Koninklijke Philips Corporation N.v.

Carnegie Mellon University

John Doyle Zimmerman

Nevenka Dimitrova

Anthony Slavko Tomasic

Jacquelyn Annette Martino

Lalitha Agnihotri

Radu S Jasinschi

Angel Janevski

Lira Nikolovska

Dongge Li

Sylvie Jeannin

Andreas Henricus Elisabeth Lamers

Ian Hargraves

Lekshmy Parameswaran

Johanna Maria Bont

In various embodiments, a method for processing a user request is provided. The method may include receiving input data from a user including at least natural language associated with a user request; analyzing the user input data with an intermediary agent; selecting at least one form based on analyzing the user input data; and, executing at least one update based on at least one form.

Intent-based information processing and updates

A system and method for collecting, analyzing, and using sensory reactions and involuntary or spontaneous movements by members of a television viewing (or listening) audience. While known programming is displayed on a television receiver, a plurality of sensors monitor the viewer or viewers for recognizable evidence of an emotional response that can be associated with a discrete program segment. Where positive (or negative) responses can be associated with a certain type of program content, the system monitors subsequent programs for the opportunity to notify the viewer or simply present (or avoid presenting) the program automatically.

Affective television monitoring and control in response to physiological data

Mixed-initiative message-augmenting agent systems and methods that provide users with tools that allow them to respond to messages, such as email messages, containing requests for information or otherwise requiring responses that require information that needs to be retrieved from one or more data sources. The systems and methods allow users to train machine-learning agents how to retrieve and present information in responses to like messages so that the machine-learning agents can eventually automatedly generate responses with minimal involvement by the users. Embodiments of the systems and methods allow users to build message-augmenting forms containing the desired information for responding to messages and to demonstrate to the machine-learning agents where to retrieve pertinent information for populating the forms. Embodiments of the systems and methods allow users to modify and repair automatically generated forms to continually improve the knowledge of the machine-learning agents.

Systems and methods for implementing a machine-learning agent to retrieve information in response to a message

A system and method for providing information to television viewers in order to assist them in shopping from an apparently conventional media, such as a television program, as well as making better and more educated shopping decisions are provided. The user selects the product of interest, and if desired, indicates the price, quantity and time frame within which he/she wants to buy the product. The system then acts as an agent on the user's behalf to get the best product under best price and shortest time frame as may be desired. When a user sees a product he wants while watching television, he simply can press a point on the screen, talk, or press a button on a remote control or similar keypad and the system shows the current price and availability. If the user wants the product, he can buy it instantly. If the user determines it to be too expensive, he can add the product to his wish-list with a price he would be willing to pay.

System for and method of shopping through television

A method for providing complementary informationfor a video program is provided that includes receiving complementary informationfor a video program. A query is received from a consumer. The query is related to a specified portion of the complementary information. A query response is provided to the consumer based on the specified portion of the complementary information

Method and system for providing complementary information for a video program

A radio frequency identification (RFID) token is used with appliances to access profile data to personalize the appliance. Each token contains a pointer to a relay location on a network with a further pointer indicating a profile location where user-profile data is stored. When a user wants to use an appliance, he/she places the token near the appliance and the appliance accesses the data from the site indicated (pointed to) by the relay location. The profile location may contain many different types of data such as speed dial lists, media preferences, preferred product classifications, etc. The appliance could obtain just the information it required, for example if the database were XML-tagged, by filtering out irrelevant content and personalize itself accordingly. When multiple users wish to use a single appliance, for example a television, each may place his/her token near the appliance and the appliance may then combine relevant profile data accordingly to develop a single composite profile to use to personalize the appliance.

Token-based personalization of smart appliances

In various embodiments, a method for processing a request made by a requester is provided. The method may include receiving at least one request from at least one requester, the request being in the form of natural language; analyzing the request with an agent; selecting at least one form based on analyzing the request; permitting a service agent to perform at least one step in association with the request; executing at least one update based on at least one form; and, forwarding information regarding processing of the request to a learning module operatively associated with the agent.

