System and method of content and merchandise recommendation

• US 8,863,162 B2
• Filed: 12/03/2012
• Issued: 10/14/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/03/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Jagtiani, Kumar H., Bansal, Pradeep K., Creswell, Carroll W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Goodarzi, Nasser
• Assistant Examiner(s): PIERORAZIO, MICHAEL
• Application Number:
  US13/692,594
• Publication Number:
  US 20140157295A1
• Time in Patent Office: 680 Days
• Field of Search: 725/13
• US Class Current: 725/13
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25891 being end-user preferences retrieval of video data in a video database based on user preferences G06F16/739; arrangements for recognizing users' preferences H04H60/46; 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 21/44222 Analytics of user selections, e.g. selection of programs or purchase activity monitoring of user selections in data processing systems G06F11/34; arrangements for monitoring the user's behaviour or opinions in broadcast systems H04H60/33
• 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 21/4668 for recommending content, e.g. movies
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4755 for defining user preferences, e.g. favourite actors or genre retrieval personalisation and generation of user profiles for the retrieval of video data G06F16/739; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4756 for rating content, e.g. scoring a recommended movie
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6582 Data stored in the client, e.g. viewing habits, hardware capabilities, credit card number arrangements where receivers interact with the broadcast H04H20/38
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02

Abstract

A method includes receiving a user selection of an option related to a first content item and sending data to a server to enable the server to update a user profile. The method also includes receiving a channel selection during or after playback of the first content item. The method further includes sending a content recommendation channel request to the server in response to the channel selection corresponding to a content recommendation channel selection and receiving a list of recommended content items from the server. The list of recommended content items is based on the user profile. The method also includes sending a merchandise recommendation channel request to the server in response to the channel selection corresponding to a merchandise recommendation channel selection and receiving a list of recommended merchandise items from the server. The list of recommended merchandise items is based on the user profile.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

sending an electronic program guide from a set-top box device to a display device coupled to the set-top box device, the electronic program guide including a channel option;

receiving, at the set-top box device, first user input corresponding to selection of the channel option;

in response to the first user input corresponding to a media content recommendation channel selection;

receiving second user input that indicates whether to present media content recommendations based on entries in a user profile corresponding to a most recently reviewed media content item or based on entries in the user profile corresponding to a plurality of reviewed media content items, wherein the user profile is associated with the set-top box device;

sending a media content recommendation channel request to a server, wherein the media content recommendation channel request includes a first identifier based on the second user input; and

receiving a list of recommended media content items based on the first identifier from the server in response to the media content recommendation channel request; and

in response to the first user input corresponding to a merchandise recommendation channel selection;

receiving third user input that indicates whether to present merchandise recommendations based on the entries in the user profile corresponding to the most recently reviewed media content item or based on the entries in the user profile corresponding to the plurality of reviewed media content items;

sending a merchandise recommendation channel request to the server, wherein the merchandise recommendation channel request includes a second identifier based on the third user input; and

receiving a list of recommended merchandise items based on the second identifier from the server in response to the merchandise recommendation channel request.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the channel option corresponds to a recommendation settings channel.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising sending data from the set-top box device to the server to enable the server to update the user profile, wherein the data corresponds to a first media content item, and wherein the data includes review information.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the review information rates the first media content item, rates an actor in the first media content item, or both.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising sending the list of recommended media content items to the display device when the first user input corresponds to the media content recommendation channel selection.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising sending the list of recommended merchandise items to the display device when the first user input corresponds to the merchandise recommendation channel selection.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein an entry in the user profile corresponding to the most recently reviewed media content item includes implicit data about viewing of the most recently reviewed media content item.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein an entry in the user profile corresponding to the most recently reviewed media content item includes viewer provided information about the most recently reviewed media content item.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the channel option of the electronic program guide is displayed at a location separate from a table that presents available programs.

10. A computer-readable storage device storing instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform operations including:

sending an electronic program guide from a set-top box device to a display device coupled to the set-top box device, the electronic program guide including a channel option;

receiving first user input corresponding to selection of the channel option;

in response to the first user input corresponding to a media content recommendation channel selection;

receiving second user input that indicates whether to present media content recommendations based on entries in a user profile corresponding to a most recently reviewed media content item or based on entries in the user profile corresponding to a plurality of reviewed media content items, wherein the user profile is associated with the set-top box device;

sending a media content recommendation channel request to a server, wherein the media content recommendation channel request includes a first identifier based on the second user input; and

receiving a list of recommended media content items based on the first identifier from the server in response to the media content recommendation channel request; and

in response to the first user input corresponding to a merchandise recommendation channel selection;

receiving third user input that indicates whether to present merchandise recommendations based on the entries in the user profile corresponding to the most recently reviewed media content item or based on the entries in the user profile corresponding to the plurality of reviewed media content items;

sending a merchandise recommendation channel request to the server, wherein the merchandise recommendation channel request includes a second identifier based on the third user input; and

receiving a list of recommended merchandise items based on the second identifier from the server in response to the merchandise recommendation channel request.

11. The computer-readable storage device of claim 10, wherein an entry in the user profile corresponding to the most recently reviewed media content item includes implicit data based on a display time of the most recently reviewed media content item to the display device.

12. The computer-readable storage device of claim 10, wherein an entry in the user profile corresponding to the most recently reviewed media content item includes data based on viewer feedback about the most recently reviewed media content item.

13. The computer-readable storage device of claim 10, wherein the operations further include sending the list of recommended media content items to the display device when the first user input corresponds to the media content recommendation channel selection.

14. The computer-readable storage device of claim 10, wherein the operations further include sending the list of recommended merchandise items to the display device when the first user input corresponds to the merchandise recommendation channel.

15. A system comprising:

a processor of a set-top box device;

a memory coupled to the processor, the memory comprising instructions executable by the processor to;

send an electronic program guide to a display device coupled to the set-top box device;

receive user input corresponding to a recommendations option displayed via the electronic program guide;

in response to the user input corresponding to a media content recommendations option;

receive first user input that indicates whether to present media content recommendations based on entries in a user profile corresponding to a most recently reviewed media content item or based on entries in the user profile corresponding to a plurality of reviewed media content items, wherein the user profile is associated with the set-top box device;

send a media content recommendation request to a server;

wherein the media content recommendation request includes a first identifier based on the first user input; and

receive a list of recommended media content items based on the first identifier from the server in response to the media content recommendation request; and

in response to the user input corresponding to a merchandise recommendations option;

receive second user input that indicates whether to present merchandise recommendations based on the entries in the user profile corresponding to the most recently reviewed media content item or based on the entries in the user profile corresponding to the plurality of reviewed media content items;

send a merchandise recommendation request to the server;

wherein the merchandise recommendation request includes a second identifier based on the second user input; and

receive a list of recommended merchandise items based on the second identifier from the server in response to the merchandise recommendation request.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the memory includes instructions to send the list of recommended media content items to the display device.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein the memory includes instructions to send the list of recommended merchandise items to the display device.

18. The system of claim 15, wherein an entry in the user profile corresponding to the most recently reviewed media content item is based on viewer feedback about the most recently reviewed media content item.

19. The system of claim 15, wherein an entry in the user profile corresponding to the most recently reviewed media content item includes implicit data.

20. The system of claim 15, wherein the recommendations option of the electronic program guide is displayed at a location separate from a table that presents available programs.