Method and system for categorizing items automatically

• US 20060095370A1
• Filed: 10/29/2004
• Published: 05/04/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 10/29/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: eBay Inc.
• Original Assignee: eBay Inc.
• Inventors: Johnson, Brian, Seth, Shashi, Kennedy, Robin, Kothari, Niraj
• Granted Patent: US 8,903,827 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/40
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/21 Design, administration or maintenance of databases
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/22 Indexing; Data structures therefor; Storage structures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/24 Querying
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/254 Extract, transform and load [ETL] procedures, e.g. ETL data flows in data warehouses
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/258 Data format conversion from or to a database
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/282 Hierarchical databases, e.g. IMS, LDAP data stores or Lotus Notes
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/285 Clustering or classification
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/102 Bill distribution or payments
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/08 Auctions

Abstract

A method and system to automatically categorize a merchant listing in an electronic marketplace are provided. The method includes parsing the category information submitted by a seller to derive a first category identifier. A first search is performed to locate the first category identifier in a first database containing a listing of category identifiers. If no match is found, the first category identifier is identified as expired or invalid. A second search is performed on a second database that includes mapping information of an expired category identifier to a new category identifier. If a match is found, the first category identifier is assigned as the new category identifier, thereby enabling the listing to be listed in the updated category automatically.

Claims

1. A method for automatically categorizing of a merchant listing, the method including:

determining a first category identifier for the merchant listing;

performing a first search to compare the first category identifier with a plurality of category identifiers in a first database;

performing a second search to compare the first category identifier with a plurality of category relationships in a second database in response to no match being found as a result of the first search;

providing a second category identifier of the merchant listing in response to a match being found in the second search; and

associating the second category identifier with the merchant listing.

2. The method of claim 1, further including translating description information of the merchant listing into the first category identifier.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the description information is at least one of a category description and a product description.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the translating of the description information of the merchant listing into the first category identifier includes locating the description information of the merchant listing in at least one of a current version and a previous version of the first database.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of category relationships contains a mapping of an expired category identifier, representing an expired category, to a current category identifier, representing a current category.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the first category identifier is the expired category identifier and the second category identifier is the current category identifier.

7. The method of claim 1, further including updating the plurality of category relationships in the second database.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the updating of the plurality of category relationships includes merging the first category identifier with the second category identifier.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the merging the first category identifier with the second category identifier includes:

removing the first category identifier from the first database; and

adding a mapping of the first category identifier to the second category identifier in the second database.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the updating of the plurality of category relationships further includes merging the second category identifier with a third category identifier.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the merging of the second category identifier with the third category identifier includes:

removing the second category identifier from the first database;

removing the mapping of the first category identifier to the second category identifier in the second database;

adding a mapping of the first category identifier to the third category identifier in the second database; and

adding a mapping of the second category identifier to the third category identifier in the second database.

12. The method of claim 7, wherein the updating of the plurality of category relationships includes adding a third category identifier that had been previously removed from the first database.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the adding the third category identifier includes:

adding the third category identifier in the first database; and

removing a mapping of the third category identifier in the second database.

14. The method of claim 7, wherein the updating the plurality of category relationships includes renaming the first category identifier as a third category identifier.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the renaming the first category identifier as the third category identifier includes:

deleting the first category identifier in the first database;

adding the third category identifier in the first database;

replacing the first category identifier with the third category identifier in the second database; and

adding a mapping of the first category identifier to the third category identifier in the second database.

16. A system for automatically categorizing a merchant listing, the system including:

means for determining a first category identifier for the merchant listing;

means for performing a first search to compare the first category identifier with a plurality of category identifiers in a first database;

means for performing a second search to compare the first category identifier with a plurality of category relationships in a second database in response to no match being found as a result of the first search;

means for providing a second category identifier of the merchant listing in response to a match being found in the second search; and

means for associating the second category identifier with the merchant listing.

17. The system of claim 16, further including means for translating description information of merchant listing into the first category identifier.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the description information is at least one of a category description and a product description.

19. The system of claim 17, wherein the means for translating the description information of the merchant listing into the first category identifier includes locating the description information of the merchant listing in at least one of a current version and a previous version of the first database.

20. The system of claim 16, wherein the plurality of category relationships contains a mapping of an expired category identifier, representing an expired category, to a current category identifier, representing a current category.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein the first category identifier is the expired category identifier and the second category identifier is the current category identifier.

22. The system of claim 16, further including means for updating of the plurality of category relationships in the second database.

23. The system of claim 22, wherein the means for updating of the plurality of category relationships includes means for merging the first category identifier with the second category identifier.

24. The system of claim 23, wherein the means for merging the first category identifier with the second category identifier includes:

means for removing the first category identifier from the first database; and

means for adding a mapping of the first category identifier to the second category identifier in the second database.

25. The system of claim 24, wherein the means for updating of the plurality of category relationships further includes means for merging the second category identifier with a third category identifier.

26. The system of claim 25, wherein the means for merging of the second category identifier with the third category identifier includes:

means for removing the second category identifier from the first database;

means for removing the mapping of the first category identifier to the second category identifier in the second database;

means for adding a mapping of the first category identifier to the third category identifier in the second database; and

means for adding a mapping of the second category identifier to the third category identifier in the second database.

27. The system of claim 22, wherein the means for updating of the plurality of category relationships includes means for adding a third category identifier that had been previously removed from the first database.

