US 6,088,722 · Granted 2000-07-11

The 1995 Patent That Dreamed Up Netflix Before Streaming Existed

Imagine a cable TV system that learns what shows you actually like, then creates a custom channel just for you by analyzing your taste profile against every available program. Instead of flipping through hundreds of channels, you'd see only stuff the system thinks you'll love—basically the ancestor of today's Netflix recommendation algorithm, but designed for broadcast television.

Curated and verified by the IsItPatented Editorial team

The plain-English version

What it protects

The claim covers a system for matching customer preferences to available video programs by creating customer 'profiles' (descriptions of what kinds of content someone likes), comparing those profiles to the profiles of actual programs and data, and then using that comparison to generate 'virtual channels' tailored to each person. It also protects the feedback mechanisms that let the system refine its recommendations over time based on what the customer actually watches, and the kiosk interfaces that help customers select videos, music, and books according to their stored preferences.

Why it matters

This patent was filed in 1995 at the dawn of on-demand television, before streaming, Netflix, or algorithmic recommendation engines became household names. It describes the core idea of personalized programming—matching viewer preferences to content—which is now the foundation of every major media platform. While cable networks never fully implemented this exact system at scale, the patent captures the intellectual DNA of modern recommendation algorithms and personalized content discovery, making it historically significant for establishing early claims to the technology that powers today's streaming wars.

Real-world use

Every time you open Netflix, Spotify, or any streaming app and see a 'Recommended For You' section, you're using the descendants of the matching logic this patent describes—software comparing your profile to content profiles to predict what you'll want to watch.

Original USPTO abstract

PCT No. PCT/US95/15429 Sec. 371 Date Dec. 24, 1997 Sec. 102(e) Date Dec. 24, 1997 PCT Filed Nov. 29, 1995 PCT Pub. No. WO96/17467 PCT Pub. Date Jun. 6, 1996A system and method for scheduling the receipt of desired movies and other forms of data from a network, which simultaneously distributes many sources of such data to many customers, as in a cable television system. Customer profiles are developed for the recipient describing how important certain characteristics of the broadcast video program, movie, or other data are to each customer. From these profiles, an "agreement matrix" is calculated by comparing the recipient's profiles to the actual profiles of the characteristics of the available video programs, movies, or other data. The agreement matrix thus characterizes the attractiveness of each video program, movie, or other data to each prospective customer. "Virtual" channels are generated from the agreement matrix to produce a series of video or data programming which will provide the greatest satisfaction to each customer. Feedback paths are also provided so that the customer's profiles and/or the profiles of the video programs or other data may be modified to reflect actual usage, and so that the data downloaded to the customer's set top terminal may be minimized. Kiosks are also developed which assist customers in the selection of videos, music, books, and the like in accordance with the customer's objective profiles.

Patent details

Publication number: US 6,088,722
Filing date: 1995-11-29
Grant date: 2000-07-11
Assignee: Herz; Frederick / Ungar; Lyle / Zhang; Jian / Wachob; David / Salganicoff; Marcos
Inventor(s): HERZ; FREDERICK, UNGAR; LYLE, ZHANG; JIAN, WACHOB; DAVID, SALGANICOFF; MARCOS
CPC class: H04N21/44222

View original record on Google Patents →

Want to file your own patent?

If you're building a consumer-electronics product with personalization at its core, check our patent scanner to see if your recommendation approach treads on earlier claims in this space.

Free patentability scan