Systems and methods for providing program suggestions in an interactive television program guide

• US 8,904,441 B2
• Filed: 06/21/2011
• Issued: 12/02/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/06/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: UV Corporation (Adeia Inc.)
• Original Assignee: United Video Properties Incorporated (Adeia Inc.)
• Inventors: Westberg, Thomas E.
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN BA, HOANG VU A
• Application Number:
  US13/165,209
• Publication Number:
  US 20120047533A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,260 Days
• Field of Search: 725/45, 725/46, 725/53, 725/58, 725/61, 715/811, 705/1.54, 705/14.554, 386/296, 386/297
• US Class Current: 725/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4135 external recorder interface circuits between an apparatus for recording television signals and a television receiver H04N5/775
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44224 Monitoring of user activity on external systems, e.g. Internet browsing
• 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 21/4667 Processing of monitored end-user data, e.g. trend analysis based on the log file of viewer selections
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4668 for recommending content, e.g. movies
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47 End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4755 for defining user preferences, e.g. favourite actors or genre retrieval personalisation and generation of user profiles for the retrieval of video data G06F16/739; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4756 for rating content, e.g. scoring a recommended movie
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4821 using a grid, e.g. sorted out by channel and broadcast time
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4826 using recommendation lists, e.g. of programs or channels sorted out according to their score
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/163 by receiver means only

Abstract

An interactive television program guide application is provided that queries a user regarding the user'"'"'s interest in television programs and suggests television programs to the user based on the user'"'"'s responses. The interactive television program guide application identifies a television program that is potentially of interest to the user. The interactive television program guide application then queries the user regarding the user'"'"'s interest using questions that are formulated based on attributes associated with the identified television program. Using the user'"'"'s responses to the questions, the interactive television program guide application identifies and suggests one or more television programs to the user.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

determining that a first media content is potentially of interest to a user;

automatically identifying, using control circuitry, a second media content based on an attribute of the first media content;

generating for display a media content listing of the second media content as a recommendation;

receiving a user selection of an option indicating that the user is not interested in the recommendation of the second media content; and

in response to receiving the user selection, preventing the second media content from being recommended to the user in the future.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein determining that the first media content is potentially of interest to the user comprises determining that the user has viewed the first media content.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein generating for display the media content listing of the second media content as the recommendation comprises identifying a suitable time to generate for display the media content listing to the user.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein generating for display the media content listing of the second media content as the recommendation further comprises generating for display an option indicating that the user is not interested in the recommendation of the second media content.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising generating for display a listing of previously viewed media content to the user.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising generating for display an option to add the previously viewed media content to a favorites list associated with the user.

7. The system of claim 5, wherein the control circuitry is further configured to reduce the likelihood that programs similar to the second media content are recommended to the user in the future.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the attribute of the first media content is predetermined by a content provider.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the content provider is a television program distributor.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the attribute is a genre.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising reducing a likelihood that programs similar to the second media content are recommended to the user in the future.

12. A system comprising:

control circuitry, wherein the control circuitry is configured to;

determine that a first media content is potentially of interest to a user;

automatically identify a second media content based on an attribute of the first media content;

generate for display a media content listing of the second media content as a recommendation;

receive a user selection of an option indicating that the user is not interested in the recommendation of the second media content; and

in response to receiving the user selection, prevent the second media content from being recommended to the user in the future.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the control circuitry is further configured to determine that the user has viewed the first media content.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein the control circuitry is further configured to identify a suitable time to generate for display the media content listing of the second media content as the recommendation to the user.

15. The system of claim 12, wherein the control circuitry is further configured to generate for display an option indicating that the user is not interested in the recommendation of the second media content.

16. The system of claim 12, wherein the control circuitry is further configured to generate for display a listing of previously viewed media content to the user.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the control circuitry is further configured to generate for display an option to add the previously viewed media content to a favorites list associated with the user.

18. The system of claim 12, wherein the attribute of the first media content is predetermined by a content provider.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the content provider is a television program distributor.

20. The system of claim 18, wherein the attribute is a genre.