JP4193128B2 - Information processing apparatus and method, recording medium, and program - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus and method, a recording medium, and a program, and in particular, an information processing apparatus and method that can prompt a user to view content other than content recommended by biased preference information, The present invention relates to a recording medium and a program.

  Conventionally, it has been proposed to automatically record a program (a program broadcast on television) that seems to be a user's preference using the user's preference information (see, for example, Patent Literature 1 to Patent Literature 7).

  In the inventions described in these Patent Documents 1 to 7, the user's preference is analyzed from the history of the television broadcast program that the user has actually watched, and the program that matches the preference is automatically recorded. Is done.

JP-A-11-134345 JP-A-11-345446 JP 2000-13708 A JP 2000-287189 A JP 2001-160940 A JP 2001-298777 A JP 2001-84220 A

  However, when the user's preference is analyzed by the conventional method and the viewing of the program that matches the preference is recommended to the user, the result of the analysis performed in a state where the user's viewing history is small at the initial stage When the program recommended for viewing by the user is viewed by the user, the information on the program is used for selection of the next recommended program, and thereafter, a specific genre, keyword, broadcast time zone, broadcast station There is a risk that only program recommendations that are biased to such reasons will be made.

  That is, when a user's preference is analyzed by a conventional method and viewing of a program that matches the preference is recommended to the user, the user approximates a program that was not accidentally viewed at an early stage. You may lose the opportunity to receive recommendations for content. However, since the recommended program matches at least the user's preference, there is a fear that only the program recommendation that matches the biased preference is made without the user's knowledge.

  The present invention has been made in view of such a situation, and the viewing of contents such as a genre, a broadcasting time zone, a broadcasting station, etc., which the user has not viewed so far, other than the contents recommended by biased preference information. Can be urged to the user so that the program recommendation that correctly reflects the user's preference can be performed.

An information processing apparatus according to the present invention stores a first program-related content or a storage unit, user preference information including a plurality of items, and a predetermined program or content stored by the storage unit The degree of coincidence between the first information and the preference information is calculated, information indicating a predetermined number of programs or contents having a high degree of coincidence, and at least a part of the first information corresponding thereto Generating a first list in which the information of 2 is described, analyzing the second information described in the first list, and in a predetermined first item of the plurality of items constituting the preference information, by most frequent of small classification as to update the first list to a predetermined ratio or more, a generation unit for generating a second list which is a list of programs or content to be recommended to the user Characterized in that it comprises.

In the first means among the plurality of items constituting the preference information, the generation means has the least frequent classification of the first item as a classification with the least frequent among the first items. Update the first list by extracting the corresponding program or content that has the highest degree of match with the preference information and replacing it with one of the programs or content listed in the first list You can make it.

  Display control means for controlling display of the second list generated by the generation means can be further provided.

  An automatic recording control unit that controls a process of automatically recording a program or content described in the second list generated by the generation unit may be further provided.

A selection means for selecting a predetermined program or content automatically recorded by the process of the automatic recording control means and notifying the user can be further provided. The selection means is selected in the past. The history information including the first information of the program or content stored is saved, and the proportion of items selected in the past in the predetermined second item of the plurality of items constituting the preference information is predetermined based on the history information. When there is a category equal to or less than the ratio, the first selection process for selecting a program or content from the corresponding category can be executed.

  The selecting means extracts a predetermined number of programs or contents having a high degree of match with the preference information from among the automatically recorded programs or contents, and selects a program or contents at random from the extracted programs or contents. This selection process can be further executed.

  The selection unit can cause the first selection process and the second selection process to be executed at a predetermined ratio.

  In the first selection process, the selection means has the highest degree of matching with the preference information among programs or contents corresponding to the corresponding classification when there is a classification in which the ratio selected in the past is equal to or less than a predetermined ratio. You can let them choose one.

The information processing method according to the present invention includes a calculation step for calculating the degree of coincidence between the first information of a predetermined program or content and the preference information, and a predetermined number of high matching degrees based on the calculation result obtained by the processing of the calculation step. A first generation step of generating a first list in which information indicating a program or content and second information which is at least a part of the first information corresponding to the information are described; The second information described in the first list generated by the processing of the generation step is analyzed, and among the predetermined items of the plurality of items constituting the preference information, those with the least frequent classification are predetermined. a determination step of determining whether a proportion less, by the process of decision, if the highest frequency is less classified as is determined to be less than a predetermined percentage for a given item, classification Tokoro By updating the first list so that the ratio above, characterized in that it comprises a second generating step of generating a second list which is a list of programs or content to be recommended to the user.

The program recorded on the recording medium of the present invention is based on the calculation step for calculating the degree of coincidence between the first information of the predetermined program or content and the preference information, and the calculation result by the process of the calculation step. A first generation step of generating a first list in which information indicating a predetermined number of programs or contents having a high number of pieces of information and second information which is at least a part of the first information corresponding thereto are described And analyzing the second information described in the first list generated by the processing of the first generation step, and classifying the least frequently among the predetermined items of the plurality of items constituting the preference information determine if what is a judgment step of judging whether equal to or less than a predetermined ratio, by the process of decision, one of the most infrequent classified in a given item is equal to or less than a predetermined percentage of And a second generation step of generating a second list that is a list of programs or contents recommended to the user by updating the first list so that the classification is equal to or higher than a predetermined ratio. The computer is caused to execute a process characterized by the above.

The program of the present invention includes a calculation step for calculating the degree of match between the first information of a predetermined program or content and the preference information, and a predetermined number of programs or programs having a high degree of match based on the calculation result of the calculation step. A first generation step of generating a first list in which information indicating content and second information which is at least a part of the first information corresponding to the information are described; and a first generation step The second information described in the first list generated by the process is analyzed, and among the predetermined items constituting the preference information, those with the least frequent classification are below a predetermined ratio a judgment step of judging whether or not the processing of the determining step, if the highest frequency is less classified as is determined to be less than a predetermined percentage for a given item, classification given And a second generation step of generating a second list that is a list of programs or contents recommended to the user by updating the first list so that the ratio is equal to or greater than the ratio. To run.

