System for directing relevance-ranked data objects to computer users
First Claim
1. An information access system for automatically presenting users with information items of interest, comprising:
- a computer system containing a database of information items available to be presented to users of the system;
at least one access device for enabling users to communicate with the computer system and access any of the items of available information;
means for storing a user profile for each user having access to the available items of information;
means for raking the likely degree of interest for each of the available items of information in accordance with a user profile;
means for presenting the items of information to an access device in order of ranking and enabling a user to retrieve each item;
means for enabling the user to indicate that user'"'"'s interest in each retrieved item of information; and
means for updating the user'"'"'s profile in response to indications of interest provided by the user.
2 Assignments
0 Petitions
Reexamination
Accused Products
Abstract
An information access system stores items of information in an unstructured global database. When a user requests access to the system, the system delivers to that user an identification of only those items of information which are believed to be relevant to the user'"'"'s interest. The determination as to the items of information that are relevant to a user is carried out by ranking each available item in accordance with any one or more techniques. In one approach, the content of each document is matched with an adaptive profile of a user'"'"'s interest. In another approach, a feedback mechanism is provided to allow users to indicate their degree of interest in each item of information. These indications are used to determine whether other users, who have similar or dissimilar interests, will find a particular item to be relevant.
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Citations
39 Claims
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1. An information access system for automatically presenting users with information items of interest, comprising:
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a computer system containing a database of information items available to be presented to users of the system; at least one access device for enabling users to communicate with the computer system and access any of the items of available information; means for storing a user profile for each user having access to the available items of information; means for raking the likely degree of interest for each of the available items of information in accordance with a user profile; means for presenting the items of information to an access device in order of ranking and enabling a user to retrieve each item; means for enabling the user to indicate that user'"'"'s interest in each retrieved item of information; and means for updating the user'"'"'s profile in response to indications of interest provided by the user. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
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15. An information access system for automatically presenting users with information items of interest, comprising:
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a computer system containing a database of information items available to be presented to users of the system; at least one access device for enabling users to communicate with the computer system and access any of the items of available information; means for storing a user profile for each user having access to the available items of information; means for ranking the likely degree of interest for each of the available items of information in accordance with a user profile, on the basis of correlation with indications of interest provided by other users; means for presenting the items of information to an access device in order of ranking and enabling a user to retrieve each item; means for enabling the user to indicate that user'"'"'s interest in each retrieved item of information; and means for updating the user'"'"'s profile in response to indications of interest provided by the user. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22)
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23. A method for providing information to users of a computer system, comprising the steps of:
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storing items of information in an unstructured database within the computer system; determining and storing user profiles for users of the computer system who have access to the items of information; receiving a request from a user for access to the stored information; determining the user'"'"'s likely degree of interest in items of information stored in said database, in accordance with that user'"'"'s profile, and ranking the items of information in accordance with their determined degrees of interest; and displaying the items of information with an indication of their relative rankings. - View Dependent Claims (24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33)
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34. A method for providing information to users of a computer system, comprising the steps of:
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storing items of information in an unstructured database within the computer system; determining and storing user profiles for users of the computer system who have access to the items of information; receiving a request from a user for access to the stored information; determining the user'"'"'s likely degree of interest in items of information stored in said database, in accordance with that user'"'"'s profile, by establishing the correlation between indications provided by a given user and those provided by other users, and determining a prediction value for the item of information based upon said correlation and the other users'"'"' indications for that item of information; ranking the items of information in accordance with their determined degrees of interest; and displaying the items of information with an indication of their relative rankings. - View Dependent Claims (35, 36, 37, 38, 39)
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Specification