U.S. patent application number 16/370177 was filed with the patent office on 2020-10-01 for content recommendation based on game progress.
The applicant listed for this patent is Rovi Guides, Inc.. Invention is credited to Rajendran Pichaimurthy, Dolphin Masilamany Santha, Prakash Viswanathan.
Application Number | 20200314498 16/370177 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 1000005087339 |
Filed Date | 2020-10-01 |
United States Patent
Application |
20200314498 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Viswanathan; Prakash ; et
al. |
October 1, 2020 |
CONTENT RECOMMENDATION BASED ON GAME PROGRESS
Abstract
Systems and methods for recommending content based on gaming
progress are disclosed herein. A gaming log, which is generated
based on performance of a video game using a computing device, is
received from the computing device over a communication network.
The gaming log includes an identifier of a segment of the video
game and an attribute of the segment. Control circuitry searches
metadata associated with items of content in a database to
identify, based on the identifier of the segment or the attribute
of the segment, an item of content associated with the segment of
the video game. In response to identifying the item of content
associated with the segment of the video game, the control
circuitry transmits a recommendation of the identified item of
content for display via the computing device.
Inventors: |
Viswanathan; Prakash;
(Bangalore, IN) ; Santha; Dolphin Masilamany;
(Bangalore, IN) ; Pichaimurthy; Rajendran;
(Bangalore, IN) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Rovi Guides, Inc. |
San Jose |
CA |
US |
|
|
Family ID: |
1000005087339 |
Appl. No.: |
16/370177 |
Filed: |
March 29, 2019 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A63F 13/79 20140902;
H04N 21/4668 20130101; H04N 21/44204 20130101 |
International
Class: |
H04N 21/466 20060101
H04N021/466; H04N 21/442 20060101 H04N021/442; A63F 13/79 20060101
A63F013/79 |
Claims
1. A method for recommending content based on a gaming log,
comprising: receiving, from a computing device via communication
network, a gaming log generated based on performance of a video
game using the computing device, the gaming log comprising an
identifier of a segment of the video game and an attribute of the
segment; searching metadata associated with items of content in a
database to identify, based on the identifier of the segment or the
attribute of the segment, an item of content associated with the
segment of the video game; and in response to identifying the item
of content associated with the segment of the video game:
transmitting, for display via the computing device, a
recommendation of the identified item of content, wherein the item
of content associated with the segment of the video game comprises
a video clip of a scene from a movie or television show associated
with the segment.
2. The method of claim 1, wherein the attribute of the segment
comprises an identifier of the video game, and wherein the
searching the metadata to identify the item of content associated
with the segment of the video game comprises searching the database
for the item of content associated with the identifier of the video
game.
3. The method of claim 2, wherein the item of content comprises a
video clip from a movie or television show associated with the
segment of the video game.
4. The method of claim 1, wherein the attribute of the segment
comprises an identifier of a character associated with the segment,
and wherein the searching the metadata to identify the item of
content comprises searching the database for the item of content
associated with the identifier of the character associated with the
segment.
5. The method of claim 4, wherein the item of content comprises a
video clip featuring the character associated with the segment of
the video game.
6. The method of claim 1, wherein the attribute of the segment
comprises an identifier of the scene from the movie or television
show associated with the segment, and wherein the searching the
metadata to identify the item of content comprises searching the
database for the item of content associated with the identifier of
the scene from the movie or television show associated with the
segment.
7. (canceled)
8. The method of claim 1, wherein the attribute of the segment
comprises an identifier of a sport associated with the segment, and
wherein the searching the metadata to identify the item of content
comprises searching the database for the item of content associated
with the identifier of the sport associated with the segment of the
video game.
9. The method of claim 8, wherein the item of content associated
with the segment of the video game comprises a video clip featuring
the sport associated with the segment.
10. The method of claim 1, further comprising: receiving, over the
communication network, selection of the recommended item of
content; and in response to receiving the selection of the
recommended item of content: transmitting, for display via the
computing device, the recommended item of content.
11. A system for recommending content based on a gaming log,
comprising: a communication port configured to receive, from a
computing device via communication network, a gaming log generated
based on performance of a video game using the computing device,
the gaming log comprising an identifier of a segment of the video
game and an attribute of the segment; a database configured to
store metadata associated with items of content; and control
circuitry configured to: search the metadata associated with items
of content in the database to identify, based on the identifier of
the segment or the attribute of the segment, an item of content
associated with the segment of the video game; and in response to
identifying the item of content associated with the segment of the
video game: transmit, for display via the computing device, a
recommendation of the identified item of content, wherein the item
of content associated with the segment of the video game comprises
a video clip of a scene from a movie or television show associated
with the segment.
12. The system of claim 11, wherein the attribute of the segment
comprises an identifier of the video game, and wherein the control
circuitry is further configured to search the metadata to identify
the item of content associated with the segment of the video game
by searching the database for the item of content associated with
the identifier of the video game.
13. The system of claim 12, wherein the item of content comprises a
video clip from a movie or television show associated with the
segment of the video game.
14. The system of claim 11, wherein the attribute of the segment
comprises an identifier of a character associated with the segment,
and wherein the control circuitry is further configured to search
the metadata to identify the item of content by searching the
database for the item of content associated with the identifier of
the character associated with the segment.
15. The system of claim 14, wherein the item of content comprises a
video clip featuring the character associated with the segment of
the video game.
16. The system of claim 11, wherein the attribute of the segment
comprises an identifier of the scene of the movie or television
show associated with the segment, and wherein the control circuitry
is further configured to search the metadata to identify the item
of content by searching the database for the item of content
associated with the identifier of the scene of the movie or
television show associated with the segment.
17. (canceled)
18. The system of claim 11, wherein the attribute of the segment
comprises an identifier of a sport associated with the segment, and
wherein the control circuitry is further configured to search the
metadata to identify the item of content by searching the database
for the item of content associated with the identifier of the sport
associated with the segment of the video game.
19. The system of claim 18, wherein the item of content associated
with the segment of the video game comprises a video clip featuring
the sport associated with the segment.
20. The system of claim 11, wherein the communication port is
further configured to receive, over the communication network,
selection of the recommended item of content; and the control
circuitry is further configured to, in response to receiving the
selection of the recommended item of content: transmit, for display
via the computing device, the recommended item of content.