In the information processing apparatus, the information processing method, and the program according to the present invention, the degree of coincidence between the first information of the predetermined program or content and the preference information is calculated, and the predetermined degree with a high degree of coincidence is calculated based on the calculation result. A first list in which information indicating a number of programs or contents and second information that is at least a part of the first information corresponding to the information is generated is generated, and is described in the first list. The second information is analyzed, and it is determined whether or not the least frequently classified item is less than or equal to a predetermined ratio among a plurality of items constituting the preference information. most if the frequency that is less classified is determined to be equal to or less than the predetermined ratio, the first list is updated to the corresponding classification is a predetermined ratio or more, the program or co be recommended to the user in the The second list is generated which is a list of the Ceiling.

According to the present invention, it is possible to generate a list of programs or contents recommended to the user, in particular, to generate a first list indicating a predetermined number of programs or contents having a high degree of coincidence with the user's preference information, In the first list, in a predetermined item of the plurality of items constituting the preference information, when the item with the least frequent category is equal to or less than a predetermined rate, the corresponding category is equal to or higher than the predetermined rate Since the first list is updated to generate the second list, the genre, broadcast time zone, and broadcast station that the user has not watched so far, other than the content recommended by the biased preference information The user can be encouraged to view content such as the program, and program recommendation that correctly reflects the user's preferences can be performed.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below. The correspondence relationship between the invention described in this specification and the embodiments of the invention is exemplified as follows. This description is intended to confirm that the embodiments supporting the invention described in this specification are described in this specification. Therefore, even if there is an embodiment that is described in the embodiment of the invention but is not described here as corresponding to the invention, the fact that the embodiment is not It does not mean that it does not correspond to the invention. Conversely, even if an embodiment is described herein as corresponding to an invention, that means that the embodiment does not correspond to an invention other than the invention. Absent.

  Further, this description does not mean all the inventions described in this specification. In other words, this description is for the invention described in the present specification, which is not claimed in this application, that is, for the invention that will be applied for in the future or that will appear and be added by amendment. It does not deny existence.

The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 (for example, the video recording / reproducing apparatus 11 of FIG. 1) is a storage unit (for example, the broadcast program of FIG. 3) that stores first information (for example, EPG information) related to a program or content. Information management unit 69) and user preference information (for example, preference information data 301 in FIG. 5) configured by a plurality of items are stored, and first information of a predetermined program or content stored by the storage unit The degree of coincidence between the user information and the preference information is calculated, information (for example, program name and content name) indicating a predetermined number (for example, 50) of programs or contents having a high degree of coincidence, and first corresponding to them A first list (for example, a first recommended program list) in which second information that is at least a part of information (for example, a genre, a broadcast time zone, or a channel) is described. And analyzing the second information described in the first list, and in a predetermined first item (for example, genre, broadcast time zone, or channel) among a plurality of items constituting preference information Generating means (for example, generating a second list which is a list of programs or contents recommended to the user by updating the first list so that the least frequently classified category has a predetermined ratio or more. And a preference information management unit 68) of FIG.

  The information processing apparatus according to claim 3 further includes display control means (for example, a recommended program list display unit 70 in FIG. 3) for controlling display of the second list generated by the generation means. .

  The information processing apparatus according to claim 4 is an automatic recording control unit that controls a process of automatically recording a program or content described in the second list generated by the generation unit (for example, the automatic recording of FIG. 3). A reservation control unit 74) is further provided.

The information processing apparatus according to claim 5 is a selection unit that selects a predetermined program or content automatically recorded by the process of the automatic recording control unit and notifies the user (for example, the recommended title management in FIG. 3). And the selection means stores history information (for example, viewing recommendation notification history 381 in FIG. 9) including the first information of the program or content selected in the past, and based on the history information, Corresponding to the case where there is a classification in which a previously selected ratio is equal to or less than a predetermined ratio in a predetermined second item (for example, genre, broadcast time zone, or channel) of a plurality of items constituting preference information A first selection process for selecting a program or content from the classification to be performed is performed.

The information processing method according to claim 9 is a degree of coincidence between first information (for example, preference information data 301 in FIG. 5) and preference information (for example, preference information data 301 in FIG. 5) of a predetermined program or content. Based on the calculation step (for example, the process of step S1 in FIG. 6) and the calculation result of the calculation step, information indicating a predetermined number (for example, 50, etc.) of programs or contents with a high degree of match (for example, 50) , A program name and a content name), and a second information that is at least a part of the first information corresponding to them (for example, a genre, a broadcast time zone, or a channel) is described. A first generation step (for example, the process of step S2 in FIG. 6) for generating a list (for example, a first recommended program list) and the first generation step generated by the process of the first generation step. Analyzing the second information described in the list of predetermined items of the plurality of items constituting the preference information (e.g., genre, broadcasting time zone or channel), the ones most frequent small classification There determination step of determining whether or not less than a predetermined percentage (e.g., step S4, S7 of FIG. 6, and the processing of S10) and, by the process of decision, the most infrequent classified in predetermined items When it is determined that the content is less than or equal to the predetermined ratio, the second list that is a list of programs or contents recommended to the user is updated by updating the first list so that the classification is equal to or higher than the predetermined ratio. And a second generation step (for example, steps S5, S8, S11, S12, and S13 in FIG. 6).

  Further, in the program recorded on the recording medium according to claim 10 and the program according to claim 11, an embodiment (however, an example) corresponding to each step is the information according to claim 9. This is the same as the processing method.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 shows a configuration example of a network system to which the present invention is applied. In this configuration example, servers 2-1 and 2-2 (hereinafter, these servers need to be individually distinguished in a network 1 constituted by the Internet, a WAN (Wide Area Network), a LAN (Local Area Network), and the like. If there is not, the server 2 is simply connected). Here, it goes without saying that the number of servers 2 is arbitrary and may be three or more.

