JP7275134B2 - Systems and methods for modifying playback of media assets in response to verbal commands unrelated to playback of media assets - Google Patents

Description

Modifying the playback of media assets in response to verbal commands or detected sounds is a technique used to help prompt recipients of commands to perform actions based on the command. . The related art describes various methods of modifying playback based on verbal commands associated with the playback. For example, related art describes systems that detect verbal commands associated with playback (e.g., a user saying "Alexa, pause the movie") and then modify playback based on the detected commands. explain. Typical media applications look for commands related to guided actions, but cannot consider how to act when non-guided commands are received. Related technology can also pick up ambient sounds and perform playback actions in response to detected sounds. However, the related art does not describe different modes of operation based on whether the user is authorized to perform actions that meet the audio goals.

Systems and methods are provided herein for converting commands that are irrelevant to playback into relevant playback modifications and prompting the recipient of the command to execute the command. For example, if a first user is watching a movie and a second user calls out to the first user, "Dinner is ready!" A pause may be made to prompt the first user to go.

For this and other purposes, in some aspects of the disclosure, the media guidance application may detect commands from the first user to the second user. The first user may be a user not currently viewing playback of the media asset, or may be in an environment outside the viewing environment of the media asset. The second user may be the user currently viewing the playback of the media asset within the media asset's viewing environment. For example, a media guidance application may use an intelligent personal assistant device (eg, Amazon Echo) to issue a verbal command from a first user to a second user (eg, "Dinner is ready, take a seat!"). may be detected.

In some embodiments, the media guidance application may detect verbal input from the first user when the media guidance application detects a command from the first user to the second user. For example, the media guidance application may use an audio detection sensor to detect verbal input from the first user (eg, the user saying "Dinner is ready!").

The media guidance application may compare the spoken input to a database of commands, the database containing commands corresponding to each spoken input. For example, a media guidance application may convert verbal input (e.g., a user saying "Dinner is ready!") into commands (e.g., eat dinner, answer the door, clean, vacuum, etc.). It may be compared to a containing database.

The media guidance application may determine from the comparison a command corresponding to the verbal input from the first user. For example, the media guidance application uses pattern recognition between inputs and commands from the user profile to map verbal input (e.g., "Dinner is ready!") to command (e.g., eat dinner). may decide to

In some embodiments, when the media guidance application determines from the comparison the command corresponding to the verbal input from the first user, the media guidance application determines a match between the verbal input and the database of commands. You may For example, the media guidance application may determine that a verbal input (eg, "dinner is ready!") is a command (eg, eat dinner) because the verbal input matches keywords contained within the command (eg, "dinner"). ). The media guidance application may determine that the command corresponding to the match (eg, eat dinner) is the command corresponding to verbal input from the first user.

The media guidance application may compare the commands to a set of playback action commands for the media asset currently being played by the second user. For example, the media guidance application may translate a command (e.g., eat dinner) into a set of playback action commands (e.g., pause, fast forward, mute, etc.).

In response to the comparison, the media guidance application may determine that the command is not contained within the set of playback action commands. For example, the media guidance application may determine that a command (eg, eat dinner) is not contained within a set of playback action commands (eg, pause, fast forward, mute, etc.).

The media guidance application may determine the desired result of the command from multiple results of the command based on the first user's user profile and the second user's user profile. For example, the media guidance application may include a user profile of a first user (eg, the profile may describe that the first user is a mother) and a user profile of a second user (eg, the second profile may be , that the second user is the mother's son following the mother's command), determines the desired outcome of the command (e.g., the second user stops watching a movie and eats dinner). You may

In some embodiments, when the media guidance application is determining the desired result of the command from the multiple results of the command based on the user profile of the first user and the user profile of the second user, the media The guide application may determine the attributes of the command. For example, the media guidance application may determine the attributes of the command (eg, who spoke the command, the tone of the command, the severity of the command, etc.) based on comparing the command to entries in a database of attributes.

The media guidance application may compare attributes of the command with attributes of multiple results of the command. For example, a media guidance application may match attributes of a command (e.g., who is speaking the command, tone of the command, severity of the command, purpose of the command, etc.) to attributes of multiple outcomes of the command (e.g., the outcome when the command is followed). , the consequences if the command is ignored, the consequences of following the command, the consequences of not following the command, etc.).

The media guidance application may determine from the comparison that the result among the multiple results containing the attributes of the command is the desired result. For example, the media guidance application may select from the comparison a result containing the attributes of the command (e.g., the intended conclusion of the command) (e.g., the user pauses the movie and goes to dinner) with the desired result. You may decide that there is.

The media guidance application may detect actions performed by the second user. For example, a media guidance application may detect, via a camera, that a user has left a viewing environment in which a movie is playing and has entered a dining room.

In some embodiments, when the media guidance application detects an action performed by the second user, the media guidance application uses the sensor to detect the motion of the media equipment device presenting the media asset. A second user exiting the viewing environment may be detected. For example, the media guidance application may detect, via a motion detection sensor, that a second user is leaving the television viewing environment in which the user is watching a movie.

In some embodiments, when the media guidance application is detecting actions performed by the second user, the media guidance application detects the second user executing a command to modify the playback of the media asset. You may For example, the media guidance application may detect the user pressing an input command, eg, "pause", on the remote control device to pause playback of the movie the user is watching.

In some embodiments, when the media guidance application is detecting an action performed by a second user, the media guidance application uses the sensors to indicate that the second user is viewing the media asset device's viewing environment. It may detect that it stays inside. For example, the media guidance application may use heat mapping sensors to detect that the second user has not left the couch where the user is watching a movie play.

The media guidance application may compare the second user's actions with the desired result of the command. For example, the media guidance application may compare an action (eg, the second user continues watching a movie) with the desired result of the command (eg, the second user goes out to dinner). .

In some embodiments, when comparing the characteristics from the retrieved characteristics of the second user to the command, the media guidance application consists of age, household rank, relationship with other users, and time of day. A characteristic may be selected from a group of characteristics, and the media guidance application may select a command from a group of commands consisting of eating, cleaning, studying, cooking, and sleeping.

The media guidance application may determine from the comparison whether the command shares the characteristics of the second user. For example, the media guidance application may determine from the comparison whether the command (eg, meal) shares the second user's characteristic (eg, time of day).

In response to determining that the command shares characteristics, the media guidance application may modify the playback of the media asset. For example, in response to determining that the command shares properties, the media guidance application may pause playback of the media asset.

In response to determining that the second user's action does not correspond to the desired result of the command, the media guidance application may retrieve characteristics of the second user from the second user's user profile. For example, the media guidance application may retrieve characteristics (eg, age, relationship to the first user, user rank within the household, etc.) from the second user's user profile.

The media guidance application may determine whether to modify the playback of the media asset based on commands detected from the first user and the retrieved characteristics of the second user. For example, the media guidance application may detect commands detected from a first user (e.g., eat dinner) and characteristics of a second user (e.g., the second user should always follow commands from the first user). must), may determine whether to modify the playback of the media asset (eg, pause, mute, rewind, fast forward, turn off, etc.).

In some embodiments, the media guidance application determines whether to modify the playback of the media asset based on commands detected from the first user and the retrieved characteristics of the second user. At some point, the media guidance application may retrieve the first user's rank and the second user's rank. For example, the media guidance application may determine the rank of the first user (eg, the first user is ranked first out of five users) and the rank of the second user (eg, the second The user may read (ranked 4th out of 5 users).

The media guidance application may determine from the ranks whether the first user is ranked higher than the second user. For example, the media guidance application determines that a first user (eg, ranked first) is ranked higher than a second user (eg, ranked second). may

In response to determining that the first user is ranked higher than the second user, the media guidance application may modify playback of the media asset. For example, in response to determining that the first user is ranked higher than the second user, the media guidance application may modify the playback of the media asset (e.g., the currently playing media asset). pause the movie that is playing).

In response to determining that the second user is ranked higher than the first user, the media guidance application may continue playing the media asset. For example, in response to determining that the second user is ranked higher than the first user, the media guidance application may select a media asset (eg, a movie that the second user is watching) may continue to play.

In some embodiments, the media guidance application may detect commands from the first user to the second and third users. For example, the media guidance application may detect commands from a first user to a second user and a third user (eg, eat dinner).

The media guidance application may determine a desired result of the command from multiple results of the command based on the first user's user profile, the second user's user profile, and the third user's user profile. .

The media guidance application may detect a first action performed by a second user and a second action performed by a third user. For example, the media guidance application may select a first action performed by a second user (e.g., the second user increases the volume of a movie) and a second action performed by a third user (e.g., motion A sensor may detect that a third user has left the viewing environment to go to dinner).

The media guidance application may compare the second user's action and the third user's action to the desired result of the command. For example, the media guidance application may detect a second user's action (e.g., turning up the volume of a movie via a remote) and a third user's action (e.g., a third user exiting the viewing environment when the motion sensor detecting) may be compared to the desired result of the command (eg, second and third users going out to dinner).

In response to determining that the second user's action and the third user's action do not correspond to the desired result of the command, the media guidance application selects the second user's action from the second user's user profile. The characteristics may be retrieved from the third user's user profile.

The media guidance application determines whether to modify the playback of the media asset based on commands detected from the first user and the retrieved characteristics of the second user and the retrieved characteristics of the third user. may decide. For example, the media guidance application may detect a command (e.g., eat dinner) from the first user and the first Based on the retrieved characteristics (eg, rank, etc.) of the user and the retrieved characteristics (eg, rank, etc.) of a third user, it may be determined to modify the playback of the media asset. As another example, the media guidance application detects commands (e.g., have dinner) and the first Determine not to modify the playback of the media asset based on the retrieved characteristics (eg, rank, etc.) of one user and the retrieved characteristics (eg, rank, etc.) of the second and third users. may

In some aspects of the disclosure, systems and methods are provided herein for determining whether a user is authorized to perform an action that meets a speech goal. For example, in response to detecting a ringing doorbell, the user may or may not be enabled to pause playback of a movie the user is watching. If the user is a child and is home alone, the user may not be allowed to pause the movie playback to prompt the user not to respond to the door when home alone. If the user is a child and their parents are at home, the user may be allowed to pause the movie and answer the door.

For this and other purposes, in some aspects of the disclosure, the media guidance application may detect audio generated by the first device external to the media equipment device. For example, the media guidance application may use a sensor to detect sound (eg, doorbell ringing) by a first device (eg, doorbell) external to the media equipment device (eg, television).

The media guidance application may store a database that associates goals in the plurality of goals with sets of actions in the plurality of actions and sounds in the plurality of sounds. For example, a media guidance application may map a goal (e.g., answer door) within multiple goals (e.g., answer door, answer phone, leave home, etc.) to multiple actions (e.g., media A set of actions within a set of actions (e.g., continue watching a media asset playing and ignore the doorbell, etc.) ) and multiple sounds (eg, doorbell ringing, phone ringing, smoke detector beeping, etc.).

The media guidance application may compare the audio generated by the first device to the database and determine a goal associated with the audio and a set of corresponding actions associated with the goal. For example, the media guidance application compares a sound generated by the first device (e.g., ringing the doorbell) to the database and determines a goal associated with the sound (e.g., answering the door) and a response associated with the goal. A set of actions to take (eg, pause playback of the media asset, exit the viewing environment and answer the door, etc.) may be determined.

In some embodiments, when comparing the audio generated by the first device to the database and determining a goal associated with the audio and a set of corresponding actions associated with the goal, the media guidance application determines the characteristics of the audio. A match between the speech and the entries in the database may be determined based on the . For example, the media guidance application may use the audio's characteristics (eg, tone, volume, frequency, etc.) to match the audio with its corresponding entry in the database.

The media guidance application may retrieve goals associated with the audio from the entry. For example, the media guidance application may read from the entry the goal (eg, answer the door) associated with the sound (eg, ringing the doorbell).

The media guidance application may retrieve from the entry a corresponding set of actions associated with the goal. For example, a media guidance application may, from an entry, create a corresponding set of actions (e.g., pause media asset playback, mute the volume of media asset playback, etc.) associated with a goal (e.g., answering a door). may be read.

The media guidance application may detect the user within the viewing environment of the media equipment device. For example, the media guidance application may use sensors (eg, cameras) to detect users within the viewing environment of media equipment devices (eg, televisions).

In some embodiments, when detecting a user within the viewing environment of the media equipment device, the media guidance application may use sensors to detect the presence of the user within the viewing environment. For example, the media guidance application may use an infrared sensor to detect the user within the viewing environment of the media equipment device (eg, television).

The media guidance application may determine from the user's user profile whether the user is authorized to perform actions in the determined set of actions associated with the goal. For example, the media guidance application may determine from an authorization database in the user's profile whether the user is authorized to exit the viewing environment associated with the goal (eg, answer the door).

In some embodiments, when determining from the user's user profile whether the user is authorized to perform an action in the determined set of actions associated with the goal, the media guidance application prompts the user The rank for the user may be retrieved from the profile. For example, the media guidance application may retrieve the rank (eg, 8 out of 10) for the user.

The media guidance application may retrieve ranks for actions from a database. For example, the media guidance application may retrieve a rank (eg, 5 out of 10) for an action (eg, exit the viewing environment) from a database.

The media guidance application may determine whether the rank for the user exceeds the rank for the action. For example, the media guidance application may determine that the rank for the user (eg, 8 out of 10) exceeds the rank for the action (eg, 5 out of 10).

In response to determining that the rank for the user exceeds the rank for the action, the media guidance application may determine that the user is authorized to perform the action. For example, the media guidance application may determine that the user is authorized to exit the viewing environment.

In response to determining that the user is authorized to perform the action, the media guidance application may generate a notification for the user indicating the detected sound. For example, the media guidance application may generate an audio notification (eg, a doorbell sound) and play it over the playback of the media asset for the user, indicating the detected audio.

In some embodiments, when generating a notification for a user indicating detected audio, the media guidance application may generate an overlay to be displayed on the media equipment device, the overlay indicating the audio. contains notifications for users of For example, the media guidance application may generate an overlay to be displayed on the media equipment device (eg, an overlay stating "The doorbell is ringing!").

The media guidance application may modify the playback of the media asset and allow the user to perform actions associated with the goal. For example, the media guidance application modifies the playback of a media asset (e.g., pauses a movie the user is watching) and performs an action associated with the user's goal (e.g., respond to a door) (e.g., , exit the viewing environment).

In some embodiments, when modifying the playback of a media asset and allowing the user to perform an action associated with the goal, the media guidance application retrieves from the database the set of playback modifications associated with the goal. may For example, the media guidance application may retrieve from a database a set of playback modifications (eg, pause, play, fast forward, rewind, mute, turn on/off, etc.) associated with the goal.

The media guidance application may select playback modifications from the set of playback modifications based on preferences for the user. For example, the media guidance application may select a playback modification (eg, pause) from a set of playback modifications based on preferences for the user (eg, the user does not want to miss any content while answering the door). may be selected.

The media guidance application may modify the playback of the media asset based on the selected playback modifications. For example, the media guidance application may modify the playback of the media asset based on selected playback modifications (eg, pause playback of the media asset).

In response to determining that the user is not authorized to perform the action, the media guidance application may generate a notification for the second user to perform the action. For example, the media guidance application may generate a notification (eg, send an SMS message to the second user) to perform an action (eg, answer the door).

In some embodiments, the media guidance application may determine that the audio is within audible range of the viewing environment. For example, the media guidance application may use sensors (eg, microphones) contained within the viewing environment to detect audio.

In response to determining that the user is not authorized to perform the action, the media guidance application may prevent the user from modifying playback of the media asset. For example, the media guidance application may prevent the user from modifying the playback of the media guidance application (eg, do not allow the user to pause playback of the media asset).

The media guidance application may modify the playback of the media asset and prevent the user from performing actions associated with the goal. For example, the media guidance application may increase the volume of the playback of the media asset, drowning out sounds within the user's audible range.

In some embodiments, when modifying the playback of a media asset, the media guidance application may determine the volume at which to attenuate sounds that are within the audible range. For example, the media guidance application may determine a volume that is equal to or higher than the determined volume of speech within the audible range.

