Hierarchical Media Browsing via Dynamic Category Filtering
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current content delivery systems face challenges in providing users with an efficient and user-friendly way to navigate and find media files, as traditional genre-based browsing can be too broad, failing to sufficiently narrow down options and lack full user control.
Innovation Solution
A method and system that allow users to browse media files using categories like Mood, Plot, Period, and Praise, with granular criteria, enabling users to filter and refine their selections interactively, mimicking a journey-based metaphor and allowing seamless navigation from genre to sub-genre to content choices.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If traditional genre-based browsing is used, then users can access content through familiar categories, but the browsing experience becomes too broad and fails to sufficiently narrow down options
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the browsing experience into multiple hierarchical levels (genre → sub-genre → specific content). Instead of presenting users with a single broad genre list, the system divides genres into sub-genres and further into specific content categories, allowing users to progressively narrow down their search from general to specific, thus maintaining ease of operation while improving content selection precision
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces additional browsing dimensions beyond traditional genre classification. Users can navigate through multiple categorization axes simultaneously (e.g., genre, mood, format, popularity), transforming the flat single-dimension genre browsing into a multi-dimensional navigation space that provides more precise content filtering while maintaining user-friendly access
2Quantity of substance
If users are presented with all available content options, then complete content availability is provided, but users cannot quickly find desired content in large media libraries
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by pre-organizing content into hierarchical categories and sub-categories before user interaction. The system pre-processes the media library into structured genres and sub-genres, so when users access the browsing interface, the content is already arranged in a navigable hierarchy, eliminating the need for users to manually filter through all content and significantly reducing search time while maintaining complete content availability
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces hierarchical category structures as intermediaries between the user and the complete content library. Instead of presenting users with the full media library directly, the system inserts genre and sub-genre categories as intermediary layers that guide users to relevant content, reducing the time needed to find desired content while ensuring all content remains accessible through the intermediary navigation structure
3Measurement precision
If granular filtering criteria are introduced, then precise content filtering is achieved, but the system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments complex filtering criteria into manageable hierarchical levels. Instead of presenting users with a single complex filter containing all possible criteria, the system divides filtering into progressive stages (genre selection → sub-genre refinement → specific content filtering), where each stage presents only relevant criteria for that level, achieving precise content filtering while keeping each individual filtering step simple and intuitive
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements dynamic filtering where the available criteria and options change based on user selections at previous levels. As users navigate through the hierarchical structure and make selections, the system dynamically updates the subsequent filtering options to show only relevant criteria for the current context, reducing the perceived system complexity while maintaining high filtering precision through adaptive, context-aware criterion presentation
Data Source
AI summary
A system and method for improved navigation of available titles for a streaming media service is disclosed herein. After entering a discovery mode, a list of categories is presented to a user. Once a user selects a category, a list of criteria specific to the selected category is presented. After a user selects a criteria, a list of categories can be shown to the user, limited to those categories available after the criteria was selected. After a second category is selected, then a list of criteria, specific to the previously selected criteria and to the second category, is presented. Each time a user selects a new criteria, the number of titles available to a user is reduced. Such a process can be repeated, further limiting the number of titles shown to the user, until a user finally chooses a media file to view. Other embodiments are also disclosed herein.