Concentric user-targeting delivery system and methods

• US 20030115318A1
• Filed: 12/13/2001
• Published: 06/19/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 12/13/2001
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Wueste, Kevin Michael
• Application Number:
  US10/023,285
• Publication Number:
  US 20030115318A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/224
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising

Abstract

A system and methods to generate and deliver concentric-user targeted content is provided. The concentric user-targeted content delivery system cooperates with a user profile data store and users'"'"' usage behavior data store to generate a baseline of users'"'"' preferences. Using the preference information a range of relevant content, obtained from a cooperating content data store, is matched for a particular user using at least one matching algorithm. The range of relevant content reflects a comprehensive description of a user'"'"'s preference in totem. In operation, user profile information along with a user'"'"'s usage behavior information is processed to generated a user'"'"'s preference information. The preference information is processed to aggregate a range of relevant content from a cooperating data store. In an illustrative implementation, the range comprises micro, mezzo, and macro-related content that are related in various degrees to the user'"'"'s profile and/or usage behavior information.

Claims

1. A system to generate and deliver concentric user-targeted content comprising:

,

one or more data stores having data representative of participating user profile information and/or data representative of participating user content usage information;

a content data store, said content data store having various content for display to participating users; and

at least one set of instructions, said instruction set cooperating with said first, second, and content data stores,

wherein said instruction set operates on data from said first and second data stores to generate at least one preference for said participating user,

wherein said instruction set further operates on said generated preference to obtain a range of concentric content from said content data store such that said range of content is correlated in varying degrees to said generated at least one preference for said participating user.

2. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein said profile information is inputted by said participating user for storage on said first data store.

3. The system as recited in claim 2, wherein said profile information comprises demographic and/or preference information for said participating user.

4. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein said usage information comprises current and historical usage information.

5. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein said instruction set comprises at least one matching algorithm, said matching algorithm accepting as input said data from said first and second data stores and generating said at least one preference.

6. The system as recited in claim 5, wherein said instruction set further comprises a second matching algorithm, said second algorithm accepting said at least one preference and said content from said content data store as input to generate said range of concentric content.

7. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein said range of concentric content comprises one to infinity number of differing content offerings.

8. The system as recited in claim 7, wherein said differing content offerings differ from each other on a graduated basis.

9. The system as recited in claim 8, wherein said varying degrees are based on said content usage information.

10. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein said range of concentric content comprises three differing concentric content offerings, said differing concentric content offerings differing from each other on a graduated basis.

11. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein said first, second, and content data stores operate in a computing environment.

12. The system as recited in claim 11, wherein said instruction set comprises a computing application.

13. The system as recited in claim 12, wherein said range of concentric content is delivered to participating users over a communications network.

14. The system as recited in claim 13, wherein said communications network comprises any of a wireless LAN, a fixed wire LAN, a wireless WAN, a fixed wire WAN, a wireless intranet, a fixed wire intranet, a wireless extranet, a fixed wire extranet, a wireless peer-to-peer communications network, a fixed wire peer-to-peer communications network, the wireless Internet, and the Internet.

15. The system as recited in claim 13, wherein said range of concentric content is displayable in electronic display panes.

16. The system as recited in claim 15, wherein said electronic display panes are part of a content browser computing application.

17. A computer implemented method to generate concentric user-targeted content comprising the steps of:

receiving from one or more data stores having data indicative of participating user profile information and/or data indicative of participating user content usage information;

receiving content from at least one content data store;

generating at least one preference for said participating user; and

matching said at least one preference with said content from data store to generate said range of concentric user-targeted content.

18. The method as recited in claim 17 further comprising the step of:

distributing said range of differing concentric content to said participating users over a cooperating communications network.

19. The method as recited in claim 17, wherein said generating step comprises the step of:

applying at least one matching algorithm to said at least one preference and said content.

20. The method as recited in claim 17, further comprising the step of:

communicating with at least one content partner to obtain additional content for use when generating said range of concentric content.

21. A computer readable medium having computer readable instructions to perform the method as recited in claim 17.

22. A method to generate and deliver concentric user-targeted content comprising the acts of:

providing one or more data stores having data indicative of participating user profile information and/or data indicative of participating user content usage information;

providing a content data store, said content data store having content from at least one content service provider; and

providing a computing application, said computing application cooperating with said first, second, and content data stores to generate preferences from said profile and said content usage information, wherein said computing application processes said preferences along with said content to ascertain a range of concentric user-targeted content, said range of concentric content differing from each other on a graduated basis; and

delivering said generated range of concentric user-targeted content to participating users over a communications network, said communications network cooperating with said computing application.

23. The method as recited in claim 22, wherein said providing said content data store step further comprises cooperating with at least one content partner to obtain said content.