A system and method for correcting media asset playback in response to verbal commands unrelated to media asset playback.

Abstract

To provide systems and methods for modifying the playback of a media asset in response to a verbal command unrelated to the playback of the media asset.SOLUTION: Systems and methods are described for translating a non-playback command into a playback modification to encourage a recipient of the command to execute on the command. A media guidance application may determine a command from a first user to a second user. The media guidance application may compare the command to a set of playback operation commands for a media asset that is currently being played back. The media guidance application may determine that the command is not contained within the set of playback operation commands. In response to a step of determining that the command is not contained within the set of commands, the media guidance application may determine whether the second user executes a desired outcome of the command.SELECTED DRAWING: None

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Modifying the playback of a media asset in response to an oral command or detected speech is a technique used to prompt the recipient of the command to perform an action upon the command. Related techniques describe various ways to modify playback based on oral commands related to playback. For example, related techniques describe a system that detects an oral command related to playback (e.g., a user saying "Alexa, pause the movie"), and then modifies playback based on the detected command. Typical media applications look for commands related to guided actions and cannot consider how to operate when non-guided commands are received. Related techniques can also pick up ambient speech and perform playback actions in response to the detected speech. However, related techniques do not describe different modes of operation based on whether the user is authorized to perform an action that meets the goal of the speech.

Summary of the Invention

Means for Solving the Problems

[0002] Systems and methods are provided herein for converting commands that are unrelated to playback into related playback modifications to prompt 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!", the playback of the movie may be paused to prompt the first user to stop watching the movie and go eat dinner.

[0003] For this purpose and other purposes, in some aspects of this disclosure, the media guide application may detect commands from a first user to a second user. The first user may be a user who is not currently watching playback of the media asset and may be in an environment outside the media asset's viewing environment. The second user may be a user who is currently watching playback of the media asset within the media asset's viewing environment. For example, the media guide application may use an intelligent personal assistant device (e.g., Amazon Echo) to detect verbal commands from the first user to the second user (e.g., "Dinner is ready, take a seat!").

[0004] In some embodiments, when the media guide application detects a command from a first user to a second user, the media guide application may also detect verbal input from the first user. For example, the media guide application may use an audio detection sensor to detect verbal input from the first user (e.g., the user saying "Dinner's ready!").

[0005] A media guide application may compare verbal input with a database of commands, the database containing the command corresponding to each verbal input. For example, a media guide application may compare verbal input (e.g., the user saying "Dinner's ready!") with a database containing commands (e.g., eat dinner, answer the door, clean, vacuum, etc.).

[0006] The media guide application may determine, from comparison, the command corresponding to the verbal input from the first user. For example, the media guide application may use pattern recognition between input and command from the user profile to determine that the verbal input (e.g., "Dinner is ready!") corresponds to the command (e.g., eat dinner).

[0007] In some embodiments, when the media guide application determines a command corresponding to a verbal input from a first user from a comparison, the media guide application may determine a match between the verbal input and a database of commands. For example, the media guide application may determine that a verbal input (e.g., "Dinner is ready!") corresponds to a command (e.g., Eat dinner) because the verbal input matches a keyword contained in the command (e.g., "dinner"). The media guide application may then determine that the command corresponding to the match (e.g., Eat dinner) is the command corresponding to the verbal input from the first user.

[0008] The media guide application may compare a command to a set of playback action commands for a media asset currently being played by a second user. For example, the media guide application may compare a command (e.g., eat dinner) to a set of playback action commands (e.g., pause, fast forward, mute, etc.) for a media asset (e.g., a movie) currently being played by a second user.

[0009] In response to the comparison, the media guide application may determine that the command is not included in the set of playback action commands. For example, the media guide application may determine that the command (e.g., eat dinner) is not included in the set of playback action commands (e.g., pause, fast forward, mute, etc.).

[0010] The media guide application may determine the desired outcome of a command from among several possible outcomes of the command, based on the user profiles of the first user and the second user. For example, the media guide application may determine the desired outcome of a command (e.g., the second user stops watching the movie and eats dinner) based on the user profile of the first user (e.g., the profile may describe that the first user is a mother) and the user profile of the second user (e.g., the second profile may describe that the second user is the mother's son who follows his mother's commands).

[0011] In some embodiments, when the media guide application determines the desired outcome of a command from multiple results of the command based on the user profiles of a first user and a second user, the media guide application may determine the attributes of the command. For example, the media guide application may determine the attributes of a command (e.g., the speaker of the command, the tone of the command, the severity of the command, etc.) based on comparing the command with entries in an attribute database.

[0012] A media guide application may compare the attributes of a command to the attributes of several of its consequences. For example, a media guide application may compare the attributes of a command (e.g., the speaker of the command, the tone of the command, the seriousness of the command, the purpose of the command, etc.) to the attributes of several of its consequences (e.g., the consequences if the command is followed, the consequences if the command is ignored, the conclusion of following the command, the conclusion of not following the command, etc.).

[0013] A media guide application may determine from a comparison that a result among several results containing the attributes of a command is the desired result. For example, a media guide application may determine from a comparison that a result containing the attributes of a command (e.g., the intended conclusion of the command) (e.g., the user pauses the movie and goes to eat dinner) is the desired result.

[0014] The media guide application may also detect actions performed by a second user. For example, the media guide application may use a camera to detect that a user has left a viewing environment where a movie is playing and entered a dining room.

[0015] In some embodiments, when the media guide application detects an action performed by a second user, the media guide application may use sensors to detect a second user leaving the viewing environment of a media device presenting a media asset. For example, the media guide application may use a motion detection sensor to detect that a second user is leaving the viewing environment of a television in which the user is watching a movie.

[0016] In some embodiments, when the media guide application detects an action performed by a second user, the media guide application may detect a second user executing a command to modify the playback of a media asset. For example, the media guide application may detect a user who presses an input command on a remote control device, such as “pause,” to pause the playback of a movie that the user is watching.

[0017] In some embodiments, when the media guide application detects an action performed by a second user, the media guide application may use sensors to detect that the second user remains within the viewing environment of the media asset device. For example, the media guide application may use a heat mapping sensor to detect that the second user has not left the bench where the user is watching a movie play.

[0018] The media guide application may compare the actions of a second user with the desired outcome of a command. For example, the media guide application may compare an action (e.g., the second user continuing to watch a movie) with the desired outcome of a command (e.g., the second user going out for dinner).

[0019] In some embodiments, when comparing characteristics from the characteristics read from a second user with commands, the media guide application may select characteristics from a set of characteristics consisting of age, rank in the household, relationships with other users, and time, and the media guide application may select commands from a set of commands consisting of eating, cleaning, studying, cooking, and sleeping.

[0020] The media guide application may determine from the comparison whether a command shares characteristics of a second user. For example, the media guide application may determine from the comparison whether a command (e.g., meal) shares characteristics of a second user (e.g., time).

[0021] In response to the step where the command determines that the properties are shared, the media guide application may modify the playback of the media asset. For example, in response to the step where the command determines that the properties are shared, the media guide application may pause the playback of the media asset.

[0022] In response to the step of determining that the second user's action does not correspond to the desired result of the command, the media guide application may read the second user's characteristics from the second user's user profile. For example, the media guide application may read characteristics (e.g., age, relationship to the first user, user rank in the household, etc.) from the second user's user profile.

[0023] The media guide application may decide whether to modify the playback of a media asset based on commands detected by the first user and characteristics read from the second user. For example, the media guide application may decide whether to modify the playback of a media asset (e.g., pause, mute, rewind, fast forward, turn off, etc.) based on commands detected by the first user (e.g., eat dinner) and characteristics of the second user (e.g., the second user must always follow commands from the first user).

[0024] In some embodiments, when the media guide application is deciding whether to modify the playback of a media asset based on commands detected by a first user and characteristics read from a second user, the media guide application may read the rank of the first user and the rank of the second user. For example, the media guide application may read the rank of the first user (e.g., the first user is ranked first out of five users) and the rank of the second user (e.g., the second user is ranked fourth out of five users).

[0025] The media guide application may determine from the rank whether the first user is ranked higher than the second user. For example, the media guide application may determine that the first user (e.g., ranked 1st) is ranked higher than the second user (e.g., ranked 2nd).

[0026] In response to determining that the first user is ranked higher than the second user, the media guide application may modify the playback of the media asset. For example, in response to determining that the first user is ranked higher than the second user, the media guide application may modify the playback of the media asset (e.g., pause the currently playing movie).

[0027] In response to determining that the second user is ranked higher than the first user, the media guide application may continue to play the media asset. For example, in response to determining that the second user is ranked higher than the first user, the media guide application may continue to play the media asset (e.g., the movie that the second user is watching).

[0028] [[ID=**10**]]In some embodiments, the media guide application may detect a command from the first user to the second user and the third user. For example, the media guide application may detect a command (e.g., eat dinner) from the first user to the second user and the third user.

[0029] The media guide application may determine 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.

[0030] The media guide application may detect a first action performed by a second user and a second action performed by a third user. For example, the media guide application may detect a first action performed by a second user (e.g., the second user turns up the volume of a movie) and a second action performed by a third user (e.g., a motion sensor detects that the third user leaves the viewing environment to go out for dinner).

[0031] The media guide application may compare the actions of a second user and a third user with the desired outcome of the command. For example, the media guide application may compare the actions of a second user (e.g., increasing the volume of a movie via remote control) and a third user (e.g., a motion sensor detecting a third user leaving the viewing environment) with the desired outcome of the command (e.g., the second and third users going out for dinner).

[0032] In response to the step of determining that the actions of the second user and the third user do not correspond to the desired result of the command, the media guide application may read the characteristics of the second user from the second user's user profile and the characteristics of the third user from the third user's user profile.

[0033] The media guide application may decide whether to modify the playback of a media asset based on commands detected by a first user and characteristics read by a second user and characteristics read by a third user. For example, the media guide application may decide to modify the playback of a media asset based on commands detected by a first user (e.g., eat dinner), characteristics read by a first user (e.g., rank), and characteristics read by a third user (e.g., rank), because the first user's rank is higher than the ranks of the second and third users. In another embodiment, the media guide application may decide not to modify the playback of a media asset based on commands detected by a first user (e.g., eat dinner), characteristics read by a first user (e.g., rank), and characteristics read by a second and third user (e.g., rank), because the third user's rank is higher than the command and ranks of the first user.

[0034] In some aspects of this disclosure, systems and methods are provided herein to determine whether a user is authorized to perform an action that satisfies a voice objective. For example, in response to the step of detecting a ringing doorbell, a user may or may not be able to pause the playback of a movie they are watching. If the user is a child and is home alone, the user may not be able to pause the playback of a movie to encourage them not to answer the door when they are home alone. If the user is a child and their parent is home, the user may be able to pause the playback of a movie and answer the door.

[0035] For this purpose and other purposes, in some aspects of this disclosure, a media guide application may detect sound produced by a first device outside the media equipment device. For example, a media guide application may use a sensor to detect sound (e.g., the sound of a doorbell ringing) from a first device outside the media equipment device (e.g., a television) (e.g., a doorbell ringing).

[0036] A media guide application may store a database that associates a goal among multiple goals with a set of actions among multiple actions and an audio among multiple audios. For example, a media guide application may store a database that associates a goal among multiple goals (e.g., answer the door, answer the phone, leave the house, etc.) (e.g., answer the door) with a set of actions among multiple actions (e.g., pause playback of a media asset to answer the door, continue watching playback of a media asset and ignore the doorbell, etc.) (e.g., continue watching playback of a media asset and ignore the doorbell) and an audio among multiple audios (e.g., the doorbell rings, the phone rings, the smoke detector beeps, etc.).

[0037] The media guide application may compare the audio generated by the first device with a database to determine the set of goals associated with the audio and the corresponding actions associated with the goals. For example, the media guide application may compare the audio generated by the first device (e.g., a doorbell ringing) with a database to determine the goal associated with the audio (e.g., answering the door) and the corresponding set of actions associated with the goal (e.g., pausing playback of the media asset, leaving the viewing environment and answering the door, etc.).

[0038] In some embodiments, when comparing the audio generated by the first device with a database and determining the set of goals associated with the audio and the corresponding actions associated with the goals, the media guide application may determine the match between the audio and the entries in the database based on the characteristics of the audio. For example, the media guide application may use audio characteristics (e.g., tone, volume, frequency, etc.) to match the audio with its corresponding entry in the database.

[0039] The media guide application may read from the entry the goal associated with the sound. For example, the media guide application may read from the entry the goal associated with the sound (e.g., the doorbell rings) (e.g., answering the door).

[0040] The media guide application may read from the entry a set of corresponding actions associated with a goal. For example, the media guide application may read from the entry a set of corresponding actions associated with a goal (e.g., respond to a door) (e.g., pause playback of the media asset, mute the volume of the media asset playback, etc.).

[0041] A media guide application may detect users within the viewing environment of a media device. For example, a media guide application may use a sensor (e.g., a camera) to detect users within the viewing environment of a media device (e.g., a television).

[0042] In some embodiments, when detecting a user in the viewing environment of a media device, the media guide application may use sensors to detect the presence of a user in the viewing environment. For example, the media guide application may use an infrared sensor to detect a user in the viewing environment of a media device (e.g., a television).

[0043] The media guide application may determine from the user's user profile whether the user is authorized to perform an action from a set of determined actions associated with a goal. For example, the media guide application may determine from an authorization database in the user's profile whether the user is authorized to exit a viewing environment associated with a goal (e.g., answering a door).

[0044] In some embodiments, when determining from a user's user profile whether the user is authorized to perform an action in a set of determined actions associated with a goal, the media guide application may read a rank for the user from the user profile. For example, the media guide application may read a rank for the user (e.g., 8 out of 10).

[0045] The media guide application may retrieve a rank for an action from the database. For example, the media guide application may retrieve a rank (e.g., 5 out of 10) for an action (e.g., exiting the viewing environment) from the database.

[0046] The media guide application may determine whether the rank for the user exceeds the rank for the action. For example, the media guide application may determine whether the rank for the user (e.g., 8 out of 10) exceeds the rank for the action (e.g., 5 out of 10).

[0047] In response to the step of determining that the rank for the user exceeds the rank for the action, the media guide application may determine that the user is authorized to perform the action. For example, the media guide application may determine that the user is authorized to exit the viewing environment.

[0048] In response to the step of determining whether the user is authorized to take action, the media guide application may generate a notification for the user indicating the detected sound. For example, the media guide application may generate an audio notification (e.g., a doorbell sound) which will play over the playback of the media asset for the user, indicating the detected sound.

[0049] In some embodiments, when generating a notification for the user indicating detected sound, the media guide application may generate an overlay to be displayed on the media device, the overlay containing a notification for the user about the sound. For example, the media guide application may generate an overlay to be displayed on the media device (e.g., an overlay that says "The doorbell is ringing!").

[0050] A media guide application may modify the playback of media assets and allow users to perform actions associated with goals. For example, a media guide application may modify the playback of media assets (e.g., pause the movie the user is watching) and allow users to perform actions associated with goals (e.g., respond to a door) (e.g., exit the viewing environment).

[0051] In some embodiments, when modifying the playback of a media asset and enabling the user to perform actions associated with a goal, the media guide application may read a set of playback modifications associated with a goal from a database. For example, the media guide application may read a set of playback modifications associated with a goal from a database (e.g., pause, play, fast forward, rewind, mute, turn on / off, etc.).

[0052] The media guide application may select a playback modification from a set of playback modifications based on the user's preferences. For example, the media guide application may select a playback modification (e.g., pause) from a set of playback modifications based on the user's preferences (e.g., the user does not want to miss any content while responding to a door).

[0053] The media guide application may modify the playback of a media asset based on the selected playback modification. For example, the media guide application may modify the playback of a media asset based on the selected playback modification (e.g., pausing the playback of the media asset).

[0054] In response to the step of determining that the user is not authorized to perform an action, the media guide application may generate a notification for a second user to perform the action. For example, the media guide application may generate a notification for performing an action (e.g., answering the door) (e.g., sending an SMS message to the second user).

[0055] In some embodiments, the media guide application may determine that the audio is within the audible range of the listening environment. For example, the media guide application may use a sensor (e.g., a microphone) contained within the listening environment to detect the audio.

[0056] In response to a step in determining that a user is not authorized to take an action, the Media Guide application may prevent the user from modifying the playback of a media asset. For example, the Media Guide application may prevent the user from modifying the playback of the Media Guide application (e.g., by not allowing the user to pause the playback of a media asset).

[0057] The media guide application may modify the playback of media assets to prevent users from performing actions associated with the objective. For example, the media guide application may increase the volume of the media asset playback to drown out sounds within the user's audible range.

[0058] In some embodiments, when modifying the playback of a media asset, the media guide application may determine a volume level that attenuates audio within the audible range. For example, the media guide application may determine a volume level that is equal to or higher than the determined volume level of audio within the audible range.

