MATCHING PARTICIPANTS IN A P2P RECOMMENDATION NETWORK LOOSELY COUPLED TO A SUBSCRIPTION SERVICE

• US 20090083117A1
• Filed: 12/13/2006
• Published: 03/26/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 12/13/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Concert Technology Corporation
• Original Assignee: Concert Technology Corporation
• Inventors: Hoffman, Michael T., Svendsen, Hugh
• Granted Patent: US 8,874,655 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/10
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/1837 Management specially adapted to peer-to-peer storage networks topology management mechanisms of peer-to-peer networks H04L67/1042
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/24 Querying
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/3334 Selection or weighting of terms from queries, including natural language queries
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/634 Query by example, e.g. query by humming
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/637 Administration of user profiles, e.g. generation, initialization, adaptation or distribution
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/68 Retrieval characterised by using metadata, e.g. metadata not derived from the content or metadata generated manually
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/683 using metadata automatically derived from the content
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/30 Profiles

Abstract

A system and method are provided for matching participants in a Peer-to-Peer (P2P) recommendation network that is loosely coupled to a subscription music service. In general, the system includes a central server and a number of peer devices. For each of the peer devices, an associated user is either a subscriber to the subscription music service or a non-subscriber. When a user of a peer device desires to identify new friends with which to exchange recommendations in the P2P recommendation network, a friend recommendation function of the central server identifies new friends for the user of the peer device based on the user'"'"'s status as either a subscriber or a non-subscriber to the subscription music service.

Claims

1. A method for matching participants in a Peer-to-Peer (P2P) recommendation network comprising:

receiving a request from a first peer device of a plurality of peer devices in the P2P recommendation network for a new friend for a P2P recommendation group of a user of the first peer device;

determining whether the user of the first peer device is a subscriber of at least one of a number of subscription media services;

if the user of the first peer device is a subscriber of at least one of the number of subscription media services, selecting the new friend for the user of the first peer device from users of other ones of the plurality of peer devices that are also subscribers of at least one of the number of subscription media services; and

effecting addition of the new friend to the P2P recommendation group of the user of the first peer device such that media recommendations are provided to the first peer device from one of the plurality of peer devices associated with the new friend.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the one of the plurality of peer devices associated with the new friend provides media recommendations to the first peer device as media presentations identified by the media recommendations are played by the one of the plurality of peer devices.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein if the user of the first peer device is a subscriber of at least one of the number of subscription media services, selecting the new friend comprises:

comparing a user profile of the user of the first peer device to user profiles of users of the other ones of the plurality of peer devices that are also subscribers of at least one of the number of subscription media services;

comparing a media collection of the user of the first peer device to media collections of the users of the other ones of the plurality of peer devices that are also subscribers of at least one of the number of subscription media services; and

selecting one of the users of the other ones of the plurality of peer devices having a user profile that has a high correlation to the user profile of the user of the first peer device and a media collection that has a low correlation to the media collection of the user of the first peer device as the new friend for the user of the first peer device.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein comparing the media collection of the user of the first peer device to the media collections of the users of the other ones of the plurality of peer devices comprises, for each one of the media collections of the users of the other ones of the plurality of peer devices:

determining a number of media presentations that the one of the media collections and the media collection of the user of the first peer device have in common;

wherein, if the number of media presentations that the one of the media collections and the media collection of the user of the first peer device have in common is less than a threshold number of media presentations, the one of the media collections has a low correlation to the media collection of the user of the first peer device.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein the threshold number of media presentations is a static threshold.

6. The method of claim 4 wherein the threshold number of media presentations is a dynamic threshold.

7. The method of claim 3 wherein comparing the media collection of the user of the first peer device to the media collections of the users of the other ones of the plurality of peer devices comprises, for each one of the media collections of the users of the other ones of the plurality of peer devices:

determining a percentage of media presentations in the media collection of the user of the first peer device that are also in the media collections of the users of the other ones of the plurality of peer devices;

wherein, if the percentage of media presentations is less than a threshold percentage of media presentations, the one of the media collections has a low correlation to the media collection of the user of the first peer device.

8. The method of claim 3 wherein the user profile of the user comprises statistical information including one or more of a group consisting of:

a genre distribution, an artist distribution, and a release year distribution for the media collection of the user of the first peer device, and the user profiles of the other ones of the plurality of devices comprise statistical information including one or more of a group consisting of;

a genre distribution, an artist distribution, and a release year distribution for the media collections of the users of the other ones of the plurality of devices.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein comparing the user profile of the user of the first peer device to the user profiles of the users of the other ones of the plurality of peer devices comprises, for each one of the user profiles of the users of the other ones of the plurality of peer devices:

determining whether the statistical information from the one of the user profiles is substantially similar to the statistical information from the user profile of the user of the first peer device;

wherein, if the one of the user profiles is substantially similar to the statistical information from the user profile of the user of the first peer device, the one of the user profiles has a high correlation to the user profile of the user of the first peer device.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein determining whether the statistical information from the one of the user profiles is substantially similar to the statistical information from the user profile of the user of the first peer device comprises:

generating a score indicative of a similarity of the statistical information from the one of the user profiles and the statistical information from the user profile of the user of the first peer device; and

comparing the score to a threshold to determine whether the statistical information from the one of the user profiles is substantially similar to the statistical information from the user profile of the user of the first peer device.

