Abstract:
A particular method includes searching a database associated with a content provider. The database includes content items available from the content provider as well as content items that are not available from the content provider. The database is searched based on a search query received from a set-top box to generate a list of content items. The list of content items includes at least one entry corresponding to a particular content item that is unavailable and includes a feedback control. The method further includes receiving a request that the content provider make the particular content item available and automatically determining to acquire rights to provide access to the particular content item based at least in part on the request.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    The present application claims priority from and is a continuation of patent application Ser. No. 11/137,683, filed May 25, 2005 and entitled “OBTAINING USER FEEDBACK FOR UNAVAILABLE CONTENT,” the content of which is expressly incorporated by reference in its entirety. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND 
       [0002]    Search engines are operative to search databases for specific strings of text and/or symbols that match input queries from users. Content providers provide search engines to search databases of all items they can supply to their users or all items their users are authorized to access. 
         [0003]    In some cases, a null or blank search return may be generated based on a search string entered by a user. The user may interpret the null or blank search result in multiple ways. The user may surmise that the search string was insufficient and/or not well formed, in which case a reformulated search string needs to be entered. Alternatively, the user may surmise that an item for which he/she is searching does not exist in the database, in which case no further manipulation of the search string will yield an intended search result. 
         [0004]    Many users assume that their search string was insufficient if a null or blank search result is generated. These users may spend additional time trying to reform the search query and perform additional searches, which will be unsuccessful if their desired items do not exist in the database. The users may give up after multiple unsuccessful inquiries with the belief that the item did exist in the database but that they were simply unable to construct the correct search query to locate the item. 
         [0005]    Some search engines, such as GOOGLE®, store cached versions of some Web content. If a cached version of a search result is stored by the search engine, the search engine may return both a hyperlink to the search result and a hyperlink to the cached version on a search results page. The search results page from GOOGLE® also provides a “Dissatisfied? Help us improve” hyperlink. This hyperlink directs the user to a Web page having a first text box for the user to enter his/her comments on what specific information he/she was seeking and/or why he/she was dissatisfied with the search results. The Web page has a second text box for the user to enter a specific Uniform Resource Locator (URL) that was not listed in the search results. GOOGLE® states on the Web page that the information entered by the user will be reviewed by a quality team. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0006]      FIG. 1  is a flow chart of an embodiment of a method of using feedback for unavailable content; 
           [0007]      FIG. 2  is a block diagram of an embodiment of a system of using feedback for unavailable content; 
           [0008]      FIG. 3  is list of U.S. Presidents for which a hypothetical content provider has associated content items; 
           [0009]      FIG. 4  is a list of U.S. Presidents which index a database of the hypothetical content provider; 
           [0010]      FIG. 5  is a sequence of hypothetical search queries and search results if the content provider&#39;s database indexed only the U.S. Presidents listed in  FIG. 3 ; and 
           [0011]      FIG. 6  is a sequence of hypothetical search queries and search results if the content provider&#39;s database indexed the U.S. Presidents listed in  FIG. 4  and indicated availability based on the U.S. Presidents listed in  FIG. 3 . 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0012]    Embodiments of the present invention address the above-described user perception problem associated with a null or blank search result generated by a search engine. Embodiments are described with reference to  FIG. 1 , which is a flow chart of an embodiment of a method of searching incomplete lists, and  FIG. 2 , which is a block diagram of an embodiment of a system for searching incomplete lists. 
         [0013]    As indicated by block  10 , the method comprises providing a database  12  associated with a content provider  14 . The database  12  is indexed with a plurality of content items  16  available in a domain. Examples of the domain include, but are not limited to, cinematic movie titles, television programs, and recorded music titles. The database  12  may be indexed with either most, substantially all or all content items that fall within the domain. 
         [0014]    The database  12  includes a field  20  to indicate an availability of each of the content items  16  from the content provider  14 . The field  20  is beneficial because the content provider  14  may have access to only a subset of the content items  16  in the domain, and thus may not have access to some of the content items  16  in the domain. 
         [0015]    For purposes of illustration and example, consider the content provider  14  making available content items that include a plurality of cinematic movies. In this case, the database  12  may be indexed with substantially all cinematic movie titles. The content provider  14 , however, may have secured rights to provide only a subset of the cinematic movies. For each of the cinematic movies in the domain, the field  20  indicates whether or not the cinematic movie can be provided by the content provider  14 . 
         [0016]    In general, the content provider  14  may be a provider of video-on-demand (e.g. stored television programs, cinematic movies), audio-on-demand (e.g. stored music), Web content, or any combination thereof for multiple users  22 . The content provider  14  has a computer system  24  that receives requests for content items from different ones of the users  22  via a computer network  26 . If a requested content item is available from the content provider  14 , the computer system  24  serves the requested content item to its associated user via the computer network  26 . The content provider  14  may bill the user for serving the requested content item. The computer system  24  also provides a search engine  30  to enable the users  22  to search the database  12 . 