[0059] The media guide application may adjust the volume corresponding to the playback of a media asset so that it is attenuating. For example, the media guide application may adjust the playback volume of a media asset so that it is higher than the detected volume of audio within the audible range. The present invention provides, for example, the following: (Item 1) It is a method, The task is to determine the command from the first user to the second user, The command is compared with the set of playback command sets for the media asset currently being played, In response to the comparison, it is determined that the command is not included in the set of playback operation commands, In response to determining that the command is not included in the set of playback operation commands, the second user determines whether to perform the desired result of the command, In response to the second user deciding not to perform the desired result of the command, it is decided whether to modify the playback of the media asset. Methods that include... (Item 2) A method for converting an unrelated command into a relevant playback modification and prompting the recipient of the command to execute the command, the method being: Detecting commands from the first user to the second user, The command is compared with the set of playback command sets for the media asset currently being played by the second user, In response to the comparison, it is determined that the command is not included in the set of playback operation commands, Based on the user profile of the first user and the user profile of the second user, the desired result of the command is determined from a plurality of results of the command, To detect the actions performed by the aforementioned second user, The actions of the second user described above are compared with the desired result of the command, In response to determining that the action of the second user does not correspond to the desired result of the command, the characteristics of the second user are read from the user profile of the second user, Based on the command detected by the first user and the characteristics read by the second user, a decision is made as to whether to modify the playback of the media asset. Methods that include... (Item 3) Based on the command detected by the first user and the characteristics read by the second user, determining whether to modify the playback of the media asset is: The method involves comparing the characteristics from the retrieved characteristics of the second user with the commands, wherein the characteristics are selected from a group of characteristics consisting of age, rank, relationships with other users, and time, and the commands are selected from a group of commands consisting of eating, cleaning, studying, cooking, and sleeping. From the above comparison, it is determined whether the command shares the characteristics of the second user, In response to the command deciding to share the characteristics, the playback of the media asset is modified. The method described in item 2, including the method described in item 2. (Item 4) To detect commands from the first user to the second and third users, Based on the user profile of the first user, the user profile of the second user, and the user profile of the third user, the desired result of the command is determined from the multiple results of the command, To detect the first action performed by the second user and the second action performed by the third user, Comparing the actions of the second user and the actions of the third user with the desired result of the command, In response to determining that the actions of the second user and the actions of the third user do not correspond to the desired result of the command, the characteristics of the second user are read from the user profile of the second user, and the characteristics of the third user are read from the user profile of the third user, Based on the command detected by the first user, the characteristics read by the second user, and the characteristics read by the third user, it is determined whether to modify the playback of the media asset. The method described in item 2, further including the method described in item 2. (Item 5) Detecting the command from the first user is To detect verbal input from the first user, The process involves comparing the aforementioned verbal input with a command database, wherein the database contains commands corresponding to each verbal input. From the above comparison, the command corresponding to the verbal input from the first user is determined. The method described in item 2, including the method described in item 2. (Item 6) From the above comparison, determining the command corresponding to the verbal input from the first user is: Determining the match between the verbal input and the database of verbal commands, The command corresponding to the aforementioned match is determined to be the command corresponding to the verbal input from the first user. The method described in item 5, including the method described in item 5. (Item 7) Based on the user profile of the first user and the user profile of the second user, determining the desired result of the command from a plurality of results of the command is further: Determining the attributes of the aforementioned command, The attributes of the aforementioned command are compared with the attributes of multiple results of the aforementioned command, From the above comparison, the result among the plurality of results containing the attributes of the command is determined to be the desired result. The method described in item 2, including the method described in item 2. (Item 8) The method of item 2, wherein detecting the action performed by the second user includes using a sensor to detect the second user leaving the viewing environment of a media device presenting the media asset. (Item 9) The method of item 2, wherein detecting the action performed by the second user includes detecting the second user executing a command to modify the playback of the media asset. (Item 10) The method of 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 the media asset device. (Item 11) Based on the command detected by the first user and the characteristics read by the second user, determining whether to modify the playback of the media asset is: Reading the rank of the first user and the rank of the second user, From the aforementioned rank, determine whether the first user is ranked higher than the second user, In response to determining that the first user is ranked higher than the second user, the playback of the media asset is modified. In response to the second user determining that they are ranked higher than the first user, the media asset continues to play. The method described in item 2, including the method described in item 2. (Item 12) A system for converting unrelated commands into relevant replay modifications and prompting the recipient of the command to execute the command, wherein the system: A control circuit, Detecting commands from the first user to the second user, The command is compared with the set of playback command sets for the media asset currently being played by the second user, In response to the comparison, it is determined that the command is not included in the set of playback operation commands, Based on the user profile of the first user and the user profile of the second user, the desired result of the command is determined from a plurality of results of the command, To detect the actions performed by the aforementioned second user, The actions of the second user described above are compared with the desired result of the command, In response to determining that the action of the second user does not correspond to the desired result of the command, the characteristics of the second user are read from the user profile of the second user, Based on the command detected by the first user and the characteristics read by the second user, a decision is made as to whether to modify the playback of the media asset. A control circuit configured to perform A system equipped with these features. (Item 13) The aforementioned control circuit is The method involves comparing the characteristics from the retrieved characteristics of the second user with the commands, wherein the characteristics are selected from a group of characteristics consisting of age, rank, relationships with other users, and time, and the commands are selected from a group of commands consisting of eating, cleaning, studying, cooking, and sleeping. From the above comparison, it is determined whether the command shares the characteristics of the second user, In response to the command deciding to share the characteristics, the playback of the media asset is modified. The system according to item 12, configured to determine whether to modify the playback of the media asset based on the command detected by the first user and the characteristics read by the second user. (Item 14) The control circuit further, To detect commands from the first user to the second and third users, Based on the user profile of the first user, the user profile of the second user, and the user profile of the third user, the desired result of the command is determined from the multiple results of the command, To detect the first action performed by the second user and the second action performed by the third user, Comparing the actions of the second user and the actions of the third user with the desired result of the command, In response to determining that the actions of the second user and the actions of the third user do not correspond to the desired result of the command, the characteristics of the second user are read from the user profile of the second user, and the characteristics of the third user are read from the user profile of the third user, Based on the command detected by the first user, the characteristics read by the second user, and the characteristics read by the third user, it is determined whether to modify the playback of the media asset. The system described in item 12, configured to perform the following actions. (Item 15) The aforementioned control circuit is To detect verbal input from the first user, The process involves comparing the aforementioned verbal input with a command database, wherein the database contains commands corresponding to each verbal input. From the above comparison, the command corresponding to the verbal input from the first user is determined. The system described in item 12, configured to detect the command from the first user. (Item 16) The aforementioned control circuit is Determining the match between the verbal input and the database of verbal commands, The command corresponding to the aforementioned match is determined to be the command corresponding to the verbal input from the first user. The method of item 15, configured to determine a command corresponding to the verbal input from the first user from the comparison. (Item 17) The control circuit further, Determining the attributes of the aforementioned command, The attributes of the aforementioned command are compared with the attributes of multiple results of the aforementioned command, From the above comparison, the result among the plurality of results containing the attributes of the command is determined to be the desired result. The system is configured to determine the desired result of the command from a plurality of results of the command, based on the user profile of the first user and the user profile of the second user. The system described in item 12. (Item 18) The system according to item 12, wherein the control circuit is configured to detect the action performed by the second user by using a sensor to detect the second user leaving the viewing environment of a media device presenting the media asset. (Item 19) The system according to item 12, wherein the control circuit is configured to detect the action performed by the second user by detecting the second user executing a command to modify the playback of the media asset. (Item 20) The system according to item 12, wherein the control circuit is configured to detect the action performed by the second user by using a sensor to detect that the second user remains within the viewing environment of the media asset device. (Item 21) The aforementioned control circuit is Reading the rank of the first user and the rank of the second user, From the aforementioned rank, determine whether the first user is ranked higher than the second user, In response to determining that the first user is ranked higher than the second user, the playback of the media asset is modified. In response to the second user determining that they are ranked higher than the first user, the media asset continues to play. The system according to item 12, configured to determine whether to modify the playback of the media asset based on the command detected by the first user and the characteristics read by the second user. (Item 22) A device for converting unrelated commands into relevant playback modifications and prompting the recipient of the command to execute the command, the device, A means for detecting a command from the first user to the second user, Means for comparing the command with a set of playback operation commands for a media asset currently being played by the second user, In response to the comparison, means for determining whether the command is not included in the set of playback operation commands, Means for determining a desired result of the command from a plurality of results of the command, based on the user profile of the first user and the user profile of the second user, Means for detecting an action performed by the second user, Means for comparing the actions of the second user with the desired result of the command, In response to determining that the action of the second user does not correspond to the desired result of the command, means for reading the characteristics of the second user from the user profile of the second user, Means for determining whether to modify the playback of the media asset based on the command detected by the first user and the characteristics read by the second user, A device equipped with the following features. (Item 23) The means for determining whether to modify the playback of the media asset based on the command detected by the first user and the characteristics read by the second user is: Means for comparing characteristics from the characteristics of the second user read out with the commands, wherein the characteristics are selected from a group of characteristics consisting of age, rank, relationships with other users, and time, and the commands are selected from a group of commands consisting of eating, cleaning, studying, cooking, and sleeping. From the above comparison, means for determining whether the command shares the characteristics of the second user, In response to the command deciding to share the characteristics, means for modifying the playback of the media asset and The apparatus described in item 22, comprising: (Item 24) Means for detecting commands from the first user to the second user and the third user, Means for 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; Means for detecting a first action performed by the second user and a second action performed by the third user, Means for comparing the actions of the second user and the actions of the third user with the desired result of the command, In response to determining that the actions of the second user and the actions of the third user do not correspond to the desired result of the command, means for reading the characteristics of the second user from the user profile of the second user and the characteristics of the third user from the user profile of the third user, Means for determining whether to modify the playback of the media asset based on the command detected by the first user, the characteristics read by the second user, and the characteristics read by the third user. The apparatus described in item 22, further comprising: (Item 25) The means for detecting the command from the first user is: Means for detecting verbal input from the first user, A means for comparing the aforementioned oral input with a command database, wherein the database contains a command corresponding to each oral input, From the above comparison, means for determining the command corresponding to the verbal input from the first user and The apparatus described in item 22, comprising: (Item 26) From the above comparison, the means for determining the command corresponding to the verbal input from the first user is, Means for determining a match between the verbal input and the database of verbal commands, Means for determining that the command corresponding to the match is the command corresponding to the verbal input from the first user, The apparatus described in item 25, comprising: (Item 27) Based on the user profile of the first user and the user profile of the second user, the means for determining a desired result of the command from a plurality of results of the command further: Means for determining the attributes of the command, Means for comparing the attributes of the command with the attributes of multiple results of the command, From the above comparison, means for determining that the result among the plurality of results containing the attributes of the command is the desired result. The apparatus described in item 22, comprising: (Item 28) The apparatus according to item 22, wherein the means for detecting the action performed by the second user comprises means for detecting the second user leaving the viewing environment of a media device presenting the media asset, using sensors. (Item 29) The apparatus according to item 22, wherein the means for detecting the action performed by the second user comprises means for detecting the second user who executes a command to modify the playback of the media asset. (Item 30) The apparatus according to item 22, wherein the means for detecting the action performed by the second user comprises a sensor for detecting that the second user remains within the viewing environment of the media asset device. (Item 31) The means for determining whether to modify the playback of the media asset based on the command detected by the first user and the characteristics read by the second user is: Means for reading the rank of the first user and the rank of the second user, A means for determining whether the first user is ranked higher than the second user based on the aforementioned ranks, In response to determining that the first user is ranked higher than the second user, means for modifying the playback of the media asset, In response to the second user determining that they are ranked higher than the first user, means for continuing to play the media asset. The apparatus described in item 22, including the apparatus described in item 22. (Item 32) A non-transient computer-readable medium comprising a memory, the memory having non-transient computer-readable instructions encoded on the memory for translating unrelated commands into relevant replay modifications and prompting a recipient of the commands to execute the commands, the instructions being, Instructions for detecting commands from the first user to the second user, An instruction to compare the aforementioned command with a set of playback operation commands for the media asset currently being played by the second user, In response to the comparison, instructions for determining that the command is not included in the set of playback operation commands, Instructions for determining a desired result of the command from a plurality of results of the command, based on the user profile of the first user and the user profile of the second user, A command for detecting an action performed by the second user, Instructions for comparing the actions of the second user with the desired result of the command, In response to determining that the action of the second user does not correspond to the desired result of the command, an instruction to read the characteristics of the second user from the user profile of the second user, Based on the command detected by the first user and the characteristics read by the second user, an instruction for determining whether to modify the playback of the media asset and A non-transient, computer-readable medium equipped with [specific features / features]. (Item 33) The instruction for determining whether to modify the playback of the media asset based on the command detected by the first user and the characteristics read by the second user is: An instruction for comparing characteristics from the characteristics of the second user read out with the command, wherein the characteristics are selected from a group of characteristics consisting of age, rank, relationships with other users, and time, and the command is selected from a group of commands consisting of eating, cleaning, studying, cooking, and sleeping, From the above comparison, the command is an instruction for determining whether the command shares the characteristics of the second user, In response to the command deciding to share the characteristics, an instruction to modify the playback of the media asset and A non-transient computer-readable medium as described in item 32, comprising the features described above. (Item 34) The aforementioned instruction further states, Instructions for detecting commands from the first user to the second user and the third user, Instructions for 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; Instructions for detecting a first action performed by the second user and a second action performed by the third user, Instructions for comparing the actions of the second user and the actions of the third user with the desired result of the command, A command to read the characteristics of the second user from the user profile of the second user and the characteristics of the third user from the user profile of the third user, in response to determining that the actions of the second user and the actions of the third user do not correspond to the desired result of the command, Based on the command detected by the first user, the characteristics read by the second user, and the characteristics read by the third user, an instruction for determining whether to modify the playback of the media asset. A non-transient computer-readable medium as described in item 32, comprising the features described above. (Item 35) The instruction for detecting the command from the first user is: A command for detecting verbal input from the first user, An instruction for comparing the aforementioned oral input with a command database, wherein the database contains a command corresponding to each oral input, From the above comparison, the command for determining the command corresponding to the verbal input from the first user and A non-transient computer-readable medium as described in item 32, comprising the features described above. (Item 36) From the above comparison, the instruction for determining the command corresponding to the verbal input from the first user is: Instructions for determining a match between the aforementioned oral input and the database of the aforementioned oral commands, An instruction for determining that the command corresponding to the match is the command corresponding to the verbal input from the first user, and A non-transient computer-readable medium as described in item 35, comprising the features described above. (Item 37) Based on the user profile of the first user and the user profile of the second user, the instruction for determining the desired result of the command from a plurality of results of the command further: Instructions for determining the attributes of the aforementioned command, Instructions for comparing the attributes of the command with the attributes of multiple results of the command, From the above comparison, the command for determining that the result among the plurality of results containing the attributes of the command is the desired result and A non-transient computer-readable medium as described in item 32, comprising the features described above. (Item 38) The command for detecting the action performed by the second user comprises a command for detecting the second user leaving the viewing environment of a media device presenting the media asset, as described in item 32. (Item 39) The non-transient computer-readable media described in item 32, wherein the instruction for detecting the action performed by the second user comprises an instruction for detecting the second user executing a command to modify the playback of the media asset. (Item 40) The non-transient computer-readable media described in item 32, wherein 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 the media asset device. (Item 41) The instruction for determining whether to modify the playback of the media asset based on the command detected by the first user and the characteristics read by the second user is: Instructions for reading the rank of the first user and the rank of the second user, A command for determining whether the first user is ranked higher than the second user based on the aforementioned rank, In response to determining that the first user is ranked higher than the second user, an instruction to modify the playback of the media asset, In response to the second user determining that they are ranked higher than the first user, a command is issued to continue playing the media asset. A non-transient computer-readable medium as described in item 32, comprising the features described above. (Item 42) A method for converting an unrelated command into a relevant playback modification and prompting the recipient of the command to execute the command, the method being: Using a control circuit, detect commands from the first user to the second user, The command is compared with the set of playback command sets for the media asset currently being played by the second user, In response to the comparison, it is determined that the command is not included in the set of playback operation commands, Based on the user profile of the first user and the user profile of the second user, the desired result of the command is determined from a plurality of results of the command, To detect the actions performed by the aforementioned second user, The actions of the second user described above are compared with the desired result of the command, In response to determining that the action of the second user does not correspond to the desired result of the command, the characteristics of the second user are read from the user profile of the second user, Based on the command detected by the first user and the characteristics read by the second user, a decision is made as to whether to modify the playback of the media asset. Methods that include... (Item 43) Based on the command detected by the first user and the characteristics read by the second user, determining whether to modify the playback of the media asset is: The method involves comparing the characteristics from the retrieved characteristics of the second user with the commands, wherein the characteristics are selected from a group of characteristics consisting of age, rank, relationships with other users, and time, and the commands are selected from a group of commands consisting of eating, cleaning, studying, cooking, and sleeping. From the above comparison, it is determined whether the command shares the characteristics of the second user, In response to the command deciding to share the characteristics, the playback of the media asset is modified. The method described in item 42, including the method described in item 42. (Item 44) To detect commands from the first user to the second and third users, Based on the user profile of the first user, the user profile of the second user, and the user profile of the third user, the desired result of the command is determined from the multiple results of the command, To detect the first action performed by the second user and the second action performed by the third user, Comparing the actions of the second user and the actions of the third user with the desired result of the command, In response to determining that the actions of the second user and the actions of the third user do not correspond to the desired result of the command, the characteristics of the second user are read from the user profile of the second user, and the characteristics of the third user are read from the user profile of the third user, Based on the command detected by the first user, the characteristics read by the second user, and the characteristics read by the third user, it is determined whether to modify the playback of the media asset. The method described in any of items 42-43, further including the method described in any of items 42-43. (Item 45) Detecting the command from the first user is To detect verbal input from the first user, The process involves comparing the aforementioned verbal input with a command database, wherein the database contains commands corresponding to each verbal input. From the above comparison, the command corresponding to the verbal input from the first user is determined. The method described in any of items 42-44, including the method described in any of items 42-44. (Item 46) From the above comparison, determining the command corresponding to the verbal input from the first user is: Determining the match between the verbal input and the database of verbal commands, The command corresponding to the aforementioned match is determined to be the command corresponding to the verbal input from the first user. The method described in item 45, including the method described in item 45. (Item 47) Based on the user profile of the first user and the user profile of the second user, determining the desired result of the command from a plurality of results of the command is further: Determining the attributes of the aforementioned command, The attributes of the aforementioned command are compared with the attributes of multiple results of the aforementioned command, From the above comparison, the result among the plurality of results containing the attributes of the command is determined to be the desired result. The method described in any of items 42-46, including the method described in any of items 42-46. (Item 48) The method of any of items 42-47, wherein detecting the action performed by the second user includes using a sensor to detect the second user leaving the viewing environment of the media device presenting the media asset. (Item 49) The method according to any of items 42-48, wherein detecting the actions performed by the second user includes detecting the second user executing a command to modify the playback of the media asset. (Item 50) Detecting the actions performed by the second user is the method of any of items 42-49, which includes using sensors to detect that the second user remains within the viewing environment of the media asset device. (Item 51) Based on the command detected by the first user and the characteristics read by the second user, determining whether to modify the playback of the media asset is: Reading the rank of the first user and the rank of the second user, From the aforementioned rank, determine whether the first user is ranked higher than the second user, In response to determining that the first user is ranked higher than the second user, the playback of the media asset is modified. In response to the second user determining that they are ranked higher than the first user, the media asset continues to play. The method described in any of items 42-50, including the method described in any of items 42-50. (Item 52) It is a method, Detecting audio generated by a first device outside the media equipment device, Retrieving known targets associated with the aforementioned audio from a lookup table, Detecting users within the viewing environment, To determine the identity of the aforementioned user, Modify playback and, based on the user's identity, encourage or hinder the user from achieving the known objectives. Methods that include... (Item 53) A method for determining whether a user is authorized to take actions that fulfill a voice-based goal, Detecting audio generated by a first device outside the media equipment device, This involves storing a database that associates each of the multiple goals with a set of actions within a set of actions and with the audio within a set of audio, The process involves comparing the voice generated by the first device with the characteristics of an entry in the database, determining the target corresponding to the voice and the corresponding set of actions associated with that target, To detect users within the viewing environment of the aforementioned media device, From the user profile for the user, determine whether the user is authorized to perform any of the actions in the set of determined actions associated with the goal. In response to determining that the user is authorized to perform the aforementioned action, To generate a notification for the user indicating the detected audio, To modify the playback of media assets and prompt the user to perform the actions associated with the aforementioned goals, In response to the user determining that they are not authorized to perform the action, a second user generates a notification to perform the action. Methods that include... (Item 54) Determining that the sound is within the audible range of the listening environment, In response to determining that the user is not authorized to perform the action, the prevention of the user modifying the playback of the media asset. The method described in item 53, further including the method described in item 53. (Item 55) The method according to item 54, further comprising modifying the playback of the media asset to prevent the user from performing the action associated with the objective. (Item 56) Modifying the playback of the aforementioned media asset is Determining the volume at which the sound within the audible range is attenuated, The volume corresponding to the playback of the media asset is adjusted so that it is at a volume that attenuates the aforementioned sound. The method described in item 55, including the method described in item 55. (Item 57) Comparing the audio generated by the first device with the database and determining the set of goals associated with the audio and the corresponding actions associated with the goals is: Based on the characteristics of the voice, determine the match between the voice and the entry in the database. From the aforementioned entry, read out the target corresponding to the aforementioned audio, From the aforementioned entry, read the corresponding set of actions associated with the aforementioned goal. The method described in item 53, including the method described in item 53. (Item 58) The method of item 53, wherein detecting the user in the viewing environment of the media device includes using a sensor to detect the presence of the user in the viewing environment. (Item 59) The method according to item 53, wherein generating a notification for the user indicating the detected sound includes generating an overlay to be displayed on the media device, the overlay containing the notification for the user about the sound. (Item 60) The aforementioned sound is detected from the doorbell, as described in item 53. (Item 61) Modifying the playback of the media asset and enabling the user to perform the action associated with the goal is: From the aforementioned database, retrieve a set of regeneration modifications associated with the aforementioned target, Selecting a playback correction from the set of playback corrections based on the user's preferences, Based on the selected playback modification, the playback of the media asset is modified. The method described in item 53, including the method described in item 53. (Item 62) Determining from the user profile for the user whether the user is authorized to perform the actions in the set of determined actions associated with the goal is: From the user profile, read the rank for the user, Retrieving the rank for an action from the database, Determining whether the rank for the user exceeds the rank for the action, In response to determining that the rank for the user exceeds the rank for the action, it is determined that the user is authorized to perform the action. The method described in item 53, including the method described in item 53. (Item 63) A system for determining whether a user is authorized to take actions that fulfill voice-based goals, A control circuit, Detecting audio generated by a first device outside the media equipment device, This involves storing a database that associates each of the multiple goals with a set of actions within a set of actions and with the audio within a set of audio, The process involves comparing the voice generated by the first device with the characteristics of an entry in the database, determining the target corresponding to the voice and the corresponding set of actions associated with that target, To detect users within the viewing environment of the aforementioned media device, From the user profile for the user, determine whether the user is authorized to perform any of the actions in the set of determined actions associated with the goal. In response to determining that the user is authorized to perform the aforementioned action, To generate a notification for the user indicating the detected audio, Modify the playback of the media asset to prompt the user to perform the action associated with the aforementioned goal, In response to the user determining that they are not authorized to perform the action, a second user generates a notification to perform the action. A control circuit configured to perform A system that includes these features. (Item 64) The control circuit further, Determining that the sound is within the audible range of the listening environment, In response to determining that the user is not authorized to perform the action, the prevention of the user modifying the playback of the media asset. The system described in item 63, configured to perform the following actions. (Item 65) The control circuit is further configured to modify the playback of the media asset and prevent the user from performing the action associated with the objective, as described in item 64. (Item 66) The aforementioned control circuit is Determining the volume at which the sound within the audible range is attenuated, The volume corresponding to the playback of the media asset is adjusted so that it is at a volume that attenuates the aforementioned sound. This is configured to modify the playback of the media asset. The system described in item 65. (Item 67) The aforementioned control circuit is Based on the characteristics of the voice, determine the match between the voice and the entry in the database. From the aforementioned entry, read out the target corresponding to the aforementioned audio, From the aforementioned entry, read the corresponding set of actions associated with the aforementioned goal. The system according to item 63, configured to compare the voice generated by the first device with the database and to determine a set of goals associated with the voice and a set of corresponding actions associated with the goals. (Item 68) The system according to item 12, wherein the control circuit is configured to detect the user in the viewing environment of the media device by using a sensor to detect the presence of the user in the viewing environment. (Item 69) The control circuit is configured to generate a notification for the user indicating the detected sound by generating an overlay to be displayed on the media device, the system according to item 63, wherein the overlay includes a notification for the user about the sound. (Item 70) The aforementioned sound is detected from the doorbell, as described in item 63. (Item 71) The aforementioned control circuit is From the aforementioned database, retrieve a set of regeneration modifications associated with the aforementioned target, Selecting a playback correction from the set of playback corrections based on the user's preferences, Based on the selected playback modification, the playback of the media asset is modified. The system according to item 12, configured to modify the playback of the media asset and enable the user to perform the action associated with the goal. (Item 72) The aforementioned control circuit is From the user profile, read the rank for the user, Retrieving the rank for an action from the database, Determining whether the rank for the user exceeds the rank for the action, In response to determining that the rank for the user exceeds the rank for the action, it is determined that the user is authorized to perform the action. The system according to item 63, configured to determine from the user profile for the user whether the user is authorized to perform any of the determined set of actions associated with the goal. (Item 73) A device for determining whether a user is authorized to perform an action that fulfills a voice-corresponding goal, the device is Means for detecting sound generated by a first device outside of a media device, A means for storing a database that associates each of the multiple goals with a set of actions and a voice among multiple voices, Means for comparing the voice generated by the first device with the characteristics of an entry in the database, and for determining a target corresponding to the voice and a corresponding set of actions associated with the target, Means for detecting a user within the viewing environment of the media device, Means for determining from the user profile for the user whether the user is authorized to perform an action among the determined set of actions associated with the goal, In response to determining that the user is authorized to perform the aforementioned action, Means for generating a notification for the user indicating the detected sound, Means for correcting the playback of media assets and prompting the user to perform the actions associated with the aforementioned goals, In response to the user determining that they are not authorized to perform the action, means for generating a notification for a second user to perform the action. A device equipped with the following features. (Item 74) Means for determining whether the sound is within the audible range of the listening environment, In response to determining that the user is not authorized to perform the action, means for preventing the user from modifying the playback of the media asset. The apparatus described in item 73, further comprising: (Item 75) The apparatus according to item 74, further comprising means for modifying the playback of the media asset and preventing the user from performing the action associated with the objective. (Item 76) The means for correcting the playback of the media asset is: Means for determining the volume at which the sound within the audible range is attenuated, means for adjusting the volume corresponding to the playback of the media asset so that the volume is attenuated to the volume of the aforementioned sound, The apparatus described in item 75, comprising: (Item 77) The means for comparing the voice generated by the first device with the database and determining the set of goals associated with the voice and the corresponding actions associated with the goals is: Means for determining a match between the voice and the entry in the database based on the characteristics of the voice, A means for reading out the target corresponding to the audio from the entry, Means for reading the corresponding set of actions associated with the objective from the aforementioned entry, The apparatus described in item 73, comprising: (Item 78) The apparatus according to item 73, wherein the means for detecting the user in the viewing environment of the media device comprises means for detecting the presence of the user in the viewing environment using a sensor. (Item 79) The apparatus according to item 73, wherein the means for generating a notification for the user indicating the detected sound comprises means for generating an overlay to be displayed on the media device, the overlay containing a notification for the user regarding the sound. (Item 80) The aforementioned sound is detected from the doorbell, as described in item 73. (Item 81) The means for modifying the playback of the media asset and enabling the user to perform the action associated with the goal is: Means for reading a set of reproduction modifications associated with the target from the aforementioned database, Means for selecting a playback correction from the set of playback corrections based on the user's preferences, means for modifying the playback of the media asset based on the selected playback modification, The apparatus described in item 73, comprising: (Item 82) The means for determining from the user profile for the user whether the user is authorized to perform an action in the set of determined actions associated with the goal is: Means for reading the rank for the user from the user profile, A means for reading the rank for an action from the database, Means for determining whether the rank for the user exceeds the rank for the action, In response to determining that the rank for the user exceeds the rank for the action, means for determining that the user is authorized to perform the action. The apparatus described in item 73, comprising: (Item 83) A non-transient computer-readable medium having a non-transient computer-readable instruction encoded on the non-transient computer-readable medium for determining whether the user is authorized to perform an action that fulfills a speech-corresponding goal, the instruction is A command for detecting sound generated by a first device outside the media equipment device, Instructions for storing a database that associates each of the multiple objectives with a set of actions within a set of actions and a voice within a set of voices, Instructions for comparing the voice generated by the first device with the characteristics of an entry in the database and determining a target corresponding to the voice and a corresponding set of actions associated with the target, A command for detecting a user in the viewing environment of the media device, A command for determining whether the user is authorized to perform an action in the set of determined actions associated with the goal, from the user profile for the user. In response to determining that the user is authorized to perform the aforementioned action, A command for generating a notification for the user indicating the detected sound, Instructions for correcting the playback of media assets and prompting the user to perform the actions associated with the aforementioned goals, In response to the user determining that they are not authorized to perform the action, the second user is given an instruction to generate a notification for performing the action. A non-transient, computer-readable medium equipped with [specific features / features]. (Item 84) The aforementioned instruction further states, A command for determining whether the sound is within the audible range of the listening environment, In response to determining that the user is not authorized to perform the action, an order is issued to prevent the user from modifying the playback of the media asset. A non-transient computer-readable medium as described in item 83, comprising the features described above. (Item 85) The instructions further include instructions for modifying the playback of the media asset and preventing the user from performing the actions associated with the objective, as described in item 84, for non-transient computer-readable media. (Item 86) The instruction for modifying the playback of the media asset is: A command for determining the volume at which the sound within the audible range is attenuated, A command to adjust the volume corresponding to the playback of the media asset so that the volume attenuates the aforementioned sound, A non-transient computer-readable medium as described in item 85, comprising the features described above. (Item 87) The instruction for comparing the voice generated by the first device with the database and determining the set of goals associated with the voice and the corresponding actions associated with the goals is: A command for determining a match between the voice and the entry in the database based on the characteristics of the voice, From the aforementioned entry, a command for reading the target corresponding to the voice, Instructions for reading the corresponding set of actions associated with the objective from the aforementioned entry, A non-transient computer-readable medium as described in item 83, comprising the features described above. (Item 88) The command for detecting the user in the viewing environment of the media device comprises a command for detecting the presence of the user in the viewing environment using a sensor, as described in item 83, for a non-transient computer-readable medium. (Item 89) The instruction for generating a notification for the user indicating the detected sound comprises an instruction for generating an overlay to be displayed on the media device, the overlay containing the notification for the user about the sound, as described in item 83, a non-transient computer-readable medium. (Item 90) The aforementioned sound is detected from a doorbell in a non-transient, computer-readable medium as described in item 83. (Item 91) The instructions for modifying the playback of the media asset and enabling the user to perform the action associated with the objective are: An instruction to retrieve a set of regeneration modifications associated with the target from the database, A command for selecting a playback modification from the set of playback modifications based on the user's preferences, Based on the selected playback modification, an instruction is given to modify the playback of the media asset. A non-transient computer-readable medium as described in item 83, comprising the features described above. (Item 92) The instruction for determining whether the user is authorized to perform an action in the set of determined actions associated with the goal, based on the user profile for the user, A command to read the rank for the user from the user profile, Instructions to retrieve the rank for an action from the database, A command for determining whether the rank for the user exceeds the rank for the action, In response to determining that the rank for the user exceeds the rank for the action, an order to determine that the user is authorized to perform the action and A non-transient computer-readable medium as described in item 83, comprising the features described above. (Item 93) A method for determining whether a user is authorized to take actions that fulfill a voice-based goal, Using a control circuit, detect audio generated by a first device outside the media equipment device, This involves storing a database that associates each of the multiple goals with a set of actions within a set of actions and with the audio within a set of audio, The process involves comparing the voice generated by the first device with the characteristics of an entry in the database, determining the target corresponding to the voice and the corresponding set of actions associated with that target, To detect users within the viewing environment of the aforementioned media device, From the user profile for the user, determine whether the user is authorized to perform any of the actions in the set of determined actions associated with the goal. In response to determining that the user is authorized to perform the aforementioned action, To generate a notification for the user indicating the detected audio, To modify the playback of media assets and prompt the user to perform the actions associated with the aforementioned goals, In response to the user determining that they are not authorized to perform the action, a second user generates a notification to perform the action. Methods that include... (Item 94) Determining that the sound is within the audible range of the listening environment, In response to determining that the user is not authorized to perform the action, the prevention of the user modifying the playback of the media asset. The method described in item 93, further including the method described in item 93. (Item 95) The method according to item 94, further comprising modifying the playback of the media asset to prevent the user from performing the action associated with the objective. (Item 96) Modifying the playback of the aforementioned media asset is Determining the volume at which the sound within the audible range is attenuated, The volume corresponding to the playback of the media asset is adjusted so that it is at a volume that attenuates the aforementioned sound. The method described in item 95, including the method described in item 95. (Item 97) Comparing the audio generated by the first device with the database and determining the set of goals associated with the audio and the corresponding actions associated with the goals is: Based on the characteristics of the voice, determine the match between the voice and the entry in the database. From the aforementioned entry, read out the target corresponding to the aforementioned audio, From the aforementioned entry, read the corresponding set of actions associated with the aforementioned goal. The method described in any of items 93-96, including the method described in any of items 93-96. (Item 98) Detecting the user in the viewing environment of the media device is the method of any of items 93-97, which includes using a sensor to detect the presence of the user in the viewing environment. (Item 99) The method according to any of items 43-98, wherein generating a notification for the user indicating the detected sound includes generating an overlay to be displayed on the media device, the overlay containing a notification for the user about the sound. (Item 100) The aforementioned sound is detected from a doorbell, as described in any of items 93-99. (Item 101) Modifying the playback of the media asset and enabling the user to perform the action associated with the goal is: From the aforementioned database, retrieve a set of regeneration modifications associated with the aforementioned target, Selecting a playback correction from the set of playback corrections based on the user's preferences, Based on the selected playback modification, the playback of the media asset is modified. The method described in any of items 93-100, including the method described in any of items 93-100. (Item 102) Determining from the user profile for the user whether the user is authorized to perform the actions in the set of determined actions associated with the goal is: From the user profile, read the rank for the user, Retrieving the rank for an action from the database, Determining whether the rank for the user exceeds the rank for the action, In response to determining that the rank for the user exceeds the rank for the action, it is determined that the user is authorized to perform the action. The method described in any of items 93-101, including the method described in item 93-101. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0060] The following and other purposes and advantages of this disclosure will become apparent from the consideration of embodiments for carrying out the following inventions, which will be considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, where similar reference letters refer to similar parts throughout.

