Community content ratings system

• US 8,943,536 B2
• Filed: 05/09/2008
• Issued: 01/27/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 05/09/2008
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: AT&T Knowledge Ventures, L.P. (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: White, Scott Anthony
• Primary Examiner(s): Schnurr, John
• Assistant Examiner(s): KURIEN, CHRISTEN A
• Application Number:
  US12/118,355
• Publication Number:
  US 20090282438A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,454 Days
• Field of Search: 725/42, 725/44, 725/60
• US Class Current: 725/44
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising

Abstract

Community content ratings are provided to users for one or more multimedia programs. The community content ratings are generated from appropriateness data collected from members of one or more community groups. The members of the community groups may be selected automatically based on stored profiles that include demographic data. Alternatively, community group membership may occur by choice and at the request of potential members. The community content ratings may be presented using appropriateness indicators (e.g., checkmarks or numerical scores) that are presented to a user in response to the user selecting the multimedia program from an electronic programming guide.

Claims

1. A method for rating multimedia content, the method comprising:

accessing first category rating data indicating ratings, of a plurality of group members associated with a group, with respect to a first category and a first multimedia program, wherein the first category is associated with a characteristic of the first multimedia program;

determining, based on the first category ratings data, a first category group rating for the multimedia program;

determining a percentile of the first category group rating, wherein the percentile indicates a percentage of other first category group ratings, determined by the group for other multimedia programs, having a rating that is lower than the first category group rating; and

providing to a user, by an application server, the percentile of the group rating.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the user is a member of the group.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the first category rating data includes sub-portion rating data corresponding to sub-portions of the first multimedia program.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the first category group rating indicates an average rating of the first category rating data.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the first category is selected from:

humor, violence, language aspect, and sexual content.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the first category includes an earliest age for viewing category.

7. A non-transitory computer readable media storing processor-executable program instructions, wherein the program instructions, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform a method for rating multimedia content, the method comprising:

accessing first category rating data indicating ratings, of a plurality of group members associated with a group, with respect to a first category and a first multimedia program, wherein the first category is associated with a characteristic of the first multimedia program;

determining, based on the first category ratings data, a first category group rating for the multimedia program;

determining a percentile of the first category group rating, wherein the percentile indicates a percentage of other first category group ratings, determined by the group for other multimedia programs, having a rating that is lower than the first category group rating; and

providing to a user the percentile of the first category group rating.

8. The computer readable media of claim 7, wherein the method includes:

receiving a request from the user to be associated with the group.

9. The computer readable media of claim 7, wherein the first category group rating indicates an average of the rating data collected from the plurality of group members.

10. The computer readable media of claim 7, wherein the first category is selected from:

humor, violence, language, and sexual content.

11. The computer readable media of claim 7, wherein the first category includes an earliest viewing age.

12. The computer readable media of claim 7, wherein a color of the indicator indicates a degree of appropriateness.

13. The computer readable media of claim 7, wherein the rating data includes ratings for a sub-portion of the first multimedia program.

14. An application server including a processor and computer readable storage, accessible to the processor, storing program instructions, wherein the program instructions, when executed by the processor cause the processor to perform operations comprising:

accessing first category rating data indicating ratings, of a plurality of group members associated with a group, with respect to a first category and a first multimedia program, wherein the first category is associated with a characteristic of the first multimedia program;

determining, based on the first category ratings data, a first category group rating for the multimedia program;

determining a percentile of the first category group rating, wherein the percentile indicates a percentage of other first category group ratings, determined by the group for other multimedia programs, having a rating that is lower than the first category group rating; and

display the percentile of the first category group rating.

15. The application server of claim 14, wherein the operations include:

receiving, from the user, a request to be associated with the group.

16. The application server of claim 14, wherein the operations include:

scanning a plurality of individual profiles; and

defining the group based on a portion of the plurality of individual profiles.

17. The application server of claim 16, wherein the operations include:

collecting demographic data from the plurality of individual profiles for use in defining the group.