         [0017]    A content item is considered to be available from the content provider  14  if the content provider  14  can satisfy a request for the content item. The computer system  24  may satisfy the request by retrieving the content item from either a mass storage system  32  of the content provider  14  or a mass storage system  34  of a third party, and communicating the content item to the requesting user via the computer network  26 . 
         [0018]    As indicated by block  40 , the method comprises receiving a search query  42  entered by a user  44 . The user  44  enters the search query  42  using a client device  46  such as a computer, a set-top box, or a personal digital assistant. The search query  42  is communicated by the client device  46  to the computer system  24  via the computer network  26 . Examples of the computer network  26  include, but are not limited to, an Internet, an intranet, an extranet, a local area network, a wide area network, a satellite network, a digital subscriber line network and a cable-modem-based network. 
         [0019]    As indicated by block  50 , the method comprises the search engine  30  searching the database  12  based on the search query  42  to generate a search result list  52 . The search result list  52  includes those of the content items in the domain that either match or are sufficiently relevant to the search query. The search result list  52  may include either zero, one or a plurality of content items that are identified as being available from content provider  14  based on the field  20 , and may include either zero, one or a plurality of content items that are identified as being unavailable from the content provider  14  based on the field  20 . In some cases, the search result list  52  may be absent all content items indicated as being available from the content provider  14  based on the field  20 . 
         [0020]    As indicated by block  60 , the method comprises providing the search result list  52  to the user  44 . The search result list  52  may be communicated in the form of one or more display pages from the computer system  24  to the client device  46  via the computer network  26 . The one or more display pages are displayed by the client device  46  for view by the user  44 . The search results list  52  indicates to the user  44  those of the content items that match or are sufficiently relevant to the search query  42 . The search results list  52  further indicates to the user  44  the availability or unavailability of each search result item from the content provider  14 . 
         [0021]    For purposes of illustration and example, consider the search results list  52  including an indication  62  of a first content item, an indication  64  of a second content item, and an indication  66  of a third content item. Consider the first content item and the second content item being unavailable from the content provider  14 , but the third content item being available from the content provider  14 . This scenario would occur if the search query  42  is “die hard” and if the content provider  14  cannot provide the movies “Die Hard 2” and “Die Hard With a Vengeance” but can provide the first “Die Hard” movie. The search results list  52  includes an indication  68  that the first content item is unavailable from the content provider  14 , and an indication  70  that the second content item is unavailable from the content provider  14 . Each of the indications  68  and  70  may be textual such as “content not available”. 
         [0022]    The user  44  can request an available content item by selecting the item from the search results list  52  using the client device  46 . The selection is communicated from the client device  46  to the computer system  24  via the computer network  26 . The computer system  24  receives the selection, retrieves the selected content item, and communicates the selected content item to the client device  46  via the computer network  26 . The client device  46  displays the selected content item to the user  44 . 
         [0023]    Regardless of whether or not the user  44  makes a request for an available content item as described above, the herein-disclosed method and system are capable of handling unavailable content items in the manner described below. 
         [0024]    As indicated by block  72 , the method optionally comprises prompting the user to submit feedback associated with a content item indicated as being unavailable from the content provider  14 . This act may comprise textually prompting the user on the one or more display pages for feedback if he/she desires an unavailable content item and/or desires the content provider  14  to make the content item available (e.g. by securing the rights to provide the content item). Examples of a textual prompt include “click here to indicate your desire for this unavailable content item”, “click here if you want the content provider to make this content item available”, or “click here if you want the content provider to secure rights to provide this content item”. 
         [0025]    As indicated by block  76 , the method comprises providing a user feedback control associated with a content item indicated as being unavailable from the content provider  14 . The user feedback control may be provided by a user-selectable region (e.g. a hyperlink, a graphical button, or a check box) on the one or more display pages. The user feedback control is to provide feedback that the user  44  desires an unavailable content item and/or desires the content provider  14  to make the content item available. The user  44  can enter his/her feedback via the user feedback control using the client device  46 . The user-entered feedback is communicated from the client device  46  to the content provider  14  via the computer network  26 . 
         [0026]    In one embodiment, each unavailable content item in the search results list  52  has its own associated user feedback control dedicated thereto. For example, the one or more display pages may provide a first user feedback control  80  associated with and dedicated to the first content item (which is unavailable), and a second user feedback control  82  associated with and dedicated to the second content item (which is unavailable). Since the third content item is available, the one or more display pages need not provide this type of user feedback control for the third content item. 
