Personalized health history system with accommodation for consumer health terminology

• US 20060004607A1
• Filed: 09/01/2005
• Published: 01/05/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 02/24/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: WebMD LLC (WebMD Health Corporation)
• Original Assignee: WebMD LLC (WebMD Health Corporation)
• Inventors: Marshall, Philip, Bowman, Brad
• Granted Patent: US 8,775,197 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/2
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/335 Filtering based on additional data, e.g. user or group profiles filtering in web context G06F16/9535, G06F16/9536
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/353 into predefined classes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 15/00 ICT specially adapted for medical reports, e.g. generation or transmission thereof
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/67 for remote operation

Abstract

Personalization of access to health or benefit-related information on a computer network is provided based upon a health history of a user. In one implementation, personal health or benefit-related information about the user is obtaining from the user operating a client computer. The health or benefit-related information includes one or more health or benefit-related terms that each corresponds to a health or benefit-related concept. The health related terms provided by the user are correlated with a health terminology thesaurus that is stored on a computer-readable medium, such as at a server remote from the user client. Each of the health or benefit-related terms is associated with a health or benefit-related concept, which has one or more health or benefit-related works associated therewith. The works associated with health or benefit-related concepts are then made accessible over a computer network to the user.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for providing personalized health or benefit-related works to a user, the method comprising:

a. obtaining from the user, another information source, or both, personal health or benefit-related information comprising one or more health or benefit-related terms or codes;

b. associating one or more of the obtained health or benefit-related terms or codes with one or more health or benefit-related concepts;

c. associating a first weight coefficient with each health or benefit-related concept based on the relevance thereof to the user;

d. identifying one or more health or benefit-related works associated with the health or benefit-related concept, wherein a health or benefit-related work has a second weight coefficient assigned thereto; and

e. providing the user computer network access to one or more of the identified health or benefit-related works, the access being based on a function of the first weight coefficient of the health or benefit-related concept and the second weight coefficients of the identified health or benefit-related works.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein a second weight coefficient is assigned to the health or benefit-related work based at least on one of popularity, age and scope of the health or benefit-related work.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising a step of storing in a user profile data structure (i) the health or benefit-related concepts and the first weight coefficients associated therewith and (ii) links to the health or benefit-related works associated with health or benefit-related concepts and the second weight coefficients assigned thereto.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising a step of adjusting the second weight coefficient for a health or benefit-related works stored in the user profile data structure as a function of at least one of age and popularity of the health or benefit-related work.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising a step of assigning a unique identifier to each health or benefit-related concept and each health or benefit-related work.

6. The method of claim 3, wherein two or more health or benefit-related concepts stored in the user profile data structure are at least in one of taxonomic and semantic relationship with each other.

7. A computer-implemented method for providing health or benefit-related works-to a user, the method comprising:

a. associating at least one health or benefit-related term or code provided by the user, with one or more health or benefit-related concepts, wherein the one or more health or benefit-related concepts have first weight coefficients assigned thereto;

b. associating at least one health or benefit-related work with one or more health or benefit-related concepts related to the subject matter of the work;

c. displaying to the user, in a taxonomic or semantic order, the health or benefit-related concepts associated with the at least one provided health or benefit-related term or code based on the first weight coefficient of the concepts; and

d. providing to the user a computer network access to the health or benefit-related works associated with the displayed health or benefit-related concepts.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the first weight coefficient is assigned to the health or benefit-related concept based on the frequency of access thereto by the user.

9. The method of claim 7, further comprising a step of storing in a user profile data structure the one or more health or benefit-related concepts and the links to the associated health or benefit-related works.

10. The method of claim 7, further comprising a step of assigning second weight coefficients to one or more health or benefit-related works as a function of at least one of age and popularity of the health or benefit-related work.

11. The method of claim 7, further comprising a step of assigning a unique identifier to each health or benefit-related concept.

12. A computer-implemented method for providing personalized health or benefit-related works to a user, the method comprising:

a. accessing a user profile data structure comprising one or more health or benefit-related concepts and first weight coefficients associated therewith indicating the relevance of the one or more concepts;

b. identifying one or more health or benefit-related works associated with the one or more health or benefit-related concepts, wherein a health or benefit-related work and/or its associated concepts have a second weight coefficient assigned thereto; and

c. providing to the user computer network access to one or more of the identified health or benefit-related works, the access being based on a function of the first weight coefficient of a health or benefit-related concept and the second weight coefficient of a health or benefit-related work.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the second weight coefficient is assigned to the health or benefit-related work based at least on one of popularity, age and scope of the health or benefit-related work.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising a step of storing in the user profile data structure links to the provided health or benefit-related works and the second weight coefficients associated therewith.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising a step of adjusting the second weight coefficient of a health or benefit-related work stored in the user profile data structure as a function of at least one of the age and popularity of the health or benefit-related work.