21-50. (canceled)
51. A method for recommending content based on a gaming log,
comprising: receiving, from a computing device via communication
network, a gaming log generated based on performance of a video
game using the computing device, the gaming log comprising an
identifier of a segment of the video game and an attribute of the
segment; searching metadata associated with items of content in a
database to identify, based on the identifier of the segment or the
attribute of the segment, an item of content associated with the
segment of the video game; and in response to identifying the item
of content associated with the segment of the video game:
transmitting, for display via the computing device, a
recommendation of the identified item of content, wherein the
attribute of the segment comprises an identifier of a character
associated with the segment, the searching the metadata to identify
the item of content comprises searching the database for the item
of content associated with the identifier of the character
associated with the segment, and the item of content comprises a
video clip featuring the character associated with the segment of
the video game.
52. A method for recommending content based on a gaming log,
comprising: receiving, from a computing device via communication
network, a gaming log generated based on performance of a video
game using the computing device, the gaming log comprising an
identifier of a segment of the video game and an attribute of the
segment; searching metadata associated with items of content in a
database to identify, based on the identifier of the segment or the
attribute of the segment, an item of content associated with the
segment of the video game; and in response to identifying the item
of content associated with the segment of the video game:
transmitting, for display via the computing device, a
recommendation of the identified item of content, wherein the
attribute of the segment comprises an identifier of a sport
associated with the segment, the searching the metadata to identify
the item of content comprises searching the database for the item
of content associated with the identifier of the sport associated
with the segment of the video game, and the item of content
associated with the segment of the video game comprises a video
clip featuring the sport associated with the segment.
53. A system for recommending content based on a gaming log,
comprising: a communication port configured to receive, from a
computing device via communication network, a gaming log generated
based on performance of a video game using the computing device,
the gaming log comprising an identifier of a segment of the video
game and an attribute of the segment; a database configured to
store metadata associated with items of content; and control
circuitry configured to: search the metadata associated with items
of content in the database to identify, based on the identifier of
the segment or the attribute of the segment, an item of content
associated with the segment of the video game; and in response to
identifying the item of content associated with the segment of the
video game: transmit, for display via the computing device, a
recommendation of the identified item of content, wherein the
attribute of the segment comprises an identifier of a character
associated with the segment, the control circuitry is further
configured to search the metadata to identify the item of content
by searching the database for the item of content associated with
the identifier of the character associated with the segment, and
the item of content comprises a video clip featuring the character
associated with the segment of the video game.
54. A system for recommending content based on a gaming log,
comprising: a communication port configured to receive, from a
computing device via communication network, a gaming log generated
based on performance of a video game using the computing device,
the gaming log comprising an identifier of a segment of the video
game and an attribute of the segment; a database configured to
store metadata associated with items of content; and control
circuitry configured to: search the metadata associated with items
of content in the database to identify, based on the identifier of
the segment or the attribute of the segment, an item of content
associated with the segment of the video game; and in response to
identifying the item of content associated with the segment of the
video game: transmit, for display via the computing device, a
recommendation of the identified item of content, wherein the
attribute of the segment comprises an identifier of a sport
associated with the segment, the control circuitry is further
configured to search the metadata to identify the item of content
by searching the database for the item of content associated with
the identifier of the sport associated with the segment of the
video game, and the item of content associated with the segment of
the video game comprises a video clip featuring the sport
associated with the segment.
Description
BACKGROUND
[0001] The present disclosure relates to systems for content
recommendation and, more particularly, to systems and related
processes for recommending content based on gaming progress.
SUMMARY
[0002] Many games, such as video games, have media content items
that are associated with the games. For example, a video game may
have an associated movie, television show, animated series,
soundtrack, sporting event, tutorial video, or the like. A user's
experience playing a video game may be enriched if relevant items
of content, such as items of content associated with the video
game, were recommended or presented to the user in a timely manner.
Technical challenges involved in doing so, however, include how to
identify relevant items of content and how to determine when to
recommend or present those relevant items of content to the user.
Indeed, identifying items of content relevant to video games is
made more difficult based on the processing power required to
analyze the vast and rapidly growing universe of items of content
for relevance to video games. Moreover, items of content are often
stored in scattered locations across computer networks, making it
difficult even to discover potentially relevant items of content.
Additionally, even after items of content are identified as
relevant to a video game, it can be difficult to determine when to
recommend or present such an item of content to a user, given the
vast number of users who play that video game and the widely varied
times during which they play the game.
[0003] In view of the foregoing, the present disclosure provides
systems and related methods that recommend content based on gaming
progress. For instance, one such system includes a communication
port configured to receive, over a communication network, from a
computing device such as a video game console or a smartphone,
video game performance data based on performance of a video game
using the computing device. The video game performance data, in
some instances, is received from the computing device over the
communication network in response to termination of an attempt to
overcome a challenge in the video game. The system also includes a
memory and control circuitry configured to determine, based on a
criterion stored in the memory, whether the video game performance
data indicates a failure to overcome a challenge in the video game.
The control circuitry is further configured to, in response to
determining that the video game performance data indicates a
failure to overcome the challenge in the video game, identify for
recommendation an item of content associated with the challenge and
transmit a recommendation of the identified item of content for
display via the computing device. In this manner, for example, the
system may recommend or present an item of content that is relevant
to the particular challenge with which the user is having
difficulty in a timely manner--at a time when the user is having
such difficulty.
[0004] In some examples, the video game performance data includes a
number of unsuccessful attempts made to overcome the challenge
using a user account, and the criterion includes a minimum number
of unsuccessful attempts to overcome the challenge that indicates a
failure to overcome the challenge. In such examples, the control
circuitry is configured to determine whether the video game
performance data indicates the failure to overcome the challenge in
the video game by determining whether the number of unsuccessful
attempts made to overcome the challenge using the user account
meets or exceeds the minimum number.
[0005] In another aspect, the control circuitry is configured to
determine, based on the video game performance data, that the video
game performance data includes multiple portions that correspond to
multiple user accounts, respectively. The control circuitry then
identifies multiple items of content to be recommended based on the
multiple portions, respectively, and transmits the identified items
of content for display via the computing device.
[0006] In various aspects, the item of content associated with the
challenge includes various types of content. For example, the item
of content associated with the challenge may include video content
that is received over the communication network in association with
a second user account, distinct from a first user account
associated with the video game performance data, showing a
performance of the video game in which the challenge was overcome.
