User-specific personalization of information services

• US 7,216,131 B2
• Filed: 02/20/2004
• Issued: 05/08/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 08/20/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Helsingin Kauppakorkeakoulu
• Original Assignee: Helsingia Kauppakorkeakoulu
• Inventors: Saari, Timo, Liukkonen, Sirkku
• Primary Examiner(s): ABEL JALIL, NEVEEN
• Application Number:
  US10/781,640
• Publication Number:
  US 20040162856A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,173 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99942 Manipulating data structure, e.g. compression, compaction, compilation
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 Object-oriented database structure processing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99948 Application of database or data structure, e.g. distributed, multimedia, or image

Abstract

A method of creating metadata files for personalization of media services in an information system including a database descriptive of information content, a database descriptive of users of information services, a rulebase descriptive of reaction impulses of a test user group to information stimuli presented, a database descriptive of an information content space, and a database descriptive of a user profile space and including theoretical alternatives for parameters descriptive of users of information services. In the system, a database descriptive of reactions of users of information services is created, the database being arranged to be created as an interaction of the databases descriptive of the information content space and the user profile space. Actual parameters descriptive of the content and users of the information services are compared with theoretical parameters, and metadata files for the user and content of the information service are created as a result of the comparison.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

creating metadata files in personalization of media services in an information system including an information content database, in which parameters descriptive of the content of information services are arranged to be stored, and a user profile database, in which parameters descriptive of users of information services are arranged to be stored, said creating comprising;

creating a rulebase including reaction impulses of a test user group to information services presented as stimuli;

creating a database descriptive of an information content space and including theoretical alternatives for the parameters descriptive of the content of the information services;

creating a database descriptive of a user profile space and including theoretical alternatives for the parameters descriptive of the users of the information services;

creating a database descriptive of a reaction space and including theoretical alternatives for parameters descriptive of reactions of the users of the information services, the database being created as an interaction of the database descriptive of the information content space and the database descriptive of the user profile space, the interaction being specified based on the reaction impulses defined in the rulebase;

comparing actual parameters descriptive of the content and the users of the information services with the theoretical parameters;

creating and storing metadata files as a result of said comparison for at least one user of an information service and for at least one content of an information service based on the reaction impulses defined in the rulebase,

creating an interpretation file from the information content database, the interpretation file including linking addresses to the different information objects in the information content database;

comparing said interpretation file with the parameters in the information content space by placing corresponding parameters on top of each other;

creating a correlation file as a result of said comparison; and

deriving and storing, from said correlation file by linking addresses included in the interpretation file, a metadata file descriptive of the information objects included in an information service and the variation in content of the information objects.

2. A method, comprising;

creating metadata files in personalization of media services in an information system including an information content database, in which parameters descriptive of the content of information services are arranged to be stored, and a user profile database, in which parameters descriptive of the users of information services are arranged to be stored, said creating comprising;

creating a rulebase including the reaction impulses of a test user group to information services presented as stimuli;

creating a database descriptive of an information content space and including theoretical alternatives for the parameters descriptive of the content of the information services;

creating a database descriptive of a user profile space and including theoretical alternatives for the parameters descriptive of the users of the information services;

creating a database descriptive of a reaction space and including theoretical alternatives for parameters descriptive of reactions of the users of the information services, the database being created as an interaction of the database descriptive of the information content space and the database descriptive of the user profile space, the interaction being specified based on the reaction impulses defined in the rulebase;

comparing actual parameters descriptive of the content and the users of the information services with the theoretical parameters; and

creating and storing metadata files as a result of said comparison for at least one user of an information service and for at least one content of an information service based on the reaction impulses defined in the rulebase,

said method further comprising

collecting, during use of the information services by the user, data on the reactions of the users of the information services to the information objects presented;

updating the parameters of the information objects included in said user profile database based on the collected date; and

updating, based on the collected data, the rulebase linking together essential parameters of the user, information content and reaction.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein said rulebase is created by

presenting information objects, which belong to the information content space and whose content and presentation are varied, to a statistically significantly large test user group;

