US7979880B2
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Method and system for profiling iTV users and for providing selective content delivery
Assignee: Cox Communications Inc
•
Filing: 2001-06-07
•
Granted: 2011-07-12
•
Expires: 2021-06-07
Abstract
Abstract A method for profiling an iTV user. The method comprises gathering user-requested content information from iTV interactions, correlating content-associated profile information from a rating service with the user-requested content information, and developing a profile of the user based on the content-associated profile information correlated with the user-requested content information.
Inventors
- 👤 Devin F. Hosea
- 👤 Richard S. Zimmerman
- 👤 Arthur P. Rascon
- 👤 Anthony Scott Oddo
- 👤 Nathaniel Thurston
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-26 07:40
CPC Classifications
G; G06; G06Q; G06Q30/00; G06Q30/02; H; H04; H04N; H04N21/00; H04N21/20; H04N21/25; H04N21/251; H04N21/252; H04N21/258; H04N21/25866; H04N21/25883; H04N21/25891; H04N21/40; H04N21/43; H04N21/442; H04N21/44213; H04N21/44222; H04N21/44224; H04N21/45; H04N21/4508; H04N21/4532; H04N21/462; H04N21/4622; H04N21/466; H04N21/4668; H04N21/80; H04N21/81; H04N21/812; H04N7/00; H04N7/16; H04N7/173; H04N7/17309; H04N7/17318
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 34
Claim 1
Independent Claim
273 words
A method for profiling iTV users, comprising: gathering user-related profile data at a client component by monitoring interactions between an iTV user and an iTV to extract data received at the iTV, data transmitted by the user from the iTV and interactions between the user and the iTV; storing the gathered user-related profile data in an interaction database at the client component for processing at the client component to generate content recommendations; periodically retrieving the gathered user-related profile data in the interaction database; building, at the client component, a user profile associated with the user of the iTV based on retrieving the gathered user-related profile data in the interaction database at the client component and data in a local categorized program database at the client component, wherein the user profile includes affinity and confidence measures for programs; and generating, at the client component, an interactive program guide having a listing of available programs rearranged to form a first portion and a second portion, the first portion being displayed in a priority position for initial review by the viewer, the first portion further presenting content recommendations filtered from the listings of the available programs based on the affinity and confidence measures for programs in the user profile, the order of the content recommendations reflecting a predicted interest of the user for the content recommendations based on a comparison of the affinity and confidence measures of the user profile associated with the user to the data retrieved from the local categorized program database and the second portion presenting only unfiltered listings of the available programs in numeric order based on the number of the channel.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
273 words
A method for profiling iTV users, comprising: gathering user-related profile data at a client component by monitoring interactions between an iTV user and an iTV to extract data received at the iTV, data transmitted by the user from the iTV and interactions between the user and the iTV; storing the gathered user-related profile data in an interaction database at the client component for processing at the client component to generate content recommendations; periodically retrieving the gathered user-related profile data in the interaction database; building, at the client component, a user profile associated with the user of the iTV based on retrieving the gathered user-related profile data in the interaction database at the client component and data in a local categorized program database at the client component, wherein the user profile includes affinity and confidence measures for programs; and generating, at the client component, an interactive program guide having a listing of available programs rearranged to form a first portion and a second portion, the first portion being displayed in a priority position for initial review by the viewer, the first portion further presenting content recommendations filtered from the listings of the available programs based on the affinity and confidence measures for programs in the user profile, the order of the content recommendations reflecting a predicted interest of the user for the content recommendations based on a comparison of the affinity and confidence measures of the user profile associated with the user to the data retrieved from the local categorized program database and the second portion presenting only unfiltered listings of the available programs in numeric order based on the number of the channel.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
35 words
The method of claim 1 , wherein the gathering user-related profile data by monitoring interactions between an iTV user and an iTV includes gathering data associated with Internet navigation by the user using the iTV.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
21 words
The method of claim 1 , wherein the gathering user-related profile data further comprises identifying demographic information associated with the user.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
17 words
The method of claim 1 , wherein the gathering user-related profile data further comprises identifying psychographic information.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
54 words
The method of claim 1 , wherein the gathering user-related profile data by monitoring interactions between an iTV user and an iTV to extract data received at the iTV, data transmitted by the user from the iTV and interactions between the user and the iTV further comprises identifying a program watched by the user.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
65 words
The method of claim 1 , wherein the gathering user-related profile data by monitoring interactions between an iTV user and an iTV to extract data received at the iTV, data transmitted by the user from the iTV and interactions between the user and the iTV further comprises associating a plurality of programs with content-associated profile information of viewers of the program watched by the user.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
62 words
The method of claim 1 , wherein the building a user profile associated with the user of the iTV based on the gathered user-related profile data in the interaction database and data in a local categorized program database further comprises adjusting the user profile by examining profiles of users with similar profiles to improve the confidence measures of programs below a threshold.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
25 words
The method of claim 1 , further comprising receiving a plurality of advertisements selected using the user profile associated with the user of the iTV.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
34 words
The method of claim 8 , further comprising selecting one of the plurality of advertisements for presentation to the user via the iTV based on demographics associated with the user profile of the user.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
60 words
The method of claim 1 , wherein the building a user profile associated with the user of the iTV based on the gathered user-related profile data in the interaction database and data in a local categorized program database further comprises associating a plurality of URLs having content determined to match the user profile associated with the user of the iTV.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
80 words
The method of claim 1 , wherein the building a user profile associated with the user of the iTV based on the gathered user-related profile data in the interaction database and data in a local categorized program database further comprises building a user profile associated with the user of the iTV based on the gathered user-related profile data in the interaction database and data in a database developed by a television program ratings service and a web site ratings service.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
