Patent ID: 7089578

Claim:
An apparatus for updating a viewer profile stored in a digital television device, said apparatus comprising: receiver circuitry capable of receiving audio-video data packets associated with a plurality of incoming television signals and extracting from said plurality of incoming television signals at least one data request data packet containing a first data request operable to retrieve a first requested profile datum from said stored viewer profile; an update controller capable of receiving said at least one data request data packet from said receiver circuitry and determining if said first requested profile datum is present in said viewer profile, said update controller being further capable, in response to a determination that said first requested profile datum is not present in said stored viewer profile, of displaying information related to said first requested profile datum; and a memory coupled to said update controller, wherein said update controller creates in said memory a first missed request record associated with said first data request indicating that said first requested profile datum was not present in said stored viewer profile when said first data request was received said first missed request record including a missed request count such that said update controller increments said missed request count in response to a determination that said first requested profile datum is not present in said stored viewer profile.