The media guidance application may adjust the volume corresponding to the playback of the media asset such that the volume attenuates the sound. For example, the media guidance application may adjust the playback volume of the media asset so that it is louder than the detected volume of sounds in the audible range.
The present invention provides, for example, the following.
(Item 1)
a method,
determining a command from the first user to the second user;
comparing the command to a set of playback action commands for a currently playing media asset;
determining, in response to the comparing, that the command is not contained within the set of playback operation commands;
Determining whether the second user executes a desired result of the command in response to determining that the command is not contained within the set of play action commands;
determining whether to modify playback of the media asset in response to the second user determining not to perform a desired result of the command;
A method, including
(Item 2)
A method for converting unrelated commands into relevant playback modifications and prompting recipients of said commands to execute said commands, said method comprising:
detecting a command from a first user to a second user;
comparing the command to a set of playback action commands for a media asset currently being played by the second user;
determining, in response to the comparing, that the command is not contained within the set of playback operation commands;
determining a desired result of the command from a plurality of results of the command based on the first user's user profile and the second user's user profile;
detecting an action performed by the second user;
comparing the second user's action to a desired result of the command;
retrieving characteristics of the second user from a user profile of the second user in response to determining that the second user's actions do not correspond to the desired outcome of the command;
determining whether to modify playback of the media asset based on the command detected from the first user and the retrieved characteristics of the second user;
A method, including
(Item 3)
Determining whether to modify playback of the media asset based on the command detected from the first user and the retrieved characteristics of the second user includes:
comparing characteristics from the retrieved characteristics of the second user to the command, wherein the characteristics are selected from a group of characteristics consisting of age, rank, relationship with other users, and time of day. , said command is selected from the group of commands consisting of eating, cleaning, studying, cooking and sleeping;
determining from the comparison whether the command shares characteristics of the second user;
modifying playback of the media asset in response to the command determining to share the property;
The method of item 2, comprising
(Item 4)
detecting commands from the first user to the second and third users;
determining a desired result of the command from a plurality of results of the command based on the user profile of the first user, the user profile of the second user, and the user profile of the third user;
detecting a first action performed by the second user and a second action performed by the third user;
comparing the second user's action and the third user's action to a desired result of the command;
the second user's action from the second user's user profile in response to determining that the second user's action and the third user's action do not correspond to the desired result of the command; retrieving characteristics of the third user from a user profile of the third user;
determining whether to modify playback of the media asset based on the command detected from the first user and the retrieved characteristics of the second user and the retrieved characteristics of the third user; to decide and
3. The method of item 2, further comprising:
(Item 5)
Detecting the command from the first user comprises:
detecting verbal input from the first user;
comparing the verbal input to a database of commands, the database containing a command corresponding to each verbal input;
determining from the comparison a command corresponding to the verbal input from the first user;
The method of item 2, comprising
(Item 6)
Determining from the comparison a command corresponding to the verbal input from the first user comprises:
determining a match between the verbal input and the database of verbal commands;
determining the command corresponding to the match to be the command corresponding to the verbal input from the first user;
6. The method of item 5, comprising
(Item 7)
Determining a desired result of said command from a plurality of results of said command based on said first user's user profile and said second user's user profile further comprises:
determining attributes of the command;
comparing attributes of the command with attributes of a plurality of results of the command;
determining from the comparison a result among the plurality of results containing attributes of the command to be the desired result;
The method of item 2, comprising
(Item 8)
Detecting the action performed by the second user includes using a sensor to detect the second user leaving a viewing environment of a media equipment device presenting the media asset. The method of item 2, comprising:
(Item 9)
3. The method of item 2, wherein detecting the action performed by the second user includes detecting the second user executing a command to modify playback of the media asset.
(Item 10)
to item 2, wherein detecting the action performed by the second user includes using a sensor to detect that the second user remains within the viewing environment of a media asset device. described method.
(Item 11)
Determining whether to modify playback of the media asset based on the command detected from the first user and the retrieved characteristics of the second user includes:
reading the rank of the first user and the rank of the second user;
determining from the ranks whether the first user is ranked higher than the second user;
modifying playback of the media asset in response to determining that the first user is ranked higher than the second user;
continuing to play the media asset in response to determining that the second user is ranked higher than the first user;
The method of item 2, comprising
(Item 12)
1. A system for converting unrelated commands into relevant playback modifications and prompting recipients of said commands to execute said commands, said system comprising:
A control circuit,
detecting a command from a first user to a second user;
comparing the command to a set of playback action commands for a media asset currently being played by the second user;
determining, in response to the comparing, that the command is not contained within the set of playback operation commands;
determining a desired result of the command from a plurality of results of the command based on the first user's user profile and the second user's user profile;
detecting an action performed by the second user;
comparing the second user's action to a desired result of the command;
retrieving characteristics of the second user from a user profile of the second user in response to determining that the second user's actions do not correspond to the desired outcome of the command;
determining whether to modify playback of the media asset based on the command detected from the first user and the retrieved characteristics of the second user;
a control circuit configured to perform
A system comprising:
(Item 13)
The control circuit is
comparing characteristics from the retrieved characteristics of the second user to the command, wherein the characteristics are selected from a group of characteristics consisting of age, rank, relationship with other users, and time of day. , said command is selected from the group of commands consisting of eating, cleaning, studying, cooking and sleeping;
determining from the comparison whether the command shares characteristics of the second user;
modifying playback of the media asset in response to the command determining to share the property;
item 12, configured to determine whether to modify playback of the media asset based on the command detected from the first user and the retrieved characteristics of the second user by The system described in .
(Item 14)
The control circuit further comprises:
detecting commands from the first user to the second and third users;
determining a desired result of the command from a plurality of results of the command based on the user profile of the first user, the user profile of the second user, and the user profile of the third user;
detecting a first action performed by the second user and a second action performed by the third user;
comparing the second user's action and the third user's action to a desired result of the command;
the second user's action from the second user's user profile in response to determining that the second user's action and the third user's action do not correspond to the desired result of the command; retrieving characteristics of the third user from a user profile of the third user;
determining whether to modify playback of the media asset based on the command detected from the first user and the retrieved characteristics of the second user and the retrieved characteristics of the third user; to decide and
13. The system of item 12, wherein the system is configured to:
(Item 15)
The control circuit is
detecting verbal input from the first user;
comparing the verbal input to a database of commands, the database containing a command corresponding to each verbal input;
determining from the comparison a command corresponding to the verbal input from the first user;
13. The system of item 12, configured to detect the command from the first user by.
(Item 16)
The control circuit is
determining a match between the verbal input and the database of verbal commands;
determining the command corresponding to the match to be the command corresponding to the verbal input from the first user;
16. A method according to item 15, configured to determine from said comparison a command corresponding to said verbal input from said first user by:
(Item 17)
The control circuit further comprises:
determining attributes of the command;
comparing attributes of the command with attributes of a plurality of results of the command;
determining from the comparison a result among the plurality of results containing attributes of the command to be the desired result;
determining a desired result of said command from a plurality of results of said command based on said first user's user profile and said second user's user profile by;
13. The system of item 12.
(Item 18)
The control circuit uses a sensor to detect the second user exiting a viewing environment of a media equipment device presenting the media asset, thereby performing the action performed by the second user. 13. The system of item 12, wherein the system is configured to detect the
(Item 19)
Item 12, wherein the control circuitry is configured to detect the action performed by the second user by detecting the second user executing a command to modify playback of the media asset. The system described in .
(Item 20)
The control circuitry uses a sensor to detect the action performed by the second user by detecting that the second user lingers within the viewing environment of a media asset device. 13. The system of item 12, wherein:
(Item 21)
The control circuit is
reading the rank of the first user and the rank of the second user;
determining from the ranks whether the first user is ranked higher than the second user;
modifying playback of the media asset in response to determining that the first user is ranked higher than the second user;
continuing to play the media asset in response to determining that the second user is ranked higher than the first user;
item 12, configured to determine whether to modify playback of the media asset based on the command detected from the first user and the retrieved characteristics of the second user by The system described in .
(Item 22)
Apparatus for converting unrelated commands into relevant playback modifications and prompting recipients of said commands to execute said commands, said apparatus comprising:
means for detecting a command from a first user to a second user;
means for comparing the command with a set of playback action commands for a media asset currently being played by the second user;
means, responsive to said comparing, for determining that said command is not contained within said set of playback operation commands;
means for determining a desired result of said command from a plurality of results of said command based on said first user's user profile and said second user's user profile;
means for detecting an action performed by said second user;
means for comparing the second user's action with a desired result of the command;
means for retrieving characteristics of the second user from a user profile of the second user in response to determining that the second user's actions do not correspond to the desired outcome of the command;
means for determining whether to modify playback of the media asset based on the command detected from the first user and the retrieved characteristics of the second user;
A device comprising:
(Item 23)
The means for determining whether to modify playback of the media asset based on the command detected from the first user and the retrieved characteristics of the second user, comprising:
means for comparing characteristics from the retrieved characteristics of said second user with said command, said characteristics being from a group of characteristics consisting of age, rank, relationship with other users, and time of day. selected, said command being selected from the group of commands consisting of eating, cleaning, studying, cooking, and sleeping;
means for determining from said comparison whether said command shares characteristics of said second user;
and means for modifying playback of said media asset in response to said command determining to share said property.
23. Apparatus according to item 22, comprising:
(Item 24)
means for detecting commands from said first user to said second and third users;
means for determining a desired result of said command from a plurality of results of said command based on said first user's user profile, said second user's user profile and said third user's user profile; and,
means for detecting a first action performed by said second user and a second action performed by said third user;
means for comparing said second user's action and said third user's action with a desired result of said command;
the second user's action from the second user's user profile in response to determining that the second user's action and the third user's action do not correspond to the desired result of the command; means for retrieving characteristics of said third user from a user profile of said third user;
determining whether to modify playback of the media asset based on the command detected from the first user and the retrieved characteristics of the second user and the retrieved characteristics of the third user; means for determining and
23. The apparatus of item 22, further comprising:
(Item 25)
said means for detecting said command from said first user comprising:
means for detecting verbal input from the first user;
means for comparing said verbal input to a database of commands, said database containing a command corresponding to each verbal input;
means for determining from said comparison a command corresponding to said verbal input from said first user;
23. Apparatus according to item 22, comprising:
(Item 26)
said means for determining from said comparison a command corresponding to said verbal input from said first user;
means for determining a match between said verbal input and said database of verbal commands;
means for determining a command corresponding to said match to be said command corresponding to said verbal input from said first user;
26. Apparatus according to item 25, comprising:
(Item 27)
said means for determining a desired result of said command from a plurality of results of said command based on said first user's user profile and said second user's user profile, further comprising:
means for determining attributes of said command;
means for comparing an attribute of said command with attributes of a plurality of results of said command;
means for determining, from said comparison, a result in said plurality of results containing attributes of said command to be said desired result;
23. Apparatus according to item 22, comprising:
(Item 28)
The means for detecting the action performed by the second user uses a sensor to detect the second user leaving a viewing environment of a media equipment device presenting the media asset. 23. Apparatus according to item 22, comprising means for.
(Item 29)
23. Clause 23, wherein the means for detecting the action performed by the second user comprises means for detecting the second user executing a command to modify playback of the media asset. equipment.
(Item 30)
said means for detecting said action performed by said second user includes means for detecting said second user lingering within said viewing environment of a media asset device using a sensor; 23. Apparatus according to item 22, comprising:
(Item 31)
The means for determining whether to modify playback of the media asset based on the command detected from the first user and the retrieved characteristics of the second user, comprising:
means for reading the rank of the first user and the rank of the second user;
means for determining from the ranks whether the first user ranks higher than the second user;
means for modifying the media asset playback in response to determining that the first user is ranked higher than the second user;
means for continuing to play the media asset in response to determining that the second user is ranked higher than the first user;
23. The apparatus of item 22, comprising:
(Item 32)
A non-transitory computer-readable medium, said non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising a memory, said memory converting unrelated commands into relevant playback modifications and executing said commands having non-transitory computer readable instructions encoded on the memory for prompting a recipient of the command, the instructions comprising:
instructions for detecting a command from a first user to a second user;
instructions for comparing the command to a set of playback action commands for a media asset currently being played by the second user;
instructions for determining, in response to the comparing, that the command is not contained within the set of playback operation commands;
instructions for determining a desired result of said command from a plurality of results of said command based on said first user's user profile and said second user's user profile;
instructions for detecting actions performed by the second user;
instructions for comparing the second user's action to a desired result of the command;
instructions for retrieving characteristics of the second user from a user profile of the second user in response to determining that the second user's actions do not correspond to the desired outcome of the command;
instructions for determining whether to modify playback of the media asset based on the command detected from the first user and the retrieved characteristics of the second user;
A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising:
(Item 33)
The instructions for determining whether to modify playback of the media asset based on the command detected from the first user and the retrieved characteristics of the second user, comprising:
instructions for comparing characteristics from the retrieved characteristics of said second user to said command, said characteristics being from a group of characteristics consisting of age, rank, relationship with other users, and time of day. a command selected, said command being selected from the group of commands consisting of eating, cleaning, studying, cooking, and sleeping;
instructions for determining from the comparison whether the command shares characteristics of the second user;
and instructions for modifying playback of the media asset in response to the command determining to share the property.
33. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of item 32, comprising:
(Item 34)
Said instruction further:
instructions for detecting commands from the first user to the second and third users;
Instructions for determining a desired result of the command from a plurality of results of the command based on the first user's user profile, the second user's user profile, and the third user's user profile. and,
instructions for detecting a first action performed by the second user and a second action performed by the third user;
instructions for comparing the second user's action and the third user's action with a desired result of the command;
the second user's action from the second user's user profile in response to determining that the second user's action and the third user's action do not correspond to the desired result of the command; instructions for retrieving characteristics of the third user from a user profile of the third user;
determining whether to modify playback of the media asset based on the command detected from the first user and the retrieved characteristics of the second user and the retrieved characteristics of the third user; orders to determine and
33. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of item 32, comprising:
(Item 35)
The instructions for detecting the command from the first user comprise:
instructions for detecting verbal input from the first user;
instructions for comparing said verbal input to a database of commands, said database containing a command corresponding to each verbal input;
instructions for determining, from the comparison, a command corresponding to the verbal input from the first user;
33. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of item 32, comprising:
(Item 36)
said instructions for determining, from said comparison, a command corresponding to said verbal input from said first user;
instructions for determining a match between the verbal input and the database of verbal commands;
instructions for determining a command corresponding to the match as the command corresponding to the verbal input from the first user;
36. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of item 35, comprising:
(Item 37)
The instructions for determining a desired result of the command from a plurality of results of the command based on the first user's user profile and the second user's user profile, further comprising:
instructions for determining attributes of the command;
instructions for comparing an attribute of said command with attributes of a plurality of results of said command;
and instructions for determining, from the comparison, a result in the plurality of results containing attributes of the command to be the desired result.
33. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of item 32, comprising:
(Item 38)
The instructions for detecting the action performed by the second user use a sensor to detect the second user leaving a viewing environment of a media equipment device presenting the media asset. 33. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of item 32, comprising instructions for:
(Item 39)
33. Clause 32, wherein the instructions for detecting the action performed by the second user comprise instructions for detecting the second user executing a command to modify playback of the media asset. non-transitory computer-readable medium.
(Item 40)
The instructions for detecting the action performed by the second user include instructions for using a sensor to detect that the second user remains within the viewing environment of a media asset device. 33. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of item 32, comprising:
(Item 41)
The instructions for determining whether to modify playback of the media asset based on the command detected from the first user and the retrieved characteristics of the second user comprise:
instructions for reading the rank of the first user and the rank of the second user;
instructions for determining from the ranks whether the first user ranks higher than the second user;
instructions for modifying playback of the media asset in response to determining that the first user is ranked higher than the second user;
and instructions for continuing to play the media asset in response to determining that the second user is ranked higher than the first user.
33. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of item 32, comprising:
(Item 42)
A method for converting unrelated commands into relevant playback modifications and prompting recipients of said commands to execute said commands, said method comprising:
detecting a command from the first user to the second user using the control circuit;
comparing the command to a set of playback action commands for a media asset currently being played by the second user;
determining, in response to the comparing, that the command is not contained within the set of playback operation commands;
determining a desired result of the command from a plurality of results of the command based on the first user's user profile and the second user's user profile;
detecting an action performed by the second user;
comparing the second user's action to a desired result of the command;
retrieving characteristics of the second user from a user profile of the second user in response to determining that the second user's actions do not correspond to the desired outcome of the command;
determining whether to modify playback of the media asset based on the command detected from the first user and the retrieved characteristics of the second user;
A method, including
(Item 43)
Determining whether to modify playback of the media asset based on the command detected from the first user and the retrieved characteristics of the second user includes:
comparing characteristics from the retrieved characteristics of the second user to the command, wherein the characteristics are selected from a group of characteristics consisting of age, rank, relationship with other users, and time of day. , said command is selected from the group of commands consisting of eating, cleaning, studying, cooking and sleeping;
determining from the comparison whether the command shares characteristics of the second user;
modifying playback of the media asset in response to the command determining to share the property;
43. The method of item 42, comprising
(Item 44)
detecting commands from the first user to the second and third users;
determining a desired result of the command from a plurality of results of the command based on the user profile of the first user, the user profile of the second user, and the user profile of the third user;
detecting a first action performed by the second user and a second action performed by the third user;
comparing the second user's action and the third user's action to a desired result of the command;
the second user's action from the second user's user profile in response to determining that the second user's action and the third user's action do not correspond to the desired result of the command; retrieving characteristics of the third user from a user profile of the third user;
determining whether to modify playback of the media asset based on the command detected from the first user and the retrieved characteristics of the second user and the retrieved characteristics of the third user; to decide and
44. The method of any of items 42-43, further comprising
(Item 45)
Detecting the command from the first user comprises:
detecting verbal input from the first user;
comparing the verbal input to a database of commands, the database containing a command corresponding to each verbal input;
determining from the comparison a command corresponding to the verbal input from the first user;
45. The method of any of items 42-44, comprising
(Item 46)
Determining from the comparison a command corresponding to the verbal input from the first user comprises:
determining a match between the verbal input and the database of verbal commands;
determining the command corresponding to the match to be the command corresponding to the verbal input from the first user;
46. The method of item 45, comprising
(Item 47)
Determining a desired result of said command from a plurality of results of said command based on said first user's user profile and said second user's user profile further comprises:
determining attributes of the command;
comparing attributes of the command with attributes of a plurality of results of the command;
determining from the comparison a result among the plurality of results containing attributes of the command to be the desired result;
47. The method of any of items 42-46, comprising
(Item 48)
Detecting the action performed by the second user includes using a sensor to detect the second user leaving a viewing environment of a media equipment device presenting the media asset. 48. The method of any of items 42-47, comprising:
(Item 49)
49. Any of items 42-48, wherein detecting the action performed by the second user comprises detecting the second user executing a command to modify playback of the media asset. the method of.
(Item 50)
Detecting the action performed by the second user includes using a sensor to detect that the second user remains within the viewing environment of a media asset device, item 42- 49. The method according to any of 49.
(Item 51)
Determining whether to modify playback of the media asset based on the command detected from the first user and the retrieved characteristics of the second user includes:
reading the rank of the first user and the rank of the second user;
determining from the ranks whether the first user is ranked higher than the second user;
modifying playback of the media asset in response to determining that the first user is ranked higher than the second user;
continuing to play the media asset in response to determining that the second user is ranked higher than the first user;
51. The method of any of items 42-50, comprising
(Item 52)
a method,
detecting audio generated by a first device external to the media equipment device;
retrieving a known target associated with the voice from a lookup table;
detecting a user within a viewing environment;
determining the identity of the user;
modifying playback to encourage or prevent the user from achieving the known goal based on the user's identity;
A method, including
(Item 53)
A method for determining whether a user is authorized to perform an action that satisfies a goal corresponding to a speech, comprising:
detecting audio generated by a first device external to the media equipment device;
storing a database associating each goal in the plurality of goals with a set of actions in the plurality of actions and a voice in the plurality of voices;
comparing the sound produced by the first device to characteristics of entries in the database to determine a goal corresponding to the sound and a set of corresponding actions associated with the goal;
detecting a user within a viewing environment of the media equipment device;
determining from a user profile for the user whether the user is authorized to perform an action in the determined set of actions associated with the goal;
in response to determining that the user is authorized to perform the action;
generating a notification for the user indicating the detected sound;
prompting the user to modify playback of a media asset and perform the action associated with the goal;
Generating a notification for a second user to perform the action in response to determining that the user is not authorized to perform the action.
A method, including
(Item 54)
determining that the audio is within audible range of the viewing environment;
preventing the user from modifying playback of the media asset in response to determining that the user is not authorized to perform the action;
54. The method of item 53, further comprising:
(Item 55)
55. The method of clause 54, further comprising modifying playback of the media asset to prevent the user from performing the action associated with the goal.
(Item 56)
Modifying playback of the media asset includes:
determining a volume at which to attenuate the sound that is within the audible range;
adjusting a volume corresponding to playback of the media asset to be attenuating the sound;
56. The method of item 55, comprising
(Item 57)
Comparing the audio generated by the first device to the database and determining a goal associated with the audio and the corresponding set of actions associated with the goal includes:
determining a match between the voice and an entry in the database based on characteristics of the voice;
retrieving the target corresponding to the speech from the entry;
retrieving from the entry the corresponding set of actions associated with the goal;
54. The method of item 53, comprising
(Item 58)
54. The method of clause 53, wherein detecting the user within a viewing environment of the media device includes detecting presence of the user within the viewing environment using a sensor.
(Item 59)
Generating a notification for the user indicative of the detected audio includes generating an overlay to be displayed on the media equipment device, the overlay displaying information for the user about the audio. 54. The method of item 53, comprising notification.
(Item 60)
54. Method according to item 53, wherein the sound is detected from a doorbell.
(Item 61)
modifying the playback of the media asset and enabling the user to perform the action associated with the goal;
retrieving a set of regeneration modifications associated with the goal from the database;
selecting a playback modification from the set of playback modifications based on preferences for the user;
modifying playback of the media asset based on the selected playback modification;
54. The method of item 53, comprising
(Item 62)
Determining, from a user profile for the user, whether the user is authorized to perform an action in the determined set of actions associated with the goal
retrieving a rank for the user from the user profile;
retrieving a rank for an action from a database;
determining whether the rank for the user exceeds the rank for the action;
determining that the user is authorized to perform the action in response to determining that the rank for the user exceeds the rank for the action;
54. The method of item 53, comprising
(Item 63)
1. A system for determining whether a user is authorized to perform an action that satisfies a goal corresponding to a speech, comprising:
A control circuit,
detecting audio generated by a first device external to the media equipment device;
storing a database associating each goal in the plurality of goals with a set of actions in the plurality of actions and a voice in the plurality of voices;
comparing the sound produced by the first device to characteristics of entries in the database to determine a goal corresponding to the sound and a set of corresponding actions associated with the goal;
detecting a user within a viewing environment of the media equipment device;
determining from a user profile for the user whether the user is authorized to perform an action in the determined set of actions associated with the goal;
in response to determining that the user is authorized to perform the action;
generating a notification for the user indicating the detected sound;
modifying playback of a media asset to prompt the user to perform the action associated with the goal;
Generating a notification for a second user to perform the action in response to determining that the user is not authorized to perform the action.
a control circuit configured to perform
A system comprising:
(Item 64)
The control circuit further
determining that the audio is within audible range of the viewing environment;
preventing the user from modifying playback of the media asset in response to determining that the user is not authorized to perform the action;
64. The system of item 63, wherein the system is configured to:
(Item 65)
65. The system of clause 64, wherein control circuitry is further configured to modify playback of the media asset and prevent the user from performing the action associated with the goal.
(Item 66)
The control circuit is
determining a volume at which to attenuate the sound that is within the audible range;
adjusting a volume corresponding to playback of the media asset to be attenuating the sound;
configured to modify playback of said media asset by
66. The system of item 65.
(Item 67)
The control circuit is
determining a match between the voice and an entry in the database based on characteristics of the voice;
retrieving the target corresponding to the speech from the entry;
retrieving from the entry the corresponding set of actions associated with the goal;
in item 63, configured to compare the sound generated by the first device to the database and determine a goal associated with the sound and the corresponding set of actions associated with the goal by System as described.
(Item 68)
13. The method of claim 12, wherein the control circuitry is configured to detect the user within a viewing environment of the media device by using a sensor to detect the presence of the user within the viewing environment. system.
(Item 69)
The control circuitry is configured to generate a notification for the user indicating the detected audio by generating an overlay to be displayed on the media equipment device, the overlay indicating the audio. 64. The system of item 63, containing a notification for the user of .
(Item 70)
64. The system of item 63, wherein the sound is detected from a doorbell.
(Item 71)
The control circuit is
retrieving a set of regeneration modifications associated with the goal from the database;
selecting a playback modification from the set of playback modifications based on preferences for the user;
modifying playback of the media asset based on the selected playback modification;
13. The system of item 12, configured to modify playback of the media asset and enable the user to perform the action associated with the goal by.
(Item 72)
The control circuit is
retrieving a rank for the user from the user profile;
retrieving a rank for an action from a database;
determining whether the rank for the user exceeds the rank for the action;
determining that the user is authorized to perform the action in response to determining that the rank for the user exceeds the rank for the action;
an item configured to determine, from a user profile for the user, whether the user is authorized to perform an action in the determined set of actions associated with the goal by 63. The system according to 63.
(Item 73)
An apparatus for determining whether a user is authorized to perform an action that satisfies a goal corresponding to a speech, said apparatus comprising:
means for detecting audio generated by a first device external to the media equipment device;
means for storing a database associating each goal in the plurality of goals with a set of actions in the plurality of actions and a voice in the plurality of voices;
means for comparing the sound produced by the first device to characteristics of entries in the database to determine a goal corresponding to the sound and a set of corresponding actions associated with the goal;
means for detecting a user within a viewing environment of said media equipment device;
means for determining from a user profile for said user whether said user is authorized to perform an action in said determined set of actions associated with said goal;
in response to determining that the user is authorized to perform the action;
means for generating a notification for the user indicating the detected sound;
means for modifying playback of a media asset and prompting the user to perform the action associated with the goal;
means for generating a notification for a second user to perform said action in response to determining that said user is not authorized to perform said action;
A device comprising:
(Item 74)
means for determining that the audio is within audible range of the viewing environment;
means for preventing said user from modifying playback of said media asset in response to determining said user is not authorized to perform said action;
74. The apparatus of item 73, further comprising:
(Item 75)
75. The apparatus of clause 74, further comprising means for modifying playback of said media asset and preventing said user from performing said action associated with said goal.
(Item 76)
The means for modifying playback of the media asset comprises:
means for determining a volume at which to attenuate the sound that is within the audible range;
means for adjusting a volume corresponding to playback of said media asset to be attenuating said audio;
76. Apparatus according to item 75, comprising:
(Item 77)
said means for comparing said sound produced by said first device to said database and determining a goal associated with said sound and a set of said corresponding actions associated with said goal;
means for determining a match between the voice and an entry in the database based on characteristics of the voice;
means for retrieving the target corresponding to the speech from the entry;
means for retrieving from the entry the corresponding set of actions associated with the goal;
74. Apparatus according to item 73, comprising:
(Item 78)
74. The apparatus according to item 73, wherein said means for detecting said user within a viewing environment of said media device comprises means for detecting presence of said user within said viewing environment using a sensor.
(Item 79)
The means for generating a notification for the user indicative of the detected audio comprises means for generating an overlay to be displayed on the media equipment device, the overlay for the audio. 74. Apparatus according to item 73, containing notifications for said user.
(Item 80)
74. Apparatus according to item 73, wherein the sound is detected from a doorbell.
(Item 81)
said means for modifying playback of said media asset and enabling said user to perform said action associated with said goal comprising:
means for retrieving from said database a set of regeneration modifications associated with said goal;
means for selecting a playback modification from the set of playback modifications based on preferences for the user;
means for modifying playback of the media asset based on the selected playback modification;
74. Apparatus according to item 73, comprising:
(Item 82)
said means for determining, from a user profile for said user, whether said user is authorized to perform an action in said determined set of actions associated with said goal;
means for retrieving a rank for said user from said user profile;
means for retrieving ranks for actions from a database;
means for determining whether the rank for the user exceeds the rank for the action;
means for determining that the user is authorized to perform the action, responsive to determining that the rank for the user exceeds the rank for the action;
74. Apparatus according to item 73, comprising:
(Item 83)
A non-transitory computer-readable medium, the non-transitory computer-readable medium for determining whether a user is authorized to perform an action that satisfies a goal corresponding to the speech; having non-transitory computer-readable instructions encoded on a non-transitory computer-readable medium, the instructions comprising:
instructions for detecting audio generated by a first device external to the media equipment device;
instructions for storing a database associating each goal in the plurality of goals with a set of actions in the plurality of actions and a voice in the plurality of voices;
instructions for comparing the sound produced by the first device to characteristics of entries in the database to determine a goal corresponding to the sound and a set of corresponding actions associated with the goal;
instructions for detecting a user within a viewing environment of the media equipment device;
instructions for determining, from a user profile for the user, whether the user is authorized to perform an action in the determined set of actions associated with the goal;
in response to determining that the user is authorized to perform the action;
instructions for generating a notification for the user indicating the detected sound;
instructions for modifying playback of a media asset and prompting the user to perform the action associated with the goal;
and instructions for generating a notification for a second user to perform the action in response to determining that the user is not authorized to perform the action.
A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising:
(Item 84)
Said instruction further:
instructions for determining that the audio is within audible range of the viewing environment;
and instructions for preventing the user from modifying playback of the media asset in response to determining that the user is not authorized to perform the action.
84. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of item 83, comprising:
(Item 85)
85. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of item 84, wherein the instructions further comprise instructions for modifying playback of the media asset and preventing the user from performing the action associated with the goal. .
(Item 86)
The instructions for modifying playback of the media asset include:
instructions for determining a volume at which to attenuate the sound that is within the audible range;
and instructions for adjusting a volume corresponding to playback of the media asset such that the volume is attenuating the audio.
86. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of item 85, comprising:
(Item 87)
the instructions for comparing the sound generated by the first device to the database and determining a goal associated with the sound and the corresponding set of actions associated with the goal;
instructions for determining a match between the sound and an entry in the database based on characteristics of the sound;
instructions for retrieving the target corresponding to the speech from the entry;
instructions for retrieving from the entry the corresponding set of actions associated with the goal;
84. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of item 83, comprising:
(Item 88)
84. The non-uniformity of clause 83, wherein the instructions for detecting the user within a viewing environment of the media device comprise instructions for detecting presence of the user within the viewing environment using a sensor. permissive computer-readable medium.
(Item 89)
The instructions for generating a notification for the user indicative of the detected audio comprise instructions for generating an overlay to be displayed on the media equipment device, the overlay describing the audio. 84. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of item 83, containing notices for said user.
(Item 90)
84. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of item 83, wherein the sound is detected from a doorbell.
(Item 91)
The instructions for modifying playback of the media asset and enabling the user to perform the action associated with the goal comprise:
instructions for retrieving from the database a set of regeneration modifications associated with the goal;
instructions for selecting a playback modification from the set of playback modifications based on preferences for the user;
instructions for modifying playback of the media asset based on the selected playback modification;
84. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of item 83, comprising:
(Item 92)
The instructions for determining, from a user profile for the user, whether the user is authorized to perform an action in the determined set of actions associated with the goal, comprising:
instructions for retrieving a rank for the user from the user profile;
instructions for retrieving a rank for an action from a database;
instructions for determining whether the rank for the user exceeds the rank for the action;
and instructions for determining that the user is authorized to perform the action in response to determining that the rank for the user exceeds the rank for the action.
84. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of item 83, comprising:
(Item 93)
A method for determining whether a user is authorized to perform an action that satisfies a goal corresponding to a speech, comprising:
detecting audio generated by a first device external to the media equipment device using control circuitry;
storing a database associating each goal in the plurality of goals with a set of actions in the plurality of actions and a voice in the plurality of voices;
comparing the sound produced by the first device to characteristics of entries in the database to determine a goal corresponding to the sound and a set of corresponding actions associated with the goal;
detecting a user within a viewing environment of the media equipment device;
determining from a user profile for the user whether the user is authorized to perform an action in the determined set of actions associated with the goal;
in response to determining that the user is authorized to perform the action;
generating a notification for the user indicating the detected sound;
prompting the user to modify playback of a media asset and perform the action associated with the goal;
Generating a notification for a second user to perform the action in response to determining that the user is not authorized to perform the action.
A method, including
(Item 94)
determining that the audio is within audible range of the viewing environment;
preventing the user from modifying playback of the media asset in response to determining that the user is not authorized to perform the action;
94. The method of item 93, further comprising:
(Item 95)
95. The method of clause 94, further comprising modifying playback of the media asset to prevent the user from performing the action associated with the goal.
(Item 96)
Modifying playback of the media asset includes:
determining a volume at which to attenuate the sound that is within the audible range;
adjusting a volume corresponding to playback of the media asset to be attenuating the sound;
96. The method of item 95, comprising
(Item 97)
Comparing the audio generated by the first device to the database and determining a goal associated with the audio and the corresponding set of actions associated with the goal includes:
determining a match between the voice and an entry in the database based on characteristics of the voice;
retrieving the target corresponding to the speech from the entry;
retrieving from the entry the corresponding set of actions associated with the goal;
97. The method of any of items 93-96, comprising
(Item 98)
98. The method of any of items 93-97, wherein detecting the user within a viewing environment of the media device comprises using a sensor to detect the presence of the user within the viewing environment.
(Item 99)
Generating a notification for the user indicative of the detected audio includes generating an overlay to be displayed on the media equipment device, the overlay displaying information for the user about the audio. 99. A method according to any of items 43-98, containing notification.
(Item 100)
99. A method according to any of items 93-99, wherein the sound is detected from a doorbell.
(Item 101)
modifying the playback of the media asset and enabling the user to perform the action associated with the goal;
retrieving a set of regeneration modifications associated with the goal from the database;
selecting a playback modification from the set of playback modifications based on preferences for the user;
modifying playback of the media asset based on the selected playback modification;
100. The method of any of items 93-100, comprising
(Item 102)
Determining, from a user profile for the user, whether the user is authorized to perform an action in the determined set of actions associated with the goal
retrieving a rank for the user from the user profile;
retrieving a rank for an action from a database;
determining whether the rank for the user exceeds the rank for the action;
determining that the user is authorized to perform the action in response to determining that the rank for the user exceeds the rank for the action;
The method of any of items 93-101, comprising

