US 5,945,988 · Granted 1999-08-31

Intel's Smart TV Patent That Learns Who's Watching

Imagine a TV that figures out who's sitting on the couch just by watching how you use it, then automatically switches to YOUR favorite shows and settings. This 1997 Intel patent describes a system that tracks your viewing behavior and adjusts preferences on the fly without you having to log in or tell it anything.

Curated and verified by the IsItPatented Editorial team

The plain-English version

What it protects

The claim covers a system with a storage medium that keeps track of different users' preferences and a processor that watches how people interact with an entertainment device. What's protected here is the automatic detection of which user is currently using the system combined with the dynamic updating of preferences based on observed behavior—without requiring explicit user identification or manual input.

Why it matters

This patent arrived during the mid-1990s when entertainment systems were becoming more computerized but still required manual input to switch between users. By automating user recognition and preference adaptation, Intel was protecting a foundational idea for personalized media experiences. The core concept—letting a device learn and adapt to individual behavior—became a cornerstone of smart home and streaming platforms that emerged over the next two decades.

Real-world use

When a streaming service like Netflix recommends shows based on your viewing history, or when a smart TV automatically queues up content you typically watch at that time of day, you're benefiting from the ideas this patent locked down.

Original USPTO abstract

A method and apparatus for automatically determining and dynamically updating user preferences in an entertainment system is provided. In a first embodiment, an apparatus comprises a storage medium to store user preference information corresponding to at least a subset of a plurality of entertainment system users and a processor agent. The processor agent, communicatively coupled to the storage medium, is operative to monitor user interaction with the entertainment system and to automatically detect which user of the plurality of entertainment system users is currently using the entertainment system.

Patent details

Publication number: US 5,945,988
Filing date: 1997-05-30
Grant date: 1999-08-31
Assignee: Intel Corporation
Inventor(s): WILLIAMS; CHRISTOPHER D., GOLDSCHMIDT IKI; JEAN M., SHAH-NAZAROFF; ANTHONY A., WATTS; EARL MICHAEL, HACKSON; DAVID N., MOORE; KENNETH ALAN
CPC class: H04H60/46

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