  The server 2-1 and the server 2-2 provide broadcast program information (EPG (Electric Program Guide) information) and content data distributed over the network to the user apparatus 3 via the network 1.

  The user device 3 disposed in the user's home includes a video recording / reproducing device 11, a display device 12, an antenna 13, and an antenna 14.

  The video recording / reproducing device 11 is, for example, a hard disk video recorder or the like, and receives a broadcast radio wave via an antenna 13 and demodulates a signal obtained by the built-in auxiliary storage device 40 (see FIG. 2 described later). The information is stored and provided to the display device 12 in the subsequent stage for display. The display device 12 is composed of, for example, a television receiver or a monitor.

  The video recording / reproducing apparatus 11 is configured, for example, as shown in FIG. The tuner 31 is a terrestrial television broadcast received by the antenna 13, a satellite radio wave broadcast wave received by the antenna 14, content data supplied via the network 1, or a cable network. 4 demodulates a broadcast signal corresponding to the cable television broadcast supplied via 4, and outputs a video signal component and an audio signal component to the encoder 32. The vertical blanking period of the terrestrial television broadcast signal received by the antenna 13 may include EPG information. The satellite wave television signal received by the antenna 14 may also include corresponding EPG information. Therefore, the tuner 31 extracts this EPG information and outputs it to the EPG acquisition module 34.

  The network interface 37 acquires content data or a cable television broadcast program from the network 1 or the cable network 4 and supplies the content data or the cable television broadcast program to the encoder 32 via the bus 52. Furthermore, the network interface 37 receives EPG information (content data received from the network 1 or the cable network 4 or EPG information of the cable television broadcast program) from the network 1 or the cable network 4 as well as the antenna 13 or the antenna 14. (Which may be EPG information of a terrestrial or satellite television broadcast program received by the above) and is supplied to the PEG acquisition module 34 via the bus 52.

  The encoder 32 encodes the video signal and the audio signal input from the tuner 31 or the network interface 37 by, for example, the MPEG (Moving Picture Experts Group) method, and supplies the encoded signal to the auxiliary storage device 40 via the bus 52 for storage. The auxiliary storage device 40 includes a hard disk, a magnetic tape, a removable disk, a flash memory, and the like.

  The video signal and audio signal stored in the auxiliary storage device 40 are output to the decoder 33 via the bus 52, decoded by the MPEG method, and then supplied to the display device 12. When the received video signal and audio signal are not stored in the auxiliary storage device 40, the encoder 32 and the decoder 33 output the signal output from the tuner 31 to the display device 12 as it is.

  For example, a main storage device 39 including a RAM (Random Access Memory) and a ROM (Read Only Memory) 38 are connected to the bus 52. The main storage device 39 appropriately stores data and parameters necessary for a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 35 to execute various processes. The ROM 38 stores a program executed by the CPU 35.

  The bus 52 is further connected to a network interface 37 that executes interface processing with the network 1 and the cable network 4.

  The CPU 35 is connected to the bus 51 together with the encoder 32, the decoder 33, and the EPG acquisition module 34. The bus 51 is also connected to a main storage device 36 composed of a RAM or the like.

  The functional configuration centering on the software of the video recording / reproducing apparatus 11 is as shown in FIG.

  The live broadcast reproduction unit 61 executes processing of the signal received at that time by the tuner 31, the signal acquired at that time by the network interface 37, or the signal input from an external input terminal (not shown). . The recorded title playback unit 62 executes playback processing of programs and contents stored in the auxiliary storage device 40 (programs and contents stored in the auxiliary storage device 40 are hereinafter collectively referred to as titles). The recording control unit 63 executes a signal recording process for the auxiliary storage device 40. The application management unit 64 executes activation / termination of each function (application) including the viewing control application 72, the preference information management unit 68, and the recording reservation application 73, and operation state monitoring processing.

  The viewing control application 72 controls the live broadcast playback unit 61, the recorded title playback unit 62, or the recorded title management unit 65 based on an instruction from the user, and plays back the signal received or input at that time. The title stored in the auxiliary storage device 40 is reproduced. Also, the viewing control application 72 controls the live broadcast reproduction unit 61 to cause the tuner 31 to receive a broadcast program of a channel designated by the user, or to the network interface 37 to select the cable television selected by the user. Broadcast program information (EPG information) stored in the broadcast program information management unit 69 and recommended programs stored in the preference information management unit 68 when a broadcast program of a program or content distributed on a network is acquired. Refer to the list accordingly. Furthermore, when the viewing control application 72 controls the recorded title playback unit 62 to play back the program stored in the auxiliary storage device 40, the viewing control application 72 appropriately refers to the title of the program or content stored in the recorded title management unit 65. To do.

  The network communication unit 71 communicates with the servers 2-1 and 2-2 via the network 1 and communicates with a server (not shown) via the cable network 4 to acquire broadcast program information (EPG) and content data. . The broadcast program information management unit 69 manages broadcast program information (EPG) acquired by the EPG acquisition module 34. The recording reservation management unit 67 controls the recording control unit 63 based on a request from the recording reservation application 73 or the automatic recording reservation control unit 74, and executes a recording reservation process. The automatic recording reservation control unit 74 executes a recording reservation process based on a recommended program list, which will be described later, generated by the preference information management unit 68.

  The preference information management unit 68 stores preference information data that is user preference information, refers to the broadcast program information stored in the broadcast program information management unit 69, and is a recommended program that is a list of programs recommended to the user. Generate a list. The recording reservation application 73 executes recording reservation processing based on a command from the user. The recording reservation application 73 controls the recording reservation management unit 67 to execute the recording reservation process when making a recording reservation based on an operation from the user.

