Importance

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Abstract

A computer system is provided that includes a database storing user histories of selected products, and a database associating products with assessments of their content in a number of different categories. The computer system generates user profile data reflecting the underlying characteristics of user preferences by identifying categories and groups of categories corresponding to products in the user histories whose content assessments are one of an extremely high and low evaluation. In the user profile data, larger groups of categories having extremely high or low content evaluations are weighted more heavily than smaller groups of categories and singly identified categories having extremely high or low content evaluations. The generated user profile data can be utilized to provide targeted advertising and/or to automatically select products are identified with similar underlying characteristics of the user. preferences. In one example, a television recording apparatus is provided that automatically records television programs based on a correspondence between program profile data associated with the television programs and user profile data that has been generated based on a past history of the user's viewing habits.

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First Claim