System and method for providing program recommendations through multimedia searching based on established viewer preferences

• US 9,924,228 B2
• Filed: 03/28/2017
• Issued: 03/20/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 12/17/2002
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: AT&T Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property II LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Begeja, Lee, Blewett, Charles Douglas, Gibbon, David Crawford, Liu, Zhu, Renger, Bernard S., Rosen, Kenneth H., Shahraray, Behzad
• Primary Examiner(s): Hunter, Mishawn
• Application Number:
  US15/471,864
• Publication Number:
  US 20170201798A1
• Time in Patent Office: 357 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/105 of operating discs
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/11 by using information not detectable on the record carrier
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/28 by using information signals recorded by the same method as the main recording G11B27/22 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/251 Learning process for intelligent management, e.g. learning user preferences for recommending movies details of learning user preferences for the retrieval of video data in a video database G06F16/739; computer systems using learning methods G06N3/08
• 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 21/44222 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 21/4524 involving the geographical location of the client retrieval from the Internet by querying based on geographical locations G06F16/9537; systems specially adapted for using geographical information in broadcast systems H04H60/70; protocols in which the network application is adapted for the location of the user terminal in communication control or processing H04L67/52; services making use of the location of users or terminals in wireless networks H04W4/02; locating users or terminals in wireless networks H04W64/00
• 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 21/4667 Processing of monitored end-user data, e.g. trend analysis based on the log file of viewer selections
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4668 for recommending content, e.g. movies

Abstract

A system and method is disclosed for processing viewer profiles and program metadata from a number of sources to provide viewing suggestions and recommendations to one or more viewers.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

generating, at a central program controller, a viewer profile using a weighted algorithm, the viewer profile based on user identified preferences of a user and program recordings previously scheduled by the user, the weighted algorithm assigning more weight to the program recordings previously scheduled by the user than the user identified preferences;

comparing the viewer profile to metadata associated with a plurality of programs;

selecting a program of the plurality of programs, based on the comparing, to generate a program recommendation; and

transmitting the program recommendation to the user.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the viewer profile is further based on an event occurring in a geographic area.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the viewer profile is further based on user action comprising one of selecting a new program, selecting a scene of a specific program, rewinding the scene, and skipping the scene.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the metadata associated with the plurality of programs is derived from multimedia associated with each of the plurality of programs.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the metadata associated with the plurality of programs is derived from introductory information associated with each of the plurality of programs.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the viewer profile is further based on a group profile comprising a plurality of viewers.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein each profile associated with a respective one of the plurality of viewers is based on a respective viewer'"'"'s user identified preferences and a history of previously scheduled recordings.

8. An apparatus comprising:

a processor; and

a memory to store computer program instructions, the computer program instructions when executed on the processor cause the processor to perform operations comprising;

generating a viewer profile using a weighted algorithm, the viewer profile based on user identified preferences of a user and program recordings previously scheduled by the user, the weighted algorithm assigning more weight to the program recordings previously scheduled by the user than the user identified preferences;

comparing the viewer profile to metadata associated with a plurality of programs;

selecting a program of the plurality of programs, based on the comparing, to generate a program recommendation; and

transmitting the program recommendation to the user.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the viewer profile is further based on an event occurring in a geographic area.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the viewer profile is further based on user action comprising one of selecting a new program, selecting a scene of a specific program, rewinding the scene, and skipping the scene.

11. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the metadata associated with the plurality of programs is derived from multimedia associated with each of the plurality of programs.

12. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the metadata associated with the plurality of programs is derived from introductory information associated with each of the plurality of programs.

13. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the viewer profile is further based on a group profile comprising a plurality of viewers.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein each profile associated with a respective one of the plurality of viewers is based on a respective viewer'"'"'s user identified preferences and a history of previously scheduled recordings.

15. A computer readable storage device storing computer program instructions for operation of a central program controller, which, when executed on a processor, cause the processor to perform operations comprising:

generating a viewer profile using a weighted algorithm, the viewer profile based on user identified preferences of a user and program recordings previously scheduled by the user, the weighted algorithm assigning more weight to the program recordings previously scheduled by the user than the user identified preferences;

comparing the viewer profile to metadata associated with a plurality of programs;

selecting a program of the plurality of programs, based on the comparing, to generate a program recommendation; and

transmitting the program recommendation to the user.

16. The computer readable storage device of claim 15, wherein the viewer profile is further based on an event occurring in a geographic area.

17. The computer readable storage device of claim 16, wherein the viewer profile is further based on user action comprising one of selecting a new program, selecting a scene of a specific program, rewinding the scene, and skipping the scene.

18. The computer readable storage device of claim 15, wherein the metadata associated with the plurality of programs is derived from multimedia associated with each of the plurality of programs.

19. The computer readable storage device of claim 15, wherein the metadata associated with the plurality of programs is derived from introductory information associated with each of the plurality of programs.

20. The computer readable storage device of claim 15, wherein the viewer profile is further based on a group profile comprising a plurality of viewers.