  The recorded title management unit 65 manages information related to the title stored in the auxiliary storage device 40. The recommended title management unit 66 determines whether or not to recommend viewing the title stored in the auxiliary storage device 40 to the user, and if necessary, turns on or blinks a notification lamp, outputs a voice message, or displays a display unit 12 is recommended to the user to view the stored title. The recommended program list display unit 70 controls the display of the recommended program list on the display device 12 as necessary based on the control of the preference information management unit 68.

  The server 2-1 is configured as shown in FIG. 4, for example. 4, a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 221 executes various processes according to a program stored in a ROM (Read Only Memory) 222 or a program loaded from a storage unit 228 to a RAM (Random Access Memory) 223. To do. The RAM 223 also appropriately stores data necessary for the CPU 221 to execute various processes.

  The CPU 221, ROM 222, and RAM 223 are connected to each other via a bus 224. An input / output interface 225 is also connected to the bus 224.

  The input / output interface 225 includes an input unit 226 including a keyboard and a mouse, a display including a CRT (Cathode Ray Tube) and an LCD (Liquid Crystal display), an output unit 227 including a speaker, a hard disk, and the like. A communication unit 229 including a storage unit 228 and a modem is connected. The storage unit 228 stores EPG information and content data to be provided to the user device 3. The communication unit 229 performs communication processing with the user device 3 via the network 1 including the Internet.

  A drive 230 is connected to the input / output interface 225 as necessary, and a removable medium 231 such as a magnetic disk, an optical disk, a magneto-optical disk, or a semiconductor memory is appropriately mounted, and a computer program read from them is loaded. It is installed in the storage unit 228 as necessary.

  Although illustration is omitted, the server 2-2 has basically the same configuration as the server 2-1 shown in FIG.

  The broadcast program information management unit 96 and the viewing control application 72 of the user device 3 control the network communication unit 71 and access the server 2 via the network 1. Then, the broadcast program information management unit 96 controls the network communication unit 71 to transfer EPG information, and the viewing control application 72 controls the network communication unit 71 to request the server 2 to transfer content data. To do. Upon receiving this request, the server 2 transmits EPG information and content data via the network 1. Therefore, the broadcast program information management unit 96 receives and stores the EPG information transmitted from the server 2 via the network 1 via the network communication unit 71, and the viewing control application 72 stores the network communication unit 71. Then, the content data transmitted from the server 2 via the network 1 is played back by controlling the live broadcast playback unit 61 or stored in the auxiliary storage device 40 by controlling the recording control unit 63.

  That is, the CPU 221 of the server 2 receives an access from the video recording / reproducing apparatus 11 via the network 1 and receives a request for transferring EPG information and content data. The CPU 221 reads the EPG information and content data stored in the storage unit 228, controls the communication unit 229, and transmits the EPG information and content data to the video recording / reproducing apparatus 11 via the network 1.

  As described above, the video recording / reproducing device 11 of the user device 3 acquires EPG information from the server 2 in advance and stores it in the auxiliary storage device 40.

  In the case where the auxiliary storage device 40 is composed of, for example, a removable disk, a flash memory, etc., the information stored in the auxiliary storage device 40 is auxiliary stored by receiving provision of those media on which EPG information is recorded from the administrator of the server 2. It is also possible to hold the device 40.

  The preference information data 301 stored in the preference information management unit 68 will be described with reference to FIG. The preference information data 301 includes, for example, items of title keyword preference information 311, keyword preference information 312, genre preference information 313, broadcast time zone preference information 314, and channel preference information 315. In the title keyword preference information 311 to the channel preference information 315, a score indicating the user's preference level is added for each classification.

  The title keyword preference information 311 is composed of keywords and scores for those keywords by classifying the keywords themselves included in the broadcast program or content title. The keyword preference information 312 is used to extract words constituting the detailed description of the program included in the EPG information (explanation of contents, performers, etc.) as keywords, classify the extracted keywords themselves, Consists of. The genre preference information 113 includes, for example, genres of broadcast programs and contents indicated by classifications such as variety, report, drama, documentary, sports, music, and education, and scores for them. The broadcast time zone preference information 314 is information used to detect the user's preference because the program structure is characterized by the broadcast time zone, particularly in a broadcast program. And score for. The channel preference information 315 is information used for detecting the user's preference because each broadcast station (channel) has a characteristic in program organization, particularly in a broadcast program. , And a score for each channel.

  These scores are high in the title, keyword, genre, broadcast time zone, and channel values included in the EPG information corresponding to the program content that the user watched or recorded, and the user did not watch The title, keyword, genre, broadcast time zone, and channel values included in the EPG information corresponding to the selected content are set to be low.

  For example, the score corresponding to the component included in the EPG information corresponding to the content selected by the user is incremented by 1, and the score corresponds to the component included in the EPG information corresponding to the content not selected by the user. When the score is set not to increase, the higher the score, the higher the preference level of the corresponding item.

  The score calculation method may be any method other than those described above. For example, the score of each item included in the EPG information corresponding to the content not selected by the user may be reduced. The weight may be applied to each item. Also, the preference information management unit 68 acquires the user's operation history, generates the preference information data 301 by itself, and updates the preference information data 301 generated by another device. It is good to do.

  Then, the preference information management unit 68 uses the EPG information stored in the broadcast program information management unit 69 based on the preference information data 301 to indicate whether the user likes the program or content. Is calculated.

  Specifically, the preference information management unit 68 broadcasts a broadcast program to be broadcast or an EPG of content data that can be acquired every predetermined time, such as once a day, for example. From the preference information data 301, scores corresponding to various types of information included in the EPG are extracted from the preference information data 301, and the program preference level is calculated using the following equation (1).