The following and other objects and advantages of the present disclosure will become apparent from a consideration of the following detailed description, considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which like reference characters refer to like parts throughout. Will.

FIG. 1 illustrates an illustrative embodiment of transforming unrelated commands into relevant playback modifications and prompting recipients of the commands to execute the commands, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 2 shows an illustrative embodiment of a display screen that may be used to provide media guidance application listings and other media guidance information according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 3 shows another illustrative embodiment of a display screen that may be used to provide media guidance application listings according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram of an illustrative user equipment (UE) device, according to some embodiments of the disclosure.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram of an illustrative media system, according to some embodiments of the disclosure.

FIG. 6 depicts an illustrative flowchart of a process for converting non-playback commands into associated playback modifications and prompting recipients of the commands to execute the commands, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 7 depicts another illustrative flowchart of a process for converting non-playback commands into associated playback modifications and prompting recipients of the commands to execute the commands, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure; .

FIG. 8 depicts an illustrative flowchart of a process for determining commands based on characteristics of the second user, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 9 depicts an illustrative flowchart of a process for converting non-playback commands into associated playback modifications and prompting recipients of the commands to execute the commands, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 10 depicts an illustrative flowchart of a process for determining commands based on a first user's verbal input, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 11 depicts an illustrative flowchart of a process for determining outcomes based on attributes of commands, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 12 depicts an illustrative flowchart of a process for detecting whether a user leaves the viewing area of a media equipment device presenting a media asset, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 13 depicts an illustrative flowchart of a process for modifying media playback based on a user's rank, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 14 illustrates an illustrative embodiment of determining whether a user is authorized to perform an action that meets a speech goal, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 15 depicts an illustrative flowchart of a process for determining whether a user is authorized to perform an action that satisfies a speech goal, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 16 depicts another illustrative flowchart of a process for determining whether a user is authorized to perform an action that meets a speech goal, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 17 depicts an illustrative flowchart of a process for identifying targets associated with sounds, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 18 depicts an illustrative flowchart of a process for detecting the presence of a user within a viewing environment, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 19 depicts an illustrative flowchart of a process for generating overlays containing notifications, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 20 depicts an illustrative flowchart of a process for modifying playback of media assets, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 21 depicts an illustrative flowchart of a process for determining whether a user is authorized to perform an action that satisfies a speech goal, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

Systems and methods are provided herein for converting commands that are irrelevant to playback into relevant playback modifications and prompting the recipient of the command to execute the command. A media guidance application may determine commands from the first user to the second user. The media guidance application may compare the commands to a set of playback action commands for the currently playing media asset. In response to the comparison, the media guidance application may determine that the command is not contained within the set of playback action commands. In response to determining that the command is not contained within the set of playback action commands, the media guidance application may determine whether the second user performs the desired result of the command. Then, in response to the second user determining that the desired result of the command will not be performed, the media guidance application may determine whether to modify the playback of the media asset.

FIG. 1 illustrates an illustrative embodiment of transforming unrelated commands into relevant playback modifications and prompting recipients of the commands to execute the commands, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 1 depicts an illustrative display 100 that may be presented by control circuitry running a media guidance application on any user equipment. The user equipment, control circuitry, and functionality of the media guidance application are described in further detail with respect to FIGS. 2-5.

The media guidance application may detect that first user 102 has issued command 104 . The command 104 may be an oral input of words or phrases. The media guidance application detects that command 104 is directed toward second user 106 (e.g., first user 102 may say to second user 106, "It's time for dinner!"). may A media guidance application may be playing the media asset 108 . The media guidance application may generate to display a trick play bar 110 across the media asset 108, which provides all trick play functionality (e.g. play, pause, stop, rewind, fast forward). etc.) may be included. The media guidance application may generate to display an indicator 112 within the trick play bar 110 that may correspond to the current playback location of the media asset 108 . The media guidance application may indicate that commands 114 correspond to trick play bar commands (e.g., play, pause, stop, rewind, fast forward, volume up, volume down, on/off, etc.) applied to media assets ( For example, it may decide that the media asset is paused). The media guidance application may determine that volume 116 may correspond to the volume of the current playback of media asset 108 . Media guidance application may modify volume 116 in response to command 114 .

In some embodiments, the media guidance application may detect commands from the first user to the second user. The first user may be a user not currently viewing playback of the media asset, or may be in an environment outside the viewing environment of the media asset. The second user may be the user currently viewing the playback of the media asset 108 within the viewing environment of the media asset. For example, the media guidance application uses a home entertainment system (e.g., Amazon Echo) to detect a verbal command from a first user to a second user (e.g., "Since dinner is ready, take a seat!"). You may

In some embodiments, the media guidance application may detect verbal input from the first user when the media guidance application detects a command from the first user to the second user. The verbal input may be spoken words or phrases from the first user that correspond to commands. For example, the media guidance application may use an audio detection sensor (eg, a microphone) to detect verbal input from the first user (eg, the user saying "Dinner is ready!"). . A media guidance application compares an audio signal detected by a sensor (e.g., a microphone) to known audio samples from the first user read from the first user's profile to determine whether the audio signal is the first user's may determine that the verbal input is from

As another example, the media guidance application may use an Intelligent Personal Assistant (IPA) (e.g., Amazon Echo, Siri, etc.) to detect verbal input from the first user, the IPA: It constantly listens for audio input in the surrounding environment of the IPA and detects verbal input from the user.

The media guidance application may compare the spoken input to a database of commands, the database containing commands corresponding to each spoken input. The media guidance application may retrieve a database of commands from the first user's profile. For example, the media guidance application reads a database of commands from the profile for the first user and translates verbal input (e.g., the user saying "Dinner is ready!") into commands (e.g., eat dinner, door, sweep, vacuum, etc.).

The media guidance application may determine from the comparison a command corresponding to the verbal input from the first user. For example, the media guidance application uses pattern recognition between inputs and commands from the user profile to map verbal input (e.g., "Dinner is ready!") to command (e.g., eat dinner). may decide to

In some embodiments, when the media guidance application determines from the comparison the command corresponding to the verbal input from the first user, the media guidance application determines a match between the verbal input and the database of commands. You may The media guidance application may determine potential matches between spoken input and a database of commands through keyword matching. For example, the media guidance application may detect keywords in the spoken input (eg, "dinner" and "done") and compare these keywords to a database of commands. Each command in the database of commands may have multiple keywords associated with it (e.g., the command "have dinner" has associated keywords "dinner", "food", "hungry", " eat", "meal", etc.). The media guidance application determines that a spoken input matches a command when the single or multiple keywords from the spoken input match the single or multiple keywords associated with the command in the database of commands. good too.

For example, the media guidance application may determine that a verbal input (eg, "dinner is ready!") is a command (eg, eat dinner) because the verbal input matches keywords contained within the command (eg, "dinner"). ). The media guidance application may determine that the command corresponding to the match (eg, eat dinner) is the command corresponding to verbal input from the first user.

In some embodiments, when the media guidance application determines multiple potential matches between the spoken input and the database of commands (eg, the spoken input may match multiple different commands), the media guidance application may determine that the command corresponding to the match within the potential matches containing the most keyword matches is the command corresponding to verbal input from the first user. For example, the media guidance application determines that verbal input (e.g., "It's time to eat dinner!") matches multiple commands (e.g., eat dinner, eat lunch, set a timer, etc.). Then the media guidance application may determine that the match (eg, eat dinner) is the command that contains the most keyword matches and thus corresponds to the verbal input.

After determining the command given by the first user, the media guidance application may determine the context of the command and how it relates to playback operations. The media guidance application may compare the commands to a set of playback action commands for the media asset currently being played by the second user. The media guidance application may retrieve the set of playback action commands from a database within the profile. For example, the media guidance application may send a command (e.g., eat dinner) to a set of playback action commands (e.g., a temporary stop, fast forward, mute, etc.).

In response to the comparison, the media guidance application may determine that the command is not contained within the set of playback action commands. For example, the media guidance application may determine that a command (eg, eat dinner) is not contained within a set of playback action commands (eg, pause, fast forward, mute, etc.).

The media guidance application may determine the desired result of the command from multiple results of the command based on the first user's user profile and the second user's user profile. The media guidance application may use the attributes to determine desired results, as described in detail below. For example, the media guidance application uses the methods described below to use the first user's user profile (eg, the profile may describe that the first user is a mother) and the second user's user profile. (e.g., the second profile may describe that the second user is the son of the mother following the mother's command), the desired result of the command (e.g., if the second user sees a movie may decide to stop watching the movie and have dinner).