[0061] [Figure 1] Figure 1 illustrates illustrative embodiments of several embodiments of the present disclosure of converting irrelevant commands into relevant replay modifications and prompting the command recipient to execute the commands.

[0062] [Figure 2] Figure 2 shows illustrative embodiments of display screens that may be used to provide a list of media guide applications and other media guide information according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0063] [Figure 3] Figure 3 shows another illustrative embodiment of a display screen that may be used to provide a list of media guide applications according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0064] [Figure 4] Figure 4 is a block diagram of an illustrative user equipment (UE) device according to several embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0065] [Figure 5] Figure 5 is a block diagram of an illustrative media system according to several embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0066] [Figure 6] Figure 6 illustrates an illustrative flowchart of a process for converting a non-replay command into an associated replay modification and prompting the command recipient to execute the command, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0067] [Figure 7] Figure 7 illustrates another illustrative flowchart of the process for converting a non-replay command into an associated replay modification and prompting the command recipient to execute the command, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0068] [Figure 8] Figure 8 illustrates an illustrative flowchart of a process for determining a command based on the characteristics of a second user, according to several embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0069] [Figure 9]Figure 9 illustrates an illustrative flowchart of a process for converting a non-replay command into an associated replay modification and prompting the command recipient to execute the command, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0070] [Figure 10] Figure 10 illustrates an illustrative flowchart of a process for determining a command based on verbal input from a first user, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0071] [Figure 11] Figure 11 illustrates an illustrative flowchart of a process for determining results based on command attributes, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0072] [Figure 12] Figure 12 illustrates an illustrative flowchart of a process for detecting whether a user leaves the viewing area of ​​a media device presenting a media asset, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0073] [Figure 13] Figure 13 illustrates an illustrative flowchart of a process for modifying media playback based on user rank, according to several embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0074] [Figure 14] Figure 14 illustrates illustrative embodiments of determining whether a user is authorized to take actions that satisfy a voice objective, according to several embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0075] [Figure 15] Figure 15 illustrates an illustrative flowchart of a process for determining whether a user is authorized to take actions that fulfill a voice objective, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0076] [Figure 16] Figure 16 illustrates another illustrative flowchart of a process for determining whether a user is authorized to take actions that fulfill a voice objective, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0077] [Figure 17] Figure 17 illustrates an illustrative flowchart of the process for identifying a target associated with a voice, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0078] [Figure 18] Figure 18 illustrates an illustrative flowchart of a process for detecting the presence of a user in a viewing environment, according to several embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0079] [Figure 19] Figure 19 illustrates an illustrative flowchart of a process for generating an overlay containing a notice, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0080] [Figure 20] Figure 20 illustrates an illustrative flowchart of the process for modifying the playback of media assets according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0081] [Figure 21] Figure 21 illustrates an illustrative flowchart of a process for determining whether a user is authorized to take actions that fulfill a voice objective, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0082] Systems and methods are provided herein for converting commands unrelated to playback into relevant playback modifications and prompting the recipient of a command to execute the command. A media guide application may determine a command from a first user to a second user. The media guide application may compare the command with a set of playback action commands for the media asset currently being played. In response to the comparison, the media guide application may determine that the command is not included in the set of playback action commands. In response to the step of determining that the command is not included in the set of playback action commands, the media guide application may determine whether the second user will perform the desired result of the command. And in response to the step of determining that the second user will not perform the desired result of the command, the media guide application may determine whether to modify the playback of the media asset.

[0083] Figure 1 illustrates illustrative embodiments of several embodiments of the present disclosure of converting irrelevant commands into relevant playback modifications and prompting the command recipient to execute the commands. Figure 1 depicts illustrative representation 100, which may be presented by a control circuit running a media guide application on any user device. The functionality of the user device, control circuit, and media guide application will be described in more detail with respect to Figures 2-5.

[0084] The media guide application may detect that a first user 102 has issued a command 104. The command 104 may be a verbal input of a word or phrase. The media guide application may detect that the command 104 is directed toward a second user 106 (for example, the first user 102 may say to the second user 106, "It's time for dinner!"). The media guide application may play media asset 108. The media guide application may generate a trick play bar 110 to display across media asset 108, the trick play bar 110 may contain all trick play functionality (e.g., play, pause, stop, rewind, fast forward, etc.). Within the trick play bar 110, the media guide application may generate an indicator 112 that may correspond to the current playback location of media asset 108. The media guide application may determine that command 114 corresponds to a trick play bar command applied to the media asset (e.g., play, pause, stop, rewind, fast forward, increase volume, decrease volume, on / off, etc.) (e.g., the media asset is paused). The media guide application may determine that volume 116 corresponds to the current playback volume of media asset 108. The media guide application may modify volume 116 in response to command 114.

[0085] In some embodiments, the media guide application may detect commands from a first user to a second user. The first user may not be currently watching playback of the media asset and may be in an environment outside the media asset viewing environment. The second user may be a user who is currently watching playback of media asset 108 within the media asset viewing environment. For example, the media guide application may use a home entertainment system (e.g., Amazon Echo) to detect verbal commands from the first user to the second user (e.g., "Dinner is ready, take a seat!").

[0086] In some embodiments, when a media guide application detects a command from a first user to a second user, the media guide application may detect verbal input from the first user. The verbal input may be spoken words or phrases from the first user corresponding to the command. For example, the media guide application may use an audio detection sensor (e.g., a microphone) to detect verbal input from the first user (e.g., the user saying "Dinner's ready!"). The media guide application may compare the audio signal detected by the sensor (e.g., a microphone) with known audio samples from the first user read from the first user's profile to determine that the audio signal is verbal input from the first user.

[0087] In another embodiment, the media guide application may use an intelligent personal assistant (IPA) (e.g., Amazon Echo, Siri, etc.) to detect verbal input from a first user, the IPA constantly listens to audio input in its surrounding environment and detects verbal input from the user.

[0088] The media guide application may compare verbal input with a database of commands, the database containing commands corresponding to each verbal input. The media guide application may read the command database from the profile of a first user. For example, the media guide application may read the command database from the profile for a first user and compare verbal input (e.g., the user saying "Dinner's ready!") with a database containing commands (e.g., eat dinner, answer the door, clean, vacuum, etc.).