296 words
A set-top box for profiling iTV users, comprising: memory for providing an interaction database; and a processor, coupled to the memory, the processor being configured to gather user-related profile data at the set-top box by monitoring interactions between an iTV user and an iTV to extract data received at the iTV, data transmitted by the user from the iTV and interactions between the user and the iTV, to store the gathered user-related profile data in the interaction database at the set-top box for processing at the set-top box to generate content recommendations, to periodically retrieve the gathered user-related profile data in the interaction database, to build, at the client component, a user profile associated with the user of the iTV based on retrieving the gathered user-related profile data in the interaction database at the set-top box and data in a local categorized program database at the set-top box, wherein the user profile includes affinity and confidence measures for programs and to generate, at the set-top box, an interactive program guide having a listing of available programs rearranged to form a first portion and a second portion, the first portion being displayed in a priority position for initial review by the viewer, the first portion further presenting content recommendations filtered from the listings of the available programs based on the affinity and confidence measures for programs in the user profile, the order of the content recommendations reflecting a predicted interest of the user for the content recommendations based on a comparison of the affinity and confidence measures of the user profile associated with the user to the data retrieved from the local categorized program database and the second portion presenting only unfiltered listings of the available programs in numeric order based on the number of the channel.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
296 words
A set-top box for profiling iTV users, comprising: memory for providing an interaction database; and a processor, coupled to the memory, the processor being configured to gather user-related profile data at the set-top box by monitoring interactions between an iTV user and an iTV to extract data received at the iTV, data transmitted by the user from the iTV and interactions between the user and the iTV, to store the gathered user-related profile data in the interaction database at the set-top box for processing at the set-top box to generate content recommendations, to periodically retrieve the gathered user-related profile data in the interaction database, to build, at the client component, a user profile associated with the user of the iTV based on retrieving the gathered user-related profile data in the interaction database at the set-top box and data in a local categorized program database at the set-top box, wherein the user profile includes affinity and confidence measures for programs and to generate, at the set-top box, an interactive program guide having a listing of available programs rearranged to form a first portion and a second portion, the first portion being displayed in a priority position for initial review by the viewer, the first portion further presenting content recommendations filtered from the listings of the available programs based on the affinity and confidence measures for programs in the user profile, the order of the content recommendations reflecting a predicted interest of the user for the content recommendations based on a comparison of the affinity and confidence measures of the user profile associated with the user to the data retrieved from the local categorized program database and the second portion presenting only unfiltered listings of the available programs in numeric order based on the number of the channel.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
40 words
The method of claim 12 , wherein the processor is further configured to gather user-related profile data by monitoring interactions between an iTV user and an iTV by collecting data associated with Internet navigation by the user using the iTV.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
28 words
The method of claim 12 , wherein the processor is further configured to gather demographic information to build the user profile associated with the user of the iTV.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
28 words
The method of claim 12 , wherein the processor is further configured to gather psychographic information to build the user profile associated with the user of the iTV.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
25 words
The method of claim 12 , wherein the processor is further configured to identify a program selected for viewing by the user of the iTV.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
27 words
The method of claim 12 , wherein the processor is further configured to associate a plurality of programs with content-associated profile information of viewers of the programs.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
35 words
The method of claim 12 , wherein the processor is further configured to adjust the user profile by examining profiles of users with similar profiles to improve the confidence measures of programs below a threshold.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
30 words
The method of claim 12 , wherein the processor is further configured to receive a plurality of advertisements selected using the user profile associated with the user of the iTV.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
33 words
The method of claim 12 , wherein the processor is further configured to associate a plurality of URLs having content determined to match the user profile associated with the user of the iTV.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
53 words
The method of claim 12 , wherein the processor is further configured to build a user profile associated with the user of the iTV based on the gathered user-related profile data in the interaction database and data in a database developed by a television program ratings service and a web site ratings service.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
284 words
A computer readable medium including executable instructions which, when executed by a processor, provides profiling iTV users, by: gathering user-related profile data at a client component by monitoring interactions between an iTV user and an iTV to extract data received at the iTV, data transmitted by the user from the iTV and interactions between the user and the iTV; storing the gathered user-related profile data in an interaction database at the client component for processing at the client component to generate content recommendations; periodically retrieving the gathered user-related profile data in the interaction database; building, at the client component, a user profile associated with the user of the iTV based on retrieving the gathered user-related profile data in the interaction database at the client component and data in a local categorized program database at the client component, wherein the user profile includes affinity and confidence measures for programs; and generating, at the client component, an interactive program guide having a listing of available programs rearranged to form a first portion and a second portion, the first portion being displayed in a priority position for initial review by the viewer, the first portion further presenting content recommendations filtered from the listings of the available programs based on the affinity and confidence measures for programs in the user profile, the order of the content recommendations reflecting a predicted interest of the user for the content recommendations based on a comparison of the affinity and confidence measures of the user profile associated with the user to the data retrieved from the local categorized program database and the second portion presenting only unfiltered listings of the available programs in numeric order based on the number of the channel.