The item of content may be received from a second computing device
over the communication network automatically in response to
completion of the performance of the video game in which the
challenge was overcome. In this manner, for instance, the system is
configured to maintain up-to-date data on items of content relevant
to video game challenges as such items of content are made
available, for instance, by being uploaded to a server or website
by other users.
[0007] In another example, the control circuitry is configured to
determine whether a content recommendation setting is enabled for a
user account associated with the video game performance data. In
such an example, the control circuitry is further configured to
transmit the recommendation of the identified item of content for
display via the computing device in response to the determination
that the content recommendation setting is enabled for the user
account.
[0008] In a further aspect, the video game performance data
includes an identifier of the game and an identifier of the
challenge, and the control circuitry is configured to identify the
item of content associated with the challenge further by querying a
content database to identify the item of content that corresponds
to the identifier of the game and the identifier of the
challenge.
[0009] The control circuitry, in some examples, is configured to
identify for recommendation the item of content associated with the
challenge by identifying for recommendation the item of content
having a highest rank among a plurality of items of content stored
in a database and associated with the challenge. The control
circuitry, in still other aspects, is configured to identify for
recommendation the item of content associated with the challenge by
identifying for recommendation the item of content having a most
recent upload timestamp from among a plurality of items of content
stored in a database and associated with the challenge.
[0010] In accordance with another aspect, the present disclosure
provides additional systems and related methods that recommend
content based on a gaming log. For instance, one such system
includes a communication port configured to receive, over a
communication network, from a computing device such as a video game
console or a smartphone, a gaming log generated based on
performance of a video game using the computing device. The gaming
log includes an identifier of a segment of the video game and an
attribute of the segment. The system also includes control
circuitry configured to search metadata associated with items of
content in a database to identify, based on the identifier of the
segment or the attribute of the segment, an item of content
associated with the segment of the video game. In this manner, for
instance, the system is configured to continuously or periodically
identify and store relationships or other indications of relevance
between video games or portions of video games and their related
items of content. By aggregating and processing gaming logs for
video games and metadata for other items of content, the system can
identify relevance between video games and items of content that
would otherwise be difficult to identify. This results in a
seamless integration between a video gaming environment and the
environments of other sources of content. Once the control
circuitry has identified the item of content associated with the
segment of the video game, the control circuitry transmits a
recommendation of the identified item of content, or the item of
content itself, for presentation via the computing device.
[0011] In some aspects, the attribute of the segment includes an
identifier of the video game, and the control circuitry is
configured to search the metadata to identify the item of content
associated with the segment of the video game by searching the
database for the item of content associated with the identifier of
the video game. In such aspects, the item of content may include a
video clip from a movie or television show associated with the
segment of the video game.
[0012] In another example, the attribute of the segment includes an
identifier of a character associated with the segment, and the
control circuitry is configured to search the metadata to identify
the item of content by searching the database for the item of
content associated with the identifier of the character associated
with the segment. In such an example, the item of content may
include a video clip featuring the character associated with the
segment of the video game.
[0013] The attribute of the segment, as another example, includes
an identifier of a scene associated with the segment, and the
control circuitry is configured to search the metadata to identify
the item of content by searching the database for the item of
content associated with the identifier of the scene associated with
the segment. In such an example, the item of content associated
with the segment of the video game may include a video clip of the
scene from a movie or television show associated with the
segment.
[0014] In a further example, the attribute of the segment includes
an identifier of a sport associated with the segment, and the
control circuitry is configured to search the metadata to identify
the item of content by searching the database for the item of
content associated with the identifier of the sport associated with
the segment of the video game. The item of content associated with
the segment of the video game, in such an example, may include a
video clip featuring the sport associated with the segment.
[0015] In some aspects, the control circuitry is configured to
receive, over the communication network, selection of the
recommended item of content and, in response to receiving the
selection of the recommended item of content, transmit the
recommended item of content for display via the computing
device.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0016] The above and other objects and advantages of the disclosure
will be apparent upon consideration of the following detailed
description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings,
in which like reference characters refer to like parts throughout,
and in which:
[0017] FIG. 1 shows an illustrative block diagram of a system for
recommending content based on gaming progress, in accordance with
some embodiments of the disclosure;
[0018] FIG. 2 shows an illustrative block diagram of a system for
recommending content based on a gaming log, in accordance with some
embodiments of the disclosure;
[0019] FIG. 3 shows an illustrative block diagram showing
additional details of the systems of FIG. 1 and/or FIG. 2, in
accordance with some embodiments of the disclosure;
[0020] FIG. 4 depicts an illustrative flowchart of a process for
recommending content based on gaming progress, in accordance with
some embodiments of the disclosure;
[0021] FIG. 5 depicts an illustrative flowchart of a process for
determining whether video game performance data indicates a failure
to overcome a challenge, in accordance with some embodiments of the
disclosure;
[0022] FIG. 6 depicts an illustrative flowchart of a process for
identifying for recommendation an item of content associated with a
gaming challenge, in accordance with some embodiments of the
disclosure;
[0023] FIG. 7 depicts example data structures for video game
performance data and content metadata, in accordance with some
embodiments of the disclosure;
[0024] FIG. 8 depicts an illustrative flowchart of a process for
recommending content based on a gaming log, in accordance with some
embodiments of the disclosure;
[0025] FIG. 9 depicts an illustrative flowchart of a process for
searching metadata to identify content associated with a video game
segment, in accordance with some embodiments of the disclosure;
and
[0026] FIG. 10 depicts example data structures for a gaming log and
content metadata, in accordance with some embodiments of the
disclosure.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0027] FIG. 1 shows an illustrative block diagram of system 100 for
recommending content based on gaming progress, in accordance with
some embodiments of the disclosure. System 100 includes server 102,
gaming devices 104, communication network 106, content source or
database 108, and metadata database 110. Server 102 is
communicatively coupled to gaming devices 104 by way of
communication network 106 and is communicatively coupled to content
source 108 and metadata database 110 by way of additional
communication paths, which may be included in communication network
106 or may be separate from communication network 106.
Communication network 106 may be any type of communication network,
such as the Internet, a mobile phone network, mobile voice or data
network (e.g., a 4G or LTE network), cable network, public switched
telephone network, or any combination of two or more of such
communication networks. Communication network 106 includes one or
more communication paths, such as a satellite path, a fiber-optic
path, a cable path, a path that supports 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. Communication
network 108 communicatively couples various components of system
100 to one another.
