Age-Based Audiovisual Search Prioritization for Child Viewers

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Solution Overview

Problem

The complexity of finding audiovisual content increases with the number of channels and available content, making it difficult for viewers, especially children, to locate desired content due to overlapping attributes and varying search abilities based on age and familiarity with titles or characters.

Innovation Solution

A system that prioritizes audiovisual content search results based on a viewer's age, search habits, and viewing history, using modules to determine and analyze metadata and provide age-appropriate and relevant content recommendations.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Quantity of substance

If the number of channels and available content increases, then the quantity of content to consume increases, but the complexity of finding content increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvequantity of contentVSAvoidcomplexity of finding content
Core Design Contradiction:
Quantity of substanceVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The system uses viewer feedback (age information, search history, viewing patterns) to continuously refine and personalize search results. The set-top box learns from user interactions and adjusts content prioritization dynamically, making the search system adapt to individual viewer needs and reducing complexity over time

Inventive Principle:
Principle #23Feedback

Solution Approach 2:

The system pre-processes and organizes content metadata, tags, and attributes before search queries are submitted. By preparing content information in advance and structuring it according to multiple attributes (age-appropriateness, genre, actors, etc.), the system reduces the computational complexity during actual search operations

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

2Adaptability or versatility

If more content is made available, then the variety of content increases, but the difficulty of detecting and measuring desired content increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvevariety of contentVSAvoiddifficulty of finding content
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSDifficulty of detecting and measuring

Solution Approach 1:

The system segments the large content library into multiple categorized groups based on various attributes (age ratings, genres, actors, themes). By dividing the content space into manageable segments with distinct metadata tags, the system makes it easier to detect and retrieve specific content types without searching through the entire library

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The system introduces metadata and tagging systems as intermediaries between the viewer and the content. These intermediate data structures (age ratings, content descriptors, search indexes) facilitate the detection and measurement of content properties, making it easier to find appropriate content without directly analyzing all content attributes

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

3Measurement precision

If search results are prioritized based on multiple criteria, then the relevance of results improves, but the device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveaccuracy of content searchVSAvoidcomplexity of search system
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The system applies different prioritization weights and criteria based on local conditions - specifically, the viewer's age group. Different age segments receive customized search result prioritization rules, allowing the system to maintain high accuracy for each demographic while managing complexity through localized rather than universal processing rules

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

Data Source

PatentEP4275357B1Searching for and prioritizing audiovisual content using the viewer's age
Publication Date: 2026.03.25 DISH NETWORK LLC
  • EP4275357B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP4275357B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP4275357B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

Embodiments are directed towards selecting content search results based on the age of the viewer. The content receiver receives search criteria for a viewer, which may include the age of the viewer. The content receiver obtains search results from a search of a plurality of content. The search results are prioritized based on the age of the viewer and presented to the viewer. In this way, searching for "dog" for a four year-old may provide or prioritize different results compared to search for "dog" for an eight year-old.