Communications channels in media systems

• US 10,390,084 B2
• Filed: 12/23/2016
• Issued: 08/20/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 12/23/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dish Technologies LLC (Dish Network Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Dish Technologies LLC (Dish Network Corporation)
• Inventors: Newell, Nicholas Brandon, Day, Christopher
• Primary Examiner(s): Mendoza, Junior O
• Application Number:
  US15/389,718
• Publication Number:
  US 20180184157A1
• Time in Patent Office: 970 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/234 Processing of video elementary streams, e.g. splicing of video streams or manipulating encoded video stream scene graphs
• 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 21/442 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 21/44213 Monitoring of end-user related data arrangements for monitoring the users' 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 21/4756 for rating content, e.g. scoring a recommended movie
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4788 communicating with other users, e.g. chatting arrangements for providing for computer conferences, e.g. chat rooms, to substation in data switching networks H04L12/1813; distributed application using peer-to-peer [P2P] networks H04L67/104
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4826 using recommendation lists, e.g. of programs or channels sorted out according to their score

Abstract

A computing device includes program instructions to identify first communications by a first user about respective first media content items, each of the first communications made within a predetermined time preceding the first user'"'"'s consumption of the respective first media content item. The computing device further includes instructions to identify a plurality of second users, each a party to one of the first communications. For the identified second users, the computing device determines a correlation between the respective second user and the consumption of the first media content items by the first user. Based at least in part on the correlation, the computing device includes further instructions to initiate a second communication between one of the second users and one of the first user and a third user concerning a second media content item.

Claims

1. A computing device comprising program instructions to:

identify respective first communications from a first user, each addressed to one or more of a plurality of second users, about respective first media content items, each of the first communications made within a predetermined time preceding the first user'"'"'s consumption of the respective first media content item;

determine, for one or more of the second users, a correlation between the respective second user and the consumption of the first media content items by the first user, including determining how many first media content items the first user consumed following communications with the respective second user about the respective media content item within the predetermined time; and

based at least in part on the correlation, initiate a second communication between one of the second users and one of the first user and a third user concerning a second media content item.

2. The computing device of claim 1 further comprising instructions to:

select, as the second user to communicate with the one of the first user and the third user, the second user whose first communications most highly correlate with the first user'"'"'s subsequent viewing behavior.

3. The computing device of claim 1 wherein initiating the second communication is further based at least in part on additional correlations between respective second users and the consumption of first media content items by additional first users.

4. The computing device of claim 1, wherein identifying communications for first media content items viewed by the first user includes:

analyzing the communications to identify positive comments related to the respective media content item; and

selecting the communications based at least in part on the identified positive comments.

5. The computing device of claim 1 further comprising instructions to:

select the second media content item based at least in part on indicia of interest for media content items for the one of the first user and the third user, wherein the indicia of interest for the one of the first user and the third user include at least one of;

(a) one or more numerical values indicating types of media content associated with the one of the first user and the third user, (b) one or more keywords indicating characteristics or features of media content items of interest to the one of the first user and the third user, and (c) numerical ratings of one or more media content items for the one of the first user and the third user.

6. The computing device of claim 1 further comprising instructions to:

establish a communications link between a first user device associated with the one of the first user and the third user and a second user device associated with the second user.

7. The computing device of claim 1 further comprising instructions to:

determine that the one of the first user and third user is communicating with the one of the second users regarding the second media content item; and

record the communication regarding the second media content item.

8. The computing device of claim 7 further comprising instructions to:

update a media content recommendation list for the one of the first user and the third user based on the communication between the one of the first user and the third user, and the one of the second users regarding the second media content item.

9. The computing device of claim 7 further comprising instructions to:

receive user data that the one of the first user and the third user is selecting media content; and

display, in response to the data that the one of the first user and third user is selecting media content, the recording of the communication regarding the second media content item to the one of the first user and the third user.

10. The computing device of claim 1 further comprising instructions to:

select one or more first communications related to a media content item;

generate, based on segments from the selected one or more first communications related to a media content item, a composite video; and

output the composite video to a second computing device.

11. The computing device of claim 10, wherein selecting the one or more first communications includes:

identifying, a second user who is a party respectively to each of the one or more first communications; and

determining, for each of the identified second users, a correlation between the respective second user and the consumption of the first media content items by the first user.

12. A method comprising:

identifying respective first communications from a first user, each addressed to one or more of a plurality of second users, about respective first media content items, each of the first communications made within a predetermined time preceding the first user'"'"'s consumption of the respective first media content item;

determining, for one or more of the second users, a correlation between the respective second user and the consumption of the first media content items by the first user, including determining how many first media content items the first user consumed following communications with the respective second user about the respective media content item within the predetermined time; and

based at least in part on the correlation, initiating a second communication between one of the second users and one of the first user and a third user concerning a second media content item.

13. The method of claim 12 further comprising:

selecting, as the second user to communicate with the one of the first user and the third user, the second user whose first communications most highly correlate with the first user'"'"'s subsequent viewing behavior.

14. The method of claim 12 wherein initiating the second communication is further based at least in part on additional correlations between respective second users and the consumption of first media content items by additional first users.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein identifying communications for first media content items viewed by the first user includes:

analyzing the communications to identify positive comments related to the respective media content item; and

selecting the communications based at least in part on the identified positive comments.

16. The method of claim 12 further comprising:

selecting the second media content item based at least in part on the one of the first user and the third user indicia of interest for media content items, wherein the first user indicia of interest include at least one of;

(a) one or more numerical values indicating types of media content associated with the one of the first user and the third user, (b) one or more keywords indicating characteristics or features of media content items of interest to the one of the first user and the third user, and (c) numerical ratings of one or more media content items for the one of the first user and the third user.

17. The method of claim 12 further comprising:

establishing a communications link between a first user device associated with the one of the first user and the third user, and a second user device associated with the second user.

18. The method of claim 12 further comprising:

determining that the one of the first user and the third user, and the one of the second users are communicating regarding the second media content item; and

recording the communication regarding the second media content item.

19. The method of claim 18 further comprising:

updating a media content recommendation list for the one of the first user and the third user based on the communication between the one of the first user and the third user, and the one of the second users regarding the second media content item.

20. The method of claim 18 further comprising:

receiving user data that the one of the first user and the third user is selecting media content; and

displaying, in response to the data that the one of the first user and the third user is selecting media content, the recording of the communication regarding the second media content item to the one of the first user and the third user.

21. The method of claim 12 further comprising:

selecting one or more first communications related to a media content item;

generating, based on segments from the selected one or more first communications related to a media content item, a composite video; and

outputting the composite video to a second computing device.

22. The method of claim 12, wherein selecting the one or more first communications includes:

identifying, a second user who is a party respectively to each of the one or more first communications; and

determining, for each of the identified second users, a correlation between the respective second user and the consumption of the first media content items by the first user.