5976 results about "Habit" patented technology

A smart agent (SA) is provided which resides locally in a local client device and by iterative means integrates the habit, statistics and psycho-demographic information of a user to infer the user's preferences. The SA may also utilize the preferences to filter information delivered to the local device. The invention further discloses a means of collecting, combining, integrating and inferring information from the user to arrive at a psycho-demographic profile of the user, and a means of utilizing such psycho-demographic profile to select or filter information delivered to the user, thereby achieving targeting. The invention also discloses a means of classifying and identifying the information delivered so that it can be matched, filtered or selected.

Computer network method and apparatus provides targeting of appropriate audience based on psychographic or behavioral profiles of end users. The psychographic profile is formed by recording computer activity and viewing habits of the end user. Content of categories of interest and display format in each category are revealed by the psychographic profile, based on user viewing of agate information. Using the profile (with or without additional user demographics), advertisements are displayed to appropriately selected users. Based on regression analysis of recorded responses of a first set of users viewing the advertisements, the target user profile is refined. Viewing by and regression analysis of recorded responses of subsequent sets of users continually auto-targets and customizes ads for the optimal end user audience.

Methods and systems are disclosed that allow a user to efficiently navigate media selections in an interactive media guidance application and easily identify media for viewing. The disclosed methods and systems provide an environment wherein video assets are displayed according to a user preference on a mosaic page with multiple cells. A subset of the assets appropriate for display in a particular cell is determined based on the user preference. Relevance scores of the assets meeting the user preference are computed, and the asset having the greatest relevance for the user is selected and displayed the corresponding cell. The relevance scores can be computed based on the user's historic viewing habits, user interaction with a media guidance application, or on specific user input.

The most preferred embodiment of the present invention is a computer-based decision support system that includes three main components: a database mining engine (DME); an advertising optimization mechanism; and a customized user interface that provides access to the various features of the invention. The user interface, in conjunction with the DME, provides a unique and innovative way to store, retrieve and manipulate data from existing databases containing media-related audience access data, which describe the access habits and preferences of the media audience. By using a database with a simplified storage and retrieval protocol, the data contained therein can be effectively manipulated in real time. This means that previously complex and lengthy information retrieval and analysis activities can be accomplished in very short periods of time (typically seconds instead of minutes or even hours). Further, by utilizing the advertising optimization mechanism of the present invention, businesses, networks, and advertising agencies can interactively create, score, rank and compare various proposed or actual advertising strategies in a simple and efficient manner. This allows the decision-makers to more effectively tailor their marketing efforts and successfully reach the desired target market while conserving scarce advertising capital. Finally, the user interface for the system provides access to both the DME and the optimization mechanism in a simple and straightforward manner, significantly reducing training time.

A vehicle navigation system that is capable of learning user habits/preferences, mistakes in a digital map database, and new roads that may have been added or constructed after release of the digital map database is disclosed. The vehicle navigation system monitors a driver's habits and updates a database to thereby cause the vehicle navigation system to have a preference for the driver's habits. The vehicle navigation system may also monitor the geographic position of the vehicle and allow the driver to update or change data contained in the digital map database if an error exists. The vehicle navigation system is also capable of learning new roads that exist that are not included in the road network map of the digital map database and is also capable of adding these new roads to the digital map database.

A system and method for monitoring media audience habits and for obtaining real time responses to survey queries posed to a user from a survey provider concerning programming experienced by the user. A media program identifier located in an environment containing a primary media receiving device identifies media programming experienced by the user on the primary device. An input unit also located in the environment containing the primary receiving device obtains user identification and user demographics information by receiving responses to specific queries from the user. Survey queries concerning programming experienced by the user are provided to the user on the input unit or the primary receiving device for responding thereto. The programming identification, user identification and demographics information as well as survey query responses are then transmitted to a survey provider for use in deriving media program ratings information.

A method and method that builds accurate operational profiles for COTS software. The systems and methods disclosed allow software vendors to detect misused and unused features; identify common machine configurations for a given piece of software or software component; monitor changing user habits as new software version are released; derive more accurate testing methods for in-house testing purposes; and create user manuals which focus on those features most frequently used, or misused, by users. The disclosed system and method provides the tools enabling a software certification laboratory (SCL) to gather detailed usage data and failure data for a software application as it is used in the field. With this data the SCL can confidently issue certificates of reliability for software products.