         [0027]    As indicated by block  80 , the computer system  24  may receive a user selection of a user feedback control associated with an unavailable content item. As indicated by block  86 , the computer system  24  may provide description information  84  associated with the unavailable content item in response to the user selection. The descriptive information  84  may comprise a trailer of a cinematic movie, textual information about a cinematic movie (e.g. its title, copyright date, writer(s), actor(s), director(s), producer(s) and a short summary), textual information about a song (e.g. its title, copyright date, artist(s), songwriter(s), etc.). 
         [0028]    As indicated by block  88 , the content provider  14  can decide whether or not to attempt to acquire rights to provide the content item based on feedback from the user  44  and other users. In general, the content provider  14  can decide whether or not to attempt to acquire rights to provide a content item either with or without feedback from one or more users. For example, the content provider  14  can decide whether or not to attempt to acquire rights to provide a content item based on the content item being included as an unavailable content item in one or more search result lists for one or more users (with or without feedback from the one or more users). Regardless of how the decision to attempt to acquire rights to an unavailable content item is made, the content provider  14  can make the decision in either an automated manner (e.g. by part of the computer system  24  programmed to analyze the search result list(s) for frequent inclusion of the unavailable content item and/or to analyze the user feedback for frequent positive feedback associated with the unavailable content item) and/or a manual manner (e.g. by one or more humans who view the search result list(s) and/or the user feedback from the computer system  24  and analyze the data as described above). 
         [0029]    The herein-disclosed method and system enable a content provider to provide a positive hit to a user for a piece of content that the content provider cannot currently supply. In contrast, a typical content provider populates its search database only with content items that it can provide to its users. By receiving a positive hit on an unavailable item, the user can be certain that the content does not exist on the provider&#39;s service and can quickly terminate further searches or re-inquiry efforts. Further, as the user uses the system, his/her confidence in search results grows because he/she recognizes that the return of the search hit is not dependent on trying to guess what the provider may or may not have. Still further, users can be prompted to send feedback to the provider on these negative results (e.g. content not available for viewing). The provider can fine tune its content offerings based on direct user input indicating which content items would be desirable. 
         [0030]      FIGS. 3-6  illustrate an example showing benefits of the herein-disclosed method and system for use with a domain of U.S. Presidents.  FIG. 3  is list of U.S. Presidents for which a hypothetical content provider has associated content items. The database of the content provider is indexed with an exhaustive list of U.S. Presidents, as shown in  FIG. 4 . The database includes a field to indicate that the content provider has content for the U.S. Presidents listed in  FIG. 3 , but not for the other U.S. Presidents. Absent the teachings herein, the content provider&#39;s database would index only the U.S. Presidents listed in  FIG. 3 . 
         [0031]      FIGS. 5 and 6  illustrate sequences of hypothetical user-entered search queries for a user searching for content associated with George Herbert Walker Bush, the 41 st  President.  FIG. 5  is a sequence if the content provider&#39;s database indexed only the U.S. Presidents listed in  FIG. 3 . The user may enter a first search query of “bush” in which case a search result of “George Walker Bush” is returned. Since George Walker Bush is not the 41 st  President but is the 43 rd  President, the user may enter a second search query of “George Bush”. Once again, a search result of “George Walker Bush” is returned. The user may enter a third search query of “George HW Bush” in which case no result is returned. The user may enter a fourth search query of “George Bush Sr.”, in which case no result is returned. At this point, after entering four search queries, the user may give up on his/her search. 
         [0032]      FIG. 6  is a sequence if the content provider&#39;s database indexed the U.S. Presidents listed in  FIG. 4  and indicated availability based on the U.S. Presidents listed in  FIG. 3 . The user may enter a first search query of “bush” in which case search results of “George Walker Bush” and “George Herbert Walker Bush (content not available)” are returned. After entering only one search query, the user knows that he/she entered a proper query but that the target content is unavailable from the content provider. 
         [0033]    The herein-described components of the computer system  24  may be embodied by one or more computer processors directed by computer-readable program code stored by a computer-readable medium. The herein-described components of the client device  46  may be embodied by one or more computer processors directed by computer-readable program code stored by a computer-readable medium. 
         [0034]    Each of the database  12  and the mass storage devices  32  and  34  may comprise its own computer-readable media to store computer-readable data and/or content items in a computer-readable form. 
         [0035]    The above disclosed subject matter is to be considered illustrative, and not restrictive, and the appended claims are intended to cover all such modifications, enhancements, and other embodiments which fall within the true spirit and scope of the present invention. Thus, to the maximum extent allowed by law, the scope of the present invention is to be determined by the broadest permissible interpretation of the following claims and their equivalents, and shall not be restricted or limited by the foregoing detailed description.