Abstract:
A multi-media broadcasting system that links a user profiles associated with a first user with a second user profile associated with a second user, where the first and second user profiles each comprise an indication of an interest common to the first and second users. The user profiles allow a user to customize a viewing experience via the broadcasting system. In addition, the system detects a content update to the first user profile, wherein the content update is associated with a content item that comprises content having a characteristic within the interest common to the first and second users. Furthermore, the system notifies the second user of the content update if the second user profile has not been updated with the content update.

Description:
RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/922,465, now abandoned, filed Aug. 3, 2001. 
    
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The system and method of the present invention relates to the customization of the operation of a device, for example, the viewing of programming on a media device. 
     BACKGROUND 
     As broadcasts become more sophisticated, information relevant to broadcasts can be communicated and used to generate program information including information relevant to the user&#39;s viewing interests. Thus, profiles may be generated for users to customize the user&#39;s viewing experience. The profile may include display-related information such as default background color and content related information, for example, annotations provided by the user for certain content, interest related, for example, genre like “science fiction” and preference related, for example, higher priority given to the science fiction channel to watch science fiction programming. If the system can accommodate a multiple user environment, each user would have his own profile, treated by the system independently. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     In the system and method of the present invention, profiles that have a common interest are linked together such that when one common interest profile has an update of the common interest the other common interest profiles are notified of the update enabling the other common interest profiles to update their profiles. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The objects, features and advantages of the present invention will be apparent to one skilled in the art from the following detailed description in which: 
         FIG. 1  illustrates one embodiment of a system which utilizes the teachings of the present invention. 
         FIG. 2  illustrates an alternate embodiment. 
         FIG. 3  illustrates multiple user profiles that may be contained in an implementation of the system of the present invention. 
         FIG. 4  is a simplified functional representation of one embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 5  is a simplified flow diagram of one embodiment of the method of the present invention. 
         FIG. 6  illustrates an alternate embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 7  is a pseudo-code illustration of an alternate embodiment of the present invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     In the following description, for purposes of explanation, numerous details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the present invention. However, it will be apparent to one skilled in the art that these specific details are not required in order to practice the present invention. In other instances, well known electrical structures and circuits are shown in block diagram form in order not to obscure the present invention unnecessarily. 
     The system and method of the present invention will be described in the context of a satellite, cable or other type of broadcast system and the devices coupled thereto, such as the service provider&#39;s headend, the user&#39;s set top box, a broadcast receiver, the user&#39;s remote controller, a media storage device and the like. However, the system and method of the present invention should not be limited as such, and can be applied to other types of media accessed by multiple ways including other media devices including audio devices and computing devices. 
     The system and method of the present invention provides for a multi-user environment wherein each user has his own profile, and cross-referencing or linking is performed among profiles to provide useful feedback to the users of the profiles. The system provides a linkage among profiles with a common interest so that whenever a change or update occurs with respect to the common interest in one profile the other profiles that are linked to it will be notified of the change. In one embodiment, the user is notified via a message, for example through a coupled display device (e.g., a television monitor) or through an alternate medium, for example, the service provider&#39;s website or through email to the user. In another embodiment, the notification causes an automatic update of the other linked profiles. 
     One embodiment of the system of the present invention is shown in  FIG. 1 . The system includes a service provider  5  providing broadcast services to a controller  10 , such as a set top box, which provides the broadcast to a display  15 . The service provider  5  may be any one of a number of types of service providers including cable, satellite, as well as other broadcast services. The controller  10  which may be part of a television system or similar display apparatus  15  or part of a set top box  10 . The service provider provides programs and program information to the controller  10  which generates programming and displays of program information in accordance with the teachings herein. 
     The system includes maintaining information, such as user profiles, for a user to customize his viewing experience. The information may include display-related information, for example default background color, content-related information, for example, annotations written by the user for certain content, interest-related information, for example genre, like science fiction and preference-related information, for example higher priority given to one channel to watch programming on that particular channel. In a multi-user environment, such as the home, housing a family of multiple viewers, each user would have his own profile or multiple profiles belonging to the same viewer. The environment may be more expansive than a particular home and can be defined a variety of ways, geographically and non-geographically related. 
     In one embodiment, as illustrated in  FIG. 2 , the user profiles are stored in a storage device  20  such as memory. In the illustration, four profiles are maintained: user A profile  25 , user B profile  30 , user C profile  35  and user D profile  40 . This profile information may be maintained by the service provider  5  or at the user&#39;s controller  10 . 
     In one embodiment the controller includes that illustrated in the simplified block diagram of  FIG. 3 . Controller  50  includes a processor  55 , memory  60  and input-output  65 . Memory  60  stores instructions which, when executed by the processor  55  perform the methods described herein. Input-output  65  enables the transfer of information regarding the profiles as described herein. In a multi-user environment, where each user has its own profile, it is desirable to find common interest among the profiles by cross-referencing them. The result from the cross-reference often provides useful feedback to improve the usefulness of the profile. It is also desirable to link profiles with a common interest so that whenever a change occurs in one profile, the other profiles that are linked to it can be notified so that it can be determined whether any useful information has been added or removed from the updated profile and the other profiles can do a similar update if desired. 