[0028] Server 102 is configured to aggregate over communication
network 106, from a variety sources, such as users of gaming
devices 104, content that helps users overcome video gaming
challenges. For example, server 102 may receive content, such as
challenge tutorials or video clips of actual game play uploaded by
other users of gaming devices 104, that shows those users
successfully overcoming various challenges in particular video
games or segments thereof. Server 102 is also configured to detect
when another user of a gaming device 104 has failed to overcome a
challenge in a video game and/or is facing difficulty overcoming a
challenge in the video game and would thus benefit from viewing
tutorials, video clips, or likewise helpful content. For instance,
in view 114, upon failure of a user of gaming device 104 to
overcome a challenge within a video game, gaming device 104
transmits video game performance data, which includes a gaming
challenge failure notification, to server 102 by way of
communication network 106. In response to detecting that the user
of gaming device 104 has failed to overcome a challenge in a video
game and/or is facing difficulty overcoming a challenge in the
video game, server 102 is configured to provide or recommend to the
user via their gaming device 104 content that may help that user
overcome the challenge. For example, server 102 may search content
source 108 and/or metadata 110 to identify an item of content
related to the particular challenge the user has failed to overcome
and provide, to gaming device 104 over communication network 106, a
selectable recommendation, such as the popup window 112 in view
116, that a user may select to view any such identified item of
content. Additional details regarding the features and
functionality of system 100 are provided below.
[0029] FIG. 2 shows an illustrative block diagram of system 200 for
recommending content based on gaming logs, in accordance with some
embodiments of the disclosure. In various embodiments, system 200
includes some components described above in connection with system
100. In particular, system 200 includes server 102, gaming devices
104, communication network 106, content source 108, metadata
database 110, and gaming log database 202. Although FIG. 2 shows
content source 108, metadata database 110, and gaming log database
202 as individual components and as separate from server 102, in
some embodiments, any of those components may be combined and/or
integrated as one device with server 102. Server 102 is
communicatively coupled to gaming devices 104 by way of
communication network 106 and is communicatively coupled to content
source 108, metadata database 110, gaming log database 202 by way
of additional communication paths, which may be included in
communication network 106 or may be separate from communication
network 106. Server 102 is configured to aggregate from gaming
devices 104 over communication network 106 gaming logs 206
generated based on performance of video games using gaming devices
104 while logged into user accounts. The gaming logs 206 may be
pushed by gaming devices 104 to server 102 and/or pulled by server
102 from gaming devices 104. Gaming logs 206 may include, for
example, data indicating particular video games played, levels of
those video games, successes and failures at challenges in video
games, as well as characters, scenes, sports, or the like that are
associated with particular segments of video games. Server 102 is
configured to process gaming logs 206 by comparing the data therein
to metadata stored in metadata database 110 to identify one or more
items of content, such as content in content source 108, that are
associated with particular video game segments. Server 102, in some
embodiments, stores gaming logs 206 and/or associations between
game data (e.g., video game segment identifiers or the like) and
associated metadata or content identifiers. In this manner, server
102 is configured to recommend, and/or provide for user
consumption, via gaming devices 104, such associated content at a
time near (e.g., shortly before, during, or after) a time when the
user plays the video game segment associated with the content. For
example, if a user is playing a Harry Potter game involving a
particular scene from a Harry Potter movie, server 102 may
determine that and transmit a recommendation to gaming device 104
that the user view a clip from that movie scene. Server 102 may
also retrieve the clip from the movie scene from content source 108
and transmit it to gaming device 104 for playback. System 200 thus
facilitates recommendations of content that are timelier and more
relevant than those possible with prior systems.
[0030] FIG. 3 is an illustrative block diagram showing additional
details of system 100 (FIG. 1) and/or system 200 (FIG. 2), in
accordance with some embodiments of the disclosure. In various
embodiments, system 200 includes some components described above in
connection with system 100. Although FIG. 3 shows certain numbers
of components, in various examples, system 300 may include fewer
than the illustrated components and/or multiples of one or more
illustrated components. Server 102 includes control circuitry 302
and I/O path 308, and control circuitry 302 includes storage 304
and processing circuitry 306. Computing device 104, which may
correspond to gaming device 104 of FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, may be a
gaming device, such as a video game console, user television
equipment such as a set-top box, user computer equipment, a
wireless user communications device such as a smartphone device, or
any device on which video games may be played. Computing device 104
includes control circuitry 310, I/O path 316, speaker 318, display
320, and user input interface 322. Control circuitry 310 includes
storage 312 and processing circuitry 314. Control circuitry 302
and/or 310 may be based on any suitable processing circuitry such
as processing circuitry 306 and/or 314. As referred to herein,
processing circuitry should be understood to mean circuitry based
on 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 a multi-core processor (e.g., dual-core,
quad-core, hexa-core, or any suitable number of cores). In some
embodiments, processing circuitry may be distributed across
multiple separate processors, for example, multiple of the same
type of processors (e.g., two Intel Core i9 processors) or multiple
different processors (e.g., an Intel Core i7 processor and an Intel
Core i9 processor).
[0031] Each of storage 304, storage 312, and/or storages of other
components of system 300 (e.g., storages of content source 108,
metadata database 110, gaming log database 202, and/or the like)
may be an electronic storage device. As referred to herein, the
phrase "electronic storage device" or "storage device" should be
understood to mean any device for storing electronic data, computer
software, or firmware, such as random-access memory, read-only
memory, hard drives, optical drives, digital video disc (DVD)
recorders, compact disc (CD) recorders, BLU-RAY disc (BD)
recorders, BLU-RAY 3D disc recorders, digital video recorders
(DVRs, sometimes called personal video recorders, or PVRs), solid
state devices, quantum storage devices, gaming consoles, gaming
media, or any other suitable fixed or removable storage devices,
and/or any combination of the same. Each of storage 304, storage
312, and/or storages of other components of system 300 may be used
to store various types of content, metadata, gaming data, media
guidance data, and or other types of data. Non-volatile memory may
also be used (e.g., to launch a boot-up routine and other
instructions). Cloud-based storage may be used to supplement
storages 304, 312 or instead of storages 304, 312. In some
embodiments, control circuitry 302 and/or 310 executes instructions
for an application stored in memory (e.g., storage 304 and/or 312).
