Preference-based media alerts

• US 8,776,149 B1
• Filed: 03/05/2007
• Issued: 07/08/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/05/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Koch, Robert, Tischer, Steven N.
• Primary Examiner(s): Schnurr, John
• Assistant Examiner(s): TELAN, MICHAEL R
• Application Number:
  US11/682,166
• Time in Patent Office: 2,682 Days
• Field of Search: 725 9- 14, 725 34- 35, 725 45- 46
• US Class Current: 725/88
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4334 Recording operations recording of a television signal H04N5/76; arrangements for recording or accumulating broadcast information or broadcast-related information H04H60/27
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44204 Monitoring of content usage, e.g. the number of times a movie has been viewed, copied or the amount which has been watched monitoring of user activities for profile generation for accessing a video database G06F16/739; protecting generic digital content where the protection is independent of the precise nature of the content G06F21/10; arrangements for monitoring the use made of the broadcast services in broadcast systems H04H60/31
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44224 Monitoring of user activity on external systems, e.g. Internet browsing
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47214 for content reservation or setting reminders; for requesting event notification, e.g. of sport results or stock market stock exchange data over packet-switching network H04L12/1804; push services over packet-switching network H04L12/1859; notification of incoming messages in packet switching networks H04L51/224

Abstract

When a user is consuming media content from a first source, one or more other available sources of media content may be monitored and the user may be notified if other available content matches the user'"'"'s profile.

Claims

1. A media system comprising:

a memory storing non-real time media content for presentation;

a real-time media input to connect to a source of substantially real-time media content;

an output to a presentation device to present media content to a user, wherein the presentation device includes a library of types of media content with which it is compatible;

a user profile store comprising information about user media content preferences;

a prioritization module that assigns priority levels associated with media content to the information about user media content preferences based on a consumption history of the user;

the consumption history including a user preference based on subject matter of an internet search performed by the user, viewing preferences of a user based on switching from one type of media content to another type of media content, inferences about the user based on a first time a user takes a certain action, multiple occurrences of a same action, or a discernable pattern related to viewing habits, and inferences based on the user'"'"'s geographic location;

a comparator to compare information associated with the substantially real-time media content with the information about user media content preferences;

a recording module to record the substantially real-time media content;

a link manager for storing pointers to selected locations in the substantially real-time media content;

a notification module to;

in response to the comparator determining that the substantially real-time media content from the real-time media input is available and a priority level associated with the substantially real-time media content is of an equal or a higher priority level associated with non-real-time media content being presented on the presentation device;

in response to selection of a first user option;

interrupt the non-real-time media content being presented on the presentation device;

transmit an instruction to the presentation device to present the substantially real-time media content from the real-time media input;

in response to receiving a suppression command from the user, suppressing interruption of the non-real-time media content being presented on the presentation device for a predetermined period of time and alerting the user via a visual alert if the substantially real-time media content matches a portion of the information about user media content preferences and is of higher priority than the non-real-time media content being presented on the presentation device, wherein the visual alert comprises;

 

a textual message related to the subject matter of the internet search performed by the user;

 

a first indication of how much time has elapsed since a starting point of the substantially real-time media content; and

 

a temporal identifier identifying when the visual alert was generated, when the visual alert was received at the presentation device and when the visual alert was displayed on the presentation device;

in response to selection of a second user option, transmit an instruction to the recording module to record the substantially real-time media content, transmit an instruction to the presentation device to continue presentation of the non-real-time media content being presented on the presentation device and store a pointer to the substantially real-time media content at the link manager;

in response to selection of a third user option, reject the substantially real-time media content in favor of the non-real-time media content being presented on the presentation device;

a bookmark generator to mark a location in the non-real-time content being presented on the presentation device when interrupted.

2. The media system of claim 1, wherein the presentation device presents the non-real-time media content being presented on the presentation device after the interruption to present a portion of the substantially real-time media content.

3. The media system of claim 1, wherein the link manager includes a pointer to a really simple syndication feed.

4. The media system of claim 1, wherein the user profile store is modifiable by user entry of preferences and learned history of user media consumption.

5. A method comprising:

presenting content from a first media content source on a presentation device;

communicating with a second media content source;

comparing information associated with the second media content source with information stored in a user profile;

assigning priority levels associated with content to the information stored in the user profile based on a consumption history of the user, the consumption history including a user preference based on subject matter of an internet search performed by the user, viewing preferences of a user based on switching from one type of media content to another type of media content, inferences about the user based on a first time a user takes a certain action, multiple occurrences of a same action, or a discernable pattern related to viewing habits, and inferences based on the user'"'"'s geographic location;

determining, based on the comparing, if any content available from the second media content source matches the information stored in the user profile;

upon determining that a priority level associated with the content available from the second media content source is equal to or higher than a priority level of content being presented from the first media content source;

presenting a user with a first option, a second option and a third option;

in response to user selection of the first option;

interrupting presentation of the content being presented from the first media content source;

presenting the content available from the second media content source on the presentation device; and

marking a location in the media content being presented from the first media content source when interrupted;

in response to receiving a suppression command from the user, suppressing interruption, for a predetermined period of time and alerting, via a visual alert, the user if the content available from the second media content source is of a higher priority level than the content being presented from the first media content source, wherein the visual alert comprises;

a textual message related to the subject matter of the internet search performed by the user;

a first indication of how much time has elapsed since a starting point of the available substantially real-time media content; and

a temporal identifier identifying when the visual alert was generated, when the visual alert was received at the presentation device and when the visual alert was displayed on the presentation device;

in response to user selection of the second option;

recording the content available from the second media content source;

continuing presentation of the content being presented from the first media content source; and

storing a pointer to the content available from the second media content source; and

in response to selection of the third user option;

rejecting the content available from the second media content source in favor of the media content being presented from the first media content source.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the first media content source comprises non-real-time media content.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the second media content source comprises substantially real-time media content.

8. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

prioritizing respective types of media content in the user profile.

9. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

after an interruption of the content from the first media content source, presenting the content from the first media content source after presenting a portion of the content available from the second media content source.

10. The method of claim 5, wherein the pointer is a really simple syndication feed.

11. The method of claim 5, wherein the visual alert is overlaid on content being presented on the presentation device.

12. The method of claim 5, wherein the content available from the second media content source comprises:

video content, audio content, text content, and multimedia content.

13. The method of claim 5, wherein the information associated with the second media content source comprises:

textual data tags, closed captioning text, title, and program guide description corresponding to the content from the second media content source.

14. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

determining respective types of content that are compatible with the presentation device; and

comparing only information associated with compatible types of content available from the second media content source with the user profile.

15. The method of claim 5, wherein the user profile is generated by user entry of preferences, learned history of user media consumption, deduction, induction, and a combination of the foregoing.

16. The method of claim 5, wherein the user profile is generated by intelligently inferring user preferences from a history of user media consumption.

17. The method of claim 5, wherein the visual alert comprises a temporal identifier identifying:

when the visual alert was generated, when the visual alert was generated, when the visual alert was received at the presentation device, and when the visual alert was displayed by the presentation device.

18. A non-transitory computer readable medium containing computer-executable program instructions that, if executed by a computing device, cause the computing device to perform operations comprising method of claim 5.