claim 9, comprising sorting by channel number recommended contents with the same recommendation strength.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein the UI includes, from left to right, a photo genus entry, a music genus entry, a video genus entry, an Internet TV genus entry, the tuned-to channel history genus entry, the recommended content entry, the favorite TV channel genus entry, an inputs genus entry, and a widgets genus entry.

14. The method of claim 8, wherein a recommendations icon is presented in the non-focused presentation, the recommendations icon not being presented in the focused presentation.

15. The method of claim 8, wherein in the focused presentation, the recommended content genus title is not presented by replacing the recommended content genus title with at least one of the program title and channel number.

16. Assembly comprising:

display;

processor communicating with the display; and

computer readable medium bearing instructions executable by the processor to present a favorite genre user interface (UI) including at least a favorite TV channel entry and a recommended content entry selectable to view information associated with content recommended based at least in part on viewer behavior, wherein the processor is responsive to a screen cursor to establish a non-focused presentation of the recommended content entry, wherein a recommended content genus title and a thumbnail of at least one recommended content is presented, and a focused presentation of the recommended content entry, wherein the recommended content genus title is not presented and a thumbnail of at least one recommended content is presented along with a program title, channel number, and program description associated with the thumbnail.

17. The assembly of claim 16, wherein the favorite genre UI includes, from left to right on the display, a photo genus entry, a music genus entry, a video genus entry, an Internet TV genus entry, a tuned-to channel history genus entry, the recommended content entry, and the favorite TV channel entry.

19. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the instructions are executable by the processor to cause the processor to present a like selector and a dislike selector, the selectors pertaining to at least one recommended content, the selectors configured for manipulation by a user to provide input to the processor indicating whether the user likes or dislikes the recommended content based on selection of the like selector or dislike selector, respectively, the recommended content to which the selectors pertain being received by the apparatus over a TV channel provided through a TV tuner associated with the apparatus.

20. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein in the focused presentation, the recommended content genus title is not presented by replacing the recommended content genus title with at least one of the program title and channel number.