SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR PROVIDING PERSONALIZED SEARCH RESULTS

• US 20120271808A1
• Filed: 04/21/2011
• Published: 10/25/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 04/21/2011
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: WW Grainger Incorporated
• Original Assignee: WW Grainger Incorporated
• Inventors: Westphal, Geoffry A.
• Application Number:
  US13/091,919
• Publication Number:
  US 20120271808A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/706
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0256 User search
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0257 User requested
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0271 Personalized advertisement

Abstract

Personalized search results are provided to a user by sending to the user a direct marketing email having associated therewith one or more opt-out elements. Information related to the user'"'"'s interaction with the one or more opt-out elements is maintained in a database. When a search request is thereafter submitted to a search engine by the user, the information related to the user'"'"'s interaction with the one or more opt-out elements is used to inhibit inclusion within the search results of one or more items. In addition or alternatively, when the user accesses a search interface having a plurality of search options selectable to provide a search request to the search engine, the information related to the user'"'"'s interaction with the one or more opt-out elements is used to inhibit inclusion within the search interface of one or more of the plurality of user selectable search options.

Claims

1. A computer-readable media embodied in a non-transient, physical memory device having stored thereon computer executable instructions for providing personalized search results, the instructions performing steps comprising:

sending to a user a direct marketing email having one or more associated opt-out elements;

storing within a database information related to the user'"'"'s interaction with the one or more opt-out elements associated with the direct marketing email; and

in response to a search request submitted to a search engine by the user, using the information related to the user'"'"'s interaction with the one or more opt-out elements associated with the direct marketing email to inhibit inclusion within the search results of one or more items.

2. The computer readable media as recited in claim 1, wherein the information related to the user'"'"'s interaction with the one or more opt-out elements comprises information indicative of a user'"'"'s desire to not receive any direct marketing emails for a particular category or subcategory of product.

3. The computer-readable media as recited in claim 1, wherein the direct marketing email comprises a promotional offer for a product within a particular category or subcategory of product.

4. The computer-readable media as recited in claim 1, wherein the instructions use the information related to the user'"'"'s interaction with the one or more opt-out elements of the direct marketing email to promote within the search results one or more items.

5. The computer-readable media as recited in claim 4, wherein the information related to the user'"'"'s interaction with the one or more opt-out elements used to promote within the search results one or more items comprises information indicative of a failure of a user to interact with the one or more opt-out elements within a predetermined period of time after the direct marketing email was sent to the user.

6. The computer-readable media as recited in claim 1, wherein, in response to the user accessing a search interface having a plurality of search options selectable to provide a search request to a search engine, the instructions use the information related to the user'"'"'s interaction with the one or more opt-out elements associated with the direct marketing email to inhibit inclusion within the search interface of one or more of the plurality of user selectable search options.

7. A computer-readable media embodied in a non-transient, physical memory device having stored thereon computer executable instructions for providing a personalized search interface to a user, the instructions performing steps comprising:

sending to a user a direct marketing email having one or more associated opt-out elements;

storing within a database information related to the user'"'"'s interaction with the one or more opt-out elements associated with the direct marketing email; and

in response to the user accessing a search interface having a plurality of search options selectable to provide a search request to a search engine, using the information related to the user'"'"'s interaction with the one or more opt-out elements associated with the direct marketing email to inhibit inclusion within the search interface of one or more of the plurality of user selectable search options.

8. The computer readable media as recited in claim 7, wherein the information related to the user'"'"'s interaction with the one or more opt-out elements comprises information indicative of a user'"'"'s desire to not receive any direct marketing emails for a particular category or subcategory of product.

9. The computer-readable media as recited in claim 7, wherein the direct marketing email comprises a promotional offer for a product within a particular category or subcategory of product.

10. The computer-readable media as recited in claim 7, wherein the instructions further use the information related to the user'"'"'s interaction with the one or more opt-out elements of the direct marketing email to promote within the search interface one or more of the plurality of user selectable search options.

11. The computer-readable media as recited in claim 10, wherein the information related to the user'"'"'s interaction with the one or more opt-out elements used to promote within the search interface one or more of the plurality of user selectable search options comprises information indicative of a failure of a user to interact with the one or more opt-out elements within a predetermined period of time after the direct marketing email was sent to the user.

12. A computer-readable media embodied in a non-transient, physical memory device having stored thereon computer executable instructions for providing personalized search results, the instructions performing steps comprising:

sending to a user a direct marketing email a first opt-out element;

in response to a user interacting with the first opt-out element to thereby indicate a desire to opt-out from receiving direct marketing email of the type sent to the user, causing additional opt-out elements to be provided to the user wherein the additional opt-out elements are contextually related to the first opt-out element;

storing within a database information related to the user'"'"'s interaction with the first and additionally provided opt-out elements; and

in response to a search request submitted to a search engine by the user, using the information related to the user'"'"'s interaction with the first and additionally provided opt-out elements to inhibit inclusion within the search results of one or more items.

13. The computer-readable media as recited in claim 12, wherein the additional opt-out elements are contextually related to the first opt-out element by being nodes within a product and product category hierarchical tree that are within a predetermined range from a category of product or product indicated by the first opt-out element.

14. The computer-readable media as recited in claim 12, wherein additional opt-out elements are iteratively provided to the user considering the user'"'"'s interaction with opt-elements as provided.

15. The computer-readable media as recited in claim 12, wherein the first opt-out element relates to a product category and at least one of the additional opt-out elements relates to a product brand.

16. The computer-readable media as recited in claim 12, wherein the first opt-out element relates to a product category and at least one of the additional opt-out elements relates to a product parameter.

17. The computer-readable media as recited in claim 12, wherein the first opt-out element relates to a product category and at least one of the additional opt-out elements relates to a product sub-category.