In some embodiments, the media guidance application may determine the desired result of a command by determining attributes of the command. In some embodiments, when the media guidance application is determining the desired result of the command from the multiple results of the command based on the user profile of the first user and the user profile of the second user, the media The guide application may determine the attributes of the command. The media guidance application may analyze the command and determine distinct attributes, such as the command's prosody (eg, using tone and intonation of speech to determine meaning).

In some embodiments, the media guidance application may analyze the audio characteristics of the command and determine distinct attributes. In some embodiments, to determine distinct attributes, the media guidance application may compare the command to audio samples in a plurality of audio samples, each audio sample representing the user speaking the command. As determined, it is associated with distinctly different users. The media guidance application uses speech processing to identify the following attributes: voice pitch (e.g., fluctuating between low and high), voice length (e.g., fluctuating between short and long) ), volume (e.g., fluctuating between weak and strong), and speech timbre, to determine the form of utterance (e.g., a statement, question, or command), ironic or ironic Attributes may be determined, including presence, emphasis, contrast, focus, and presence of infant-friendly speech (eg, baby talk). For example, the media guidance application may use the command's corresponding pitch, duration, volume, and timbre speech processing variables together with the speech processing to determine the attributes of the command (e.g., the speaker of the command, the tone of the command, the tone of the command, the severity, etc.) may be determined. In response to determining distinct attributes of the command, the media guidance application may compare attributes of the command to attributes of multiple results of the command to determine a desired result.

The media guidance application may compare attributes of the command with attributes of multiple results of the command. For example, the media guidance application may match attributes of a command (e.g., form of utterance, presence of sarcasm or irony, emphasis, contrast, focus, infantile speech, etc.) to multiple outcome attributes of the command (e.g., the command is obeyed). results if the command is ignored, consequences of following the command, consequences of not following the command, etc.). The media guidance application may retrieve multiple results from the database within the profile.

In some embodiments, the media guidance application may retrieve multiple results of a command from the profile. The media guidance application may determine that each command in the database of commands is linked to a corresponding set of results for that command. For example, the media guidance application may use a pointer from the command entry in the database to the corresponding result set. The corresponding results to the command may be predetermined by the editor, and may be updated and added to by the media guidance application based on the user's learned behavior.

In some embodiments, the media guidance application may add results to be linked to commands based on learned behavior. The media guidance application compares the new result with the corresponding set of results and determines that there is no overlap between the two data, thereby allowing the first user and the second user to communicate after the command is issued. It may be determined that the new result that occurred in between was not included in the set of results corresponding to the command. For example, the media guidance application determines from the comparison that the new result (e.g., the second user answers the phone in response to a command) corresponds to the current set of results (e.g., eat, pause the movie, do nothing).

The media guidance application may retrieve attributes of results in multiple results from an attribute database in the profile.

In some embodiments, the media guidance application may retrieve attributes of the result from an attribute database containing preset attributes determined by the editor corresponding to the result. The media guidance application responds by determining a new attribute corresponding to the result or removing an attribute corresponding to the result (e.g., no longer the correct attribute of the result), as described in detail below. to update the attribute database. Each attribute may have a pointer in the database pointing to the corresponding result. For example, the media guidance application may include attributes (e.g., user goes to dinner, user goes to dining room, user eats from plate on dinner table) that correspond to outcome (e.g., eats dinner). , the user pauses playback, leaves the room and goes to the dining room, etc.).

The media guidance application determines that an outcome has occurred (e.g., detects it using a sensor), analyzes the outcome that has occurred, and determines attributes of the outcome so that new attributes correspond to the outcome. may decide to The media guidance application may determine attributes of the results based on the physical and auditory components of the results. The media guidance application may use methods similar to those described above in connection with determining the attributes of the command (e.g., by determining the prosody of the command) to determine the auditory component of the resulting result. Attributes may be determined based on

In some embodiments, the media guidance application may determine outcome attributes based on the physical components of the outcome that occurred. The media guidance application may use sensors to detect physical responses corresponding to the results. For example, the media guidance application may use a camera to detect a second user physically exiting the viewing environment for playback of the media asset. As another example, the media guidance application uses an infrared sensor to determine a heat map of the viewing environment and, in response to listening for commands from the first user, directs the second user into the viewing environment. may detect that it has not moved from its position. The media guidance application may determine that the detected physical response is an attribute of what happened. The media guidance application may compare the determined attributes of the outcome to the attributes in the database corresponding to the outcome, and remove any attributes from the outcome that were not among the attributes corresponding to the outcome. may be added.

For example, the media guidance application may determine that an outcome (eg, the second user exiting the viewing environment of the media asset) has occurred from sensing via the camera. The media guidance application analyzes what happened (e.g., a second user shouted "I'm not hungry!" to the first user) and analyzes (e.g., the auditory and physical components of what happened) ) may determine attributes of the results. The media guidance application may determine that the user's negative response (eg, based on the user's shouting and the context of the user's response) and the user's inability to leave the viewing area are the consequences of what happened (eg, the user does not follow commands). may be determined to be attributes of

In some embodiments, the media guidance application updates the attribute corresponding to the result in response to determining that the attribute was not present in the corresponding result after the same result has occurred at least a threshold number of times. may be removed. The media guidance application may maintain a counter in multiple counters, each counter being associated with a specific result attribute. The media guidance application may update the counter for the attribute of the concrete result (eg, add the value to the counter) after the concrete result occurs and contains the attribute. The media guidance application may retrieve the threshold count amount from the profile, and the threshold may be preset by the editor or updated based on user input. The media guidance application may compare the counter for a specific result to a threshold, and in response to determining that the counter exceeds the threshold, the media guidance application removes the attribute as the attribute corresponding to the result. You may

For example, the media guidance application may remove attributes (eg, the second user yells "no" in response to the command) that correspond to outcomes (eg, the second user does not eat dinner). . The media guidance application may determine that the attribute was not present in the corresponding result after the same result has occurred at least a threshold number of times (eg, 10 times). The media guidance application may read an editor-defined threshold number of times (eg, 10 times) from the profile. The media guidance application, in response to comparing an editor-defined threshold amount of times to a counter associated with the result and determining that the counter (e.g., 11 times) exceeds the threshold amount (e.g., 10 times); The media guidance application may remove attributes (eg, the second user yells "no" in response to the command) that correspond to outcomes (eg, the second user does not eat dinner).

The media guidance application may determine from the comparison that the result among the multiple results containing the attributes of the command is the desired result. The media guidance application may use a ranking system to determine desired results from the comparisons. For example, the media guidance application may select from the comparison a result containing the attributes of the command (e.g., the intended conclusion of the command) (e.g., the user pauses the movie and goes to dinner) with the desired result. You may decide that there is.

In some embodiments, the media guidance application may determine a result in the plurality of results containing the command attribute to be the desired result based on the rank of the result in the plurality of results. good. The media guidance application may rank results among multiple results based on the amount of attributes that the results have in common with the attributes of the command (eg, the percentage of attributes in common). The media guidance application may determine that the ranks correspond directly to the proportions of common attributes (eg, the higher the proportion, the higher the rank).

For example, the media guidance application may determine the percentage of attributes (eg, 18 out of 20 attributes, or 90%) that the results have in common with the attributes of the command (eg, by comparing the attributes of the results to the attributes of the command). ) may determine the rank of the result among the plurality of results. The media guidance application may determine that the ranking of the results corresponds directly to the percentage (eg, ranked 90 out of 100).

In some embodiments, the media guidance application retrieves results corresponding to the first user's preferred results from the first user's preferences (e.g., the first user has preferred results for a specific command). may A preferred result for a specific command may cause the result in the plurality of results corresponding to the preferred result to be the highest ranked result. For example, the media guidance application may retrieve results from the first user's preferences that correspond to the first user's preferred results (eg, the second user gets up and goes to dinner). The media guidance application may determine that the preferred result is the highest ranked among all multiple results (eg, ranks 100 out of 100).

After determining the desired result of the command, the media guidance application may determine the second user's reaction to the command and determine whether it meets the desired result. The media guidance application may detect actions performed by the second user. For example, a media guidance application may detect, via a camera, that a user has left a viewing environment in which a movie is playing and has entered a dining room.

In some embodiments, when the media guidance application detects an action performed by the second user, the media guidance application uses the sensor to detect the motion of the media equipment device presenting the media asset. A second user exiting the viewing environment may be detected. For example, the media guidance application may detect, via a motion detection sensor, that a second user is leaving the television viewing environment in which the user is watching a movie.

In some embodiments, when the media guidance application is detecting actions performed by the second user, the media guidance application detects the second user executing a command to modify the playback of the media asset. You may For example, a media guidance application may detect a user pressing an input command on a remote control device to "pause" playback of a movie the user is watching.

In some embodiments, when the media guidance application is detecting an action performed by a second user, the media guidance application uses the sensors to indicate that the second user is viewing the media asset device's viewing environment. It may detect that it stays inside. For example, the media guidance application may use heat mapping sensors to detect that the second user has not left the couch where the user is watching a movie play.

The media guidance application may compare the second user's actions with the desired result of the command. For example, the media guidance application may compare an action (eg, the second user continues watching a movie) with the desired result of the command (eg, the second user goes out to dinner). .

In response to determining that the second user's action does not correspond to the desired result of the command, the media guidance application may retrieve characteristics of the second user from the second user's user profile. The media guidance application may retrieve the characteristics of the second user from a characteristics database within the user profile. Characteristic values stored in the database may be determined based on user input (eg, a user entering information via a user input device such as a remote control). For example, the media guidance application may retrieve characteristics (eg, age, relationship to the first user, user rank within the household, etc.) from the second user's user profile.

In some embodiments, the media guidance application may compare characteristics from the retrieved characteristics of the second user to the command, the characteristics being age, rank, relationship with other users, and time of day. and the command is selected from the group of commands consisting of eating, cleaning, studying, cooking, and sleeping.

The media guidance application may determine from the comparison whether the command shares the characteristics of the second user. For example, the media guidance application may determine from the comparison whether the command (eg, meal) shares the second user's characteristic (eg, time of day).

In some embodiments, the media guidance application may determine whether the command shares the second user's "age" characteristic. The media guidance application may retrieve the command's age characteristics from the profile. For example, the media guidance application may read the age property of the command (eg, the command must be followed by any user under the age of 15 and ignored by any user over the age of 15). good). The media guidance application may compare the age of the second user (eg, the second user is 10 years old) to the age characteristic of the command, and the command shares the second user's age characteristic (eg, , that the age of the second user is within the age range (under 15) of users who must obey the command.

In some embodiments, the media guidance application may determine whether the command shares the second user's "relationship with other users" characteristic. The media guidance application may retrieve the second user's relationships with other users (eg, the second user is the son of the first user) from the profile. The media guidance application may read the relationship properties of the command (eg, the rank of those who must follow the command based on the relationship of the user giving the command with the user receiving the command). The media guidance application may determine whether the second user should follow the commands of the first user based on rank. In response to determining yes, that the second user should follow the first user's command, the media guidance application determines that the command is between the second user and the "other user." may decide to share the "relationship" property.

In some embodiments, the media guidance application may determine whether the command shares the second user's "time of day" property. The media guidance application reads from the second user's profile a "time of day" characteristic (eg, the user must follow commands from the first user between 5:00 pm and 8:00 pm every day). may The time of day characteristic may be a pre-determined value created in the second user's profile from input from the first user. The media guidance application may determine the time the command was issued by the first user (eg, 7:02 PM). The media guidance application compares this time to the time of day feature and determines that the command shares the time of day feature with the second user because the time the command was issued falls within the time frame from the time of day feature. good.

In some embodiments, the media guidance application determines whether to modify the playback of the media asset based on commands detected from the first user and the retrieved characteristics of the second user. At some point, the media guidance application may retrieve the first user's rank and the second user's rank. The media guidance application may read the ranks of the first user and the second user from the profile, where the ranks are preset values based on user input (e.g., the first user has a user account select the ranking order of all users with). For example, the media guidance application may determine the rank of the first user (eg, the first user is ranked first out of five users) and the rank of the second user (eg, the second The user may read (ranked 4th out of 5 users).

The media guidance application may determine from the ranks whether the first user is ranked higher than the second user. For example, the media guidance application determines that a first user (eg, ranked first) is ranked higher than a second user (eg, ranked second). may

In response to determining that the first user is ranked higher than the second user, the media guidance application may modify playback of the media asset. For example, in response to determining that the first user is ranked higher than the second user, the media guidance application may modify the playback of the media asset (e.g., the currently playing media asset). pause the movie that is playing).

In response to determining that the second user is ranked higher than the first user, the media guidance application may continue playing the media asset. For example, in response to determining that the second user is ranked higher than the first user, the media guidance application may select a media asset (eg, a movie that the second user is watching) may continue to play.

In response to determining that the command shares characteristics, the media guidance application may modify the playback of the media asset. For example, in response to determining that the command shares properties, the media guidance application may modify the playback of the media asset (eg, pause playback of the media asset).

The media guidance application may determine specific types of playback modifications (eg, pause, mute, rewind, fast forward, turn off, etc.) based on preferences for the first user. The media guidance application may retrieve the first user's preferences from a playback modification database in the first user's profile. The media guidance application may retrieve playback modifications corresponding to the commands from the database. The playback modifications corresponding to each command may be preset by an editor or by input from the first user.

For example, the media guidance application may determine specific types of playback modifications based on the first user's preferences. The media guidance application may retrieve the first user's preferences from a playback modification database in the first user's profile. The media guidance application may retrieve playback modifications (eg, turn off playback of the media asset) from a database corresponding to the command (eg, eat dinner).

In some embodiments, the media guidance application may detect commands from the first user to the second and third users. For example, the media guidance application may detect commands from a first user to a second user and a third user (eg, eat dinner). The media guidance application may detect commands using similar methods as described above.

The media guidance application may determine a desired result of the command from multiple results of the command based on the first user's user profile, the second user's user profile, and the third user's user profile. . The media guidance application may use similar methods as described above to determine the desired result of the command.

The media guidance application may detect a first action performed by a second user and a second action performed by a third user. For example, the media guidance application detects a first action performed by a second user (e.g., the second user turns up the movie volume) and a second action performed by a third user. (eg, a motion sensor may detect that a third user is leaving the viewing environment to go to dinner). The media guidance application detects the first action performed by the second user and the second action performed by the third user using similar methods for detecting actions as described above. may be detected.

The media guidance application may compare the second user's action and the third user's action to determine the desired result of the command. For example, the media guidance application may detect a second user's action (e.g., turning up the volume of a movie via a remote) and a third user's action (e.g., a third user exiting the viewing environment when the motion sensor detecting) to determine the desired outcome of the command (eg, second and third users going out to dinner).

In response to determining that the second user's action and the third user's action do not correspond to the desired result of the command, the media guidance application selects the second user's action from the second user's user profile. The characteristics may be retrieved from the third user's user profile.

The media guidance application determines whether to modify the playback of the media asset based on commands detected from the first user and the retrieved characteristics of the second user and the retrieved characteristics of the third user. may decide. For example, the media guidance application may select a command detected from the first user (e.g., have dinner) and the reading of the first user because the rank of the command is higher than the rank of the second and third users. Based on the retrieved characteristics (eg, rank, etc.) and the retrieved characteristics (eg, rank, etc.) of the third user, it may be determined to modify the playback of the media asset. As another example, the media guidance application may detect commands detected from the first user (e.g. eat dinner) because the second and third users rank above the command and the first user ranks. ) and based on the read characteristics (e.g., rank, etc.) of the first user and the read characteristics (e.g., rank, etc.) of the third user, determine not to modify the playback of the media asset. may

As yet another example, the media guidance application may display commands detected from the first user (e.g., have dinner) because only the third user ranks above the command and the rank of the first user. and modify the playback of the media asset in part (e.g., , mute the audio on playback, but play the audio through Bluetooth headphones for user 3).

The amount of content available to users in any given content delivery system can be enormous. As a result, many users desire a form of media guidance through an interface that allows users to efficiently navigate through content selections and easily identify content that may be desired. Applications that provide such guidance are referred to herein as interactive media guidance applications, but are sometimes also referred to as media guidance applications or guidance applications.

Interactive media guidance applications may take a variety of forms, depending on the content for which they provide guidance. One typical type of media guide application is an interactive television program guide. Interactive television program guides (sometimes referred to as electronic program guides) are well known for allowing, among other things, users to navigate among and locate many types of content or media assets. It is a guide application. The interactive media guidance application may generate graphical user interface screens that allow the user to navigate among, locate, and select content. As referred to herein, the terms "media assets" and "content" refer to television programs and pay-per-view programming, on-demand programming (as in video-on-demand (VOD) systems), Internet content (e.g., streaming content, downloadable content, webcasts, etc.), video clips, audio, content information, photos, rotating images, documents, playlists, websites, articles, books, e-books, blogs, chat sessions, social media, applications, games , and/or any other media or multimedia, and/or combinations thereof. Guide applications also allow users to navigate between and locate content. As referred to herein, the term "multimedia" refers to content that utilizes at least two different content forms described above, e.g., text, audio, image, video, or interactive content forms. be understood to mean Content may be recorded, played back, displayed, or accessed by user equipment devices, but may also be part of a live performance.

A media guidance application and/or any instructions for implementing any of the embodiments discussed herein may be encoded on a computer-readable medium. Computer-readable media include any medium that can store data. Computer readable media can be transitory, including but not limited to propagating electrical or electromagnetic signals, or hard disks, floppy disks, USB drives, DVDs, CDs, media cards, but not limited to , register memory, processor cache, random access memory (“RAM”), and other computer memory or storage devices.

With the advent of the Internet, mobile computing, and high-speed wireless networks, users are accessing media on user equipment devices they did not previously use. As referred to herein, the phrases "user equipment device", "user equipment", "user device", "electronic device", "electronic equipment", "media equipment device", or "media device" Integrated Receiver Decoders (IRD) for TVs, Smart TVs, Set Top Boxes, Satellite TVs, Digital Storage Devices, Digital Media Receivers (DMR), Digital Media Adapters (DMA), Streaming Media Devices, DVD Players , DVD Recorders, Connected DVDs, Local Media Servers, BLU-RAY® Players, BLU-RAY® Recorders, Personal Computers (PCs), Laptop Computers, Tablet Computers, Web TV Boxes, Personal Computer Televisions (PC/TV), PC media server, PC media center, handheld computer, landline phone, personal digital assistant (PDA), mobile phone, portable video player, portable music player, portable game console, smart phone, or any other television It should be understood to mean any device for accessing content described above, such as an appliance, computing device, or wireless device, and/or combinations thereof. In some embodiments, a user equipment device may have front and rear screens, multiple front screens, or multiple angled screens. In some embodiments, a user equipment device may have a front-facing camera and/or a rear-facing camera. On these user equipment devices, users may be able to navigate among and identify the same content available through television. As a result, media guidance may also be available on these devices. The guides provided may be content available only through televisions, content available only through one or more of other types of user equipment devices, or televisions and one of other types of user equipment devices. It may be for content available through more than one. A media guidance application may be provided on a user equipment device, as an online application (ie, provided on a website), or as a stand-alone application or client. Various devices and platforms that may implement media guidance applications are described in more detail below.

One of the functions of the media guidance application is to provide media guidance data to the user. As referred to herein, the phrases "media guidance data" or "guide data" should be understood to mean any data associated with content or used in operating a guidance application. For example, guide data may include program information, guide application settings, user preferences, user profile information, media listings, media-related information (e.g., broadcast times, broadcast channels, titles, content, rating information (e.g., parental control ratings, reviews, house ratings, etc.), genre or category information, actor information, logo data for broadcaster or provider logos, etc.), media formats (e.g., standard definition, high definition, 3D, etc.), on-demand information, blogs, websites, and any other type of guide data to help the user navigate between and identify desired content selections.

