HK1164499A - Automatically customizing an interaction experience of a user with a media content application - Google Patents

Description

Automatically customizing a user's interactive experience with a media content application

Cross Reference to Related Applications

This application claims priority from U.S. patent application No.12/495318, filed on 30/6/2009, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

Background

The proliferation of media content access devices such as set-top boxes, mobile phones, and the like has resulted in a plethora of media content choices for users of such devices. However, in order to access media content that can be accessed via a media content access device, a user must interact with an increasing number of media content applications. For example, a user may interact with one or more subscriber television applications to access media content using a set-top box, one or more mobile phone applications to access media content using a mobile phone, and one or more Web applications to access media content using a personal computer.

Users of multiple media content applications may wish to customize how each application is presented to or otherwise interacts with the user. Unfortunately, such customization typically requires a large amount of input from the user. For example, the user may be required to specify a username and password, navigate through one or more setup steps, and/or specify one or more preferences for each application. Such user input is often cumbersome, difficult to perform, and time consuming.

Drawings

The accompanying drawings illustrate various embodiments and are a part of the specification. The illustrated embodiments are merely examples and do not limit the scope of the disclosure. Throughout the drawings, the same or similar reference numbers refer to the same or similar elements.

FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary media content access system according to principles described herein.

FIG. 2 illustrates an exemplary embodiment of the system of FIG. 1 according to principles described herein.

FIG. 3 illustrates exemplary components of a media content provider subsystem according to principles described herein.

FIG. 4 illustrates exemplary components of a media content access subsystem according to principles described herein.

Fig. 5 illustrates an exemplary media content access device on which the media content access subsystem of fig. 4 is implemented according to principles described herein.

FIG. 6 illustrates another exemplary embodiment of the system of FIG. 1 according to principles described herein.

FIG. 7 illustrates another exemplary embodiment of the system of FIG. 1 according to principles described herein.

FIG. 8 illustrates an exemplary method for automatically customizing the interaction experience of one or more users with one or more applications according to principles described herein.

FIG. 9 illustrates an exemplary interaction feed corresponding to a particular user of at least one access device in accordance with the principles described herein.

FIG. 10 illustrates a particular embodiment of the system of FIG. 1 in accordance with the principles described herein.

FIG. 11 illustrates another exemplary method of automatically customizing the interaction experience of one or more users with one or more applications according to principles described herein.

Detailed Description

Exemplary methods and systems for automatically customizing a user's interaction experience with a media content application are disclosed herein. As described in more detail below, the interaction feed generation device may be configured to generate an interaction feed corresponding to a user of at least one media content access device. The interaction feed may include data representing interactions of at least one media content access device with one or more media content applications. The metadata layer device may be configured to update metadata stored within the storage device with the interaction feed generated by the interaction feed generation device. The customization device may be configured to automatically customize, in accordance with the metadata, an interactive experience of one or more users with the media content application.

As will be described in greater detail below, the methods and systems described herein facilitate automatically customizing a user's interactive experience with a variety of different media content applications, some of which may reside in different network platforms. The methods and systems described herein further facilitate automatically customizing a user's interaction experience with one or more media content applications based on how one or more other users interact with the one or more media content applications. Such automatic customization of the interaction experience may result in a more personalized media content access experience for each user.

As used herein, "media content" may generally refer to any content that is accessible via a media content access subsystem. The term "media content instance" will be used herein to refer to any television program, on-demand media program, pay-per-view media program, broadcast media program (e.g., broadcast television program), IPTV media content, advertisements (e.g., commercials), videos, movies, songs, video games, images, photos, sounds, web page content, or any segment, component, or combination of these or other forms of media content that may be viewed or otherwise experienced by a user. A "media content application" (or simply "application") may include one or more software programs configured to provide one or more media content services to a user and/or to facilitate access to one or more media content instances.

Fig. 1 illustrates an exemplary media content access system 100 (or simply "system 100"). As will be described in greater detail below, the system 100 may be configured to facilitate automatically customizing one or more user's interactive experiences with one or more media content applications accessible via the system 100.

System 100 may include, but is not limited to, an interaction feed generation device 102, a metadata layer device 104, a customization device 106, and a storage device 108. The interaction feed generation device 102 may be configured to generate interaction feeds corresponding to one or more users of at least one media content access device. As will be described in greater detail below, the interaction feed corresponding to a particular user of at least one media content access device may include data representing interactions of the at least one media content access device with one or more applications.

In some examples, the interaction between at least one media content access device and one or more applications may include one or more "application interaction events" (or simply "interaction events") performed by the at least one media content access device in relation to the one or more applications. Such interaction events may include, but are not limited to, accessing (e.g., viewing and/or listening), selecting, purchasing, sharing, searching, tagging, transmitting, and/or otherwise interacting with one or more instances of media content accessible via or otherwise associated with one or more applications. Additionally or alternatively, the interaction event may include selecting one or more options within one or more applications, communicating one or more commands to one or more applications, logging into one or more applications, accessing a web page associated with one or more applications, and/or otherwise interacting with or utilizing one or more applications.

To facilitate generating one or more interaction feeds associated with one or more users, interaction feed generation device 102 may be configured to monitor one or more interaction events described herein. When an interaction event is detected, interaction feed generation device 102 may be configured to generate interaction feed data 110 representing the interaction event for inclusion within an interaction feed. Exemplary interaction feed data 110 is described in more detail below. In some examples, the interaction feed data 110 may be stored within the storage device 108.

The metadata layer device 104 may be configured to maintain and update metadata with the interaction feed generated by the interaction feed generation device 102. In this manner, the metadata may represent how one or more users (and/or their associated media content access devices) interact with one or more applications, as will be described in more detail below. In some examples, the metadata may be stored as metadata data 112 within storage 108.

Customization device 106 may be configured to automatically customize one or more user's interactive experiences with the application in accordance with the metadata. In some examples, the application may be included within one or more applications corresponding to the generated interaction feed. Additionally or alternatively, the application may include another application not included within the one or more applications. As will be described in greater detail below, exemplary customization of a user's interaction experience with an application may include generating and presenting media content recommendations to the user based on metadata, generating and presenting customized advertisements to the user based on metadata, and/or customizing at least one option associated with the application for the user. Data representing or otherwise associated with the customized interactive experience may be stored as customization data 114 within storage 108.

