US6813775B1
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US
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Method and apparatus for sharing viewing preferences
Assignee: The AT&T MVPD Group LLC
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Filing: 2000-03-24
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Granted: 2004-11-02
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Expires: 2020-03-24
Abstract
Abstract A method, apparatus, and article of manufacture for sharing viewer preference information between a first user and a second user is disclosed. The method comprises the steps of storing first user viewer preference information characterizing media programs selected by the first user in a memory of a first user device, and transmitting at least a portion of the first viewer preference information to a second user for storage in a memory of a second user device. The article of manufacture comprises a data storage device tangibly embodying instructions to perform these method steps. The apparatus comprises a first user device which includes at least one receiver for receiving media programs and second user viewer preferences, a processor, a memory for storing viewer preference information characterizing the media programs selected by the first user, and a transmitter, for transmitting viewer preferences information to a second user device.
Inventors
- 👤 Craig A. Finseth
- 👤 Jeffrey A. Brown
- 👤 Philip E. Hsiao
- 👤 Robert G. Arsenault
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-05 08:40
CPC Classifications
H; H04; H04N; H04N21/00; H04N21/40; H04N21/47; H04N21/475; H04N21/4755; H04N21/20; H04N21/25; H04N21/251; H04N21/252; H04N21/258; H04N21/25866; H04N21/25891; H04N21/45; H04N21/4508; H04N21/4532; H04N21/454; H04N21/60; H04N21/65; H04N21/658; H04N21/6582; H04N21/80; H04N21/81; H04N21/812; H04N21/83; H04N21/84; H04N7/00; H04N7/16; H04N7/173; H04N7/17309; H04N7/17318
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 45
Claim 1
Independent Claim
133 words
A method of sharing viewer preference information between a first user and at least one second user, comprising the steps of: storing first user viewer preference information characterizing media programs selected by the first user in a memory of a first user device; transmitting at least a portion of the first user viewer preference information to a second user for storage in a memory of a second user device; receiving the transmitted portion of the first user viewer preference information, comprising the steps of accepting a second user selection of at least one first user designated to transmit first user viewer preference information; receiving the first user viewer preference information from the designated first user; and storing the received portion of the viewer preference information in the memory of the second user device.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
133 words
A method of sharing viewer preference information between a first user and at least one second user, comprising the steps of: storing first user viewer preference information characterizing media programs selected by the first user in a memory of a first user device; transmitting at least a portion of the first user viewer preference information to a second user for storage in a memory of a second user device; receiving the transmitted portion of the first user viewer preference information, comprising the steps of accepting a second user selection of at least one first user designated to transmit first user viewer preference information; receiving the first user viewer preference information from the designated first user; and storing the received portion of the viewer preference information in the memory of the second user device.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
24 words
The method of claim 1 , wherein the first user device and the second user device are receivers configured to receive the media programs.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
31 words
The method of claim 1 , wherein the first user viewer preference information describes programs viewed by the first user for a duration between a minimum time and a maximum time.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
16 words
The method of claim 1 , further comprising the step of compiling first user viewer preferences.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
25 words
The method of claim 4 , wherein the step of compiling first user viewer preferences comprises the step of: accepting first user-input viewer preference information.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
27 words
The method of claim 4 , wherein the step of compiling first user viewer preferences comprises the step of: monitoring and storing first user viewer-selected media programs.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
39 words
The method of claim 1 , wherein the first user viewer preference information comprises a selection history including information selected from a group comprising: a subset of the selection history; and a summary of attributes of the selection history.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
58 words
The method of claim 1 , wherein the step of transmitting at least a portion of the viewer preference information comprises the steps of: accepting a first user selection of at least one second user designated to receive at least a portion of the first viewer preferences; and transmitting the first viewer preferences to the designated second user.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
34 words
The method of claim 1 , wherein the first user viewer preference information is transmitted directly to the second user device via a medium selected from a group comprising: the Internet; and a telephone.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
72 words
The method of claim 1 , wherein the step of transmitting at least a portion of the first user viewer preference information to the second user comprises the steps of: transmitting at least a portion of the first viewer preference information from the first user device to a third party; and transmitting at least a second portion of the first user viewer preference information from the third party to the second user.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
51 words
The method of claim 10 , wherein the step of transmitting at least a portion of the first user viewer preference information to the second user further comprises the step of: filtering the portion of the first user viewer preferences to generate the second portion of the first user viewer preferences.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
25 words
The method of claim 10 , wherein the third party is a broadcaster transmitting the media programs to the first user and the second user.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
87 words
The method of claim 1 , wherein the user viewer preference information includes information selected from a group comprising a subset of a selection history and a summary of attributes of the selection history, and the step of receiving the transmitted portion of the viewer preference information comprises the steps of: accepting a second user selection of first user viewer preference information from the subset of the selection history and the summary of attributes of the selection history; and receiving the selected first user viewer preference information.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
85 words
The method of claim 1 , further comprising the steps of: receiving program guide data including information characterizing at least one of the media programs; accepting an input selection in the second input device, the input selection identifying at least a portion of the first user viewer preference information; and presenting a program guide to the second user, the program guide having data being selected based upon a comparison of the selected portion of the first user viewer preference information and the program guide data.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
21 words
The method of claim 14 , wherein the input selection in the second input device is initiated by the second user.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
62 words
The method of claim 1 , further comprising the steps of: receiving advertising data in the second user device, the advertising data including at least one of a plurality of advertisements and information characterizing the advertisement; and presenting a set of the plurality of advertisements based upon a comparison between the information characterizing the advertisement and the first user viewer preference information.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
38 words
The method of claim 1 , further comprising the steps of: generating merged viewer preference information from the first user preference information and second viewer preference information; and transmitting the merged viewer preference information to the first user.
