Audience-based presentation and customization of content

• US 8,640,021 B2
• Filed: 11/12/2010
• Issued: 01/28/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/12/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Zhigu Holdings Limited
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Perez, Kathryn Stone, Fuller, Andrew, Bar-Zeev, Avi, Small, Sheridan Martin
• Primary Examiner(s): RIES, LAURIE ANNE
• Application Number:
  US12/945,664
• Publication Number:
  US 20120124456A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,173 Days
• Field of Search: 715/201, 715/203, 715/204, 715/243
• US Class Current: 715/203
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0631 Item recommendations
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42203 sound input device, e.g. microphone
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4223 Cameras H04N23/00 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/441 Acquiring end-user identification , e.g. using personal code sent by the remote control or by inserting a card
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44218 Detecting physical presence or behaviour of the user, e.g. using sensors to detect if the user is leaving the room or changes his face expression during a TV program methods or arrangements for recognising human body or animal bodies or body parts G06V40/10; methods or arrangements for acquiring or recognising human faces, facial parts, facial sketches, facial expressions G06V40/16; methods or arrangements for recognising movements or behaviour G06V40/20; arrangements for identifying users in broadcast systems H04H60/45
• 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 21/4661 Deriving a combined profile for a plurality of end-users of the same client, e.g. for family members within a home user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306
• 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 21/4668 for recommending content, e.g. movies

Abstract

A system and method are disclosed for delivering content customized to the specific user or users interacting with the system. The system includes one or more modules for recognizing an identity of a user. These modules may include for example a gesture recognition engine, a facial recognition engine, a body language recognition engine and a voice recognition engine. The user may also be carrying a mobile device such as a smart phone which identifies the user. One or more of these modules may cooperate to identify a user, and then customize the user'"'"'s content based on the user'"'"'s identity. In particular, the system receives user preferences indicating the content a user wishes to receive and the conditions under which it is to be received. Based on the user preferences and recognition of a user identity and/or other traits, the system presents content customized for a particular user.

Claims

1. A method of customizing content for presentation to a user via one or more computing devices, comprising:

(a) identifying;

(a1) one or more users within perception range of a computing device of the one or more computing devices upon detection of the presence of the one or more users within the perception range of the computing device, and

(a2) an emotional state or mood of one or more users within perception range of a computing device of the one or more computing devices via gestures performed by the user; and

(b) providing content to the user via the one or more computing devices based on an identity of the one or more users and/or emotional state or mood of the one or more users of said step (a).

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step (c) of identifying an attentiveness of a user to the content, and providing content based on the attentiveness identified in said step (c).

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of receiving user preferences relating to specified times during a day, portion of a day, week or month at which a users wishes to receive content, and receiving user preferences relating to what content the user would like to receive at the specified times.

4. The method of claim 1, said step (b) comprising the step (d) of receiving user preferences associated with the user, and providing content in accordance with the user preferences of the user upon identification of the user.

5. The method of claim 4, said method comprising the step of receiving user preferences relating to the type of content the user wishes to receive, and the type of content the user wishes to receive when in a particular mood or emotional state, and presenting content to the user based on the user preferences upon identification of at least one of the user identity and user mood or emotional state.

6. The method of claim 5, said method further comprising the step of receiving user preferences relating to temporal preferences as to when the user wishes to received specified content.

7. The method of claim 6, said method further comprising the step of receiving user preferences relating to device preferences as to the computing devices on which the user wishes to receive the specified content.

8. The method of claim 7, said method further comprising the step of receiving user preferences relating to priority settings as to an order of how the user preferences are to be applied in presenting content to the user.

9. The method of claim 4, said method comprising the step of receiving user preferences relating to the type of content the user wishes to receive when the user is alone and the type of content the user wishes to receive when the user is not alone, the type of content depending on a composition of a group of users present when the user is not alone.

10. The method of claim 9, said method further comprising the step of receiving user preferences relating to a first group of one or more devices on which the user wishes to receive content when the user is alone and user preferences relating to a second group of one or more devices on which the user wishes to receive content when they are not alone.

11. In an environment including one or more computing devices, a computing device of the one or more computing devices coupled to a capture device for capturing image and audio data from a user, a method of customizing content for presentation to a user via one or more computing devices, comprising:

(a) detecting at least one of user identity and a user mood or emotion via at least one of a gesture recognition engine, a facial recognition engine, a body language recognition engine and a voice recognition engine;

(b) receiving user preferences as to the type of content a user wishes to receive, and user preferences as to how and when a user wishes to receive specified content, said step (b) including user preferences as to which content the user wishes to receive on which devices the user uses; and

(c) presenting content to the user based on said steps (a) and (b).

12. The method of claim 11, said step (a) of detecting at least one of user identity and a user mood or emotion comprising the step of detecting a visual indicator of identity, including at least one of physical appearance, facial features and voice pattern.

13. The method of claim 11, said step (a) of detecting at least one of user identity and a user mood or emotion further comprising the step of identifying a user by a mobile device carried with the user, the mobile device pairing with one or more of the computing devices of the computing environment to receive an identity of the owner of the mobile device carried by the user.

14. The method of claim 11, said step (a) of detecting at least one of user identity and a user mood or emotion comprising the step of detecting a visual indicator of mood or emotion, including at least one of facial features, body language, voice volume and voice intonation.

15. The method of claim 11, further comprising the step (d) of detecting attentiveness of the user to presented content via at least one of the gesture recognition engine, facial recognition engine, a body language recognition engine and a voice recognition engine.

16. The method of claim 15, said step (d) of detecting attentiveness of the user to presented content comprising the step of detecting a visual indicator of attentiveness, including at least one of facial features, body position relative to the source of content, and voice.

17. A computer-readable storage medium for programming a processor to perform a method of customizing content for presentation to a user via one or more computing devices, the method comprising:

(a) identifying

an emotional state or mood of one or more users within perception range of a computing device of the one or more computing devices via hand or arm gestures performed by the user;

(b) receiving user preferences of a user of the one or more users, the user preferences specifying;

(b1) the type of content the user wishes to receive,

(b2) times at which the user wishes to receive the content specified in step (b1), and

(b3) the computing devices on which the user wishes to receive the content specified in said step (b1); and

(c) customizing content presented to the user based on said steps (a) and (b).

18. The method of claim 17, the user comprising a first user, the method further comprising receiving at least one of the user preferences specified in steps (b1) to (b3) for a second user, the method further identifying a commonality shown in the user preferences for the first and second users when the first and second users are together, and the method further presenting content to the first and second users based on an identification of commonality shown in the user preferences for the first and second users.

19. The method of claim 18, the method further comprising the step of identifying a conflict in the content preferred by the first and second users, the method further comprising the step of resolving the conflict by settings in the user preferences of the first and/or second users or by prompting the first and second users to resolve the conflict.

20. The method of claim 17, comprising the steps of:

presenting a content to the user on a computing device when the user is alone, and changing at least one of the content presented to the user and the computing device on which the content is presented upon another user joining the user.