Weighted decay system and method

• US 20020198979A1
• Filed: 06/13/2001
• Published: 12/26/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 06/13/2001
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Yu, Allen
• Application Number:
  US09/880,341
• Publication Number:
  US 20020198979A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/224
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/957 Browsing optimisation, e.g. caching or content distillation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/535 Tracking the activity of the user network monitoring arrangements H04L43/00; recording of computer activity G06F11/34
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

A method for systematically calculating a weighted sum without the need for maintaining the value of each individual term by first providing a weighted sum equation that can be represented in recursive form; second, rewriting the weighted sum equation as a recursive equation; and third, applying the recursive equation to progressively update the weighted sum. The method may also include a method for tracking a user'"'"'s activities in a web site and decreasing user activity counts that represent a user'"'"'s previous activities. This method comprises the following steps. The first step is storing a previous user activity count in a database configured to track the user'"'"'s activities in the web site. The next step is receiving a current user activity count derived from the user'"'"'s current activities in the web site. Then a weighted reduction is applied to the previous user activity count to form a weighted activity count. Another step is combining the weighted activity count with the current user activity count to form an updated user activity count. A final step is replacing the previous user activity count in the database with the updated user activity count.

Claims

1. A method for tracking a user'"'"'s activities in a web site and decreasing user activity counts that represent a user'"'"'s previous activities, comprising the steps of:

(a) storing a previous user activity count in a database configured to track the user'"'"'s activities in the web site;

(b) receiving a current user activity count derived from the user'"'"'s current activities in the web site;

(c) applying a weighted reduction to the previous user activity count to form a weighted activity count;

(d) combining the weighted activity count with the current user activity count to form an updated user activity count; and

(e) replacing the previous user activity count in the database with the updated user activity count.

2. A method as in claim 1 wherein the step of applying a weighted reduction further comprises the step of applying a time weighted function to decrease the previous user activity count.

3. A method as in claim 1 wherein the step of applying a weighted reduction further comprises the step of applying a time weighted exponential function to decrease the previous user activity count.

4. A method as in claim 1 wherein the step of applying a weighted reduction further comprises the step of applying the function

5. A method as in claim 1 further comprising the step of repeating steps (b) through (e) for each current user activity count that is received.

9. A method as in claim 1 further comprising the step of repeating steps (b) through (d) for each current user activity count that is received.

6. A method for determining a user'"'"'s preferences for user activities in a web site by tracking a user'"'"'s activities using user activity counts and aging the user activity counts for a user'"'"'s previous activities in the web site, comprising the steps of:

(a) storing an original user activity count in a database configured to track the user'"'"'s activities in the web site;

(b) receiving a current user activity count derived from the user'"'"'s activities in the web site;

(c) applying a time weighted reduction to the previous user activity count to form a weighted activity count;

(d) combining the weighted activity count with the current user activity count to create an updated user activity count; and

(e) identifying a preferred user activity based on the updated user activity count.

7. A method as in claim 6 wherein the step of applying the time weighted reduction further comprises the step of applying a time weighted exponential function to decrease the previous user activity count.

8. A method as in claim 6 wherein the step of applying a time weighted reduction further comprises the step of applying the function

10. A method for personalizing digital objects and content associated with a web page sent to a user across a network, comprising the steps of:

(a) accessing hierarchical categories that include a plurality of keywords connected to the categories;

(b) associating a plurality of resources with the keywords, wherein the resources refer to digital objects;

(c) recording activity levels for keywords associated with resources accessed by the user;

(d) weighting the activity levels recorded for the keywords based on a user'"'"'s activity which has occurred; and

(e) delivering digital objects to the user based on the weighted activity levels for a plurality of keywords.

11. A method as in claim 10, wherein step (d) further comprises the step of weighting the activity levels associated with the keywords based on a date user activity occurred.

12. A method as in claim 10, wherein step (d) further comprises the step of weighting the activity levels associated with the keywords based on a length of time the digital object is used.

13. A method as in claim 10, wherein the step of weighting the activity associated with the keywords further comprises the step of tracking the activity of the user by storing a count representing the number of times each resource is accessed.

14. A method as in claim 13, further comprising the step of decreasing the count as an amount of time increases after the user'"'"'s activity took place.

15. A method as in claim 13, further comprising the step of exponentially decreasing the count as an amount of time since the user'"'"'s activity took place increases.

16. A method as in claim 13, further comprising the step of exponentially decreasing the count as an amount of time since the user'"'"'s activity took place increases using a factor e⁽⁻

0.693t/τ

).

17. A method as in claim 10, further comprising the step of capturing the user'"'"'s activity by recording universal resource locators (URLs) clicked on by the user.

20. A method as in claim 19 wherein the step of applying the recursive equation further comprises the step of applying a time weighted function to decrease the previous system activity count.

21. A method as in claim 19 wherein the step of applying the recursive equation further comprises the step of applying a time weighted exponential function to decrease the previous system activity count.

18. An article of manufacture, comprising:

a computer usable medium having computer readable program code means embodied therein for personalizing digital objects and content associated with a web page sent to a user across a network;

computer readable program code means for accessing hierarchical categories that include a plurality of keywords connected to the categories;

computer readable program code means for associating a plurality of resources with the keywords, wherein the resources refer to digital objects;

computer readable program code means for recording activity levels for keywords associated with resources accessed by the user; and

computer readable program code means for weighting the activity levels recorded for the keywords based on a user'"'"'s activity which has occurred; and

computer readable program code means for delivering digital objects to the user based on the weighted activity levels for a plurality of keywords.

19. A method for programmatically calculating a weighted sum without the need for maintaining the value of each individual term, comprising the steps of:

(a) providing a weighted sum equation that can be represented in recursive form;

(b) redefining the weighted sum equation to produce a recursive equation; and

(c) applying the recursive equation to progressively update the weighted sum.

22. A method for tracking a computer system'"'"'s activities and decreasing values that represent a computer system'"'"'s previous activities, comprising the steps of:

(a) storing a previous system activity level in a database configured to track the computer system'"'"'s activities;

(b) receiving a current system activity level derived from the computer system'"'"'s current activities;

(c) applying a weighted reduction to the previous system activity level to form a weighted system activity level;

(d) combining the weighted system activity level with the current system activity level to form an updated system activity level; and

(e) replacing the previous system activity level in the database with the updated system activity level.

23. A method as in claim 22 wherein the step of applying a weighted reduction further comprises the step of applying a time weighted function to decrease the previous system activity level.

24. A method as in claim 22 wherein the step of applying a weighted reduction further comprises the step of applying a time weighted exponential function to decrease the previous system activity level.