SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR AUTOMATING CATEGORIZATION AND AGGREGATION OF CONTENT FROM NETWORK SITES

• US 20120311434A1
• Filed: 08/16/2012
• Published: 12/06/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/17/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Topix
• Original Assignee: Topix
• Inventors: Skrenta, Richard, Dole, Bryn, Markson, Thomas, Truel, Robert
• Granted Patent: US 8,645,385 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/234
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/285 Clustering or classification
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/954 Navigation, e.g. using categorised browsing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/958 Organisation or management of web site content, e.g. publishing, maintaining pages or automatic linking

Abstract

A plurality of content items are retrieved from multiple network sites. Content from each content item is programmatically analyzed in order to associate that content item with one or more categories. The one or more categories may be part of a larger set of predefined categories. A network page is assigned to one or more corresponding categories in the set of predefined categories. At least some content is provided on the network page using one or more content items that were associated with the one or more categories assigned to that network page.

Claims

1. A system for aggregating content on a network, the system comprising:

a categorization process that is configured to (i) analyze a text content each of a plurality of content items that are provided at a plurality of network sites, and (ii) determine one or more categories that are to be associated with each of the plurality of content items;

wherein the categorization process associates each of one or more of the plurality of categories with multiple content items;

a selection process that is configured to identify a selection of some of the multiple content items that are associated with at least some of the plurality categories; and

a display process that is configured to display, for each of the categories, at least a portion of individual content items that are associated with that category, wherein the display process displays only the selection of some of the multiple content items for one or more of the plurality of categories.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the display process generates a web page for each of the plurality of categories.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the display process displays individual content items for the web page of each category as one of a phrase, sentence, or summary of that content item, along with a link to a source of that content item.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the display process displays the phrase, sentence, or summary of individual contents in a separate segment of each web page.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the display process formats each web page according to one or more editorial rules.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the display process selects an image for one or more content items that displayed on one or more of the web pages, and wherein the image is selected or formatted for display based on the one or more editorial rules.

7. The system of claim 4, wherein the categorization process is configured to determine one or more categories that are to be associated with each of the plurality of content items, wherein the one or more categories include anyone of a plurality of categories that for which at least some of individually correspond to a geographic location.

8. The system of claim 4, wherein the categorization process is configured to determine one or more categories that are to be associated with each of the plurality of content items, wherein the one or more categories include anyone of a plurality of categories that for which at least some of individually correspond to a name of a person or a place.

9. The system of claim 4, wherein the categorization process is configured to determine one or more categories that are to be associated with each of the plurality of content items, wherein the one or more categories include anyone of a plurality of categories that for which at least some of individually correspond to a current event topic.