System and method for importing ratings for media content

• US 9,767,476 B2
• Filed: 08/17/2012
• Issued: 09/19/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 08/19/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Redbox Automated Retail LLC (Chicken Soup For The Soul Holdings LLC)
• Original Assignee: Redbox Automated Retail LLC (Chicken Soup For The Soul Holdings LLC)
• Inventors: Maskatia, Imran, Rubinstein, Jason
• Primary Examiner(s): Obaid, Fateh M
• Application Number:
  US13/588,986
• Publication Number:
  US 20130046707A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,859 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0241 Advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25875 involving end-user authentication restricting access to computer systems by authenticating users using a predetermined code G06F21/33; arrangements for secret or secure communication including means for verifying the identity or authority of a user of the system H04L9/32; networks authentication protocols H04L63/08; authentication in wireless network security H04W12/06
• 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 21/4532 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 21/454 Content or additional data filtering, e.g. blocking advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4622 Retrieving content or additional data from different sources, e.g. from a broadcast channel and the Internet web site content organization and management for information retrieval from the Internet G06F16/958; transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82; stock exchange data over packet-switching network H04L12/1804; push services including data channel over packet-switching network H04L12/1859
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4756 for rating content, e.g. scoring a recommended movie

Abstract

Methods of aggregating and importing user-generated and/or professional ratings of media content are provided. User-generated ratings may have been previously created at a ratings source by a user associated with a customer profile. The method for aggregating ratings includes importing the ratings from the ratings source, storing the ratings in a customer profile, normalizing the ratings, and storing the normalized ratings. The normalized rating may be used to determine recommendations and preferences. The method for importing ratings includes receiving authentication information for a ratings source, authenticating to the ratings source, importing the ratings from the ratings source, and storing the ratings in a customer profile. Changes in the ratings may be detected and updated in the customer profile.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method of importing ratings of media content into a customer profile, the customer profile being stored on one or more servers having one or more processors, the one or more servers including a customer profile database storing a plurality of customer profiles, the method comprising:

(a) causing the processors to execute a plurality of instructions stored in memory of the one or more servers to load an authentication for a first ratings source;

(b) causing the processors to execute the plurality of instructions to automatically authenticate to the first ratings source based on the authentication;

(c) causing the processors to execute the plurality of instructions to automatically determine whether the first ratings source has enabled access to ratings stored on the first ratings source via an application program interface (API);

(i) based on a determination that the first ratings source has enabled access via the API;

causing the processors to automatically execute the plurality of instructions to retrieve the ratings via the API;

(ii) based on a determination that the first ratings source has not enabled access via the API;

causing the processors to retrieve the ratings from the first ratings source via data scraping;

(d) causing the processors to execute the plurality of instructions to automatically store the retrieved ratings, or a value based thereon, in the customer profile;

(e) causing the processors to execute the plurality of instructions to automatically query an inventory database;

(f) causing the processors to execute the plurality of instructions to automatically determine a recommendation of a media content based on the ratings retrieved from the first ratings source and the inventory database; and

(g) causing the processors to execute the plurality of instructions to automatically customize a user interface based on the recommendation.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the authentication comprises both of a username or a password for the first ratings source.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

repeating the method of claim 1 for a second ratings source;

causing the processors to execute the plurality of instructions to normalize a first rating, retrieved from the first ratings source, and a second rating, retrieved from the second ratings source, to produce a normalized rating; and

causing the processors to execute the plurality of instructions to store the normalized rating in the customer profile.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising causing the processors to execute the plurality of instructions to aggregate the first rating in the customer profile with the second rating, wherein the first rating and the second rating each comprise a subjective assessment of media content.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the second rating was previously generated at the second ratings source by the user associated with the customer profile.

6. The method of claim 3, wherein causing the processors to execute the plurality of instructions to normalize the first rating and the second rating comprises:

causing the processors to execute the plurality of instructions to convert the first rating and the second rating to produce a converted first rating and a converted second rating, the converted first rating and the converted second rating having a common format;

causing the processors to execute the plurality of instructions to weight the converted first rating and the converted second rating to produce a weighted converted first rating and a weighted converted second rating; and

causing the processors to execute the plurality of instructions to average the weighted converted first rating and the weighted converted second rating to produce the normalized rating.