[0089] The media guide application may determine, from comparison, the command corresponding to the verbal input from the first user. For example, the media guide application may use pattern recognition between input and command from the user profile to determine that the verbal input (e.g., "Dinner is ready!") corresponds to the command (e.g., eat dinner).

[0090] In some embodiments, when the media guide application determines a command corresponding to the verbal input from a first user through comparison, the media guide application may determine a match between the verbal input and a command database. The media guide application may determine potential matches between the verbal input and a command database through keyword matching. For example, the media guide application may detect keywords in the verbal input (e.g., "dinner" and "done") and compare these keywords with a command database. Each command in the command database may have multiple keywords associated with it (e.g., the command "eat dinner" may have associated keywords such as "dinner," "food," "hungry," "eat," "meal," etc.). The media guide application may determine that the verbal input matches a command when one or more keywords from the verbal input match one or more keywords associated with a command in the command database.

[0091] For example, a media guide application may determine that a verbal input (e.g., "Dinner is ready!") corresponds to a command (e.g., eat dinner) because the verbal input matches a keyword contained within the command (e.g., "dinner"). The media guide application may also determine that the command corresponding to the match (e.g., eat dinner) is the command corresponding to the verbal input from the first user.

[0092] In some embodiments, when a media guide application determines multiple potential matches between verbal input and a database of commands (e.g., verbal input may match multiple different commands), the media guide application may determine that the command corresponding to the match in the potential match containing the most keyword matches is the command corresponding to the verbal input from the first user. For example, when a media guide application determines that verbal input (e.g., "It's time for dinner!") matches multiple commands (e.g., eat dinner, eat lunch, set a timer, etc.), the media guide application may determine that the match (e.g., eat dinner) contains the most keyword matches and is therefore the command corresponding to the verbal input.

[0093] After determining the command given by the first user, the media guide application may determine the context of the command and how it relates to playback actions. The media guide application may compare the command to a set of playback action commands for the media asset currently being played by the second user. The media guide application may read the set of playback action commands from a database in the profile. For example, the media guide application may compare the command (e.g., eat dinner) to a set of playback action commands (e.g., pause, fast forward, mute, etc.) read from the profile for the media asset currently being played by the second user (e.g., movie).

[0094] In response to the comparison, the media guide application may determine that the command is not included in the set of playback action commands. For example, the media guide application may determine that the command (e.g., eat dinner) is not included in the set of playback action commands (e.g., pause, fast forward, mute, etc.).

[0095] The media guide application may determine the desired outcome of a command from multiple possible outcomes based on the user profiles of the first and second users. The media guide application may use attributes to determine the desired outcome, as described in detail below. For example, the media guide application may determine the desired outcome of a command (e.g., the second user stops watching the movie and eats dinner) based on the user profile of the first user (e.g., the profile may describe that the first user is a mother) and the user profile of the second user (e.g., the second profile may describe that the second user is the mother's son who follows his mother's commands), using the method described below.

[0096] In some embodiments, the media guide application may determine the desired outcome of a command by determining the attributes of the command. In some embodiments, the media guide application may determine the attributes of a command when it determines the desired outcome of a command from multiple outcomes of the command based on the user profiles of a first user and a second user. The media guide application may analyze a command and determine distinctly different attributes (e.g., the prosody of the command (e.g., using the intonation and rhythm of the utterance to determine the meaning)).

[0097] In some embodiments, the media guide application may analyze the audio characteristics of a command and determine distinctly different attributes. In some embodiments, to determine distinctly different attributes, the media guide application may compare the command to an audio sample among several audio samples, each audio sample being associated with a distinctly different user to determine the user speaking the command. The media guide application may use speech processing to determine attributes including the form of the utterance (e.g., statement, question, or command), the presence of irony or sarcasm, emphasis, contrast, focus, and the presence of infantile speech (e.g., baby talk), using speech processing variables such as pitch, length, volume, and timbre corresponding to the command. For example, the media guide application may use speech processing in combination with pitch, length, volume, and timbre speech processing variables corresponding to the command to determine the attributes of the command (e.g., the speaker of the command, the tone of the command, the seriousness of the command, etc.). In response to the step of determining distinctly different attributes of a command, the media guide application may compare the attributes of the command with the attributes of multiple results of the command to determine the desired result.

[0098] The media guide application may compare the attributes of a command to the attributes of multiple outcomes of the command. For example, the media guide application may compare the attributes of a command (e.g., form of speech, presence of irony or sarcasm, emphasis, contrast, focus, infantilism, etc.) to the attributes of multiple outcomes of the command (e.g., outcome when the command is followed, outcome when the command is ignored, conclusion of following the command, conclusion of not following the command, etc.). The media guide application may read multiple outcomes from a database in the profile.

[0099] In some embodiments, the media guide application may read multiple results of a command from a profile. The media guide application may determine that each command in the command database is linked to a corresponding set of results for that command. For example, the media guide application may use pointers from command entries in the database to the corresponding sets of results. The corresponding results for the command may be pre-determined by an editor and may also be updated and added by the media guide application based on the learned behavior of the user.

[0100] In some embodiments, the media guide application may add results to be linked to a command based on the learned behavior. The media guide application may compare the new results with the corresponding set of results and determine that there is no overlap between the two data, such that a new result that occurred between a first user and a second user after the command was issued is not included in the corresponding set of results for the command. For example, the media guide application may determine from the comparison that the new result (e.g., the second user answers their phone in response to the command) does not overlap with the current set of corresponding results (e.g., eat, pause movie, do nothing).

[0101] The media guide application may read the attributes of a result among the multiple results from an attribute database in the profile.

[0102] In some embodiments, the media guide application may read the attributes of the result from an attribute database containing pre-configured attributes, determined by an editor, that correspond to the result. The media guide application may update the attribute database in response to determining new attributes that correspond to the result or removing attributes that correspond to the result (e.g., attributes that are no longer exactly the result), as described in detail below. Each attribute may have a pointer in the database that points to the corresponding result. For example, the media guide application may read attributes that correspond to the result (e.g., eating dinner) (e.g., the user goes out to eat dinner, the user goes to the dining room, the user eats food from the plate on the dinner table, the user pauses playback, leaves the room and goes to the dining room, etc.).

[0103] A media guide application may determine that a new attribute corresponds to an outcome by determining that an outcome has occurred (e.g., by detecting it using a sensor) and by analyzing the outcome to determine its attributes. A media guide application may determine the attributes of an outcome based on the physical and auditory components of the outcome. A media guide application may determine the attributes based on the auditory components of an outcome that has occurred, using a method similar to those described above in relation to determining the attributes of a command (e.g., by determining the prosody of a command).

[0104] In some embodiments, the media guide application may determine the attributes of the occurred result based on the physical components of the result. The media guide application may use sensors to detect the physical responses corresponding to the result. For example, the media guide application may use a camera to detect a second user who physically exits the viewing environment of the playback of the media asset. As another example, the media guide application may use an infrared sensor to determine a heat map of the viewing environment and detect that a second user has not moved from that position within the viewing environment in response to the step of listening for commands from a first user. The media guide application may determine that the detected physical response is an attribute of the occurred result. The media guide application may compare the determined attributes of the occurred result with the attributes in the database corresponding to the result and add any attributes from the occurred result that are not among the attributes corresponding to the result.

[0105] For example, the media guide application may determine that a result (e.g., a second user exiting the viewing environment of the media asset) has occurred from detecting via a camera. The media guide application may analyze the occurred result (e.g., a second user shouting at a first user "I'm not hungry!") and determine the attributes of the result (e.g., based on the auditory and physical components of the occurred result). The media guide application may determine that a negative response from the user and the user's inability to exit the viewing area (e.g., based on the user shouting and the context of the user's response) are attributes of the occurred result (e.g., the user not following the command).

[0106] In some embodiments, the media guide application may remove an attribute corresponding to a result in response to a step in determining that the attribute was not present in the corresponding result after the same result has occurred at least a threshold number of times. The media guide application may maintain a counter among several counters, each counter associated with an attribute of a specific result. The media guide application may update the counter for the attribute of a specific result after the specific result has occurred and contained the attribute (e.g., by adding a value to the counter). The media guide application may read a threshold number of occurrences from a profile, the threshold may be pre-set by an editor or updated based on user input. The media guide application may compare a counter for a specific result to a threshold, and in response to a step in determining that the counter exceeds the threshold, the media guide application may remove the attribute as the attribute corresponding to the result.

[0107] For example, the media guide application may remove an attribute corresponding to an outcome (e.g., the second user does not eat dinner) (e.g., the second user shouts "no" in response to a command). The media guide application may determine that an attribute was not present in a corresponding outcome after the same outcome has occurred at least a threshold number of times (e.g., 10 times). The media guide application may read an editor-defined threshold number of times (e.g., 10 times) from the profile. In response to the step of comparing the editor-defined threshold number of times with a counter associated with the outcome and determining that the counter (e.g., 11 times) exceeds the threshold number (e.g., 10 times), the media guide application may remove an attribute corresponding to the outcome (e.g., the second user does not eat dinner) (e.g., the second user shouts "no" in response to a command).

[0108] A media guide application may determine from a comparison that a result among several results containing the attributes of a command is the desired result. A media guide application may use a ranking system to determine the desired result from a comparison. For example, a media guide application may determine from a comparison that a result containing the attributes of a command (e.g., the intended conclusion of the command) (e.g., the user pauses the movie and goes to eat dinner) is the desired result.

[0109] In some embodiments, the media guide application may determine that a result containing the command's attributes is the desired result based on the rank of the result among multiple results. The media guide application may determine the rank of a result among multiple results based on the amount of attributes that the result shares with the command's attributes (e.g., the proportion of shared attributes). The media guide application may determine that the rank directly corresponds to the proportion of shared attributes (e.g., a higher proportion corresponds to a higher rank).

[0110] For example, a media guide application may determine the rank of a result among several results by determining that the result has a percentage of the attributes in common with the command's attributes (e.g., 18 out of 20 attributes, or 90%), for example, by comparing the attribute of the result with the attribute of the command. The media guide application may also determine that the rank of the result directly corresponds to a percentage (e.g., it is ranked 90 out of 100).

[0111] In some embodiments, the media guide application may read results corresponding to the first user's preferred outcome based on the first user's preferences (e.g., the first user has a preferred outcome for a specific command). The preferred outcome for a specific command may cause the result to be ranked highest among multiple results corresponding to the preferred outcome. For example, the media guide application may read results corresponding to the first user's preferred outcome (e.g., the second user gets up and goes to eat dinner) based on the first user's preferences. The media guide application may determine that the preferred outcome is ranked highest among all multiple results (e.g., ranked 100 out of 100).

[0112] After determining the desired outcome of the command, the media guide application may determine the second user's response to the command and whether it satisfies the desired outcome. The media guide application may also detect actions performed by the second user. For example, the media guide application may detect, via a camera, that the user has left the viewing environment where the movie is playing and entered the dining room.

[0113] In some embodiments, when the media guide application detects an action performed by a second user, the media guide application may use sensors to detect a second user leaving the viewing environment of a media device presenting a media asset. For example, the media guide application may use a motion detection sensor to detect that a second user is leaving the viewing environment of a television in which the user is watching a movie.

[0114] In some embodiments, when the media guide application detects an action performed by a second user, the media guide application may detect a second user executing a command to modify the playback of a media asset. For example, the media guide application may detect a user pressing an input command on a remote control device to “pause” the playback of a movie that the user is watching.

[0115] In some embodiments, when the media guide application detects an action performed by a second user, the media guide application may use sensors to detect that the second user remains within the viewing environment of the media asset device. For example, the media guide application may use a heat mapping sensor to detect that the second user has not left the bench where the user is watching a movie play.

[0116] The media guide application may compare the actions of a second user with the desired outcome of a command. For example, the media guide application may compare an action (e.g., the second user continuing to watch a movie) with the desired outcome of a command (e.g., the second user going out for dinner).

[0117] In response to determining that the second user's action does not correspond to the desired result of a command, the media guide application may read the second user's characteristics from the second user's user profile. The media guide application may also read the second user's characteristics from a characteristics database within the user profile. The characteristic values ​​stored in the database may be determined based on user input (e.g., information entered by the user via a user input device such as a remote controller). For example, the media guide application may read characteristics (e.g., age, relationship to the first user, user rank within the household, etc.) from the second user's user profile.

[0118] In some embodiments, the media guide application may compare characteristics from the characteristics read from a second user with commands, where characteristics are selected from a group of characteristics consisting of age, rank, relationships with other users, and time, and commands are selected from a group of commands consisting of eating, cleaning, studying, cooking, and sleeping.

[0119] The media guide application may determine from the comparison whether a command shares characteristics of a second user. For example, the media guide application may determine from the comparison whether a command (e.g., meal) shares characteristics of a second user (e.g., time).

[0120] In some embodiments, the media guide application may determine whether a command shares the “age” characteristic of a second user. The media guide application may read the command’s age characteristic from a profile. For example, the media guide application may read the command’s age characteristic (e.g., this command must be followed by any user under 15 years of age and ignored by any user 15 years of age or older). The media guide application may compare the second user’s age (e.g., the second user is 10 years old) with the command’s age characteristic and determine whether the command shares the second user’s age characteristic (e.g., the second user’s age falls within the age range of users who must follow the command (under 15 years of age)).

[0121] In some embodiments, the media guide application may determine whether a command shares the second user's “relationship with other users” characteristics. The media guide application may read from the profile the second user’s relationships with other users (e.g., the second user is the first user’s son). The media guide application may read the command’s relationship characteristics (e.g., the rank of those who must obey the command, based on the relationship between the user giving the command and the user receiving the command). Based on the rank, the media guide application may determine whether the second user must obey the first user’s command. In response to the step of determining “yes,” i.e., that the second user must obey the first user’s command, the media guide application may determine that the command shares the second user’s “relationship with other users” characteristics.

[0122] In some embodiments, the media guide application may determine whether a command shares a "time" characteristic with a second user. The media guide application may read a "time" characteristic (for example, that the user must follow commands from the first user between 5:00 PM and 8:00 PM daily) from the second user's profile. The time characteristic may be a predetermined value created in the second user's profile from input from the first user. The media guide application may determine the time the command was issued by the first user (for example, 7:02 PM). The media guide application may compare this time with the time characteristic and determine that the command shares the time characteristic with the second user because the time the command was issued falls within the time frame from the time characteristic.

[0123] In some embodiments, when a media guide application determines whether to modify the playback of a media asset based on commands detected from a first user and the read characteristics of a second user, the media guide application may read the rank of the first user and the rank of the second user. The media guide application may read the ranks of the first user and the second user from a profile, and the ranks are preset values based on user input (e.g., the first user selects the ranking order of all users with user accounts). For example, the media guide application may read the rank of the first user (e.g., the first user is ranked first among five users) and the rank of the second user (e.g., the second user is ranked fourth among five users).

[0124] The media guide application may determine from the ranks whether the first user is ranked higher than the second user. For example, the media guide application may determine that the first user (e.g., ranked first) is ranked higher than the second user (e.g., ranked second).

[0125] In response to determining that the first user is ranked higher than the second user, the media guide application may modify the playback of the media asset. For example, in response to determining that the first user is ranked higher than the second user, the media guide application may modify the playback of the media asset (e.g., pause the currently playing movie).

[0126] In response to the step of determining that the second user is ranked higher than the first user, the media guide application may continue playing the media asset. For example, in response to the step of determining that the second user is ranked higher than the first user, the media guide application may continue playing the media asset (e.g., the movie the second user is watching).

[0127] In response to the step where the command determines that the properties share, the media guide application may modify the playback of the media asset. For example, in response to the step where the command determines that the properties share, the media guide application may modify the playback of the media asset (e.g., pause the playback of the media asset).

[0128] The media guide application may determine specific types of playback modifiers (e.g., pause, mute, rewind, fast forward, turn off, etc.) based on the preferences of the first user. The media guide application may read the first user's preferences from a playback modifier database in the first user's profile. The media guide application may read playback modifiers corresponding to commands from the database. Playback modifiers corresponding to each command may be pre-configured by an editor or by input from the first user.

[0129] For example, the media guide application may determine a specific type of playback modification based on the preferences of a first user. The media guide application may read the first user's preferences from a playback modification database in the first user's profile. The media guide application may also read playback modifications (e.g., turn off playback of a media asset) from a database corresponding to commands (e.g., eat dinner).

[0130] In some embodiments, the media guide application may detect commands from a first user to a second user and a third user. For example, the media guide application may detect commands from a first user to a second user and a third user (e.g., eat dinner). The media guide application may detect commands using similar methods as described above.

[0131] The media guide application may determine the desired outcome of a command from multiple possible results based on the user profiles of the first user, the second user, and the third user. The media guide application may determine the desired outcome of a command using a similar method as described above.

[0132] The media guide application may detect a first action performed by a second user and a second action performed by a third user. For example, the media guide application may detect a first action performed by a second user (e.g., the second user turns up the volume of a movie) and a second action performed by a third user (e.g., a motion sensor may detect that the third user leaves the viewing environment to go out for dinner). The media guide application may detect the first action performed by a second user and the second action performed by a third user using similar methods for detecting actions as described above.

[0133] The media guide application may compare the actions of a second user and a third user to determine the desired outcome of a command. For example, the media guide application may compare the actions of a second user (e.g., increasing the volume of a movie via remote control) and a third user (e.g., a motion sensor detecting a third user leaving the viewing environment) to determine the desired outcome of a command (e.g., the second and third users going out for dinner).

[0134] In response to the step of determining that the actions of the second user and the third user do not correspond to the desired result of the command, the media guide application may read the characteristics of the second user from the second user's user profile and the characteristics of the third user from the third user's user profile.

[0135] A media guide application may decide whether to modify the playback of a media asset based on a command detected by a first user and characteristics read by a second user and characteristics read by a third user. For example, a media guide application may decide to modify the playback of a media asset based on a command detected by a first user (e.g., "eat dinner"), characteristics read by a first user (e.g., rank), and characteristics read by a third user (e.g., rank), because the command's rank is higher than the ranks of the second and third users. In another embodiment, a media guide application may decide not to modify the playback of a media asset based on a command detected by a first user (e.g., "eat dinner"), characteristics read by a first user (e.g., rank), and characteristics read by a third user (e.g., rank), because the ranks of the second and third users are higher than the command and the rank of the first user.

[0136] In yet another embodiment, the media guide application may decide to partially modify the playback of a media asset (for example, mute the audio for playback but play the audio via Bluetooth® headphones for user 3) based on a command detected from the first user (e.g., eat dinner), the characteristics read from the first user (e.g., rank, etc.), and the characteristics read from the third user (e.g., rank, etc.), because only the third user's rank is higher than the command and the rank of the first user.

[0137] The amount of content available to users in any given content distribution system can be enormous. As a result, many users desire a form of media guide through an interface that allows them to efficiently navigate content selection and easily identify the content they desire. Applications that provide such guidance are referred to herein as interactive media guide applications, but are sometimes also referred to as media guide applications or guide applications.