Specifically, control circuitry 302 and/or 310 may be instructed by
the application to perform the functions discussed herein. In some
implementations, any action performed by control circuitry 302
and/or 310 may be based on instructions received from the
application. For example, the application may be implemented as
software or a set of executable instructions that may be stored in
storage 304 and/or 312 and executed by control circuitry 302 and/or
310. In some embodiments, the application may be a client/server
application where only a client application resides on computing
device 104, and a server application resides on server 102.
[0032] The application may be implemented using any suitable
architecture. For example, it may be a stand-alone application
wholly implemented on computing device 104. In such an approach,
instructions for the application are stored locally (e.g., in
storage 312), and data for use by the application is downloaded on
a periodic basis (e.g., from an out-of-band feed, from an Internet
resource, or using another suitable approach). Processing circuitry
314 may retrieve instructions for the application from storage 312
and process the instructions to perform the functionality described
herein. Based on the processed instructions, processing circuitry
314 may determine what action to perform when input is received
from user input interface 322.
[0033] In client/server-based embodiments, control circuitry 310
may include communication circuitry suitable for communicating with
an application server (e.g., server 102) or other networks or
servers. The instructions for carrying out the functionality
described herein may be stored on the application server.
Communication circuitry may include a cable modem, an integrated
services digital network (ISDN) modem, a digital subscriber line
(DSL) modem, a telephone modem, an Ethernet card, or a wireless
modem for communication with other equipment, or any other suitable
communication circuitry. Such communication may involve the
Internet or any other suitable communication networks or paths
(e.g., communication network 106). In another example of a
client/server-based application, control circuitry 310 runs a web
browser that interprets web pages provided by a remote server
(e.g., server 102). For example, the remote server may store the
instructions for the application in a storage device. The remote
server may process the stored instructions using circuitry (e.g.,
control circuitry 302) and generate the displays discussed above
and below. Computing device 104 may receive the displays generated
by the remote server and may display the content of the displays
locally via display 320. This way, the processing of the
instructions is performed remotely (e.g., by server 102) while the
resulting displays, such as the display windows described elsewhere
herein, are provided locally on computing device 104. Computing
device 104 may receive inputs from the user via input interface 322
and transmit those inputs to the remote server for processing and
generating the corresponding displays.
[0034] A user may send instructions to control circuitry 302 and/or
310 using user input interface 322. User input interface 322 may be
any suitable user interface, such as a gaming controller, a remote
control, trackball, keypad, keyboard, touchscreen, touchpad, stylus
input, joystick, voice recognition interface, or other user input
interfaces. User input interface 322 may be integrated with or
combined with display 320, which may be a monitor, a television, a
liquid crystal display (LCD), an electronic ink display, or any
other equipment suitable for displaying visual images.
[0035] Server 102 and computing device 104 may receive content and
data via input/output (hereinafter "I/O") paths 308 and 316,
respectively. For instance, I/O path 316 may include a
communication port configured to receive a live content stream from
server 102 and/or content source 108 via a communication network
106. Storage 312 may be configured to buffer the received live
content stream for playback, and display 320 may be configured to
present the buffered content, navigation options, alerts, and/or
the like via a primary display window and/or a secondary display
window. I/O paths 308, 316 may provide content (e.g., a live stream
of content, broadcast programming, on-demand programming, Internet
content, content available over a local area network (LAN) or wide
area network (WAN), and/or other content) and data to control
circuitry 302, 310. Control circuitry 302, 310 may be used to send
and receive commands, requests, and other suitable data using I/O
paths 308, 316. I/O paths 308, 316 may connect control circuitry
302, 310 (and specifically processing circuitry 306, 314) 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 single paths in FIG. 3 to avoid overcomplicating the
drawing.
[0036] Content source 108 may include one or more types of content
distribution equipment including a television distribution
facility, cable system headend, satellite distribution facility,
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 trademark owned by the National
Broadcasting Company, Inc.; ABC is a trademark owned by the
American Broadcasting Company, Inc.; and HBO is a trademark owned
by the Home Box Office, Inc. Content source 108 may be the
originator of content (e.g., a television broadcaster, a Webcast
provider, etc.) or may not be the originator of content (e.g., an
on-demand content provider, an Internet provider of content of
broadcast programs for downloading, etc.). Content source 108 may
include cable sources, satellite providers, on-demand providers,
Internet providers, over-the-top content providers, or other
providers of content. Content source 108 may also include a remote
media server used to store different types of content (e.g.,
including video content selected by a user) in a location remote
from computing device 104. Systems and methods for remote storage
of content and providing remotely stored content to user equipment
are discussed in greater detail in connection with Ellis et al.,
U.S. Pat. No. 7,761,892, issued Jul. 20, 2010, which is hereby
incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.
[0037] Content and/or data delivered to computing device 104 may be
over-the-top (OTT) content. OTT content delivery allows
Internet-enabled user devices, such as computing device 104, to
receive content that is transferred over the Internet, including
any content described above, in addition to content received over
cable or satellite connections. OTT content is delivered via an
Internet connection provided by an Internet service provider (ISP),
but a third party distributes the content. The ISP may not be
responsible for the viewing abilities, copyrights, or
redistribution of the content, and may transfer only IP packets
provided by the OTT content provider. Examples of OTT content
providers include YOUTUBE, NETFLIX, and HULU, which provide audio
and video via IP packets. YouTube is a trademark owned by Google
LLC; Netflix is a trademark owned by Netflix, Inc.; and Hulu is a
trademark owned by Hulu, LLC. OTT content providers may
additionally or alternatively provide media guidance data described
above. In addition to content and/or media guidance data, providers
of OTT content can distribute applications (e.g., web-based
applications or cloud-based applications), or the content can be
displayed by applications stored on computing device 104.
[0038] Having described system 100, reference is now made to FIG.
4, which depicts an illustrative flowchart of process 400 for
recommending content based on gaming progress that may be
implemented by using system 300, in accordance with some
embodiments of the disclosure. In various embodiments, individual
steps of process 400, or any process described herein, may be
implemented by one or more components of system 300. Although the
present disclosure may describe certain steps of process 400 (and
of other processes described herein) as being implemented by
certain components of system 300, this is for purposes of
illustration only, and it should be understood that other
components of system 300 may implement those steps instead.
