System and method of adaptive personalization of search results for online dating services

• US 20060059147A1
• Filed: 07/28/2005
• Published: 03/16/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 09/15/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Match Group, LLC (Match Group, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Yahoo! Inc. (Apollo Global Management, Inc.)
• Inventors: Smola, Egon, Wang, Wei, Weiss, Aaron F.
• Granted Patent: US 7,882,039 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/10 Services

Abstract

A system and method are directed towards automatically modifying an online dating service'"'"'s search results based on adaptive personalizations from a user'"'"'s activities. A user provides input to questions that seek information regarding the user. The invention employs the input to identify a list of candidates for a potential long-term social relationship with the user. The invention may then develop a unified search score for each candidate that represents a weighted sum of normalized search subscores. The subscores represent various user activities, affinities with a candidate, frequencies of viewing a candidate profile, and feedback about a candidate from the user. The unified search score for each candidate is then used to rank order the results presented to the user.

Claims

1. A method for use in managing an online dating search, comprising:

determining a user'"'"'s search criteria for a candidate for a dating relationship online;

performing a search for a list of candidates employing the search criteria;

determining a unified search score for each candidate in the list of candidates;

rank ordering each candidate in the list of candidates based on the unified search score of each candidate; and

displaying at least a portion of the rank ordered list of candidates.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein determining a unified search score for each candidate further comprises determining a plurality of subscores for each candidate based on adaptive personalizations of the user.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the plurality of subscores represent at least one of a personality compatibility subscore, a relationship style compatibility subscore, a one-way search subscore, a reverse search subscore, an activity level, and a subscore indicating a geographical distance between a candidate in the list of candidates and the user.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the unified search score for each candidate further comprises:

determining a user activity subscore based on if the user has contacted the candidate, a frequency of the user'"'"'s contacts with the candidate, or an order in which the user has contacted at least two candidates; and

including within the unified search score a numeric value associated with the determined user activity subscore.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the unified search score for each candidate further comprises:

determining a frequency cap based on a number of times the user has been presented the candidate in a prior search; and

including with the unified search score a numeric value associated with the determined frequency cap.

6. A client device that is configured for use in managing an online dating search, comprising:

a display;

a transceiver for receiving and sending information to another computing device;

a processor in communication with the display and the transceiver that includes instructions that cause the processor to perform a plurality of operations, including;

sending a user'"'"'s search criteria for a candidate for a dating relationship online;

requesting a search for a list of candidates employing the search criteria;

displaying at least a portion of a rank ordering of the list of candidates, wherein the rank ordering is determined by;

determining a plurality of subscores for each candidate that, in part, represent at least one of a user'"'"'s activity, an affinity towards a candidate in the list of candidates, a frequency cap associated with a candidate in the list of candidates, or a compatibility feedback from the user regarding a candidate in the list of candidates,

determining a unified search score for each candidate from the each candidate'"'"'s plurality of subscores, and

rank ordering the candidates in the list based on each candidate'"'"'s unified search score.

7. The client device of claim 6, wherein the client device is a mobile device.

8. The client device of claim 6, wherein determining the unified search score for each candidate further comprises determining the unified search score for each candidate, in part, by combining weighted normalized subscores for each candidate.

9. The client device of claim 6, wherein determining a plurality of subscores for each candidate further comprises determining a subscore for at least one of a one-way search criteria subscore, a reverse search criteria subscore, a distance subscore, a number of times the user has viewed a candidate'"'"'s profile, and a number of replies a candidate has received within a predetermined time.

10. The client device of claim 6, wherein the compatibility feedback subscore for each candidate in the plurality of subscores represent at least one of, whether the user has contacted a candidate, a frequency of the user'"'"'s contacts with the candidate, an order in which the user has contacted at least two candidates, or a user rating for the candidate.

11. The client device of claim 10, wherein providing the user rating further comprises at least one of requesting the user to provide a discrete value associated with the candidate, and to employ at least one of a slider bar, a button, and a drop-down menu, to rate the candidate.

12. A server device that is configured for use in managing an online dating search, comprising:

a transceiver for receiving and sending information to another computing device;

a processor in communication with the transceiver; and

a memory in communication with the processor for storing data and machine instructions that cause the processor to perform a plurality of operations, including;

obtaining a user'"'"'s search criteria for a candidate for a dating relationship online;

performing a search for a list of candidates employing the search criteria;

determining a unified search score for each candidate in the list of candidates;

rank ordering each candidate in the list of candidates based on the unified search score of each candidate; and

providing at least a portion of the rank ordered list of candidates to the other computing device.

13. The server device of claim 12, wherein the other computing device is a mobile device employable by the user to communicate with the server.

14. The server device of claim 12, wherein determining the unified search score further comprises combining a weighted subscore associated with a compatibility feedback about a candidate in the list of candidates with a weighted subscore associated with at least one of a user activity or affinity indicator associated with the candidate.

15. The server device of claim 12, wherein determining the unified search score further comprises:

determining a plurality of subscores based on at least one of an initial user test score, an additional user test score, a one-way search criteria score, a reverse search criteria subscore, an activity score, a distance score, an score reflecting a number of times the user has viewed a candidate'"'"'s profile, a score reflecting a number of replies a candidate has received, or an affinity score;

normalizing each of the plurality of subscores; and

combining the plurality of subscores, wherein each of the plurality of subscores are weighted prior to combining them.

16. The server device of claim 12, wherein the unified search score further comprises a combination of a plurality of adaptive personalization subscores.

17. A modulated data signal for managing an online dating search over a network, the modulated data signal comprising instructions that enable a computing device to perform the actions of:

receiving a user'"'"'s search criteria for a candidate for a dating relationship online;

performing a search for a list of candidates employing the search criteria;

determining a unified search score for each candidate in the list of candidates based on adaptive personalizations of the user;

rank ordering each candidate in the list of candidates based on the unified search score of each candidate; and

providing to another computing device at least a portion of the rank ordered list of candidates.

18. The modulated data signal of claim 17, wherein the other computing device is a mobile device.

19. The modulated data signal of claim 17, wherein at least adaptive personalization is associated with a compatibility feedback associated with at least one candidate in the list of candidates.

20. The modulated data signal of claim 17, wherein the adaptive personalizations further comprises a plurality of values associated with at least one of a user'"'"'s activity history, affinity information, a user profile, or a feedback rating.

21. The modulated data signal of claim 17, wherein the adaptive personalizations further comprise a plurality of values indicating at least one of whether the user has provided or received communications with a candidate, whether a candidate has a degree of closeness with another candidate in the list of candidates, whether the user has provided feedback on a candidate, a number of times the user has seen a candidate profile in a prior candidate list, or a degree to which a candidate is similar to another candidate.

22. An apparatus of managing an online dating search, comprising:

a transceiver for receiving and sending information to another computing device;

means for determining a user'"'"'s search criteria for a candidate for a dating relationship online;

means for determining a list of candidates based, at least in part, on the search criteria;

means for determining user personalizations for each candidate in the list of candidates;

means for employing at least some of the user personalizations to rank order each candidate in the list of candidates; and

means for providing at least a portion of the rank ordered list of candidates towards the other computing device.