As shown in fig. 1, additionally or alternatively, the storage device 108 may maintain user profile data 116. As will be described in greater detail below, customization device 106 may be configured to utilize user profile data 116 in the automatic customization of a user's interaction experience with an application.

The system 100, including the device 102 and 108, may include any computer hardware and/or computer-implemented instructions (e.g., software), or combination of computer-implemented instructions and hardware, configured to perform one or more of the processes described herein. In particular, system 100 may be implemented on one physical computing device, or may be implemented on more than one physical computing device. Accordingly, system 100 may include any number of computing devices and may employ any number of computer operating systems. Further, it will be appreciated that although the devices 102 and 108 are illustrated in FIG. 1 as separate devices, any of those devices may be combined into a single device as long as the particular application is possible.

Thus, one or more of the processes described herein may be implemented, at least in part, as instructions executable by one or more computing devices. Generally, a processor (e.g., a microprocessor) receives instructions from a computer-readable medium (e.g., a memory, etc.) and executes those instructions, thereby performing one or more processes, including one or more of the processes described herein. Such instructions may be stored and/or transmitted using any of a variety of known computer-readable media.

Computer-readable media (also referred to as processor-readable media) includes any medium that participates in providing data that may be read by a computer (e.g., by a processor of a computer). Such a medium may take many forms, including but not limited to, non-volatile media and/or volatile media. Non-volatile media may include, for example, optical or magnetic disks and other persistent memory. For example, volatile media may include dynamic random access memory ("DRAM"), which typically constitutes a main memory. Common forms of computer-readable media include, for example, a floppy disk, a flexible disk, hard disk, magnetic tape, any other magnetic medium, a CD-ROM, DVD, any other optical medium, punch cards, paper tape, any other physical medium with patterns of holes, a RAM, a PROM, an EPROM, a FLASH-EEPROM, any other memory chip or cartridge, or any other medium from which a computer can read.

Fig. 2 illustrates an exemplary implementation 200 of system 100 in which a media content provider subsystem 202 (or simply "provider subsystem 202") is communicatively coupled to a media content access subsystem (or simply "access subsystem 204"). As will be described in greater detail below, interaction feed generation device 102, metadata layer device 104, customization device 106, and storage device 108 may each be implemented on one or both of provider subsystem 202 and access subsystem 204.

Access subsystem 204 may be configured to communicate with provider subsystem 202 and receive signals and/or data streams therefrom containing data (e.g., metadata, program guide data, etc.) representative of and/or associated with media content. Access subsystem 204 and provider subsystem 202 may communicate using any suitable communication technology, device, network platform, medium, and protocol that supports remote data communication.

For example, as shown in fig. 2, provider subsystem 202 may be configured to communicate with access subsystem 204 over network 206 (and the communication links linked thereto). Network 206 may include one or more networks or network types capable of carrying communication and/or data signals between provider subsystem 202 and access subsystem 204. For example, the network 206 may include a wired network, a fiber optic network, a hybrid fiber coaxial network, a wireless network (e.g., Wi-Fi and/or mobile phone network), a satellite network, a wireless broadcast network (e.g., a satellite media broadcast network or a terrestrial broadcast network), a subscriber television network, a provider-specific network (e.g., Verizon)FIOSA network), the internet, an intranet, a local area network, any other suitable network, and any combination or sub-combination of these networks, but is not limited thereto.

Provider subsystem 202 and access subsystem 204 may communicate over network 206 using any suitable network technologies, devices, media, and protocols that support remote data communications, including, but not limited to, data transmission media, communication devices, transmission control protocol ("TCP"), internet protocol ("IP"), file transfer protocol ("FTP"), Telnet, hypertext transfer protocol ("HTTP"), real-time protocol ("RTP"), user datagram protocol ("UDP"), ethernet, and any other suitable communication technologies, devices, media, and protocols.

Although fig. 2 shows provider subsystem 202 and access subsystem 204 communicatively coupled via network 206, it will be appreciated that provider subsystem 202 and access subsystem 204 may be configured to communicate with one another in any other suitable manner (e.g., via a direct connection). Further, it will be appreciated that in some examples, system 100 may be fully implemented on access subsystem 204.

In some examples, provider subsystem 202 may be configured to generate or otherwise provide media content (e.g., in the form of one or more streams of media content) to access subsystem 204. Access subsystem 204 may be configured to facilitate access by a user to media content received from provider subsystem 202. To this end, access subsystem 204 may present the media content for experience (e.g., viewing) by a user, record the media content, parse metadata and/or other data associated with the media content, and so forth. Presentation of media content may include, but is not limited to, displaying, playing, or otherwise presenting the media content or one or more components of the media content such that the media content may be experienced by a user.

Fig. 3 illustrates exemplary components of provider subsystem 202. As shown in fig. 3, provider subsystem 202 may include a communication interface 302, a processor 304, and a storage device 306 communicatively coupled to each other via a communication facility 308. The components of provider subsystem 202 may communicate with each other using any suitable communication technique, including transmitting data to and receiving data from each other. Further, the components of provider subsystem 202 may be implemented on any computing device or combination of computing devices, such as one or more servers, personal computers, and the like.

While an exemplary provider subsystem 202 is shown in fig. 3, the components shown in fig. 3 are not intended to be limiting. Additional or alternative components may be used in other embodiments. The components of provider subsystem 202 shown in fig. 3 will now be described in additional detail.

Communication interface 302 may be configured to communicate with one or more computing devices, including access subsystem 204. In particular, communication interface 302 may be configured to transmit and/or receive communication signals, media content, and/or data to and/or from access subsystem 204. Examples of communication interface 302 may include, without limitation, a wired network interface (such as a network interface card), a wireless network interface (such as a wireless network interface card), a modem, and any other suitable interface. In at least one embodiment, the communication interface 302 may provide a direct connection between the provider subsystem 202 and the access subsystem 204 via a direct link to a network such as the internet. Additionally or alternatively, communication interface 302 may provide such a connection through, for example, a local area network (such as Ethernet), a personal area network, a telephone or cable network, a cellular telephone connection, a satellite data connection, or any other suitable connection.

