Entity-Based Media Navigation for Coherent Custom Viewing

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Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional media systems require users to consume content in a predetermined order, lacking flexibility and engagement, as random viewing often results in disorganized experiences.

Innovation Solution

A media guidance application that dynamically identifies entities from user interactions, social media discussions, and message databases to create customized media presentations, allowing users to navigate and share subsets of media content based on entities like characters or locations, using transport bars for navigation.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If users are forced to consume media in a predetermined order, then the coherence and meaningfulness of the viewing experience is maintained, but user flexibility and engagement are reduced

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveuser flexibility in viewing orderVSAvoidcoherence of plotlines

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSStability of the object's composition

Solution Approach 1:

The patent segments media content by entities (characters, actors, locations, objects) and organizes media assets into groups based on these entities. This allows users to navigate content by selecting specific entities of interest while the system automatically assembles coherent presentations, thus providing flexibility without sacrificing narrative coherence.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The system dynamically generates customized media presentations based on user selections and real-time data from social media and message databases. The presentation structure adapts to user preferences and trending topics, transforming static predetermined sequences into dynamic, user-responsive content delivery.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

2Ease of operation

If users are allowed to randomly view episodes out of order, then user flexibility is increased, but the viewing experience becomes disorganized and less enjoyable

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveuser freedom to choose viewing orderVSAvoidquality of viewing experience

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The system introduces an intermediary layer (the media guidance application) that sits between the user's random selection and the actual content delivery. This intermediary automatically assembles selected entities into coherent presentations by intelligently selecting and ordering relevant media assets, thus preserving experience quality while allowing operational freedom.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The system performs self-service by automatically generating coherent presentations without requiring users to manually sequence content. The application autonomously retrieves media assets, orders them logically, and assembles complete presentations based on user entity selections, eliminating the need for users to understand complex content structures.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #25Self-service

3Adaptability or versatility

If conventional systems require users to have foreknowledge of which content subsets to consume, then content coherence is maintained, but user engagement and discovery are limited

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecontent organization coherenceVSAvoiduser effort to select content

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

Inventive Principle:

Principle #25Self-service

Solution Approach 2:

The system incorporates feedback loops by monitoring user interactions, social media discussions, and message database content to dynamically adjust and update entity groupings and presentations. This continuous feedback enables the system to adapt to user preferences and trending topics while maintaining content coherence.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

Data Source

PatentUS20250260875A1Systems and methods for navigating media assets

Publication Date: 2025.08.14 ADEIA GUIDES INC

AI summary

Systems and methods for presenting custom navigation options are described herein. In some embodiments, the media guidance application displays a first portion of a media asset, and identifies a set of entities referenced in messages associated with the media asset. The media guidance application then selects an entity frequently referenced in the plurality of messages, and displays a transport bar associated with the entity comprising an indicator identifying the entity and a region associated with only portions of the media asset associated with the entity. The media guidance application then displays a second portion of the media asset in response to receiving a user selection of a segment of the region. In some embodiments, the region corresponds to a custom presentation of the media asset featuring the selected entity, and the transport bar updates dynamically based on newly received messages, or the content displayed by the media guidance application.