SYSTEM TO GENERATE AN AGGREGATE INTEREST INDICATION WITH RESPECT TO AN INFORMATION ITEM

• US 20090282026A1
• Filed: 04/30/2009
• Published: 11/12/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 11/04/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: PayPal, Inc. (PayPal Holdings, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: eBay Inc.
• Inventors: Nash, Adam
• Granted Patent: US 8,706,567 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/00 Commerce
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0617 Representative agent
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0625 Directed, with specific intent or strategy
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0633 Lists, e.g. purchase orders, compilation or processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0641 Shopping interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/02 Banking, e.g. interest calculation or account maintenance credit or loans G06Q40/03
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 99/00 Subject matter not provided for in other groups of this subclass

Abstract

A method is provided to publish a list of top ranked listings. The method may include configuring a database to store a plurality of listings published over a network. An interest indication may be received from a user for a listing in the plurality of listings. An interest indication data structure may be created and stored that associates the user with the listing. Also, the top ranked listings may be identified from the plurality of listings based on the number of stored interest indication data structures for each listing. Further, the list of the top ranked listings may be published.

Claims

1. A computer system including:

a processor;

a database configured to store a plurality of listings published over a network;

a machine-readable medium with instructions stored thereon which when executed by the processor cause the computer system to;

receive an interest indication from a user for a listing in the plurality of listings;

create and store an interest indication data structure associating the user and the listing;

identify top ranked listings from the plurality of listings based on one or more interest indication data structures; and

publish a list of the top ranked listings.

2. The computer system of claim 1, wherein executing the instructions by the processor causes the computer system to:

perform a count of interest indication data structures with respect to a number of listings published over the network.

3. The computer system of claim 2, wherein executing the instructions by the processor causes the computer system to:

store an interest indication value for each listing, wherein the interest indication value is derived from the count of interest indication data structures for a listing.

4. The computer system of claim 3, wherein identifying top ranked listing from the plurality of listing based on one more interest indication structures includes:

ranking the plurality of listings based on the stored indication value for each of the plurality of listings.

5. A computer system including:

a processor;

a database configured to store a plurality of listings published over a network;

a machine-readable medium with instructions stored thereon which when executed by the processor cause the computer system to;

receive an interest indication from a user for a listing in the plurality of listings;

create and store an interest indication data structure associating the user and the listing;

receive a search request including interest indication criteria;

identify one or more listings that satisfy the interest indication criteria; and

publish a list of the one or more listings.

6. The computer system of claim 5, wherein executing the instructions by the processor causes the computer system to:

perform a count of interest indication data structures with respect to a number of listings published over the network.

7. The computer system of claim 6, wherein executing the instructions by the processor causes the computer system to:

store an interest indication value for each listing, wherein the interest indication value is derived from the count of interest indication data structures for a listing.

8. The computer system of claim 7, wherein the interest indication criteria includes a threshold interest indication value.

9. The computer system of claim 5, wherein the search request includes additional criteria, the additional criteria including a category of listing.

10. The computer system of claim 5, wherein the search request includes additional criteria, the additional criteria including a price threshold.

11. A computer-implemented method, the method including:

configuring a database to store a plurality of listings published over a network;

receiving an interest indication from a user for a listing in the plurality of listings;

creating and storing an interest indication data structure associating the user and the listing;

identifying top ranked listings from the plurality of listings based on the number of stored interest indication data structures for each listing; and

publishing a list of the top ranked listings.

12. The computer-implemented method of claim 11, further including:

performing a count of interest indication data structures with respect to a number of listings published over the network.

13. The computer-implemented method of claim 12, further including:

storing an interest indication value for each listing, wherein the interest indication value is derived from the count of interest indication data structures for a listing.

14. The computer-implemented method of claim 11, wherein creating and storing an interest indication data structure associating the user and the listing includes:

storing the interest indication data structure in a relational database.

15. The computer-implemented method of claim 11, wherein identifying top ranked listing from the plurality of listings based on the number of stored interest indication data structures for each listing includes:

identifying active listings published over the network within a specified time period.

16. The computer-implemented method of claim 15, further including:

creating a hash-map for a category of listing.

17. The computer-implemented method of claim 16, further including:

filtering the top ranked listings based on the category of listing to identify top ranked listings for the category; and

adding the top ranked listing for the category to the hash-map.

18. A machine-readable medium embodying instructions which, when executed by a machine, cause the machine to execute a method including:

configuring a database to store a plurality of listings published over a network;

receiving an interest indication from a user for a listing in the plurality of listings;

creating and storing an interest indication data structure associating the user and the listing;

identifying top ranked listings from the plurality of listings based on the number of stored interest indication data structures for each listing; and

publishing a list of the top ranked listings.

19. The computer-implemented method of claim 18, further including:

performing a count of interest indication data structures with respect to a number of listings published over the network.

20. The computer-implemented method of claim 18, further including:

storing an interest indication value for each listing, wherein the interest indication value is derived from the count of interest indication data structures for a listing.