In some examples, communication interface 302 may be configured to transmit data representing one or more instances of media content to access subsystem 204. Such data may be transferred as one or more data files in one or more media content data streams, or may be transferred in any other suitable manner as may be specific to the application. Communication interface 302 may be configured to interface with any suitable communication media, protocols, and formats, including any of those mentioned above.

Processor 304 generally represents any type or form of processing unit capable of processing data or interpreting, executing, and/or directing the execution of one or more instructions, processes, and/or operations described herein. The processor 304 may direct the performance of operations in accordance with one or more applications 310 or other computer-executable instructions, such as may be stored in the storage device 306 or another computer-readable medium. As an example, the processor 304 may be configured to process data, including modulating, encoding, and/or otherwise preparing data (e.g., media content data) for transmission over the communication interface 302.

Storage device 306 may include one or more data storage media, devices, or configurations and may take any type, form, and combination of data storage media and/or devices. For example, storage device 306 may include, but is not limited to, a hard disk drive, a network drive, a flash memory drive, a magnetic disk, an optical disk, random access memory ("RAM"), dynamic RAM ("DRAM"), other nonvolatile and/or volatile data storage units, or combinations or sub-combinations thereof. Electronic data, including data described herein, may be temporarily and/or permanently stored in storage device 306. For example, data representing one or more executable applications 310 may be stored within storage device 306, the executable applications 310 configured to direct processor 304 to perform any of the operations described herein. In some examples, the data may be arranged in one or more databases residing within storage device 306.

In some examples, interaction feed generation device 102, metadata layer device 104, customization device 106, and/or storage device 108 may be implemented by or within one or more components of provider subsystem 202. For example, one or more applications 310 residing within storage device 306 may be configured to direct processor 304 to perform one or more processes or functions associated with interaction-feed generation device 102, metadata layer device 104, and/or customization device 106. Likewise, storage 108 may be implemented by storage 306 or within storage 306. For example, the interaction feed data 110, metadata data 112, customization data 114, and/or user profile data 116 may be stored within the storage device 306.

Fig. 4 illustrates exemplary components of access subsystem 204. As shown in fig. 4, access subsystem 204 may include a communication interface 402, a processor 404, a storage device 406, an input/output ("I/O") module 408, a program guide module 410, and a media content recording module 412 communicatively coupled to each other via a communication facility 414. The components of access subsystem 204 may communicate with each other using any suitable communication technique, including transmitting data to and receiving data from each other. Further, components of access subsystem 204 may be implemented on any computing device or combination of computing devices, such as a set-top box, a communication device, a mobile device (e.g., a mobile telephone device), a handheld device, a personal computer, a telephone device (e.g., a Verizon hub device), a personal digital assistant device, a gaming device, a digital video recording ("DVR") device (e.g., a personal video recording ("PVR") device), a television device, and/or any media content access device configured to perform one or more of the processes and/or operations described herein.

Although fig. 4 illustrates an exemplary access subsystem 204, the components illustrated in fig. 4 are not intended to be limiting. Additional or alternative components may be used in other embodiments. The components of the access subsystem 204 shown in FIG. 4 will now be described in additional detail.

Communication interface 402 may be configured to communicate with one or more computing devices, including provider subsystem 202. In particular, communication interface 402 may be configured to transmit and/or receive communication signals, media content, and/or data to and/or from provider subsystem 202. Examples of communication interface 402 include, without limitation, a wired network interface (such as a network interface card), a wireless network interface (such as a wireless network interface card), a modem, and any other suitable interface. In at least one embodiment, the communication interface 402 may provide a direct connection between the provider subsystem 202 and the access subsystem 204 via a direct link to a network such as the internet. Additionally or alternatively, communication interface 302 may provide such a connection through a local area network (such as Ethernet), a personal area network, a telephone or cable network, a cellular telephone connection, a satellite data connection, or any other suitable connection, for example.

As mentioned, provider subsystem 202 may communicate data representing one or more instances of media content. The communication interface 402 may be configured to receive such data so that it may be processed by the access subsystem 204. To this end, the communication interface 402 may comprise any device, logic, and/or other technology suitable for receiving signals, data streams, and/or data representing media content. Communication interface 402 may be configured to interface with any suitable communication media, protocols, and formats, including any of those mentioned above.

In particular embodiments, provider subsystem 202 may be configured to transmit data streams or signals including data representing various media content instances in accordance with a transmission schedule, while access subsystem 204 may be configured to receive the data streams or signals in accordance with the transmission schedule. The transmission schedule may specify media content instances to be transmitted at scheduled transmission times and on certain media content bearer channels. As used herein, the term "scheduled transmission time" or "scheduled transmission" may generally refer to any period of time during which an instance of media content is to be delivered to access subsystem 204. As used herein, the term "media content bearer channel" or "media content channel" may refer generally to any media content carrier, including but not limited to a media (e.g., television) channel, stream, address, frequency, or other media content carrier.

The communication interface 402 may be configured to selectively identify, receive, and/or process appropriate data streams and/or media content instances at scheduled transmission times and on appropriate media content bearer channels. For example, in some implementations, the communication interface 402 can include a tuner configured to selectively receive media content carried on a particular media content carrier channel. The tuner may be tuned to a particular media content bearer channel such that media content carried on the media content bearer channel is received and may be processed by access subsystem 204.

In some examples, communication interface 402 may include multiple tuners such that media content carried on different media content carrying channels may be received simultaneously for processing by access subsystem 204. For example, the communication interface 402 may include a first tuner configured to receive media content carried on an analog video signal and a second tuner configured to simultaneously receive media content carried on a digital compressed signal.

While one or more tuners may be used to receive various types of media content-bearing signals transmitted by provider subsystem 202, communication interface 402 may additionally or alternatively be configured to receive other types of signals (e.g., other types of media content-bearing signals) from provider subsystem 202 and/or one or more other sources without the use of tuners. For example, provider subsystem 202 may transmit a digital stream of data packets (e.g., internet protocol ("IP") based data packets) that can be received without the use of a tuner. For such types of signals, the communication interface 402 may receive the signal and forward it directly to other components of the access subsystem 204 without the signal passing through a tuner. For example, for IP-based signals, the communication interface 402 may function as an IP receiver.

