Personalized menus and media content interface

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12279015-B2
Application number	US-202318491181-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 20, 2023
Priority date	Nov 19, 2014
Publication date	Apr 15, 2025
Grant date	Apr 15, 2025

Abstract

Methods and apparatus for generating personalized menus and a media content interface are provided. In one example, different device specific media asset lists are generated at different user devices for the same user based on the media consumption history at each device. In another example, media asset listings are displayed for multicast and on-demand media assets determined to be of interest to the user. An on-demand media asset is listed at a time when no other multicast media assets are listed. In another example, media asset listings for successive episodes of a media series are displayed in sequential order in response to an input to view successive episodes of a media series. In another example, a text search for media content is performed in which the search priority of media provider results is decreased relative to the search priority of media asset results as additional characters are added to a search string.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method comprising:
receiving, by a computing device and from a user, a request to schedule a first content item;
processing a content consumption history of the user to identify a first time the user is predicted to view the first content item;
identifying, based on a user viewing schedule that indicates a plurality of content items that the user is scheduled to view, a second content item that is already scheduled at the first time;
determining, based on the user viewing schedule and the content consumption history of the user, a different time that the user is predicted to view the second content item;
assigning, in the user viewing schedule, the first content item to the first time and the second content item to the different time; and
causing output of the first content item at the first time.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the determining the different time is based on determining that no content items are scheduled during the different time.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first content item is an earlier episode of a series, and wherein the second content item is a later episode of the series.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein at least a portion of the plurality of content items was added, by the computing device, to the user viewing schedule based on a prediction that the user will view the at least the portion of the plurality of content items.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the receiving the request to schedule the first content item comprises receiving a request to remove a third content item from the user viewing schedule.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the receiving the request to schedule the first content item comprises receiving a request to watch a series that comprises the first content item.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the receiving the request to schedule the first content item comprises receiving feedback from the user associated with a third content item associated with the first content item.

8. A computing device comprising:
one or more processors; and
memory storing instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the computing device to:
receive, from a user, a request to schedule a first content item;
process a content consumption history of the user to identify a first time the user is predicted to view the first content item;
identify, based on a user viewing schedule that indicates a plurality of content items that the user is scheduled to view, a second content item that is already scheduled at the first time;
determine, based on the user viewing schedule and the content consumption history of the user, a different time that the user is predicted to view the second content item;
assign, in the user viewing schedule, the first content item to the first time and the second content item to the different time; and
cause output of the first content item at the first time.

9. The computing device of claim 8 , wherein the instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the computing device to determine the different time further based on determining that no content items are scheduled during the different time.

10. The computing device of claim 8 , wherein the first content item is an earlier episode of a series, and wherein the second content item is a later episode of the series.

11. The computing device of claim 8 , wherein at least a portion of the plurality of content items was added, by the computing device, to the user viewing schedule based on a prediction that the user will view the at least the portion of the plurality of content items.

12. The computing device of claim 8 , wherein the instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the computing device to receive the request to schedule the first content item by causing the computing device to receive a request to remove a third content item from the user viewing schedule.

13. The computing device of claim 8 , wherein the instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the computing device to receive the request to schedule the first content item by causing the computing device to receive a request to watch a series that comprises the first content item.

14. The computing device of claim 8 , wherein the instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the computing device to receive the request to schedule the first content item by causing the computing device to receive feedback from the user associated with a third content item associated with the first content item.

15. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media storing instructions that, when executed, cause:
receiving, by a computing device and from a user, a request to schedule a first content item;
processing a content consumption history of the user to identify a first time the user is predicted to view the first content item;
identifying, based on a user viewing schedule that indicates a plurality of content items that the user is scheduled to view, a second content item that is already scheduled at the first time;
determining, based on the user viewing schedule and the content consumption history of the user, a different time that the user is predicted to view the second content item;
assigning, in the user viewing schedule, the first content item to the first time and the second content item to the different time; and
causing output of the first content item at the first time.

16. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 15 , wherein the instructions, when executed, cause the determining the different time based on determining that no content items are scheduled during the different time.

17. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 15 , wherein the first content item is an earlier episode of a series, and wherein the second content item is a later episode of the series.

18. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 15 , wherein at least a portion of the plurality of content items was added, by the computing device, to the user viewing schedule based on a prediction that the user will view the at least the portion of the plurality of content items.

19. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 15 , wherein the instructions, when executed, cause the receiving the request to schedule the first content item by causing receiving a request to remove a third content item from the user viewing schedule.

20. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 15 , wherein the instructions, when executed, cause the receiving the request to schedule the first content item by causing receiving a request to watch a series that comprises the first content item.

Assignees

• Comcast Cable Comm Llc

Inventors

• Bagga Amit
• Cynkin Larry
• Neumann Jan
• Sayyadi Hans
• Younessian Ehsan
• Samarasinghe Mevan
• Curtis Brian
• Manickam Muthu
• Jojic Oliver
• Heck Jeanine

Classifications

• H04N21/47

  End-user applications · CPC title

• H04N21/8355

  involving usage data, e.g. number of copies or viewings allowed · CPC title

• H04N21/4668

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

• H04N21/26258

  for generating a list of items to be played back in a given order, e.g. playlist, or scheduling item distribution according to such list (retrieval of multimedia data based on playlists G06F16/40) · CPC title

• H04N21/4583

  Automatically resolving scheduling conflicts, e.g. when a recording by reservation has been programmed for two programmes in the same time slot · CPC title