SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR MAKING GIFT RECOMMENDATIONS USING SOCIAL MEDIA DATA

• US 20140089132A1
• Filed: 09/26/2012
• Published: 03/27/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/26/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Walmart Apollo, LLC (WalMart Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Wal Mart Stores Inc (WalMart Inc.)
• Inventors: Pavlidis, Ioannis, Rajaraman, Anand, Vacheri, Zoheb
• Granted Patent: US 9,171,326 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/26.7
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/337 Profile generation, learning or modification
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0631 Item recommendations
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking

Abstract

Disclose are methods for evaluating a user'"'"'s interests and making gift recommendations using social media data. Interests and attributes of a user may be detected from social media content and products corresponding to the interests and attributes may be selected and presented as gift recommendations for the user. Methods are disclosed for resolving ambiguity as to interests reflected by textual data in social media content. Also disclosed are methods for inferring a user'"'"'s interests from the interests of friends of the user.

Claims

1. A method for user profiling comprising:

evaluating a plurality of textual actions of a user;

for each textual action of the plurality of textual actions identifying one or more concepts by

identifying at least one entity corresponding to the textual action;

identifying two or more concept candidates for at least one of the identified entities; and

selecting one of the identified two or concept candidates as one of the identified one or more concepts according to a user profile of the user;

generating an interest profile for the user according to the identified one or more concepts.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising selecting one of the identified two or concept candidate as one of the identified one or more concepts according to profiles of friends of the user.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising selecting one of the identified two or concept candidate as one of the identified one or more concepts according to current global popularity of the identified two or more concept candidates.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

selecting products corresponding to the interest profile; and

transmitting a gift recommendation including the selected products to a second user.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein selecting one of the identified two or more concept candidates as one of the identified one or more concepts according to the user profile of the user further comprises:

assigning a score to each of the two or more concept candidates according to consistency with the user profile;

selecting one of the two or more concept candidates as one of the identified one or more concepts according to a comparison of the scores for the two or more concept candidates and at least one threshold.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein selecting one of the identified two or more concept candidates as one of the identified one or more concepts according to the user profile of the user further comprises:

assigning a score to each of the two or more concept candidates according to consistency with the user profile;

if a score of the scores assigned to each of the two or more concept candidates exceeds a first threshold criteria, selecting the concept of the two or more concepts corresponding to the score as one of the identified one or more concepts;

if a score of the scores assigned to each of the two or more concept candidates does not exceed the first threshold criteria, updating the score for each of the two or more concept candidates according to friend profiles of the user; and

if a score of the scores assigned to each of the two or more concept candidates as updated according to friend profiles of the user exceeds a first threshold criteria, selecting the concept of the two or more concepts corresponding to the score as one of the identified one or more concepts.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein selecting one of the identified two or more concept candidates as one of the identified one or more concepts according to the user profile of the user further comprises:

assigning a score to each of the two or more concept candidates according to the user profile;

if a score of the scores assigned to each of the two or more concept candidates exceeds a first threshold criteria, selecting the concept of the two or more concepts corresponding to the score as one of the identified one or more concepts;

if a score of the scores assigned to each of the two or more concept candidates does not exceed the first threshold criteria, updating the score for each of the two or more concept candidates according to friend profiles of the user; and

if a score of the scores assigned to each of the two or more concept candidates as updated according to friend profiles of the user exceeds a second threshold criteria, selecting the concept of the two or more concept candidates corresponding to the score as one of the identified one or more concepts.

if a score of the scores assigned to each of the two or more concept candidates as updated according to friend profiles of the user does not exceed the second threshold criteria, updating the scores for the two or more concept candidates according to current global popularity of the two or more concept candidates; and

if a score of the scores assigned to each of the two or more concept candidates, as updated according to current global popularity of the concept candidates, exceeds a third threshold criteria, selecting the concept candidate of the two or more concept candidates corresponding to the score as one of the identified one or more concepts.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

if a score of the scores assigned to each of the two or more concept candidates, as updated according to current global popularity of the two or more concept candidates, does not exceed the third threshold criteria, refraining from selecting any of the two or more concept candidates as one of the identified one or more concepts.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the first, second, and third threshold criteria are identical.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein at least one of the first, second, and third threshold criteria is differently valued.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising, for each textual action of the plurality of textual actions, identifying a sentiment associated with the identified at least one entity.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising, for each textual action of the plurality of textual actions, identifying a sentiment associated with the identified at least one entity according to natural language processing.

