Automatic multi-user profile management for media content selection

• US 8,838,647 B2
• Filed: 12/06/2011
• Issued: 09/16/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/06/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kyndryl Incorporated (Kyndryl Holdings, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Ravi, Kumar, Sethuraman, Radhakrishnan, Silveyra, Manuel
• Primary Examiner(s): DANG, THANH HA T
• Application Number:
  US13/312,630
• Publication Number:
  US 20130144915A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,015 Days
• Field of Search: 707/784, 707/785, 707/913
• US Class Current: 707/785
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/437 Administration of user profiles, e.g. generation, initialisation, adaptation, distribution

Abstract

A profile management apparatus for controlling available media content includes an individual identifier module, a profile creation module, a profile selection module, and a media control module. The individual identifier module automatically identifies one or more individuals as currently within a perceiving range of an output device receiving input from a media player without user input. The profile creation module automatically creates a new profile without user input in response to determining that a profile associated with the one or more individuals does not exist. The profile selection module selects at least one profile associated with the one or more individuals. The media control module controls media that is available for selection on the media player based one or more of media usage information and content restriction rules of the at least one profile.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

an individual identifier module that automatically identifies one or more individuals as currently within a perceiving range of an output device receiving input from a media player, the media player for playing media content in one or more of an audio and a visual format, the one or more individuals automatically identified without user input, the perceiving range comprising an area wherein content played by the media player is perceivable to the one or more individuals, wherein the individual identifier module automatically identifies one or more individuals based on input from an observation device and wherein identifying one or more individuals comprises automatically determining at least an approximate age of each of the one or more individuals that lack a previously created profile based at least in part on actions indicative of age, wherein automatically determining at least an approximate age of each of the one or more individuals is determined without user input and based on information from the observation device;

a profile creation module that automatically creates a new profile in response to determining that a profile associated with the one or more individuals does not exist, the new profile automatically created without user input, wherein the new profile comprises at least an approximate age as determined by the individual identifier module;

a profile selection module that selects at least one profile associated with the one or more individuals, the at least one profile comprising one or more of media usage information and content restriction rules for controlling available media selection, the content restriction rules based at least on age; and

a media control module that controls media that is available for selection on the media player based on the media usage information and the content restriction rules of the at least one profile identified by the profile selection module, wherein the media control module automatically controls access to media based on an approximate age corresponding to the identified at least one profile without user input,

wherein said modules comprise one or more of logic hardware and executable code, the executable code stored on one or more non-transitory computer readable storage media.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the one or more individuals identified by the individual identifier module comprise two or more individuals and wherein the at least one profile identified by the profile selection module comprises a group profile, the group profile comprising one or more of media usage information and content restriction rules for the group of two or more individuals, wherein the media control module controls media that is available for selection based on the group profile without regard to a profile of a single individual of the two or more individuals.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one profile identified by the profile selection module comprises the media usage information, the apparatus further comprising a usage tracking module that updates the media usage information based on media content selected by the one or more identified individuals.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein a plurality of profiles are stored in a profile log, the plurality of profiles comprising a group profile associated with two or more individuals and an individual profile associated with an individual of the two or more individuals, wherein

in response to the two or more individuals being identified as currently within a perceiving range of a media player, the usage tracking module updates media usage information of the group profile but not media usage information of the individual profile;

and

in response to the individual of the two or more individuals being identified as currently alone within a perceiving range of a media player, the usage tracking module updates media usage information of the individual profile but not media usage information of the group profile.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the observation device comprises one or more of:

a video camera;

a wireless antenna;

a microphone; and

a dimension sensor.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the individual identifier module automatically identifies the one or more individuals based on one or more of:

facial recognition;

vocal characteristics;

behavior; and

physical characteristics.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one profile identified by the profile selection module comprises the content restriction rules, the apparatus further comprising a content rules module that updates the content restriction rules based on one or more of:

input by an administrator; and

an age of an individual of the one more individuals.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the media control module controls media that is available for selection based on one or more of the media usage information and the content restriction rules by one or more of blocking media;

suggesting media; and

prioritizing media.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the identification module automatically determines at least an approximate age of each of the one or more individuals from information from the observation device by additionally determining, for an individual, one or more of:

vocal indicators of the individual associated with age;

height of the individual;

build of the individual; and

physical characteristics of an individual indicative of age.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the identification module further automatically determines a mood of an individual from information from the observation device and the media control module suggests media based on the determined mood of the individual.

11. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the media control module automatically initiates content recording based on the media usage information and content restriction rules of one or more of the profiles.

12. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a content rules module that:

analyzes the media usage information associated with a profile,

determines the rating of content accessed in relation to the profile, and

updates the content restriction rules to limit access to content above a particular content rating in response to determining that content above a particular content rating is never accessed by the profile.

13. A method for controlling available content comprising:

automatically identifying one or more individuals that are currently within a perceiving range of an output device receiving input from a media player, the media player for playing media content in one or more of an audio and a visual format, the one or more individuals automatically identified without user input, the perceiving range comprising an area wherein content played by the media player is perceivable to the one or more individuals, wherein automatically identifying one or more individuals comprises identifying one or more individuals based on input from an observation device and wherein identifying one or more individuals comprises automatically determining at least an approximate age of each of the one or more individuals that lack a previously created profile based at least in part on actions indicative of age, wherein automatically determining at least an approximate age of each of the one or more individuals is determined without user input and based on information from the observation device;

automatically creating a new profile, the new profile created in response to determining that a current profile associated with the one or more individuals does not exist, the new profile automatically created without user input, wherein the new profile comprises at least an approximate age;

selecting at least one profile associated with the one or more individuals, the at least one profile comprising one or more of media usage information and content restriction rules for controlling available media selection, the content restriction rules based at least on age;

controlling media that is available for selection on the media player, the controlling of the media based on one or more of the media usage information and the content restriction rules of the at least one identified profile; and

controlling access to media based on an approximate age corresponding to the identified at least one profile without user input.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the one or more individuals identified by the individual identifier module comprise two or more individuals and wherein the at least one profile identified by the profile selection module comprises a group profile, the group profile comprising one or more of media usage information and content restriction rules for the group of two or more individuals.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the at least one profile comprises the group profile and wherein the controlling media that is available for selection is based on the group profile without regard to a profile of a single individual of the two or more individuals.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein the at least one profile comprises the media usage information, and wherein the method further comprising updating the media usage information based on media content selected by the one or more identified individuals.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein a plurality of profiles are stored in a profile log, the plurality of profiles comprising a group profile associated with two or more individuals and an individual profile associated with an individual of the two or more individuals, wherein

in response to the two or more individuals being identified as currently within a perceiving range of a media player, updating the media usage information comprises updating media usage information of the group profile but not media usage information of the individual profile;

and

in response to the individual of the two or more individuals being identified as currently alone within a perceiving range of a media player, updating the media usage information comprises updating media usage information of the individual profile but not media usage information of the group profile.

18. A system comprising:

a media player;

an individual identifier module that automatically identifies one or more individuals as currently within a perceiving range of an output device receiving input from a media player, the media player for playing media content in one or more of an audio and a visual format, the one or more individuals automatically identified without user input, the perceiving range comprising an area wherein content played by the media player is perceivable to the one or more individuals, wherein the individual identifier module automatically identifies one or more individuals based on input from an observation device and wherein identifying one or more individuals comprises automatically determining at least an approximate age of each of the one or more individuals that lack a previously created profile based at least in part on actions indicative of age, wherein automatically determining at least an approximate age of each of the one or more individuals is determined without user input and based on information from the observation device;

a profile creation module that automatically creates a new profile in response to determining that a current profile associated with the one or more individuals does not exist, the new profile automatically created without user input, wherein the new profile comprises at least an approximate age as determined by the individual identifier module;

a profile selection module that selects at least one profile associated with the one or more individuals, the at least one profile comprising one or more of media usage information and content restriction rules for controlling available media selection, the content restriction rules based at least on age; and

a media control module that controls media that is available for selection on the media player based on one or more of the media usage information and the content restriction rules of the at least one profile identified by the profile selection module, wherein the media control module automatically controls access to media based on an approximate age corresponding to the identified at least one profile without user input.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the media player comprises one or more of:

a digital video recorder (DVR);

a set-top box;

a gaming system; and

a digital video disc player.

20. The system of claim 18, further comprising a media hub and one or more additional media players, the media hub receiving inputs from the media player and the one or more media players, the media hub providing an input to a display device.