[0039] At 402, control circuitry 302 receives, from computing
devices 104 associated with various user accounts over
communication network 106, content associated with various gaming
challenges, such as tutorials showing how to overcome challenges,
video clips of those users successfully overcoming those
challenges, or the like. Control circuitry 302 stores the content
received at 402 in content database 108. At 404, control circuitry
302 receives, from computing device 104 over communication network
106, video game performance data associated with another user
account. Video game performance data may generally include any type
of data related to performance of a video game. Example types of
data that may be included in video performance data are described
below, in connection with FIG. 8, as types of data that may also be
included in gaming logs. In some examples, at 406, control
circuitry 302 determines whether an automatic recommendation
setting is enabled for computing device 104 and/or for the user
account associated therewith. For example, control circuitry 302
may ping control circuitry 310 to determine whether the automatic
recommendation setting is enabled and/or may store that information
in storage 304, in gaming log database 202, or in another storage.
If recommendation is disabled ("NO" at 406), then the procedure 400
terminates. If recommendation is enabled ("YES" at 406), then
control passes to 408, at which control circuitry 302 determines,
based on one or more criteria stored in storage 304, whether the
video game performance data received at 402 indicates a failure to
overcome a video game challenge. Additional details on how control
circuitry 302 may make the determination at 408 are provided below
in connection with FIG. 5.
[0040] If the video game performance data received at 402 does not
indicate a failure to overcome a video game challenge ("NO" at
410), then procedure 400 terminates. If the video game performance
data received at 402 indicates a failure to overcome a video game
challenge ("YES" at 410), then control is passed to 412, at which
control circuitry 302 searches content database 108 and/or metadata
database 110 to identify for recommendation an item of content
associated with the challenge that the user has failed to overcome.
For example, control circuitry 302 may match a video game segment
or challenge identifier included in the video game performance data
to metadata in metadata database 110, which corresponds to an item
of content in content database 108. If control circuitry 302 fails
to identify an item of content associated with the challenge ("NO"
at 414), then procedure 400 terminates. If control circuitry 302
identifies one or more items of content associated with the
challenge ("YES" at 414), then control passes to 416, at which
control circuitry 302 transmits the identified item of content, or
a recommendation thereof, to computing device 104 for presentation
to the user (e.g., via a pop-up window, such as 112 in FIG. 1).
[0041] At 418, control circuitry 302 determines whether the video
game performance data includes any additional segments, such as a
segment corresponding to another video game challenge. If the video
game performance data does not include an additional segment ("NO"
at 418), then procedure 400 terminates. If the video game
performance data includes an additional segment ("YES" at 418),
then control circuitry 302 increments a segment index at 420 and
the steps of 412, 414, 416, and 418 are repeated to identify an
item of content for recommendation based on the additional video
game segment or challenge in the manner described above.
[0042] FIG. 5 depicts an illustrative flowchart of a process 500
for determining whether video game performance data indicates a
failure to overcome a challenge, in accordance with some
embodiments of the disclosure. Process 500, in various embodiments,
may correspond to step 408 of FIG. 4. At 502, control circuitry 302
extracts from the video game performance data received at 404 a
number of unsuccessful attempts made to overcome the challenge
under the particular user account associated with the video game
performance data. At 504, control circuitry 302 retrieves from
storage 304 a threshold or minimum number of unsuccessful attempts
that would indicate a failure and compares the threshold to the
number of unsuccessful attempts extracted from the video game
performance data at 502. If the number of unsuccessful attempts
extracted from the video game performance data at 502 meets or
exceeds the threshold ("YES" at 506), then at 508 control circuitry
302 returns an output indicating that the video game performance
data indicates a failure to overcome the challenge. If the number
of unsuccessful attempts extracted from the video game performance
data at 502 does not meet or exceed the threshold ("NO" at 506),
then at 510 control circuitry 302 returns an output indicating that
the video game performance data does not indicate a failure to
overcome the challenge.
[0043] FIG. 6 depicts an illustrative flowchart of a process 600
for identifying for recommendation an item of content associated
with a gaming challenge, in accordance with some embodiments of the
disclosure. Process 600, in various embodiments, may correspond to
step 412 of FIG. 4. The video game performance data received at
404, in some examples, includes information that enables server 102
to identify one or more particular challenges associated with the
video game performance data. For instance, FIG. 7 shows an example
data structure 700 of video game performance data items that may be
received at 404. Each video game performance data item includes a
video game performance data identifier 704 (e.g., which uniquely
identifies an individual packet of received video game performance
data), a corresponding video game identifier 706 (e.g., which
uniquely identifies a game with which the video game performance
data is associated), and a video game challenge identifier 708
(e.g., which uniquely identifies a particular video gaming
challenge with which the video game performance data is
associated). Metadata database 110, in various embodiments, stores
data that enables server 102 to identify items of content in
content database 108 that are associated with particular video
games and/or video game challenges. For instance, FIG. 7 also shows
an example data structure 702 of metadata that may be stored in
metadata database 110 in connection with items of content that may
be stored in content database 108 (e.g., tutorial videos on
challenges, game play video clips showing other users overcoming
challenges, or other such items of content received at 402). Each
item of content having an entry in the metadata data structure 702
includes a content identifier 710 (e.g., that uniquely identifies
the item of content) as well as a video game identifier 712 (e.g.,
which uniquely identifies the video game to which the item of
content corresponds) and a video game challenge identifier 714
(e.g., which uniquely identifies the video game challenge to which
the item of content corresponds). In one example, control circuitry
302 utilizes the video game performance data structure 700 and the
data structure 702 of metadata as part of procedure 600 to identify
an item of content associated with a gaming challenge.
[0044] At 602, control circuitry 302 extracts a game identifier and
a challenge identifier from the video game performance data
received at 404. At 604, control circuitry 302 queries metadata
database 110 to identify an item of content that corresponds to the
game identifier and the challenge identifier extracted at 602. For
instance, control circuitry 302 may search metadata database 110
for metadata that matches the game identifier and the challenge
identifier extracted at 602, and the content identifier for the
item of content that corresponds to that metadata. Procedure 600
proceeds in different manners depending upon the number, if any, of
items of content identified at 604 as corresponding to the game
identifier and challenge identifier extracted at 602. If no item of
content is identified ("ZERO" at 606), then at 608 control
circuitry 302 returns data indicating that no item of content has
been identified as corresponding to the game and challenge with
which the video game performance data is associated. If a single
item of content is identified ("ONE" at 606), then at 610 control
circuitry 302 returns the content identifier for the item of
content that has been identified as corresponding to the game and
challenge with which the video game performance data is associated.