Program preference = (Sum of scores of title keywords that make up the title)
+ (Sum of keyword scores included in program details) + Genre score
+ Broadcasting time score + Channel score (1)

  First, the preference information management unit 68 extracts a predetermined number (for example, 50) of programs or contents that are expected to match the user's preference using the above-described formula (1) to obtain the first recommended program. Generate a list. Then, based on the first recommended program list, whether or not there is a particularly infrequent classification in the item of genre, broadcast time zone, or channel, that is, among the programs or contents included in the recommended program list The second recommended program list is determined by determining whether or not there are extremely few genres, broadcasting hours, or channels, and changing the recommended program list so that there is no particularly low frequency classification in each item. Is generated.

  Here, in the first and second recommended program lists, a program name or content name and corresponding EPG information are described. Here, a part of the EPG information may be described in the first and second recommended program lists. Specifically, the EPG information described in the first and second recommended program lists includes at least items used for generating the second recommended program list, such as a genre, a broadcast time zone, or a channel. It only has to be included. Further, in the first and second recommended program lists, an ID or the like that can distinguish a program or content may be described instead of the program name or content name.

  Then, the generated second recommended program list is presented to the user, or automatic recording processing is executed based on the second recommended program list.

  When the automatic recording process is executed, the recommended title management unit 66 includes, for example, a program or content automatically recorded at a predetermined frequency such as once a day or once every two days. When a predetermined number (for example, one) program or content is selected and the recording process of the selected program or content is terminated, the recording of the program or content recommended for viewing to the user is completed. Notice. This notification is referred to as viewing recommendation because it is a process for recommending viewing of the automatically recorded programs or contents included in the list, in distinction from the recommendation of programs in the recommended program list. The viewing recommendation makes it possible to prompt the user to view the selected content among programs or content that are automatically recommended.

  The viewing recommendation process includes a normal viewing recommendation process and a special viewing recommendation process. Here, the normal viewing recommendation process is, for example, a predetermined number (for example, a program or content having the highest user preference, which is obtained by using Equation (1) among automatically recorded programs or content (for example, A predetermined number (for example, five) of programs or contents with high user preference, which are obtained by using the formula (1), and are randomly selected from the extracted ones. This is a process for notifying the user that the recording of a program or content recommended for viewing has ended when the number (for example, one) is selected and the recording process for the selected one is completed. .

  The special viewing recommendation process is a process of storing a history of programs or contents recommended for viewing in the past, and based on the history, for example, the frequency of viewing recommendations among automatically recorded programs or contents is determined. When it is determined whether there is a genre, broadcast time, or channel that is less than or equal to a predetermined ratio, and it is determined that there is a genre, broadcast time, or channel that has a recommended viewing frequency that is less than a predetermined ratio Select a program or content with the highest user preference obtained from Equation (1) among programs or contents of genres, broadcast times, or channels whose recommended frequency of viewing is a predetermined ratio or less. Or randomly select one from the corresponding genre, broadcast time, or channel program or content. When the recording process is terminated although, for the user, the program recommended viewing, or a process of notifying that the recording of the content is completed.

  The viewing recommendation process is executed at predetermined intervals, for example, once a day or once every two days. Therefore, the normal viewing recommendation process and the special viewing recommendation process include, for example, a normal viewing recommendation process. After four executions, the special viewing recommendation process may be executed at a predetermined rate, such as once, or the special viewing recommendation process may be executed at random intervals. good.

  The recommended program list generation process will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

  In step S1, the preference information management unit 68 uses the equation (1) described above based on the EPG data stored in the broadcast program information management unit 69 and the user preference information indicated in the preference information data 301 to A predetermined number (for example, 50) of programs matching the user's preference is detected.

  In step S2, the preference information management unit 68 generates a first recommended program list by programs that match the user's preference detected by the process of step S1.

  In step S3, the preference information management unit 68 counts the number of programs of the genre with the least recommended frequency or the total time of programs in the recommended program list generated in step S2.

  In step S4, the preference information management unit 68 determines whether or not the number of programs of the genre with the least recommended frequency or the total program time recorded in step S3 is equal to or less than a predetermined ratio, for example, 10%. to decide. This ratio is a value that can be appropriately set experimentally or empirically. This ratio may be set by the user.

  In step S4, when it is determined that the number of programs of the genre with the least recommended frequency or the total time of the programs is equal to or less than the predetermined ratio, the preference information management unit 68 in step S5 determines the genre with the least recommended frequency. From the program or content, for example, a corresponding genre having a high user preference (a value having a high calculation result in Expression (1)) is selected, or the corresponding genre has a score. A new selection is made by a predetermined method such as a random selection from a program or content that is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold, and the process proceeds to step S12.

  If it is determined in step S4 that the number of programs or the total program time of the genre with the least recommended frequency is not less than a predetermined ratio, the preference information management unit 68 in step S6 determines the broadcast time period with the least recommended frequency. Count the number of programs or total program time.

  In step S7, the preference information management unit 68 determines whether the number of programs in the broadcast time zone with the least recommended frequency or the total time of the programs is equal to or less than a predetermined ratio such as 5%, for example. This ratio is also a value that can be appropriately set experimentally or empirically, and may be the same value as the value used in the genre or a different value. This ratio may be set by the user.

  In step S7, when it is determined that the number of programs in the broadcasting time zone with the least recommended frequency or the total time of programs is equal to or less than a predetermined ratio, the preference information management unit 68 has the least recommended frequency in step S8. From a program or content in the broadcast time zone, for example, a corresponding broadcast time zone having a high user preference (a value having a high calculation result in Expression (1)) or a corresponding broadcast is selected. A new selection is made by a predetermined method such as randomly selecting from a program or content whose score is equal to or higher than a predetermined threshold in the time period, and the process proceeds to step S12.

  In step S7, when it is determined that the number of programs or the total program time in the broadcast time zone with the least recommended frequency is not less than a predetermined ratio, the preference information management unit 68 has the least recommended frequency in step S9. Count the number of programs on the channel or the total program time.

  In step S10, the preference information management unit 68 determines whether the number of programs or the total program time of the channel with the least recommended frequency is equal to or less than a predetermined ratio, for example, 8%. Note that this ratio is also a value that can be appropriately set experimentally or empirically, and may be the same value or a different value from the values used in the genre and the broadcast time zone. This ratio may be set by the user.