Claim 25
Dependent Claim
284 words
A computer readable medium including executable instructions which, when executed by a processor, provides profiling iTV users, by: gathering user-related profile data at a client component by monitoring interactions between an iTV user and an iTV to extract data received at the iTV, data transmitted by the user from the iTV and interactions between the user and the iTV; storing the gathered user-related profile data in an interaction database at the client component for processing at the client component to generate content recommendations; periodically retrieving the gathered user-related profile data in the interaction database; building, at the client component, a user profile associated with the user of the iTV based on retrieving the gathered user-related profile data in the interaction database at the client component and data in a local categorized program database at the client component, wherein the user profile includes affinity and confidence measures for programs; and generating, at the client component, an interactive program guide having a listing of available programs rearranged to form a first portion and a second portion, the first portion being displayed in a priority position for initial review by the viewer, the first portion further presenting content recommendations filtered from the listings of the available programs based on the affinity and confidence measures for programs in the user profile, the order of the content recommendations reflecting a predicted interest of the user for the content recommendations based on a comparison of the affinity and confidence measures of the user profile associated with the user to the data retrieved from the local categorized program database and the second portion presenting only unfiltered listings of the available programs in numeric order based on the number of the channel.
Claim 26
Dependent Claim
37 words
The computer readable medium of claim 22 , wherein the gathering user-related profile data by monitoring interactions between an iTV user and an iTV includes gathering data associated with Internet navigation by the user using the iTV.
Claim 27
Dependent Claim
23 words
The computer readable medium of claim 22 , wherein the gathering user-related profile data further comprises identifying demographic information associated with the user.
Claim 28
Dependent Claim
19 words
The computer readable medium of claim 22 , wherein the gathering user-related profile data further comprises identifying psychographic information.
Claim 29
Dependent Claim
56 words
The computer readable medium of claim 22 , wherein the gathering user-related profile data by monitoring interactions between an iTV user and an iTV to extract data received at the iTV, data transmitted by the user from the iTV and interactions between the user and the iTV further comprises identifying a program watched by the user.
Claim 30
Dependent Claim
67 words
The computer readable medium of claim 22 , wherein the gathering user-related profile data by monitoring interactions between an iTV user and an iTV to extract data received at the iTV, data transmitted by the user from the iTV and interactions between the user and the iTV further comprises associating a plurality of programs with content-associated profile information of viewers of the programs watched by the user.
Claim 31
Dependent Claim
64 words
The computer readable medium of claim 22 , wherein the building a user profile associated with the user of the iTV based on the gathered user-related profile data in the interaction database and data in a local categorized program database further comprises adjusting the user profile by examining profiles of users with similar profiles to improve the confidence measures of programs below a threshold.
Claim 32
Dependent Claim
27 words
The computer readable medium of claim 22 , further comprising receiving a plurality of advertisements selected using the user profile associated with the user of the iTV.
Claim 33
Dependent Claim
61 words
The computer readable medium of claim 22 , wherein the building a user profile associated with the user of the iTV based on the gathered user-related profile data in the interaction database and data in a local categorized program database further comprises associating a plurality of URLs having content determined to match the profile associated with the user of the iTV.
Claim 34
Dependent Claim
82 words
The computer readable medium of claim 22 , wherein the building a user profile associated with the user of the iTV based on the gathered user-related profile data in the interaction database and data in a local categorized program database further comprises building a user profile associated with the user of the iTV based on the gathered user-related profile data in the interaction database and data in a database developed by a television program ratings service and a web site ratings service.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
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| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 2014-07-11 | 2015-01-10 | 2015-07-12 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2018-07-11 | 2019-01-10 | 2019-07-12 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
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