SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR PROVIDING CROSS-VERTICAL PROFILING AND SEARCHING

• US 20080140711A1
• Filed: 12/11/2006
• Published: 06/12/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 12/11/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: R2 Solutions LLC (Acacia Research Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Yahoo! Inc. (Apollo Global Management, Inc.)
• Inventors: SAMANTARAI, JAGADISH PRASAD, HYDER, ADAM
• Granted Patent: US 7,590,615 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/104.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/00 Administration; Management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0269 based on user profile or attribute

Abstract

Methods and systems of providing a user profile for multiple verticals are disclosed herein. The methods and systems disclosed herein aggregate user profile information from multiple verticals and redistributes aggregated data to the multiple verticals to create more robust personalized profiles. A first input that populates a first vertical attribute in a first vertical profile is received from a user computing device. The first vertical attribute can hold a first value for a user characteristic. A second user input that populates a second vertical attribute in the second vertical profile is received from the user computing device. The second vertical attribute can hold a second value for the user characteristic. The first value of the first vertical attribute is assigned to an attribute in the generic profile if the first vertical attribute is determined to have a greater reliability weight than a reliability weight of the second vertical attribute. The second value of the second vertical attribute is assigned to an attribute in the generic profile if the second vertical attribute is determined to have a greater reliability weight than the reliability weight of the first vertical attribute.

Claims

1. A method of providing user profiling a user of multiple verticals, comprising:

receiving from a user computing device a first input that populates a first vertical attribute in a first vertical profile, the first vertical attribute holding a first value for a user characteristic;

receiving from the user computing device a second user input that populates a second vertical attribute in the second vertical profile, the second vertical attribute holding a second value for the user characteristic;

assigning the first value of the first vertical attribute to an attribute in the generic profile if the first vertical attribute is determined to have a greater reliability weight than a reliability weight of the second vertical attribute; and

assigning the second value of the second vertical attribute to an attribute in the generic profile if the second vertical attribute is determined to have a greater reliability weight than the reliability weight of the first vertical attribute.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first input comprises the selection of an item listed in the first vertical.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the first input comprises the registration of the user in the first vertical.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the second input comprises the selection of an item listed in the second vertical.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the second input comprises the registration of the user in the second vertical.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a web search request from the user computing device; and

searching data on the World Wide Web that is relevant to the attribute in the generic profile.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the user characteristic is the first name, the last name, the age, the gender, the spending habits, or the social habits of the user.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising assigning a heavy reliability weight to the first attribute in the first vertical if it is established that the user will likely provide reliable data for the second attribute in the second vertical.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising assigning a heavy reliability weight to the second attribute in the second vertical if it is established that the user will likely provide reliable data for the second attribute in the second vertical.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the first vertical is an Internet service such as an Internet job listing service, an Internet dating service, an Internet product comparison service, Internet automobile purchase service, Internet real estate service, an Internet travel service, an Internet media service, or an Internet social networking service.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the second vertical is an Internet service such as an Internet job listing service, an Internet dating service, an Internet product comparison service, Internet automobile purchase service, Internet real estate service, an Internet travel service, an Internet media service, or an Internet social networking service.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the generic profile is a demographic profile.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the generic profile is a content profile.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the generic profile is a user access profile.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the generic profile is a preferences profile.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the generic profile is accessible to the first vertical through a first vertical engine.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein the generic profile is accessible to the second vertical through a second vertical engine.

18. The method of claim 1, further comprising utilizing the generic profile to personalize search input from a user, search results from a user search, targeted advertisement, or electronic communications.

19. A system to provide user profiling of a user of multiple verticals, comprising:

a network server that receives from a user computing device a first input utilized to populate a first vertical attribute in a first vertical profile, the first vertical attribute holding a first value for a user characteristic, the network server further configured to receive from the user computing device a second user input utilized to populate a second vertical attribute in the second vertical profile, the second vertical attribute holding a second value for the user characteristic; and

a profiling module that creates a generic profile, the profiling module configured to assign the first value of the first vertical attribute to an attribute in the generic profile if the first vertical attribute is determined to have a greater reliability weight than a reliability weight of the second vertical attribute, the profiling module further configured to assign the second value of the second vertical attribute to an attribute in the generic profile if the second vertical attribute is determined to have a greater reliability weight than the reliability weight of the first vertical attribute.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the first input comprises a selection of an item listed in the first vertical.

21. The system of claim 19, wherein the first input comprises a registration of the user in the first vertical.

22. The system of claim 19, wherein the second input comprises a selection of an item listed in the second vertical.

23. The system of claim 19, wherein the second input comprises a registration of the user in the second vertical.

24. The system of claim 19, further comprising a search engine that receives a web search request from the user computing device, the search engine further configured to search data on the World Wide Web that is relevant to the attribute in the generic profile.

25. The system of claim 19, wherein the user characteristic is the first name, the last name, the age, the gender, the spending habits, or the social habits of the user.

26. The system of claim 19, wherein the profiling module is further configured to assign a heavy reliability weight to the first attribute in the first vertical if it is established that the user will likely provide reliable data for the second attribute in the second vertical.

27. The system of claim 19, wherein the profiling module is further configured to assign a reliability weight to the second attribute in the second vertical if it is established that the user will likely provide reliable data for the second attribute in the second vertical.

28. The system of claim 19, wherein the first vertical is an Internet service such as an Internet job listing service, an Internet dating service, an Internet product comparison service, Internet automobile purchase service, Internet real estate service, an Internet travel service, an Internet media service, or an Internet social networking service.

29. The system of claim 19, wherein the second vertical is an Internet service such as an Internet job listing service, an Internet dating service, an Internet product comparison service, Internet automobile purchase service, Internet real estate service, an Internet travel service, an Internet media service, or an Internet social networking service.

30. The system of claim 19, wherein the generic profile is a demographic profile.

31. The system of claim 19, wherein the generic profile is a content profile.

32. The system of claim 19, wherein the generic profile is a user access profile.

33. The system of claim 19, wherein the generic profile is a preferences profile.

34. The system of claim 19, wherein the generic profile is accessible to the first vertical through a first vertical engine.

35. The system of claim 19, wherein the generic profile is accessible to the second vertical through a second vertical engine.

36. The system of claim 19, wherein the generic profile is utilized to personalize search input from a user, search results from a user search, targeted advertisement, or electronic communications.