Data network, user terminal and method for providing recommendations

• US 8,230,465 B2
• Filed: 08/05/2003
• Issued: 07/24/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 09/09/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Original Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Inventors: Bodlaender, Maarten Peter
• Primary Examiner(s): Pendleton, Brian T
• Assistant Examiner(s): Lewis, Jonathan V
• Application Number:
  US10/526,868
• Publication Number:
  US 20050278758A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,276 Days
• Field of Search: 725/39, 725/49, 725/80, 725/120
• US Class Current: 725/80
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/435 Filtering based on additional data, e.g. user or group profiles
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/04 specially adapted for terminals or networks with limited capabilities; specially adapted for terminal portability
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

The invention relates to an ad-hoc peer to peer network for providing recommendations. User terminals (100, 103) of the data network comprise a local database (115) with community reference information. A processor (111) determines if a communication with a second user terminal (103) is possible and if so, communication is established by a direct wireless link. Community preference information is exchanged between the two user terminals (100,103) and the database (115) is updated accordingly by a database controller (113). The user terminal (100) also comprises a recommendation processor (117) which generates a recommendation based on the community preference information. The invention is particular applicable to small low cost terminals, such as mobile phones or wireless equipped Personal Digital Assistants.

Claims

1. A user terminal for a network, the user terminal comprising:

a local database comprising community preference information related to preferences of a community of users;

a processor for determining if a communication with a second user terminal is possible;

a receiver for receiving community preference information from the second user terminal if communication is possible, wherein the community preference information relates to media clips;

a database controller for updating the database of community preference information in response to the received community preference information, the database being stored in a matrix structure wherein there is a column for each media clip and a row for each user, each row comprising a time stamp indicating when the information was updated by the corresponding user;

a recommendation processor for generating a recommendation in response to the community preference information of the local database, wherein the recommendation is of a media clip; and

wherein the user terminal compares the time stamp of the received community presence information for a specific user with the time stamp of the community presence information already stored in the database in a row corresponding to said specific user and if the time stamp reflects that the received community presence information is newer, the database is updated with the received community presence information and otherwise said row is not modified.

2. A user terminal as claimed in claim 1 wherein the user terminal is a wireless user terminal.

3. A user terminal as claimed in claim 1 wherein the communication with the second user terminal is over a direct wireless link between the user terminal and the second user terminal.

4. A user terminal as claimed in claim 1 wherein the local database is operable to comprise community preference information related to the whole community.

5. A user terminal as claimed in claim 1 wherein the user terminal is operable to communicate community preference information from the local database to the second user terminal if communications with the second user terminal is possible.

6. A user terminal as claimed in claim 1 wherein the user terminal is operable to communicate with the second user terminal using a peer to peer protocol.

7. A user terminal as claimed in claim 1 wherein the community preference information comprises a user rating.

8. A user terminal as claimed in claim 1 wherein the user terminal further comprises means for communicating the recommendation to another user terminal.

9. A user terminal as claimed in claim 1 wherein the user terminal further comprises an interface for receiving community preference information from the Internet.

10. A user terminal as claimed in claim 1 wherein the received community preference information is received in a prioritized order.

11. A data network comprising at least one user terminal as claimed in claim 1.

12. A data network as claimed in claim 10 wherein the data network is a peer to peer data network.

13. A data network as claimed in claim 10 wherein the data network comprises a plurality of wireless user terminals according to claim 1, and wherein at least one of the plurality of wireless user terminals are operable to receive community preference information from a fixed network and distribute the community preference information from the fixed network to other wireless user terminals.

14. A data network as claimed in claim 12 wherein the fixed network is the Internet.

15. A data network as claimed in claim 12 wherein the at least one wireless user terminal is operable to distribute the community preference information from the fixed network while disconnected from the fixed network.

16. A method of providing a recommendation to a user of a user terminal, the method comprising the steps of:

locally in the user terminal storing a local database comprising community preference information related to preferences of a community of users;

determining a priority of elements of the community preference information in the local database;

determining if a communication with a second user terminal is possible;

and if so;

receiving community preference information from the second user terminal, wherein the community preference information relates to media clips;

updating the database of community preference information in response to the received community preference information, the database being stored in a matrix structure wherein there is a column for each media clip and a row for each user, each row comprising a time stamp indicating when the information was updated by the corresponding user;

comparing the time stamp of the received community presence information for a specific user with the time stamp of the community presence information already stored in the database in a row corresponding to said specific user and if the time stamp reflects that the received community presence information is newer˜

updating the database with the received community presence information and not modifying said row otherwise;

generating a recommendation in response to the community preference information of the local database, wherein the recommendation is of a media clip; and

providing the recommendation to the user.

17. A non-transitory computer readable medium including code for a user terminal for a network, medium comprising:

code for storing community preference information related to preferences of a community of users, wherein the community preference information relates to media clips;

code for determining a priority of elements of community preference information in the local database;

code for determining if a communication with a second user terminal is possible;

code for receiving community preference information from the second user terminal;

code for updating the database of community preference information in response to the received community preference information, the database being stored in a matrix structure wherein there is a column for each media clip and a row for each user, each row comprising a time stamp indicating when the information was updated by the corresponding user;

comparing the time stamp of the received community presence information for a specific user with the time stamp of the community presence information already stored in the database in a row corresponding to said specific user and if the time stamp reflects that the received community presence information is newer, updating the database with the received community presence information and not modifying said row otherwise;

code for generating a recommendation in response to the community preference information of the local database, wherein the recommendation is of a media clip; and

code for transmitting the recommendation to the user.