Methods and apparatus for using user gender and/or age group to improve the organization of documents retrieved in response to a search query

• US 20060173556A1
• Filed: 01/27/2006
• Published: 08/03/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 02/01/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Outland Research LLC
• Original Assignee: Outland Research LLC
• Inventors: Rosenberg, Louis B.
• Application Number:
  US11/341,021
• Publication Number:
  US 20060173556A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/3
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation

Abstract

A computer implemented method of organizing a set of documents, and associated apparatus, are adapted to receive a search query from a user; obtain identified-age and/or -gender data for the user; identify a set of documents responsive to the search query; assign a score to each identified document based upon a correlation between age- and/or gender-usage data for each document and identified-age and/or -gender data, respectively; and organize the documents based at least in part on the assigned score. The identified-age data describes an age of the user and the identified-gender data describes a gender of the user. The age-usage data describes a number and/or frequency of users who previously accessed the document who are of a particular age or age range. The gender-usage data describes a number and/or frequency of users who previously accessed the document who are of a particular gender.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method of organizing a set of documents, comprising:

receiving a search query from a user;

obtaining identified-age data for the user, the identified-age data including information describing an age of the user;

identifying a set of documents responsive to the search query;

assigning a score to each identified document based upon a correlation between age-usage data for each document and identified-age data, the age-usage data describing at least one of a number and frequency of users who have previously accessed the document who are of a particular age or age range; and

organizing the documents based at least in part on the assigned score.

2. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein obtaining the identified-age data comprises receiving a query response from the user.

3. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein obtaining the identified-age data comprises accessing the identified-age data from a data store on a computer.

4. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein the age-usage data describes a number of users of the particular age or age range who accessed the document during a predetermined period of time.

5. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein the age-usage data describes a frequency with which users of the particular age or age range accessed the document during a predetermined period of time.

6. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein obtaining the identified-age data comprises deriving identified-age data based on the user'"'"'s document viewing behavior.

7. The computer implemented method of claim 1, further comprising adjusting the obtained identified-age data based on the user'"'"'s document viewing behavior.

8. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein the identified-age data describes one of an annual age of the user and a range of annual ages within which the annual age of the user falls.

9. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein

the identified-age data further includes an age-correlation factor of the user, the age-correlation factor indicating a degree of statistical relevance that age has for predicting a document preference for the user;

and

assigning a score to each identified document further comprises assigning a score based upon the age-correlation factor.

10. The computer implemented method of claim 9, further comprising adjusting the age-correlation factor based on the user'"'"'s document viewing behavior.

11. The computer implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

obtaining identified-gender data for the user, the identified-gender data including information describing a gender of the user, wherein

assigning a score to each identified document further comprises assigning a score based upon a correlation between gender-usage data for each document and identified-gender data, the gender-usage data describing at least one of a number and frequency of users who have previously accessed the document who are of a particular gender.

12. The computer implemented method of claim 11, wherein obtaining the identified-gender data comprises receiving a query response from the user.

13. The computer implemented method of claim 11, wherein obtaining the identified-gender data comprises accessing the identified-gender data from a data store on a computer.

14. The computer implemented method of claim 11, wherein obtaining the identified-gender data comprises deriving identified-gender data based on the user'"'"'s document viewing behavior.

15. The computer implemented method of claim 11, further comprising adjusting the obtained identified-gender data based on the user'"'"'s document viewing behavior.

16. The computer implemented method of claim 11, wherein

the identified-gender data further includes a gender-correlation factor of the user, the gender-correlation factor indicating a degree of statistical relevance that gender has for predicting a document preference for the user;

and

assigning a score to each identified document further comprises assigning a score based upon the gender-correlation factor.

17. The computer implemented method of claim 16, further comprising adjusting the gender-correlation factor based on the user'"'"'s document viewing behavior.

18. The computer implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

correlating the age-usage data for each document with rating data for that document, the rating data indicating a level of usefulness of the identified document to one or more previous users who accessed the document and who are of the particular age or age range, wherein

assigning a score to each identified document further comprises assigning a score to each identified document based upon the correlation between the rating data for each document and the identified-age data.