16. The method of claim 14, further comprising a step of adjusting the first weight coefficient of a health or benefit-related concept as a function of frequency of access by the user to the health or benefit-related works associated with the health or benefit-related concept.

17. The method of claim 12, further comprising a step of assigning a unique identifier to each health or benefit-related concept and each health or benefit-related work.

18. The method of claim 12, wherein two or more health or benefit-related concepts are at least in one of taxonomic and semantic relationship with each other.

22. The system of claim 16, wherein the processor is further operable to adjust the first weight coefficient of a health or benefit-related concept as a function of frequency of access by the user to the health or benefit-related works associated with the health or benefit-related concept.

23. The system of claim 16, wherein the processor is further operable to assign a unique identifier to each health or benefit-related concept and each health or benefit-related work stored in the user profile data structure.

24. The system of claim 16, wherein two or more health or benefit-related concepts stored in the user profile data structure are at least in one of taxonomic and semantic relationships.

19. A system for providing personalized health or benefit-related works to a user, the system comprising:

a. a computer-readable medium having a user profile data structure stored thereon, wherein the user profile data structure comprises;

i. one or more health or benefit-related concepts, wherein each health or benefit-related concept has a first weight coefficient associated therewith indicating relevance of the health or benefit-related concept to the user,

ii. links to one or more health or benefit-related works associated with the one or more health or benefit-related concepts, wherein a health or benefit-related work has a second weight coefficient assigned thereto; and

b. a processor operable to access the user profile data structure and to provide to the user a computer network access to one or more of the health or benefit-related works, the access being based on a function of the first weight coefficient of the health or benefit-related concept and the second weight coefficient of the associated health or benefit-related work.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the second weight coefficients is assigned to the health or benefit-related work based at least on one of popularity, age and scope of the health or benefit-related work.

21. The system of claim 19, wherein the processor is further operable to adjust the second weight coefficient of a health or benefit-related work as a function of at least one of the age and the popularity of the health or benefit-related work.

25. In a computer-readable medium, computer software for providing health or benefit-related works to the user, the computer software comprising instructions for:

a. defining a user profile data structure comprising one or more health or benefit-related concepts and first weight coefficients associated therewith for indicating relevance of the health or benefit-related concept to the user;

b. identifying one or more health or benefit-related works associated with one or more health or benefit-related concepts, wherein a health or benefit-related work has a second weight coefficient assigned thereto; and

c. providing to the user computer network access to one or more of the identified health or benefit-related works, the access being based on a function of the first weight coefficient of the health or benefit-related concept and the second weight coefficient of the health or benefit-related work.

26. The computer software of claim 25, wherein the second weight coefficients is assigned to the health or benefit-related work based at least on one of popularity, age and scope of the health or benefit-related work.

27. The computer software of claim 25, further comprising instructions for storing in the user profile data structure links to the provided health or benefit-related works and the second weight coefficients associated therewith.

28. The computer software of claim 25, further comprising instructions for adjusting the second weight coefficient of a health or benefit-related work as a function of at least one of the age and popularity of the health or benefit-related work.

29. The computer software of claim 25, further comprising instructions for adjusting the first weight coefficient of a health or benefit-related concept as a function of frequency of access by the user to the health or benefit-related works associated with the health or benefit-related concept.

30. The computer software of claim 25, wherein two or more health or benefit-related concepts are at least in one of taxonomic and semantic relationships with each other.

31. A computer-implemented method for providing health or benefit-related works to a user, the method comprising:

a. associating a health or benefit-related work with one or more health or benefit-related concepts;

b. assigning a weight coefficient to the health or benefit-related work based at least on one of popularity, age and scope of the health or benefit-related work; and

c. providing to the user a computer network access to the health or benefit-related work, based on the weight coefficient assigned to the health or benefit-related work.

32. The method of claim 31, further comprising a step of assigning one or more attributes to the health or benefit-related work, wherein an attribute comprises one or more of the following:

age of the targeted user, gender of the targeted user, and one or more health or benefit-related concepts associated with the targeted user.

33. The method of claim 32, further comprising a step of assigning a unique identifier to the health or benefit-related work.

34. The method of claim 33, further comprising a step of storing in a user profile data structure one or more of the following:

(i) the link to the health or benefit-related works, (ii) the assigned weight coefficients, (iii) the assigned unique identifier, and (iv) one or more attributes.

35. The method of claim 34, further comprising a step of adjusting the weight coefficient of a health or benefit-related work stored in the user profile data structure as a function of at least one of the age and popularity of the health or benefit-related work.