Automatic user profiling

• US 20040073918A1
• Filed: 09/30/2002
• Published: 04/15/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Errico, James H., Ferman, A. Mufit, van Beek, Petrus J.L.
• Granted Patent: US 7,657,907 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/34
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/31 Arrangements for monitoring the use made of the broadcast services
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/46 for recognising users' preferences
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44224 Monitoring of user activity on external systems, e.g. Internet browsing
• 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 21/4661 Deriving a combined profile for a plurality of end-users of the same client, e.g. for family members within a home user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47 End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47214 for content reservation or setting reminders; for requesting event notification, e.g. of sport results or stock market stock exchange data over packet-switching network H04L12/1804; push services over packet-switching network H04L12/1859; notification of incoming messages in packet switching networks H04L51/224
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47217 for controlling playback functions for recorded or on-demand content, e.g. using progress bars, mode or play-point indicators or bookmarks specific graphical features in visual interfaces H04N21/4312
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4755 for defining user preferences, e.g. favourite actors or genre retrieval personalisation and generation of user profiles for the retrieval of video data G06F16/739; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306

Abstract

A user profiling system preferably includes a set of fuzzy logic operators. Based upon the fuzzy logic operators the user profile may be updated.

Claims

11. A method of describing video content comprising:

(a) providing a profile that contains preferences that describe video content that is potentially desirable to said user;

(b) removing preferences from said profile free from intervention from said user.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein said removing of preferences is at least partially based on a temporal time period.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein said removing of preferences is based upon other preferences being added to said profile.

14. A method of modifying a profile of a user comprising:

(a) providing said profile that contains preferences that describe video content that is potentially desirable to said user;

(b) modifying said profile based upon video content selected by said user free from intervention by said user; and

(c) wherein said profile is hierarchical.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein said modifying includes adding additional preferences to said profile.

16. The method of claim 14 wherein said modifying includes removing preferences from said profile.

17. The method of claim 14 wherein said preferences include an associated preference weight.

18. A method of describing to video content comprising:

(a) providing a profile that contains preferences that describe video content that is potentially desirable to a user;

(b) modifying at least a first portion of said profile based upon video content selected by said user free from intervention by said user; and

(c) modifying at least a second portion of said profile based upon video content selected by said user with intervention by said user.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein said first portion is different than said second portion.

20. The method of claim 19 wherein said first portion and said second portion are non-overlapping.

21. A method of modifying a profile of a user comprising:

(a) providing said profile that contains preferences that describe video content that is potentially desirable to said user;

(b) modifying said profile based upon video content selected by said user; and

(c) wherein said modification is based upon different degrees of membership of said preferences in different sets.

22. The method of claim 21 wherein said modified includes mapping using a rule base, a fuzzy inference engine, a fuzzification module, and a defuzzification module.

23. The method of claim 21 wherein said modification is based, at least in part, upon the duration that a particular video is viewed.

24. The method of claim 21 wherein said modification is different, based, at least in part, upon said user viewing a portion of a video and said user viewing the entire said video.

25. The method of claim 21 wherein said modification is based upon how said user interacts with said video.

26. The method of claim 25 wherein said interaction is fast forward.

27. The method of claim 25 wherein said interaction is skip.

28. The method of claim 25 wherein said interaction is repeat.

29. The method of claim 25 wherein said interaction is record.

30. A method of describing to video content comprising:

(a) providing a first profile that contains preferences that describe video content that is potentially desirable to a first user;

(b) providing a second profile that contains preferences that describe video content that is potentially desirable to a second user;

(c) modifying at least a portion of said first profile based upon video content selected by said second user.

1. A method of describing video content comprising:

(a) providing a profile that contains preferences that describe video content that is potentially desirable to said user;

(b) modifying said profile based upon video content selected by said user; and

(c) wherein said preferences are non-binary.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein said modifying includes adding additional preferences to said profile.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein said modifying includes removing preferences from said profile.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein said removing is at least partially based on a temporal time period.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein said user views at least a portion of said selected video content.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein said preferences include an associated preference weight.

7. The method of claim 2 wherein said additional preferences are added without user intervention.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein said preferences are based upon a fuzzy inference system.

9. The method of claim 6 wherein said associated preference weight is modified.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein said preferences are determined using a fuzzy inference system.

31. The method of claim 30 wherein said modification is based upon information in a database obtained, at least in part, based upon content viewed by said second user.

32. The method of claim 30 wherein said modification is based upon information in a said second profile.

33. A method of modifying a profile of a user comprising:

(a) providing said profile that contains preferences that describe audio content that is potentially desirable to said user;

(b) modifying said profile based upon audio content selected by said user; and

(c) wherein said modification is based upon different degrees of membership of said preferences in different sets.

34. The method of claim 30 wherein said modification is based upon how said user interacts with said audio.

35. The method of claim 34 wherein said interaction is fast forward.

36. The method of claim 34 wherein said interaction is skip.

37. The method of claim 34 wherein said interaction is repeat.

38. The method of claim 34 wherein said interaction is record.

31-1. The method of claim 30 wherein said modified includes mapping using a rule base, a fuzzy inference engine, a fuzzification module, and a defuzzification module.

32-2. The method of claim 30 wherein said modification is based, at least in part, upon the duration that a particular audio is listened to.

33-3. The method of claim 30 wherein said modification is different, based, at least in part, upon said user listening to a portion of a audio and said listener listening to the entire said audio.