collecting data on the reactions of the test user group to said infonnation objects; and

storing the reaction impulses of the test user group to the presented information objects in the rulebase by linking together essential parameters of the user, the information content and the reaction.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein

said collected data specifying the reactions of the test user group includes at least some of the following:

data measured by sensors on a user'"'"'s heart rate, epidennal sweating, blood pressure and/or facial muscle tension;

data determined by a camera on the user'"'"'s eye movements;

data based on questionnaires, interviews or observation of behaviour.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein

said database descriptive of the information content space and the information content database include information objects that are parametrized by substantially the same parameters, which include at least some of the following:

content substance, content modality, content format, conceptual structure of content.

6. The method of claim 2, wherein

said database descriptive of the user profile space and the user profile database include information objects that are parametrized by substantially the seine parameters, which include at least some of the following:

implicit user profile, explicit user profile, information interest profile, use history profile, filtered profile.

7. The method of claim 2, wherein a metadata file descriptive of an individual user is created by

comparing the parameters descriptive of said user with the parameters in the user profile space by placing corresponding parameters on top of each other;

and

creating, as a result of said comparison, a correlation file that specifies a user category the user belongs to.

8. The method of claim 2, further comprising

coding the information objects included in said information system as XML documents.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein said XML doewnents includes a style sheet, the style sheet including instructions converting the data included in an XML content document into an HTML document.

10. A computer-readable medium having stored thereon executable elements executable in one or more computing device, configure the processor or computer:

create a rulebase including reaction impulses of a test user group to information services presented as stimuli in a media service information system;

create an information content database descriptive of an information content space and including theoretical alternatives for the parameters descriptive of the content of the information services;

create a user profile database descriptive of a user profile space and including theoretical alternatives for the parameters descriptive of the users of the information services;

create a database descriptive of a reaction space and including theoretical alternatives for parameters descriptive of reactions of the users of the information services, the database being created as an interaction of the database descriptive of the information content space and the database descriptive of the user profile space, the interaction being specified based on the reaction impulses defined in the rulebase;

compare actual parameters descriptive of the content and the users of the information services with the theoretical parameters;

create and store metadata files as a result of said comparison for at least one user of an information service and for at least one content of an information service based on the reaction impulses defined in the rulebase;

collect, during use of the information services by the users, data on the reactions of the users of the information services to the information objects presented;

update the parameters of the information objects included in said user profile database based on the collected data; and

update, based on the collected data, the rulebase linking together essential parameters of the user, information content and reaction.

11. A computer-readable medium having stored thereon executable elements executable in one or more computing device, configure the processor or computer:

create a rulebase including reaction impulses of a test user group to information services presented as stimuli in a media service information system;

create an information content database descriptive of an information content space and including theoretical alternatives for the parameters descriptive of the content of the information services;

create a user profile database descriptive of a user profile space and including theoretical alternatives for the parameters descriptive of the users of the information services;

create a database descriptive of a reaction space and including theoretical alternatives for parameters descriptive of reactions of the users of the information services, the database being created as an interaction of the database descriptive of the information content space and the database descriptive of the user profile space, the interaction being specified based on the reaction impulses defined in the rulebase;

compare actual parameters descriptive of the content and the users of the information services with the theoretical parameters;

create and store metadata files as a result of said comparison for at least one user of an information service and for at least one content of an information service based on the reaction impulses defined in the rulebase;

create an interpretation file from the information content database, the interpretation file including linking addresses to the different information objects in the information content database;

compare said interpretation file with the parameters in the information content space by placing corresponding parameters on top of each other;

create a correlation file as a result of said comparison; and

derive and store, from said correlation file by linking addresses included in the interpretation file, a metadata file descriptive of the information objects included in an information service and the variation in content of the information objects.