       FIG. 4  illustrates the functionality of the mechanism for linking behavior profiles for cross-referencing and notification of updates of linked profiles. In this illustration behavior profiles  410 ,  415 ,  420  and  425  are linked in accordance with a common interest, for example, type of programming (sports). The interest evaluation engine  450  in one embodiment determines profiles that have a common interest and links them together. In the present embodiment, interest evaluation engine  450  has determined profiles  410 ,  415 ,  420  and  425  having a common interest as to the type of program (sports) which is of interest to the corresponding users. The information set forth in the behavior profiles may be used to filter  455  information such as program information and actual programming in accordance with the behavior user profiles  410 ,  415 ,  420 ,  425 . 
     The system also provides that when an update is performed on any of the profiles, for example profile  410 , the profiles linked via the common interest updated are notified of the update. Thus, for example, if the common interest was sports and football and behavior profile  410  was updated to eliminate the viewing of a particular football game, this information would be provided to the other behavior profiles  415 ,  420  and  425 . 
     In one embodiment this notification is a message sent to the users of the corresponding profiles  415 ,  420  and  425 , the message indicating the update performed with respect to profile  410 . This message may be communicated through a variety of means including through the system itself, for example, displayed on the broadcast monitor when the user is active on the system or through a different media, for example, an email message notifying the user of the update. 
     In one embodiment, the user has the option of responding to the update of the one profile  410  having the common interest. A variety of responses may be performed including updating to be consistent with the update profile  410 , not updating his profile or modifying his profile differently in response to the update of profile  410 . In one embodiment, the user is enabled to communicate actions to be taken in response to the notification through an input device such as a computer system coupled to the service provider&#39;s network or website or a input, such as a remote control button or button on the set top box which communicates the user&#39;s response, if any, to the notification. In an alternate embodiment the notification causes an automatic update of the linked profiles  415 ,  420 ,  425  to be consistent with the update performed in the linked profile  410 . 
     One embodiment of the method of the present invention is illustrated by the simplified block diagram of  FIG. 5 . At step  510 , the profiles that have a common interest are determined. At step  520 , when one common interest profile has an update to the common interest the other common interest profiles are notified of the update. 
       FIG. 6  illustrates an alternate embodiment of the present invention. At step  605  it is determined whether there are profiles to process. At step  610 , the profile to process is identified. Thus, when the process is initiated, a first profile would be identified. At step  615 , it is determined whether there are more common interests to process. Again, at the initiation of the process, if at least one common interest exists, the process proceeds to step  620  where a next common interest would be identified (at initiation, this next common interest would be the first common interest). At step  625 , it is determined whether there are more profiles to review. If there are, the next profile is identified and if the profile has the same common interest as previously identified common interests and at step  640  if that profile has not yet been linked, then the profiles having the common interest are linked, step  645 . Thus those profiles having a common interest are linked together and identified by that common interest. It is apparent that different sets of profiles may be identified in accordance with different common interests. The linking of the profiles may be performed a variety of ways. For example, a data structure may be established according to the common interest and the profiles having the common interest. 
     Referring back to  FIG. 6 , the process continues at steps  625 ,  630 ,  635 ,  640  and  645  to analyze the profiles and common interests and at steps  605 ,  610  and  620  to determine if there are more common interests to process. Thus, each profile is examined to see if their common interests that apply to other profiles such that profiles having a common interest are linked together. 
       FIG. 7  illustrates one embodiment of a process for automatically updating profiles, for example, at regular periods of time, without involvement of the user. Thus, at step  702 , for each profile, P, having a common interest, a filter is formulated using the information stored in the profile, step  704 . For each profile in other available profiles step  706  the profile is evaluated  708  and it is determined whether the profile contains common interest step  710 . If that is the case step  712  the result is stored, step  714 , such that all items that are resulting from the filter, for example, movie titles that are the type science fiction, are maintained. A link of the profile with the common interest is then performed, step  716 . At step  718 , all the profiles with the common interest are linked. This is performed for each profile. At step  730 , for each profile and each result, step  732 , in each profile of other profiles, step  733 , if the new information is not found, step  734 , this is added to the common interest of that profile, step  736 . Thus, the first portion of the psuedo-code up to step  718  finds which profiles share the same common interest and links them together so that an update to any of them will notify all other profiles in the list to let them retrieve the update and modify its profile accordingly. Step  730  to  736  propagates information of a common interest that is found in a subset of profiles to the other linked profiles that don&#39;t have this information in its profile. 
     The invention has been described in conjunction with different embodiments. It is evident that numerous alternatives, modifications, variations and uses will be apparent to those skilled in the art in light of the forgoing description.