INFORMATION PROCESSING DEVICE, CATEGORY DISPLAYING METHOD, PROGRAM, AND INFORMATION STORAGE MEDIUM

• US 20140351094A1
• Filed: 02/28/2013
• Published: 11/27/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 07/31/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Rakuten Group, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Rakuten, Inc. (Rakuten Group, Inc.)
• Inventors: Umeda, Takashi
• Granted Patent: US 10,134,073 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/26.62
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0625 Directed, with specific intent or strategy
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0641 Shopping interfaces

Abstract

Users are enabled to select a category with more ease than in the past. An information processing device estimates, for a target category that is one of a plurality of categories which have a tree structure including a plurality of hierarchy levels and to each of which one or more objects belong, whether a user is knowledgeable about categories below the target category, based on an input from the user, and controls whether or not display means displays the categories below the target category, based on whether or not the user is estimated as being knowledgeable about the categories below the target category.

Claims

1. An information processing device, comprising:

estimation means for estimating, for a target category that is one of a plurality of categories which have a tree structure comprising a plurality of hierarchy levels and to each of which one or more objects belong, a user'"'"'s degree of familiarity with categories below the target category, based on an input from the user; and

display control means for controlling whether or not display means displays the categories below the target category, based on a result of estimation made by the estimation means.

2. The information processing device according to claim 1,

wherein each of the one or more objects belongs to one of lowest categories and to a plurality of categories above the one of the lowest categories,

wherein the information processing device further comprises search result obtaining means for obtaining a plurality of objects that are found as a result of a search conducted by search means based on search criteria that are input by the user, and

wherein based on a value that indicates a fluctuation in a count of found objects for each of the plurality of categories below the target category, the estimation means estimates the user'"'"'s degree of familiarity with the plurality of categories below the target category.

3. The information processing device according to claim 2, wherein based on a count of categories which are below the target category and to each of which a count of found objects belongs exceed a given cutoff threshold, the estimation means estimates the user'"'"'s degree of familiarity with the categories below the target category.

4. The information processing device according to claim 2, wherein a proportion of the obtained count of objects to a count of objects found through a search as ones belonging to the target category is calculated, and, based on a count of categories which are below the target category and to each of which a ratio of a count of found objects belongs divided by a count of found objects belongs to the target category exceed a given cutoff ratio, the estimation means estimates the user'"'"'s degree of familiarity with the categories below the target category.

5. The information processing device according to claim 2, wherein the estimation means tallies, for each of a plurality of categories below the target category, a count of objects that belong to the each of the plurality of categories, and, based on variance of the count of objects among the plurality of categories below the target category, the estimation means estimates the user'"'"'s degree of familiarity with the plurality of categories below the target category.

6. The information processing device according to claim 2, wherein the estimation means estimates the user'"'"'s degree of familiarity with the plurality of categories below the target category based on a degree of change of a second value from a first value, the first value indicates a fluctuation in a count of objects which belongs to each of the plurality of categories below the target category and which are found by the search means based on search criteria that are input by the user, the second value indicates a fluctuation in a count of objects which belongs to each of the plurality of categories below the target category and which are found by the search means based on next search criteria that are input by the user.

7. The information processing device according to claim 1,

wherein each of the one or more objects belongs to one of lowest categories out of the plurality of categories, and to a plurality of categories above the one of the lowest categories, and

wherein the estimation means estimates the user'"'"'s degree of familiarity with categories below the target category based on at least some of:

objects of which details are output by detail displaying means to the user;

objects purchased by the user via purchasing means; and

objects registered in a list of objects that are to be viewed later by the user, out of objects that belong to the target category.

8. The information processing device according to claim 7, wherein the estimation means estimates the user'"'"'s degree of familiarity with categories below the target category based on at least some of:

objects of which details are output by the detail displaying means to the user;

objects purchased by the user via the purchasing means; and

objects registered in a list of objects that are to be viewed later by the user, out of the objects that belong to the target category and that are not suggested to the user by presenting means.

9. The information processing device according to claim 7, wherein the estimation means estimates the user'"'"'s degree of familiarity with categories below the target category based on at least some of:

objects of which details are output by the detail displaying means to the user;

objects purchased by the user via the purchasing means; and

objects registered in a list of objects that are to be viewed later by the user, out of objects that belong to the target category and that have fewer reviews written by other users than a review count threshold.

10. The information processing device according to claim 7,

wherein the plurality of objects comprise pieces of merchandise, and

wherein the estimation means estimates the user'"'"'s degree of familiarity with categories below the target category based on a count of brand types of at least some of:

objects of which details are output by the detail displaying means to the user;

objects purchased by the user via the purchasing means; and

objects registered in a list of objects that are to be viewed later by the user, out of objects that belong to the target category.

11. The information processing device according to claim 7, wherein the estimation means estimates the user'"'"'s degree of familiarity with categories below the target category based on a count of objects of which details are output to the user, a count of objects purchased by the user, and a count of objects registered in a list of objects that are to be viewed later by the user, out of objects that belong to the target category, and a judgment threshold which is set for each target category.