Intent-based information processing and updates in association with a service agent

A new, interactive, television program profile interface and method are described. The interface is used to capture and display the likes and dislikes of a television viewer in multi-axis format. The weighting of the viewer's preferences proportionately changes over time. Those preferences are illustrated in bar graph format with respect to time or other axes. The viewer interacts with the graphical representations by time traversing the preferential chart, and providing necessary modifications and updates.

TV program profiling technique and interface

A method, process and system for performing content augmentation of personal profiles includes (a) building a user history of a plurality of augmented content information of relevant TV programs; (b) analyzing user queries and determining a degree to which the user queried for additional content information; (c) inferring values about the user from user queries for additional content information so as to augment the additional content information; (d) updating the augmented content information to at least one of the user history, Internet and specialized databases; (e) linking individual ones of the plurality of augmented content information to each other; and (f) determining inferences about the user's interests and preferences based on the linkage of the plurality of augmented content information. The updating of the augmented content information includes segmenting and indexing of multimedia content. A feedback system is created where user queries for more information and purchases from the Internet and specialized databases will result in additional augmented content information about the particular user.

Content augmentation based on personal profiles

A method and system for providing the creation of a visual summary of a video source during fast forward/rewind of the video can be created by using extracting frames either automatically or manually to create an initial visual summary. A series of weights may be assigned to the extracted frames, which are then filtered according to the relative weights to create a modified visual summary. The keyframe display rate is then adjusted according tot he fast forward/rewind speed, which can be either a standard speed or user selected speed, so as to display the keyframes while the video source is being fast forwarded/rewound. The keyframes may be substituted by selected images and audio, so that an advertiser can substitute an image of the product and a brief audio summary while the user is fast forwarding/rewinding past the commercial message.

Visual summary for scanning forwards and backwards in video content

Electronic image displays, of lists that extend beyond the vertical display dimension of the display screen, are displaced in the vertical direction by touching the screen with a finger and then moving the finger in the desired direction on the screen. In a natural manner, the initial speed of displacement of the displayed image corresponds to the speed of motion of the finger along the screen. When the user's finger is disengaged from the screen, the system senses the disengagement and thereafter allows the vertical displacement speed of the image to decrease at a controlled rate. When it is desired to stop the motion of the image at a given point, or to make a selection from the displayed image, the system measures the length of time that the finger is in contact with the screen and the distance that the finger is moved during that time, to determine if a selection is desired or if it is desired only to stop displacement of the image. That is, a short term contact with the screen, say 500 ms or less, accompanied by little or no displacement on the screen, can be identified as an intended selection, while a longer contact with little or no accompanying displacement can be interpreted as being intended to stop the motion of the image without making a selection.

Touch-screen image scrolling system and method

There is disclosed a video playback device for playing back a recorded television program in time-compressed mode on a display screen coupled to the video playback device. The video playback device comprises: 1) a disk storage system for storing the recorded television program as a plurality of audio-video segments; and 2) a fast playback controller for determining a limited time period during which the recorded television program must be played back and further capable of using at least one priority value associated with each of the plurality of audio-video segments to identify selected ones of the plurality of audio-video segments capable of being sequentially played-back during the limited time period.

System and method for reduced playback of recorded video based on video segment priority

A system and method for delivering relevant information to recipients in a timely manner. Information from a plurality of sources is received through interface devices that permit a central processor to evaluate each information stream in light of the dynamic profiles that are stored in a subscriber database. A plurality of location sensors track and report the location of the various recipients. The processor determines the content that will be provided to the recipient and the delivery mode to be used for delivering the selected information to the subscriber.

Intelligent information delivery system

A method is provided for a wireless message receiving apparatus to selectively and independently respond to received messages having multiple directory numbers associated therewith. Each directory number associated with the wireless communication unit is considered to be associated with one of a plurality of user personas or identities. For example, a first directory number may be associated with a &ldquo;worker&rdquo; identity, a second directory number may be associated with a &ldquo;homemaker&rdquo; identity&rdquo; and so on. When a caller dials one of the directory numbers, the caller is considered to be accessing the associated user persona. The communication unit, upon receiving a call, responsively identifies the persona that is being accessed and independently responds in accordance with a pre-stored general disposition instruction.

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Pittsburgh, PA, United States of America

John Doyle Zimmerman