If more than one item of content is identified as corresponding to
the game and challenge with which the video game performance data
is associated ("MORE THAN ONE" at 606), then at 612 control
circuitry 302 selects one of the identified items for
recommendation based on one or more criterion. For example, control
circuitry 302 may select the item of content having a highest rank,
most recent upload timestamp, most views, and/or highest degree of
popularity among the identified items of content. At 614, control
circuitry 302 returns the content identifier for the item of
content that has been selected at 612.
[0045] FIG. 8 depicts an illustrative flowchart of a process 800
for recommending content based on a gaming log, in accordance with
some embodiments of the disclosure. In various embodiments,
individual steps of process 800 may be implemented by one or more
components of system 300. Although the present disclosure may
describe certain steps of process 800 (and of other processes
described herein) as being implemented by certain components of
system 300, this is for purposes of illustration only, and it
should be understood that other components of system 300 may
implement those steps instead.
[0046] Although not shown in FIG. 8, in various embodiments, prior
to step 802 of procedure 800, control circuitry 302 receives, from
various computing devices 104 over communication network 106,
multiple gaming logs, each including a video game segment
identifier and a segment attribute identifier and/or other types of
data generated based on the playing of video games via computing
device 104. In various embodiments, the gaming logs are received
(e.g., individually or in batches, periodically or continuously, as
triggered by a content release, a broadcast date/time, or the like)
from gaming devices 104 and then aggregated and stored in gaming
log database 202 (e.g., as part of gaming log profiles that
correspond to user accounts, respectively) for use in associating
segments of video games with corresponding other types of content,
such as movie clips, sport clips, or the like.
[0047] As also not shown in FIG. 8, control circuitry 302 in
various embodiments aggregates content related to video game
segments and stores the content in content database 108 and stores
corresponding metadata in metadata database 110 on an ongoing basis
so control circuitry 302 can provide relevant up-to-date content
for recommendation or consumption via computing device 104. For
instance, control circuitry 302 may periodically or continuously
scrape multiple content sources available over communication
network 106 for items of content. In another example, control
circuitry 302 is configured to monitor a variety of sources, such
as television broadcast sources, for release of content to trigger
the aggregation of that content and metadata. In this manner, for
instance, control circuitry 302 may update content database 108
with a recently broadcast sport game highlight, a recently aired
television show episode, or the like for future possible
recommendation promptly after its release. For example, control
circuitry 302 may detect that an item of content has been released
and, in response to detecting that the item of content has been
released, store the item of content in content database 108 in
association with a unique content identifier, and store in metadata
database 110 the content identifier and metadata associated with
the item of content for use in the identifying that the item of
content is associated with one or more particular segments of video
games. This improves the ability of system 300 to provide timely
and relevant content and/or content recommendations to computing
device 104.
[0048] An example data structure 1000 for a gaming log that may be
received is shown in FIG. 10. Each item of data in the gaming log
1000 includes an event identifier 1004 (e.g., uniquely identifying
an event, such as a successful completion of a gaming challenge or
milestone that occurred during the course of game play via
computing device 104), a video game identifier 1006 (e.g., uniquely
identifying the video game with which the event or data item is
associated), a game segment identifier (e.g., uniquely identifying
the video game segment with which the event or data item is
associated), and a segment attribute identifier 1010 (e.g.,
identifying an attribute, such as a character, a scene, a sport, or
the like, with which the event or data item is associated).
[0049] FIG. 10 also shows an example data structure 1002 of
associations between corresponding content items, content
attributes, video games, and video game segments. Such data
structures 1002 may be generated and/or updated in metadata
database 110 by control circuitry 302 as more gaming logs are
aggregated and more content is determined to be associated with
video games and/or video game segments based on having attributes
in common. Each item of the data structure 1002 includes a content
identifier 1012 (e.g., uniquely identifying a content item, such as
a song, a clip of a movie scene, a clip from a real-world sporting
event, or the like), a content attribute identifier 1014 (e.g.,
identifying an attribute, such as a character, scene, or sport
featured in the content item), a video game identifier 1016 (e.g.,
identifying a video game that has previously been determined to be
associated with the content item), and a game segment identifier
1018 (e.g., identifying a video game segment that has previously
been determined to be associated with the content item). As
described in further detail below in connection with FIG. 9,
control circuitry 302 utilizes the content attributes indicated by
content attribute identifier 1014 as criteria for identifying items
of content (e.g., identified by content identifiers 1012) that are
associated with video games and/or video game segments (e.g., as
indicated by the associated video game identifier 1016 and/or video
game segment identifier 1018).
[0050] At 802, control circuitry 302 receives from a computing
device 104, a gaming log including a variety of types of data
relating to video game activity under a user account. For instance,
the gaming log may include a user profile (e.g., which may include
a video game user account identifier, television or over-the-top
media account details, or the like), game details (e.g., which may
include a name of a game, a game version, a game level a user is
currently advanced to, or the like), game milestone status (e.g.,
which may indicate that a user has completed milestone 1, level 6,
of a game, and retried level 7 of the game four times but has still
not completed level 7), and/or the like. The gaming log may also
include an identifier of a video game segment that a user is
playing, will soon play, or has recently played via the computing
device 104. The gaming log received at 802 also includes an
identifier of an attribute that is associated with the video game
segment. At 804, control circuitry 302 searches metadata in
metadata database 110, based on the segment attribute received at
802, to identify an item of content, if any, that is associated
with the video game segment.
