# US 8,789,110 B2 · Personalized media channel

> Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt

- Number: US 8,789,110 B2
- Document ID: US8789110B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 13/691,384
- Filed: 2012-11-30
- Published: 2013-04-11
- Granted: 2014-07-22
- Earliest claimed: 2008-01-18
- Assignees: AT&T Intellectual Property I, L.P.
- Applicants: AT&T Intellectual Property I, L.P.
- Inventors: Mary C. McCarthy; Roland Noll
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US8789110B2

## CPC

- H04N 21/4826: {using recommendation lists, e.g. of programmes or channels sorted out according to their score}
- G11B 27/034: on discs (G11B27/036, G11B27/038 take precedence)
- G11B 27/105: {of operating discs}
- H04N 7/17318: {Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests}
- H04N 21/44222: {Analytics of user selections, e.g. selection of programmes or purchase activity (monitoring of user selections in data processing systems G06F11/34; arrangements for monitoring the user's behaviour or opinions in broadcast systems H04H60/33)}
- 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)}
- H04N 21/458: Scheduling content for creating a personalised stream, e.g. by combining a locally stored advertisement with an incoming stream; Updating operations, e.g. for OS modules {; time-related management operations (arrangements for replacing or switching information during the broadcast or during the distribution H04H20/10)}
- H04N 21/4663: {involving probabilistic networks, e.g. Bayesian networks}
- H04N 21/4668: {for recommending content, e.g. movies}
- H04N 21/47: End-user applications
- H04N 21/4756: {for rating content, e.g. scoring a recommended movie}
- H04N: PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION
- G11B: INFORMATION STORAGE BASED ON RELATIVE MOVEMENT BETWEEN RECORD CARRIER AND TRANSDUCER (recording measured values in a way that does not require playback through a transducer G01D9/00; recording or playback apparatus using mechanically marked tape, e.g. punched paper tape, or using unit records, e.g. punched or magnetically marked cards G06K; transferring data from one type of record carrier to another G06K1/18; circuits for coupling output of reproducer to radio receiver H04B1/20; gramophone pick-ups or like acoustic electromechanical transducers or circuits therefor H04R)

## Abstract

A multimedia processing device (MPD) includes a relevance engine that is adapted to track a user's viewing preferences over time and to automatically determine which of the programs available in a given time slot is most probably preferred by that user. The relevance engine can then create a sequential play list, with each entry in the list corresponding to the program the user most likely wants to watch at that time. The user can thus be provided with a personalized multimedia channel (PMC) with the play list providing the program for each time slot. The user may be enabled to “tune” to the PMC like any other channel. When the user “tunes” to the PMC, the MPD will take the appropriate action to display the program selected by the PMC.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A method, comprising:
accessing available program information indicating a plurality of multimedia content programs available during a time slot;
identifying a best program available during the time slot for a user based on a user preference profile associated with the user;
responsive to detecting a programming guide request, streaming an electronic programming guide interface encompassing a plurality of time slots, wherein the electronic programming guide interface includes a user preference channel entry corresponding to a user preference channel, wherein the user preference channel entry indicates a best program available for each of the plurality of time slots;
receiving a best program transmission request generated responsive to the user selecting, from the electronic programming guide, the user preference channel entry; and
responsive to receiving the transmission request, streaming the best program available over the user preference channel.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein identifying the best program includes comparing program metadata indicating characteristics of the plurality of multimedia content programs with the user preference profile.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The method of claim 2, wherein the user preference profile indicates user preferences for a plurality of fields, and wherein comparing program metadata with the user preference profile includes:
associating portions of the program metadata with corresponding user preference profile fields.

### Claim 4 (depends on 3)

The method of claim 3, wherein the user preference profile includes a genre field, an actor field, a running time field, a rating field, and a director field.

### Claim 5 (depends on 2)

The method of claim 2, wherein identifying the best program includes invoking a probability function.