  If it is determined in step S10 that the number of programs or the total program time of the channel with the least recommended frequency is equal to or less than a predetermined ratio, the preference information management unit 68 in step S11 determines the channel with the least recommended frequency. From a program or content, for example, a corresponding channel with a high user preference (a value with a high calculation result in Expression (1)) is selected, or a score is selected among the corresponding channels. A new selection is made by a predetermined method such as a random selection from a program or content that is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold, and the process proceeds to step S12.

  After the process of step S5, step S8, or step S11 is completed, in step S12, the preference information management unit 68 adds the selected program or content to the recommended program list, and the process proceeds to step S3. The subsequent processing is repeated.

  That is, in the first recommended program list, until the genre, the broadcast time zone, and the number of programs in the channel or the total time of the program, which have the smallest percentage of time or number, are equal to or greater than a predetermined ratio, respectively. Steps S1 to S12 are repeated.

  If it is determined in step S10 that the number of programs or the total program time of the channel with the least recommended frequency is not less than a predetermined ratio, the preference information management unit 68 in step S13 displays the current recommended program list as a user. And stored as a second recommended program list to be presented.

  Here, the second recommended program list to which the selected program or content is added in step S12 will be described with reference to FIG.

  The first recommended program list created in step S2 is composed of programs or contents that match the user's preference calculated by the equation (1). The program or content selected in the process of step S5, step S8 or step S11 is added to the list. At this time, the program or content selected by these processes is added to the list of recommended programs. Is inserted into the lower-level list 362. On the other hand, the part described in advance in the first recommended program list created in step S <b> 2 is referred to as an upper list 361. Even if a newly selected program or content is added by the processing in step S12, the total number or total time of the programs or content described in the recommended program list does not change. That is, when there is a program or content to be added, a lower one of the programs or contents listed in the upper list 361 listed before is excluded from the recommended program list.

  Therefore, the second recommended program list 351 stored in step S13 is a program selected by m formulas (1) in the upper list 361 when the total number of programs or contents to be listed is m + n. The content is described, and the program or content selected and added by the processing of n steps S3 to S12 is described in the lower list 362.

  In step S14, the preference information management unit 68 determines whether or not automatic recording is performed based on the second recommended program list 351 based on the setting by the user.

  If it is determined in step S14 that automatic recording is not performed, in step S15, the preference information management unit 68 displays the second recommended program list 351 in order to display or output the second recommended program list 351. The program is supplied to the recommended program list display unit 70 to control the display on the display device 12 or supplied to the network communication unit 71 and output to a predetermined transmission destination via the network 1, and the process is terminated. .

  If it is determined in step S14 that automatic recording is to be performed, in step S16, the preference information management unit 68 sets the second recommended program list 351 to the automatic recording reservation control unit 74 in order to execute automatic recording processing. And the recording reservation management unit 67 and the recording control unit 63 are controlled to record the program or content described in the second recommended program list 351 (stored in the auxiliary storage device 40), and the process is terminated. The

  By such processing, in the first recommended program list composed of the program or content that matches the user's preference calculated by Expression (1), the genre, the broadcast time zone, and the least recommended frequency Since the second recommended program list 351 is generated so that the number of programs on the channel or the total time of the programs is changed to be equal to or more than a predetermined ratio, the second recommended program list 351 is generated. Even when the user's preference information is biased, it is possible to recommend an unexpected program or content at a certain rate. Accordingly, it is possible to encourage the user to view content such as a genre, a broadcast time zone, and a broadcasting station that the user has not viewed so far, and to perform program recommendation that correctly reflects the user's preference.

  Specifically, for example, since it particularly likes to watch sports programs, it is related to sports by applying the present invention to users who have preference information that hardly recommends dramas in the conventional program recommendation method. Therefore, there is a possibility that a drama to be listed will be listed as a recommended program, so that it is possible to make a program recommendation that correctly reflects the user's preference, and to draw out an unexpected interest that the user has not noticed.

  Further, in the recommended program list generation process described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. 6, among the items included in the user preference information, the most recommended frequency is the item of the genre, the broadcast time zone, and the channel. Although it has been described that the number of programs corresponding to a small number of genres, broadcast hours, and channel classifications or the total time of programs is changed to be a predetermined ratio or more, the items to be changed Other than these three items may be used, and the number of items may be other than three.

  In the program or content described in the second recommended program list 351, if the broadcast time zone overlaps, the higher order program in the list may be preferentially reserved for automatic recording. In addition, when the broadcast time zones of the programs described in the upper list 361 and the lower list 361 are overlapped, the program described in any one of the lists is set in advance to be preferentially automatically recorded. It may be possible to do this. For example, when priority is given to the upper list 361, a program that is automatically recorded is more likely to be a program that the user usually likes to watch. When priority is given to the lower list 362, an unexpected program is recommended. Increase the likelihood that

  In addition, when the automatic recording process is executed, the recommended title management unit 66 sets the predetermined title, for example, once a day, once every two days, once a week, or once every two weeks. When a predetermined number (for example, one) of programs or contents are selected from among the programs or contents that are automatically recorded at a frequency of, and when the recording of the selected program or contents is finished, viewing is recommended. Therefore, a viewing recommendation process is executed to turn on the lamp, output a voice message, or display a message on the display device 12 as text data, and a number of programs are automatically recommended (ie, recommended programs). Among the programs or content (listed in the list), the user can be prompted to view the selected content, among others.

  Next, the viewing recommendation process will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

  In step S41, the recommended title management unit 66 refers to a timer (not shown) to determine whether or not the timing for executing the viewing recommendation process has been reached, for example, once a day or once every two days. To do.

  When it is determined in step S41 that the viewing recommendation process is executed, in step S42, the recommended title management unit 66 determines whether or not the normal viewing recommendation process is executed.