A hybrid manual/programmable thermostat for a furnace or air conditioner offers the simplicity of a manual thermostat while providing the convenience and versatility of a programmable one. Initially, the hybrid thermostat appears to function as an ordinary manual thermostat; however, it privately observes and learns a user's manual temperature setting habits and eventually programs itself accordingly. If users begin changing their preferred temperature settings due to seasonal changes or other reasons, the thermostat continues learning and will adapt to those changes as well. For ease of use, the thermostat does not require an onscreen menu as a user interface. In some embodiments, the thermostat can effectively program itself for temperature settings that are set to occur at particular times daily or just on weekends, yet the user is not required to enter the time of day or the day of the week.

Methods and systems for scheduling media content presentation across multiple devices are disclosed. A media planner application generates media event presentation schedules for one or more users based on user-scheduled media events and automatic media event recommendations. Media events can be scheduled for presentation on multiple user devices, including portable devices. Media event recommendations can be generated based at least in part on user preferences and habits, such as user media preferences, device availability, device usage, device connectivity, and user mood.

A predictive destination entry system for a vehicle navigation system to aid in obtaining a destination for the vehicle. The navigation system utilizes a memory for storing data relating to prior driving history or habits. A processor connected with the memory examines the information stored in the memory for making predictions for the current destination desired by a user of the vehicle. The information stored in the memory may be segregated into distinct user profiles and may include the vehicle location, previous driving history of the vehicle, previous searching history of a user of the vehicle, or sensory input relating to one or more characteristics of the vehicle. The navigation system may either confirm the predicted destination with the user of the vehicle before generating or displaying a travel route to the predicted destination or may automatically generate and display the travel route without verifying the destination with the user.

Techniques to collect data indicative of viewer habits and preferences relating to television viewing and/or use of a user interface (e.g., an interactive program guide) provided at the terminal. Various types of information may be collected to identify and track the habits and preferences of the viewers. For example, the viewers' interaction with the terminals, selections made by the viewers, requests for particular programming, demographic information, and others, may be collected for the viewers. These various types of information (i.e., "trend" data) may be continually collected by an application executing at the terminal, temporarily stored in a storage unit, and thereafter reported (e.g., periodically, or upon request) to a head-end of an information distribution system. The head-end may analyze the trend data, and may select and provide programming, advertisements, and other contents targeted to the terminals based on the analyzed data.

A system sends firmware updates from a telemetry system to a monitoring device. One or more sensors are coupled to a monitoring device that has a unique user ID. The sensors acquire user information selected from of at least one of, a user's activities, behaviors and habit information. ID circuitry at the monitoring device includes ID storage, a communication system that reads and transmits the unique ID from an ID storage, a power source and a pathway system to route signals through the circuitry and elements to enable installation of firmware updates. A telemetry system is in communication with the one or more sensors and includes a database of user ID's. The telemetry system analyzes telemetry data from the monitoring device based on at least one of, user's activities, behaviors and habit information and creating personalized information about the user.

The present invention provides methods for improving the performance of a consumer wrinkle control composition by making the composition available to the consumer and providing information to the consumer concerning the use of the composition to control wrinkles in fabrics without the application of heat. Information may be provided by teaching educational elements and disseminating educational elements to consumers in an efficient, effective, and affordable manner as well as techniques for heightening consumer awareness of the product. The information that is provided to the consumer may concerns the use of the composition to remove or control wrinkles in fabrics without the application of heat, instructions for the proper use of the product, the product's effectiveness, the appearance of the fabric in the finished state after treatment, how the product can be incorporated into the consumer's everyday habits and lifestyles, additional non-wrinkle related benefits that may be achieved with the product and how the composition can be effectively and safely used by most members of the consumer's household. Also provided are methods for prolonging or extending the useful life of fabric items that require frequent and repeated laundering processes and that are prone to cause incremental damage to fabric fibers. The useful life of such fabric items is prolonged by enabling the item to be revitalized or renewed for rewear without laundering, thus reducing the number of launderings and the resulting damage to fabric fibers over a given period of time.

This method and apparatus for automated differential diagnosis of illness utilizes neural network technology to analyze information that has been collected and assimilated from multiple sources, including information concerning lifestyle and travel habits, occupational and environmental risks and other contributory factors, and compares this information to, and incorporates it into, databases, to render diagnoses as well as alerts regarding anomalous concentrations of illnesses. The invention has similar application in the area of mechanical maintenance and repair.

A system for the automated preparation and delivery of customized beverages is disclosed. The system is deployed as a kiosk or similar device and provides an automated user-customizable drink purchasing experience. The user can select the desired base, add-in ingredients, etc. and receive a drink that has been prepared in accordance with the user preferences. In addition, individual and aggregate user preferences and purchasing habits (e.g., quantity and type of drink purchased, frequency of purchases, location of purchases, etc.) can be tracked, stored, and used to provide targeted marketing messages, including special discounts, promotions, etc.