7. The method of claim 3, wherein causing the processors to execute the plurality of instructions to determine a recommendation includes causing the processors to execute the plurality of instructions to determine a media content rating based on the normalized rating.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

causing the processors to execute the plurality of instructions to detect a change in the ratings at the first ratings source; and

causing the processors to execute the plurality of instructions to update the stored ratings in the customer profile based on the detected change.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein a SQL database stores the retrieved ratings.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the method includes causing the processors to execute the plurality of instructions to hash the stored retrieved ratings.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the hash of the stored retrieved ratings is a hash table.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more servers are configured to only data scrape the first ratings source when it has been determined that access via the API is not enabled.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the method includes causing the processors to execute the plurality of instructions to:

retrieve ratings from a second ratings source;

via a metadata comparison, identify when a stored rating from the first ratings source matches a retrieved rating from the second ratings source;

average the stored rating from the first ratings source with the retrieved rating from the second ratings source to produce a normalized rating;

wherein the averaging process applies a first weight to the stored rating from the first ratings source and a second weight to the retrieved rating from the second ratings source;

wherein the first weight is different from the second weight.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the method includes causing the processors to execute the plurality of instructions to:

enable user adjustment of the first weight and the second weight.

15. A computer-implemented method of importing data into a user profile, the user profile being stored on one or more servers having one or more processors, the one or more servers including a user profile database storing a plurality of customer profiles, the method comprising, via the one or more processors:

(a) loading an authentication for a first data source;

(b) authenticating to the first data source based on the authentication;

(c) determining whether the first data source has enabled access to target data stored on the data source via an application program interface (API);

(i) based on a determination that the first data source has enabled access to the target data via the API;

retrieving the target data via the API;

(ii) based on a determination that the first data source has not enabled access to the target data via the API;

performing data scraping to retrieve the target data from the first data source.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the one or more servers are configured to:

attempt access to the first data source via the API;

retrieve the target data via the API based on the attempt succeeding;

perform the data scraping based on the attempt failing.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the authentication comprises a username and password of the first data source.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the one or more servers are configured to:

after the step of determining that the first data source has enabled access to the target data via the API and before the step of retrieving the target data via the API;

hash the target data and comparing the hash of the target data to a stored hash;

retrieve the target data via the API based on a determination that the hash of the target data does not match the stored hash.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the one or more servers are configured to disconnect from the first data source based on a determination that the hash of the target data matches the stored hash.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein the one or more servers are configured to:

hash the target data and compare the hash of the target data to a stored hash;

not save the target data responsive to the hash of the target data matching the stored hash;

save the target data responsive to the hash of the target data not matching the stored hash.

21. The method of claim 15, wherein the one or more servers are configured to perform (a), (b), (c), (c)(i), (c)(ii), and the authentication comprises a password for the first data source.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the one or more servers are configured to determine whether the first data source has enabled access to target data stored on the first data source via an application program interface (API) only after authenticating to the first data source.

23. A computer-implemented method of importing data into a user profile, the user profile being stored on one or more servers having one or more processors, the one or more servers including a user profile database storing a plurality of customer profiles, the method comprising, via the one or more processors:

(a) loading an authentication for a first data source;

(b) authenticating to the first data source based on the authentication;

(c) determining whether the first data source has enabled access to target data stored on the data source via an application program interface (API);

(i) based on a determination that the first data source has enabled access to the target data via the API;

hashing the target data and comparing the hash of the target data to a stored hash,

if the hashes do not match, retrieving the target data via the API,

if the hashes do match, not retrieving the target data via the API,

(ii) based on a determination that the first data source has not enabled access to the target data via the API;

performing data scraping to retrieve the target data from the first data source.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein the one or more servers are configured to perform the method and wherein the authentication comprises a username and password of the first data source.