  If it is determined in step S42 that the normal viewing recommendation process is executed, in step S43, the recommended title management unit 66 determines from the program having a high degree of match with the user's preference information from the above equation (1). A predetermined number (for example, five) of programs or contents are extracted.

  In step S44, the recommended title management unit 66 randomly selects one of the extracted programs as a viewing recommended program, and the process proceeds to step S51 described below.

  In step S42, when it is determined that the normal viewing recommendation process is not executed, the special viewing recommendation process is executed. Therefore, in step S45, the recommended title management unit 66 stores the viewing recommended program stored therein or With reference to the history information of the content, it is determined whether there is a genre whose viewing recommendation frequency is equal to or less than a predetermined ratio.

  A viewing recommendation notification history 381 shown in FIG. 9 is stored as a viewing recommendation history of a program or content recommended for viewing. The viewing recommendation notification history 381 includes a recommendation date, a program name, and broadcast program information (EPG). Based on the broadcast program information described in the viewing recommendation notification history 381, the recommended title management unit 66 determines whether there is a genre whose viewing recommendation frequency is equal to or less than a predetermined ratio. This ratio is also a value that can be appropriately set experimentally or empirically. Further, this ratio may be set by the user.

  When it is determined in step S45 that there is a genre whose viewing recommendation frequency is equal to or less than a predetermined ratio, in step S46, the recommended title management unit 66 uses Expression (1) to select among the corresponding genres. The program that best matches the user's preference is selected as a viewing recommendation program, and the process proceeds to step S51 described later.

  If it is determined in step S45 that there is no genre whose viewing recommendation frequency is equal to or less than the predetermined ratio, in step S47, the recommended title management unit 66 stores the viewing recommended program or content stored therein. With reference to the history information (view recommendation notification history 381 described with reference to FIG. 9), it is determined whether or not there is a broadcast time zone in which the recommended viewing frequency is equal to or less than a predetermined ratio. This ratio is also a value that can be appropriately set experimentally or empirically, and may be the same value as the ratio in the genre described above or a different value. This ratio may be set by the user.

  If it is determined in step S47 that there is a broadcast time zone in which the recommended viewing frequency is equal to or less than the predetermined ratio, in step S48, the recommended title management unit 66 determines the user preference in the corresponding broadcast time zone. Is selected as a viewing recommended program, and the process proceeds to step S51 to be described later.

  When it is determined in step S47 that there is no broadcast time zone in which the recommended viewing frequency is equal to or less than the predetermined ratio, in step S49, the recommended title management unit 66 selects the viewing recommended program stored therein or With reference to the content history information (viewing recommendation notification history 381 described with reference to FIG. 9), it is determined whether there is a channel whose viewing recommendation frequency is equal to or less than a predetermined ratio. This ratio is also a value that can be appropriately set experimentally or empirically, and may be the same value as the ratio in the genre or the broadcast time zone described above or a different value. This ratio may be set by the user.

  If it is determined in step S49 that there is no channel whose viewing recommendation frequency is equal to or lower than the predetermined ratio, the process proceeds to step S43, and the subsequent processes are repeated.

  If it is determined in step S49 that there is a channel whose viewing recommendation frequency is equal to or lower than the predetermined ratio, in step S50, the recommended title management unit 66 most closely matches the user's preference among the corresponding channels. Select a program to make it a viewing recommended program.

  After the process of step S44, step S48 or step S50 is completed, in step S51, the recording control unit 65 executes the recording process of the viewing recommended program selected by the process of the recommended title management unit 66. After the recording process is completed, the management unit 66 views the user by, for example, turning on or blinking a notification lamp provided in the display device 12, outputting a voice message, or displaying a message on the display unit 12. Execute a recommendation notification.

  In step S52, the recommended title management unit 66 adds the title notified of viewing recommendation in step S51 to the viewing recommendation notification history 381 described with reference to FIG. 9, and updates the recorded history. Returning to step S41, the subsequent processing is repeated.

  By such processing, even when the user's preference information based on the user's past operation history is biased, it is possible to recommend viewing a surprising program or content at a certain rate. In addition to the program or content that matches the user's preference with a high score, the program or content described in the lower list 361 of the second recommended program list 351 generated in the recommended program list generation processing described with reference to FIG. Viewing can also be prompted to the user. Accordingly, it is possible to encourage the user to view content such as a genre, a broadcast time zone, and a broadcasting station that the user has not viewed so far, and to perform program recommendation that correctly reflects the user's preference.

  Further, in the viewing recommendation process described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. 8, the genre is preferentially determined, and then the broadcast time zone and finally the channel are determined. Alternatively, the channel determination order is not limited to this, and any item may be preferentially determined. Further, the items for determining the viewing recommendation frequency may be items other than these three items, and the number of items may be a number other than three.

  The series of processes described above can be executed by hardware, but can also be executed by software.

  When a series of processing is executed by software, a program constituting the software may execute various functions by installing a computer incorporated in dedicated hardware or various programs. For example, it is installed from a network or a recording medium into a general-purpose personal computer or the like.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the recording medium is distributed to provide a program to the user separately from the apparatus main body, and includes a magnetic disk (including a floppy disk) on which the program is recorded, an optical disk (CD- It is not only composed of a removable medium 231 composed of ROM (Compact Disk-Read Only Memory), DVD (Digital Versatile Disk), magneto-optical disk (including MD (Mini-Disk)), or semiconductor memory. The program is configured by a ROM 222 on which a program is recorded, a hard disk included in the storage unit 228, and the like provided to the user in a state of being preinstalled in the apparatus main body.

  In the present specification, the step of describing the program recorded in the recording medium is not limited to the processing performed in chronological order according to the described order, but is not necessarily performed in chronological order. It also includes processes that are executed individually.

