Method of providing content items

• US 20070106672A1
• Filed: 10/02/2006
• Published: 05/10/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 11/08/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Sony NetServices GmbH (RealNetworks, Inc.)
• Inventors: Inoto, Ruben, Sighart, Harald, Burgstaller, Rainer, Weiler, Christian
• Granted Patent: US 7,756,880 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/3326 using relevance feedback from the user, e.g. relevance feedback on documents, documents sets, document terms or passages
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9536 Search customisation based on social or collaborative filtering

Abstract

A method for providing content items located on a server (2) to a client (3), the server (2) being able to communicate with the client (3) via a communication network (7), comprises the following steps:

a) transferring a first content recommendation list request from the client (3) to the server (2),

b) generating a first content recommendation list (8₁) comprising several content recommendation list entries (9) at the server (2) in dependence on a user feedback profile, each content recommendation list entry (9) representing a content item,

c) transferring the first content recommendation list (8₁) from the server (2) to the client (3), d) providing a visual and/or audible representation of the first content recommendation list entries through a client user interface, each entry being selectable and arranged such that for each entry, user feedback may be generated and corresponding user feedback information sent to the server and that upon selection of an entry at a predetermined position in the first content recommendation list, a second recommendation list request is transferred to the server, e) generating at the server, a second content recommendation list in dependence on the user feedback profile and also, if received, in dependence on the user feedback information, and f) transferring the second content recommendation list from the server to the client in response to the second recommendation list request and providing a visual and/or audible representation of the second content recommendation list entries through the client user interface, wherein the client initiates at least one transfer process of content items from the server to the client based on user selections of recommendation list entries, and wherein the second content recommendation list is prepared at the server in advance of receiving the second recommendation list request from the client.

Claims

1. Method for providing content items located on a server (2) to a client (3), the server (2) being able to communicate with the client (3) via a communication network (7), comprising the following steps:

a) transferring a first content recommendation list request from the client (3) to the server (2),

b) generating a first content recommendation list (8₁) comprising several content recommendation list entries (9) at the server (2) in dependence on a user feedback profile, each content recommendation list entry (9) representing a content item,

c) transferring the first content recommendation list (8₁) from the server (2) to the client (3),

d) providing a visual and/or audible representation of the first content recommendation list entries through a client user interface, each entry being selectable and arranged such that for each entry, user feedback may be generated and corresponding user feedback information sent to the server and that upon selection of an entry at a predetermined position in the first content recommendation list, a second recommendation list request is transferred to the server,

e) generating at the server, a second content recommendation list in dependence on the user feedback profile and also, if received, in dependence on the user feedback information, and

f) transferring the second content recommendation list from the server to the client in response to the second recommendation list request and providing a visual and/or audible representation of the second content recommendation list entries through the client user interface, wherein the client initiates at least one transfer process of content items from the server to the client based on user selections of recommendation list entries, and wherein the second content recommendation list is prepared at the server in advance of receiving the second recommendation list request from the client.

2. Method according to claim 1, wherein step d) comprises a process of assigning feedback information to at least some content recommendation list entries (9) in dependence on feedback given by the user to each of the content recommendation list entries (9) presented on the client user interface.

3. Method according to claim 2, wherein the feedback assigned to the content recommendation list entries (9) comprises explicit and implicit feedback.

4. Method according to claim 3, wherein each individual explicit and/or implicit feedback given by the user to a specific content recommendation list entry (9) is immediately transferred from the client (3) to the server (2).

5. Method according to any one of the claims 1 to 4, wherein said first content recommendation list and said second content recommendation list are parts of one overall content recommendation list which is stored on the server and maintained in dependence on the user feedback information received by the server.

6. Method according to claim 5, wherein the server (2) stores first recommendation list information relating to content recommendation lists (8₁, 8₂) already transferred from the server (2) to the client (3) and/or second recommendation list information relating to content recommendation lists (8₃) to be transferred from the server (2) to the client (3), wherein the first content recommendation list information and the second content recommendation list information are part of content recommendation list information relating to the overall content recommendation list.

7. Method according to claim 6, wherein the second recommendation list information relating to content recommendation lists (8₃) to be transferred from the server (2) to the client (3) is updated in dependence on the user feedback each time feedback is transferred from the client (3) to the server (2).

8. Method according to claim 7, wherein the generation of the second recommendation list information relating to content recommendation lists (8₃) to be transferred from the server (2) to the client (3) is based upon the user feedback transferred from the client (3) to the server (2) and on the first recommendation list information relating to content recommendation lists (8₁, 8₂) already transferred from the server (2) to the client (3).

