Device for estimating user operation intention and electronic device using the same

• US 8,656,280 B2
• Filed: 04/26/2007
• Issued: 02/18/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 06/21/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Morikawa, Koji, Takata, Kazutoyo
• Primary Examiner(s): Lo, Weilun
• Assistant Examiner(s): Kujundzic, Dino
• Application Number:
  US12/088,128
• Publication Number:
  US 20090265630A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,490 Days
• Field of Search: 715/708, 715/705
• US Class Current: 715/708
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/453 Help systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 17/00 Diagnosis, testing or measuring for television systems or their details
• 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 21/42204 User interfaces specially adapted for controlling a client device through a remote control device; Remote control devices therefor constructive details of casings for the remote control device H01H9/0235; user interfaces for controlling a tuning device of a television receiver through a remote control H03J9/00; remote control of peripheral devices connected to a television receiver through the remote control device of the television receiver H04B1/205
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42206 characterized by hardware details
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42646 for reading from or writing on a non-volatile solid state storage medium, e.g. DVD, CD-ROM
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/432 Content retrieval operation from a local storage medium, e.g. hard-disk details of retrieval of video data and associated meta data in video databases G06F16/739
• 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 21/4586 Content update operation triggered locally, e.g. by comparing the version of software modules in a DVB carousel to the version stored locally deployment, distribution, installation, update of software G06F8/65; error detection or correction of the data by redundancy during software upgrading G06F11/1433; arrangements for updating broadcast information or broadcast-related information H04H60/25
• 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 5/44 Receiver circuitry for the reception of television signals according to analogue transmission standards H04N5/14 takes precedence

Abstract

There is provided an apparatus which provides manipulation assistance, even in the case where a user trying to executing a certain function has performed a wrong manipulation, by inferring the function which the user originally wanted to execute.

The apparatus according to the present invention is to be used in an electronic device having an input section to receive a manipulation by a user and operating based on the user'"'"'s manipulation, and infers a manipulation intent of the user. This apparatus includes a storage which stores a database in which a function of the electronic device is associated with a manipulation that is highly mistakable when a user having an experience of manipulating an electronic device other than the electronic device uses the electronic device; and a manipulation assistance section for, when the manipulation by the user is wrong, determining a substance of manipulation assistance for executing a function which is intended by the user, in accordance with the function which is associated with the highly-mistakable manipulation in the database. This apparatus determines an operation of the electronic device based on the substance of manipulation assistance, and outputs an instruction to the electronic device.

Claims

1. An audiovisual device for recording and/or playing back audiovisual content comprising:

an input section to receive a first manipulation and a second manipulation by a user and operating based on the manipulations, wherein the first manipulation is a manipulation to execute a function pertaining to manipulating the audiovisual content, and the second manipulation is an indication that the first manipulation is a wrong manipulation and is received by the input section subsequently to the first manipulation;

a storage section which stores a pre-generated database in which candidate functions for manipulating the audiovisual content by the audiovisual device are associated with a wrong manipulation that is inferred to be highly mistakable when a first manipulation and a second manipulation are received by the input section;

a manipulation assistance section for determining a substance of manipulation assistance for selecting one of the candidate functions when the received manipulation is inferred to be the highly mistakable manipulation in the database, the manipulation assistance section comprising;

a determination section for determining the first manipulation is a wrong manipulation when the second manipulation is a predetermined manipulation expressing the first manipulation is wrong manipulation; and

an intended function inference section for, when the first manipulation is determined to be a wrong manipulation by the determination section, inferring an intended function from among the candidate functions based on the first manipulation that is the wrong manipulation in the pre-generated database,

wherein the substance of manipulation assistance is based on the first manipulation determined to be a wrong manipulation and the inferred intended function;

an output section for outputting a signal for presenting manipulation assistance information for determining a function of the audiovisual device based on the substance of manipulation assistance; and

a processing section that executes a function for manipulating the audiovisual content in accordance with a manipulation which is received in response to the presentation of the manipulation assistance information.

2. The audiovisual device of claim 1, further comprising an update section for updating the database depending on whether the first manipulation is determined to be a wrong manipulation or not.

3. The audiovisual device of claim 2, wherein, when the first manipulation is determined to be proper, the update section updates the database based on information of a function candidate which is identical to the function corresponding to the first manipulation.

4. The audiovisual device of claim 2, wherein,

the database retains a set in which information of at least one function is associated with information of a device group concerning a model of the audiovisual device;

and

when the first manipulation is determined to be a wrong manipulation, the update section updates the database based on information of the model.

5. The audiovisual device of claim 4, further comprising an inference section for identifying the device group based on information of a device group of the set corresponding to the first manipulation determined to be a wrong manipulation.

6. The audiovisual device of claim 5, wherein,

the database retains a plurality of said sets;

and

the update section deletes any set that does not contain information of the identified device group.

7. The audiovisual device of claim 4, wherein a plurality of said device groups are defined, each device group being defined based on a system of manipulations which is common to a plurality of models.

8. The audiovisual device of claim 4, wherein a plurality of said device groups are defined, each device group being defined based on a system of manipulations of one model.

9. The audiovisual device of claim 1, wherein the database retains a set in which information of at least one function is associated with a numerical value corresponding to the at least one function.

10. The audiovisual device of claim 9, further comprising an inference section for, when the first manipulation by the user is determined to be a wrong manipulation, selecting the at least one function based on the size of the numerical value, wherein,

in accordance with the at least one selected function, the manipulation assistance section determines the substance of manipulation assistance for executing the function which is intended by the user.

11. The audiovisual device of claim 9, wherein,

the database retains a plurality of sets in which information of a plurality of functions is associated with numerical values respectively corresponding to the plurality of functions;

and

the numerical values are assigned in accordance with closeness between a function which is desired by the user who has performed the highly-mistakable manipulation and each of the plurality of functions.

12. The audiovisual device of claim 11, wherein,

at least one attribute is assigned in advance to each of the plurality of functions;

and

when the first manipulation is proper, the update section searches the database based on an attribute of a first function that corresponds to the first manipulation, identifies a second function to which the same attribute is assigned, and changes the numerical value corresponding to the second function.

13. The audiovisual device of claim 1, wherein the database includes a play command as the wrong manipulation, and the candidate functions include at least one function for inferred intended playback of the audiovisual content.

14. The audiovisual device of claim 1, wherein the database includes a record command as the wrong manipulation, and the candidate functions include at least one function for inferred intended recording of the audiovisual content.

15. The audiovisual device of claim 1, wherein the database includes a storage device selection command as the wrong manipulation, and the candidate functions include at least one function for inferred intended manipulation of the selected storage device.

16. The audiovisual device of claim 1, wherein the database includes a program guide command as the wrong manipulation, and the candidate functions include at least one inferred intended function pertaining to accessing the audiovisual content.