It is a figure which shows the structure of the network system to which this invention is applied. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the video recording / reproducing apparatus of FIG. FIG. 3 is a functional block diagram of the video recording / reproducing apparatus of FIG. 2. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the server of FIG. It is a figure for demonstrating preference information data. It is a flowchart for demonstrating a recommendation program list production | generation process. It is a figure for demonstrating a 2nd recommendation list. It is a flowchart for demonstrating viewing recommendation processing. It is a figure for demonstrating viewing recommendation notification history.

Explanation of symbols

  3 User device, 11 Video recording / playback device 12 Display device, 35 CPU, 40 Auxiliary storage device, 64 Application management unit, 65 Recording title management unit, 66 Recommended title management unit, 67 Recording reservation management unit, 68 Preference information management unit, 69 broadcast program information management unit, 70 recommended program list display unit, 72 viewing control application, 73 recording reservation application, 74 automatic recording reservation control unit

Claims (11)

In an information processing apparatus storing preference information for a user's program or content,
Storage means for storing first information relating to the program or the content;
The preference information of the user configured by a plurality of items is stored, and the degree of match between the preference information and the first information of the predetermined program or content stored by the storage unit is calculated and matched Generating a first list in which information indicating a predetermined number of programs or contents having a high degree and the second information which is at least a part of the first information corresponding thereto are described; The second information described in the first list is analyzed, and among the predetermined first items of the plurality of items constituting the preference information, those having the least frequent classification are a predetermined ratio And generating means for generating a second list which is a list of programs or contents recommended to the user by updating the first list so as to be as described above. Processing equipment. In the first item of the plurality of items constituting the preference information, the generation unit is the most frequently selected among the first items when the least frequently classified item is equal to or less than a predetermined ratio. Of the programs or the contents corresponding to the classification with a low frequency, the one having the highest degree of matching with the preference information is extracted, and the programs or the contents listed in the first list are extracted. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first list is updated by replacing any of them. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: display control means for controlling display of the second list generated by the generation means. The information according to claim 1, further comprising: an automatic recording control unit that controls a process of automatically recording the program or the content described in the second list generated by the generating unit. Processing equipment. A selection means for selecting a predetermined one of the program or the content automatically recorded by the process of the automatic recording control means and notifying the user;
The selection unit stores history information including the first information of the program or the content selected in the past, and based on the history information, a predetermined one of the plurality of items constituting the preference information. In the second item, when there is a category in which the proportion selected in the past is equal to or less than a predetermined proportion, a first selection process for selecting the program or the content from the corresponding category is executed. The information processing apparatus according to claim 4. The selection means extracts a predetermined number of the programs or the contents having a high degree of coincidence with the preference information from the programs or the contents to be automatically recorded, and randomly selects the programs or the contents from the extracted programs or the contents. The information processing apparatus according to claim 5, further executing a second selection process for selecting a program or the content. The information processing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the selection unit executes the first selection process and the second selection process at a predetermined ratio. In the first selection process, when there is a category in which the ratio selected in the past is equal to or less than a predetermined ratio, the selection unit is configured to select the preference information among the program or the content corresponding to the corresponding category. The information processing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the one with the highest degree of match is selected. In an information processing method of an information processing apparatus that stores preference information for a user's program or content configured by a plurality of items, and first information related to the program or the content,
A calculation step of calculating a degree of coincidence between the first information of a predetermined program or content and the preference information;
Based on the calculation result by the processing of the calculation step, a second number that is at least a part of the information indicating the predetermined number of programs or the content having a high degree of match and the first information corresponding to the information A first generating step for generating a first list in which information is described;
The second information described in the first list generated by the processing of the first generation step is analyzed, and the frequency is the highest in a predetermined item among the plurality of items constituting the preference information. A determination step of determining whether or not a category with a small number is less than or equal to a predetermined ratio;
If it is determined by the processing in the determination step that the category with the least frequency in the predetermined item is equal to or lower than a predetermined ratio, the first list is set so that the classification is equal to or higher than the predetermined ratio. And a second generation step of generating a second list which is a list of programs or contents recommended to the user by updating. The computer executes processing for selecting the program or the content to be recommended to the user by using the preference information for the program or the content of the user configured by a plurality of items and the first information regarding the program or the content. A program for
A calculation step of calculating a degree of coincidence between the first information of a predetermined program or content and the preference information;
Based on the calculation result by the processing of the calculation step, a second number that is at least a part of the information indicating the predetermined number of programs or the content having a high degree of match and the first information corresponding to the information A first generating step for generating a first list in which information is described;
The second information described in the first list generated by the processing of the first generation step is analyzed, and the frequency is the highest in a predetermined item among the plurality of items constituting the preference information. A determination step of determining whether or not a category with a small number is less than or equal to a predetermined ratio;
If it is determined by the processing in the determination step that the category with the least frequency in the predetermined item is equal to or lower than a predetermined ratio, the first list is set so that the classification is equal to or higher than the predetermined ratio. And a second generation step of generating a second list which is a list of programs or contents recommended to the user by updating Medium. The computer executes processing for selecting the program or the content to be recommended to the user by using the preference information for the program or the content of the user configured by a plurality of items and the first information regarding the program or the content. A program for
A calculation step of calculating a degree of coincidence between the first information of a predetermined program or content and the preference information;
Based on the calculation result by the processing of the calculation step, a second number that is at least a part of the information indicating the predetermined number of programs or the content having a high degree of match and the first information corresponding to the information A first generating step for generating a first list in which information is described;
The second information described in the first list generated by the processing of the first generation step is analyzed, and the frequency is the highest in a predetermined item among the plurality of items constituting the preference information. A determination step of determining whether or not a category with a small number is less than or equal to a predetermined ratio;
If it is determined by the processing in the determination step that the category with the least frequency in the predetermined item is equal to or lower than a predetermined ratio, the first list is set so that the classification is equal to or higher than the predetermined ratio. And a second generation step of generating a second list which is a list of programs or contents recommended to the user by updating the program.

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