12. The information processing device according to claim 2,

wherein the estimate means calculates a first value which indicates a fluctuation in a count of found objects which belongs to each of the plurality of categories below the target category, the estimate means calculates a second value which indicates a user'"'"'s degree of use of objects that belong to the target category based on a first count, a second count, and a third count, the first count, the second count, and the third count respectively being a count of objects of which details are output to the user, a count of objects purchased by the user, and a count of objects registered in a list of objects that are to be viewed later by the user, out of the objects that belong to the target category, and the estimation means estimates the user'"'"'s degree of familiarity with the plurality of categories below the target category based on a value that is obtained by adding the first value and the second value by weighted addition, and

wherein, in the weighted addition of the first value and the second value, the estimation means weights the second value heavier when the first count of objects, the second count of objects, or the third count of objects out of the objects that belong to the target category is larger.

13. The information processing device according to claim 1, wherein the user'"'"'s degree of familiarity with categories below the target category is estimated based on lengths of reviews input by the user about at least some of objects that belong to the target category.

14. The information processing device according to claim 1, wherein the display control means controls the display means so that categories below the target category are displayed when the user'"'"'s degree of familiarity with the categories below the target category that is estimated by the estimation means is equal to or more than a given degree.

15. The information processing device according to claim 1, wherein the display control means limits the displaying of categories below the target category by the display means when the user'"'"'s degree of familiarity with the categories below the target category that is estimated by the estimation means is less than a given degree.

16. The information processing device according to claim 14,

wherein, for each of a plurality of target categories that are on one of the plurality of hierarchy levels, the estimation means estimates the user'"'"'s degree of familiarity with categories below the each of the plurality of target categories based on an input from the user, and

wherein the display control means allows the display means to display categories below each target category for which the user'"'"'s degree of familiarity with the lower categories is estimated to be equal to or more than a given degree, and forbids the display means to display categories below each target category for which the user'"'"'s degree of familiarity with the lower categories is estimated to be less than the given degree.

20. The information processing device according to claim 3, wherein the estimation means estimates the user'"'"'s degree of familiarity with the plurality of categories below the target category based on a degree of change of a second value from a first value, the first value indicates a fluctuation in a count of objects which belongs to each of the plurality of categories below the target category and which are found by the search means based on search criteria that are input by the user, the second value indicates a fluctuation in a count of objects which belongs to each of the plurality of categories below the target category and which are found by the search means based on next search criteria that are input by the user.

21. The information processing device according to claim 4, wherein the estimation means estimates the user'"'"'s degree of familiarity with the plurality of categories below the target category based on a degree of change of a second value from a first value, the first value indicates a fluctuation in a count of objects which belongs to each of the plurality of categories below the target category and which are found by the search means based on search criteria that are input by the user, the second value indicates a fluctuation in a count of objects which belongs to each of the plurality of categories below the target category and which are found by the search means based on next search criteria that are input by the user.

22. The information processing device according to claim 5, wherein the estimation means estimates the user'"'"'s degree of familiarity with the plurality of categories below the target category based on a degree of change of a second value from a first value, the first value indicates a fluctuation in a count of objects which belongs to each of the plurality of categories below the target category and which are found by the search means based on search criteria that are input by the user, the second value indicates a fluctuation in a count of objects which belongs to each of the plurality of categories below the target category and which are found by the search means based on next search criteria that are input by the user.

23. The information processing device according to claim 8, wherein the estimation means estimates the user'"'"'s degree of familiarity with categories below the target category based on at least some of:

objects of which details are output by the detail displaying means to the user;

objects purchased by the user via the purchasing means; and

objects registered in a list of objects that are to be viewed later by the user, out of objects that belong to the target category and that have fewer reviews written by other users than a review count threshold.

24. The information processing device according to claim 15,

wherein, for each of a plurality of target categories that are on one of the plurality of hierarchy levels, the estimation means estimates the user'"'"'s degree of familiarity with categories below the each of the plurality of target categories based on an input from the user, and

wherein the display control means allows the display means to display categories below each target category for which the user'"'"'s degree of familiarity with the lower categories is estimated to be equal to or more than a given degree, and forbids the display means to display categories below each target category for which the user'"'"'s degree of familiarity with the lower categories is estimated to be less than the given degree.

17. A category displaying method, comprising the steps of:

estimating, for a target category that is one of a plurality of categories which have a tree structure comprising a plurality of hierarchy levels and to each of which one or more objects belong, a user'"'"'s degree of familiarity with categories below the target category, based on an input from the user; and

controlling whether or not display means displays the categories below the target category, based on the user'"'"'s degree of familiarity estimated based on the input from the user.

18. (canceled)

19. A non-transitory computer-readable information storage medium having stored thereon a program for controlling a computer so that the computer functions as:

estimation means for estimating, for a target category that is one of a plurality of categories which have a tree structure comprising a plurality of hierarchy levels and to each of which one or more objects belong, a user'"'"'s degree of familiarity with categories below the target category, based on an input from the user; and

display control means for controlling whether or not display means displays the categories below the target category, based on a result of the estimation made by the estimation means.