Method and apparatus to create intuitive favorites for users

• US 9,912,980 B2
• Filed: 01/28/2016
• Issued: 03/06/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 01/28/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nagravision SA (Kudelski SA)
• Original Assignee: Nagravision SA (Kudelski SA)
• Inventors: Kaliamoorthi, Amudha, Lakshmi Sharan Lal, Dharmveer
• Primary Examiner(s): Goodarzi, Nasser
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ocak, Adil
• Application Number:
  US15/009,651
• Publication Number:
  US 20170223406A1
• Time in Patent Office: 768 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/78 Retrieval characterised by using metadata, e.g. metadata not derived from the content or metadata generated manually
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9538 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• 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 21/4147 PVR [Personal Video Recorder] H04N5/76 takes precedence ; arrangements for broadcast with accumulation-type receivers H04H20/40
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4312 involving specific graphical features, e.g. screen layout, special fonts or colors, blinking icons, highlights or animations
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/442 Monitoring of processes or resources, e.g. detecting the failure of a recording device, monitoring the downstream bandwidth, the number of times a movie has been viewed, the storage space available from the internal hard disk arrangements for monitoring broadcast services or broadcast-related services H04H60/29; arrangements for identifying or recognising characteristics with a direct linkage to broadcast information H04H60/35; monitoring of user activities for profile generation for accessing a video database G06F16/739; monitoring in wireless networks H04W24/00
• 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 21/4882 for displaying messages, e.g. warnings, reminders arrangements for providing short real-time information to substation in data switching networks H04L12/1895
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/84 Generation or processing of descriptive data, e.g. content descriptors systems specially adapted for using meta-information in broadcast systems H04H60/73

Abstract

Example embodiments provide systems and methods for dynamically creating intuitive favorites for a user. The system and methods include monitoring actions performed, by the user at a digital receiver, with respect to a plurality of content programs. The actions performed with respect to the plurality of content programs are analyzed. The analysis includes comparing a level of the actions with respect to a first content program of the plurality of content programs with a threshold. Based on the comparing indicating that the first content program is a favorites, an indication that the first content program is a favorites content program is stored to a data store.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

monitoring, using one or more hardware processors, actions performed by a user at a digital receiver with respect to a plurality of content programs;

automatically without human intervention analyzing, using one or more hardware processors, the actions performed with respect to the plurality of content programs, the analyzing including determining that a level of the actions with respect to a first content program of the plurality of content programs meets or transgresses a threshold;

based on the level of the actions with respect to a first content program meeting or transgressing the threshold, storing, in a data store, an indication that the first content program is a favorites content program;

detecting a change in a level of actions with respect to a second content program previously indicated to be a favorites content program, the change in the level of the actions with respect to the second content program indicating a reduction in the level of the actions with respect to the second content program that results in the level of the actions with respect to the second content program no longer transgressing the threshold; and

in response to the detecting that the level of the actions with respect to the second content program no longer transgresses the threshold, automatically removing an indication that the second content program is a favorites content program from the data store.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the actions performed by the user comprises one or more view commands received at the digital receiver to view one or more of the plurality of content programs; and

the threshold comprises an amount of time that the one or more view commands for a particular content program were in effect.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the actions performed by the user comprises one or more recording commands received at the digital receiver to record one or more of the plurality of content programs; and

the threshold comprises a number of times the one or more recording commands for a particular content program were received.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the actions performed by the user comprises one or more commands to set a reminder to view one or more of the plurality of content programs; and

the threshold comprises a number of times the one or more commands to set the reminder for a particular content program were received.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the actions performed by the user comprises one or more commands to search or browse for one or more of the plurality of content programs; and

the threshold comprise an amount of time a search result or browsing result is displayed for review by the user.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the actions performed by the user comprises one or more commands to purchase or subscribe to one or more of the plurality of content programs; and

the threshold comprises a number of times the one or more commands to purchase or subscribe to a particular content program was received.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a request for a favorites list from the user;

retrieving from the data store, indications of the favorites content programs of the user;

using the indications of the favorites content programs, generating the favorites list; and

causing presentation of the favorites list on a viewing device to the user.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the storing the indication that the first content program is a favorites content program comprises:

transmitting the indication to a cloud server; and

updating a user profile of the user, stored in the data store associated with the cloud server, to include the indication.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the monitoring and analyzing occurs at the digital receiver.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the monitoring and analyzing occurs at a cloud server communicatively networked to the digital receiver.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the level of the actions with respect to the first content program comprises an amount of time that a particular command is in effect with respect to the first content program.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the level of the actions with respect to the first content program comprises a number of times that a particular command is received with respect to the first content program.

13. A system comprising:

means for monitoring actions performed by a user at a digital receiver with respect to a plurality of content programs;

means for automatically analyzing, without human intervention, the actions performed with respect to the plurality of content programs, the analyzing including determining that a level of the actions with respect to a first content program of the plurality of content programs meets or transgresses a threshold;

means for storing, in a data store, an indication that the first content program is a favorites content program based on the level of the actions with respect to a first content program meeting or transgressing the threshold;

means for detecting a change in a level of actions with respect to a second content program previously indicated to be a favorites content program, the change in the level of the actions with respect to the second content program indicating a reduction in the level of the actions with respect to the second content program that results in the level of the actions with respect to the second content program no longer transgressing the threshold; and

means for automatically removing an indication that the second content program is a favorites content program from the data store in response to detecting that the level of the actions with respect to the second content program no longer transgresses the threshold.

14. The system of claim 13, further comprising:

means for receiving a request for a favorites list from the user;

means for retrieving from the data store, indications of the favorites content programs of the user;

means for generating a favorites list using the indications of the favorites content programs; and

means for causing presentation of the favorites list on a viewing device to the user.

15. A system comprising:

one or more processors; and

a memory storing instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, causes the one or more processors to perform operations comprising;

monitoring actions performed, by a user at a digital receiver, with respect to a first content program;

automatically, without human intervention, analyzing the actions performed with respect to the first content program, the analyzing including determining that a level of the actions with respect to the first content program meets or transgresses a threshold;

based on the level of the actions with respect to a first content program meeting or transgressing the threshold, storing, in a data store, an indication that the first content program is a favorites content program;

detecting a change in a level of actions with respect to a second content program previously indicated to be a favorites content program, the change in the level of the actions with respect to the second content program indicating a reduction in the level of the actions with respect to the second content program that results in the level of the actions with respect to the second content program no longer transgressing the threshold; and

in response to the detecting that the level of the actions with respect to the second content program no longer transgresses the threshold, automatically removing an indication that the second content program is a favorites content program from the data store.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the operations further comprise:

receiving a request for a favorites list;

retrieving from the data store, indications of the favorites content programs of the user;

using the indications of the favorites content programs, generating a favorites list; and

causing presentation of the favorites list on a viewing device to the user.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein storing of the indication that the first content program is a favorites content program comprises:

transmitting the indication to a cloud server; and

updating a user profile of the user, stored in the data store associated with the cloud server, to include the indication.