Favorite media program scenes systems and methods

• US 9,319,724 B2
• Filed: 02/28/2013
• Issued: 04/19/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 02/28/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Verizon and Redbox Digital Entertainment Services, LLC (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: Lewis, Kirk M. II, Roberts, Brian F.
• Primary Examiner(s): DUFFIELD, JEREMY S
• Application Number:
  US13/781,574
• Publication Number:
  US 20140245336A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,146 Days
• Field of Search: 725/9, 725/10, 725/37, 725/13, 725/38, 725/44, 725/46
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25 Management operations performed by the server for facilitating the content distribution or administrating data related to end-users or client devices, e.g. end-user or client device authentication, learning user preferences for recommending movies maintenance or administration in data networks H04L41/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/251 Learning process for intelligent management, e.g. learning user preferences for recommending movies details of learning user preferences for the retrieval of video data in a video database G06F16/739; computer systems using learning methods G06N3/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/252 Processing of multiple end-users' preferences to derive collaborative data
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2668 Creating a channel for a dedicated end-user group, e.g. insertion of targeted commercials based on end-user profiles information retrieval from the Internet by querying with filtering and personalisation G06F16/9535; arrangements for replacing or switching information during the broadcast H04H20/10; push services over packet-switching network H04L12/1859; adaptation of message content in packet-switching networks H04L51/063
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44226 on social networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47214 for content reservation or setting reminders; for requesting event notification, e.g. of sport results or stock market stock exchange data over packet-switching network H04L12/1804; push services over packet-switching network H04L12/1859; notification of incoming messages in packet switching networks H04L51/224
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47217 for controlling playback functions for recorded or on-demand content, e.g. using progress bars, mode or play-point indicators or bookmarks specific graphical features in visual interfaces H04N21/4312
• 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 21/4826 using recommendation lists, e.g. of programs or channels sorted out according to their score
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8456 by decomposing the content in the time domain, e.g. in time segments

Abstract

An exemplary method includes a media program distribution service system 1) receiving data representative of a plurality of scene tags specifying one or more media program scenes tagged by a plurality of end users of a media program distribution service, 2) aggregating the plurality of scene tags, 3) determining, based on a favorite scenes determination heuristic and the aggregate scene tags, a set of one or more favorite scenes that are most popular among the plurality of end users of the media program distribution service, and 4) providing, based on the determined set of one or more favorite scenes, a favorite scene based feature of the media program distribution service. Corresponding systems and methods are also disclosed.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, by a media program distribution service system that provides a media program distribution service to a plurality of end users, data representative of a plurality of scene tags specifying media program scenes tagged by the plurality of end users of the media program distribution service;

aggregating, by the media program distribution service system, the plurality of scene tags;

determining, by the media program distribution service system based on a favorite scenes determination heuristic and the aggregate scene tags, a set of favorite scenes that are most popular among the plurality of end users of the media program distribution service; and

providing, by the media program distribution service system based on the determined set of favorite scenes, a favorite scene based feature of the media program distribution service, the providing of the favorite scene based feature of the media program distribution service comprising providing, in response to a user input associated with a favorite scenes option provided for display in a graphical user interface view that includes information for a single media program, for concurrent display in an additional graphical user interface view,

menu objects representing a subset of scenes included in the set of favorite scenes that are included in only the single media program,

an individual playback option for each scene included in the subset of the scenes,

a playlist playback option configured to be selected to initiate playback of all of the subset of the scenes, and

information indicating, for each scene included in the subset of scenes represented by the menu objects in the additional graphical user interface view, a number of scene tags received from the plurality of end users of the media program distribution service.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining comprises determining, based on the favorite scenes determination heuristic and the aggregate scene tags, that the favorite scenes included in the set of favorite scenes are more popular among the plurality of users than are one or more other scenes included in the single media program.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the favorite scenes in the set of favorite scenes are included in a plurality of media programs.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the determining comprises determining, based on the favorite scenes determination heuristic and the aggregate scene tags, that the favorite scenes included in the set of favorite scenes are more popular among the plurality of users than are one or more other scenes included in the plurality of media programs.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the plurality of media programs are included in a single category of media programs.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the favorite scenes determination heuristic specifies at least one of a quantity of favorite scenes condition, a maximum duration condition, a minimum number of votes condition, and a time window condition; and

