US 5,410,344 · Granted 1995-04-25

The 1995 Patent That Invented Smart TV Recommendations

Before Netflix suggested what you should watch next, this patent figured out how to match shows to your taste. It works like a matchmaker: your preferences go on one side, a show's attributes go on the other, and the system finds the best fit automatically.

Curated and verified by the IsItPatented Editorial team

The plain-English version

What it protects

The claim covers a system that stores a viewer's preferences, receives a list of TV programs with content tags describing their attributes, compares those tags to the stored preferences, and automatically selects which programs to show the viewer based on the match. What's protected here is both the method of doing this comparison and the actual apparatus (the hardware/software system) that performs it.

Why it matters

This patent arrived in 1995, years before recommendation algorithms became standard on streaming services. It describes the core logic behind modern content filtering: profile the viewer, tag the content, then let the algorithm suggest what you'll probably enjoy. While Arrowsmith Technologies itself didn't dominate the market, this patent staked out early territory in a space that would become central to how billions of people consume media.

Real-world use

Every time Netflix or YouTube suggests something you might like based on your watch history and ratings, you're seeing the same underlying concept this patent protected decades ago.

Original USPTO abstract

A method and apparatus for selecting audiovisual programs for presentation to a viewer. The audiovisual programs have attributes and a corresponding content code including information pertaining to the attributes. The method includes various steps. First, a viewer preference file is stored which includes information pertaining to the impact of various attributes of the audiovisual programs on the viewer. Second, a plurality of content codes corresponding to a plurality of the audiovisual programs are received. Third, the viewer preference file is compared to the plurality of the corresponding content codes. Finally, at least one of the plurality of audiovisual programs is selected in response to the comparison for presentation to the viewer.

Patent details

Publication number: US 5,410,344
Filing date: 1993-09-22
Grant date: 1995-04-25
Assignee: Arrowsmith Technologies, Inc.
Inventor(s): GRAVES; GORDON T., O'CONNOR; BRENDAN M., BARKER; ALVA C.
CPC class: H04N21/4666

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