28. The system of claim 27, wherein the means for adding the third category identifier includes:

means for adding the third category identifier in the first database; and

means for removing a mapping of the third category identifier in the second database.

29. The system of claim 22, wherein the means for updating of the plurality of category relationships includes means for renaming the first category identifier as a third category identifier.

30. The system of claim 29, wherein the means for renaming the first category identifier as the third category identifier includes:

means for deleting the first category identifier in the first database;

means for adding the third category identifier in the first database;

means for replacing the first category identifier with the third category identifier in the second database; and

means for adding a mapping of the first category identifier to the third category identifier in the second database.

31. A system to automatically categorizing a merchant listing, the system including:

a parser to determine a first category identifier for the merchant listing;

a database application to perform a first search by locating the first category identifier with a first database, to perform a second search by locating the first category identifier with a second database and to associate a second category identifier with the merchant listing.

32. The system of claim 31, wherein the parser is operate to translate description information of the merchant listing into the first category identifier.

33. The system of claim 32, wherein the description information is at least one of a category description and a product description.

34. The system of claim 32, wherein the parser is operate to locate the description information of the merchant listing in at least one of a current version and a previous version of the first database.

35. The system of claim 31, wherein the first database includes a plurality of category identifiers.

36. The system of claim 31, wherein the second database includes a plurality of category relationship representing a mapping of an expired category identifier, representing an expired category, to a current category identifier, representing a current category.

37. The system of claim 36, wherein the first category identifier is the expired category identifier and the second category identifier is the current category identifier.

38. The system of claim 31, wherein the database application is to update the first database and the second database.

39. The system of claim 38, wherein the database application is to merge the first category identifier with the second category identifier.

40. The system of claim 39, wherein the database application is to remove the first category identifier from the first database and add a mapping of the first category identifier to the second category identifier in the second database.

41. The system of claim 40, wherein the database application is to merge the second category identifier with a third category identifier.

42. The system of claim 41, wherein the database application is to remove the second category identifier from the first database, remove the mapping of the first category identifier to the second category identifier, add a mapping of the first category identifier to the third category identifier and add a mapping of the second category identifier to the third category identifier in the second database.

43. The system of claim 38, wherein the database application is to add a third category identifier that had been previously removed from the first database.

44. The system of claim 43, wherein the database application is to add the third category identifier in the first database and remove a mapping of the third category identifier in the second database.

45. The system of claim 38, wherein the database application is to rename the first category identifier as a third category identifier.

46. The system of claim 45, wherein the database application is to delete the first category identifier in the first database, add the third category identifier in the first database, replace the first category identifier with the third category identifier in the second database and add a mapping of the first category identifier to the third category identifier in the second database.

47. A machine-readable medium including instructions, when executed by a machine, cause the machine to perform a method to automatically categorizing a merchant listing, the method including:

determining a first category identifier for the merchant listing;

performing a first search to compare the first category identifier with a plurality of category identifiers in a first database;

performing a second search to compare the first category identifier with a plurality of category relationships in a second database in response to no match being found as a result of the first search;

providing a second category identifier of the merchant listing in response to a match being found in the second search; and

associating the second category identifier with the merchant listing.

48. The machine-readable medium of claim 47, further including translating description information of the merchant listing into the first category identifier.

49. The machine-readable medium of claim 48, wherein the description information is at least one of a category description and a product description.

50. The machine-readable medium of claim 48, wherein the translating of the description information of the merchant listing into the first category identifier includes locating the description information of the merchant listing in at least one of a current version and a previous version of the first database.

51. The machine-readable medium of claim 47, wherein the plurality of category relationships contains a mapping of an expired category identifier, representing an expired category, to a current category identifier, representing a current category.

52. The machine-readable medium of claim 51, wherein the first category identifier is the expired category identifier and the second category identifier is the current category identifier.

53. The machine-readable medium of claim 47, further including an updating of the plurality of category relationships in the second database.

54. The machine-readable medium of claim 53, wherein the updating of the plurality of category relationships includes merging the first category identifier with the second category identifier.

55. The machine-readable medium of claim 54, wherein the merging the first category identifier with the second category identifier includes:

removing the first category identifier from the first database; and

adding a mapping of the first category identifier to the second category identifier in the second database.

56. The machine-readable medium of claim 55, wherein the updating the plurality of category relationships further includes merging the second category identifier with a third category identifier.

57. The machine-readable medium of claim 56, wherein the merging the second category identifier with the third category identifier includes:

removing the second category identifier from the first database;

removing the mapping of the first category identifier to the second category identifier in the second database;

adding a mapping of the first category identifier to the third category identifier in the second database; and

adding a mapping of the second category identifier to the third category identifier in the second database.

58. The machine-readable medium of claim 53, wherein the updating of the plurality of category relationships includes adding a third category identifier that had been previously removed from the first database.

59. The machine-readable medium of claim 58, wherein the adding the third category identifier includes:

adding the third category identifier in the first database; and

removing a mapping of the third category identifier in the second database.

60. The machine-readable medium of claim 53, wherein the updating of the plurality of category relationships includes renaming the first category identifier as a third category identifier.

61. The machine-readable medium of claim 60, wherein the renaming of the first category identifier as the third category identifier includes:

deleting the first category identifier in the first database;

adding the third category identifier in the first database;

replacing the first category identifier with the third category identifier in the second database; and

adding a mapping of the first category identifier to the third category identifier in the second database.