19. The computer implemented method of claim 18, further comprising receiving rating data from the user.

20. The computer implemented method of claim 18, further comprising deriving rating data from the user'"'"'s actions.

21. A computer implemented method of organizing a set of documents, comprising:

receiving a search query from a user;

obtaining identified-gender data for the user, the identified-gender data including information describing a gender of the user;

identifying a set of documents responsive to the search query;

assigning a score to each identified document based upon a correlation between gender-usage data for each document and identified-gender data, the gender-usage data describing at least one of a number and frequency of users who have previously accessed the document who are of a particular gender; and

organizing the documents based at least in part on the assigned score.

22. The computer implemented method of claim 21, wherein obtaining the identified-gender data comprises receiving a query response from the user.

23. The computer implemented method of claim 21, wherein obtaining the identified-gender data comprises accessing the identified-gender data from a data store on a computer.

24. The computer implemented method of claim 21, wherein obtaining the identified-gender data comprises deriving identified-gender data based on the user'"'"'s document viewing behavior.

25. The computer implemented method of claim 21, further comprising adjusting the obtained identified-gender data based on the user'"'"'s document viewing behavior.

26. The computer implemented method of claim 21, wherein the gender-usage data describes a number of users of the particular gender who accessed the document during a predetermined period of time.

27. The computer implemented method of claim 21, wherein the age-usage data describes a frequency with which users of the particular gender accessed the document during a predetermined period of time.

28. The computer implemented method of claim 21, wherein

the identified-gender data further includes a gender-correlation factor of the user, the gender-correlation factor indicating a degree of statistical relevance that gender has for predicting a document preference for the user;

and

assigning a score to each identified document further comprises assigning a score based upon the gender-correlation factor.

29. The computer implemented method of claim 28, further comprising adjusting the gender-correlation factor based on the user'"'"'s document viewing behavior.

30. The computer implemented method of claim 21, further comprising:

correlating the age-usage data for each document with rating data for that document, the rating data indicating a level of usefulness of the identified document to one or more previous users who accessed the document and who are of the particular gender, wherein

assigning a score to each identified document further comprises assigning a score to each identified document based upon the correlation between the rating data for each document and the identified-gender data.

31. The computer implemented method of claim 30, further comprising receiving rating data from the user.

32. The computer implemented method of claim 30, further comprising deriving rating data from the user'"'"'s actions.

33. An apparatus for organizing a collection of documents, comprising:

circuitry having executable program instructions; and

at least one processor configured to execute the program instructions to perform operations of;

receiving a search query from a user;

obtaining identified-age data for the user, the identified-age data including information describing an age of the user;

identifying a set of documents responsive to the search query;

assigning a score to each identified document based upon a correlation between age-usage data for each document and identified-age data, the age-usage data describing at least one of a number and frequency of users who have previously accessed the document who are of a particular age or age range; and

organizing the documents based at least in part on the assigned score.

34. An apparatus for organizing a collection of documents, comprising:

circuitry having executable instructions; and

at least one processor configured to execute the program instructions to perform operations of;

receiving a search query from a user;

obtaining identified-gender data for the user, the identified-gender data including information describing a gender of the user;

identifying a set of documents responsive to the search query;

assigning a score to each identified document based upon a correlation between gender-usage data for each document and identified-gender data, the gender-usage data describing at least one of a number and frequency of users who have previously accessed the document who are of a particular gender; and

organizing the documents based at least in part on the assigned score.

35. An apparatus for organizing a collection of documents, comprising:

circuitry having executable instructions; and

at least one processor configured to execute the program instructions to perform operations of;

receiving a search query from a user;

obtaining identified-age data for the user, the identified-age data including information describing an age of the user;

obtaining identified-gender data for the user, the identified-gender data including information describing a gender of the user;

identifying a set of documents responsive to the search query;

assigning a score to each identified document based upon a correlation between age-usage data for each document and identified-age data and based upon a correlation between gender-usage data for each document and identified-gender data, the age-usage data describing at least one of a number and frequency of users who have previously accessed the document who are of a particular age or age range and the gender-usage data describing at least one of a number and frequency of users who have previously accessed the document who are of a particular gender; and

organizing the documents based at least in part on the assigned score.