Data processing: database and file management or data structures – Database design – Data structure types
Reexamination Certificate
1999-11-09
2004-06-29
Robinson, Greta (Department: 2177)
Data processing: database and file management or data structures
Database design
Data structure types
Reexamination Certificate
active
06757691
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD
This application relates to managing content choices, for example, such as in an electronic programming guide used in a television (TV) environment.
BACKGROUND
A computer system
100
illustrated in
FIG. 1
represents a typical hardware setup for executing software that allows a user to perform tasks such as communicating with other computer users, accessing various computer resources, and viewing, creating, or otherwise manipulating electronic content—that is, any combination of text, images, movies, music or other sounds, animations, 3D virtual worlds, and links to other objects. The system includes various input/output (I/O) devices (mouse
102
, keyboard
104
, display
106
) and a general purpose computer
108
having a central processor unit (CPU)
110
, an I/O unit
112
and a memory
114
that stores data and various programs such as an operating system
116
, and one or more application programs
118
.
The computer system
100
also typically includes some sort of communications card or device
120
(for example, a modem or network adapter) for exchanging data with a network
122
via a communications link
124
(for example, a telephone line). A content provider provides access to network content in addition to various services associated with the content. Examples of content providers include Internet service providers (ISPs)
126
such as AT&T WorldNet and UUNet or online service providers (OSPs)
128
such as America Online and Compuserve.
As shown in
FIG. 2
, a user of the computer system
100
can access electronic content or other resources either stored locally at the user's own client system
202
(for example, a personal or laptop computer) or remotely at one or more server systems
200
. An example of a server system is a host computer that provides subscribers with online computer services such as e-mail, e-commerce, chat rooms, Internet access, electronic newspapers and magazines, etc. Users of a host computer's online services typically communicate with one or more central server systems
200
through client software executing on their respective client systems
202
.
In practice, a server system
200
typically will not be a single monolithic entity but rather will be a network of interconnected server computers, possibly physically dispersed from each other, each dedicated to its own set of duties and/or to a particular geographical region. In such a case, the individual servers are interconnected by a network of communication links, in known fashion. One such server system is “America Online 4.0” from America Online, Incorporated of Virginia.
A “browser” is an example of client software that enables users to access and view electronic content stored either locally or remotely, such as in a network environment (local area network (LAN), intranet, Internet). A browser typically is used for displaying documents described in Hyper-Text Markup Language (HTML) and stored on servers connected to a network such as the Internet.
A user instructs a browser to access an HTML document, or web page, by specifying a network address—or Uniform Resource Locator (URL)—at which a desired document resides. In response, the browser contacts the corresponding server hosting the requested web page, retrieves the one or more files that make up the web page, and then displays the web page in a window on the user's computer screen.
FIG. 3
is a screen shot of a browser application
300
(Internet Explorer) displaying a typical HTML document, or web page
302
. As shown therein, a single web page may be composed of several different files potentially of different data types
304
(for example, text, images, virtual worlds, sounds, or movies). In addition, a web page can include links
306
, or pointers, to other resources (for example, web pages or individual files) available on the network. Each link has an associated URL pointing to a location on the network. When a user clicks on, or otherwise selects a displayed link, the browser automatically will retrieve the web page or other resource corresponding to the link's associated URL and display it to, or execute if for, the user.
Referring to
FIG. 4
, a “web-based TV” system
400
has been developed that makes dual usage of TV sets
402
. That is, a user of web-based TV either can watch TV or view web pages and otherwise “surf” the Internet. In this regard, a special purpose computer
404
, referred to as a “set top device,” has been developed and used in connection with standard TV sets
402
for viewing web pages on the Internet. The set top device
404
essentially has the same basic components as the general purpose computer
108
illustrated in
FIG. 1
(including, for example, CPU
110
and memory
114
), except that it also includes a TV tuner
406
for receiving broadcast and/or cable TV signals
407
. The set top device
404
thus can selectively display two different sources of content (TV programming received by TV tuner
406
and web or network content received by communications device
120
) on the TV monitor
402
connected to the set top device
404
.
Accessories may be added to the web-based TV system
400
, for example, a wireless keyboard
408
similar to keyboard
104
but with specialized keys that are designed for use in the web-based TV system
400
to make Internet access and surfing easier. Additionally, a wireless remote control
410
may be used to control the set top device
404
and to facilitate channel surfing and web-based TV connections via various buttons
412
that may be specialized for the web-based TV system
400
.
An example of an existing web-based TV system
400
is WebTV by Microsoft. Information about the WebTV product may be found at WebTV's web page at www.webtv.net under the Products section at www.webtv.net/products.
Typically, to facilitate viewing selection, TV systems, both web-based and conventional, may employ an electronic programming guide (EPG)
500
such as the one shown in FIG.
5
. The EPG
500
usually is displayed on a dedicated channel and occupies the majority of the TV screen
504
. Once a user selects a date
506
and day of the week
508
, the user may scroll (shown as arrows
510
) through channels
502
and time slots
512
to see what viewing choices are available. A status bar
514
may be displayed on the EPG
500
that gives current TV settings and time. The EPG
500
may display either a traditional TV channel (such as CNN) in a miniature viewing area
516
or a special TV channel (such as PAY-PER-VIEW previews) associated with the EPG
500
.
Due to an increase in available bandwidth in communications signals such as telephone and cable lines, the number of content choices available to a user or subscriber of a web-based TV system
400
has grown dramatically in recent years. Accordingly, the present inventors recognized that it would be desirable to provide users with an intelligent mechanism for managing and presenting their available content choices. The present inventors also recognized that an intelligent mechanism would account for a user's limited investment time and a TV screen's limited space or “real estate.”
SUMMARY
Various implementations may include one or more of the following features.
In one general aspect, a computer-implemented method manages a user's content choices. The method includes predicting one or more content choices that are likely to be of interest to a user based on a degree of matching between a psychographic profile for the user and available content. The predicted content choices are then presented to the user.
Embodiments may include one or more of the following features.
The method may include receiving an identifier from a content provider, the identifier indicating the psychographic profile for the user. The method may further include searching a profile database to determine the psychographic profile indicated by the identifier.
The method may also include monitoring user activities to continually refine the user's psychographic profile. Monitoring may in
Escobar George D.
Welsh Patrick
America Online Inc.
Fish & Richardson P.C.
Robinson Greta
LandOfFree
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