2-3 show illustrative display screens that may be used to provide media guidance data. The display screens shown in FIGS. 2-3 may be implemented on any suitable user equipment device or platform. Although the displays of FIGS. 2-3 are illustrated as full screen displays, they may also be fully or partially overlaid on the content being displayed. A user selects selectable options (e.g., menu options, list options, icons, hyperlinks, etc.) provided on a display screen, or by dedicated buttons (e.g., on a remote control or other user input interface or device). For example, pressing a "Guide" button) may indicate a desire to access content information. In response to the user's indications, the media guidance application displays by time and channel within a grid, by time, by channel, by source, by content type, by category (e.g., movies, sports, news, children's, or The display screen may provide media guidance data organized in one of several ways, such as other program categories), or other predetermined, user-defined, or other organization criteria.

FIG. 2 shows an illustrative grid of program listings display 200 arranged by time and channel that also allows access to different types of content within a single display. Display 200 includes: (1) a column of channel/content type identifiers 204 in which each channel/content type identifier (cell within the column) identifies a different channel or content type available; and (2) It may include a grid 202 with rows of time identifiers 206, where each time identifier (cell within a row) identifies a program time slot. Grid 202 also includes cells of program listings, such as program listings 208, where each listing provides the title of the program, which is provided above the listing's associated channel and time. Using a user input device, a user can select program listings by moving highlight region 210 . Information regarding the program listing selected by highlight region 210 may be provided in program information region 212 . Area 212 may include, for example, program title, program description, time the program is offered (if applicable), channel on which the program is broadcast (if applicable), program rating, and other desired information. .

In addition to providing access to linear programming (e.g., content that is scheduled for transmission to multiple user equipment devices at predetermined times and provided on a schedule), media guidance applications also provide access to non-linear programming (e.g., , content that is accessible to user equipment devices at any time and is not provided on a schedule). Non-linear programming can be on-demand content (e.g., VOD), Internet content (e.g., streaming media, downloadable media, etc.), locally-stored content (e.g., any user equipment device or other storage device described above). content stored on the device), or other content that is not time sensitive. On-demand content may include movies or any other content provided by a particular content provider (eg, HBO On Demand, which offers "The Sopranos" and "Curb Your Enthusiasm"). HBO ON DEMAND is owned by Time Warner Company L.L. P. et al. THE SOPRANOS and CURB YOUR ENTHUSIASM are service marks owned by Home Box Office, Inc. is a trademark owned by Internet content may include content available on demand as streaming or downloadable content, through web events such as chat sessions or webcasts, or through Internet websites or other Internet access (eg, FTP).

Grid 202 may provide media guidance data for non-linear programming, including on-demand listings 214 , recorded content listings 216 , and Internet content listings 218 . A display that combines media guidance data for content from different types of content sources is sometimes referred to as a "mixed media" display. Various permutations of the types of media guidance data that may be displayed, different from display 200, may be based on user selection or guide application definition (e.g., display only recorded and broadcast listings, display only on-demand and broadcast listings). etc). As illustrated, listings 214, 216, and 218 are shown to indicate that selection of these listings may provide access to on-demand listings, recording listings, or Internet listing-only displays, respectively. It is shown spanning the entire time period displayed in grid 202 . In some embodiments, listings for these content types may be included directly in grid 202 . Additional media guidance data may be displayed in response to the user selecting one of navigation icons 220 (pressing an arrow key on the user input device selects navigation icon 220). may affect display as well).

Display 200 may also include video region 222 and options region 226 . Video area 222 may allow a user to view and/or preview programs that are currently available, will become available, or have been available to the user. The content of video area 222 may correspond to or be independent of one of the listings displayed in grid 202 . Grid displays containing video regions are sometimes referred to as picture-in-guide (PIG) displays. PIG displays and their functionality are described in Satterfield et al. No. 6,564,378 to Yuen et al., issued May 29, 2001; No. 6,239,794, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. PIG displays may be included in other media guidance application display screens of the embodiments described herein.

Options area 226 may allow the user to access different types of content, media guidance application displays, and/or media guidance application features. Options area 226 may be part of display 200 (and other display screens described herein) or for selecting options on the screen or dedicated or assignable on a user input device. It may be invoked by the user by pressing a button. The selectable options within options region 226 may relate to features related to program listings within grid 202 or may include options available from a main menu display. Features related to program listings may include searching for other broadcast times or ways to receive programs, recording programs, enabling continuous recording of programs, setting programs and/or channels as favorites, purchasing programs, or other features. may include Options available from the main menu display access search options, VOD options, parental control options, internet options, cloud-based options, device sync options, second screen device options, and various types of media guide data displays. options to subscribe to premium services, options to edit the user's profile, options to access browser overlays, or other options.

The media guidance application may be personalized based on user preferences. Personalized media guidance applications allow users to customize displays and features to create a personalized "experience" with the media guidance application. This personalized experience is generated by allowing the user to input these customizations and/or by the media guidance application monitoring user activity to determine various user preferences. may Users may access their personalized guide application by logging in or otherwise identifying themselves to the guide application. Customizations of the media guidance application may be made according to the user profile. Customization includes presentation schemes (e.g., color scheme for display, font size for text, etc.), aspects of content listings displayed (e.g., HDTV programs only or 3D programs only, user-specified broadcast channels based on favorite channel selection, channel display sorting, recommended content, etc.); presentation of content, emails, electronically distributed articles, etc.), and other desired customizations.

The media guidance application may allow the user to provide user profile information or may automatically compile the user profile information. The media guidance application may, for example, monitor content that the user accesses and/or other interactions that the user may have with the guidance application. In addition, the media guidance application may retrieve all or part of other user profiles associated with a particular user (e.g., from other websites on the Internet that the user visits, such as www.Tivo.com), from other media guidance applications accessed by the user, from other interactive applications accessed by the user, from other user equipment devices of the user, etc.), and/or from other sources that the media guidance application may access. information may be obtained. As a result, the user can be provided with a unified guide application experience across the user's different user equipment devices. This type of user experience is described in more detail below in connection with FIG. Additional personalized media guidance application features are described in Ellis et al. US Patent Application Publication No. 2005/0251827, published Jan. 16, 2007, Boyer et al. No. 7,165,098 to Ellis et al., filed Feb. 21, 2002; US Patent Application Publication No. 2002/0174430, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

Another display arrangement for providing media guidance is shown in FIG. Video mosaic display 300 includes selectable options 302 for content information organized based on content type, genre, and/or other organizational criteria. In display 300, television listings option 304 is selected, thus providing listings 306, 308, 310, and 312 as broadcast program listings. In display 300, the listing may display cover art, still images from the content, previews of video clips, live video from the content, or other type of content that shows the user the content described by the media guidance data in the listing. Graphic images may be provided, including: Each graphical listing may also be accompanied by text to provide additional information about the content associated with the listing. For example, listing 308 may include more than one portion, including media portion 314 and text portion 316 . Media portion 314 and/or text portion 316 may be used to view content in full screen or to view information related to the content displayed in media portion 314 (e.g., a list of channels on which videos are displayed). ), may be selectable.

The listings in display 300 are of different sizes (ie, listing 306 is larger than listings 308, 310, and 312), but all listings may be the same size if desired. Listings may be of different sizes or graphically enhanced to indicate the degree of user interest or to emphasize certain content, as desired by the content provider or based on user preferences. good too. Various systems and methods for graphically enhancing content listings are described, for example, in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2010/0153885 to Yates, filed November 12, 2009, herein incorporated by reference in its entirety. (incorporated in this document).

Users may access content and media guidance applications (and their display screens described above and below) from one or more of their user equipment devices. FIG. 4 shows a generalized embodiment of illustrative user equipment device 400 . More specific implementations of user equipment devices are discussed below in connection with FIG. User equipment device 400 may receive content and data via input/output (hereinafter “I/O”) path 402 . I/O path 402 provides content (eg, broadcast programming, on-demand programming, Internet content, local area network (LAN) or wide area network (WAN)) to control circuitry 404, which includes processing circuitry 406 and storage 408. and/or other content) and data. Control circuitry 404 may be used to send and receive commands, requests, and other suitable data using I/O path 402 . I/O paths 402 may connect control circuitry 404 (and specifically processing circuitry 406) to one or more communication paths (described below). I/O functions may be provided by one or more of these communication paths, but are shown as a single path in FIG. 4 to avoid over-complicating the drawing.

Control circuitry 404 may be based on any suitable processing circuitry, such as processing circuitry 406 . As referred to herein, processing circuitry means one or more microprocessors, microcontrollers, digital signal processors, programmable logic devices, field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), etc. and may include multi-core processors (eg, dual-core, quad-core, hexa-core, or any suitable number of cores) or supercomputers. In some embodiments, the processing circuitry includes multiple separate processors or processing units, such as multiple identical type processing units (e.g., two Intel Core i7 processors) or multiple different processors (e.g., Intel Core i7 processors). i5 processors and Intel Core i7 processors). In some embodiments, control circuitry 404 executes instructions for a media guidance application stored in memory (ie, storage device 408). Specifically, control circuitry 404 may be commanded by the media guidance application to perform the functions discussed above and below. For example, a media guidance application may provide instructions to control circuitry 404 for generating a media guidance display. In some implementations, any actions performed by control circuitry 404 may be based on instructions received from the media guidance application.

In client-server based embodiments, control circuitry 404 may include suitable communication circuitry for communicating with a guide application server or other networks or servers. Instructions for implementing the functionality described above may be stored on the guide application server. The communication circuitry may be a cable modem, Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN) modem, Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) modem, telephone modem, Ethernet card, or wireless modem for communication with other equipment, or any other may include suitable communication circuitry for Such communication may involve the Internet or any other suitable communication network or path (discussed in more detail in connection with FIG. 5). Additionally, communication circuitry may include circuitry that enables peer-to-peer communication of user equipment devices or communication of user equipment devices located remotely from one another (discussed in more detail below).

The memory may be an electronic storage device provided as storage 408 , which is part of control circuitry 404 . As referred to herein, the phrase "electronic storage device" or "storage device" includes random access memory, read-only memory, hard drives, optical drives, digital video disc (DVD) recorders, compact discs (CDs), ) recorders, BLU-RAY® disc (BD) recorders, BLU-RAY® 3D disc recorders, digital video recorders (DVRs, or sometimes called personal video recorders or PVRs), solid state devices, any device for storing electronic data, computer software, or firmware such as quantum storage devices, game consoles, game media, or any other suitable fixed or removable storage device, and/or any combination thereof; be understood to mean Storage device 408 may be used to store the various types of content described herein and the media guidance data described above. Non-volatile memory may also be used (eg, to launch boot-up routines and other instructions). The cloud-based storage device described in connection with FIG. 5 may be used to supplement storage device 408 or be used in place of storage device 408 .

Control circuitry 404 may include one or more analog tuners, one or more MPEG-2 decoders, or other digital decoding circuitry, a high-definition tuner, or any other suitable tuning or video circuitry, or control of such circuitry. It may also include video generation circuitry and tuning circuitry, such as a combination. Encoding circuitry (eg, for converting over-the-air, analog, or digital signals to MPEG signals for storage) may also be provided. Control circuitry 404 may also include scaling circuitry for up-converting and down-converting content to the preferred output format of user equipment 400 . Circuitry 404 may also include digital-to-analog converter circuitry and analog-to-digital converter circuitry for converting between digital and analog signals. Tuning and encoding circuitry may be used by user equipment devices to receive and display, play, or record content. Tuning and encoding circuitry may also be used to receive guide data. For example, the circuits described herein, including tuning, video generation, encoding, decoding, encryption, decryption, scaling, and analog/digital circuits, can be implemented using software running on one or more general-purpose or special-purpose processors. may be implemented using Multiple tuners may be provided to accommodate simultaneous tuning functions (eg, viewing and recording functions, picture-in-picture (PIP) functions, multi-tuner recording functions, etc.). If storage 408 is provided as a separate device from user equipment 400 , tuning and encoding circuitry (including multiple tuners) may be associated with storage 408 .

A user may use user input interface 410 to send commands to control circuitry 404 . User input interface 410 may be any suitable user interface such as a remote control, mouse, trackball, keypad, keyboard, touch screen, touch pad, stylus input, joystick, voice recognition interface, or other user input interface. may Display 412 may be provided as a stand-alone device or integrated with other elements of user equipment device 400 . For example, display 412 may be a touch screen or touch sensitive display. In such situations, user input interface 410 may be integrated or combined with display 412 . The display 412 may be a monitor, television, liquid crystal display (LCD) for mobile devices, amorphous silicon display, low temperature polysilicon display, electronic ink display, electrophoretic display, active matrix display, electrowetting display, electrofluidic display, cathode ray tube. Displays, Light Emitting Diode Displays, Electroluminescent Displays, Plasma Display Panels, High Performance Addressing Displays, Thin Film Transistor Displays, Organic Light Emitting Diode Displays, Surface Conduction Electron Emitting Device Displays (SEDs), Laser Televisions, Carbon Nanotubes, Quantum Dot Displays, Interference It may be one or more of the modulator displays, or any other suitable device for displaying visual images. In some embodiments, display 412 may be HDTV-capable. In some embodiments, display 412 may be a 3D display, and interactive media guidance applications and any suitable content may be displayed in 3D. A video card or graphics card may generate output to display 412 . A video card may provide a variety of features such as accelerated rendering of 3D scenes and 2D graphics, MPEG-2/MPEG-4 decoding, TV output, or the ability to connect multiple monitors. The video card may be any of the processing circuits described above associated with control circuit 404 . A video card may be integrated with the control circuit 404 . Speakers 414 may be provided as integrated with other elements of user equipment device 400 or may be stand-alone units. Audio components of videos and other content displayed on display 412 may be played through speakers 414 . In some embodiments, the audio may be distributed to receivers (not shown) that process and output the sound via speakers 414 .

A guide application may be implemented using any suitable architecture. For example, it may be a standalone application that is fully implemented on user equipment device 400 . In such an approach, the application's instructions are stored locally (e.g., in storage device 408) and data for use by the application is periodically downloaded (e.g., from out-of-band feeds, Internet resources, etc.). from or using another preferred approach). Control circuitry 404 may retrieve application instructions from storage device 408 and process the instructions to generate any of the displays discussed herein. Based on the processed instructions, control circuitry 404 may determine actions to perform when input is received from input interface 410 . For example, up/down movement of the cursor on the display may be indicated by the processed instructions when the input interface 410 indicates that the up/down button has been selected.

In some embodiments, the media guidance application is a client-server based application. Data for use by a thick or thin client implemented on user equipment device 400 is retrieved on demand by issuing a request to a server remote to user equipment device 400 . In one embodiment of a client-server based guide application, control circuitry 404 launches a web browser that interprets web pages provided by a remote server. For example, a remote server may store instructions for an application in a storage device. The remote server may use circuitry (eg, control circuitry 404) to process stored instructions and generate the displays discussed above and below. The client device may receive the display generated by the remote server and may display the content of the display locally on the equipment device 400 . In this way, the processing of the instructions is performed remotely by the server while the resulting display is provided locally on the equipment device 400 . Equipment device 400 may receive inputs from a user via input interface 410 and transmit those inputs to a remote server for processing and generating a corresponding display. For example, equipment device 400 may transmit a communication to a remote server indicating that the up/down button was selected via input interface 410 . The remote server may process the instructions according to the input and generate a display of the application corresponding to the input (eg, a cursor up/down display). The generated display is then transmitted to the equipment device 400 for presentation to the user.

In some embodiments, the media guidance application is downloaded and interpreted or otherwise launched by an interpreter or virtual machine (launched by control circuitry 404). In some embodiments, the guide application is encoded in the ETV Binary Interchange Format (EBIF) and received by the control circuit 404 as part of the preferred feed and user agent running on the control circuit 404. may be interpreted by For example, the guide application may be an EBIF application. In some embodiments, the guide application may be defined by a series of JAVA-based files that are received and launched by a local virtual machine or other suitable middleware executed by control circuitry 404. . In some of such embodiments (e.g., those employing MPEG-2 or other digital media encoding schemes), the guide application creates MPEG-2 objects, e.g., with MPEG audio and video packets of a program. It may be encoded and transmitted in the carousel.

User equipment device 400 of FIG. 4 may be user television equipment 502, user computer equipment 504, wireless user communications device 506, or any other type of user equipment suitable for accessing content, such as non-portable game consoles. It can be implemented in system 500 of FIG. For simplicity, these devices may be referred to herein collectively as user equipment or user equipment devices, and may be substantially similar to the user equipment devices described above. A user equipment device on which a media guidance application may be implemented may function as a stand-alone device or may be part of a network of devices. Various network configurations of devices may be implemented and are discussed in more detail below.

User equipment devices that utilize at least some of the system features described above in connection with FIG. may For example, user television equipment 502, like some user computer equipment 504, may be Internet-enabled to allow access to Internet content, while user computer equipment 504, like some television equipment 502, may be Internet-enabled. , may include a tuner that allows access to television programming. The media guidance application may also have the same layout on various different types of user equipment or may be tailored to the display capabilities of the user equipment. For example, on user computer device 504, the guide application may be provided as a website accessed by a web browser. In another embodiment, the guide application may be scaled down for wireless user communications device 506 .

More than one of each type of user equipment device is typically present in system 500, but only one of each is shown in FIG. 5 to avoid over-complicating the drawing. . Additionally, each user may utilize more than one type of user equipment device, and more than one of each type of user equipment device.

In some embodiments, user equipment devices (eg, user television equipment 502, user computer equipment 504, wireless user communications device 506) may be referred to as "second screen devices." For example, a second screen device may complement content presented on a first user equipment device. The content presented on the second screen device may be any suitable content that complements the content presented on the first device. In some embodiments, the second screen device provides an interface for adjusting the settings and display preferences of the first device. In some embodiments, the second screen device is configured to interact with other second screen devices or interact with social networks. The second screen device is located in the same room as the first device, in a different room than the first device but in the same house or building, or in a different building than the first device. can be done.

The user may also set various settings to maintain consistent media guidance application settings across in-home and remote devices. Settings include those described herein as well as favorite channels and programs, program preferences utilized by the guide application to recommend programs, display preferences, and other desired guide settings. For example, a user may, on a personal computer in his office, browse, for example, the website www. Tivo. com, the same channels are favorited on the user's home devices (e.g., user television equipment and user computer equipment) and, optionally, on the user's mobile device. will be displayed as Thus, changes made on one user equipment device can change the guiding experience on another user equipment device, regardless of whether they are the same or a different type of user equipment device. Additionally, changes made may be based on settings entered by the user and user activity monitored by the guide application.

User equipment devices may be coupled to communications network 514 . That is, user television equipment 502, user computer equipment 504, and wireless user communications device 506 are coupled to communications network 514 via communications paths 508, 510, and 512, respectively. Communication network 514 may include the Internet, a cellular network, a mobile voice or data network (eg, a 4G or LTE network), a cable network, a public switched telephone network, or any other type of communication network, or combination of communication networks. There may be more than one network. Paths 508, 510, and 512, separately or together, may be satellite paths, fiber optic paths, cable paths, paths supporting Internet communications (e.g., IPTV), free space connections (e.g., for broadcast or other wireless signals). , or any other suitable wired or wireless communication path or combination of such paths. Path 512 is drawn as a dashed line to indicate that it is a wireless path in the exemplary embodiment shown in FIG. 5, and paths 508 and 510 are drawn as solid lines to indicate that they are wired paths. (However, these paths may also be wireless paths, if desired). Communication with user equipment devices may be provided by one or more of these communication paths, but is shown in FIG. 5 as a single path to avoid over-complicating the drawing. It is

Although communication paths are not depicted between user equipment devices, these devices include those described above with respect to paths 508, 510, and 512, as well as USB cables, IEEE 1394 cables, wireless paths. (e.g., Bluetooth®, infrared, IEEE 802-11x, etc.) or other short-range communication paths such as via wired or wireless paths, They may communicate directly with each other. BLUETOOTH (registered trademark) is a trademark of Bluetooth (registered trademark) SIG, INC. is a certification mark owned by User equipment devices may also communicate directly with each other through indirect paths through communications network 514 .

