STATISTICAL MODELS AND METHODS TO SUPPORT THE PERSONALIZATION OF APPLICATIONS AND SERVICES VIA CONSIDERATION OF PREFERENCE ENCODINGS OF A COMMUNITY OF USERS

• US 20100269051A1
• Filed: 06/30/2010
• Published: 10/21/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/11/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Horvitz, Eric J., Subramani, Murugesan S., Apacible, Johnson T.
• Granted Patent: US 9,443,246 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/745
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising

Abstract

A statistical methodology is employed for assisting people with the setting of parameters of software applications or services. With the method, information about demographics and/or about the complete or partial preferences of other people, are analyzed to infer recommendations for settings and functionality of a computer application or service. A system is reviewed with the ability to receive data regarding a plurality of users, and stores respective profiles for these users in a community store. The system can leverage off of these completed and/or partially completed profiles of parameters representing preferences about software operation in connection with building new profiles for users (new and/or existing). Data regarding a user that desires to build a new profile is employed in connection with the community profiles to facilitate the user building a personalized profile. Various statistical and/probabilistic schemes can be employed, for example, collaborative filtering techniques to identify to the user the top n settings by particular parameter(s), top m settings by popularity, top x most similar profiles to facilitate the user selecting most appropriate sub-profiles as part of a personalized profile building and selection effort.

Claims

1-22. -22. (canceled)

23. A graphical user interface to facilitate determine of preferences for an application, comprising:

a display object associated with viewing potential profiles relating to a community of users preferences;

at least one input to select or alter the potential profiles; and

a filter component to automatically determine the potential profiles.

24. The graphical user interface of claim 23, further comprising a My Profile option populated with the current settings that has been input to client software.

25. The graphical user interface of claim 23, further comprising a recommendations display of potential profiles determined via a collaborative filter.

26. The graphical user interface of claim 23, further comprising an input for selecting settings by similarity or by popularity.

27. The graphical user interface of claim 23, further comprising drag and drop capabilities for moving potential settings into a user profile setting.

28. The graphical user interface of claim 26, further comprising employing demographic information to determine the similarity.

29. The graphical user interface of claim 23, further comprising a starting point input to select a recommended profile.

30. The graphical user interface of claim 29, further comprising a component to update collaborative filtering profiles upon selection or a new profile or parameter.

31. The graphical user interface of claim 23, further comprising a profile display based upon a role or status of a user.

32. A method of operating a computing system to provide a graphical user interface to facilitate determination of user preferences for operation of an application, the method comprising:

automatically determining a plurality of potential profiles for operation of the application, the potential profiles being determined based on preferences from a community of users of the application;

rendering the potential profiles accessible to a user through a user interface of a computing device;

receiving input from the user through the user interface, the input selecting a potential profiles; and

configuring the application for the user based on the selected potential profile.

33. The method of claim 32, wherein configuring the application for the user based on the selected potential profile comprises:

receiving user input modifying the selected potential profile; and

configuring the application with the modified selected potential profile.

34. The method of claim 33, wherein:

the method further comprises displaying the selected potential profile as a plurality of objects in a first display area; and

receiving user input modifying the selected profile comprises receiving user input dragging objects from a second display area to the first display area.

35. The method of claim 32, wherein rendering the potential profiles accessible to a user through a user interface of a computing device comprises:

displaying the potential profiles on the user interface, the potential profile displayed on the user interface changing in response to user input.

36. The method of claim 32, wherein:

the potential profiles are ordered based on similarity to demographic characteristics of the user;

rendering the potential profiles accessible to a user through a user interface of a computing device comprises rendering the potential profiles based on the order.

37. The method of claim 32, wherein:

the potential profiles are ordered based on similarity to selections made by the user;

rendering the potential profiles accessible to a user through a user interface of a computing device comprises rendering the potential profiles based on the order.

38. At least one computer storage media comprising computer-executable instructions that, when executed by a processor, perform a method of configuring an application for a user, the method comprising:

automatically determining a potential profile for operation of the application, the potential profile being determined based on preferences from a community of users of the application;

rendering the potential profile to the user through a user interface of a computing device;

receiving input from the user through the user interface, the input altering settings of the potential profile; and

configuring the application for the user based on the altered potential profile.

39. The at least one computer storage media of claim 38, wherein automatically determining a potential profile comprises selecting settings that are most popular within the preferences from the community of users of the application.

40. The at least one computer storage media of claim 38, wherein automatically determining a potential profile comprises selecting settings from a profile of at least one user within the community of users of the application, the at least one user within the community being selected based on demographic similarity to the user.

41. The at least one computer storage media of claim 38, wherein:

automatically determining a potential profile comprises receiving user input indicating whether the settings in the potential profile are to be selected by popularity or similarity of users within the community to the user.

42. The at least one computer storage media of claim 38, wherein:

rendering the potential profile through a user interface comprises displaying settings of the potential profile as a plurality of objects; and

receiving user input altering settings of the potential profile comprises receiving user input dragging and dropping selective ones of the objects into a user profile area of the display.