Processor 404 generally represents any type or form of processing unit capable of processing data or otherwise interpreting, executing, and/or directing the execution of one or more instructions, processes, and/or operations described herein. Processor 404 may direct the performance of operations in accordance with one or more applications 504 or other computer-executable instructions, such as may be stored in storage device 406 or another computer-readable medium. As an example, processor 404 may be configured to process data, including demodulating, decoding, and/or parsing data (e.g., data representing media content received by communication interface 402 from provider subsystem 202), and encoding and modulating data for transmission over communication interface 402.

Storage device 406 may include one or more data storage media, devices, or configurations and may take any type, form, and combination of data storage media and/or devices. For example, storage 406 may include, but is not limited to, a hard disk drive, a network drive, a flash memory drive, a magnetic disk, an optical disk, random access memory ("RAM"), dynamic RAM ("DRAM"), other nonvolatile and/or volatile data storage units, or combinations or sub-combinations thereof. Electronic data, including data described herein, may be temporarily and/or permanently stored in storage device 406. For example, data representing one or more executable applications 416 may be stored within the storage device 406, the executable applications 416 being configured to direct the processor 404 to perform any of the operations described herein. In some examples, the data may be arranged in one or more databases residing within storage 406.

I/O module 408 may be configured to receive user input and provide user output and may include any hardware, firmware, software, or combination thereof that supports input and output functions. For example, I/O module 408 may include one or more devices for capturing user input, including, but not limited to, a microphone, voice recognition technology, a keyboard or keypad, a touch screen component (e.g., a touch screen display), a receiver (e.g., an RF or infrared receiver), and one or more input buttons.

I/O module 408 may include one or more devices for presenting output to a user, including, but not limited to, a graphics engine, a display (e.g., a display screen), one or more output drivers (e.g., a display driver), one or more audio speakers, and one or more audio drivers. In some embodiments, I/O module 408 is configured to provide graphical data to a display for presentation to a user. The graphical data may represent one or more graphical user interfaces ("GUIs"), GUI views, media content views, and/or any other views that may be of a particular application.

The program guide module 410 may be configured to maintain and operate on program guide data. As mentioned above, media content instances may be transmitted by provider subsystem 202 at scheduled transmission times and on specific media content bearer channels. To assist access subsystem 204 and/or a user of access subsystem 204 in receiving media content instances at appropriately scheduled transmission times and on appropriate media content bearer channels, program guide data may be received by communication interface 402 from provider subsystem 202 and/or from other sources. The program guide data may be stored in storage device 406.

The program guide module 410 may be configured to arrange and provide graphical data representing a program guide view to the I/O module 408 for inclusion in the GUI. I/O module 408 may generate and provide a GUI including the program guide view to a display for presentation to a user. The program guide view may include graphical arrangements of program guide data, one or more program guide tools (e.g., program guide navigation, search, and/or filtering tools), one or more graphical selectors for navigating and highlighting selectable options, and/or other graphics. Typically, the program guide view presents at least a portion of the media content transmission schedule to the user. A user may utilize the program guide view to access information related to media content instances and scheduled transmission times and channels associated with the media content instances.

The media content recording module 412 may be configured to record data representing media content to the storage device 406. Typically, the recording of the instance of media content is performed during the transmission time slot when data representing the instance of media content is received from the provider subsystem 202 as described above. For example, during transmission of a media content instance from provider subsystem 202 to access subsystem 204 over a media content bearer channel, communication interface 402 may receive data representing the media content instance over the media content bearer channel, and media content recording module 412 may direct storage of the received data representing the media content instance to storage 406. Once stored, the data representing the instance of media content may be accessed and processed as appropriate for the particular application, including providing the data representing the instance of media content to a display for presentation to a user.

In some examples, interaction feed generation device 102, metadata layer device 104, customization device 106, and/or storage device 108 may be implemented by or within one or more components of access subsystem 204. For example, one or more applications 416 residing within storage device 406 may be configured to direct processor 404 to perform one or more processes or functions associated with interaction-feed generation device 102, metadata layer device 104, and/or customization device 106. Likewise, storage 108 may be implemented by storage 406 or within storage 406. For example, the interaction feed data 110, metadata data 112, customization data 114, and/or user profile data 116 may be stored within the storage device 406.

Access subsystem 204 and/or components of access subsystem 204 may be implemented as appropriate for a particular application. Fig. 5 illustrates an exemplary media content access device 500 (or simply "access device 500") on which access subsystem 204 is implemented. Access device 500 may include one or more components of access subsystem 204 shown in fig. 4 and may be configured to perform one or more processes and/or operations described herein. Access device 500 may include, but is not limited to, a set-top box, a media content processing device, a communication device, a mobile device (e.g., a mobile telephone device), a handheld device, a personal computer, a telephone device (e.g., a Verizon hub device), a personal digital assistant device, a gaming device, a DVR device (e.g., a personal video recording PVR device), a television device, and/or any device configured to perform one or more of the processes and/or operations described herein.

As shown in fig. 5, access device 500 may include a communication interface 502 configured to receive media content (e.g., media content) and/or data (e.g., metadata associated with the media content, program guide data, and/or any other data) in any acceptable format from provider subsystem 202 or from any other suitable external source. Communication interface 502 may include any device, logic, and/or other technology suitable for receiving data and/or signals representing media content and/or other types of media content or data. Communication interface 502 may be configured to interface with any suitable communication media, protocols, and formats, including any of those mentioned above.

The device 500 may also include a receiver 504 configured to receive user input signals from a user input device 506. User input device 506 may include, for example, a remote control device or any other suitable input device, and may be configured to communicate with receiver 504 via a wireless link, an electrical connection, or any other suitable communication link.

In some examples, the access device 500 may include a graphics engine 508 and an output driver 510. The graphics engine 508 may be configured to generate graphics to be provided to an output driver 510, which output driver 510 may be configured to interface with a display 512 or drive the display 512. Output driver 510 may provide output signals to display 512 that include graphical media content (e.g., media content and/or program guide media content) generated by graphics engine 508 and to be presented by display 512 for user experience. For example, output driver 510 may provide data representing a GUI including a program guide view to display 512 for presentation to a user. Graphics engine 508 and output driver 510 may comprise any combination of hardware, software, and/or firmware as may be specific to an application.

The data store 514 can include one or more data storage media, devices, or configurations, and can employ any type, form, and combination of storage media. For example, data store 514 may include, but is not limited to, a hard disk drive, a network drive, a flash drive, a magnetic disk, an optical disk, or other non-volatile storage unit. The media content and/or data associated with the media content may be temporarily and/or permanently stored in data store 514.