9. Method according to any one of the claims 6 to 8, wherein the second recommendation list information relating to content recommendation lists (8₃) to be transferred from the server (2) to the client (3) is only transferred from the server (2) to the client (3) upon reception of a recommendation list request from the client (3).

10. Method according to any one of the claims 1 to 9, wherein each recommendation list request and each recommendation list (8₁-8₃) is assigned to a specific content item data channel such that user feedback given to content recommendation list entries (9) of a specific data channel only affects the second recommendation list information of said specific data channel, and does not affect second recommendation list information of a further data channel.

11. Method according to any one of the claims 1 to 10, wherein the server (2) comprises a managing unit (4), a recommending unit (5) and a streaming unit (6), the managing unit (4) being connectable to the recommending unit (5), the streaming unit (6) and the client (3), and the streaming unit (6) being connectable to the client (3).

12. Method according to claim 11, wherein:

between the managing unit (4) and the client (3), the recommendation list requests, the content recommendation lists (8₁-8₃) and the user feedback is exchanged,

between the managing unit (4) and the recommending unit (5), recommendation list correlated information and user feedback correlated information is exchanged,

between the managing unit (4) and the streaming unit (6), content item correlated information is exchanged,

between the streaming unit (6) and the client (3), content items and content item correlated information is exchanged,

the first recommendation list information relating to content recommendation lists (8₁, 8₂) already transferred from the server (2) to the client (3), and the second recommendation list information relating to content recommendation lists (8₃) to be transferred from the server (2) to the client (3) is stored/maintained by the managing unit (4).

13. Method according to claim 11, wherein:

between the managing unit (4) and the client (3), the user feedback is exchanged,

between the managing unit (4) and the recommending unit (5), recommendation list correlated information and user feedback correlated information is exchanged,

between the managing unit (4) and the streaming unit (6), recommendation list correlated information is exchanged,

between the streaming unit (6) and the client (3), content items, content item correlated information, the recommendation list requests, and the recommendation lists are exchanged,

the first recommendation list information relating to content recommendation lists (8₁, 8₂) already transferred from the server (2) to the client (3) is stored/maintained by the managing unit (4), and the second recommendation list information relating to content recommendation lists (8₃) to be transferred from the server (2) to the client (3) is stored/maintained by the streaming unit (6).

14. Method according to any one of the claims 1 to 13, wherein each content recommendation list (8₁-8₃) comprises less than ten content recommendation list entries (9).

15. Method according to any one of the claims 1 to 14, wherein at least two content items are transferred as concatenated common content item from the server (2) to the client (3).

16. Method according to any one of the claims 1 to 15, wherein the at least one transfer process of content items from the server to the client initiated by the client based on user selections of recommendation list entries is a streaming process.

17. Method according to any one of the claims 3 to 15, wherein the explicit feedback in particular represents conscious behavior of the user, whereas the implicit feedback in particular represents unconscious behavior of the user.

18. Client-server system adapted to provide content items located on the server (2) to the client (3), the server (2) being able to communicate with the client (3) via a communication network (7), comprising:

a) a client transmission interface controlled to transfer a first content recommendation list request from the client (3) to the server (2),

b) a server processor operable to generate a first content recommendation list (8₁) comprising several content recommendation list entries (9) in dependence on a user feedback profile, each content recommendation list entry (9) representing a content item,

c) a server transmission interface controlled to transfer the first content recommendation list (8₁) from the server (2) to the client (3),

d) a client processor operable to provide a visual and/or audible representation of the first content recommendation list entries through a client user interface, each entry being selectable for a user, the client processor having the ability to generate user feedback on the selectable content recommendation list entries under the control of the user and to send corresponding feedback information to the server, wherein upon selection of an entry at a predetermined position in the first content recommendation list, a second recommendation list request is transferred to the server,

e) the server processor further operable to generate, a second content recommendation list in dependence on the user feedback profile and also, if received, in dependence on the user feedback information, and

f) the server transmission interface further controlled to transfer the second content recommendation list from the server to the client in response to the second recommendation list request and providing a visual and/or audiable representation of the second content recommendation list entries through the client user interface, wherein the client initiates at least one transfer process of content items from the server to the client based on user selections of recommendation-list entries, and wherein the second content recommendation list is prepared at the server in advance of receiving the second recommendation list request from the client.