Favorites program selection

• US 8,046,793 B2
• Filed: 03/31/2003
• Issued: 10/25/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 07/29/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Sharp Laboratories of America Incorporated (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Pan, Hao, Li, Baoxin
• Primary Examiner(s): Kumar; Pankaj
• Assistant Examiner(s): NEWLIN, TIMOTHY R
• Application Number:
  US10/404,288
• Publication Number:
  US 20040019907A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,130 Days
• Field of Search: 725/42, 725/43
• US Class Current: 725/38
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44222 Analytics of user selections, e.g. selection of programs or purchase activity monitoring of user selections in data processing systems G06F11/34; arrangements for monitoring the user's behaviour or opinions in broadcast systems H04H60/33
• 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 21/47 End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4826 using recommendation lists, e.g. of programs or channels sorted out according to their score

Abstract

The selection of favorites for a video presentation system.

Claims

1. A method for modifying a set of favorite channels of a video presentation device for a user comprising:

(a) said user selecting a first set of a plurality of different channels representative of said user'"'"'s favorite channels during a first time interval, and selecting a second set of a plurality of different channels representative of said user'"'"'s favorite channels during a second time interval;

(b) respectively storing each of said first set of a plurality of different channels and said second set of a plurality of different channels in an arrangement that is selectively, visually presentable to said user on said video presentation device; and

(c) automatically modifying said arrangement of channels within at least one of said first set and said second set, independently of each other, based hierarchically upon the duration that said different channels are viewed relative to other channels within their respective set, tabulated over a temporal time period, and wherein the duration that channels are viewed during time intervals outside of that associated with the respective said at least one of said first set and said second set, are not included in said tabulation for modifying the arrangement of channels within the respective said at least one of said first set and said second set; and

(d) incrementally tuning a display device, tuned to and visually presenting a first channel in a normal display mode over the whole of a screen of said display device, to a next sequential channel selected only from a respective one of said user'"'"'s favorite channels during an applicable said time interval, in automatic response to a user'"'"'s sole action of activating a single input on a remote.

2. The method of claim 1 where said first time interval is a first day of the week and said second time interval is a second day of the week, different from said first day of the week.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein said first time interval is a first time range in a day and said second time interval is a second time range in a day, different from said first time range.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein said temporal time period is a plurality of days.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein one of said plurality of selected different channels is free from modifying said set of favorite channels if said duration is less than a threshold.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein said threshold is 20 seconds.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein said set of favorite channels is less than all available channels.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein said modifying is further based upon the time of day that said different channels are selected.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein said modifying is further based upon the day of the week that said different channels are selected.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein said modifying is further based upon the day of the month that said different channels are selected.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein said modifying is further based upon the content of said selected different channels.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein said favorite channels are presented to the user including station names.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein said set of favorite channels is determined in a manner free from explicit user definition.

14. The method of claim 1 wherein said set of favorite channels is determined in an additive manner from available channels.

15. The method of claim 3 wherein said favorite channels are displayed as a result of selecting said favorite functionality with a remote control, where said set of favorite channels is determined in a manner free from explicit user definition.

16. The method of claim 1 further comprising identifying said user.