System 500 includes content source 516 and media guidance data source 518 coupled to communications network 514 via communications paths 520 and 522, respectively. Paths 520 and 522 may include any of the communication paths described above with respect to paths 508 , 510 and 512 . Communication with content sources 516 and media guidance data sources 518 may be communicated over one or more communication paths, although FIG. 5 illustrates a single path to avoid overcomplicating the drawing. is shown as Additionally, although there may be more than one each of content sources 516 and media guidance data sources 518, only one of each is shown in FIG. 5 to avoid over-complicating the drawing. there is (Each of these sources of different types is discussed below). If desired, content source 516 and media guidance data source 518 may be integrated as one source device. Although communication between sources 516 and 518 and user equipment devices 502, 504, and 506 is shown as through communication network 514, in some embodiments sources 516 and 518 are connected via path 508, It may communicate directly with user equipment devices 502 , 504 , and 506 via communication paths (not shown) such as those described above with respect to 510 and 512 .

Content sources 516 may include television distribution facilities, cable system headends, satellite distribution facilities, programming sources (e.g., television broadcasters such as NBC, ABC, HBO, etc.), intermediate distribution facilities and/or servers, Internet providers, on-demand media servers. , and other content providers. NBC is a National Broadcasting Company, Inc. ABC is a trademark owned by American Broadcasting Company, INC. and HBO is a trademark owned by Home Box Office, Inc. is a trademark owned by Content source 516 may be a source of content (eg, television broadcaster, webcast provider, etc.) or may not be a source of content (eg, on-demand content provider, downloadable broadcast program, etc.). content internet providers, etc.). Content sources 516 may include cable sources, satellite providers, on-demand providers, Internet providers, over-the-top content providers, or other providers of content. Content sources 516 also include remote media servers used to store different types of content (including user-selected video content) at locations remote from any of the user equipment devices. It's okay. Systems and methods for remote storage of content and for providing remotely stored content to user equipment are described in Ellis et al. No. 7,761,892, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

Media guidance data source 518 may provide media guidance data, such as the media guidance data described above. Media guidance data may be provided to user equipment devices using any suitable approach. In some embodiments, the guide application may be a stand-alone interactive television program guide that receives program guide data via a data feed (eg, continuous feed or trickle feed). Program schedule data and other guide data may be transmitted to user equipment on sidebands of television channels, using in-band digital signals, using out-of-band digital signals, or by any other suitable data transmission technique. may be provided to Program schedule data and other media guide data may be provided to user equipment on multiple analog or digital television channels.

In some embodiments, guidance data from media guidance data source 518 may be provided to users' equipment using a client-server approach. For example, a user equipment device may pull media guidance data from a server, or a server may push media guidance data to a user equipment device. In some embodiments, a guide application client residing on the user's equipment receives a request from the user to receive data as needed, e.g., when the guide data is outdated or the user equipment device receives the data. When it does, it may initiate a session with the source 518 to obtain the guide data. Media guidance may be provided to user equipment at any suitable frequency (eg, continuously, daily, at user-defined periods, at system-defined periods, in response to requests from user equipment, etc.). Media guidance data source 518 may provide user equipment devices 502 , 504 , and 506 with the media guidance application itself or software updates for the media guidance application.

In some embodiments, media guidance data may include viewer data. For example, audience data may include current and/or historical user activity information (e.g., what content users typically watch, what time users watch content, whether users interact with social networks, whether users interact with social networks, time spent interacting with and posting information, the type of content the user typically watches (eg, pay TV or free TV), mood, brain activity information, etc.). Media guidance data may also include subscription data. For example, subscription data may include sources or services to which a given user subscribes and/or sources or services to which a given user previously subscribed but later discontinued access (e.g., if a user chooses a premium channel , whether the user has added a premium level service, whether the user has accelerated internet speed). In some embodiments, audience data and/or subscription data may identify patterns for a given user over a period of more than one year. Media guidance data may include models (eg, survivor models) that are used to generate scores that indicate the likelihood that a given user will discontinue access to a service/source. For example, a media guidance application may use a model to generate a value or score that indicates the likelihood of whether a given user will discontinue access to a particular service or source, along with subscription data. may process person data. In particular, a higher score may indicate a higher level of confidence that a user will discontinue access to a particular service or source. Based on the score, the media guidance application may generate promotions inviting the user to maintain a particular service or source indicated by the score as likely to discontinue access to the user.

A media guidance application may be, for example, a stand-alone application implemented on a user equipment device. For example, the media guidance application may be implemented as software or a set of executable instructions that may be stored within storage device 408 and executed by control circuitry 404 of user equipment device 400 . In some embodiments, the media guidance application may be a client-server application, where only the client application resides on the user equipment device and the server application resides on the remote server. For example, the media guidance application is partly a client application on the control circuitry 404 of the user equipment device 400 and partly as a server application (e.g., media guidance data source 518) running on the control circuitry of a remote server. May be implemented on a remote server. When executed by the control circuitry of the remote server (such as media guidance data source 518), the media guidance application instructs the control circuitry to generate a guidance application display and transmit the generated display to the user equipment device. may The server application may instruct the control circuitry of media guidance data source 518 to transmit data for storage on the user equipment. The client application may instruct the control circuitry of the receiving user equipment to generate the guidance application display.

The content and/or media guidance data delivered to user equipment devices 502, 504, and 506 may be over-the-top (OTT) content. OTT content delivery means that Internet-enabled user devices, including any user equipment devices described above, can deliver any content described above in addition to content received via cable or satellite connections. to receive content transmitted over the Internet, including OTT content is delivered over Internet connections provided by Internet Service Providers (ISPs), but third parties also distribute content. ISPs may not be responsible for viewing capabilities, copyright, or redistribution of content, and may only forward IP packets provided by OTT content providers. Examples of OTT content providers include YOUTUBE, NETFLIX, and HULU, which provide audio and video over IP packets. Youtube is owned by Google Inc. Netflix is a trademark owned by Netflix, Inc. and Hulu is a trademark owned by Hulu, LLC. is a trademark owned by OTT content providers may additionally or alternatively provide the media guidance data described above. In addition to content and/or media guidance data, OTT content providers may distribute media guidance applications (e.g., web-based applications or cloud-based applications), or content may be stored on user equipment devices. can be displayed by the selected media guidance application.

Media guidance system 500 is intended to illustrate a number of approaches or network configurations by which user equipment devices and sources of content and guidance data can access content and provide media guidance. may communicate with each other. The embodiments described herein may be applied in any one or some of these approaches, or in systems employing other approaches for delivering content and providing media guidance. may The following four approaches provide specific illustrations of the generalized embodiment of FIG.

In one approach, user equipment devices may communicate with each other within a home network. User equipment devices may communicate via the short-range point-to-point communication scheme described above, via an indirect path through a hub or other similar device provided on the home network, or via communication network 514. , can communicate directly with each other. Multiple individuals within a single home may each operate a different user equipment device on the home network. As a result, it may be desirable for various media guidance information or settings to be communicated between different user equipment devices. For example, Ellis et al. As described in more detail in US Patent Publication No. 2005/0251827, it may be desirable for users to maintain consistent media guidance application settings on different user equipment devices within a home network. Different types of user equipment devices within a home network may also communicate with each other and transmit content. For example, a user may transmit content from user computer equipment to a portable video player or portable music player.

In a second approach, users may have multiple types of user equipment by which they access content and obtain media guidance. For example, some users may have home networks that are accessed by in-home and mobile devices. A user may control the in-home device via a media guidance application implemented on the remote device. For example, a user may access an online media guidance application on a website via a personal computer in their office or a mobile device such as a PDA or web-enabled cell phone. The user may set various settings (eg, recordings, reminders, or other settings) on the online guide application to control the user's home equipment. The online guide may control the user's equipment either directly or by communicating with a media guidance application on the user's home equipment. Various systems and methods for communication of user equipment devices, where the user equipment devices are remote from each other, are described, for example, in Ellis et al. US Pat. No. 8,046,801, issued Oct. 25, 2011, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

In a third approach, users of user equipment devices inside and outside the home can communicate directly with content source 516 and use their media guidance applications to access content. Specifically, within the home, users of user television equipment 502 and user computer equipment 504 may access the media guidance application to navigate among and locate desired content. The user may also use the wireless user communication device 506 to access out-of-home media guidance applications to navigate among and locate desired content.

In a fourth approach, user equipment devices may operate within a cloud computing environment and access cloud services. In a cloud computing environment, various types of computing services for content sharing, storage, or distribution (e.g., video sharing sites or social networking sites) are network-accessible computing and Provided by a collection of storage resources. For example, a cloud is a server computer, which may be located at a central or distributed location, that provides cloud-based services to various types of users and devices that are connected through a network, such as the Internet via communications network 514. can include a collection of lighting devices. These cloud resources may include one or more content sources 516 and one or more media guidance data sources 518 . Additionally or alternatively, remote computing sites may include other user equipment devices such as user television equipment 502 , user computer equipment 504 , and wireless user communications devices 506 . For example, other user equipment devices may provide access to stored copies of the video or streamed video. In such embodiments, user equipment devices may operate in a peer-to-peer fashion without communicating with a central server.

The cloud provides, among other examples, access to services such as content storage, content sharing, or social networking services, and access to any of the content described above, for user equipment devices. . Services can be provided in the cloud through cloud computing service providers or through other providers of online services. For example, cloud-based services may include content storage services, content sharing sites, social networking sites, or other services through which user-supplied content is viewed by others on connected devices. Distributed to These cloud-based services allow user equipment devices to store content in the cloud and receive content from the cloud, rather than storing content locally and accessing content stored locally. may

Users may record content using a variety of content capture devices such as camcorders, digital cameras with video mode, audio recorders, cell phones, and handheld computing devices. Users can upload content to the content storage service on the cloud either directly, for example, from user computer equipment 504 or from wireless user communication devices 506, which have content capture features. Alternatively, the user can first transfer the content to a user equipment device, such as user computer equipment 504 . User equipment devices that store content use data transmission services on communication network 514 to upload content to the cloud. In some embodiments, the user equipment device itself is a cloud resource, and other user equipment devices can access content directly from the user equipment device on which the user has stored the content.

Cloud resources may be accessed by user equipment devices using, for example, web browsers, media guidance applications, desktop applications, mobile applications, and/or any combination of these access applications. A user equipment device may be a cloud client, relying on cloud computing for application delivery, or a user equipment device may have some functionality without access to cloud resources. For example, some applications that run on user equipment devices may be cloud applications, i.e., applications delivered as a service over the Internet, while other applications run on user equipment devices. may be stored and activated. In some embodiments, a user device may receive content from multiple cloud resources simultaneously. For example, a user device may stream audio from one cloud resource while downloading content from a second cloud resource. Alternatively, the user device can download content from multiple cloud resources for more efficient downloads. In some embodiments, user equipment devices may use cloud resources for processing operations such as those performed by the processing circuitry described in connection with FIG.

As referred to herein, the term "in response to" refers to "initiated as a result of." For example, a first action being performed in response to a second action may include intervening steps between the first action and the second action. As referred to herein, the term "directly in response to" refers to "caused by." For example, a first action being performed in direct response to a second action may not include an intervening step between the first action and the second action.

FIG. 6 depicts an illustrative flowchart of a process for converting non-playback commands into associated playback modifications and prompting recipients of the commands to execute the commands, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. Process 600 and any of the following processes may be performed by control circuitry 404 (eg, in a manner directed to control circuitry 404 by a media guidance application). Control circuitry 404 controls user equipment (eg, user equipment 100, which may have any or all of the functionality of user television equipment 502, user computer equipment 504, and/or wireless communication device 506), or a communication network. 514, which may be part of a remote server separate from the user equipment, or distributed across a combination of both.

Process 600 begins at 602 where control circuitry 404 determines a command from first user 102 to second user 106 . Control circuitry 404 detects audio output 104 from first user 102 using sensors, user television equipment 502 , user computer equipment 504 , and/or wireless user communications device 512 to enable first user 102 to Determine commands from 102 to second user 106 . For example, the control circuit 404 may use an audio sensor to detect verbal output from the first user 102 (eg, "It's time for dinner!") to communicate from the first user 102 to the second user. A command to user 106 (eg, eat dinner) may be determined.

At 604, control circuitry 404 compares the command to the set of play action commands for the currently playing media asset. Control circuitry 404 retrieves a set of playback operation commands for the media asset from storage device 408 or via communications network 514 . Control circuitry 404, using processing circuitry 406, compares the command to the retrieved set of playback operations. For example, the control circuitry 404 may convert a command (eg, "have dinner") into a set of playback action commands (eg, pause, play, rewind, fast forward, stop, etc.) for the currently playing media asset. mute, etc.).

At 606, control circuitry 404 determines whether the command is contained within the set of play operations. If at 606 control circuit 404 determines YES, ie, the command is contained within the set of play operations, process 606 returns to process 602 .

At 606 , if control circuit 404 determines “no”, ie, the command is not contained within the set of play operations, process 606 continues to process 608 . At 608, control circuitry 404 determines whether second user 106 executes the desired result of the command. Control circuitry 404 determines whether second user 106 executes the command using a similar method as described above. For example, the control circuitry 404 may use the wireless user communication device 506 to detect actions performed by the second user 106 (eg, track the user's phone and determine if the user exits the viewing environment). to determine).

At 610, in response to the second user determining not to perform the desired result of the command, control circuitry 404 determines whether to modify the playback of the media asset. For example, control circuitry 404 may retrieve the user's respective rank stored within storage device 408 or retrieved via communication network 514 . Control circuitry 404 may determine whether first user 102 is of a higher rank than second user 106 and determines that first user 102 is of higher rank than second user 106 . In response to the determining step, control circuitry 404 may modify the playback of the media asset. For example, the media guidance application may mute the volume of playback of media asset 116 through speaker 414 . As another example, the media guidance application may turn off display 412 .

FIG. 7 depicts an illustrative flowchart of a process for converting non-playback commands into associated playback modifications and prompting recipients of the commands to execute the commands, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. Process 700 begins at 702 where control circuitry 404 detects a command from first user 104 to second user 106 . Control circuitry 404 detects audio output 104 from first user 102 using sensors, user television equipment 502 , user computer equipment 504 , and/or wireless user communications device 512 to enable first user 102 to A command from 104 to a second user 106 is detected. For example, control circuitry 404 may detect commands from a first user to a second user by detecting verbal output from the first user using an audio sensor.

At 704, control circuitry 404 compares the command to a set of play action commands for the media asset currently being played by the second user. Control circuitry 404 retrieves a set of playback operation commands for media asset 108 from storage device 408 , media guidance data source 518 , or via communication network 514 . Control circuitry 404, using processing circuitry 406, compares the command to the retrieved set of playback operations. For example, control circuitry 404 may retrieve a set of playback operation commands (eg, pause, play, rewind, fast forward, stop, mute, etc.) from a database within storage device 408 . Control circuitry 404 may compare the command to the retrieved set of playback operation commands.

At 706, control circuitry 404 determines whether the command is contained within the set of play operations. At 706 , if control circuitry 404 determines “yes”, ie, the command is contained within the set of play operations, process 706 returns to process 702 .

If, at 706 , control circuitry 404 determines “no”, ie, the command is not contained within the set of play operations, process 706 proceeds to process 708 . At 708, control circuitry 404 determines that the command is not contained within the set of play operation commands. For example, control circuitry 404 uses processing circuitry 406 to determine if a command (e.g., eat dinner) is contained within a set of playback action commands (e.g., pause, play, stop, rewind, fast forward, etc.). You may decide not to.

At 710 , control circuitry 404 determines a desired result of the command from the multiple results of the command based on the user profile of first user 102 and the user profile of second user 106 . Control circuitry 404 retrieves the user profile of first user 102 and the user profile of second user 106 from storage device 408 , media guidance data source 518 , or via communications network 514 . Control circuitry 404 determines the desired result of the command using similar methods as described above.

At 712 , control circuitry 404 detects an action performed by second user 106 . Control circuitry 404 determines the action to be performed by second user 106 using similar methods as described above. For example, control circuitry 404 may use wireless user communication device 506 (eg, a camera) to detect actions performed by the second user (eg, track movement of the user and decide whether to leave). At 714, control circuitry 404 compares the action of second user 106 to the desired result of the command. Control circuitry 404 compares the second user's action to the desired result of the command using similar methods as described above. For example, control circuitry 404 may compare an action (eg, the user does not move from the couch) to a desired outcome (eg, the user goes out to dinner).

At 716, in response to determining that the second user's 106 action does not correspond to the desired result of the command, the control circuit 404 extracts the second user's 106 characteristics from the second user's 106 user profile. read out. Control circuitry 404 retrieves the characteristics of the second user from a database in storage device 408 corresponding to the user profile or via communication network 514 . For example, control circuitry 404 retrieves the characteristics of the second user (eg, the second user is 10 years old) from a database in storage device 408 corresponding to the second user's profile. At 718 , control circuitry 404 determines whether to modify the playback of the media asset based on commands detected from first user 102 and the retrieved characteristics of second user 106 . Control circuitry 404 may determine whether to modify the playback of the media asset based on the command and the read characteristics using similar methods as described above. For example, control circuitry 404 may determine whether to modify the playback of media assets based on rankings between two users, as read from a database corresponding to user profiles in storage device 408. good.

FIG. 8 depicts an illustrative flowchart of a process for determining commands based on characteristics of the second user 106, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. Process 800 begins when control circuit 404 compares the characteristics from the retrieved characteristics of the second user to the command, where the characteristics are selected from a group of characteristics consisting of age, rank, relationship with other users, and time of day. Starting at 802 a selection is made and a command is selected from the group of commands consisting of eating, cleaning, studying, cooking, and sleeping. Control circuitry 404 retrieves the characteristics from a database in storage device 408 . Control circuit 404 compares the characteristic to the command using similar methods as described above. For example, control circuit 404 may compare a characteristic (eg, age) from the read characteristic to a command (eg, meal).

At 804 , control circuitry 404 determines from the comparison whether the command shares characteristics of second user 106 . Control circuitry 404 retrieves the command characteristics from a database in storage device 408 and uses them in the comparison. For example, control circuitry 404 may determine, using processing circuitry 406, that the command (e.g., meal) shares characteristics of second user 106 (e.g., time of day corresponds to dinner time). good. At 806, control circuitry 404 modifies the playback of the media asset in response to determining that the commands share characteristics. For example, control circuitry 404 may pause playback of a media asset on user television equipment 502 . As another example, control circuitry 404 may mute audio (eg, volume 116 ) of media asset playback through speaker 414 . As yet another example, control circuitry 404 may turn off display 412 that was displaying the playing of the media asset.

FIG. 9 depicts an illustrative flowchart of a process for converting non-playback commands into associated playback modifications and prompting recipients of the commands to execute the commands, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. Process 900 begins at 902 where control circuitry 404 detects commands from first user 102 to second user 106 and third user. For example, the control circuit 404 may detect commands from the first user to the second and third users by detecting verbal output from the first user using audio sensors. good.

At 904, the control circuit 404 determines a desired result of the command from the multiple results of the command based on the user profile of the first user 102, the user profile of the second user 106, and the user profile of the third user. decide. For example, control circuitry 404 may determine the desired result of a command based on retrieving attributes of the command from a database within storage device 408 or media guidance data source 518, or via communication network 514. .

At 906, control circuitry 404 detects the first action performed by the second user and the second action performed by the third user. Control circuitry 404 determines the action to be performed by the second user and the action to be performed by the third user using similar methods as described above. For example, control circuitry 404 may use wireless user communication device 506 (eg, a camera) to detect actions performed by the second and third users (eg, track user movement, determines whether the user exits the viewing environment).

