Method and apparatus to determine broadcast content and scheduling in a broadcast system

• US 7,962,573 B2
• Filed: 09/28/2007
• Issued: 06/14/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 03/21/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Connelly, Jay H.
• Primary Examiner(s): Blair; Douglas B
• Application Number:
  US11/864,485
• Publication Number:
  US 20080022008A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,355 Days
• Field of Search: 709/222, 709226-228, 709/231, 725/9, 725/14, 725 32- 36, 725 63- 66, 725/105, 725/13
• US Class Current: 709/218
• 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 21/26258 for generating a list of items to be played back in a given order, e.g. playlist, or scheduling item distribution according to such list retrieval of multimedia data based on playlists G06F16/40
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2668 Creating a channel for a dedicated end-user group, e.g. insertion of targeted commercials based on end-user profiles information retrieval from the Internet by querying with filtering and personalisation G06F16/9535; arrangements for replacing or switching information during the broadcast H04H20/10; push services over packet-switching network H04L12/1859; adaptation of message content in packet-switching networks H04L51/063
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4331 Caching operations, e.g. of an advertisement for later insertion during playback
• 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 21/6582 Data stored in the client, e.g. viewing habits, hardware capabilities, credit card number arrangements where receivers interact with the broadcast H04H20/38
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/163 by receiver means only
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

A broadcast system, method and apparatus providing content on demand. In one embodiment, the disclosed broadcast system includes a server that broadcasts meta-data to a plurality of clients. The meta-data describes a plurality of data files that are to be broadcast or potentially broadcast later by the server. Each client receives the broadcasted meta-data from the server and updates and maintains a local meta-data table and a content rating table. Based on the meta-data, previous access habits of the user and optional user classifications, the client system selectively receives and/or stores the data files that are later broadcast by the server. In one embodiment, the client systems transmit back to the server ratings of each one of the data files described by the meta-data based on the user'"'"'s previously accessed data files and optional user classifications. The server then determines the data files to be broadcast and the broadcast schedule based on the ratings received from the clients.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

broadcasting meta-data to one or more client systems, the meta-data including descriptions of a plurality of data files for a future broadcast;

receiving ratings of each one of the plurality of data files from at least one of the one or more client systems;

adjusting the received ratings based on relevance values and believability factors;

automatically storing the future broadcast with the adjusted ratings; and

automatically broadcasting, for the future broadcast, a portion of the plurality of data files to the one or more client systems in response to the adjusted received ratings.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising selecting the portion of the plurality of data files having higher ratings based on the received ratings.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising combining the ratings received from the client systems, if ratings are received from more than one client system, to generate an overall ratings list of the plurality of data files.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising broadcasting a broadcast schedule of the portion of the plurality of data files prior to broadcasting the portion of the plurality of data files.

5. The method of claim 1,

wherein the relevance values indicate predictability of behavior of a user,

wherein the believability factors are weighting factors for predicting user behavior, and

wherein automatically storing the future broadcast with adjusted ratings comprises storing the future broadcast at the one or more client systems for on demand availability of the future broadcast.

6. An apparatus comprising:

a processor having circuitry to execute instructions;

a communications interface coupled with the processor, the communications interface operable to broadcast and receive data to and from one or more client systems; and

a storage device coupled with the processor, having sequences of instructions stored therein, which when executed by the processor cause the processor to;

broadcast meta-data to one or more client systems, the meta-data including descriptions of a plurality of data files for a future broadcast;

receive ratings of each one of the plurality of data files from at least one of the one or more client systems;

adjust the received ratings based on relevance values and believability factors;

automatically store the future broadcast with the adjusted ratings at the one or more client systems; and

automatically broadcast, for the future broadcast, a portion of the plurality of data files to the one or more client systems in response to the adjusted received ratings.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the processor is further caused to select the portion of the plurality of data files having higher ratings based on the received ratings.

8. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the processor is further caused to broadcast a broadcast schedule of the portion of the plurality of data files prior to broadcasting the portion of the plurality of data files.

9. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the processor is further caused to broadcast a broadcast schedule of the meta-data prior to broadcasting the meta-data to the one or more client systems.

10. The apparatus of claim 6,

wherein the relevance values indicate predictability of behavior of a user,

wherein the believability factors are weighting factors for predicting user behavior, and

wherein the automatically stored future broadcast with adjusted ratings at the one or more client systems is for on demand availability of the future broadcast.

11. A system comprising:

a broadcasting unit;

one or more clients coupled with the broadcasting unit; and

a communication arrangement having a communications interface coupled with the broadcasting unit, the communications interface operable to transmit and receive data to and from the one or more clients, and wherein the communication arrangement further includes;

a processor having circuitry to execute instructions; and

a storage device coupled with the processor, having sequences of instructions stored therein, which when executed by the processor cause the processor to perform a method including;

broadcasting meta-data to one or more client systems, the meta-data including descriptions of a plurality of data files for a future broadcast;

receiving ratings of each one of the plurality of data files from at least one of the one or more client systems

adjusting the received ratings based on relevance values and believability factors;

automatically storing the future broadcast with the adjusted ratings; and

automatically broadcasting, for the future broadcast, a portion of the plurality of data files to the one or more client systems in response to the adjusted received ratings.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the method further comprising selecting the portion of the plurality of data files having higher ratings based on the received ratings.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the method further comprising broadcasting a broadcast schedule of the portion of the plurality of data files prior to broadcasting the portion of the plurality of data files.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein the method further comprising broadcasting a broadcast schedule of the meta-data prior to broadcasting the meta-data to the one or more clients.

15. The system of claim 11,

wherein the relevance values indicate predictability of behavior of a user,

wherein the believability factors are weighting factors for predicting user behavior, and

wherein automatically storing the future broadcast with adjusted ratings comprises storing the future broadcast at the one or more client systems for on demand availability of the future broadcast.