AUTOMATIC SELECTION OF USER-ORIENTED WEB CONTENT

• US 20090006974A1
• Filed: 08/13/2007
• Published: 01/01/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 06/27/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Walmart Apollo, LLC (WalMart Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Kosmix Corporation
• Inventors: Harinarayan, Venkatesh, Zien, Jason
• Granted Patent: US 8,122,360 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/738
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation

Abstract

A toolbar is provided, which may be downloaded and installed in a user'"'"'s web browser. The toolbar uploads the user'"'"'s browsing history to a server. The server determines, based on the browsing history, which sites the user visits frequently. Additionally, the server determines, based on an analysis of web content, which categories of content, and which concepts, the user is interested in based on the concepts and categories that occur frequently in the user'"'"'s browsing patterns. The server identifies content of interest to the user—where such content may comprise frequently-updated content, such as news or RSS feeds—and provides a custom web page that shows or identifies the selected content.

Claims

1. A method of providing content to a user, the method comprising:

receiving, from a computer associated with the user, a browsing history;

identifying one or more concepts associated with one or more Uniform Resource Locators (URLs) in said browsing history;

selecting one or more items of web content based on a first relationship between said one or more concepts and said one or more items; and

providing, to the user, an identification of said one or more items of web content.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

downloading, to said computer, toolbar software that implements a toolbar that is installable in a browser from which said browsing history was generated;

wherein said toolbar uploads said browsing history from said computer to a server.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein said toolbar displays recurrently-changing news items in a space of a window of said browser that is reserved for said toolbar.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein said toolbar solicits the user'"'"'s permission to upload said browsing history prior to said receiving.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein said toolbar recurrently uploads new events in said browsing history to said server.

6. The method of claim 2, wherein said toolbar has a learning mode that can be turned on and off at election of the user, wherein said toolbar recurrently uploads new events in said browsing history to said server when said learning mode is turned on, and wherein said toolbar does not upload new events in said browsing history to said server when said learning mode is turned off.

7. The method of claim 2, wherein said selecting is performed either without any action by the user, or without any action by the user other than one or more of the following:

installation of said toolbar;

instantiation of said toolbar; and

responding to a communication concerning uploading of the browsing history.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein said first relationship comprises a matching between concepts associated with said one or more items of web content and concepts associated with said URLs in said browsing history.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

creating a set of one or more categories in which substance of web content may fall; and

identifying one or more of said categories that are associated with said one or more URLs;

and wherein said selecting is further based on a second relationship between said one or more categories and said one or more items.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

prior to said receiving, analyzing existing web content to identify which concepts are associated with content located at particular URLs;

recording one or more results of said analyzing; and

using said one or more results in said selecting.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein said selecting is further based on a determination of which web sites provide feeds, and wherein said selecting omits, from said one or more items of web content, those items located on web sites that do not provide feeds.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein said selecting is further based on whether the content has been updated within a duration of time, and wherein said selecting omits, from said one or more items of web content, those items that have not been updated within said duration of time.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

receiving, from the user, a specification of said duration of time; and

setting said duration of time in accordance with said user'"'"'s specification.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein said providing comprises:

transmitting, to said computer, a page that is displayable in a browser and that comprises;

a list of one or more topics, where each of said topics is visually grouped with one or more of said identifications of one or more items of web content, the grouping of said topics with said identifications being based on whether concepts associated with said topic are included in said items of web content.

15. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

creating a profile for the user, wherein the profile comprises said one or more concepts, and wherein said selecting is based on said profile.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

receiving, from said user, an identification of a first concept that the user specifies to be included in said profile; and

including said first concept in said profile.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein said first concept is included within said one or more concepts.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein said first concept is not included within said one or more concepts, and is not identified based on a server'"'"'s analysis of said browsing history.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein said providing comprises:

communicating, to the user, a page comprising;

(a) said first concept, and (b) a visual cue indicating that said first concept has been explicitly specified by the user.

20. The method of claim 15, wherein said profile further comprises a set of categories of web content and a set of one or more web sites indicated by said one or more URLs in said browsing history.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein said profile further comprises one or more numerical values associated with at least one of said concepts, categories, and sites, wherein said one or more numerical values indicate prevalence of said concepts, categories, or sites in said browsing history.

22. One or more computer-readable storage media comprising executable instructions to perform a method comprising:

installing a toolbar in a browser that runs on a computer;

uploading, to a server, a browsing history generated by use of said browser;

receiving, from said server, one or more content items that are selected by said server based on said browsing history; and

communicating said one or more content items, or an indication of said one or more content items, to said user.

23. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 22, wherein the method further comprises:

receiving, from said user, an indication of whether said toolbar is to be operated with learning mode on or learning mode off, wherein said toolbar uploads updates to said browsing history when said learning mode is on, and wherein said toolbar does not upload updates to said browsing history when said learning mode is off.

24. A system comprising:

one or more processors;

one or more data remembrance devices;

software that is stored in said one or more data remembrance devices and that executes on said one or more processors, said software comprising one or more subsystems, said one or more subsystems comprising;

a first subsystem that implements a web browser and that records a history of Uniform Resource Locators (URLs) visited with said web browser;

a second subsystem that implements a toolbar installed in said web browser, said second subsystem uploading said history to a server without said user having to perform an action other than one or more of the following;

(a) installation of said toolbar;

(b) instantiation of said toolbar;

(c) responding to a communication concerning uploading of said history, said web browser displaying, to said user, content, or an indication of said content, that is received from said server that is selected based on a relationship between concepts derived from said URLs and concepts contained in said content.

25. The system of claim 24, wherein said content, or said indication of said content, is selected based further on whether said content is derived from a web site that provides an RSS feed, wherein content that is derived from web sites that do not provide RSS feeds is not selected.

26. A system that provides content to a user, the system comprising:

means for receiving, from a computer associated with the user, a browsing history;

means for identifying one or more concepts associated with one or more Uniform Resource Locators (URLs) in said browsing history;

means for selecting one or more items of web content based on a relationship between said one or more concepts and said one or more items; and

means for providing, to the user, an identification of said one or more items of web content.

27. The system of claim 26, further comprising:

means for providing a toolbar that is installable in a browser that generates said browsing history.

28. The system of claim 26, wherein said means for selecting selects said one or more items of web content further based on whether said items of web content are derived from web sites that provide RSS feeds, wherein items of web content derived from web sites that do not offer RSS feeds are not selected.

29. A system comprising:

means for installing a toolbar in a browser that runs on a computer;

means for uploading, to a server, a browsing history generated by use of said browser;

means for receiving, from said server, one or more content items that are selected by said server based on said browsing history; and

means for communicating said one or more content items to said user.