[0138] Interactive media guide applications may take various forms depending on the content they provide. One typical type of media guide application is an interactive television program guide. An interactive television program guide (sometimes referred to as an electronic program guide) is a well-known guide application that, among other things, enables users to navigate between and identify many types of content or media assets. An interactive media guide application may generate a graphical user interface screen that enables users to navigate between content and identify and select it. As used herein, the terms “media asset” and “content” should be understood to mean electronically consumable user assets such as television programs, and pay programs, on-demand programs (such as in video-on-demand (VOD) systems), internet content (e.g., streaming content, downloadable content, webcasts, etc.), video clips, audio, content information, photographs, rotated images, documents, playlists, websites, articles, books, ebooks, blogs, chat sessions, social media, applications, games, and / or any other media or multimedia, and / or combinations thereof. A guide application also enables users to navigate between content and identify it. As used herein, the term “multimedia” should be understood to mean content that utilizes at least two different content forms described above, such as text, audio, images, video, or interactive content forms. Content may be recorded, played back, displayed, or accessed by a user's equipment device, and may also be part of a live performance.

[0139] Media guide applications and / or any instructions for carrying out any of the embodiments discussed herein may be encoded on a computer-readable medium. The computer-readable medium includes any medium capable of storing data. The computer-readable medium may be transient, including the propagation of electrical or electromagnetic signals, or non-transient, including, but not limited to, volatile and non-volatile computer memory or storage devices such as hard disks, floppy disks, USB drives, DVDs, CDs, media cards, register memory, processor caches, and random access memory ("RAM").

[0140] With the advent of the internet, mobile computing, and high-speed wireless networks, users are now accessing media on user devices they didn't previously use. As used herein, the terms “User Equipment Device,” “User Equipment,” “User Device,” “Electronic Device,” “Electronic Device,” “Media Equipment Device,” or “Media Device” should be understood to mean any device for accessing the content described above, such as televisions, smart TVs, set-top boxes, integrated receiver decoders (IRDs) for satellite television, digital storage devices, digital media receivers (DMRs), digital media adapters (DMAs), 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, webTV boxes, personal computer televisions (PC / TVs), PC media servers, PC media centers, handheld computers, landline telephones, personal digital assistants (PDAs), mobile phones, portable video players, portable music players, portable game consoles, smartphones, or any other television equipment, computing equipment, or wireless devices, and / or combinations thereof. In some embodiments, the user device may have a front screen and a rear screen, multiple front screens, or multiple angled screens. In some embodiments, the user device may have a front camera and / or a rear camera. On these user devices, the user may be able to navigate between and identify identical content available through the television. As a result, a media guide may also be available on these devices. The guide provided may be for content available only through the television, content available only through one or more of the other types of user devices, or content available through both the television and one or more of the other types of user devices.The media guide application may be provided on the user's device as an online application (i.e., provided on a website), or as a standalone application or client. Various devices and platforms on which the media guide application can be implemented are described in detail below.

[0141] One of the functions of a media guide application is to provide media guide data to the user. As used herein, the terms “media guide data” or “guide data” should be understood to mean any data related to content or data used to operate the guide application. For example, guide data may include program information, guide application settings, user preferences, user profile information, media lists, media-related information (e.g., broadcast times, broadcast channels, titles, content, rating information (e.g., parental control ratings, critic ratings, etc.), genre or category information, actor information, logo data of broadcaster or provider logos, etc.), media format (e.g., standard definition, high definition, 3D, etc.), on-demand information, blogs, websites, and any other types of guide data that help the user navigate between and identify their desired content selections.

[0142] Figure 2-3 shows an illustrative display screen that may be used to provide media guide data. The display screen shown in Figure 2-3 may be implemented on any suitable user equipment device or platform. Although the displays in Figure 2-3 are illustrated as full-screen displays, they may also be fully or partially overlaid on the displayed content. Users may indicate their desire to access content information by selecting selectable options provided on the display screen (e.g., menu options, list options, icons, hyperlinks, etc.) or by pressing a dedicated button on a remote control or other user input interface or device (e.g., a “Guide” button). In response to user indication, the media guide application may provide the display screen with media guide data organized in one of several ways, such as by time and channel in a grid, by time, by channel, by source, by content type, by category (e.g., movies, sports, news, children's, or other programming categories), or by other predetermined, user-defined, or other organizing criteria.

[0143] Figure 2 shows an illustrative grid of a program list display 200 arranged by time and channel, which also allows access to different types of content within a single display. Display 200 may include a grid 202 with the following: (1) a column of channel / content type identifiers 204, where each channel / content type identifier (cell in the column) identifies a different channel or type of content available; and (2) a row of time identifiers 206, where each time identifier (cell in the row) identifies the time slot of the program. Grid 202 also includes cells for program lists, such as program list 208, where each list provides the title of the program, provided above the channel and time associated with the list. Using a user input device, the user can select a program list by moving a highlight area 210. Information about the program list selected by the highlight area 210 may be provided in a program information area 212. Area 212 may include, for example, the program title, program content, the time the program is offered (if applicable), the channel on which the program is broadcast (if applicable), the program rating, and other desired information.

[0144] In addition to providing access to linear programming (e.g., content scheduled to be transmitted to multiple user devices at a given time and delivered according to that schedule), the Media Guide application also provides access to non-linear programming (e.g., content that is accessible to user devices at any time and is not delivered according to a schedule). Non-linear programming may include content from different content sources, including on-demand content (e.g., VOD), internet content (e.g., streaming media, downloadable media, etc.), locally stored content (e.g., content stored on any user device or other storage device as described above), or other content without time constraints. On-demand content may include movies or any other content provided by a specific content provider (e.g., HBO On Demand, which provides "The Sopranos" and "Curb Your Enthusiasm"). HBO ON DEMAND is a service mark owned by Time Warner Company LP et al., and THE SOPRANOS and CURB YOUR ENTHUSIASM are trademarks owned by Home Box Office, Inc. Internet content may include web events such as chat sessions or webcasts, or content available on demand as streaming content or downloadable content through internet websites or other internet access (e.g., FTP).

[0145] Grid 202 may provide media guide data for non-linear programming, including an on-demand list 214, a recorded content list 216, and an internet content list 218. A display that combines media guide 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 guide data that can be displayed, different from display 200, may be based on user selection or guide application definition (e.g., displaying only recorded and broadcast lists, or only on-demand and broadcast lists). As illustrated, lists 214, 216, and 218 are shown as spanning the entire time period displayed within grid 202, indicating that selection of these lists may provide access to displays dedicated to the on-demand list, recorded list, or internet list, respectively. In some embodiments, these content type lists may be included directly in grid 202. Additional media guide data may be displayed in response to the user selecting one of the navigation icons 220 (pressing arrow keys on a user input device may affect the display as well as selecting a navigation icon 220).

[0146] Display 200 may also include a video area 222 and an optional area 226. The video area 222 may allow the user to view and / or preview programs that are currently available to the user, will become available in the future, or have been available to the user. The content of the video area 222 may correspond to or be independent of one of the lists displayed in grid 202. A grid display including a video area is sometimes referred to as a Picture-in-Guide (PIG) ​​display. PIG displays and their functionality are described in more detail in U.S. Patent No. 6,564,378 by Satterfield et al., issued May 13, 2003, and U.S. Patent No. 6,239,794 by Yuen et al., issued May 29, 2001 (incorporated herein by reference to them as a whole). PIG displays may be included in other media guide application display screens of embodiments described herein.

[0147] The options area 226 may allow the user to access different types of content, media guide application displays, and / or media guide application features. The options area 226 may be part of display 200 (and other display screens described herein), or may be invoked by the user by selecting an option on the screen or by pressing a dedicated or assignable button on a user input device. Selectable options within the options area 226 may relate to features related to the program list in grid 202, or may include options available from the main menu display. Features related to the program list 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. Options available from the main menu display may include search options, VOD options, parental control options, internet options, cloud-based options, device synchronization options, second screen device options, options to access various types of media guide data displays, options to subscribe to premium services, options to edit the user profile, options to access a browser overlay, or other options.

[0148] A media guide application may be personalized based on user preferences. A personalized media guide application allows users to customize its display and features to generate a personalized “experience” using the media guide application. This personalized experience may be generated by allowing users to input these customizations and / or by the media guide application monitoring user activity to determine various user preferences. Users may access these personalized guide applications by logging in or otherwise identifying themselves to the guide application. Customizations of the media guide application may be created according to a user profile. Customizations may include steps to modify presentation methods (e.g., display color scheme, text font size, etc.), aspects of the displayed content list (e.g., HDTV programs only or 3D programs only, user-specified broadcast channels based on favorite channel selection, sorting of channel displays, recommended content, etc.), desired recording features (e.g., recording or continuous recording for a specific user, recording quality, etc.), parental control settings, customized presentation of internet content (e.g., presentation of social media content, emails, electronically distributed articles, etc.), and other desired customizations.

[0149] The media guide application may allow the user to provide user profile information, or it may automatically compile user profile information. The media guide application may monitor, for example, the content the user accesses and / or other interactions the user may have with the guide application. In addition, the media guide application may obtain all or part of other user profiles related to a particular user (e.g., from other websites on the internet that the user accesses, such as www.Tivo.com, from other media guide applications that the user accesses, from other interactive applications that the user accesses, from other user devices of the user, etc.), and / or obtain information about the user from other sources that the media guide application may access. As a result, the user can be provided with a unified guide application experience across the user's different user devices. This type of user experience is described in more detail below in relation to Figure 5. Additional personalized media guide application features are described in more detail in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2005 / 0251827 of Ellis et al., filed July 11, 2005; U.S. Patent No. 7,165,098 of Boyer et al., issued January 16, 2007; and U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2002 / 0174430 of Ellis et al., filed February 21, 2002 (which are incorporated herein by reference to them as a whole).

[0150] Another display array for providing a media guide is shown in Figure 3. The video mosaic display 300 includes selectable options 302 for content information organized based on content type, genre, and / or other organizing criteria. In display 300, the TV list option 304 is selected and therefore provides lists 306, 308, 310, and 312 as broadcast program lists. In display 300, lists may provide graphic images, including cover art, still images from content, previews of video clips, live video from content, or other types of content that show the user the content described by the media guide data in the list. Graphic lists may also be accompanied by text, each providing further information about the content associated with the list. For example, list 308 may include one or more parts, including a media section 314 and a text section 316. The media section 314 and / or text section 316 may be selectable to view the content in full screen or to browse information related to the content displayed in the media section 314 (for example, to browse a list of channels on which the video will be shown).

[0151] The lists within display 300 are of different sizes (i.e., list 306 is larger than lists 308, 310, and 312), but all lists may be the same size, if desired. Lists may be of different sizes or graphically highlighted to indicate the degree of user interest or to highlight certain content, as desired by the content provider or based on user preferences. Various systems and methods for graphically highlighting content lists are discussed, for example, in Yates' U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2010 / 0153885, filed November 12, 2009 (which is incorporated herein by reference in whole).

[0152] A user may access the content and media guide application (and its display screen as described above and below) from one or more of their user equipment devices. Figure 4 shows a general embodiment of an illustrative user equipment device 400. More specific implementations of the user equipment device are discussed below in relation to Figure 5. The user equipment device 400 may receive content and data via an input / output (hereinafter "I / O") path 402. The I / O path 402 may provide content (e.g., broadcast programs, on-demand programs, Internet content, content available via a local area network (LAN) or wide area network (WAN), and / or other content) and data to a control circuit 404, which includes a processing circuit 406 and a storage device 408. The control circuit 404 may use the I / O path 402 to send and receive commands, requests, and other suitable data. The I / O path 402 may connect the control circuit 404 (specifically, the processing circuit 406) to one or more communication paths (described below). I / O functionality may be provided by one or more of these communication paths, but to avoid making the diagram too complex, it is shown as a single path in Figure 4.

[0153] The control circuit 404 may be based on any suitable processing circuit, such as the processing circuit 406. As used herein, a processing circuit is understood to mean a circuit 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) or a supercomputer. In some embodiments, the processing circuit may be distributed across multiple separate processors or processing units, for example, multiple processing units of the same type (e.g., two Intel Core i7 processors) or multiple different processors (e.g., an Intel Core i5 processor and an Intel Core i7 processor). In some embodiments, the control circuit 404 executes instructions for a media guide application stored in memory (i.e., storage device 408). Specifically, the control circuit 404 may be instructed by the media guide application to perform the functions discussed above and below. For example, the media guide application may provide the control circuit 404 with instructions for generating a media guide display. In some implementations, any action performed by the control circuit 404 may be based on instructions received from the media guide application.

[0154] In a client-server based embodiment, the control circuit 404 may include a suitable communication circuit for communicating with a guide application server or other network or server. Instructions for performing the functionality described above may be stored on the guide application server. The communication circuit may include a cable modem, an Integrated Digital Network (ISDN) modem, a Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) modem, a telephone modem, an Ethernet® card, a wireless modem for communication with other devices, or any other suitable communication circuit. Such communication may involve the Internet or any other suitable communication network or path (described in more detail in relation to Figure 5). In addition, the communication circuit may include a circuit that enables peer-to-peer communication between user equipment devices or communication between user equipment devices located at a distance from each other (described in more detail below).

[0155] The memory may be an electronic storage device provided as a storage device 408, which is part of the control circuit 404. As used herein, the terms “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, or sometimes referred to as personal video recorders or PVRs), solid-state devices, quantum memory devices, game consoles, game media, or any other suitable fixed or removable storage devices, and / or any combination thereof. The storage device 408 may be used to store various types of content as described herein, and media guide data as described above. Non-volatile memory may also be used (for example, to start boot-up routines and other instructions). A cloud-based storage device, as described in relation to Figure 5, may be used to complement or replace the storage device 408.

[0156] The control circuit 404 may include video generation and tuning circuits, such as one or more analog tuners, one or more MPEG-2 decoders, or other digital decoding circuits, high-resolution tuners, or any other suitable tuning or video circuits, or combinations of such circuits. Encoding circuits (for example, for converting radio, analog, or digital signals to MPEG signals for storage) may also be provided. The control circuit 404 may also include scaling circuits for converting content up and down to a preferred output format of the user device 400. The circuit 404 may also include digital-to-analog and analog-to-digital conversion circuits for converting between digital and analog signals. The tuning and encoding circuits may be used by the user device to receive and display, play back, or record content. The tuning and encoding circuits 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, may be implemented using software running on one or more general-purpose or specialized processors. Multiple tuners may be provided to handle simultaneous tuning functions (e.g., viewing and recording functions, picture-in-picture (PIP) functions, multiple tuner recording functions, etc.). If the storage device 408 is provided as a separate device from the user device 400, the tuning and encoding circuits (including multiple tuners) may be associated with the storage device 408.

[0157] The user may use the user input interface 410 to send commands to the control circuit 404. The user input interface 410 may be any suitable user interface, such as a remote control, mouse, trackball, keypad, keyboard, touchscreen, touchpad, stylus input, joystick, voice recognition interface, or other user input interface. The display 412 may be provided as a standalone device or integrated with other elements of the user equipment device 400. For example, the display 412 may be a touchscreen or a touch-sensitive display. In such a situation, the user input interface 410 may be integrated with or combined with the display 412. The display 412 may be one or more of the following: a monitor, a television, a liquid crystal display (LCD) for a mobile device, an amorphous silicon display, a low-temperature polysilicon display, an electronic ink display, an electrophoretic display, an active matrix display, an electrowetting display, an electrofluidic display, a cathode ray tube display, a light-emitting diode display, an electroluminescent display, a plasma display panel, a high-performance addressing display, a thin-film transistor display, an organic light-emitting diode display, a surface-conductive electron-emitting element display (SED), a laser television, a carbon nanotube, a quantum dot display, an interference modulator display, or any other suitable device for displaying visual images. In some embodiments, the display 412 may be HDTV-compatible. In some embodiments, the display 412 may be a 3D display, and interactive media guide applications and any suitable content may be displayed in 3D. A video card or graphics card may generate output to the display 412. The video card may provide various functions such as accelerating the 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 processing circuit described above related to the control circuit 404. The video card may be integrated with the control circuit 404. The speaker 414 may be provided as an integrated part of the user equipment device 400, or it may be a standalone unit. The audio components of the video and other content displayed on the display 412 may be played through the speaker 414. In some embodiments, the audio may be distributed to a receiver (not shown) that processes and outputs the sound via the speaker 414.

[0158] The guide application may be implemented using any preferred architecture. For example, it may be a standalone application fully implemented on the user equipment device 400. In such an approach, the application's instructions are stored locally (e.g., in a storage device 408), and data for use by the application is downloaded periodically (e.g., from an out-of-band feed, from an internet resource, or using another preferred approach). The control circuit 404 may read the application's instructions from the storage device 408 and process the instructions to generate one of the displays discussed herein. Based on the processed instructions, the control circuit 404 may determine what action to take when input is received from the input interface 410. For example, moving the cursor up / down on the display may be indicated by the processed instructions when the input interface 410 indicates that the up / down button has been selected.

[0159] In some embodiments, the media guide application is a client-server based application. Data for use by a thick or thin client, implemented on the user device 400, is retrieved on demand by issuing a request to a server located remotely from the user device 400. In one embodiment of the client-server based guide application, the control circuit 404 launches a web browser that interprets a web page provided by the remote server. For example, the remote server may store instructions for the application in a storage device. The remote server may use a circuit (e.g., the control circuit 404) to process the stored instructions and generate the displays discussed above and below. The client device may receive the displays generated by the remote server and display the content of the displays locally on the device device 400. Thus, while the processing of instructions is performed remotely by the server, the resulting displays are provided locally on the device device 400. The device device 400 may receive user inputs via an input interface 410 and transmit those inputs to the remote server to process and generate the corresponding displays. For example, the device 400 may transmit a communication to a remote server indicating that the up / down button has been selected via the input interface 410. The remote server may process the command according to the input and generate an application display corresponding to the input (for example, a display to move the cursor up / down). The generated display is then transmitted to the device 400 for presentation to the user.

[0160] In some embodiments, the media guide application is downloaded, interpreted, or otherwise launched by an interpreter or virtual machine (launched by the control circuit 404). In some embodiments, the guide application may be encoded in ETV Binary Interchange Format (EBIF), received by the control circuit 404 as part of a preferred feed, and interpreted by a user agent launched on the control circuit 404. For example, the guide application may be an EBIF application. In some embodiments, the guide application may be defined by a set of Java®-based files, received and launched by a local virtual machine or other preferred middleware executed by the control circuit 404. In some of such embodiments (e.g., employing MPEG-2 or other digital media encoding schemes), the guide application may be encoded and transmitted, for example, in an MPEG-2 object carousel using the program's MPEG audio and video packets.

[0161] The user equipment device 400 in Figure 4 can be implemented in the system 500 in Figure 5 as any other type of user equipment suitable for accessing content such as user television equipment 502, user computer equipment 504, wireless user communication device 506, or non-portable game consoles. For simplicity, these devices may be collectively referred to herein as user equipment or user equipment devices and may be substantially similar to the user equipment devices described above. User equipment devices, in which media guide applications may be implemented, may function as standalone devices or as part of a network of devices. Various network configurations of devices may be implemented and will be discussed in more detail below.

[0162] A user device utilizing at least some of the system features described above in relation to Figure 4 does not necessarily have to be classified simply as a user television device 502, a user computer device 504, or a wireless user communication device 506. For example, a user television device 502 may be internet-enabled, like some user computer devices 504, enabling access to internet content, while a user computer device 504 may include a tuner, like some television devices 502, enabling access to television programs. The media guide application may also have the same layout on various different types of user devices, or it may be adapted to the display capabilities of the user device. For example, on a 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 a wireless user communication device 506.

[0163] In System 500, typically there are more than one of each type of user equipment device, but to avoid making the diagram too complex, only one of each is shown in Figure 5. In addition, each user may use more than one type of user equipment device, and more than one of each type of user equipment device.

