US 5,875,108 · Granted 1999-02-23

The 1995 Patent That Taught Machines to Predict What You Want Next

Imagine a remote control or device that learns your habits and starts suggesting what you probably want to do before you even ask. This patent describes a smart interface that watches how you use things, spots patterns in your behavior, and then predicts your next move—kind of like how Netflix guesses what show you might like, but for any gadget in your house.

Curated and verified by the IsItPatented Editorial team

The plain-English version

What it protects

The claim covers an adaptive interface system that learns from a user's past actions and current situation to predict what function the user wants next, then presents that prediction for the user to confirm or reject. It also protects a pattern-matching method for multimedia devices that can recognize user intent even when commands aren't typed or spoken exactly right—allowing a device to match fuzzy or approximate user input to actual functions. What's protected here is the combination of tracking user history, analyzing context, predicting the next action, and using that feedback loop to continuously improve the predictions.

Why it matters

Filed in 1995 and granted in 1999, this patent anticipates modern adaptive interfaces by nearly two decades—years before smartphones, voice assistants, or machine learning became household concepts. The breadth of its claims (VCRs, medical devices, car controls, smart homes) suggests the inventor recognized that predictive, learning interfaces would become foundational across consumer electronics. While it didn't create a specific product category, it staked out foundational IP around the idea of machines learning user behavior and adapting in real time, a principle now central to recommendation engines and voice assistants.

Real-world use

When your streaming app suggests the next episode you might watch, or when your email client auto-completes a frequent recipient, you're experiencing the core idea this patent protects: a system learning your patterns and offering a smart guess to save you time.

Original USPTO abstract

An adaptive interface for a programmable system, for predicting a desired user function, based on user history, as well as machine internal status and context. The apparatus receives an input from the user and other data. A predicted input is presented for confirmation by the user, and the predictive mechanism is updated based on this feedback. Also provided is a pattern recognition system for a multimedia device, wherein a user input is matched to a video stream on a conceptual basis, allowing inexact programming of a multimedia device. The system analyzes a data stream for correspondence with a data pattern for processing and storage. The data stream is subjected to adaptive pattern recognition to extract features of interest to provide a highly compressed representation which may be efficiently processed to determine correspondence. Applications of the interface and system include a VCR, medical device, vehicle control system, audio device, environmental control system, securities trading terminal, and smart house. The system optionally includes an actuator for effecting the environment of operation, allowing closed-loop feedback operation and automated learning.

Patent details

Publication number: US 5,875,108
Filing date: 1995-06-06
Grant date: 1999-02-23
Assignee: Hoffberg; Steven M. / Hoffberg-Borghesani; Linda I.
Inventor(s): HOFFBERG; STEVEN M., HOFFBERG-BORGHESANI; LINDA I.
CPC class: G06F3/00

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