For purposes of illustration only, the data store 514 is shown in fig. 5 as being included within the access device 500. It will be appreciated that the data store 514 can additionally or alternatively be located outside of the access device 500.

The data store 514 may include one or more live cache buffers 516. Additionally or alternatively, the live cache buffer 516 may reside in the memory 518 or in a storage device external to the access device 500. In some examples, media content data may be temporarily stored in the live cache buffer 516 to facilitate viewing and/or recording of the media content.

Device 500 may include memory 518. Memory 518 may include, but is not limited to, flash memory, random access memory ("RAM"), dynamic RAM ("DRAM"), other suitable computer-readable media, or any combination or sub-combination thereof. In some examples, one or more applications 520 configured to run on the access device 500 or otherwise executed by the access device 500 may reside in the memory 518.

The access device 500 may include one or more tuners 520. The tuner 520 may be configured to selectively receive media content carried on a particular media content carrier channel so that the media content may be processed by the access device 500. In some examples, media content received by tuner 520 may be temporarily cached or stored in live cache buffer 516. If there are multiple tuners 520, there may be a live cache buffer 516 corresponding to each tuner 520.

Although tuner 520 may be used to receive a particular media content-bearing signal transmitted by provider subsystem 202, access device 500 may be configured to receive other types of media content signals (including media content signals and/or program guide data signals) from provider subsystem 202 and/or one or more other sources without the use of a tuner. For example, provider subsystem 202 may transmit a digital stream of data packets (e.g., internet protocol ("IP") based data packets) that can be received without the use of a tuner. For such types of media content signals, the communication interface 502 may receive the signal and forward it directly to other components of the access device 500 (e.g., the processor 522 or the signal processing unit 524, which are described in more detail below) without the signal passing through the tuner 520. For example, for an IP-based signal, the signal processing unit 524 may act as an IP receiver.

Access device 500 may include at least one processor, such as processor 522, configured to control and/or perform one or more operations of device access 500. The access device 500 may also include a signal processing unit 524 configured to process incoming media content. The signal processing unit 524 may be configured to, for example, demodulate and parse the encoded digital media content. In some examples, access device 500 may include one or more signal processing units 524 corresponding to each tuner 520.

In some examples, provider subsystem 202 may be configured to support communication with access subsystem 204 via multiple network platforms. For example, user 230 may utilize multiple access devices 500, each being part of a different network platform, to access one or more applications and/or media content residing within provider subsystem 202.

For purposes of illustration, FIG. 6 shows an exemplary implementation 600 of system 100. As shown in FIG. 6, an implementation 600 may include a provider subsystem 202 and access devices 500-1 through 500-3 (collectively referred to herein as "access devices 500") utilized by or otherwise associated with a user 602. Provider subsystem 202 may be configured to communicate with each access device 500 over different network platforms. For example, provider subsystem 202 may be configured to communicate with access device 500-1 (e.g., a mobile phone) over mobile phone network 604, access device 500-2 (e.g., a personal computer) over internet 606, and/or access device 500-3 (e.g., a set-top box) over subscriber television network 608. Thus, user 230 may be able to access one or more applications and/or media content residing within provider subsystem 202 using any of access devices 500-1 through 500-3. It will be appreciated that the mobile telephone network 604, the internet 606 and the subscriber television network 608 may be part of the network 206 shown in figure 2. It will also be appreciated that the network illustrated in fig. 6 is merely illustrative of many different types of networks that may facilitate communication between provider subsystem 202 and access subsystem 204.

Additionally or alternatively, the system 100 may be configured to support interaction with multiple users. For example, FIG. 7 illustrates an exemplary implementation 700 of system 100 in which multiple users 602-1 through 602-3 (collectively referred to herein as "users 602") may communicate with provider subsystem 202 over network 206 using one or more access devices 500.

In some examples, a user of access device 500 may utilize one or more applications resident within provider subsystem 202 and/or access device 500 in order to access media content accessible via provider subsystem 202. For example, the one or more applications may be included within applications 310, 416, and/or 520 and may be executed by any computing device implemented or included within provider subsystem 202 and/or access subsystem 204. Each application may include one or more software programs configured to provide one or more media content services to a user and/or facilitate access to one or more instances of media content. For example, exemplary applications that may be used by a user to access media content include, but are not limited to, a media content presentation application, a subscriber television application, a program guide application, a content management application, a Web browser, a telephone application, an email application, a video-on-demand application, a music-on-demand application, an online video and music store application, an advertising application, a media content search application, a media content recommendation application, a media content storage application, a media content sharing application, a social networking application, a location-based application, a contact management application, and/or any other application that facilitates access to media content available via provider subsystem 202 and/or access subsystem 204.

As mentioned, it is often desirable to customize how applications are presented to or otherwise interact with a user. To this end, the methods and systems described herein facilitate automatic customization of one or more users' interactive experiences with one or more applications. As will be described herein, such customization may be facilitated by generating an interaction feed for each application with which the user interacts. Each interaction feed may be used to update metadata accessible by each application. The metadata may be used by applications and/or new applications that the user wishes to interact with in order to customize the user's interaction experience with those applications.

FIG. 8 illustrates an exemplary method 800 for automatically customizing one or more user's interactive experiences with one or more applications. Although fig. 8 illustrates exemplary steps according to one embodiment, other embodiments may omit, add to, reorder, and/or modify any of the steps illustrated in fig. 8.

In step 802, an interaction feed corresponding to a user of at least one access device is generated. For example, interaction feed generation device 102 may be configured to generate an interaction feed that includes data representing interactions of at least one access device with one or more applications. To this end, interaction feed generation device 102 may be configured to monitor one or more interaction events described herein. When an interaction event is detected, interaction feed generation device 102 may be configured to generate interaction feed data representing the interaction event for inclusion within an interaction feed.

Fig. 9 illustrates an exemplary interaction feed 900 corresponding to a particular user of at least one access device. As shown in FIG. 9, the interaction feed 900 includes a log of a plurality of interaction events 902 (e.g., interaction events 902-1 through 902-8) performed by a user with respect to one or more applications. For purposes of illustration only, an interaction event may be referred to herein as being "performed by a user". However, it will be appreciated that the interaction event may in fact be performed by an access device utilized by or otherwise associated with the user.

