Recommendation engine apparatus and methods

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10313755-B2
Application number	US-201514968653-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 14, 2015
Priority date	Mar 30, 2009
Publication date	Jun 4, 2019
Grant date	Jun 4, 2019

Abstract

Recommendation engine apparatus and associated methods provide content compiled from various sources and selected to match user preferences. In one embodiment, the recommendation apparatus comprises a headend entity; in another, it is co-located on a user's CPE. In one embodiment, the recommendation engine creates content records from content metadata for comparison to a user profile. The user profile is pre-programmed; however has the ability to dynamically shift toward a user's preferences as the user takes actions regarding content. Client applications are utilized to compile and present content; feedback mechanisms are utilized to enable “learning” from user activities to generate more precise recommendations as well as to “unlearn” stale preferences. Recommended content is displayed in the form of a playlist, or as a continuous stream on a virtual channel, or presented in an electronic program guide. A business rules “engine” useful in implementing operational or business goals is also disclosed.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of providing content for consumption by a user, the method comprising:
maintaining data representative of a user profile at a storage apparatus of a web server associated with a multi-systems operator, the user profile being associated with the user of a client device;
identifying one or more recommended content items for the user based at least partly on the data representative of the user profile;
causing provision to the client device, via an Internet connection to the web server, of data relating to the one or more recommended content items;
receiving data indicating a user action taken with respect to a content item of the one or more recommended content items, the data originated by the client device;
based at least on the received data, causing the content item to be provided to the client device for presentation to the user; and
updating the data representative of the user profile based at least partly on the data indicating the user action received from the client device, the updating of the data representative of the user profile comprising applying a weighting factor to a data structure associated with the content item, the applying of the weighting factor comprising selecting the weighting factor from among a plurality of weighting factors, the selecting being based on the user action taken with respect to the content item;
wherein the identifying of the one or more recommended content items for the user comprises adding data descriptive of the content item to a list of the one or more recommended content items when a score parameter associated with the content item meets or exceeds a prescribed minimum value, the score parameter generated based at least on: (i) the updated data representative of the user profile, and (ii) the data structure with the weighting factor applied thereto.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising scheduling the content item to broadcast at a future time;
wherein the causing the content item to be provided to the client device or another device of the user comprises causing the content item to be provided to the client device or the another device at the future time.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein:
the updating of the data representative of the user profile further comprises updating the data representative of the user profile based on user activity data collected from a plurality of devices associated with the user, the plurality of devices including the client device.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the data relating to the one or more recommended content items comprises data representative of a list of the one or more recommended content items ranked in an order based at least partly on a level of correlation to the data representative of the user profile.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein:
the user comprises a subscriber of a managed content delivery network;
the one or more recommended content items are configured for delivery over the managed content delivery network; and
the one or more recommended content items comprise a plurality of recommended content items provided by a plurality of content sources each independent of the managed content delivery network.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the causing of the content item to be provided comprises accessing a user-specific data storage location of a network data storage apparatus, the user-specific data storage location being accessible only to the user or the client device.

7. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
generating data representative of a playlist comprising the content item, the playlist comprising the one or more recommended content items ranked in an order of priority; and
causing provision of access to the data representative of the playlist to the client device via the Internet connection to the web server.

8. A web server apparatus associated with a network operator for use in a managed content delivery network, the apparatus comprising:
a first storage apparatus configured to store a plurality of data representative of a plurality of respective user profiles associated with respective ones of users of respective client devices, the plurality of data representative of the user profiles each comprising data relating to historical content-related activity for the respective user;
a digital processor apparatus in data communication with the first storage apparatus; and
a second storage apparatus in data communication with the digital processor apparatus and comprising a computer program configured to, when executed on the digital processor apparatus:
identify one or more recommended content items for one of the users based at least partly on a data structure generated from historical content-related activity data within data representative of a profile of the one of the users, the historical content-related activity data comprising data indicative of a plurality of user actions;
provide, to the client device of that user, access to a list of the one or more recommended content items, the provision being based at least on one or more weighting factors associated with that user;
receive, from the client device of that user, data indicating a selection of a content item of the one or more recommended content items;
cause the selected content item to be provided to the client device of that user for rendering thereby;
based at least on a negative value being applied to the one or more weighting factors, the negative value based at least on the plurality of user actions, generate an updated version of a data structure associated with the selected content item, and combine (i) the updated version of the data structure associated with the selected content item with (ii) the data structure generated from historical content-related activity data to produce a combined data structure; and
based at least on a value correlated to the combined data structure being below a minimum value, remove the selected content item from the list of the one or more recommended content items;
wherein the one or more weighting factors are correlated to respective portions of the data representative of the plurality of user actions based at least on a point of time associated with each of the user actions as reflected in the respective portions of the data.

9. The web server apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the computer program is further configured to, when executed on the digital processor apparatus, cause a recording of the selected content item during a broadcast of the selected content item, the recording of the selected content item being stored on a user-specific portion of the network storage apparatus that is only accessible to the one of the users.

10. The web server apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the selected content item is scheduled to broadcast at a future time.

11. The web server apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the computer program is further configured to, when executed on the digital processor apparatus:
update the historical content-related activity data associated with the data representative of the profile of the one of the users based at least partly on user activity data collected from a plurality of devices associated with the one of the users, the plurality of devices including the client device.

12. The web server apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the one or more recommended content items are presented according to a prescribed presentation scheme, the scheme based at least partly on a correlation between respective subject matter of the one or more recommended content items and to the historical content-related activity data associated with the data representative of the profile of the one of the use

Assignees

• Time Warner Cable Entpr Llc

Inventors

• Kimble David
• Chin Fee Ling

Classifications

• H04N21/2668

  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 title

• H04N21/25891

  being end-user preferences (retrieval of video data in a video database based on user preferences G06F16/739; arrangements for recognizing users' preferences H04H60/46; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306; processing of user preferences or user profiles in wireless networks H04W8/18) · CPC title

• H04N21/4668 Primary

  for recommending content, e.g. movies · CPC title

• H04N21/4667

  Processing of monitored end-user data, e.g. trend analysis based on the log file of viewer selections · CPC title

• H04N21/466

  Learning process for intelligent management, e.g. learning user preferences for recommending movies {(services using the results of monitoring in broadcast systems H04H60/61)} · CPC title