[0164] In some embodiments, user equipment devices (e.g., user television equipment 502, user computer equipment 504, wireless user communication device 506) may be referred to as “second screen devices.” For example, the second screen device may complement the content presented on the 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 with social networks. The second screen device may be located in the same room as the first device, in a different room but in the same house or building, or in a different building.

[0165] Users may also configure various settings to maintain consistent Media Guide application settings across home and remote devices. These settings include those described herein, as well as favorite channels and programs, program preferences, display preferences, and other desired Guide settings that the Guide application uses to recommend programs. For example, if a user sets a channel as a favorite on their office personal computer, for instance, on the website www.Tivo.com, the same channel will appear as a favorite on the user's home devices (e.g., user television equipment and user computer equipment), and optionally on the user's mobile devices. Thus, changes made on one user device, whether identical or different types of user devices, can alter the Guide experience on another user device. In addition, changes made may be based on user-entered settings and user activity monitored by the Guide application.

[0166] User equipment devices may be coupled to the communication network 514. That is, the user television equipment 502, the user computer equipment 504, and the wireless user communication device 506 are coupled to the communication network 514 via communication paths 508, 510, and 512, respectively. The communication network 514 may be one or more networks, including the Internet, a mobile phone network, a mobile voice or data network (e.g., a 4G or LTE network), a cable network, a public switched telephone network, or other types of communication networks, or a combination of communication networks. Paths 508, 510, and 512 may individually or together include one or more communication paths such as a satellite path, a fiber optic path, a cable path, a path supporting Internet communications (e.g., IPTV), a free-space connection (e.g., for broadcast or other wireless signals), or any other suitable wired or wireless communication path, or a combination of such paths. In the exemplary embodiment shown in Figure 5, path 512 is drawn with a dashed line to indicate that it is a wireless path, and paths 508 and 510 are drawn with solid lines to indicate that they are wired paths (however, these paths may also be wireless paths, if desired). Communication with the user equipment device may be provided by one or more of these communication paths, but in Figure 5, it is shown as a single path to avoid making the drawing too complex.

[0167] Although no communication paths are depicted between user equipment devices, these devices may communicate directly with each other via communication paths such as those described above in relation to paths 508, 510, and 512, and other short-range point-to-point communication paths such as USB cables, IEEE 1394 cables, wireless paths (e.g., Bluetooth®, infrared, IEEE 802-11x, etc.), or other short-range communications via wired or wireless paths. BLUETOOTH® is a certification mark owned by Bluetooth® SIG, INC. User equipment devices may also communicate directly with each other via indirect paths through communication network 514.

[0168] System 500 includes a content source 516 and a media guide data source 518, which are connected to a communication network 514 via communication paths 520 and 522, respectively. Paths 520 and 522 may include any of the communication paths described above in relation to paths 508, 510, and 512. Communication with the content source 516 and the media guide data source 518 may occur via one or more communication paths, but in Figure 5, they are shown as a single path to avoid making the diagram too complex. In addition, there may be more than one of each of the content source 516 and the media guide data source 518, but in Figure 5, only one of each is shown to avoid making the diagram too complex. (Different types of these sources are discussed below). If desired, the content source 516 and the media guide data source 518 may be integrated as a single source device. Although the communication between sources 516 and 518 and user equipment devices 502, 504, and 506 is shown as occurring through the communication network 514, in some embodiments sources 516 and 518 may communicate directly with user equipment devices 502, 504, and 506 via communication paths (not shown), such as those described above in relation to paths 508, 510, and 512.

[0169] Content source 516 may include one or more types of content distribution equipment, including television distribution facilities, cable system headends, satellite distribution facilities, program sources (e.g., television broadcasters such as NBC, ABC, and HBO), intermediate distribution facilities and / or servers, internet providers, on-demand media servers, and other content providers. NBC is a trademark owned by 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. Content source 516 may be a source of content (e.g., a television broadcaster, a webcast provider, etc.) or not a source of content (e.g., an on-demand content provider, an internet provider of broadcast program content for download, etc.). Content source 516 may include cable sources, satellite providers, on-demand providers, internet providers, over-the-top content providers, or other content providers. Content source 516 may also include remote media servers used to store different types of content (including video content selected by the user) located remotely from any of the user equipment devices. Systems and methods for remote storage of content and for providing remotely stored content to user devices are discussed in more detail in relation to U.S. Patent No. 7,761,892 by Ellis et al., published July 20, 2010 (which is incorporated herein by reference to it as a whole).

[0170] The media guide data source 518 may provide media guide data, such as the media guide data described above. The media guide data may be provided to the user equipment device using any preferred approach. In some embodiments, the guide application may be a standalone interactive television program guide that receives program guide data via a data feed (e.g., a continuous feed or a trickle feed). Program schedule data and other guide data may be provided to the user equipment on the sidebands of television channels using in-band digital signals, using out-of-band digital signals, or by any other preferred data transmission technology. Program schedule data and other media guide data may be provided to the user equipment on multiple analog or digital television channels.

[0171] In some embodiments, guide data from the media guide data source 518 may be provided to the user's device using a client-server approach. For example, the user's device may pull media guide data from the server, or the server may push media guide data to the user's device. In some embodiments, a guide application client residing on the user's device may initiate a session with source 518 and retrieve guide data as needed, for example, when the guide data is outdated or when the user's device receives a request from the user to receive data. The media guide may be provided to the user's device at any preferred frequency (e.g., continuously, daily, at user-defined intervals, at system-defined intervals, in response to requests from the user's device, etc.). The media guide data source 518 may provide the user's device devices 502, 504, and 506 with the media guide application itself, or software updates for the media guide application.

[0172] In some embodiments, media guide data may include viewer data. For example, viewer data may include current and / or historical user activity information (e.g., content the user typically watches, the time the user watches the content, whether the user interacts with social networks, the time the user interacts with social networks and posts information, the type of content the user typically watches (e.g., pay TV or free TV), mood, brain activity information, etc.). Media guide data may also include subscription data. For example, subscription data may identify sources or services that a given user subscribes to and / or sources or services that a given user previously subscribed to but later discontinued access to (e.g., whether the user subscribes to a premium channel, whether the user added a premium level service, whether the user accelerated their internet speed). In some embodiments, viewer data and / or subscription data may identify patterns of a given user over periods longer than one year. Media guide data may include a model (e.g., a survivor model) used to generate a score indicating the likelihood that a given user will discontinue access to a service / source. For example, a media guide application may process audience data along with subscription data using a model to generate a value or score indicating the likelihood that a given user will discontinue access to a particular service or source. In particular, a higher score may indicate a higher level of confidence that the user will discontinue access to a particular service or source. Based on the score, the media guide application may generate advertisements encouraging users to maintain access to a particular service or source indicated by the score as one that the user is likely to discontinue.

[0173] The media guide application may be, for example, a standalone application implemented on the user device. For example, the media guide application may be implemented as a set of software or executable instructions that are stored in a storage device 408 and can be executed by the control circuit 404 of the user device 400. In some embodiments, the media guide application may be a client-server application, in which case only the client application resides on the user device, and the server application resides on a remote server. For example, the media guide application may be implemented partly as a client application on the control circuit 404 of the user device 400, and partly on the remote server as a server application (e.g., media guide data source 518) that is launched on the control circuit of the remote server. When executed by the control circuit of the remote server (media guide data source 518, etc.), the media guide application may instruct the control circuit to generate a guide application display and transmit the generated display to the user device. The server application may instruct the control circuit of the media guide data source 518 to transmit data for storage on the user device. The client application may instruct the control circuit of the receiving user device to generate a guide application display.

[0174] The content and / or media guide data delivered to user equipment devices 502, 504, and 506 may be over-the-top (OTT) content. OTT content delivery enables Internet-enabled user devices, including any user equipment devices described above, to receive content transmitted over the Internet, including any content described above, in addition to content received over cable or satellite connections. 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 ability, copyright, or redistribution of content and may only transmit IP packets provided by OTT content providers. Examples of OTT content providers include YouTube®, Netflix, and Hulu, which deliver audio and video over IP packets. YouTube is a trademark owned by Google Inc., Netflix is ​​a trademark owned by Netflix, Inc., and Hulu is a trademark owned by Hulu, LLC. OTT content providers may also, or alternatively, provide media guide data as described above. In addition to content and / or media guide data, OTT content providers may distribute media guide applications (e.g., web-based or cloud-based applications), or the content may be displayed by a media guide application stored on the user's device.

[0175] The media guide system 500 is intended to illustrate several approaches or network configurations, thereby allowing user equipment devices and sources of content and guide data to communicate with each other for the purpose of accessing content and providing media guides. The embodiments described herein may be applied in any one or part of these approaches, or in systems employing other approaches for distributing content and providing media guides. The following four approaches provide specific examples of the general embodiment shown in Figure 5.

[0176] In one approach, user equipment devices may communicate with each other within a home network. User equipment devices can communicate with each other directly 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 the communication network 514. Each of several individuals in a household may operate different user equipment devices on the home network. As a result, it may be desirable for various media guide information or settings to be communicated between different user equipment devices. For example, as described in more detail in U.S. Patent Publication 2005 / 0251827 of Ellis et al., filed July 11, 2005, it may be desirable for a user to maintain consistent media guide 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 a user computer device to a portable video player or a portable music player.

[0177] In the second approach, a user may have multiple types of user devices, thereby accessing content and obtaining media guides. For example, some users may have a home network accessed by both home and mobile devices. Users may control their home devices via a media guide application implemented on a remote device. For example, a user may access an online media guide application on a website via their office personal computer or a mobile device such as a PDA or web-enabled mobile phone. Users may control their home devices by configuring various settings (e.g., recording, reminders, or other settings) on the online guide application. The online guide may control the user's devices directly or by communicating with the media guide application on the user's home devices. Various systems and methods for communication between user device devices that are located remotely from one another are discussed, for example, in U.S. Patent No. 8,046,801, issued October 25, 2011 by Ellis et al. (which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety).

[0178] In the third approach, users of user devices inside and outside the home can communicate directly with the content source 516 and use its media guide application to access the content. Specifically, within the home, users of user television equipment 502 and user computer equipment 504 may access the media guide application to navigate between and identify the desired content. Users may also use the wireless user communication device 506 to access the media guide application outside the home to navigate between and identify the desired content.

[0179] In a fourth approach, user equipment devices may operate within a cloud computing environment and access cloud services. In the cloud computing environment, various types of computing services for content sharing, storage, or distribution (e.g., video sharing sites or social networking sites) are provided by a collection of network-accessible computing and storage resources referred to as the “cloud.” For example, the cloud may include a collection of server computing devices, which may be located in a central or distributed location, that provide cloud-based services to various types of users and devices connected via a network such as the Internet via a communication network 514. These cloud resources may include one or more content sources 516 and one or more media guide data sources 518. In addition, or alternatively, remote computing sites may include other user equipment devices such as user television equipment 502, user computer equipment 504, and wireless user communication devices 506. For example, other user equipment devices may provide access to stored copies of video or streamed video. In such embodiments, user equipment devices may operate in a peer-to-peer manner without communicating with a central server.

[0180] The cloud provides user devices with access to services such as content storage, content sharing, or social networking services, and access to any content described above, among other embodiments. Services may be delivered within the cloud through a cloud computing service provider 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 distributed for viewing by others on connected devices. These cloud-based services may enable user devices to store content in the cloud and receive content from the cloud, rather than storing and accessing content locally.

[0181] Users may record content using various content capture devices such as camcorders, digital cameras with video modes, audio recorders, mobile phones, and handheld computing devices. Users can upload content to a content storage service on the cloud either directly from, for example, user computer equipment 504, or from a wireless user communication device 506 having content capture features. Alternatively, users can first transfer content to a user equipment device such as user computer equipment 504. The user equipment device storing the content uploads the content to the cloud using a data transmission service on the communication network 514. In some embodiments, the user equipment device itself is the cloud resource, and other user equipment devices can directly access the content from the user equipment device where the user has stored the content.

[0182] Cloud resources may be accessed by a user device using, for example, a web browser, a media guide application, a desktop application, a mobile application, and / or any combination thereof of access applications. The user device may be a cloud client that relies on cloud computing for application delivery, or it may have certain functionality without accessing cloud resources. For example, some applications launched on the user device may be cloud applications, i.e., applications delivered as a service over the internet, while other applications may be stored and launched on the user device. In some embodiments, the user device may receive content from multiple cloud resources simultaneously. For example, the user device may stream audio from one cloud resource while downloading content from a second cloud resource. Alternatively, the user device may download content from multiple cloud resources for more efficient downloading. In some embodiments, the user device may use cloud resources for processing operations, such as processing operations performed by processing circuits described in relation to Figure 4.

[0183] As used herein, the term "in response to" means "to be initiated as a result of." For example, a first action performed in response to a second action may include an intervening step between the first action and the second action. As used herein, the term "directly in response to" means "to be caused by." For example, a first action performed directly in response to a second action may not include an intervening step between the first action and the second action.

[0184] Figure 6 illustrates an illustrative flowchart of a process for converting a non-playback command into an associated playback modification and prompting the command recipient to execute the command, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. Process 600 and any of the following processes may be executed by the control circuit 404 (for example, in a manner instructed to the control circuit 404 by a media guide application). The control circuit 404 may be distributed across user equipment (e.g., 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 as part of a remote server separated from the user equipment via a communication network 514, or a combination of both.

[0185] Process 600 begins with the control circuit 404 determining a command from the first user 102 to the second user 106. The control circuit 404 determines the command from the first user 102 to the second user 106 by detecting an audio output 104 from the first user 102 using sensors, user television equipment 502, user computer equipment 504, and / or wireless user communication device 512. For example, the control circuit 404 may determine a command from the first user 102 to the second user 106 (e.g., eat dinner) by using an audio sensor to detect a verbal output from the first user 102 (e.g., "It's time for dinner!").

[0186] In 604, the control circuit 404 compares the command with a set of playback action commands for the media asset currently being played. The control circuit 404 reads the set of playback action commands for the media asset from the storage device 408 or via the communication network 514. The control circuit 404 uses the processing circuit 406 to compare the command with the read set of playback actions. For example, the control circuit 404 compares the command (e.g., "Eat dinner") with a set of playback action commands for the media asset currently being played (e.g., pause, play, rewind, fast forward, stop, mute, etc.).

[0187] In 606, the control circuit 404 determines whether the command is included in the set of replay operations. If, in 606, the control circuit 404 determines "yes," i.e., the command is included in the set of replay operations, then process 606 returns to process 602.

[0188] If, in 606, the control circuit 404 determines "no," i.e., that the command is not included in the set of playback actions, then process 606 proceeds to process 608. In 608, the control circuit 404 determines whether the second user 106 will perform the desired result of the command. The control circuit 404 determines whether the second user 106 will perform the command using a similar method as described above. For example, the control circuit 404 may use a wireless user communication device 506 to detect an action that the second user 106 will perform (e.g., tracking the user's phone and determining whether the user will leave the viewing environment).

[0189] In 610, in response to the step that the second user decides not to perform the desired result of the command, the control circuit 404 decides whether to modify the playback of the media asset. For example, the control circuit 404 may read the rank of each user, which is stored in the storage device 408 or read via the communication network 514. The control circuit 404 may also decide whether the first user 102 is of a higher rank than the second user 106, and in response to the step that the first user 102 is of a higher rank than the second user 106, the control circuit 404 may modify the playback of the media asset. For example, the media guide application may mute the volume of the media asset 116 playback through the speaker 414. In another embodiment, the media guide application may turn off the display 412.

[0190] Figure 7 illustrates an illustrative flowchart of a process for converting a non-playback command into an associated playback modification and prompting the command recipient to execute the command, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. Process 700 begins 702, with control circuit 404 detecting a command from a first user 104 to a second user 106. Control circuit 404 detects a command from a first user 104 to a second user 106 by detecting an audio output 104 from the first user 102, using sensors, user television equipment 502, user computer equipment 504, and / or wireless user communication device 512. For example, control circuit 404 may detect a command from a first user to a second user by using an audio sensor to detect a verbal output from the first user.

[0191] In 704, the control circuit 404 compares the command with a set of playback action commands for the media asset currently being played by the second user. The control circuit 404 reads a set of playback action commands for the media asset 108 from the storage device 408 or the media guide data source 518, or via the communication network 514. The control circuit 404 uses the processing circuit 406 to compare the command with the read set of playback action commands. For example, the control circuit 404 may read a set of playback action commands (e.g., pause, play, rewind, fast forward, stop, mute, etc.) from a database in the storage device 408. The control circuit 404 may also compare the command with the read set of playback action commands.

[0192] In step 706, the control circuit 404 determines whether the command is included in the set of replay operations. If, in step 706, the control circuit 404 determines "yes," i.e., the command is included in the set of replay operations, then process 706 returns to process 702.

[0193] If, in step 706, the control circuit 404 determines "no," that is, that the command is not included in the set of playback actions, then process 706 proceeds to process 708. In step 708, the control circuit 404 determines that the command is not included in the set of playback action commands. For example, the control circuit 404 may use the processing circuit 406 to determine that the command (e.g., eat dinner) is not included in the set of playback action commands (e.g., pause, play, stop, rewind, fast forward, etc.).

[0194] In 710, the control circuit 404 determines the desired result of a command from multiple results of the command based on the user profiles of the first user 102 and the second user 106. The control circuit 404 reads the user profiles of the first user 102 and the second user 106 from the storage device 408 or media guide data source 518, or via the communication network 514. The control circuit 404 determines the desired result of the command using a similar method as described above.

[0195] In 712, the control circuit 404 detects an action performed by the second user 106. The control circuit 404 determines the action performed by the second user 106 using a similar method as described above. For example, the control circuit 404 may use a wireless user communication device 506 (e.g., a camera) to detect an action performed by the second user (e.g., tracking the user's movement and determining whether the user leaves the viewing environment). In 714, the control circuit 404 compares the action of the second user 106 with the desired outcome of the command. The control circuit 404 compares the action of the second user with the desired outcome of the command using a similar method as described above. For example, the control circuit 404 may compare an action (e.g., the user not moving from the bench) with a desired outcome (e.g., the user going out for dinner).

[0196] In step 716, in response to determining that the action of the second user 106 does not correspond to the desired result of the command, the control circuit 404 reads the characteristics of the second user 106 from the user profile of the second user 106. The control circuit 404 reads the characteristics of the second user from a database in the storage device 408 corresponding to the user profile, or via the communication network 514. For example, the control circuit 404 reads the characteristics of the second user (e.g., that the second user is 10 years old) from a database in the storage device 408 corresponding to the profile of the second user. In step 718, the control circuit 404 determines whether to modify the playback of the media asset based on the command detected by the first user 102 and the read characteristics of the second user 106. The control circuit 404 may determine whether to modify the playback of the media asset based on the command and the read characteristics using a similar method as described above. For example, the control circuit 404 may decide whether to modify the playback of a media asset based on a ranking between two users, such as reading from a database corresponding to user profiles in the storage device 408.

[0197] Figure 8 illustrates an illustrative flowchart of a process for determining a command based on the characteristics of a second user 106 according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. Process 800 begins with a control circuit 404 comparing characteristics from retrieved characteristics of the second user to commands, where characteristics are selected from a group of characteristics consisting of age, rank, relationship to other users, and time, and commands are selected from a group of commands consisting of eating, cleaning, studying, cooking, and sleeping. The control circuit 404 retrieves characteristics from a database in a storage device 408. The control circuit 404 compares characteristics to commands using similar methods as described above. For example, the control circuit 404 may compare characteristics from retrieved characteristics (e.g., age) to commands (e.g., eating).

