Computer processes for selecting nodes to call to attention of a user during browsing of a hierarchical browse structure
First Claim
1. A system for facilitating browsing of hierarchical browse structure that comprises a plurality of nodes, wherein leaf nodes represent items and non-leaf nodes represent item categories, the system comprising:
- a tracking component that monitors and records user actions of a plurality of users to generate user activity data, said user actions including actions reflective of user affinities for specific nodes of the hierarchical browse structure;
an analysis component that analyzes the user activity data and generates scores for specific nodes of the hierarchical browse structure; and
a node elevation component that uses the scores to select specific nodes of the hierarchical browse structure to elevate for display to users;
wherein, by elevating a selected node for display to a user, the node elevation component enables the user to view the selected node during browsing of the hierarchical browse structure without drilling down within the hierarchical browse structure to a level of the selected node.
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Abstract
A computer-implemented process identifies specific nodes within a browse tree or other hierarchical browse structure based on historical actions of online users, and calls such nodes to the attention of users during navigation of the browse structure. The system and method are particularly useful for assisting users in locating popular products and/or product categories within a catalog of an online merchant, but may be used in connection with browse structures used to locate other types of items. In one embodiment, node popularity levels are determined periodically (e.g., once per day) based on user activity data that represents users'"'"' affinities for such nodes (items and/or item categories). Popular nodes are called to the attention of users, preferably by automatically “elevating” such nodes for display within the browse tree. The node elevation process may also be used to elevate nodes that are predicted to be of interest to a particular user.
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Citations
50 Claims
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1. A system for facilitating browsing of hierarchical browse structure that comprises a plurality of nodes, wherein leaf nodes represent items and non-leaf nodes represent item categories, the system comprising:
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a tracking component that monitors and records user actions of a plurality of users to generate user activity data, said user actions including actions reflective of user affinities for specific nodes of the hierarchical browse structure;
an analysis component that analyzes the user activity data and generates scores for specific nodes of the hierarchical browse structure; and
a node elevation component that uses the scores to select specific nodes of the hierarchical browse structure to elevate for display to users;
wherein, by elevating a selected node for display to a user, the node elevation component enables the user to view the selected node during browsing of the hierarchical browse structure without drilling down within the hierarchical browse structure to a level of the selected node. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
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12. A computer-implemented method for facilitating browsing of a hierarchical browse structure in which each node represents an item or an item category, the method comprising:
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monitoring at least one type of user activity that is indicative of user affinities for particular nodes of the hierarchical browse structure;
generating scores using data collected during said monitoring, the scores reflecting at least one of (a) popularity levels of particular nodes, and (b) predicted user affinities for particular nodes; and
based at least in-part upon on the scores, elevating selected nodes along parent-child paths of the hierarchical browse structure for display;
wherein, by elevating a node, the method enables a user to view the node during browsing of the hierarchical browse structure without having to navigate down to a level of the node within the hierarchical browse structure. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24)
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25. A system for facilitating browsing of an electronic catalog of items, the system comprising:
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a database which contains information about a plurality of items;
a hierarchical browse structure represented within a server system that provides user access to the database, wherein items from the database are arranged within the hierarchical browse structure according to a hierarchy of item categories, and wherein the hierarchical browse structure is interactively browsable by users to locate items according to the hierarchy of item categories;
a first process which tracks at least one type of user activity that is reflective of user affinities for particular items in the hierarchical browse structure to generate item popularity data; and
a second process which uses at least the item popularity data to elevate items for display to expose popular items to users during viewing of non-leaf categories of the hierarchical browse structure. - View Dependent Claims (26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31)
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32. A method of assisting users in browsing a hierarchical browse structure in which items are arranged by category, said hierarchical browse structure including multiple levels of categories, and being browsable by users to locate specific items within a database of items, the method comprising:
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monitoring user actions that are reflective of user affinities for particular items in the hierarchical browse structure, said user actions including actions of a plurality of users;
analyzing user activity data resulting from said monitoring of user actions to generate item popularity data reflective of current popularity levels of specific items of the hierarchical browse structure among said plurality of users; and
when a user accesses a non-leaf category of said hierarchical browse structure, selecting, from a set of items that fall below the non-leaf category within the hierarchical browse structure, at least one item to present to the user based at least in-part on the item popularity data. - View Dependent Claims (33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41)
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42. A method of personalizing the display of a hierarchical browse structure in which items are arranged within multiple levels of item categories, and in which items and item categories are represented as respective nodes of the hierarchical browse structure, the method comprising:
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monitoring online actions of the user over time to collect personal user activity data;
analyzing the personal user activity data to generate, for each of a plurality of nodes of the hierarchical browse structure, a user-specific score reflective of the user'"'"'s predicted affinity for that node, to thereby generate a plurality of user-specific scores; and
using the user-specific scores to select, from a set of nodes falling below a first node within the hierarchical browse structure, a second node to elevate for display such that the second node is exposed to the user when the user accesses the first node;
wherein, by elevating the second node, the second node is exposed to the user without the user having to drill down within the hierarchical browse structure below the first node to a level of the second node. - View Dependent Claims (43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50)
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Specification