### Claim 6

A multimedia device, comprising:
a processor;
a network interface to couple the processor to a multimedia program network; and
a computer readable medium including processor executable relevance engine instructions, which when executed by the processor cause the processor to perform operations comprising:
accessing user-specific ratings for a plurality of multimedia content programs available from a multimedia content distribution network; and
identifying, from a plurality of channels included in an electronic programming guide for a time slot, a best program for a time slot based on the user-specific ratings;
responsive to detecting a programming guide request, streaming an electronic programming guide interface encompassing a plurality of time slots, wherein the electronic programming guide interface includes a user preference channel entry corresponding to a user preference channel, wherein the user preference channel entry indicates a best program available for each of the plurality of time slots;
receiving a best program available request generated responsive to the user selecting, from the electronic programming guide, the user preference channel entry; and
responsive to receiving the transmission request, streaming the best program available over the user preference channel.

### Claim 7 (depends on 6)

The device of claim 6, wherein accessing the user-specific ratings includes generating the user-specific ratings based at least in part on a locally-stored user preference profile.

### Claim 8 (depends on 7)

The device of claim 7, wherein the operations include updating the user preference profile in response to user feedback.

### Claim 9 (depends on 7)

The device of claim 7, wherein generating the user-specific ratings includes user preference profile values with content metadata values.

### Claim 10 (depends on 7)

The device of claim 7, wherein generating the user-specific ratings includes invoking a probability function.

### Claim 11 (depends on 10)

The device of claim 10, wherein the probability function is a conditional probability function of a form:
P
⁡
[
A
|
B
]
=
P
⁡
[
A
⋂
B
]
P
⁡
[
B
]
;
P
⁡
[
B
]
>
0.

### Claim 12 (depends on 10)

The device of claim 10, wherein the probability function is a Bayesian function of a form:
P
⁡
[
B
j
|
A
]
=
P
⁢
⌊
A
|
B
j
⌋
⁢
P
⁡
[
B
j
]
∑
k
=
1
n
⁢
P
⁡
[
A
|
B
k
]
⁢
P
⁡
[
B
k
]
.

### Claim 13 (depends on 7)

The device of claim 7, wherein generating the user-specific ratings is based at least in part on a program viewing history of the user.

### Claim 14

A computer readable memory including stored, processor executable program instructions, which when executed by a processor cause the processor to perform operations comprising:
accessing available program information indicating a plurality of multimedia content programs available during a time slot;
identifying, based on a user preference profile associated with a user, a best program available during the time slot for the user;
responsive to detecting a programming guide request, streaming an electronic programming guide interface encompassing a plurality of time slots, wherein the electronic programming guide interface includes a user preference profile entry corresponding to a user preference channel, wherein the user preference profile entry indicates a best program available for each of the plurality of time slots;
receiving a best program available transmission request generated responsive to the user selecting, from the electronic programming guide, the user preference channel entry; and
responsive to receiving the transmission request, streaming the best program available over the user preference channel responsive to a user selecting the user preference channel within the time slot.

### Claim 15 (depends on 14)

The computer readable memory of claim 14, wherein the operations include:
updating the user preference profile in response to user feedback.

### Claim 16 (depends on 14)

The computer readable memory of claim 14, wherein the operations include:
accessing user preference values corresponding to a set of preference types;
parsing electronic programming guide data to extract electronic programming guide values corresponding to the user preference values; and
comparing the electronic programming guide values to the user preference values.

### Claim 17 (depends on 16)

The computer readable memory of claim 16, wherein the set of preference types is selected from a genre type, an actor type, a running time, and a director.

### Claim 18 (depends on 14)

The computer readable memory of claim 14, wherein identifying the best program includes invoking a probability function.

### Claim 19 (depends on 18)

The computer readable memory of claim 18, wherein the probability function is a conditional probability function of a form:
P
⁡
[
A
|
B
]
=
P
⁡
[
A
⋂
B
]
P
⁡
[
B
]
;
P
⁡
[
B
]
>
0.

### Claim 20 (depends on 18)

The computer readable memory of claim 18, wherein the probability function is a Bayesian function of a form:
P
⁡
[
B
j
|
A
]
=
P
⁢
⌊
A
|
B
j
⌋
⁢
P
⁡
[
B
j
]
∑
k
=
1
n
⁢
P
⁡
[
A
|
B
k
]
⁢
P
⁡
[
B
k
]
.