[0198] In 804, the control circuit 404 determines from the comparison whether the command shares characteristics with the second user 106. The control circuit 404 reads the command characteristics from a database in the storage device 408 and uses them for comparison. For example, the control circuit 404 may use the processing circuit 406 to determine that the command (e.g., meal) shares characteristics with the second user 106 (e.g., the time corresponds to dinner time). In 806, in response to the step of determining that the command shares characteristics, the control circuit 404 modifies the playback of the media asset. For example, the control circuit 404 may pause the playback of the media asset on the user television device 502. In another embodiment, the control circuit 404 may mute the audio (e.g., volume 116) of the media asset playback through the speaker 414. In yet another embodiment, the control circuit 404 may turn off the power to the display 412 that was displaying the media asset playback.

[0199] Figure 9 illustrates an illustrative flowchart of a process for converting a non-playback command into an associated playback modification and prompting the command recipient to execute the command, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. Process 900 begins with control circuit 404 detecting a command from a first user 102 to a second user 106 and a third user 902. For example, control circuit 404 may detect a command from a first user to a second user and a third user by using an audio sensor to detect verbal output from the first user.

[0200] In 904, the control circuit 404 determines the desired result of a command from multiple results of the command based on the user profiles of the first user 102, the second user 106, and the third user. For example, the control circuit 404 may determine the desired result of a command based on reading the attributes of the command from a database in the storage device 408 or media guide data source 518, or via the communication network 514.

[0201] In 906, the control circuit 404 detects a first action performed by a second user and a second action performed by a third user. The control circuit 404 determines the actions performed by the second user and the actions performed by the third user using similar methods as described above. For example, the control circuit 404 may use a wireless user communication device 506 (e.g., a camera) to detect the actions performed by the second user and the third user (e.g., tracking the user's movement and determining whether the user leaves the viewing environment).

[0202] In 908, the control circuit 404 compares the actions of the second user 106 and the actions of the third user with the desired outcome of the command. For example, the control circuit 404 may compare the actions of the second user 106 (e.g., still watching the media asset) and the actions of the third user (e.g., still watching the media asset) with the desired outcome of the command (e.g., walking to the dinner table).

[0203] In step 910, in response to determining that the actions of the second user and the third user do not correspond to the desired result of the command, the control circuit 404 reads the characteristics of the second user 106 from the user profile of the second user 106 and the characteristics of the third user from the user profile of the third user. For example, the control circuit 404 may read the characteristics of the second user from a database in the storage device 408 corresponding to the second user's profile, or it may read the characteristics of the third user from the third user's profile stored on a remote server via the communication network 514.

[0204] In 912, the control circuit 404 determines whether to modify the playback of the media asset based on the command detected by the first user 102, the read characteristics of the second user 106, and the read characteristics of the third user. For example, the control circuit 404 determines whether to modify the playback of the media asset based on the rank associated with each user.

[0205] Figure 10 illustrates an illustrative flowchart of a process for determining a command based on verbal input 104 from a first user 102, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. Process 1000 begins with a control circuit 404 detecting verbal input 104 from the first user 102. For example, the control circuit 404 may use an audio sensor to detect verbal input 104 from the first user 102. In some cases, the audio sensor may be contained within a user television device 502, a user computer device 504, and / or a wireless user communication device 506.

[0206] In step 1004, the control circuit 404 compares the verbal input 104 with a database of commands, the database containing commands corresponding to each verbal input. The control circuit 404 reads the database of verbal commands from the storage device 408 via the communication network 514. For example, the control circuit 404 compares a verbal input (e.g., "Dinner is ready!") with the database of verbal commands received from the storage device 408. In step 1006, the control circuit 404 determines the command corresponding to the verbal input from the first user 102 from the user's profile. The control circuit 404 determines the command corresponding to the verbal input using a similar method as described above. For example, the control circuit 404 may use the processing circuit 406 to compare the verbal input with the database of verbal commands based on keyword matching.

[0207] Figure 11 illustrates an illustrative flowchart of a process for determining results based on command attributes according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. Process 1100 begins 1102, in which a control circuit 404 determines the command attributes. For example, the control circuit 404 may determine the command attributes based on analyzing the audio associated with the command, as described above. In 1104, the control circuit 404 compares the command attributes with the attributes of several resulting commands of the command. For example, the control circuit 404 may compare the command attributes with the attributes of several resulting commands of the command, which may be read from a storage device 408.

[0208] In 1106, the control circuit 404 determines from the comparison that the result among multiple results containing the command attributes is the desired result. For example, the control circuit 404 may determine that the result among multiple results with the highest rank is the desired result.

[0209] Figure 12 illustrates an illustrative flowchart of a process for detecting whether a second user 106 leaves the viewing area of ​​a media device presenting a media asset, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. Process 1200 begins 1202, when a control circuit 404 detects a second user executing a command to modify the playback of the media asset. For example, the control circuit 404 may receive a user input command (e.g., a “pause” command) from a user input interface 410 to modify the playback of the media asset (e.g., to pause the media asset).

[0210] In step 1204, the control circuit 404 determines whether the user is leaving the viewing environment of the media device presenting the media asset. If, in step 1204, the control circuit 404 determines "yes," that is, the second user 106 is leaving the viewing environment of the media device presenting the media asset, then process 1204 proceeds to process 1206. In step 1206, the control circuit 404 uses sensors to detect the second user leaving the viewing environment of the media device presenting the media asset. For example, the control circuit 404 may use a wireless user communication device 506 (e.g., a camera) to track the movement of the second user and detect when the second user leaves the viewing environment of the media device presenting the media asset.

[0211] If, in step 1204, the control circuit 404 decides "no," i.e., the user will not leave the viewing environment of the media device presenting the media asset, then process 1204 proceeds to process 1208. In step 1208, the control circuit 404 uses sensors to detect that the second user remains within the viewing environment of the media asset device. For example, the control circuit 404 may use a wireless user communication device 506 (e.g., the second user's mobile phone) to track the second user's movement via GPS and detect that the second user has not left the viewing environment of the media device presenting the media asset.

[0212] Figure 13 illustrates an illustrative flowchart of a process for modifying media playback based on user rank, according to several embodiments of the present disclosure. Process 1300 begins at 1302, where control circuit 404 reads the rank of a first user and the rank of a second user. Control circuit 404 reads the rank of a first user and the rank of a second user from a database corresponding to user profiles in storage device 408. In some cases, control circuit 404 reads the ranks from a communication network 514. For example, control circuit 404 may read the rank of a first user (e.g., rank 1 out of 4) and the rank of a second user (e.g., rank 3 out of 4).

[0213] In step 1304, the control circuit 404 determines whether the rank of the first user 102 is higher than the rank of the second user 106. The control circuit 404 uses the processing circuit 406 to compare the rank of the first user with the rank of the second user. If, in step 1304, the control circuit 404 determines "yes," that is, the rank of the first user is higher than the rank of the second user, then process 1304 proceeds to process 1306. In step 1306, the control circuit 404 modifies the playback of the media asset. For example, the control circuit 404 may pause the playback of the media asset on the user television device 502. In another embodiment, the control circuit 404 may mute the audio of the media asset playback through the speaker 414. In yet another embodiment, the control circuit 404 may turn off the power to the display 412 that was displaying the media asset playback.

[0214] If, in step 1304, the control circuit 404 determines "no," that is, the rank of the first user is not higher than the rank of the second user, then process 1304 proceeds to process 1308. In step 1308, the control circuit 404 continues to play the media asset.

[0215] Systems and methods are also provided herein for determining whether a user is authorized to perform actions that fulfill audio objectives. A media guide application may detect audio generated by a first device outside the media equipment device. The media guide application may read known objectives associated with audio from a lookup table. The media guide application may detect a user in the listening environment. The media guide application may determine the user's identity. The media guide application may then modify playback and, based on the user's identity, encourage or hinder the user from achieving known objectives.

[0216] Figure 14 illustrates illustrative embodiments of determining whether a user is authorized to perform an action that fulfills an audio objective, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. Figure 14 depicts illustrative representation 100, which may be presented by a control circuit running a media guide application on any user device. The functionality of the user device, control circuit, and media guide application will be described in more detail with respect to Figure 2-5.

[0217] The media guide application may output sound 1406 from the first device 1402 in response to the step of detecting action 1404. For example, the media guide application may output sound 1406 (e.g., doorbell ringing, smoke alarm, ringtone, etc.) from the first device 1402 (e.g., doorbell ringing, smoke alarm, ringtone, etc.) in response to the step of detecting action 1404 (e.g., a user pressing a doorbell, a smoke alarm detecting smoke, a mobile phone ringing). The media guide application may determine that a first user 1408 and a second user 1410 are enjoying playback of a media asset 1412, which may include playback audio 1414. The media guide application may determine that a first user 1408 and a second user 1410 are enjoying media asset 1412 within a first physical environment 1416. The media guide application may detect that the audio 1406 occurs within a second physical environment 1418, which may be a separate environment from the first environment 1416.

[0218] In some embodiments, the media guide application may detect sound generated by a first device outside the media equipment device. For example, the media guide application may use a sensor to detect sound generated by a first device outside the media equipment device (e.g., a doorbell) (e.g., the sound of a doorbell ringing). The media guide application may also detect sound generated by the first device using a method similar to detecting oral input as described above.

[0219] For example, the media guide application may use an intelligent personal assistant (IPA) (e.g., Amazon Echo, Google Home, Siri, etc.) to detect audio generated by a first device outside the media equipment device, and the IPA always listens to audio input within the first physical environment 1416 and the second physical environment 1418.

[0220] In some embodiments, the media guide application may determine that a network of connected IPAs exists, and each connected IPA exists in its own environment and communicates with other IPAs via the wireless network. For example, the media guide application may determine that a network of connected IPAs exists (e.g., an Amazon Echo in the living room, a Ring doorbell camera at the front door, etc.) and communicates with each other via the wireless network. In some cases, the network IPAs may be configured in a slave / master configuration.

[0221] A media guide application may use the objective associated with the sound (for example, in the case of a doorbell ringing, the associated objective may be that the user answers the door) and potential user actions (for example, pausing playback of media asset 1412, standing up, and opening the door) to help determine whether the user is authorized to perform an action that fulfills the objective of the sound. As referred herein, “objective associated with sound” is defined as a preferred action taken by the user as a result of being notified of the sound. For example, a media guide application may determine that the objective associated with a doorbell ringing may be that the user answers the door. In another embodiment, a media guide application may determine that the objective associated with a smoke alarm beep may be that the user leaves the house and / or environment containing the smoke alarm. In yet another embodiment, a media guide application may determine that another objective associated with a smoke alarm beep may be that the user replaces the battery in the smoke alarm.

[0222] The media guide application may store a database that associates goals within goals with sets of actions within actions and audio within audio. The media guide application may store the database within the user profile. The values ​​stored in the database (e.g., goals, actions, audio) may be pre-configured by an editor or edited by user input.

[0223] For example, a media guide application may store a database that associates an objective (e.g., answer the door) from a set of objectives (e.g., answer the door, do not answer the door) with a set of actions (e.g., continue watching the media asset and ignore the doorbell) from a set of actions (e.g., pause playback of the media asset and answer the door, continue watching the media asset and ignore the doorbell) and an audio (e.g., the doorbell ringing) from a set of audio (e.g., the doorbell ringing, the phone ringing, the smoke detector beeping).

[0224] The media guide application may compare the attributes of the sound generated by the first device 1402 with database entries to determine the set of goals associated with the sound and the corresponding actions associated with the goals. For example, the media guide application may compare the sound 1406 generated by the first device 1402 (e.g., a doorbell ringing) with database entries to determine the goal associated with the sound 1406 (e.g., answering the door) and the set of corresponding actions associated with the goal (e.g., pausing playback of the media asset, leaving the viewing environment 1516 and answering the door, etc.).

[0225] In some embodiments, when comparing the voice 1406 generated by the first device 1402 with a database to determine the set of goals associated with the voice and the corresponding actions associated with the goals, the media guide application may determine the match between the voice 1406 and the entries in the database based on the characteristics of the voice 1406. For example, the media guide application may use the characteristics of the voice 1406 (e.g., tone, volume, frequency, etc.) to match the voice with its corresponding entry in the database.

[0226] For example, the media guide application may determine the characteristics (e.g., attributes) of speech 1406 using speech processing techniques, as described in more detail above. The media guide application may determine whether a match exists between a speech and an entry by determining that the speech and entries in a group of entries have a common threshold amount for a characteristic. The media guide application may read threshold amounts from a profile, which may be pre-set by an editor and updated based on user input. For example, the media guide application may determine that speech 1406 (e.g., a doorbell ringing) has a common threshold amount (e.g., a doorbell sound) for a characteristic shared with an entry (e.g., a doorbell sound) in a group of entries (e.g., a doorbell sound, a fire alarm sound, a telephone ringing, etc.) (e.g., a doorbell sound).

[0227] In some embodiments, when comparing the audio generated by the first device with a database and determining the set of targets associated with the audio 1406 and the corresponding actions associated with the targets, the media guide application may determine a match between the audio 1406 and the entries in the database based on the fingerprint of the audio 1406. As used herein, an audio "fingerprint" is a condensed digital summary definitively generated from an audio signal, which can be used to identify an audio sample. The media guide application may compare the audio fingerprint with the audio fingerprint associated with each entry in the database. The media guide application may determine a match between fingerprints when the fingerprints are identical within a tolerance range, which is stored in a profile and preset by an editor.

[0228] The media guide application may read from the entry the goal associated with the sound. For example, the media guide application may read from the entry the goal associated with the sound (e.g., the doorbell ringing) (e.g., answering the door).

[0229] The media guide application may read from an entry a set of corresponding actions associated with a goal. For example, the media guide application may read from an entry a set of corresponding actions associated with a goal (e.g., respond to a door) (e.g., watch a media asset play, increase the volume of a media asset play, etc.).

[0230] The media guide application may detect users within the viewing environment 1416 of a media device. For example, the media guide application may use a sensor (e.g., a camera) to detect users within the first viewing environment 1416 of a media device (e.g., a television).

[0231] In some embodiments, when detecting a user in a first viewing environment 1416 of a media device, the media guide application may use sensors to detect the presence of a first user 1408 in the first viewing environment 1416. For example, the media guide application may use an infrared sensor to determine a thermal map of the first viewing environment 1416 and detect the thermal signature of a user in the thermal map to detect that a first user 1408 is in the first viewing environment 1416 of a media device (e.g., a television).

[0232] In some embodiments, when detecting a first user 1408 in a first viewing environment 1416 of a media device, the media guide application may use a camera to detect the presence of a user in the viewing environment. For example, the media guide application may use a camera to detect a user in the viewing environment of a media device (e.g., a television). Systems and methods for detecting a user in the viewing environment of a media device are described in more detail in U.S. Application No. 15 / 200,194, filed July 1, 2016, by Panchaksharaiah et al., U.S. Application No. 15 / 200,216, filed July 1, 2016, by Panchaksharaiah et al., and U.S. Application No. 15 / 200,638, filed July 1, 2016, by Blake et al. (incorporated herein by reference to them as a whole).

[0233] In some embodiments, when detecting a first user 1408 within a first viewing environment 1416 of a media device, the media guide application may use the Global Positioning System (GPS) to detect the presence of the first user 1408 within the first viewing environment 1416. For example, the media guide application may detect the user's location via GPS associated with a user device associated with the user (e.g., the user's mobile phone, wearable technology (e.g., Apple Watch), etc.). From the user's location (e.g., GPS coordinates), the media guide application may determine whether the user is within the viewing environment of the media device based on known locations of the viewing environment.

[0234] The media guide application may determine from the user profile of the first user 1408 whether the user is authorized to perform an action in a set of determined actions associated with a goal. For example, the media guide application may read from the authorization database in the user's profile whether the user is authorized to perform an action associated with a goal (e.g., answering a door) (e.g., leaving the viewing environment). The media guide application may also store the user's authorization status (e.g., whether the user is authorized to perform the action or not) in the authorization database in the user profile, and the authorization status is determined using the methods described below.

[0235] In some embodiments, when determining from a user's user profile whether the user is authorized to perform an action in a set of determined actions associated with a goal, the media guide application may read a rank for the user from the user profile. For example, the media guide application may read a rank for the user (e.g., 8 out of 10).

[0236] In some embodiments, the media guide application may decide that its user rank is dynamic and may be frequently updated within the user profile. The media guide application may decide that the user rank is determined based on several factors, including the presence of other users in the viewing environment / home, the user's age, etc. The media guide application may decide that values ​​are dynamically assigned to each factor (for example, values ​​may be assigned by comparing the factor with a value lookup table, the lookup table values ​​may be determined by an editor and updated based on user input). For example, the media guide application may decide that the user's rank is higher when there are more users in the viewing environment and as the user's age increases.

[0237] The media guide application may calculate a user's rank from multiple factors by reading the weights assigned to each factor (e.g., 0% to 100%). The media guide application may decide that the weights assigned to each factor are predetermined, assigned by an editor, and can be updated based on user input. The media guide application may then calculate a rank for the user (e.g., 0 to 100) using the weights and values ​​for each factor (e.g., by summing the product of the weights and values ​​for each factor for several factors). For example, the media guide application may use the weights for each factor (e.g., user age weight = 50%, presence of other users in the viewing environment weight = 50%) and the values ​​for each factor (e.g., user age value = 15, presence of other users in the viewing environment = 50) to calculate a rank for the user (e.g., 0.5 out of 100). * 15+0.5 * You can also calculate 50 = 32.5.

[0238] The media guide application may read ranks for actions from a database. The media guide application may decide that ranks for actions are predetermined by an editor and can be updated from user input. For example, the media guide application may read ranks (e.g., 50 out of 100) for an action (e.g., exiting the viewing environment) from a database.

[0239] In some embodiments, the media guide application may dynamically determine the rank of an action. The media guide application may use factors such as the user present in the viewing environment / home, the user's age, and the risk to determine the rank. For example, the media guide application may use a sensor to detect sound and then determine whether any other users are present in the viewing environment or home. In response to the step of determining that no other users are present, the media guide application may rank the action higher because it may indicate a situation in which the user should not complete the action (for example, the user is a child alone at home and therefore should not answer the door to a stranger). The media guide application may rank actions based on factors in a manner similar to how it ranks users based on factors, as described above.

[0240] In another embodiment, a media guide application may rank actions according to the risk they present. The media guide application may determine risk by analyzing the sporadic consequences of an action. For example, a media guide application may use a camera to determine the identity of an individual who uses a user device (e.g., a doorbell) to generate sound. If the media guide application determines that the individual is a stranger (for example, by using the image generated by the camera to compare the individual's face to faces associated with known users from a user profile and determining that there is no match between the individual's face and the faces of known users), the media guide application may rank the action higher because it poses a higher risk. If the media guide application determines that the individual is not a stranger (for example, by using a camera to identify the user based on comparing them to multiple users who have user profiles), the media guide application may rank the action lower because it poses a lower risk.

[0241] The media guide application may determine whether the rank for the user exceeds the rank for the action. For example, the media guide application may determine whether the rank for the user (e.g., 8 out of 10) exceeds the rank for the action (e.g., 5 out of 10).

[0242] In response to the step of determining that the rank for the user exceeds the rank for the action, the media guide application may determine that the user is authorized to perform the action. For example, the media guide application may determine that the user is authorized to perform the action (e.g., exit the viewing environment).