11. The method of claim 1 further comprising if the user of the first peer device is a non-subscriber of the number of subscription media services, selecting the new friend for the user of the first peer device from users of other ones of the plurality of peer devices that are also non-subscribers of the number of subscription media services.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein if the user of the first peer device is a non-subscriber, selecting the new friend comprises:

comparing a media collection of the user of the first peer device to media collections of the users of the other ones of the plurality of peer devices that are also non-subscribers; and

selecting one of the users of the other ones of the plurality of peer devices having a media collection that has a high correlation to the media collection of the user of the first peer device as the new friend for the user of the first peer device.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein comparing the media collection of the user of the first peer device to the media collections of the users of the other ones of the plurality of peer devices comprises, for each one of the media collections of the users of the other ones of the plurality of peer devices:

determining a number of media presentations that the one of the media collections and the media collection of the user of the first peer device have in common;

wherein, if the number of media presentations that the one of the media collections and the media collection of the user of the first peer device have in common is greater than a threshold number of media presentations, the one of the media collections has a high correlation to the media collection of the user of the first peer device.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein the threshold number of media presentations is a static threshold.

15. The method of claim 13 wherein the threshold number of media presentations is a dynamic threshold.

16. The method of claim 12 wherein comparing the media collection of the user of the first peer device to the media collections of the users of the other ones of the plurality of peer devices comprises, for each one of the media collections of the users of the other ones of the plurality of peer devices:

determining a percentage of media presentations in the media collection of the user of the first peer device that are also in the media collections of the users of the other ones of the plurality of peer devices;

wherein, if the percentage of media presentations is greater than a threshold percentage of media presentations, the one of the media collections has a high correlation to the media collection of the user of the first peer device.

17. The method of claim 1 wherein effecting addition of the new friend to the P2P recommendation group comprises adding the new friend to a friends list of the user of the first peer device, wherein the friends list defines the P2P recommendation group of the user of the first peer device.

18. The method of claim 1 wherein the number of subscription media services is at least one subscription media service.

19. A central server for matching participants in a Peer-to-Peer (P2P) recommendation network comprising:

a) a communication interface adapted to communicatively couple the central server to a plurality of peer devices via a network; and

b) a control system associated with the communication interface and adapted to;

i) receive a request from a first peer device of the plurality of peer devices for a new friend for a P2P recommendation group of a user of the first peer device;

ii) in response to the request, determine whether the user of the first peer device is a subscriber of at least one of a number of subscription media services;

iii) if the user of the first peer device is a subscriber of at least one of the number of subscription media services, select the new friend for the user of the first peer device from users of other ones of the plurality of peer devices that are also subscribers of at least one of the number of subscription media services; and

iv) effect addition of the new friend to the P2P recommendation group of the user of the first peer device such that media recommendations are provided to the first peer device from one of the plurality of peer devices associated with the new friend.

20. The central server of claim 19 wherein the one of the plurality of peer devices associated with the new friend provides media recommendations to the first peer device as media presentations identified by the media recommendations are played by the one of the plurality of peer devices.

21. The central server of claim 19 wherein if the user of the first peer device is a non-subscriber of the number of subscription media services, the control system is further adapted to select the new friend for the user of the first peer device from users of other ones of the plurality of peer devices that are also non-subscribers of the number of subscription media services.

22. A method for matching participants in a Peer-to-Peer (P2P) recommendation network comprising:

receiving a request from a first peer device of a plurality of peer devices in the P2P recommendation network for a new peer device for a P2P recommendation group of the first peer device;

determining whether the first peer device is a subscribing peer device having access to at least one of a number of subscription media services;

if the owner of the first peer device is a subscribing peer device having access to at least one of the number of subscription media services, selecting the new peer device for the P2P recommendation group of the first peer device from other ones of the plurality of peer devices that are also subscribing peer devices; and

effecting addition of the new peer device to the P2P recommendation group of the first peer device such that media recommendations are provided to the first peer device from the new peer device.

23. The method of claim 22 wherein the new peer device provides media recommendations to the first peer device as media presentations identified by the media recommendations are played by the new peer device.

24. The method of claim 22 further comprising if the first peer device is a non-subscribing peer device not having access to at least one of the number of subscription media services, selecting the new peer device from other ones of the plurality of peer devices that are also non-subscribing peer devices.

25. A central server for matching participants in a Peer-to-Peer (P2P) recommendation network comprising:

a) a communication interface adapted to communicatively couple the central server to a plurality of peer devices via a network; and

b) a control system associated with the communication interface and adapted to;

i) receive a request from a first peer device of the plurality of peer devices for a new peer device for a P2P recommendation group of the first peer device;

ii) determine whether the first peer device is a subscribing peer device having access to at least one of a number of subscription media services;

iii) if the owner of the first peer device is a subscribing peer device having access to at least one of the number of subscription media services, select the new peer device for the P2P recommendation group of the first peer device from other ones of the plurality of peer devices that are also subscribing peer devices; and

iv) effect addition of the new peer device to the P2P recommendation group of the first peer device such that media recommendations are provided to the first peer device from the new peer device.

26. The central server of claim 25 wherein the new peer device provides media recommendations to the first peer device as media presentations identified by the media recommendations are played by the new peer device.

27. The central server of claim 25 wherein if the first peer device is a non-subscribing peer device that does not have access to at least one of the number of subscription media services, the control system is further adapted to select the new peer device from other ones of the plurality of peer devices that are also non-subscribing peer devices.