the determining of the set of favorite scenes is based on the at least one of the quantity of favorite scenes condition, the maximum duration condition, the minimum number of votes condition, and the time window condition.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the providing of the favorite scenes based feature of the media program distribution service further comprises promoting at least one of the favorite scenes within the media program distribution service.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the promoting comprises providing, for display in a further graphical user interface view, promotional content that promotes the at least one of the favorite scenes, the promotional content comprising at least one user selectable option that facilitates access to the at least one of the favorite scenes.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the providing of the promotional content for display in the further graphical user interface view comprises providing the promotional content for display within a top-level menu page of the graphical user interface.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the providing of the favorite scenes based feature of the media program distribution service further comprises promoting, within the media program distribution service, at least one media program that contains at least one of the favorite scenes.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the promoting comprises providing, for display in a further graphical user interface view, promotional content that promotes the at least one media program, the promotional content comprising at least one user selectable option-that facilitates access to the at least one media program.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the providing of the promotional content for display in the further graphical user interface view comprises providing the promotional content for display within a top-level menu page of the graphical user interface.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the providing of the favorite scenes based feature of the media program distribution service further comprises:

analyzing one or more attributes of the favorite scenes included in the set of favorite scenes;

determining a media program recommendation based on the one or more attributes of the favorite scenes; and

providing the media program recommendation to recommend a media program.

14. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing data representative of the set of favorite scenes for syndicated use by a service that is separate from the media program distribution service.

15. The method of claim 1, embodied as computer-executable instructions on at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein the subset of the scenes represented by the menu objects are arranged in chronological order in the additional graphical user interface view.

16. A system comprising:

at least one computing device;

a scene tags facility that directs the at least one computing device to

receive data representative of a plurality of scene tags specifying media program scenes tagged by a plurality of end users of a media program distribution service, and

aggregate the plurality of scene tags;

a favorite scenes management facility that directs the at least one computing device to determine, based on a favorite scenes determination heuristic and the aggregate scene tags, a set of favorite scenes that are most popular among the plurality of end users of the media program distribution service; and

a feature facility that directs the at least one computing device to provide, based on the determined set of favorite scenes, a favorite scene based feature of the media program distribution service by providing, in response to a user input associated with a favorite scenes option provided for display in a graphical user interface view that includes information for a single media program, for concurrent display in an additional graphical user interface view,

menu objects representing a subset of scenes included in the set of favorite scenes that are included in only the single media program,

an individual playback option for each scene included in the subset of the scenes,

a playlist playback option configured to be selected to initiate playback of all of the subset of the scenes, and

information indicating, for each scene included in the subset of the scenes represented by the menu objects in the additional graphical user interface view, a number of scene tags received from the plurality of end users of the media program distribution service.

17. A method comprising:

accessing, by a media program distribution service system that provides a media program distribution service to a plurality of end users, data representative of a plurality of scene tags specifying media program scenes tagged by an end user included in the plurality of end users of the media program distribution service;

providing, by the media program distribution service system based on the data representative of the plurality of scene tags, a favorite scene based feature of the media program distribution service, the providing of the favorite scene based feature of the media program distribution service comprising providing, in response to a user input associated with a favorite scenes option provided for display in a graphical user interface view that includes information for a single media program, for concurrent display in an additional graphical user interface view,

menu objects representing a subset of scenes included in a set of favorite scenes that are from only the single media program and that have been tagged as favorite scenes by the plurality of end users,

an individual playback option for each scene included in the subset of the scenes,

a playlist playback option configured to be selected to initiate playback of all of the subset of the scenes, and

information indicating, for each scene included in the subset of the scenes represented by the menu objects in the additional graphical user interface view, a number of scene tags received from the plurality of end users of the media program distribution service.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

accessing, by the media program distribution service system, data representative of a plurality of additional scene tags specifying media program scenes tagged by additional end users included in the plurality of end users of the media program distribution service;

aggregating, by the media program distribution service system, the plurality of additional scene tags;

determining, by the media program distribution service system based on a favorite scenes determination heuristic and the aggregate scene tags, the set of favorite scenes.