System and method for automatically and graphically associating programmatically-generated media item recommendations related to a user's socially recommended media items

• US 8,112,720 B2
• Filed: 04/05/2007
• Issued: 02/07/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 04/05/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: VideoLabs, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Napo Enerprises, LLC (Concert Technology Corporation)
• Inventors: Curtis, Scott
• Primary Examiner(s): Augustine, Nicholas
• Application Number:
  US11/696,849
• Publication Number:
  US 20080250312A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,769 Days
• Field of Search: 715/786, 715/810, 715/829, 715/833, 715/835, 715/853, 715/968, 715/811
• US Class Current: 715/811
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/00 Administration; Management

Abstract

A system and method for automatically, programmatically generating media item recommendations on a graphical user interface (GUI) based on a friend media item recommendation selected by a user. In the preferred embodiment, a selected media item recommendation is displayed in the GUI. Received friend media item recommendations are displayed in a list in relevance order adjacent to the selected media item. A programmatically-generated media item recommendation list is automatically generated based on relevance to the selected media item and displayed in another adjacent area to the selected media item recommendation. In this manner, a user can easily play the selected media item recommendation, and then browse the friend media item recommendations and the automatically updated programmatically-generated media item recommendations, which are both provided in their own respective adjacent areas, in order of closest relationship to the selected media item recommendation, at anytime.

Claims

1. A method for providing social and programmatically-generated media item recommendations to a user on a user interface, comprising the steps of:

displaying a user-selected media item recommendation in a focus area on a user interface of a display device;

determining a social media item recommendation list comprising one or more social media item recommendations;

determining a programmatically-generated media item recommendation list comprising one or more programmatically-generated media item recommendations;

displaying the social media item recommendation list in a first area on the user interface; and

displaying the programmatically-generated media item recommendation list in a second area on the user interface different from the first area, wherein the first area is a first axis and the second area is a second axis and wherein the social media item recommendation list in the first axis intersects the focus area on the user interface.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the programmatically-generated media item recommendation list in the second axis intersects the focus area on the user interface.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the first axis is a horizontal axis, and the second axis is a vertical axis, wherein the focus area is in substantially the center of the user interface.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the first area is a first adjacent area to the focus area, and the second area is a second adjacent area to the focus area.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of displaying the programmatically-generated media item recommendation list further comprises displaying an icon list on the user interface graphically representing the one or more programmatically-generated media item recommendations.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of displaying the social media item recommendation list further comprises displaying an icon list on the user interface graphically representing the one or more social media item recommendations.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of generating the programmatically-generated media item recommendation list comprises determining the relation of a set of media item recommendations to the user-selected media item recommendation.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the relation is determined by determining a relation score between the set of media item recommendations and the user-selected media item recommendation.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the most closely related media item recommendations, among the set of media item recommendations, to the user-selected media item recommendation are displayed closest to the user-selected media item recommendation on the user interface in the programmatically-generated media item recommendation list.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the programmatically-generated media item recommendation list is ordered in rank of relevance to the user-selected media item recommendation.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising automatically updating the one or more programmatically-generated media item recommendations in the programmatically-generated media item recommendation list when the user-selected media item recommendation is changed.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the step of generating the programmatically-generated media item recommendation list comprises determining the relation of a set of media item recommendations to the user-selected media item recommendation.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of generating the social media item recommendation list comprises determining the relation of the user'"'"'s social media item recommendations to the user-selected media item recommendation.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the user'"'"'s most closely related social media item recommendations to the user-selected media item recommendation is displayed closest to the user-selected media item recommendation on the user interface in the social media item recommendation list.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the social media item recommendation list is ordered in rank of relevance to the user-selected media item recommendation.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the rank of relevance is determined by determining a relation score for the user'"'"'s social media item recommendations against user preference established for the user.