Claim 19
Independent Claim
96 words
A method of sharing viewing preference information between a first user and at least one second user, comprising the steps of: receiving first user viewer preference information in a second user device, the first viewer preference information characterizing media programs selected by the first user comprising the steps of accepting a second user selection of at least one first user designated to transmit first user viewer preference information; receiving the first user viewer preference information from the designated first user; and storing the received first viewer preference information in a memory of the second user device.
Claim 20
Independent Claim
96 words
A method of sharing viewing preference information between a first user and at least one second user, comprising the steps of: receiving first user viewer preference information in a second user device, the first viewer preference information characterizing media programs selected by the first user comprising the steps of accepting a second user selection of at least one first user designated to transmit first user viewer preference information; receiving the first user viewer preference information from the designated first user; and storing the received first viewer preference information in a memory of the second user device.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
105 words
The method of claim 18 , wherein the first user viewer preference information includes information selected from a group comprising a subset of a selection history and a summary of attributes of the selection history, and wherein: the step of receiving the first user viewer preference information comprises the steps of accepting a second user selection of first user viewer preference information from the subset of the selection history and the summary of attributes of the selection history; and the step of receiving the first viewer preference information from the designated first user comprises the step of receiving the selected first user viewer preference information.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
85 words
The method of claim 18 , further comprising the steps of: receiving program guide data including information characterizing at least one of the media programs; accepting an input selection in the second input device, the input selection identifying at least a portion of the first user viewer preference information; and presenting a program guide to the second user, the program guide having data being selected based upon a comparison of the selected portion of the first user viewer preference information and the program guide data.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
21 words
The method of claim 20 , wherein the input selection in the second input device is initiated by the second user.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
62 words
The method of claim 18 , further comprising the steps of: receiving advertising data in the second user device, the advertising data including at least one of a plurality of advertisements and information characterizing the advertisement; and presenting a set of the plurality of advertisements based upon a comparison between the information characterizing the advertisement and the first user viewer preference information.
Claim 25
Dependent Claim
38 words
The method of claim 18 , further comprising the steps of: generating shared viewer preference information from the first user preference information and second viewer preference information; and transmitting the shared viewer preference information to the first user.
Claim 26
Independent Claim
152 words
An apparatus for sharing viewer preferences information between a first user and at least one second user, comprising: means for storing first user viewer preference information characterizing media programs selected by the first user in a memory of a first user device; means for transmitting at least a portion of the first user viewer preference information to a second user for storage in a memory of a second user device; means for receiving the transmitted portion of the first user viewer preference information, the means for receiving the transmitted portion of the first viewer preference information comprising means for accepting a second user selection of at least one first user designated to transmit first user viewer preference information; means for receiving the first user viewer preference information from the designated first user; and means for storing the received portion of the viewer preference information in the memory of the second user device.
Claim 27
Independent Claim
152 words
An apparatus for sharing viewer preferences information between a first user and at least one second user, comprising: means for storing first user viewer preference information characterizing media programs selected by the first user in a memory of a first user device; means for transmitting at least a portion of the first user viewer preference information to a second user for storage in a memory of a second user device; means for receiving the transmitted portion of the first user viewer preference information, the means for receiving the transmitted portion of the first viewer preference information comprising means for accepting a second user selection of at least one first user designated to transmit first user viewer preference information; means for receiving the first user viewer preference information from the designated first user; and means for storing the received portion of the viewer preference information in the memory of the second user device.
Claim 28
Dependent Claim
24 words
The apparatus of claim 24 , wherein the first user device and the second user device are receivers configured to receive the media programs.
Claim 29
Dependent Claim
30 words
The apparatus of claim 24 , wherein the first user viewer preference information describes programs viewed by the user for a duration between a minimum time and a maximum time.
