Method and apparatus for communicating popularity ratings to users

• US 8,607,262 B2
• Filed: 05/10/2006
• Issued: 12/10/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 05/10/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Sharp Laboratories of America Incorporated (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Hallberg, Bryan S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Kumar, Pankaj
• Assistant Examiner(s): FLYNN, RANDY A
• Application Number:
  US11/382,665
• Publication Number:
  US 20070266401A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,771 Days
• Field of Search: 725 9- 21, 725/37, 725/40, 725/46, 725/50
• US Class Current: 725/14
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/252 Processing of multiple end-users' preferences to derive collaborative data
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44224 Monitoring of user activity on external systems, e.g. Internet browsing
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/488 Data services, e.g. news ticker systems specially adapted for using meteorological information in broadcast systems H04H60/71
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8133 specifically related to the content, e.g. biography of the actors in a movie, detailed information about an article seen in a video program
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

A method of providing popularity ratings to users includes monitoring experiences of users with programs, generating popularity ratings associated with the programs in response to the monitoring, and communicating at least one of the popularity ratings as at least one of the users experiences at least one of the programs.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

monitoring a television presentation control device to detect a user interaction with a first media item, wherein the monitoring includes detecting first command data configured to change at least one user controllable device presentation parameter to modify a presentation of the first media item wherein the presentation of the first media item is ongoing and the controllable device parameter is independent of a channel change command and data corresponding to identification of a channel, wherein the at least one user controllable device parameter is controllable by the television presentation control device;

inferring an approval level corresponding to the first media item based on the user interaction to generate first approval data based on the inferred approval level;

compiling the first approval data with second approval data corresponding to second command data associated with the first or a second media item, or combinations thereof playing on one or more other devices;

generating an approval rating corresponding to the first media item or the second media item, or combinations thereof;

automatically changing the approval rating corresponding to the first media item based on the user interaction, wherein the one or more approval ratings increase relative to an amount of time the associated programs play out on a corresponding device as indicated by the user interaction, and wherein the one or more approval ratings decrease based on command data indicating that during presentation of the associated programs a user decreased the volume;

communicating the approval rating to the device;

receiving a user defined list from the device comprising a sub-group selected from a group of people sharing a common demographic associated with age, geographic location, gender, profession, programming taste, or familial status, or combinations thereof;

receiving a request for a list of past and current approval ratings corresponding to the user defined list; and

communicating the past and current approval ratings to the user for displaying on a user device wherein the past and current approval ratings correspond to the user defined list.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein communicating the approval rating comprises a real time approval rating indicating current approval ratings corresponding to the first media item or the second media item, or combinations thereof.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the first media item comprises a program selected from:

a television program, an internet program, a broadcast radio program, an on-demand radio program, a music CD program, or a DVD program.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the approval rating includes a partial program approval rating, a program episode approval rating, a program series approval rating, a program genre approval rating, or combinations thereof.

5. The method of claim 2, further comprising sending a group of approval ratings to the device when the approval rating of the first media item that is currently playing falls below a first predetermined threshold, and wherein group members of the group each have an approval rating greater than that of the first media item that is currently playing.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising increasing the approval rating of the first media item concurrent with the device playing the first media item based on at least one of:

the device playing the first media item for a predefined time period, the device recording the first media item, increasing a sound volume of the first media item or changing a color setting for a display associated with the device.

7. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

extracting identifying data from the first media item through the device.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the controllable device parameter is accessible via a record button, a volume button, or combinations thereof.

9. The method of claim 2, further comprising sending the user a message recommending a program when an approval rating exceeds a second predetermined threshold, wherein the second predetermined threshold is configured to be set by the user.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the message is an on-screen popup message in a form of a chart, a graph, a ticker, a symbol, an icon, or text.

11. The method of claim 2, wherein said communicating is configured to occur at a time when a predicted increase in an annoyance level of the user is at a relative minimum, and wherein the annoyance level is based, at least in part, on an audio spectrum of the first media item that is currently playing on the device.

27. The method of claim 10, wherein the popup message directly links the user to the recommended program.

12. A system comprising:

a plurality of devices configured to play a plurality of associated programs and to update user experience data, wherein the user experience data includes command data configured for changing at least one user controllable device parameter associated with at least one device of the plurality of devices and for modifying a presentation of a particular one of the plurality of associated programs wherein the presentation of the particular one of the associated programs is ongoing and the controllable device parameter is independent of a channel change command and data corresponding to identification of a channel during presentation of the particular program by changing the at least one user controllable device parameter, wherein the at least one device is a television;

a server configured to receive updated user experience data and to generate one or more popularity ratings associated with the plurality of programs in response to receiving the updated user experience data wherein the one or more popularity ratings increase relative to an amount of time the associated programs play out on a corresponding device as indicated by the user experience data and wherein the one or more popularity ratings decrease based on command data indicating that during presentation of the associated programs a user decreased the volume;

a program identifying unit to extract identifying information from a program of the associated programs, wherein the at least one device is configured to include identifying information in the user experience data;

a popularity rating interface to provide the one or more popularity ratings to the at least one device;

the server also configured to receive a user defined list of users and receive a request for a list of past and current popularity ratings corresponding to the user defined list; and

the popularity rating interface also to provide the past and current approval ratings to the at least one device for display, wherein the past and current approval ratings correspond to the user defined list.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the popularity rating interface is configured to provide the one or more popularity ratings concurrent with presenting the particular one of the plurality of associated programs in real time.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein the server further comprises:

a popularity rating sorter to group the one or more popularity ratings into a plurality of popularity rating groups;

a popularity rating monitor to monitor the one or more popularity ratings; and

a program monitor to determine a time concurrent with the presentation of the particular one of the plurality of associated programs, an expected annoyance of the user is reduced, wherein the popularity rating interface is configured to display one or more of the plurality of popularity rating groups when the program monitor determines that the expected annoyance is reduced, and wherein the program monitor determines the expected annoyance of the user is reduced based on spectra of the particular one of the plurality of associated programs.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the popularity rating sorter is configured to group the popularity ratings according to at least one of user geographical location, user demographics, user interest, and user-defined lists.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein the server is configured to transmit popularity ratings to the at least one device if the popularity rating monitor identifies that a popularity rating passes a threshold.

26. The system of claim 12, wherein the controllable device parameter is accessible via a plurality of controls including a record button, a volume button, a television channel, or combinations thereof.

17. An apparatus, comprising:

a device configured to present a program;

an approval rating interface configured to;

extract first identifying data from the program, wherein the identifying data is independent of channel tuning data and based on analysis of the program;

transmit the identifying data to a server for use in generating approval ratings for the program, wherein approval ratings are based on detected command data configured to change at least one user controllable device presentation parameter to modify a presentation of the program wherein the presentation of the program is ongoing and the controllable device parameter is independent of a channel change command and data corresponding to identification of a channel;

receive a user defined list of users;

transmit the list to the server;

receive approval ratings from the server corresponding to the program and to the user-defined list, wherein the approval ratings corresponding to the program are automatically changed by the server by increasing the approval ratings relative to an amount of time associated programs play out on a corresponding device and by decreasing the approval ratings based on command data indicating that during presentation of the associated programs a user decreased the volume;

provide the approval ratings to the device;

receiving a request for a list of past and current approval ratings corresponding to the user defined list;

transmit the request to the server;

communicating the past and current approval ratings to the user for displaying on a user device wherein the past and current approval ratings correspond to the user defined list;

automatically send an alert if the approval ratings associated with the program surpasses a threshold rating;

automatically sending an alert to the device indicating that a predetermined portion of a different program is currently playing; and

a network connection configured to connect the device to an approval database, wherein the approval database is configured to store the approval ratings.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the approval rating interface further comprises an indicator configured to indicate an approval rating change.

19. The apparatus of claim 17, comprising:

an approval rating program list creation interface configured to define a list of programs for which to provide the approval ratings.

20. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein:

the device includes a display of a television; and

the approval rating interface includes a portion of the display of the television.

21. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the device is configured to change the first program in response to an input through the approval rating interface.

22. The apparatus of claim 17, comprising a parameter monitor configured to monitor second command data associated with modification of at least one user controllable parameter of the device concurrent with presentation of the first program on the device and to transmit monitored information to the approval database.

23. The apparatus of claim 17, comprising:

a program monitor to determine a time concurrent with the presentation of the first media stream wherein a user annoyance level is at an expected minimum,

wherein the approval rating interface is configured to provide the approval ratings to the device if the program monitor determines that the expected user annoyance level is at the expected minimum, and wherein the program monitor determines the user annoyance level based on an audio spectrum of the first media stream.

24. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the approval rating interface is configured to determine if a particular approval rating of a group of approval ratings has surpassed a threshold rating, and to provide the group of approval ratings to the each user when the approval rating threshold has been surpassed.

25. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein a network interface is further configured to receive an approval rating group update, and wherein the approval rating interface is configured to update approval rating groups in response to the approval rating group update.