[0243] In response to the step of determining whether the user is authorized to take action, the media guide application may generate a notification for the user indicating the detected sound. For example, the media guide application may generate an audio notification for the user (e.g., a doorbell sound) and play it over the playback of the media asset to indicate the detected sound. The media guide application may play an audio notification, which is a clip of the detected sound (e.g., a doorbell ringing, a fire alarm, a phone ringing), over the playback to audibly alert the user to the detected sound source.

[0244] In some embodiments, the media guide application may play an audio notification for a set duration (e.g., 5 seconds) corresponding to a preset duration, such as determined by the editor or entered by the user. For example, the media guide application may play a doorbell sound for a preset duration (e.g., 3 seconds), such as determined by the editor, overriding the playback of a media asset.

[0245] In some embodiments, the media guide application may play an audio notification that overrides the playback of the media asset until the media guide application detects an action from the user (e.g., the user pauses playback, the user leaves the viewing environment, etc.). For example, the media guide application may play an audio notification (e.g., a doorbell ringing) that overrides the playback of the media asset until the media guide application detects an action from the user (e.g., the media guide application detects a user via the camera leaving the viewing environment and answering the door).

[0246] In some embodiments, when generating a notification for the user indicating detected sound, the media guide application may generate an overlay to be displayed on the media device, the overlay containing a notification for the user about the sound. For example, the media guide application may generate an overlay to be displayed on the media device (e.g., an overlay that says "The doorbell is ringing!").

[0247] A media guide application may modify the playback of media assets and allow users to perform actions associated with goals. For example, a media guide application may modify the playback of media assets (e.g., pause the movie the user is watching) and allow users to perform actions associated with goals (e.g., respond to a door) (e.g., exit the viewing environment).

[0248] In some embodiments, the media guide application may decide to correct the playback of a media asset after determining that the user has not performed an action associated with a goal after a threshold time period. The media guide application may read the threshold time period from a database in the profile, which is pre-set by an editor for each specific goal. The media guide application may edit the threshold time period for each specific goal based on user input. For example, the media guide application may decide to correct the playback of a media asset after determining that the user has not performed an action associated with a goal (e.g., leaving the viewing environment and answering the door) after a threshold time period (e.g., 30 seconds) read from a database in the profile.

[0249] In some embodiments, when modifying the playback of a media asset and enabling the user to perform actions associated with a goal, the media guide application may read a set of playback modifications associated with a goal from a database. For example, the media guide application may read a set of playback modifications associated with a goal from a database (e.g., pause, play, fast forward, rewind, mute, turn on / off, etc.).

[0250] The media guide application may select a playback modifier from a set of playback modifiers based on the user's preferences. The media guide application may read the user's preferences from the user profile. The user's preferences may be pre-configured based on user input, determined based on user behavior, or a combination of both. For example, the media guide application may track the user's command history in response to the user hearing a sound (e.g., a doorbell ringing) and determine the user's favorite playback commands. The media guide application may determine commands to be performed after the user hears the sound based on comparing the timestamp of a command with the timestamp of the detected sound. For example, the media guide application may select a playback modifier (e.g., pause) from a set of playback modifiers based on the user's preferences (e.g., the user always pauses content before getting up and answering the door).

[0251] The media guide application may modify the playback of a media asset based on the selected playback modification. For example, the media guide application may modify the playback of a media asset based on the selected playback modification (e.g., pausing the playback of the media asset). In another embodiment, the media guide application may modify the playback of a media asset based on the selected playback modification by muting the playback of the media asset, stopping the playback of the media asset, turning off the playback of the media asset, or any other similar playback modification.

[0252] In response to the step of determining that a user is not authorized to perform an action, the media guide application may generate a notification for a second user to perform the action. For example, the media guide application may generate a notification for performing an action (e.g., responding to a door) (e.g., sending an SMS message to the second user 1410, sending an audio alert to the second user 1410's personal device, or generating an overlay with instructions for the second user 1410 to be displayed on the media asset).

[0253] In some embodiments, the media guide application may determine whether the user is likely to listen to the audio and therefore be motivated to take action in response to the audio.

[0254] In some embodiments, the media guide application may determine that the audio is within the audible range of the listening environment. For example, the media guide application may detect the audio using a sensor (e.g., a microphone) contained within the listening environment. The media guide application may compare the volume of the detected audio to the minimum volume value (read from a profile) that the audio may have and that is still within the audible range.

[0255] In response to a step in determining that a user is not authorized to take an action, the Media Guide application may prevent the user from modifying the playback of a media asset. For example, the Media Guide application may prevent the user from modifying the playback of the Media Guide application (e.g., by not allowing the user to pause the playback of a media asset).

[0256] The media guide application may modify the playback of media assets to prevent users from performing actions associated with the objective. For example, the media guide application may increase the volume of the media asset playback to drown out sounds within the user's audible range.

[0257] In some embodiments, when modifying the playback of a media asset, the media guide application may determine a volume level that attenuates audio within the audible range. For example, the media guide application may determine a volume level that is equal to or higher than the determined volume level of audio within the audible range.

[0258] The media guide application may adjust the volume corresponding to the playback of a media asset so that it is attenuating. For example, the media guide application may adjust the playback volume of a media asset so that it is higher than the detected volume of audio within the audible range.

[0259] Figure 15 illustrates an illustrative flowchart of a process for determining whether a user is authorized to perform an action that satisfies an audio objective, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. Process 1500 begins at 1502, in which a control circuit 404 detects an audio 106 generated by a first device 102 outside the media equipment device. For example, the control circuit 404 may detect an audio 106 (e.g., the sound of a doorbell ringing) generated by a first device 102 (e.g., a doorbell) or speaker 414 outside the media equipment device (e.g., a television).

[0260] In step 1504, the control circuit 404 reads a known target associated with a sound from a lookup table. The control circuit 404 may read a known target from a lookup table stored in the storage device 408 or the media guide data source 518. The control circuit 404 may also read a known target from the lookup table from the communication network 514. For example, the control circuit 404 may read a known target (e.g., answering the door) associated with a sound 1406 (e.g., a doorbell ringing). In step 1506, the control circuit 404 detects a user in the listening environment. For example, the control circuit 404 may use sensors to detect a user in the listening environment. In step 1508, the control circuit 404 determines the identity of the first user 1408. The control circuit 404 may determine the user's identity using the methods described above. In 1510, the control circuit 404 modifies the playback and, based on the identity of the first user 1408, prompts or prevents the first user 1408 from achieving a known objective. For example, the control circuit 404 may modify the playback (e.g., pause the playback) and, based on the identity of the first user 1408 (e.g., homeowner), prompt the first user 1408 to achieve a known objective (e.g., respond to the door).

[0261] Figure 16 illustrates an illustrative flowchart of a process for determining whether a user is authorized to perform an action that satisfies the objective of a voice 1406, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. In 1602, the control circuit 404 detects a voice 1406 generated by a first device outside the media device. For example, the control circuit 404 may detect a voice 1406 (e.g., the sound of a doorbell ringing) generated by a first device 1402 outside the media device (e.g., a doorbell). In 1604, the control circuit 404 stores a database that associates each objective among multiple objectives with a set of actions among multiple actions and a voice among multiple voices. The control circuit 404 stores the database in a storage device 408 or a media guide data source 518, or reads the database via a communication network 514.

[0262] In step 1606, the control circuit 404 compares the voice 1406 generated by the first device with a database to determine the set of goals associated with the voice 1406 and the corresponding actions associated with the goals. In step 1608, the control circuit detects a user in the viewing environment of the media device. For example, the control circuit 404 may use an infrared sensor to detect a user in the viewing environment of the media device. In step 1610, the control circuit 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 goals. The control circuit 404 determines whether the user is authorized to perform an action using a similar method as described above.

[0263] In step 1612, the control circuit 404 determines whether user 1408 is authorized to perform an action from a set of determined actions associated with the goal. If in step 1612 the control circuit 404 determines "yes," i.e., user 1408 is authorized to perform an action from a set of determined actions associated with the goal, then process 1612 proceeds to process 1614. In step 1614, the control circuit 404 generates a notification for the user indicating the detected sound 1406. For example, the control circuit may generate an overlay on display 412 for the user indicating the detected sound. In step 1616, the control circuit 404 modifies the playback of the media asset, enabling user 1408 to perform an action associated with the goal. For example, the control circuit 404 may mute the playback of the media asset 1412, enabling the user to perform an action associated with the goal (e.g., answering a door) (e.g., leaving the viewing environment).

[0264] If, in step 1612, the control circuit 404 determines "no," i.e., that user 1408 is not authorized to perform an action in the set of determined actions associated with the objective, then process 1612 proceeds to process 1618. In 1618, the control circuit 404 generates a notification for a second user 1410 to perform an action. For example, the control circuit 404 may generate an SMS message to the wireless communication device 506 for a second user (e.g., an adult in the household) to perform an action (e.g., answering the door). In step 1620, the control circuit 404 determines that the sound is within the audible range of the listening environment. For example, the control circuit 404 may use a microphone, as described above, to detect whether the sound is within the audible range of the listening environment. In step 1622, the control circuit 404 may prevent user 1408 from modifying the playback of the media asset. For example, the control circuit 404 may not respond to user 1408 commands entered by the user via the user input interface 410.

[0265] At 1624, the control circuit 404 modifies the playback of the media asset to prevent the user 1408 from performing an action associated with the target. At 1626, the control circuit 404 determines the volume 1406 to attenuate the sound that is within the audible range. The control circuit 404 determines the volume to attenuate the sound using a similar method as described above. At 1628, the control circuit 404 adjusts the volume corresponding to the playback of the media asset (e.g., audio playback 1414) to be the volume to attenuate the user 1408.

[0266] Figure 17 illustrates an illustrative flowchart of a process for identifying a target associated with a voice 1406 according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. Process 1700 begins in 1702, where a control circuit 404 determines a match between the voice 1406 and an entry in the database based on the characteristics of the voice. For example, the control circuit 404 may determine a match between the voice 1406 (e.g., a doorbell ringing) and an entry in the database based on the characteristics of the voice (e.g., tone, volume, etc.). In 1704, the control circuit 404 reads out the target associated with the voice 1406 from the entry. For example, the control circuit 404 may read out the target (e.g., answering the door) associated with the voice (e.g., a doorbell ringing) from the entry. In 1706, the control circuit 404 reads out the set of corresponding actions associated with the target from the entry. For example, the control circuit 404 may read from the entries a set of corresponding actions (e.g., pause playback, respond to door, etc.) associated with a target (e.g., respond to door).

[0267] Figure 18 illustrates an illustrative flowchart of a process for detecting the presence of a user in a viewing environment according to several embodiments of the present disclosure. Process 1800 begins from 1802, in which a control circuit 404 detects the presence of a user 1408 in the viewing environment using a sensor. The control circuit 404 may be connected to the sensor via a communication network 514. For example, the control circuit 404 may use an infrared sensor to detect the presence of a user in the viewing environment.

[0268] Figure 19 illustrates an illustrative flowchart of a process for generating an overlay containing a notification, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. Process 1900 begins at 1902, in which a control circuit 404 generates an overlay to be displayed on a media device, the overlay containing a notification for user 1408 about an audio 1406. The control circuit 404 may also generate an overlay to be displayed on a display 412. For example, the control circuit 404 may generate an overlay to be displayed on a media device (e.g., a television), the overlay containing a notification for user about an audio (e.g., an overlay with text that reads, "The doorbell is ringing").

[0269] Figure 20 illustrates an illustrative flowchart of a process for modifying the playback of a media asset according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. Process 2000 begins in 2002, when the control circuit 404 reads a set of playback modifications associated with a target from a database. The control circuit 404 may read the set of playback modifications from a database stored in a storage device 408 or media guide data source 518, or via a communication network 514. For example, the control circuit 404 may read a set of playback modifications (e.g., pause playback, mute playback, etc.) associated with a target (e.g., respond to a door) from the database.

[0270] In 2004, the control circuit 404 selects a playback modification from a set of playback modifications based on the user 1408's preferences. For example, the control circuit 404 may select a playback modification (e.g., pause playback) based on the user 1408's preferences (e.g., the user prefers not to miss any content when responding to a door). In 2006, the control circuit 404 modifies the playback of the media asset based on the selected playback modification. For example, the control circuit 404 may pause playback of the media asset based on the selected playback modification (e.g., pause playback).

[0271] Figure 21 illustrates 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 in 2102, when the control circuit 404 reads a rank for user 1408 from a user profile. The control circuit 404 may read a rank for user 1408 from a user profile stored in a storage device 408 or a media guide data source 518, or via a communication network 514. For example, a media guide application may read a rank for user 1408 (e.g., 8 out of 10) from a user profile in the storage device 408. In 2104, the control circuit 404 reads a rank for an action from a database. For example, the control circuit 404 may read a rank for an action (e.g., 5 out of 10) from a database in the storage device 408.

[0272] In step 2106, the control circuit 404 determines whether user 1408's rank exceeds the rank required for the action. If in step 2106 the control circuit 404 determines "yes," i.e., the user's rank exceeds the rank required for the action, process 2106 proceeds to step 2108. In step 2108, the control circuit 404 determines that user 1408 is authorized to perform the action. If in step 2106 the control circuit 404 determines "no," i.e., user 1408's rank does not exceed the rank required for the action, process 2106 proceeds to step 2110. In step 2110, the control circuit 404 determines that user 1408 is not authorized to perform the action.

[0273] It should be noted that processes 600-1300 and 1400-2100 or any step thereof may be performed on or provided by any of the devices shown in Figures 1 and 4-5. For example, either process 600-1300 or 1400-2100 may be performed by control circuit 404 (Figure 4) as instructed by user devices 502, 504, 506 (Figure 5) and / or control circuits implemented on user device devices for selecting recommendations. In addition, 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.

[0274] It should be considered that each step or description in Figures 6-13 and 6-14-21 may be used in conjunction with any other embodiments of the present disclosure. In addition, the steps and descriptions described in relation to Figures 6-13 and 6-14-21 may be performed in an alternative order or in parallel to facilitate the objectives of the present disclosure. For example, each of these steps may be performed in any order, in parallel, or substantially simultaneously to reduce delay or increase speed of the system or method. Furthermore, it should be noted that any of the devices or equipment discussed in relation to Figures 1 and 4-5 may be used to perform one or more of the steps in Figures 6-13 and 6-14-21.

[0275] It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the methods relating to the present invention can be embodied in a computer program product including a computer-usable and / or readable medium. For example, such a computer-usable medium may consist of a read-only memory device such as a CD-ROM disk or a conventional ROM device, or a random-access memory such as a hard drive device or a computer diskette having computer-readable program code stored thereon. It should also be understood that the methods, techniques, and processes relating to this disclosure can be performed using processing circuits. For example, determining the user's position may be performed, for example, by the processing circuit 406 in Figure 4. The processing circuit may be, for example, a general-purpose processor, a customized integrated circuit (e.g., an ASIC), or a field-programmable gate array (FPGA) in the user device 400, media content source 516, or media guide data source 518. For example, a profile as described herein may be stored in and read from the storage device 408 in Figure 4 or the media guide data source 518 in Figure 5. Furthermore, the processing circuit or computer program may update the settings of the user device 100 stored in the storage device 408 in Figure 4 or the media guide data source 518 in Figure 5.

[0276] The processes discussed above are intended to be illustrative, not restrictive. Those skilled in the art will understand 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 additional steps may be performed. More generally, the above disclosures are illustrative and not restrictive. Only the subsequent claims are intended to set boundaries regarding what the invention encompasses. Furthermore, it should be noted that features and limitations described in any one embodiment may apply to any other embodiment herein, and that flowcharts or examples relating to one embodiment may be performed in a different order or in parallel, and may be combined with any other embodiment in a preferred manner. 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 apply to or be used in accordance with other systems and / or methods.

[0277] Some parts of this disclosure may refer to “related art” or “convention,” but any such reference is solely for the purpose of providing context to the inventions of this disclosure and does not constitute any endorsement with respect to state-of-the-art.

Claims

1. Detecting audio generated by a first device outside the media device, The media device's one or more sensors are used to detect a user in the viewing environment of the media device, Determining that the sound is within the audible range of the listening environment, From the user profile of the user, determine whether the user is authorized to perform the action associated with the voice, Based at least in part on determining that the aforementioned user is not authorized to perform the aforementioned action, a notification is generated for a second user to perform the aforementioned action, and the output of the notification is brought to the second user. A method that includes this.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising preventing the user from modifying the playback of a media asset, at least in part on the basis of determining that the user is not authorized to perform the action.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising receiving user input attempting to modify the playback of the media asset, wherein modifying the playback of the media asset is still prevented, at least in part, based on receiving the user input.

4. The method according to claim 2, further comprising increasing the volume of the media asset, at least in part on the basis of determining that the user is not authorized to perform the action.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the first device is a doorbell, and the sound is the sounding of the doorbell.

6. Comparing the audio generated by the first device with an entry in the database, Based on the characteristics of the voice, determine the match between the voice and the entry in the database, Determining the action associated with the voice, at least in part, based on determining the match The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein the determined action is to respond to the door.

8. Based at least in part on determining that the user is authorized to perform the aforementioned action, To generate a notification for the user indicating the detected audio, Modify the playback of the media asset to prompt the user to perform the action associated with the audio. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

9. Detecting the user within the viewing environment of the media device means The method according to claim 1, comprising using a sensor to detect the presence of the user in the viewing environment.

10. The method according to claim 1, wherein determining whether the sound is within the audible range of the listening environment is based on an audio signal received through the microphone of the media device.

11. An input / output circuit, Detecting audio generated by a first device outside the media device, To detect users within the viewing environment of the aforementioned media device. An input / output circuit configured to perform the following: A control circuit, Determining that the sound is within the audible range of the listening environment, From the user profile of the user, determine whether the user is authorized to perform the action associated with the voice, Based at least in part on determining that the aforementioned user is not authorized to perform the aforementioned action, a notification is generated for a second user to perform the aforementioned action, and the output of the notification is brought to the second user. A control circuit configured to perform the following: A system equipped with these features.

12. The system according to claim 11, wherein the control circuit is further configured to prevent the user from modifying the playback of a media asset, at least in part on the basis of determining that the user is not authorized to perform the action.

13. The aforementioned control circuit is Receiving user input attempting to correct the playback of the aforementioned media asset. The system according to claim 12, further configured such that modifying the playback of the media asset is still prevented, at least in part, on receiving the user input.

14. The system according to claim 12, wherein the control circuit is further configured to increase the volume of the media asset, at least in part, based on determining that the user is not authorized to perform the action.

15. The system according to claim 11, wherein the first device is a doorbell, and the sound is the sounding of the doorbell.

16. The aforementioned control circuit is Comparing the audio generated by the first device with an entry in the database, Based on the characteristics of the voice, determine the match between the voice and the entry in the database, Determining the action associated with the voice, at least in part, based on determining the match The system according to claim 11, further configured to perform the following:

17. The system according to claim 16, wherein the determined action is to respond to the door.

18. The aforementioned control circuit is Based at least in part on determining that the user is authorized to perform the aforementioned action, To generate a notification for the user indicating the detected audio, Modify the playback of the media asset to prompt the user to perform the action associated with the audio. The system according to claim 11, further configured to perform the following:

19. When the control circuit detects the user in the viewing environment of the media device, The sensor is used to detect the presence of the user in the viewing environment. The system according to claim 11, further configured as follows.

20. The system according to claim 11, wherein determining whether the sound is within the audible range of the listening environment is based on an audio signal received via the microphone of the media device.

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