Computer-implemented method for recommending booths-to-visit

• US 10,393,535 B2
• Filed: 10/31/2017
• Issued: 08/27/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 12/31/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Industrial Technology Research Institute, International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Chang, Hung-Yang, Chen, Li-Ju, Ho, Chia-Wen, Luo, Kuo-shu, Wang, Yi-Chang Molly
• Primary Examiner(s): Zanelli, Michael J
• Application Number:
  US15/799,844
• Publication Number:
  US 20180066950A1
• Time in Patent Office: 665 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3617 using user history, behaviour, conditions or preferences, e.g. predicted or inferred from previous use or current movement
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0282 Rating or review of business operators or products

Abstract

Disclosed is a computer-implemented method for recommending booths-to-visit to a user, comprising the following steps: accessing a user record, wherein the user record includes data indicative of booths which a user corresponding to the user record has visited in an exhibition; determining similarity level between records in a history database and the user record, the records in the history database including data indicative of the booths visited by previous visitors in the exhibition; selecting one of the records according to the determined similarity level; determining the booths in the selected record not yet visited by the user; obtaining the user'"'"'s current location in the exhibition; determining a target booth, from the booths not yet visited by the user, by referring to the current location and a map database; and sending to the user a message indicative of the target booth.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for recommending booths-to-visit to a user, the method comprising:

accessing a user record, wherein the user record includes data indicative of booths which a user corresponding to the user record has visited in an exhibition;

determining similarity level between records in a history database and the user record, the records in the history database including data indicative of the booths visited by previous visitors in the exhibition;

selecting one of the records according to the determined similarity level;

determining the booths in the selected record not yet visited by the user;

obtaining the user'"'"'s current location in the exhibition;

determining a target booth, from the booths not yet visited by the user, by referring to the current location and a map database; and

sending to the user a message indicative of the target booth.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein only a plurality of records in the history database complying with a specified period of time are accessed, wherein determining the similarity level comprises determining similarity between the user record and each record complying with the period of time, selecting from the history database one of the records complying with the period of time according to the determined similarity, and regarding said record as the selected record.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the target booth comprises an operation selected from the group consisting of:

(1) obtaining a number of current visitors for each of the booths not visited by the user and determining the target booth according to the number of current visitors, and (2) obtaining a distribution density of visitors for each of the booths not visited by the user and determining the target booth according to the distribution density of visitors.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the map database includes theme data of each of the booths, wherein determining the target booth comprises obtaining a preference criterion entered by the user or a user habit inferred from a computer algorithm, and screening theme data of the booths not visited by the user according to one of the preference criterion and the user habit, so as to determine the target booth.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein records in the history database further include data indicative of a sequence of booths visited by the previous visitor;

wherein the user record further includes data indicative of a sequence of booths visited by the user; and

wherein data included in the user record to indicate a sequence of booths visited by the user and data included in the selected record from the history database to indicate a sequence of booths visited by the previous visitor are identical when referring to the same booths.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein a plurality of records is selected from the history database according to the determined similarity, and comprising identifying shared ones of the records in the history database, and identifying booths not visited by the user but included in the shared records;

and determining the target booth comprises determining the target booth from the booths not visited by the user but included in the shared records.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein a plurality of records are selected from the history database according to the determined similarity;

and comprising identifying booths not visited by the user but included in all said selected records, and determining the target booth comprises, for each of the booths not visited by the user but included in all said selected records, calculating how many instances in which the booth is mentioned in the plurality of records, sorting the booths not visited by the user according to the calculation, and determining the target booth.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the target booth comprises for each of the booths not visited by the user, calculating how many instances in which the booth is mentioned in the plurality of records in the history database.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein each record in the history database further includes data indicative of time spent by the previous visitor at each visited booth;

wherein the user record further includes data indicative of time spent by the user at each visited booth; and

wherein data included in the user record to indicate the time spent by the user at each visited booth and data included in the selected record to indicate the time spent by the previous visitor at each visited booth are identical when referring to the same booth.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the time spent by the previous visitor at each visited booth is calculated by adjusting or normalizing the time actually spent by the previous visitor at each visited booth according to a visitor density of each visited booth when visited by the previous visitor, wherein the time spent by the user at each visited booth is calculated by adjusting or normalizing the time actually spent by the user at each visited booth according to the visitor density of each visited booth when visited by the user.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein determining the target booth comprises accessing available visiting time specified by the user and determining the target booth according to the available visiting time.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein a number of booths which the user expects to visit is provided by the user, and the number is obtained, such that the target booth is determined according to the number.

13. A computer device, comprising:

a memory comprising a plurality of computer-executable instructions for performing the method of claim 1; and

a processor for accessing the memory, executing the plurality of computer-executable instructions, and implementing the method.

14. A computer-implemented method for recommending driving routes to a user, the method comprising:

accessing a user record, wherein the user record includes data indicative of passing points which a user corresponding to the user record has passed in a given area;

determining similarity between records in a history database and the user record, the records in the history database including data indicative of the passing points passed by previous drivers in the given area;

selecting one of the records according to the determined similarity;

determining the passing points in the selected record which the user has not passed;

obtaining the user'"'"'s current location in the given area;

determining a target passing point, from the passing points which the user has not passed, by referring to the current location and a map database; and

sending to the user a message indicative of the target passing point.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the map database stores data of each said passing point, and wherein determining a target passing point comprises obtaining a preference criterion entered by the user or a user habit inferred with a computer algorithm, screening data pertaining to the passing points which the user has not passed according to the preference criterion or the user habit, and determining the target passing point.

16. A computer device, comprising:

a memory comprising a plurality of computer-executable instructions for performing the method of claim 14; and

a processor for accessing the memory, executing the plurality of computer-executable instructions, and implementing the method.

17. A computer program product for recommending booths-to-visit to a user, the computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer readable storage medium having program instructions embodied therewith, the program instructions executable by a computer to cause the computer to:

access, by the computer, a user record, wherein the user record includes data indicative of booths which a user corresponding to the user record has visited in an exhibition;

determine, by the computer, similarity level between records in a history database and the user record, the records in the history database including data indicative of the booths visited by previous visitors in the exhibition;

select, by the computer, one of the records according to the determined similarity level;

determine according to the selected record the booths not yet visited by the user;

obtain, by the computer, the user'"'"'s current location in the exhibition;

determine a target booth, from the booths not yet visited by the user, by referring to the current location and a map database; and

send, by the computer, to the user a message indicative of the target booth.

18. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein only a plurality of records in the history database complying with a specified period of time are accessed, wherein determining the similarity level comprises determining similarity between the user record and each record complying with the period of time, selecting from the history database one of the records complying with the period of time according to the determined similarity, and regarding said record as the selected record.

19. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein obtaining the user'"'"'s current location comprises an operation selected from the group consisting of:

(1) obtaining a number of current visitors for each of the booths not visited by the user and determining the target booth according to the number of current visitors, and (2) a distribution density of visitors for each of the booths not visited by the user and determining the target booth according to the distribution density of visitors.

20. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein the map database further records theme data of each of the booths, wherein obtaining the user'"'"'s current location comprises obtaining a preference criterion entered by the user or a user habit inferred from a computer algorithm, and screening theme data of the booths not visited by the user according to one of the preference criterion and the user habit, so as to determine the target booth.