12. An information system comprising:

an information content database storing parameters descriptive of a content of information services of a media service information system;

a user profile database storing parameters descriptive of users of information services are arranged to be stored;

a rulebase, in which reaction impulses of a test user group to information services presented as stimuli are arranged to be stored;

a database descriptive of an information content space and including theoretical alternatives for the parameters descriptive of the content of the information services;

a database descriptive of a user profile space and including theoretical alternatives for the parameters descriptive of the users of the information services;

a database descriptive of a reaction space and including theoretical alternatives for parameters descriptive of the reactions of the users of the information services, the database being created as an interaction of the database descriptive of the information content space and the database descriptive of the user profile space, the interaction being specified based on the reaction impulse defined in the rulebase;

actual parameters descriptive of the content and the users of the information services being arranged to be compared with the theoretical parameters;

metadata files being arranged to be created and stored as a result of said comparison for at least one user of an information service and for at least one content of an information service based on the reaction impulse defined in the rulebase;

an interpretation file being arranged to be created from the information content database, the interpretation file including linking addresses to the different information objects in the information content database;

said interpretation file being arranged to be compared with the parameters in the information content space by placing corresponding parameters on top of each other;

a correlation file being arranged to be created as a result of said comparison; and

a metadata file descriptive of the information objects included in said information service and the variation in content of the information objects being arranged to be derived and stored from said correlation file by linking addresses included in the interpretation file.

13. A media service information system including:

an information content database storing parameters descriptive of a content of information services of a media service information system;

a user profile database storing parameters descriptive of the users of information services are arranged to be stored;

a rulebase, in which reaction impulses of a test user group to information services presented as stimuli are arranged to be stored;

a database descriptive of an information content space and including theoretical alternatives for the parameters descriptive of the content of the information services;

a database descriptive of a user profile space and including theoretical alternatives for the parameters descriptive of the users of the information services;

a database descriptive of a reaction space and including theoretical alternatives for parameters descriptive of the reactions of the users of the information services, the database being created as an interaction of the database descriptive of the information content space and the database descriptive of the user profile space, the interaction being specified based on the reaction impulses defined in the rulebase;

actual parameters descriptive of the content and the users of the information services being arranged to be compared with the theoretical parameters; and

metadata files being arranged to be created and stored as a result of said comparison for at least one user of an information service and for at least one content of an information service based on the reaction impulses defined in the rulebase;

data are arranged to be collected on reactions of the users of the information services to the information objects presented or the information services by the user;

the parameters of the information objects included in said user profile database are arranged to be updated based on the collected data; and

the rulebase linking essential parameters of the user, information content and reaction is arranged to be updated based on the collected data.

14. The media service information system of claim 13, wherein said rulebase is arranged to be created by

arranging information objects, which belong to the information content space and whose content and ways of presentation are varied, to be presented to a statistically significantly large test user group;

arranging data to be collected on the reactions of the test user group to said information objects; and

arranging the reaction impulses of the test user group to the presented information objects to be stored in the rulebase by linking together the essential parameters of the user, the information content and the reaction.

15. The media service information system of claim 14, wherein

said data to be collected specifying the reactions of the test user group includes at least some of the following:

data measured by sensors on a user'"'"'s heart rate, epidermal sweating, blood pressure and/or facial muscle tension;

data determined by a camera on the user'"'"'s eye movements;

data based on questionnaires, interviews or observation of behavior.

16. The media service information system of claim 13, wherein

said database descriptive of the information content space and the information content database include information objects that are parameterized by substantially the same parameters, which include at least some of the following:

content substance, content modality, content format, conceptual structure of content.

17. The media service information system of claim 13, wherein

said database descriptive of the user, profile space and the user profile database include information objects that are parameterized by substantially the same parameters, which include at least some of the following:

implicit user profile, explicit user profile, information interest profile, use history profile, filtered profile.

18. The media service information system of claim 13, wherein a metadata file descriptive of an individual user is arranged to be created by

the parameters descriptive of said user being arranged to be compared wish the parameters in the user profile space by placing corresponding parameters on top of each other;

and

as a result of said comparison, a correlation file that specifies user category the user belongs to is arranged to be created.

19. The media service information system of claim 13, wherein the information objects included in said information system are arranged to be coded as XML documents.

20. The media service information system of claim 19, wherein

said XML documents include a style sheet, the style sheet including instructions converting the data included in an XML content document into an HTML document.