17. The method of claim 1, further comprising automatically updating the one or more social media item recommendations in the social media item recommendation list when the user-selected media item is changed.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the step of generating the social media item recommendation list comprises determining the user'"'"'s social media item recommendations related to the user-selected media item recommendation.

19. The method of claim 1, further comprising shifting the programmatically-generated media item recommendation list in response to receiving a user selection to traverse the programmatically-generated media item recommendation list on the user interface.

20. The method of claim 1, further comprising shifting the social media item recommendation list in response to receiving a user selection to traverse the social media item recommendation list on the user interface.

21. The method of claim 1, further comprising displaying media-related information about the user-selected media item recommendation on the user interface.

22. The method of claim 1, further comprising displaying media-related information about a social media item recommendation within the social media item recommendation list in a pop-up window on the user interface in response to receiving a cursor rollover overtop the social media item recommendation.

23. The method of claim 1, further comprising displaying media-related information about a programmatically-generated media item recommendation within the programmatically-generated media item recommendation list in a pop-up window on the user interface in response to receiving a cursor rollover overtop the programmatically-generated media item recommendation.

24. A system providing a media application for providing social and programmatically-generated media item recommendations to a user on a user interface, comprising:

a system executing a media application;

wherein the media application is adapted to;

display a user-selected media item recommendation in a focus area on a user interface;

determine a social media item recommendation list comprising one or more social media item recommendations;

determine a programmatically-generated media item recommendation list comprising one or more programmatically-generated media item recommendations;

display the social media item recommendation list in a first area on the user interface; and

display the programmatically-generated media item recommendation list in a second area on the user interface different from the first area, wherein the first area is a first axis and the second area is a second axis and wherein the social media item recommendation list in the first axis intersects the focus area on the user interface.

25. The system of claim 24, wherein the media application is further adapted to determine the relation of a set of media item recommendations to the user-selected media item recommendation.

26. The system of claim 25, wherein the media application is further adapted to determine the relation by determining a relation score between the set of media item recommendations and the user-selected media item recommendation.

27. The system of claim 25, wherein the media application is further adapted to display the most closely related media item recommendations, among the set of media item recommendations, to the user-selected media item recommendation on the user interface in the programmatically-generated media item recommendation list.

28. The system of claim 24, wherein the media application is further adapted to automatically update the one or more programmatically-generated media item recommendations in the programmatically-generated media item recommendation list when the user-selected media item recommendation is changed.

29. The system of claim 24, wherein the media application is further adapted to determine the relation of the user'"'"'s social media item recommendations to the user-selected media item recommendation to generate the social media item recommendation list.

30. The system of claim 29, wherein the media application is further adapted to display the user'"'"'s most closely related social media item recommendations to the user-selected media item recommendation on the user interface in the social media item recommendation list.

31. A user interface generated by a media application executing on a microprocessor-based user device, comprising:

a focus area;

a user-selected media item recommendation displayed in the focus area;

a social media item recommendation list comprising one or more social media item recommendations in a first area; and

a programmatically-generated media item recommendation list comprising one or more programmatically-generated media item recommendations in a second area different from the first area, wherein the first area is a first axis and the second area is a second axis and wherein the social media item recommendation list in the first axis intersects the focus area on the user interface.

32. The user interface of claim 31, wherein the programmatically-generated media item recommendation list in the second axis intersects the focus area on the user interface.

33. The user interface of claim 31, wherein the first area is a first adjacent area to the focus area, and the second area is a second adjacent area to the focus area.

34. The user interface of claim 31, wherein the programmatically-generated media item recommendation list further comprises an icon list on the user interface graphically representing the one or more programmatically-generated media item recommendations.

35. The user interface of claim 31, wherein the social media item recommendation list further comprises an icon list on the user interface graphically representing the one or more social media item recommendations.

36. The user interface of claim 31, wherein the first axis is a horizontal axis, and the second axis is a vertical axis, and wherein the focus area is in substantially the center of the user interface.