SINGLE, MIXED-VIEW PRESENTATION OF RELATED PRODUCTS

• US 20120173390A1
• Filed: 12/29/2010
• Published: 07/05/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/29/2010
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: LAM, LAWRENCE
• Application Number:
  US12/980,955
• Publication Number:
  US 20120173390A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/27.2
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0643 Graphical representation of items or shoppers

Abstract

Methods and systems for presenting related products in a single, mixed-view display are provided. Upon receiving an indication of a focal product, a plurality of ontological relationships of the focal product is identified or determined, each identified ontological relationship including one or more additional products associated therewith, A single-view display is presented that includes an indicator of the product of interest and product indicators for at least a portion of the additional products associated with at least two of the plurality of ontological relationships. Generally, the additional product-indicators are arranged around the indicator of the focal product. In this way, the user is presented with a product of interest, as well as other products having a variety of relationships with respect to the product of interest in a single, seamless view.

Claims

1. Computer storage media having computer-executable instructions embodied thereon that, when executed, perform a method for presenting related products in a single, mixed-view, the method comprising:

receiving an indication of a focal product;

identifying a plurality of ontological relationships of the focal product, each of the plurality of ontological relationships having one or more additional products associated therewith; and

presenting a single-view display having product indicators for at least a portion of the one or more additional products associated with at least two of the plurality of ontological relationships arranged around an indicator of the focal product.

2. The computer storage media of claim 1,

wherein the method further comprises combining information related to the one or more additional products associated with each of the plurality of ontological relationships into a single, mixed-ontology map,

and wherein presenting a single-view display comprises presenting at least a portion of the information contained in the single, mixed-ontology map in the single-view display.

3. The computer storage media of claim 1, wherein upon combining the information related to the one or more additional products associated with each of the plurality of ontological relationships into a single, mixed-ontology map, an indication of the one of the plurality of ontological relationships with which each of the one or more additional products is associated is preserved.

4. The computer storage media of claim 1, wherein the product indicators for the at least a portion of the one or more additional products presented in the single-view display include one or more of an iconic indicator, a product-label indicator, or an ontology-relationship indicator.

5. The computer storage media of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises providing a user-customizable filter that permits a user to control to which of the plurality of ontological relationship indicators of presented additional products are associated.

6. The computer storage media of claim 5, wherein the user-customizable filter further permits a user to control a proportion of indicators of additional products associated with one or more of the plurality of ontological relationships that are presented.

7. The computer storage media of claim 1, wherein the user-customizable filter is at least one of presented in association with the single-view display and presented as a user-preference selection independent of the single-view display.

8. The computer storage media of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises:

determining that a threshold criterion has been met; and

upon determining that the threshold criterion has been met, changing at least one of the presented product indicators on the single-view display to a new product indicator, wherein the new product indicator is associated with a new product belonging to the same one of the plurality of ontological relationships as the product associated with the changed product indicator.

9. The computer storage media of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises:

determining that a threshold criterion has been met; and

upon determining that the threshold criterion has been met, changing at least one of the presented product indicators on the single-view display to a new product indicator, wherein the new product indicator is associated with a new product belonging to a different one of the plurality of ontological relationships as the product associated with the changed product indicator.

10. The computer storage media of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises:

receiving a user-selection of one of the additional-product product indicators;

identifying a second plurality of ontological relationships of a product associated with the user-selected additional product indicator, each of the second plurality of ontological relationships having one or more additional products associated therewith; and

changing the single-view display such that product indicators for at least a portion of the one or more additional products associated with at least two of the second plurality of ontological relationships are arranged around the user-selected additional product indicator.

11. A system for presenting related products in a single, mixed-view, the system, comprising:

a computing device associated with one or more processors and one or more computer storage media;

a data store coupled with the computing device; and

a related-product display generating engine that

receives an indication of a focal product,

identifies a plurality of ontological relationships of the focal product, each of the plurality of ontological relationships having one or more additional products associated therewith, and

presents a single-view display having product indicators for at least a portion of the one or more additional products associated with at least two of the plurality of ontological relationships arranged around an indicator of the focal product.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the related-product display generating engine further combines information related to the one or more additional products associated with each of the plurality of ontological relationships into a single, mixed-ontology map.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the related-product display generating engine further provides a user-customizable filter that permits a user to control to which of the plurality of ontological relationships indicators of presented additional products are associated.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein the related-product display generating engine further provides a user-customizable filter that permits a user to control a proportion of indicators of additional products associated with one or more of the plurality of ontological relationships that are presented.

15. The system of claim 11, wherein the related-product display generating engine further determines whether a threshold criterion has been met and, upon determining that the threshold criterion has been met, changes at least one of the presented product indicators on the single-view display to a new product indicator.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the new product indicator is associated with a new product belonging to the same one of the plurality of ontological relationships as the product associated with the changed product indicator.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein the new product indicator is associated with a new product belonging to a different one of the plurality of ontological relationships as the product associated with the changed product indicator.

18. The system of claim 11, wherein the related-product display generating engine further

receives a user-selection of one of the additional-product product indicators,

identifies a second plurality of ontological relationships of a product associated with the user-selected additional product indicator, each of the second plurality of ontological relationships having one or more additional products associated therewith, and

changes the single-view display such that the product indicators for at least a portion of the one or more additional products associated with at least two of the second plurality of ontological relationships are arranged around the user-selected additional product indicator.

19. Computer storage media having computer-executable instructions embodied thereon that, when executed, cause a computing device to present related products in a single, mixed-view, user-interface, the user-interface comprising:

a focal product indicator display area that presents a product indicator for a focal product; and

a related product indicator display area that presents product indicators for at least a portion of additional products identified as associated with a plurality of ontological relationships of the focal product, the related product indicator display area being arranged around the focal product indicator display area.

20. The computer storage media of claim 19, wherein the user-interface further comprises a user-selectable filter display area that receives a user selection indicating for which of the plurality of ontological relationships of the focal product, related product indicators are to be displayed and/or in what proportion.