At 908, control circuitry 404 compares the second user's 106 action and the third user's action to the desired result of the command. For example, the control circuitry 404 may command the actions of the second user 106 (eg, still watching the media asset) and the actions of the third user (eg, still watching the media asset). A desired result (eg, walking to the dinner table) may be compared.

At 910, in response to determining that the second user's action and the third user's action do not correspond to the desired result of the command, the control circuitry 404 extracts the third user's action from the second user's 106 user profile. The characteristics of the second user 106 are retrieved from the user profile of the third user. For example, control circuitry 404 may retrieve the characteristics of the second user from a database in storage device 408 that corresponds to the profile of the second user and a third user stored on a remote server via communications network 514 . A third user's characteristics may be retrieved from the user's profile.

At 912, the control circuitry 404 causes playback of the media asset based on commands detected from the first user 102 and the retrieved characteristics of the second user 106 and the retrieved characteristics of the third user. Decide whether to fix it. For example, control circuitry 404 determines whether to modify the playback of media assets based on the rank associated with each user.

FIG. 10 depicts an illustrative flowchart of a process for determining commands based on verbal input 104 of first user 102, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. Process 1000 begins at 1002 where control circuitry 404 detects verbal input 104 from first user 102 . For example, control circuitry 404 may use an audio sensor to detect verbal input 104 from first user 102 . In some instances, audio sensors may be contained within user television equipment 502 , user computer equipment 504 , and/or wireless user communications device 506 .

At 1004, control circuitry 404 compares verbal input 104 to a database of commands, which contains commands corresponding to each verbal input. Control circuitry 404 retrieves the database of verbal commands from storage device 408 via communications network 514 . For example, control circuit 404 compares verbal input (eg, “Dinner is ready!”) to a database of verbal commands received from storage device 408 . At 1006 , control circuitry 404 determines commands corresponding to verbal input from first user 102 from the user's profile. Control circuitry 404 determines commands corresponding to verbal input using similar methods as described above. For example, control circuitry 404 may use processing circuitry 406 to compare the verbal input to a database of verbal commands based on keyword matches.

FIG. 11 depicts an illustrative flowchart of a process for determining outcomes based on attributes of commands, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. Process 1100 begins at 1102, where control circuitry 404 determines attributes of the command. For example, control circuitry 404 may determine attributes of a command based on analyzing audio associated with the command, as described above. At 1104, control circuitry 404 compares the attributes of the command with the attributes of multiple results of the command. For example, control circuitry 404 may compare the attributes of the command with attributes of multiple results of the command, which may be read from storage device 408 .

At 1106, control circuitry 404 determines from the comparison that the result in the plurality of results containing the attributes of the command is the desired result. For example, control circuitry 404 may determine the result among the plurality of results with the highest rank to be the desired result.

FIG. 12 depicts an illustrative flowchart of a process for detecting whether the second user 106 leaves the viewing area of a media equipment device presenting media assets, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. do. Process 1200 begins at 1202, where control circuitry 404 detects a second user executing a command to modify playback of a media asset. For example, control circuitry 404 may receive a user input command (eg, a “pause” command) from user input interface 410 to modify playback of a media asset (eg, pause the media asset).

At 1204, control circuitry 404 determines whether the user exits the viewing environment of the media equipment device presenting the media asset. At 1204 , if control circuitry 404 determines “yes”, ie, second user 106 is exiting the viewing environment of the media equipment device presenting the media asset, process 1204 proceeds to process 1206 . . At 1206, control circuitry 404 uses sensors to detect a second user exiting the viewing environment of the media equipment device presenting the media asset. For example, control circuitry 404 may use wireless user communication device 506 (eg, a camera) to track the movement of the second user to determine the viewing environment of the media equipment device in which the second user is presenting media assets. may detect when to exit from.

At 1204 , if control circuitry 404 determines “no”, ie, the user will not exit the viewing environment of the media equipment device presenting the media asset, process 1204 proceeds to process 1208 . At 1208, control circuitry 404 detects, using a sensor, that the second user remains within the viewing environment of the media asset device. For example, control circuitry 404 may use wireless user communication device 506 (eg, the second user's mobile phone) to track the second user's movement through GPS, and the second user's presentation of media assets. may detect that the user has not left the viewing environment of the media equipment device that is present.

FIG. 13 depicts an illustrative flowchart of a process for modifying media playback based on a user's rank, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. Process 1300 begins at 1302 where control circuitry 404 reads the first user's rank and the second user's rank. Control circuitry 404 retrieves the first user's rank and the second user's rank from a database corresponding to profiles for users in storage device 408 . In some cases, control circuit 404 reads the rank from communication network 514 . For example, the control circuit 404 may read the rank of the first user (eg, rank 1 out of 4) and the rank of the second user (eg, rank 3 out of 4).

At 1304 , control circuitry 404 determines whether the rank of first user 102 is higher than the rank of second user 106 . Control circuitry 404, using processing circuitry 406, compares the rank of the first user to the rank of the second user. At 1304 , if control circuitry 404 determines “yes”, ie, the first user's rank is higher than the second user's rank, process 1304 proceeds to process 1306 . At 1306, control circuitry 404 modifies the playback of the media asset. For example, control circuitry 404 may pause playback of a media asset on user television equipment 502 . As another example, control circuitry 404 may mute the audio of media asset playback through speaker 414 . As yet another example, control circuitry 404 may turn off display 412 that was displaying the playing of the media asset.

At 1304 , if control circuit 404 determines “no”, ie, the first user's rank is not higher than the second user's rank, process 1304 proceeds to process 1308 . At 1308, control circuitry 404 continues to play the media asset.

Systems and methods are also provided herein for determining whether a user is authorized to perform an action that satisfies a speech goal. A media guidance application may detect audio produced by a first device external to the media equipment device. The media guidance application may retrieve known goals associated with the audio from a lookup table. The media guidance application may detect users within the viewing environment. The media guidance application may determine the user's identity. The media guidance application may then modify playback to encourage or discourage the user from achieving known goals based on the user's identity.

FIG. 14 illustrates an illustrative embodiment of determining whether a user is authorized to perform an action that meets a speech goal, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 14 depicts an illustrative display 100 that may be presented by control circuitry running a media guidance application on any user equipment. The user equipment, control circuitry, and functionality of the media guidance application are described in further detail with respect to FIGS. 2-5.

The media guidance application may output audio 1406 from first device 1402 in response to detecting action 1404 . For example, the media guidance application, in response to detecting an action 1404 (e.g., a user pressing a doorbell, a smoke alarm detecting smoke, a mobile phone ringing), causes the first device 1402 to A sound 1406 (eg, ringing doorbell, smoke alarm, ringtone, etc.) may be output from (eg, doorbell, smoke alarm, mobile phone, etc.). The media guidance application may determine that first user 1408 and second user 1410 are watching playback of media asset 1412 , which may include playback audio 1414 . The media guidance application may determine that first user 1408 and second user 1410 are viewing media asset 1412 within first physical environment 1416 . The media guidance application may detect that audio 1406 occurs within second physical environment 1418 , which may be an environment separate from first environment 1416 .

In some embodiments, the media guidance application may detect audio generated by the first device external to the media equipment device. For example, the media guidance application uses sensors to detect sounds (e.g., doorbell ringing) generated by a first device (e.g., doorbell) external to the media equipment device (e.g., television). good too. The media guidance application may detect audio produced by the first device using methods similar to detecting verbal input, as described above.

For example, the media guidance application uses an intelligent personal assistant (IPA) (e.g., Amazon Echo, Google Home, Siri, etc.) to detect audio generated by a first device external to the media equipment device. Well, IPA always listens for audio input in first physical environment 1416 and second physical environment 1418 .

In some embodiments, the media guidance application is configured such that there is a network of connected IPA's, each connected IPA's in its own environment and communicating with other IPAs via a wireless network. may decide that For example, the media guidance application has determined that there are networks of connected IPA's (e.g., Amazon Echo in the living room, Ring doorbell camera at the front door, etc.) to communicate with each other via the wireless network. good too. In some cases, network IPAs may be configured in a slave/master setting.

The media guidance application can determine the goal associated with the sound (e.g., for the doorbell to ring, the associated goal may be for the user to answer the door) and potential user actions (e.g., playback of media asset 1412). stop, get up and open the door) to help determine if the user is authorized to perform an action that meets the audio goal. As referred to herein, a "goal associated with a sound" is defined to be a preferred action taken by a user as a result of being notified of a sound. For example, the media guidance application may determine that the goal associated with ringing the doorbell may be for the user to answer the door. As another example, the media guidance application may determine that the goal associated with the smoke alarm beeping sound may be for the user to exit the home and/or environment containing the smoke alarm. . As yet another example, the media guidance application may determine that another goal associated with a smoke alarm beep may be for the user to replace the battery in the smoke alarm.

The media guidance application may store a database that associates goals in the plurality of goals with sets of actions in the plurality of actions and sounds in the plurality of sounds. The media guidance application may store the database within the user profile. Values (eg, goals, actions, sounds) stored in the database may be preset by an editor or edited by user input.

For example, a media guidance application may assign a goal (e.g., respond to door) within multiple goals (e.g., respond to door, not respond to door, etc.) to multiple actions (e.g., pause media asset playback). a set of actions (e.g., keep listening to a media asset playing and ignore the doorbell) and multiple sounds within A database may be stored that associates sounds (eg, doorbell ringing) within (eg, doorbell ringing, phone ringing, smoke detector beeping, etc.).

The media guidance application may compare the attributes of the audio produced by the first device 1402 to database entries to determine a goal associated with the audio and a corresponding set of actions associated with the goal. For example, the media guidance application compares the sound 1406 generated by the first device 1402 (e.g., ringing the doorbell) to entries in the database and determines the goals associated with the sound 1406 (e.g., answering the door) and A corresponding set of actions associated with the goal (eg, pausing playback of the media asset, exiting the viewing environment 1516 and answering the door, etc.) may be determined.

In some embodiments, when comparing the audio 1406 generated by the first device 1402 to the database and determining a goal associated with the audio and a set of corresponding actions associated with the goal, the media guidance application may use the audio Based on the characteristics of 1406, a match between speech 1406 and entries in the database may be determined. For example, the media guidance application may use characteristics of audio 1406 (eg, tone, volume, frequency, etc.) to match the audio with its corresponding entry in the database.

For example, the media guidance application may determine characteristics (eg, attributes) of audio 1406 using audio processing techniques, as described in more detail above. The media guidance application may determine whether a match exists between the audio and the entry by determining that the audio and the entry in the plurality of entries have a threshold amount of characteristics in common. The media guidance application may read the threshold amount from the profile, and the threshold amount may be preset by the editor, which may be updated based on user input. For example, the media guidance application may determine that a sound 1406 (eg, doorbell ringing) is common with an entry (eg, doorbell ringing) among multiple entries (eg, doorbell ringing, fire alarm ringing, phone ringing, etc.). It may be determined that it has a threshold amount of characteristics (eg, which may be three or more characteristics) that it has.

In some embodiments, when comparing the audio generated by the first device to the database and determining a goal associated with the audio 1406 and a set of corresponding actions associated with the goal, the media guidance application may use the audio A match between the speech 1406 and an entry in the database may be determined based on the fingerprint of 1406 . As used herein, an audio "fingerprint" is a condensed digital summary generated definitively from an audio signal that can be used to identify an audio sample. The media guidance application may compare the audio fingerprint to the audio fingerprint associated with each entry in the database. The media guidance application may determine a match between fingerprints when the fingerprints are identical within a tolerance range, which is stored in the profile and preset by the editor.

The media guidance application may retrieve goals associated with the audio from the entry. For example, the media guidance application may read from the entry the goal (eg, answer the door) associated with the sound (eg, ringing the doorbell).

The media guidance application may retrieve from the entry a corresponding set of actions associated with the goal. For example, the media guidance application reads from the entry a corresponding set of actions (eg, watch the media asset play, increase the volume of the media asset playback, etc.) associated with the goal (eg, answer the door). may

The media guidance application may detect the user within the viewing environment 1416 of the media equipment device. For example, the media guidance application may use sensors (eg, cameras) to detect users within the first viewing environment 1416 of media equipment devices (eg, televisions).

In some embodiments, when detecting a user within the first viewing environment 1416 of the media device, the media guidance application uses sensors to detect the presence of the first user 1408 within the first viewing environment 1416 . may be detected. For example, the media guidance application uses an infrared sensor to determine a heat map of the first viewing environment 1416, and based on detecting the user's heat signature in the heat map, the first user 1408 uses the media device. A device (eg, a television) may detect being within a first viewing environment 1416 .

In some embodiments, when detecting the first user 1408 within the first viewing environment 1416 of the media device, the media guidance application uses a camera to detect the presence of the user within the viewing environment. good too. For example, a media guidance application may use a camera to detect a user within the viewing environment of a media equipment device (eg, television). A system and method for detecting a user within a viewing environment of a media equipment device is disclosed in Panchaksharaiah et al. No. 15/200,194, filed July 1, 2016, Panchaksharaiah et al. and US Application No. 15/200,216, filed July 1, 2016, Blake et al. No. 15/200,638, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

In some embodiments, upon detecting the first user 1408 in the media device's first viewing environment 1416, the media guidance application uses the global positioning system (GPS) to locate the first viewing environment. The presence of first user 1408 in 1416 may be detected. For example, the media guidance application may detect the user's location via GPS associated with a user device associated with the user (eg, the user's mobile phone, wearable technology (eg, Apple Watch), etc.). From the user's location (eg, GPS coordinates), the media guidance application may determine whether the user is within the viewing environment of the media device based on the known location of the viewing environment.

The media guidance application may determine from the user profile of the first user 1408 whether the user is authorized to perform actions in the determined set of actions associated with the goal. For example, the media guidance application determines from an authorization database in the user's profile whether the user is authorized to perform an action (e.g., exit the viewing environment) associated with the goal (e.g., answer the door). may be read. The media guidance application may store the user's authorization status (e.g., whether the user is authorized to perform the action or not) in an authorization database within the user profile, where the authorization status is , is determined using the methods described below.

In some embodiments, when determining from the user's user profile whether the user is authorized to perform an action in the determined set of actions associated with the goal, the media guidance application prompts the user The rank for the user may be retrieved from the profile. For example, the media guidance application may retrieve the rank (eg, 8 out of 10) for the user.

In some embodiments, the media guidance application may determine that the user's rank is dynamic and may be updated frequently within the user profile. The media guidance application may determine that a user's rank is determined based on a number of factors, including the viewing environment/presence of other users in the home, the user's age, and the like. The media guidance application may determine that a value is dynamically assigned to each factor (e.g., the value may be assigned by comparing the factor to a lookup table of values, and the lookup table value may be determined by the editor and updated based on user input). For example, the media guidance application may determine that a user ranks higher when more users are present in the viewing environment and as the user's age increases.

The media guidance application may calculate a user's rank from multiple factors by reading the weight assigned to each factor (eg, 0%-100%). The media guidance application may determine that the weight assigned to each factor is pre-determined and assigned by an editor, which can be updated based on user input. The media guidance application then uses the weights for each factor and the values for each factor (e.g., by summing the products of the weights and values for each factor for several factors) to determine the rank ( For example, 0 to 100) may be calculated. For example, the media guidance application may provide a weight for each factor (e.g., user age weight = 50%, presence weight of other users in viewing environment = 50%) and a value for each factor (e.g., user age value = 15). , the presence of other users in the viewing environment=50) may be used to calculate a rank for the user (e.g., 0.5 ^* 15+0.5 ^* 50=32.5 out of 100) .

The media guidance application may retrieve ranks for actions from a database. The media guidance application may determine that the ranks for actions are pre-determined by the editor and can be updated from user input. For example, the media guidance application may retrieve a rank (eg, 50 out of 100) for an action (eg, exit the viewing environment) from a database.

In some embodiments, the media guidance application may dynamically determine the rank of actions. The media guidance application may use factors such as the users present in the viewing environment/home, the user's age, risk, etc. to determine the rank. For example, the media guidance application may use sensors to determine if any other users are present in the viewing environment or home after detecting audio. In response to determining that there are no other users, the media guidance application may indicate situations in which the user should not complete the action (e.g., the user is a child at home alone and therefore is should not respond to the door), so the action may be ranked higher. The media guidance application may rank actions based on factors using methods similar to those used to rank users based on factors, as described above.

As another example, the media guidance application may rank actions according to the dangers they present. The media guidance application may determine risk by analyzing the disseminated results of actions. For example, a media guidance application may use a camera to determine the identity of an individual who uses a user device (eg, doorbell) to generate audio. A media guidance application (e.g., using images generated by a camera) compares the individual's face to faces associated with known users from the user profile, and determines the difference between the individual's face and the known user's face. If the media guidance application determines that the individual is a stranger (by determining that there is no match in the ), the media guidance application may rank the action higher because it carries a higher risk. If the media guidance application determines that the individual is not a stranger (e.g., by identifying the user based on using a camera and comparing the user to multiple users with user profiles), A media guidance application may rank the action lower because it has a lower risk.

The media guidance application may determine whether the rank for the user exceeds the rank for the action. For example, the media guidance application may determine that the rank for the user (eg, 8 out of 10) exceeds the rank for the action (eg, 5 out of 10).

In response to determining that the rank for the user exceeds the rank for the action, the media guidance application may determine that the user is authorized to perform the action. For example, the media guidance application may determine that the user is authorized to perform an action (eg, exit the viewing environment).

In response to determining that the user is authorized to perform the action, the media guidance application may generate a notification for the user indicating the detected sound. For example, the media guidance application may generate an audio notification (eg, a doorbell sound) for the user and play it over the playback of the media asset to indicate the detected audio. The media guidance application plays an audio notification that is a clip of the detected sound (e.g. doorbell ringing, fire alarm, phone ringing) over playback to audibly alert the user to the detected sound source. You may

In some embodiments, the media guidance application displays the media guidance application for a set amount of time (eg, 5 seconds) corresponding to a preset amount of time as determined by the editor or entered by the user. An audio notification may be played. For example, the media guidance application may play a doorbell ringing over playing the media asset for a preset amount of time (eg, 3 seconds) as determined by the editor.

In some embodiments, the media guidance application stops playing the media asset until the media guidance application detects an action from the user (e.g., the user pauses playback, the user exits the viewing environment, etc.). An audio notification may be played to win. For example, the media guidance application may keep the media assets open until the media guidance application detects an action from the user (e.g., the media guidance application detects the user, via a camera, leaving the viewing environment and answering the door). An audio notification (eg, the doorbell ringing) may be played over the playback of the

In some embodiments, when generating a notification for a user indicating detected audio, the media guidance application may generate an overlay to be displayed on the media equipment device, the overlay indicating the audio. contains notifications for users of For example, the media guidance application may generate overlays to be displayed on the media equipment device (eg, an overlay stating "The doorbell is ringing!").

The media guidance application may modify the playback of the media asset and allow the user to perform actions associated with the goal. For example, the media guidance application modifies the playback of media assets (e.g., pauses a movie that the user is watching) and performs actions associated with the user's goals (e.g., respond to doors) (e.g., , exit the viewing environment).

In some embodiments, the media guidance application may decide to modify the playback of the media asset after determining that the user has not performed an action associated with the goal after a threshold amount of time. The media guidance application may retrieve the threshold amount of time from a database in the profile, which is preset by the editor for each specific goal. The media guidance application may compile the threshold amount of time for each specific goal based on user input. For example, the media guidance application performs the action associated with the goal (e.g., exit the viewing environment and answer the door) after the user has a threshold amount of time (e.g., 30 seconds) retrieved from the database in the profile. After determining that it is not, it may decide to modify the playback of the media asset.