Each interactivity event 902 included within the interactivity feed 900 may be associated with one or more applications that the user uses to access media content. For example, interaction events 902-1 through 902-3 may correspond to a user's interaction with an online music store application. As shown in FIG. 9, interaction event 902-1 represents a user's interaction with an online music store, where the user has added two albums to a music collection list. Interaction 902-2 represents a user's interaction with an online music store application, where the user purchased a particular song using the online music store application. Interaction event 902-3 represents a user interaction with an online music store application, where the user has given three songs as gifts to friends.

Other interaction events 902 shown in the interaction feed 900 represent other types of interactions by the user with other applications. For example, interaction event 902-4 represents a user's interaction with an online social networking application, where the user created a Twitter post; interaction event 902-5 represents a user interaction with a subscriber television application, wherein the user watched a particular movie; interaction event 902-6 represents a user interaction with a media content search application, wherein the user searches for a particular phrase within a program guide; interaction event 902-7 represents a user interaction with a telephony application, wherein the user placed a telephone call to a particular person; and an interaction event 902-8 represents a user interaction with a Web browser application in which the user has visited a particular Web site. It will be appreciated that the interactivity events 902 shown in FIG. 9 are merely representative of the many different interactivity events that may be included within an interactivity feed 900.

An interaction feed (e.g., interaction feed 900) may include one or more fields associated with each interaction event. Each field may include data generated by interaction feed generation device 102 describing the interaction event. For example, an interactivity feed may include a subject field containing data describing the type of interactivity event, a keyword field containing data describing one or more keywords associated with an interactivity event, a timestamp field containing data representing a timestamp associated with an interactivity event, an application identification field containing data identifying an application associated with an interactivity event, a user identification field containing data identifying a user associated with an interactivity event, an access device identification field containing data identifying an access device used to execute an interactivity event, and/or any other field associated with an interactivity event as long as it is available as a particular application.

The interaction feed may be generated in any programming language as long as it is available as a particular application. For example, the interaction feed may be generated using a custom markup language (e.g., extensible markup language ("XML")). In this manner, the data included within the interaction feed may be identified and processed by a variety of different applications and/or computing devices.

FIG. 9 illustrates that a single interaction feed may be generated to represent a single user's interactions with multiple applications. In some alternative examples, multiple interaction feeds corresponding to a single user may be generated. For example, an interaction feed may be generated for each application with which the user interacts. To illustrate, if a user interacts with four different applications, four different interaction feeds may be generated to represent interaction events performed by the user in relation to each application.

In some examples, the one or more applications based on which the interaction feed was generated in step 802 reside in different network platforms. For example, a user may access a mobile phone application via the mobile phone network 604, a Web application via the internet 606, and a subscriber television application via the subscriber television network 608. Accordingly, the interaction feed generation device 102 may be configured to monitor and detect interaction events performed by the user that are facilitated through each of these networks 604, 606, and 608. When an interaction event is detected that is performed within any of these network platforms, the interaction feed associated with the user may be updated accordingly. In this manner, as will be described in greater detail below, a user's interaction experience with a particular application residing within a particular network platform may be customized based on the user's interaction with one or more other applications residing within one or more other network platforms.

In step 804, the metadata within the storage device is updated with the interaction feed generated in step 802. For example, the metadata layer device 104 may be configured to update metadata stored within the storage device 108 with the interaction feed generated in step 802.

To facilitate the updating of the metadata, the interaction feed generation device 102 may be configured to transmit the interaction feed to the metadata layer device 104. Upon receiving the interaction feed, metadata layer device 104 may update the metadata stored within storage device 108 with the interaction feed. The update may be performed by the metadata layer device 104 in any suitable manner. For example, the metadata layer device 104 may be configured to insert data included in the interaction feed into one or more predefined fields included in the metadata. In some examples, the predefined fields may be configured to correspond to fields included in the interaction feed.

In some examples, the metadata included within storage 108 may be additionally updated with one or more additional interaction feeds corresponding to one or more additional users. Thus, metadata may include data representing how multiple users interact with one or more applications. In this manner, the interaction experience of a particular user with a particular application may be customized based on the interaction of one or more other users with the particular application and/or with any other application, as will be described in greater detail below.

In step 806, an interactive experience with the application by at least one of the user and the other user is automatically customized in accordance with the metadata. The customization of the interaction experience may be performed by customization device 106 in any suitable manner in accordance with the metadata. An exemplary interaction experience that may be customized by customization device 106 will be described in more detail below.

In some examples, the application with which the user's interaction experience is customized may be included within one or more applications based on which the interaction feed was generated in step 802. For example, an interaction feed may be generated based on a user's interaction with a subscriber television application. The interaction feed may then be utilized to update metadata within storage 108. Subsequent interaction experiences of the user with the subscriber television application may then be customized based on the metadata including data representing the initial interaction of the user with the subscriber television application.

Alternatively, the application with which the user's interaction experience is customized may be another application not included within the one or more applications based on which the interaction feed was generated in step 802. For example, an interaction feed may be generated based on a user's interaction with a subscriber television application. The interaction feed may then be utilized to update metadata within storage 108. The user may then interact with a new application (e.g., an online music store application). The user's interaction experience with the new application may be automatically customized based on metadata including data representing the user's interaction with the subscriber television application.

In some examples, customization device 106 is configured to customize the interaction experience of the same user with which the interaction feed generated in step 802 is associated. For example, as set forth above, an interaction feed may be generated based on a particular user's interaction with a subscriber television application. Subsequent interaction experiences of the same user with the subscriber television application and/or with any other application may then be customized in accordance with metadata comprising data representing interaction feeds associated with the user.

Additionally or alternatively, customization device 106 may be configured to customize the interaction experience of another user that is not associated with the interaction feed generated in step 802. For example, an interaction feed may be generated based on the first user's interaction with a particular application. The interaction feed can then be utilized to update the metadata within the storage 108. An interaction experience of a second user with a particular application and/or with another application may be automatically customized based on metadata including data representing interactions of the first user with the particular application.

Various examples of customizing the interactive experience of one or more users with one or more applications will now be described. It will be appreciated that the examples described herein are merely illustrative of the many ways in which customization device 106 may customize one or more users' interactive experiences with one or more applications.