Claim 30
Dependent Claim
15 words
The apparatus of claim 24 , further comprising means for compiling first user viewer preferences.
Claim 31
Dependent Claim
24 words
The apparatus of claim 27 , wherein the means for compiling first user viewer preferences comprises: means for accepting first user-input viewer preference information.
Claim 32
Dependent Claim
26 words
The apparatus of claim 27 , wherein the means for compiling first user viewer preferences comprises: means for monitoring and storing first user viewer-selected media programs.
Claim 33
Dependent Claim
39 words
The apparatus of claim 24 , wherein the first user viewer preference information comprises a selection history including information selected from a group comprising: a subset of the selection history; and a summary of attributes of the selection history.
Claim 34
Dependent Claim
59 words
The apparatus of claim 24 , wherein the means for transmitting at least a portion of the viewer preference information comprises: means for accepting a first user selection of at least one second user designated to receive at least a portion of the first viewer preferences; and means for transmitting the first viewer preferences to the designated second user.
Claim 35
Dependent Claim
34 words
The apparatus of claim 24 , wherein the first user viewer preference information is transmitted directly to the second user device via a medium selected from a group comprising: the Internet; and a telephone.
Claim 36
Dependent Claim
73 words
The apparatus of claim 24 , wherein the means for transmitting at least a portion of the first user viewer preference information to the second user comprises: means for transmitting at least a portion of the first viewer preference information from the first user device to a third party; and means for transmitting at least a second portion of the first user viewer preference information from the third party to the second user.
Claim 37
Dependent Claim
50 words
The apparatus of claim 33 , wherein the means for transmitting at least a portion of the first user viewer preference information to the second user further comprises: means for filtering the portion of the first user viewer preferences to generate the second portion of the first user viewer preferences.
Claim 38
Dependent Claim
25 words
The apparatus of claim 33 , wherein the third party is a broadcaster transmitting the media programs to the first user and the second user.
Claim 39
Dependent Claim
88 words
The apparatus of claim 24 , wherein the user viewer preference information includes information selected from a group comprising a subset of a selection history and a summary of attributes of the selection history, and the means for receiving the transmitted portion of the viewer preference information comprises: means for accepting a second user selection of first user viewer preference information from the subset of the selection history and the summary of attributes of the selection history; and means for receiving the selected first user viewer preference information.
Claim 40
Dependent Claim
88 words
The apparatus of claim 24 , further comprising: means for receiving program guide data including information characterizing at least one of the media programs; means for accepting an input selection in the second input device, the input selection identifying at least a portion of the first user viewer preference information; and means for presenting a program guide to the second user, the program guide having data being selected based upon a comparison of the selected portion of the first user viewer preference information and the program guide data.
Claim 41
Dependent Claim
21 words
The apparatus of claim 37 , wherein the input selection in the second input device is initiated by the second user.
Claim 42
Dependent Claim
63 words
The apparatus of claim 24 , further comprising: means for receiving advertising data in the second user device, the advertising data including at least one of a plurality of advertisements and information characterizing the advertisement; and means for presenting a set of the plurality of advertisements based upon a comparison between the information characterizing the advertisement and the first user viewer preference information.
Claim 43
Dependent Claim
39 words
The apparatus of claim 24 , further comprising: means for generating merged viewer preference information from the first user preference information and second viewer preference information; and means for transmitting the merged viewer preference information to the first user.
Claim 44
Dependent Claim
158 words
A program storage device, readable by a computer, tangibly embodying at least one program of instructions executable by the computer to perform method steps of sharing viewer preference information between a first user and at least one second user, the method steps comprising the steps of: storing first user viewer preference information characterizing media programs selected by the first user in a memory of a first user device; transmitting at least a portion of the first user viewer preference information to a second user for storage in a memory of a second user device; receiving the transmitted portion of the first user viewer preference information, comprising the steps of accepting a second user selection of at least one first user designated to transmit first user viewer preference information; receiving the first user viewer preference information from the designated first user; and storing the received portion of the viewer preference information in the memory of the second user device.
Claim 45
Dependent Claim
158 words
A program storage device, readable by a computer, tangibly embodying at least one program of instructions executable by the computer to perform method steps of sharing viewer preference information between a first user and at least one second user, the method steps comprising the steps of: storing first user viewer preference information characterizing media programs selected by the first user in a memory of a first user device; transmitting at least a portion of the first user viewer preference information to a second user for storage in a memory of a second user device; receiving the transmitted portion of the first user viewer preference information, comprising the steps of accepting a second user selection of at least one first user designated to transmit first user viewer preference information; receiving the first user viewer preference information from the designated first user; and storing the received portion of the viewer preference information in the memory of the second user device.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
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| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2011-11-02 | 2012-05-03 | 2012-11-02 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2015-11-02 | 2016-05-03 | 2016-11-02 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |