Method and system for recommending electronic component connectivity configurations and other information

• US 6,618,714 B1
• Filed: 02/10/2000
• Issued: 09/09/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 02/10/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.), Sony Electronics Inc. (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.), Sony Electronics Inc. (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Abrahams, Marc David
• Primary Examiner(s): Starks, Jr., Wilbert L.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hirl, Joseph P.
• Application Number:
  US09/501,688
• Time in Patent Office: 1,307 Days
• Field of Search: 706/45, 706/47, 706/50, 707/100
• US Class Current: 706/45
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising

Abstract

A computer-implemented method and system for recommending electronic component connectivity configurations and marketing information to users of certain electronic equipment based upon information received from the user. The method includes providing a user interface display containing data representing a group of predetermined user-selectable electronic components, receiving data representing a user-selected subset of electronic components from the group of predetermined user-selectable electronic components, retrieving from a database attributes associated with each component of the subset of electronic components, comparing the subset of electronic components with the associated attributes to determine an appropriate component configuration; and presenting data representing the electronic component configuration to the user.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for providing recommendations to a user of audiovisual components, comprising:

(a) providing a graphics user interface display for displaying data representing at least a group of predetermined user-selectable audiovisual components;

(b) receiving data representing a user-selected subset of audiovisual components from said group of predetermined user-selectable audiovisual components;

(c) retrieving from a memory storage device attributes associated with each component of said user-selected subset of audiovisual components;

(d) comparing said data representing said user-selected subset of audiovisual components and said associated attributes in order to connect said audiovisual components to one another; and

(e) presenting data representing a recommended connection of said audiovisual components to one another to the user.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said step of presenting data representing a recommended connection of said audiovisual components to one another to the user includes presenting graphical representations of said audiovisual component connections of said user-selected subset of audiovisual components to the user.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein said step of presenting said recommended connection of audiovisual components to the user includes displaying labeled wires or cables showing the connections of appropriate connectors on each audiovisual component of said user-selected subset of audiovisual components.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

(a) receiving personal information from the user;

(b) analyzing said personal information in conjunction with said user-selected subset of audiovisual components; and

(c) presenting recommendations of additional audiovisual components or accessories to the user.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein said step of presenting recommendations includes forwarding supporting information relating to said additional audiovisual components or accessories.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein said personal information is selected from a group comprising user demographic data, historical purchase data, click stream data or user-provided data.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein said step of retrieving said attributes of each audiovisual component comprises retrieving technical specifications and connectivity information for at least one of said audiovisual components from said user-selected subset of audiovisual components.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein data representing said audiovisual components is stored in an object-oriented database by type of component.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein said step of presenting data representing said recommended audiovisual component connections comprises:

(a) presenting graphical representations of said user-selected subset of audiovisual components including input and output ports; and

(b) presenting suggested audiovisual components not otherwise selected by the user but ones that the user may desire to purchase to enhance the user'"'"'s audiovisual component system.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein said computer implemented method is accomplished through a computer network.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein said computer network comprises a local area network.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein said computer network comprises a wide area network.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein said computer network comprises a client/server network.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein said computer network comprises a global computer information network.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein said graphic user interface display comprises an audiovisual component.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein said audiovisual component comprises a DVD player.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein data representing said group of predetermined user-selectable audiovisual components is provided to the user in at least a textual format.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein data representing said group of predetermined user-selectable audiovisual components is provided to the user in at least a graphical format.

19. The method as in claims 1, 24 or 41, wherein data representing said group of predetermined user-selectable audiovisual components is displayed in at least one dialog box.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein said group of predetermined user-selectable audiovisual components include separate audiovisual components, each displayed in an associated dialog box, whereby the user is able to independently select or not select an audiovisual component from each dialog box.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein each associated dialog box of said each audiovisual component contains data representing at least one model of said associated audiovisual component.

22. The method of claim 20, wherein said each associated dialog box of said each audiovisual component contains data representing a plurality of different models of said associated audiovisual component.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein said AV components comprise any one from a group comprising:

an AM/FM receiver, an amplifier, a turntable, an equalizer, a compact disk (CD) player, a digital versatile disk (DVD) player, a cassette recorder/player, a DAT player, a television, a high definition television, a general purpose computer, a Mini Disc™

player, a TEVO™

recorder/player, a video cassette recorder/player (VCR), or a laser disk player.

24. A computer-implemented method for providing recommendations to a user of audiovisual components through a vendor web site accessible over a computer network by a plurality of users, the users having user computers connected to the computer network for accessing the vendor web site, comprising:

(a) providing a vendor/user interactive web site having a graphics user interface display, said web site containing data representing at least a group of predetermined user-selectable audiovisual components;

(b) receiving, electronically forwarded via the computer network, data representing a user-selected subset of audiovisual components from said group of predetermined user-selectable audiovisual components;

(c) storing said data representing said user-selected subset of audiovisual components into an object-oriented database;

(d) identifying each of said user-selected subset of audiovisual components with its associated technical attributes;

(e) comparing said technical attributes of said user-selected subset of audiovisual components in order to connect said audiovisual components to one another; and

(f) electronically forwarding to the user, via the computer network, data representing a recommended connection of said audiovisual components to one another.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein said step of presenting said data representing said audiovisual components to one another to the user includes presenting graphical data representing said audiovisual component connections of said user-selected subset of audiovisual components to the user.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein said step of graphically presenting data representing said recommended connections of said audiovisual components to one another includes displaying labeled wires or cables showing the connection of appropriate connectors on each audiovisual component of said user-selected subset of audiovisual components.

27. The method of claim 24, further comprising:

(a) receiving personal information from the user;

(b) analyzing said personal information in conjunction with said user-selected subset of audiovisual components; and

(c) presenting recommendations of additional audiovisual components or accessories to the user.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein said step of presenting recommendations includes forwarding supporting information relating to said additional audiovisual vendor components or accessories.

29. The method of claim 27, wherein said personal information is selected from a group comprising user demographics data, historical purchase data, click stream data or user-provided data.

30. The method of claim 24, wherein said step of retrieving said technical attributes of each audiovisual component comprises retrieving technical specifications and connection information for at least one of said audiovisual components from said user-selected subset of audiovisual components.

31. The method of claim 24, wherein said step of presenting data representing recommended connections of said audiovisual components to one another comprises:

(a) presenting graphical representations of said user-selected subset of audiovisual components, including input/output ports; and

(b) presenting suggested audiovisual components the user may want to purchase to enhance the user'"'"'s audiovisual component system.

32. In a computer system for providing recommendations from a vendor computer to a user computer through a vendor web site accessible over a computer network by a plurality of users, the users having user computers connected to a computer network for accessing the vendor web site, a graphical audiovisual component generating system comprising:

(a) a graphical audiovisual component generation program executable on the vendor computer and containing instructions for causing the vendor computer to generate an interactive vendor graphical audiovisual component display that represents the vendor'"'"'s audiovisual components and interactively guides a user through the vendor computer web site; and

(b) said graphical audiovisual component generation program being operative to send display commands to said user computer when said user computer has accessed the vendor web site causing said user computer to display on a display device associated with the user computer said interactive vendor audiovisual components for selection by the user.

(c) said graphical audiovisual component generation program receiving data on audiovisual components and attributes selected by the user such that a proposed connectivity display graphically depicting the connection of selected audiovisual components one to another is presented to the user.

33. The system of claim 32, wherein said vendor computer records data representing said audiovisual components selected by the user computer that interacts with the vendor web site and records personal data provided by the user or acquired through historical data or click stream data.

34. The system of claim 33, wherein said vendor computer comprises an artificial intelligence (AI) function whereby the vendor computer can analyze the user'"'"'s audiovisual components and recommend enhanced or additional audiovisual components in accordance with the user'"'"'s personal preferences.

35. The system of claim 34, wherein said AI function further analyzes the user'"'"'s personal information to be able to cross-sell and up-sell additional vendor product.

36. The system of claim 32, wherein said interactive vendor graphical audiovisual component display comprises at least one dialog box.

37. The method of claim 32, wherein said interactive vendor graphical audiovisual component display includes data representing separate audiovisual components that are each displayed in an associated dialog box, whereby the user is able to independently select or not select an audiovisual component from each dialog box.

38. The method of claim 37, wherein each associated dialog box of said each audiovisual component contains data representing at least one model of said associated audiovisual component.

39. The method of claim 37, wherein said each associated dialog box of said each audiovisual component contains data representing a plurality of different models of said associated audiovisual component.

40. The method of claim 37, wherein said AV components comprise any one from a group comprising an AM/FM receiver, an amplifier, a turntable, an equalizer, a compact disk (CD) player, a digital versatile disk (DVD) player, a cassette recorder/player, a television, a high definition television, a general purpose computer, a MINIDISK™

player, a TEVO™

recorder/player, a video cassette recorder/player (VCR), or a laser disk player.

41. A computer-implemented method for providing recommendations to a user of audiovisual components, comprising:

(a) providing, from an object-oriented database, a user interface display containing data representing at least a group of predetermined user-selectable audiovisual components;

(b) receiving data representing a user-selected subset of audiovisual components from said group of predetermined user-selectable audiovisual components;

(c) retrieving, from an audiovisual component attribute gathering module, attributes associated with each audiovisual component of said user-selected subset of audiovisual components;

(d) transferring said user-selected subset of audiovisual components and said associated attributes to an analysis engine having a rules database;

(e) analyzing said user-selected subset of audiovisual components and said associated attributes in order to connect said electronic components to one another; and

(f) presenting data representing a recommended connection of said audiovisual components to the user.

42. The method of claim 41, wherein each said audiovisual component object in said component object-oriented database contains technical information of each said audiovisual component.

43. The method of claim 42, wherein said technical information comprises the type of input/output ports associated with said audiovisual components.

44. The method of claim 42, wherein said technical information comprises the type of sound capability supported by said audiovisual components.

45. The method of claim 44, wherein said type of sound capability includes digital sound capability.

46. The method of claim 42, wherein said technical information comprises the type of device bus associated with each said audiovisual component.

47. The method of claim 41, wherein said step of analyzing is performed by said analysis engine.

48. The method of claim 47, wherein said step of analyzing comprises:

(a) examining attributes of said audiovisual components; and

(b) applying rules from said rules database in order to connect said audiovisual components to one another and to determine incompatibilities that may exist between said audiovisual components.

49. The method of claim 48, wherein said recommended connections comprises optical, RCA or COAX connections.

50. A computer-implemented method for providing recommendations to a user of audiovisual components, comprising:

(a) providing a graphics user interface display containing data representing at least a group of predetermined user-selectable audiovisual components, each audiovisual component from said group of predetermined user-selectable audiovisual components being associated with its own dialog box;

(b) receiving data representing a user-selected subset of audiovisual components from said group of predetermined user-selectable audiovisual components;

(c) retrieving from a memory storage device attributes associated with each component of said user-selected subset of audiovisual components;

(d) comparing said user-selected subset of audiovisual components and said associated attributes in order to connect said audiovisual components to one another; and

(e) presenting data representing a recommended connection said audiovisual components to one another to the user.

51. The method of claim 50, wherein said predetermined user-selectable audiovisual components comprise audiovisual components.

52. The method of claim 50, further comprising the step of providing a user interactive dialog box that is not associated with any predetermined audiovisual component.

53. The method of claim 52, further comprising the step of receiving data representing at least one user-supplied audiovisual component from said user by way of said disassociated dialog box.

54. The method of claim 53, wherein said steps of receiving, retrieving and comparing are performed by a human operator.

55. The method of claim 54, wherein the user is able to communicate with said human operator.

56. The method of claim 55, wherein said communication is via voice communication.

57. The method of claim 55, wherein said communication is via electronic communications.

58. A computer-implemented method for determining audiovisual component connectivity configurations of a set of audiovisual components, comprising:

(a) providing an analysis engine;

(b) providing a rules database containing logic rules;

(c) analyzing known attributes of said set of audiovisual components; and

(d) applying rules from said rules database in order to connect said electronic components to one another.

59. The method of claim 58, wherein said analysis engine further determines incompatibilities that may exist between said audiovisual components.