In some examples, customization device 106 may be configured to automatically customize a user's interaction experience with an application by generating and presenting media content recommendations to the user within the application. To illustrate, an interaction feed associated with a user may indicate that the user purchased and viewed a particular on-demand video (e.g., "Three Amigos") via a set-top box during the nighttime on a particular day. The next day, the user may access the online music store application. Customization device 106 may customize the user's interactive experience with the online music store application by automatically generating and presenting to the user one or more song recommendations associated with "Three Amigos". For example, customization device 106 may direct the online music store application to recommend songs included within "Three Amigos" (e.g., a song entitled "My Little button") to the user for purchase. As described above, the customization may be performed by customization device 106 based on metadata that has been updated with an interaction feed associated with the user.

Additionally or alternatively, one or more media content recommendations may be generated and presented to a second user of the one or more applications based on how the first user interacts with the particular application. The first and second users may be friends, family members, work partners, and/or related to each other in any other manner.

To illustrate, in the example above of a user purchasing and viewing "Three Amigos", customization device 106 may additionally or alternatively customize the interaction experience of the second user based on the detected interaction of the user with the video-on-demand application. For example, customization device 106 may direct a subscriber television application associated with the second user to generate and present to the second user one or more media content recommendations related to "Three Amigos". Such media content recommendations may include a recommendation to purchase and view "Three Amigos", a movie involving one or more people in the cast of "Three Amigos", and/or any other instance of media content that is somehow related to "Three Amigos". In some examples, because the first user purchased and viewed "Three Amigos," the media content recommendation presented to the second user may include a notification message that the media content recommendation is being presented to the second user.

Additionally or alternatively, one or more media content recommendations may be generated and presented to the user of one or more applications based on how a plurality of other users interact with the one or more applications. For example, customization device 106 may be configured to generate media content recommendations for a particular user by processing metadata that has been updated with a plurality of interaction feeds associated with a plurality of users to determine which media content instances should be recommended to that user. The processing of the metadata and determination of media content recommendations may be performed according to any suitable heuristic as long as it is applicable to the particular application.

Automatically generating and presenting media content recommendations to a user based on how another user interacts with an application may facilitate media content sharing between users and may ensure that the user is being presented with media content that may be most consistent with their preferences. Such media content recommendations are also useful for users who wish to be the same in their media content selections as other users. For example, media content recommendations automatically generated based on how a leading person of a social circle interacts with one or more applications may be used by other members of the social circle to access the same or similar media content as the leading person accessed.

Additionally or alternatively, customization device 106 may be configured to automatically customize a user's interaction experience with an application by generating and presenting customized advertisements to the user based on how the user and/or one or more other users interact with one or more applications. To illustrate, in the example above of a user purchasing and viewing "Three Amigos," customization device 106 may be configured to direct an advertising application to generate and present customized advertisements to the user during the presentation of "Three Amigos" or any other time period that may be of a particular application (e.g., advertisements for french fries and salsa sauces, advertisements for travel to mexico, etc.).

Additionally or alternatively, customization device 106 may be configured to automatically customize a user's interaction experience with an application by customizing at least one option associated with the application depending on how the user interacts with one or more other applications. For example, the interaction feed generation device 102 may be configured to detect that a user has interacted with a particular application by customizing one or more options associated with the application. To illustrate, the interaction feed generation device 102 may detect that the user has customized a background view associated with a particular application, a username associated with the application, a password associated with the application, a font size associated with the application, a resolution associated with the application, a default volume associated with the application, one or more access preferences associated with the application, and/or any other options associated with the application. The user may then access the new application and wish to customize the same set of options in the new application as customized in the first application. To this end, customization device 106 may be configured to automatically customize one or more options within the new application based on metadata representing option customizations performed by the user with respect to the first application. For example, customization device 106 may be configured to automatically assign the new application the same username, password, and/or any other customization options associated with the first application.

In some examples, customization device 106 may be configured to automatically customize a user's interaction experience with an application based at least in part on a user profile associated with the user and/or another user. As used herein, a user profile is configured to represent one or more personal traits associated with a user. For example, the user profile may include data representing the user's age, gender, income level, occupation, family status, nationality, favorite media content genre, and so forth. Such information may be used to customize a user's interaction experience with one or more applications in addition to interaction feeds associated with one or more users. For example, media content recommendations may be presented to a particular user based at least in part on one or more traits associated with the user as defined in a user profile corresponding to the user.

FIG. 10 illustrates a particular embodiment 1000 of the system 100 in which metadata based on which the interaction experience of one or more users is customized resides in a storage device 1002 that is part of a metadata layer server 1004. As shown in FIG. 10, the metadata layer server 1004 may be configured to communicate with a plurality of application servers 1006-1 through 1006-N (collectively referred to herein as "application servers 1006") and a plurality of access devices 500-1 through 500-N (collectively referred to herein as "access devices 500") via the network 206. Each access device 500 may be used by a user 608 (e.g., user 608-1, user 608-2, and user 608-N) to access one or more applications residing within an application server 1006. Interaction feed generation device 102 and/or customization device 106 may be implemented on or included in one or more application servers 1006 and/or access devices 500.

In some examples, each application server 1006 is associated with a different network platform. Thus, to access an application residing on a particular application server (e.g., application server 1006-1), an access device (e.g., access device 500-1) may be configured to operate within the network platform of which application server 1006-1 is a part.

Metadata layer server 1004 may include any computing device configured to perform one or more metadata-related functions described herein. For example, the metadata layer device 104 and the storage device 108 may be implemented on or included within the metadata layer server 1004.

In some examples, each of the application server 1006 and the access device 500 may be configured to communicate with the metadata layer server 1004 in order to access metadata residing thereon. In this manner, customization device 106, residing on one or more application servers 1006 and/or access device 500, may customize the interaction experience of one or more users 608 with one or more applications residing on application servers 1006.

In some examples, the access device 500 may be configured to generate and display a GUI configured to represent an interaction feed associated with a user. For example, the interaction feed 900 shown in fig. 9 may be displayed within a GUI by the access device 500 such that its user can see one or more interaction events 902 included within the interaction feed 900. It will be appreciated that the interaction feed may be displayed within the GUI by the access device 500 in any suitable manner. Further, it will be appreciated that any number of interaction feeds associated with any number of users may be displayed by the access device 500.

