Interactive Media Search Using Context-Aware Tagging
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing media guidance applications lack efficient and intuitive search functionalities for the vast amount of media information beyond media program listings, failing to provide personalized and context-aware search results.
Innovation Solution
An interactive media guidance application that enables searching across all media information domains by defining search objects, tagging media information, and using customized search algorithms, allowing users to apply tags and select context settings for refined search results.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If traditional search functionality is used in media guidance applications, then media program listings can be searched, but searching efficiency and intuitiveness for other media information categories deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extends search functionality beyond media program listings to cover multiple media information categories including celebrity information, video clips, photographs, articles, and advertisements. The search system is designed to handle diverse media types uniformly, allowing users to search across all categories through a single interface while maintaining category-specific search optimizations.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments media information into distinct categories (program listings, celebrity info, videos, photos, articles, ads) with category-specific search algorithms. Each category can be searched independently or combined, allowing efficient retrieval by dividing the large media information space into manageable segments with tailored search strategies.
2Adaptability or versatility
If search functionality is extended to all media information categories, then search coverage improves, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The search system is designed as a universal platform that handles multiple media categories through a unified architecture. Common components including the search interface, result display, and basic processing logic are shared across all categories, reducing overall system complexity despite the expanded functionality.
Solution Approach 2:
The system manages complexity by segmenting media information into categorized domains, each with its own search algorithm and data structure. This modular approach allows independent optimization of each category while maintaining a unified search interface, making the complex system more manageable and maintainable.
3Ease of operation
If personalized search results are provided, then user satisfaction improves, but processing time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by pre-processing and indexing media information according to user profiles and preferences before actual search queries are executed. User preferences, viewing habits, and contextual information are analyzed in advance to prepare personalized search configurations, reducing processing time during actual search operations while maintaining high personalization quality.
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention relates to an interactive media guidance application that provides improved searching functionality for media information, such as media program listings, media programming information, celebrity information, and other related media information. Search objects may be defined in the entertainment context and applied to media information to enable efficient searching. Different types of media information may be categorized to enable proper organization of search results. A search object query may be performed based on a user entered search expression and the results may be a vertical slice through the organized categories of media information. User submitted tags may also be applied to the media information and used to search the media information. Atomic searching may be enabled for more generic search expressions, whereby an atomic search object is associated with a personalized atomic search algorithm comprised of individual searches. The search algorithm is determined by receiving both user metrics and editorial input. Context sensitive searching may also be provided by defining search objects with different context settings and determining a context setting of the user initiated search.