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

• US 9,191,719 B2
• Filed: 12/01/2014
• Issued: 11/17/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 11/06/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Rovi Guides, Inc. (Adeia Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Rovi Guides, Inc. (Adeia Inc.)
• Inventors: Westberg, Thomas E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Kumar, Pankaj
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hicks, Charles N
• Application Number:
  US14/557,077
• Publication Number:
  US 20150089543A1
• Time in Patent Office: 351 Days
• Field of Search: 725 46- 47
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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;

generating for display a media content listing of the first media content;

receiving a user selection of the media content listing indicating that the user wishes to remove the media content listing;

cross-referencing an attribute of the first media content with a database of media contents;

identifying from the database, based on the cross-referencing, a second media content associated with the attribute; and

reducing a likelihood that the second media content is recommended to the user in the future based on the user selection.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein reducing the likelihood that the second media content is recommended to the user in the future comprises preventing the second media content from being recommended.

3. 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.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein generating for display the media content listing comprises identifying a suitable time to display the media content listing.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein generating for display the media content listing further comprises generating for display an option to remove the media content listing.

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

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

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. A system comprising:

display circuitry configured to generate for display a media content listing of a first media content;

user input circuitry configured to receive a user selection of the media content listing indicating that a user wishes to remove the media content listing; and

control circuitry configured to;

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

cross-reference an attribute of the first media content with a database of media contents;

identify from the database, based on the cross-referencing, a second media asset associated with the attribute; and

reduce a likelihood that the second media content is recommended to the user in the future based on the user selection.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the control circuitry is further configured to prevent the second media content from being recommended.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the control circuitry is further configured to determine that the user has viewed the first media content.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein the control circuitry is further configured to identify a suitable time to display the media content listing.

15. The system of claim 11, wherein the display circuitry is further configured to generate for display an option to remove the media content listing.

16. The system of claim 11, wherein the display circuitry is further configured to generate for display a second media content listing of a media content previously viewed by the user.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the display 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 11, 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.