FIG. 11 illustrates another exemplary method 1100 of automatically customizing one or more user's interactive experiences with one or more applications. Although fig. 11 illustrates exemplary steps according to one embodiment, other embodiments may omit, add to, reorder, and/or modify any of the steps illustrated in fig. 11.

In step 1102, a plurality of interaction feeds associated with a plurality of users are generated. The interaction feeds may each include data representing at least one application interaction event performed by an access device associated with a different user within the plurality of users. The interaction feed may be generated in any manner described herein.

In step 1104, the plurality of interaction feeds are used to update metadata within the storage device. The metadata may be updated with the interaction feed in any manner described herein.

In step 1106, an interaction experience of at least one of the plurality of users with an application is automatically customized in accordance with the metadata. The interactive experience may be automatically customized in any of the ways described herein.

As detailed above, the methods described herein facilitate automatic customization of one or more users' interactive experiences with one or more media content applications. As an example, an exemplary method includes: generating an interaction feed corresponding to a user of at least one access device, the interaction feed comprising data representing interactions of the at least one access device with one or more media content applications; updating metadata within a storage device with the interaction feed; and automatically customizing an interactive experience of at least one of the user and another user with a media content application in dependence upon the metadata.

Another exemplary method comprises: generating a plurality of interaction feeds associated with a plurality of users, the interaction feeds each comprising data representing at least one media content application interaction event performed by an access device associated with a different user within the plurality of users; updating metadata within a storage device with the plurality of interaction feeds; and automatically customizing an interactive experience of at least one of the plurality of users with a media content application in accordance with the metadata.

An exemplary system comprises: an interaction feed generation device configured to generate an interaction feed corresponding to a user of at least one access device, the interaction feed comprising data representing interactions of the at least one access device with one or more media content applications; a metadata layer device selectively and communicatively coupled to the interaction feed generation device and configured to update metadata with the interaction feed; and a customization device selectively and communicatively coupled to the metadata layer device and configured to automatically customize an interaction experience of at least one of the user and another user with a media content application in accordance with the metadata.

In the foregoing description, various exemplary embodiments have been described with reference to the accompanying drawings. It will, however, be evident that various modifications and changes may be made thereto, and additional embodiments may be implemented, without departing from the scope of the invention as set forth in the claims that follow. For example, particular features of one embodiment described herein may be combined with or substituted for those of another embodiment described herein. The description and drawings are, accordingly, to be regarded in an illustrative rather than a restrictive sense.

Claims (25)

1. A method, comprising:

generating an interaction feed corresponding to a user of at least one access device, the interaction feed comprising data representing interactions of the at least one access device with one or more media content applications;

updating metadata within a storage device with the interaction feed; and

automatically customizing an interactive experience of at least one of the user and another user with a media content application in dependence on the metadata.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

generating another interaction feed corresponding to the other user;

updating the metadata within the storage device with the other interaction feed; and

automatically customizing an interactive experience of at least one of the user and the other user with the media content application in accordance with the metadata updated with the other interactive feed.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the interaction feed is generated using a custom markup language.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the automatic customization of the interaction experience comprises: presenting media content recommendations based on the metadata.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the automatic customization of the interaction experience comprises: at least one option associated with the media content application is customized based on the metadata.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the automatic customization of the interaction experience comprises: presenting a customized advertisement based on the metadata.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the automatic customization of the interaction experience comprises: customizing the interaction experience in accordance with a user profile associated with at least one of the user and the other user.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more media content applications reside within different application servers associated with different network platforms.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more media content applications reside on the at least one access device, and wherein the automatic customization is performed by the at least one access device.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the automatically customizing comprises:

accessing, with a computing device associated with the media content application, the metadata within the storage device; and

directing, with the computing device, the media content application to customize the interaction experience based on the metadata.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the media content application comprises one of the one or more media content applications.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the media content application comprises another media content application not included within the one or more media content applications.

13. The method of claim 1, embodied as computer-executable instructions on at least one computer-readable medium.

14. A method, comprising:

generating a plurality of interaction feeds associated with a plurality of users, the interaction feeds each comprising data representing at least one media content application interaction event performed by an access device associated with a different user within the plurality of users;

updating metadata within a storage device with the plurality of interaction feeds; and

automatically customizing an interactive experience of at least one of the plurality of users with a media content application in accordance with the metadata.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the automatic customization of the interaction experience comprises: presenting media content recommendations to the at least one of the plurality of users based on the metadata.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the automatic customization of the interaction experience comprises: at least one option associated with the media content application is customized based on the metadata.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein the media content application resides on the at least one access device, and wherein the automatic customization is performed by the at least one access device.

18. The method of claim 14, wherein the automatically customizing comprises:

accessing, with a computing device associated with the media content application, the metadata within the storage device; and

directing, with the computing device, the media content application to customize the interaction experience based on the metadata.

19. A system, comprising:

an interaction feed generation device configured to generate an interaction feed corresponding to a user of at least one access device, the interaction feed comprising data representing interactions of the at least one access device with one or more media content applications;

a metadata layer device selectively and communicatively coupled to the interaction feed generation device and configured to update metadata with the interaction feed; and

a customization device selectively and communicatively coupled to the metadata layer device and configured to automatically customize an interaction experience of at least one of the user and another user with a media content application in accordance with the metadata.

20. The system of claim 19, further comprising a storage device communicatively coupled to the metadata layer device and configured to maintain the metadata.

21. The system of claim 19, wherein the interaction feed generation device is configured to generate the interaction feed by detecting one or more interaction events associated with the user and generating interaction feed data representing the one or more interaction events for inclusion within the interaction feed.

22. The system of claim 19, wherein the customization facility is configured to automatically customize the interactive experience by presenting media content recommendations based on the metadata.

23. The system of claim 19, wherein the customization facility is configured to automatically customize the interaction experience by customizing at least one option associated with the media content application based on the metadata.

24. The system of claim 19, wherein the customization facility is configured to automatically customize the interactive experience by presenting customized advertisements based on the metadata.

25. The system of claim 19, wherein the customization facility is configured to automatically customize the interaction experience by customizing the interaction experience in accordance with a user profile associated with at least one of the user and another user.