13. A system for user profiling comprising one or more processors and one or more memory devices operably coupled to the one or more processors, the one or more memory devices storing executable and operational code effective to cause the one or more processors to:

evaluate a plurality of textual actions of a user;

for each textual action of the plurality of textual actions identify one or more concepts by

identifying at least one entity corresponding to the textual action;

identifying two or more concept candidates for at least one of the identified entities; and

selecting one of the identified two or concept candidates as one of the identified one or more concepts according to a user profile of the user;

generate an interest profile for the user according to the identified one or more concepts.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the executable and operational data are further effective to cause the one or more processors to select one of the identified two or concept candidate as one of the identified one or more concepts according to profiles of friends of the user.

15. The system of claim 13, further comprising selecting one of the identified two or concept candidate as one of the identified one or more concepts according to current global popularity of the identified two or more concept candidates.

16. The system of claim 13, wherein the executable and operational data are further effective to cause the one or more processors to:

select products corresponding to the interest profile; and

transmit a gift recommendation including the selected products for display.

17. The system of claim 13, wherein the executable and operational data are further effective to cause the one or more processors to select one of the identified two or more concept candidates as one of the identified one or more concepts according to the user profile of the user by:

assigning a score to each of the two or more concept candidates according to consistency with the user profile;

selecting one of the two or more concept candidates as one of the identified one or more concepts according to a comparison of the scores for the two or more concept candidates and at least one threshold.

19. The system of claim 13, wherein the executable and operational data are further effective to cause the one or more processors to select one of the identified two or more concept candidates as one of the identified one or more concepts according to the user profile of the user by:

assigning a score to each of the two or more concept candidates according to consistency with the user profile;

if a score of the scores assigned to each of the two or more concept candidates exceeds a first threshold criteria, selecting the concept of the two or more concepts corresponding to the score as one of the identified one or more concepts;

if a score of the scores assigned to each of the two or more concept candidates does not exceed the first threshold criteria, updating the score for each of the two or more concept candidates according to friend profiles of the user; and

if a score of the scores assigned to each of the two or more concept candidates as updated according to friend profiles of the user exceeds a first threshold criteria, selecting the concept of the two or more concepts corresponding to the score as one of the identified one or more concepts.

20. The system of claim 13, wherein the executable and operational data are further effective to cause the one or more processors to select one of the identified two or more concept candidates as one of the identified one or more concepts according to the user profile of the user by:

assigning a score to each of the two or more concept candidates according to the user profile;

if a score of the scores assigned to each of the two or more concept candidates exceeds a first threshold criteria, selecting the concept of the two or more concepts corresponding to the score as one of the identified one or more concepts;

if a score of the scores assigned to each of the two or more concept candidates does not exceed the first threshold criteria, updating the score for each of the two or more concept candidates according to friend profiles of the user; and

if a score of the scores assigned to each of the two or more concept candidates as updated according to friend profiles of the user exceeds a second threshold criteria, selecting the concept of the two or more concept candidates corresponding to the score as one of the identified one or more concepts.

if a score of the scores assigned to each of the two or more concept candidates as updated according to friend profiles of the user does not exceed the second threshold criteria, updating the scores for the two or more concept candidates according to current global popularity of the two or more concept candidates; and

if a score of the scores assigned to each of the two or more concept candidates, as updated according to current global popularity of the concept candidates, exceeds a third threshold criteria, selecting the concept candidate of the two or more concept candidates corresponding to the score as one of the identified one or more concepts.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein the executable and operational data are further effective to cause the one or more processors to:

if a score of the scores assigned to each of the two or more concept candidates, as updated according to current global popularity of the two or more concept candidates, does not exceed the third threshold criteria, refrain from selecting any of the two or more concept candidates as one of the identified one or more concepts.