In some embodiments, when modifying the playback of a media asset and allowing the user to perform an action associated with the goal, the media guidance application retrieves from the database the set of playback modifications associated with the goal. may For example, the media guidance application may retrieve from a database a set of playback modifications (eg, pause, play, fast forward, rewind, mute, turn on/off, etc.) associated with the goal.

The media guidance application may select playback modifications from the set of playback modifications based on preferences for the user. The media guidance application may read preferences for the user from the user profile. Preferences for a user may be preset based on user input, determined based on user behavior, or a combination of both. For example, the media guidance application may track the user's command history and determine the user's favorite playback commands in response to the user hearing a sound (eg, a doorbell ringing). The media guidance application may determine the command to be performed after the user hears the audio based on comparing the timestamp of the command to the timestamp of the detected audio. For example, the media guidance application selects a playback modification (e.g., pause) from a set of playback modifications based on preferences for the user (e.g., the user always stands up and pauses content before answering the door). ) may be selected.

The media guidance application may modify the playback of the media asset based on the selected playback modifications. For example, the media guidance application may modify the playback of the media asset based on selected playback modifications (eg, pause playback of the media asset). As another example, the media guidance application may mute playback of the media asset, stop playback of the media asset, turn off playback of the media asset, or any other similar playback modification. Playback of the media asset may be modified based on the playback modification made.

In response to determining that the user is not authorized to perform the action, the media guidance application may generate a notification for the second user to perform the action. For example, the media guidance application may generate a notification to perform an action (eg, answer the door) (eg, send an SMS message to the second user 1410, send an audio alert to the second user 1410). 1410 personal device or generate an overlay with instructions for the second user 1410 to be displayed on top of the media asset).

In some embodiments, the media guidance application may determine whether the user is listening to audio and thus may be motivated to perform an action in response to the audio.

In some embodiments, the media guidance application may determine that the audio is within audible range of the viewing environment. For example, the media guidance application may use sensors (eg, microphones) contained within the viewing environment to detect audio. The media guidance application may compare the volume of the detected audio to the minimum volume value (read from the profile) that the audio may have and still be within the audible range.

In response to determining that the user is not authorized to perform the action, the media guidance application may prevent the user from modifying playback of the media asset. For example, the media guidance application may prevent the user from modifying the playback of the media guidance application (eg, do not allow the user to pause playback of the media asset).

The media guidance application may modify the playback of the media asset and prevent the user from performing actions associated with the goal. For example, the media guidance application may increase the volume of the playback of the media asset, drowning out sounds within the user's audible range.

In some embodiments, when modifying the playback of a media asset, the media guidance application may determine the volume at which to attenuate sounds that are within the audible range. For example, the media guidance application may determine a volume that is equal to or higher than the determined volume of speech within the audible range.

The media guidance application may adjust the volume corresponding to the playback of the media asset such that the volume attenuates the sound. For example, the media guidance application may adjust the playback volume of the media asset so that it is louder than the detected volume of sounds in the audible range.

FIG. 15 depicts an illustrative flowchart of a process for determining whether a user is authorized to perform an action that satisfies a speech goal, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. Process 1500 begins at 1502 where control circuitry 404 detects audio 106 produced by first device 102 external to the media equipment device. For example, control circuitry 404 may detect sound 106 (e.g., doorbell ringing) generated by first device 102 (e.g., doorbell) or speaker 414 external to a media equipment device (e.g., television). good.

At 1504, control circuit 404 retrieves a known target associated with the speech from a lookup table. Control circuitry 404 may retrieve the known target from a lookup table stored within storage device 408 or media guidance data source 518 . Control circuitry 404 may also retrieve known targets from lookup tables from communications network 514 . For example, control circuitry 404 may retrieve a known goal (eg, answer door) associated with sound 1406 (eg, doorbell ringing). At 1506, control circuitry 404 detects the user within the viewing environment. For example, control circuitry 404 may use sensors to detect users within the viewing environment. At 1508 , control circuitry 404 determines the identity of first user 1408 . Control circuitry 404 may determine the user's identity using the methods described above. At 1510, control circuitry 404 modifies playback to encourage or prevent first user 1408 from achieving a known goal based on first user's 1408 identity. For example, the control circuit 404 may modify playback (eg, pause playback) and based on the identity of the first user 1408 (eg, homeowner), a known goal (eg, respond to the door). may prompt the first user 1408 to achieve

FIG. 16 depicts an illustrative flowchart of a process for determining whether a user is authorized to perform an action that meets the goal of speech 1406, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. At 1602, control circuitry 404 detects audio 1406 produced by a first device external to the media equipment device. For example, control circuitry 404 may detect sound 1406 (eg, doorbell ringing) generated by first device 1402 (eg, doorbell) external to the media equipment device. At 1604, control circuitry 404 stores a database that associates each goal in the plurality of goals with a set of actions in the plurality of actions and a voice in the plurality of voices. Control circuitry 404 stores the database in storage device 408 or media guidance data source 518 or retrieves the database via communications network 514 .

At 1606, control circuitry 404 compares the sound 1406 produced by the first device to a database to determine a goal associated with the sound 1406 and a corresponding set of actions associated with the goal. At 1608, the control circuitry detects the user within the viewing environment of the media equipment device. For example, control circuitry 404 may use an infrared sensor to detect a user within the viewing environment of the media equipment device. At 1610, control circuitry 404 determines from the user profile of user 1408 whether user 1408 is authorized to perform an action in the determined set of actions associated with the goal. Control circuitry 404 determines whether the user is authorized to perform the action using similar methods as described above.

At 1612, control circuitry 404 determines whether user 1408 is authorized to perform an action in the determined set of actions associated with the goal. At 1612, if control circuitry 404 determines yes, ie, user 1408 is authorized to perform an action in the determined set of actions associated with the goal, then process 1612 goes to process 1614 . At 1614 , control circuitry 404 generates a notification for the user indicating detected sound 1406 . For example, the control circuitry may generate an overlay for the user on display 412 showing the detected sound. At 1616, control circuitry 404 modifies the playback of the media asset and allows user 1408 to perform actions associated with the goal. For example, control circuitry 404 may mute playback of media asset 1412 and allow the user to perform an action (eg, exit the viewing environment) associated with the goal (eg, respond to a door). .

At 1612, if control circuitry 404 determines "no", ie, user 1408 is not authorized to perform an action in the determined set of actions associated with the goal, then process 1612 goes to process 1618 . At 1618, control circuitry 404 generates a notification for second user 1410 to perform an action. For example, control circuitry 404 may generate an SMS message to wireless communication device 506 for a second user (eg, an adult in the household) to perform an action (eg, answer the door). At 1620, control circuitry 404 determines that the audio is within the audible range of the viewing environment. For example, the control circuit 404 may use a microphone to detect if the sound is within audible range of the viewing environment, as described above. At 1622, control circuitry 404 may prevent user 1408 from modifying the playback of the media asset. For example, control circuitry 404 may not respond to user 1408 commands entered by a user via user input interface 410 .

At 1624, control circuitry 404 modifies the playback of the media asset to prevent user 1408 from performing the action associated with the goal. At 1626, the control circuit 404 determines the volume 1406 to attenuate sounds that are within the audible range. Control circuit 404 determines the volume at which to attenuate the sound using similar methods as described above. At 1628 , control circuitry 404 adjusts the volume corresponding to the playback of the media asset (eg, audio playback 1414 ) such that the volume is attenuating the user 1408 .

FIG. 17 depicts an illustrative flowchart of a process for identifying goals associated with speech 1406, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. Process 1700 begins at 1702 where control circuitry 404 determines a match between speech 1406 and an entry in the database based on characteristics of the speech. For example, control circuitry 404 may determine a match between sound 1406 (eg, doorbell ringing) and an entry in the database based on characteristics of the sound (eg, tone, volume, etc.). At 1704, control circuitry 404 retrieves the goal associated with speech 1406 from the entry. For example, control circuitry 404 may read from the entry a goal (eg, answer the door) associated with a sound (eg, ringing the doorbell). At 1706, control circuitry 404 reads from the entry a corresponding set of actions associated with the goal. For example, control circuitry 404 may retrieve from the entry a corresponding set of actions (eg, pause playback, respond to door, etc.) associated with the goal (eg, respond to door).

FIG. 18 depicts an illustrative flowchart of a process for detecting the presence of a user within a viewing environment, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. Process 1800 begins at 1802 where control circuitry 404 detects the presence of user 1408 within the viewing environment using sensors. Control circuitry 404 may connect to the sensors via communication network 514 . For example, control circuitry 404 may use an infrared sensor to detect the presence of a user within the viewing environment.

FIG. 19 depicts an illustrative flowchart of a process for generating overlays containing notifications, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. Process 1900 begins at 1902 where control circuitry 404 generates an overlay to be displayed on a media equipment device, overlay containing a notification for user 1408 about audio 1406 . Control circuitry 404 may generate overlays to be displayed on display 412 . For example, control circuitry 404 may generate an overlay to be displayed on a media equipment device (e.g., a television), the overlay containing a notification for the user about audio (e.g., "Doorbell rings"). overlay with text that reads "

FIG. 20 depicts an illustrative flowchart of a process for modifying playback of media assets, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. Process 2000 begins at 2002 where control circuitry 404 retrieves from a database a set of regeneration modifications associated with a goal. Control circuitry 404 may retrieve the set of playback modifications from a database stored within storage device 408 or media guidance data source 518 , or via communications network 514 . For example, control circuitry 404 may retrieve from a database a set of playback modifications (eg, pause playback, mute playback, etc.) associated with a goal (eg, respond to a door).

At 2004 , control circuitry 404 selects a playback modification from the set of playback modifications based on preferences for user 1408 . For example, control circuitry 404 selects playback modifications (eg, pause playback) based on preferences for user 1408 (eg, user prefers not to miss content when answering the door). may At 2006, control circuitry 404 modifies the playback of the media asset based on the selected playback modifications. For example, control circuitry 404 may pause playback of a media asset based on a selected playback modification (eg, pause playback).

FIG. 21 depicts an illustrative flowchart of a process for determining whether user 1408 is authorized to perform an action, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. Process 2100 begins at 2102 where control circuitry 404 reads the rank for user 1408 from the user profile. Control circuitry 404 may retrieve the rank for user 1408 from a user profile stored within storage device 408 or media guidance data source 518 , or via communication network 514 . For example, the media guidance application may retrieve the rank (eg, 8 out of 10) for user 1408 from the user profile in storage device 408 . At 2104, control circuitry 404 retrieves the rank for the action from the database. For example, control circuitry 404 may retrieve a rank (eg, 5 out of 10) for an action from a database within storage device 408 .

At 2106, control circuitry 404 determines whether the rank of user 1408 exceeds the rank for the action. At 2106 , if control circuitry 404 determines “yes”, ie, the user's rank exceeds the action's rank, process 2106 proceeds to 2108 . At 2108, control circuitry 404 determines that user 1408 is authorized to perform the action. At 2106 , if control circuitry 404 determines “no”, ie, the rank of user 1408 does not exceed the rank of the action, process 2106 proceeds to 2110 . At 2110, control circuitry 404 determines that user 1408 is not authorized to perform the action.

Note that the processes 600-1300 and 1400-2100 or any steps thereof may be performed on or provided by any of the devices shown in FIGS. 1 and 4-5. For example, any of processes 600-1300 and 1400-2100 may be directed by control circuitry implemented on user equipment 502, 504, 506 (FIG. 5) and/or user equipment devices for selecting recommendations. As such, it may be performed by control circuit 404 (FIG. 4). Additionally, one or more steps of processes 600-1300 and 1400-2100 may be incorporated into or combined with one or more steps of any other process or embodiment.

It is contemplated that each step or description of Figures 6-13 and 14-21 may be used in conjunction with any other embodiment of the present disclosure. Additionally, the steps and descriptions described in connection with FIGS. 6-13 and 14-21 may be performed in alternate orders or in parallel for the purposes of the present disclosure. For example, each of these steps may be performed in any order or in parallel or substantially simultaneously to reduce delay or increase speed of the system or method. Additionally, any of the devices or instruments discussed in connection with FIGS. 1 and 4-5 may be used to perform one or more of the steps of FIGS. 6-13 and 14-21. Note that we get

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the methods involved in the present invention can be embodied in a computer program product including computer usable and/or readable media. For example, such computer-usable medium may be a read-only memory device, such as a CD-ROM disc or conventional ROM device, or a random memory device, such as a hard drive device or computer diskette, having computer-readable program code stored thereon. It may consist of an access memory. It should also be appreciated that the methods, techniques, and processes involved in the present disclosure may be implemented using processing circuitry. For example, determining the user's location may be performed by, for example, processing circuitry 406 of FIG. The processing circuitry may be, for example, a general purpose processor, a customized integrated circuit (eg, an ASIC), or a field programmable gate array (FPGA) within user equipment 400, media content source 516, or media guidance data source 518. . For example, profiles as described herein may be stored in and retrieved from storage device 408 of FIG. 4 or media guidance data source 518 of FIG. Additionally, the processing circuitry or computer program may update settings of user equipment 100 stored within storage device 408 in FIG. 4 or media guidance data source 518 in FIG.

The processes discussed above are intended to be illustrative rather than limiting. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the steps of the processes discussed herein may be omitted, modified, combined and/or rearranged without departing from the scope of the invention, and any additions It will be appreciated that multiple steps may be performed. More generally, the above disclosure is illustrative and not meant to be limiting. Only the claims that follow are intended to set boundaries as to what the present invention encompasses. Moreover, features and limitations described in any one embodiment may apply to any other embodiment herein, and any flow chart or example relating to one embodiment may be used in any suitable manner to describe any other embodiment. Note that embodiments may be combined, performed in a different order, or performed in parallel. Additionally, the systems and methods described herein may be implemented in real time. It should also be noted that the systems and/or methods described above may be applied to or used in accordance with other systems and/or methods.

Although some portions of this disclosure may refer to "related art" or "conventional practice," any such reference is merely for the purpose of providing context to the disclosed inventions, not state of the art. does not form any acknowledgment as to what constitutes

Claims (8)

A device, said device comprising:
an audio detection sensor for recognizing verbal commands from a first user to a second user;
a sensor for detecting an action performed by said second user in response to said verbal command;
means for comparing the verbal command to a set of playback action commands for a currently playing media asset;
means, responsive to the comparing, for determining that the verbal command is not contained within the set of playback action commands;
In response to determining that the verbal command is not contained within the set of playback action commands, the second user executes a desired result of the verbal command from a plurality of results of the verbal command. means for detecting whether
means for determining whether to modify playback of the media asset in response to the second user determining not to perform the desired result of the verbal command , wherein the apparatus comprises: ,
means for determining the desired outcome of the verbal command from a plurality of outcomes of the verbal command based on the user profile of the first user and the user profile of the second user;
further comprising
The means for detecting whether the second user performs the desired result of the verbal command is configured to compare the action of the second user with the desired result of the verbal command. ,
The means for determining whether to modify playback of the media asset comprises: retrieving characteristics of the second user from a user profile of the second user; determining whether to modify playback of the media asset based on the command and the retrieved characteristics of the second user;
means for determining the desired result of the verbal command from the plurality of results of the verbal command based on the user profile of the first user and the user profile of the second user; means for determining an attribute; means for comparing an attribute of said verbal command with attributes of said plurality of results of said verbal command; and means for determining a result therein to be said desired result . means for determining whether to modify playback of the media asset based on the verbal command detected from the first user and the retrieved characteristic of the second user; with said verbal command, said characteristics being selected from the group of characteristics consisting of age, rank, relationship with other users, and time of day and said verbal command is selected from a group of verbal commands consisting of eating, cleaning, studying, cooking, and sleeping; and from said comparison, whether said verbal command shares characteristics of said second user. and means for modifying playback of the media asset in response to determining that the verbal command shares the property; and/or
The means for determining the desired result is configured to determine the desired result further based on a user profile of a third user, the device performing a second process performed by the third user. and means for comparing said third user's action with said desired result of said verbal command to determine whether to modify playback of said media asset. means, in response to determining that said second user's action and said third user's action do not correspond to said desired outcome of said verbal command, modifying said third user's user profile; and the verbal command detected from the first user, the retrieved characteristic of the second user and the retrieved characteristic of the third user. and determining whether to modify playback of the media asset based on a characteristic. The audio detection sensor is
means for detecting verbal input from the first user;
means for comparing said verbal input to a database of verbal commands, said database containing a verbal command corresponding to each verbal input;
2. The apparatus of claim 1 , comprising: means for determining, from said comparison, a verbal command corresponding to said verbal input from said first user. means for determining, from the comparison, the verbal command corresponding to the verbal input from the first user;
means for determining a match between said verbal input and said database of verbal commands;
4. The apparatus of claim 3 , comprising: means for determining a verbal command corresponding to said match to be said verbal command corresponding to said verbal input from said first user. means for determining whether to modify playback of the media asset comprises : means for retrieving the rank of the first user and the rank of the second user; means for determining whether the is ranked higher than the second user; and in response to determining that the first user is ranked higher than the second user. means for modifying playback of the media asset; and playing the media asset in response to determining that the second user is ranked higher than the first user. 2. The apparatus of claim 1 , comprising means for continuing. The means for detecting an action performed by said second user comprises:
means for using sensors to detect the second user exiting a viewing environment of a media equipment device presenting the media asset;
means for detecting said second user executing a verbal command to modify playback of said media asset;
3. The apparatus of claim 1 , comprising at least one of: means for using a sensor to detect that the second user remains within the viewing environment of a media asset device. A method, the method comprising:
an audio detection sensor recognizing a verbal command from the first user to the second user;
a sensor detecting an action performed by the second user in response to the verbal command;
comparing the verbal command to a set of playback action commands for a currently playing media asset;
determining, in response to the comparing, that the verbal command is not contained within the set of playback motion commands;
In response to determining that the verbal command is not contained within the set of playback action commands, the second user executes a desired result of the verbal command from a plurality of results of the verbal command. and detecting whether
determining whether to modify playback of the media asset in response to the second user determining not to perform the desired result of the verbal command ;
The media asset is currently being played by the second user, and the method includes:
Determining the desired outcome of the verbal command from a plurality of outcomes of the verbal command based on the first user's user profile and the second user's user profile.
further comprising
detecting whether the second user performs the desired result of the verbal command includes comparing the second user's action to the desired result of the verbal command;
Determining whether to modify playback of the media asset comprises: retrieving characteristics of the second user from a user profile of the second user; the verbal command detected from the first user; determining whether to modify playback of the media asset based on the retrieved characteristics of the second user;
determining the desired result of the verbal command from the plurality of results of the verbal command based on the user profile of the first user and the user profile of the second user;
determining attributes of the verbal command;
comparing attributes of the verbal command with attributes of the plurality of results of the verbal command;
determining from the comparison a result among the plurality of results containing attributes of the verbal command to be the desired result;
A method , including Determining whether to modify playback of the media asset based on the verbal command detected from the first user and the retrieved characteristics of the second user is performed by the second user. to the verbal command, wherein the trait is selected from a group of traits consisting of age, rank, relationship with other users , and time of day; wherein the command is selected from the group of verbal commands consisting of eating, cleaning, studying, cooking, and sleeping, and determining from said comparison whether said verbal command shares characteristics of said second user. and modifying playback of the media asset in response to determining that the verbal command shares the property; and/or
The method detects a verbal command from the first user to the second user and a third user, wherein determining the desired result comprises: a user profile of the third user; detecting a second action performed by the third user; comparing the third user's action to the desired result of the verbal command; responsive to determining that two user's actions and the third user's actions do not correspond to the desired outcome of the verbal command; 8. The method of claim 7 , further comprising retrieving characteristics, wherein determining whether to modify playback of the media asset is further based on the retrieved characteristics of the third user.

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