[0051] In general, control circuitry 302 performs the search at 804
by attempting to match content attribute identifiers (and
corresponding content identifiers) stored in metadata database 110
to one or more corresponding segment attributes received at 802. As
noted above, the correspondence between content (or content
identifiers) and attributes (or content attribute identifiers) is
indicated by metadata stored in metadata database 110, for
instance, according to data structure 1002. Additional details
regarding how control circuitry 302 may identify an item of content
at 804 are provided below in connection with FIG. 9. If an item of
content is not identified as being associated with the video game
segment ("NO" at 806), then control circuitry 302 returns data
indicating that no item of content has been identified and the
procedure 800 terminates. If an item of content is identified as
being associated with the video game segment ("YES" at 806), then
at 808 control circuitry 302 transmits, over communication network
106, a recommendation of the identified content item for display
via computing device 104. At 812, control circuitry 302 determines
whether the user has selected the recommended item of content for
playback. If the user has not selected the recommended item of
content for playback ("NO" at 812), then process 800 terminates. If
the user has selected the recommended item of content for playback
("YES" at 812), then at 814 control circuitry 302 retrieves the
identified item of content from content database 108 and transmits
it over communication network 106 for playback via computing device
104. Procedure 800 then terminates.
[0052] FIG. 9 depicts an illustrative flowchart of a process 900
for searching metadata to identify content associated with a video
game segment, in accordance with some embodiments of the
disclosure. Process 900 corresponds to step 804 of FIG. 8 in some
examples. At 902, control circuitry 302 extracts data from the
gaming log received at 802. In various embodiments, control
circuitry 302 uses one or more of a variety of types of attributes
(e.g., indicated as being associated with the video game segment
identified in the gaming log data received at 802) as criteria for
identifying content items associated with data included in the
gaming log. Example types of attributes or criteria that control
circuitry 302 may use for this purpose include a video game
identifier, a character identifier, a scene identifier, a sport
identifier, or any other type of identifier that may be used to
associate a segment of a video game with corresponding content such
as songs, clips of movie scenes, clips of real-world sporting
events featuring a character and/or team that is featured in the
video game segment, and/or user-uploaded video clips or game
challenge tutorials.
[0053] At 904, control circuitry 302 determines which of one or
more criterion are to be used as the basis for identifying content
items associated with data included in the gaming log (e.g.,
associated with one or more video game segments identified in the
gaming log). For example, control circuitry 302 may retrieve a rule
from storage 304 to determine which criteria are to be used.
Control circuitry 302 may additionally or alternatively determine
which criteria are to be used by detecting whether certain types of
data (e.g., a video game identifier, a character identifier, a
scene identifier, a sport identifier, or the like) are included in
the video gaming log. Although process 900 of FIG. 9 shows a single
criterion being utilized based on a determination at 904, in
various embodiments any combination of multiple criteria may be
utilized to identify content items associated with the gaming log
data.
[0054] In some examples, an item of content, such as a theme song
or the like, may be related to a video game in general even if not
uniquely related to a specific segment of the video game. In such
an example, control circuitry 302 may utilize a video game
identifier, which uniquely identifies a video game, as a criterion
for identifying related content items. If a video game identifier
is to be utilized to identify content items associated with the
gaming log data ("VIDEO GAME ID" at 904), then at 906 control
circuitry 302 searches metadata database 110 for metadata--and an
identifier of the corresponding content item--that matches the
video game identifier extracted from the gaming log received at
902. In this manner, control circuitry 302 can identify an item of
content, if any, that is associated with a video game in general,
even if not associated (e.g., at least as indicated by data in
metadata database 110) with a particular segment of the video
game.
[0055] In another example, a video game segment may be related to
(e.g., may feature) a character, such as a fictitious video game
character, a character from a movie or other media content, a
real-life character (e.g., a player of a professional sport) or the
like. In such an example, control circuitry 302 utilizes a
character identifier, which uniquely identifies a character, as a
criterion for identifying one or more related content items. If a
character identifier is to be utilized to identify content items
associated with the gaming log data ("CHARACTER ID" at 904), then
at 908 control circuitry 302 searches metadata database 110 for
metadata--and an identifier of the corresponding content item--that
matches the character identifier extracted from the gaming log
received at 902. In this manner, control circuitry 302 can identify
an item of content, if any, that is associated with a
character--such as a fictitious video game character, a character
from a movie or other media content, a real-life character (e.g., a
player of a professional sport) or the like--that is featured in a
video segment identified in the gaming log.
[0056] As yet another example, a video game segment may be related
to a scene from a movie or other media content. For instance, a
video game segment (or particular challenge) may mirror a scene
from a corresponding movie. In such an example, control circuitry
302 may use a scene identifier, which uniquely identifies a scene
from a movie or other media content that is related to the video
game segment, as a criterion for identifying one or more related
content items. If a scene identifier is to be utilized to identify
content items associated with the gaming log data ("SCENE ID" at
904), then at 910 control circuitry 302 searches metadata database
110 for metadata--and an identifier of the corresponding content
item--that matches the scene identifier extracted from the gaming
log received at 902.
[0057] In another aspect, a video game segment may be related to a
sport, such as football, baseball, basketball, or the like. For
instance, the video game segment may relate to a particular video
game matchup between two NFL football teams that have real-life
counterparts. In such an example, control circuitry 302 utilizes a
sport identifier (and/or one or more team identifiers, player
identifiers, sporting event identifiers indicating an event that
occurred during the video game play of the sport, or the like) as a
criterion for identifying one or more related content items. If a
sport identifier is to be utilized to identify content items
associated with the gaming log data ("SPORT ID" at 904), then at
912 control circuitry 302 searches metadata database 110 for
metadata--and an identifier of the corresponding content item--that
matches the sport identifier extracted from the gaming log received
at 902.
[0058] Although not shown in FIG. 9, in some embodiments, the
gaming log includes an event identifier indicating an event, such
as completion of a video gaming challenge or milestone, that
occurred during the course of video game play, and control
circuitry 302 utilizes the event identifier as a criterion for
identifying content related to that video game segment. In this
manner, control circuitry 302 may provide a recommendation of
content that corresponds to gaming milestone a user recently
achieved.
[0059] At 914, control circuitry determines whether an item of
content is identified, at 906, 908, 910, or 912, as being
associated with the video game segment extracted from the gaming
log at 902. If an item of content is not identified as being
associated with the video game segment ("NO" at 914), then control
circuitry 302 returns data indicating that no item of content has
been identified and the procedure 900 terminates. If an item of
content is identified as being associated with the video game
segment ("YES" at 914), then at 918 control circuitry 302 returns
the content item identifier for the identified content item so that
a recommendation of the item of content, or the content item
itself, may be transmitted to computing device 104 for selection
and/or playback.
[0060] The systems and processes discussed above are intended to be
illustrative and not limiting. One skilled in the art would
appreciate that the actions of the processes discussed herein may
be omitted, modified, combined, and/or rearranged, and any
additional actions may be performed without departing from the
scope of the invention. More generally, the above disclosure is
meant to be exemplary and not limiting. Only the claims that follow
are meant to set bounds as to what the present disclosure includes.
Furthermore, it should be noted that the features and limitations
described in any one embodiment may be applied to any other
embodiment herein, and flowcharts or examples relating to one
embodiment may be combined with any other embodiment in a suitable
manner, done in different orders, or done in parallel. In addition,
the systems and methods described herein may be performed 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.
* * * * *