Information provision over a network based on a user's profile

• US 7,065,550 B2
• Filed: 02/14/2001
• Issued: 06/20/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 02/14/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Nuance Communications, Inc. (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Raghunandan, Hulikunta Prahlad
• Primary Examiner(s): Maung, Zarni
• Assistant Examiner(s): PHILLIPS, HASSAN A
• Application Number:
  US09/782,933
• Publication Number:
  US 20020111994A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,952 Days
• Field of Search: 709/201, 709/203, 705/14
• US Class Current: 709/203
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0256 User search
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0269 based on user profile or attribute
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/53 using third party service providers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

A method, apparatus and product for providing information via a public network, such as the Internet, is disclosed. A user is firstly identified, and profile data is acquired based on that person'"'"'s usage history. Information, obtained via a public network, is provided to the user based on the profile. The user can either be identified specifically, or as a member of one or more demographic groups. In relation to the latter, attributes in the user profile may include the user'"'"'s age group, education and occupation/profession. The user profile may optionally include a weighting for each topic of interest. If the user is identified specifically, advertising to be displayed on the Internet may be matched with the current user'"'"'s profile so that the advertising provided might appeal directly to the user. If the user is identified as a member of a demographic, web sites that match the demographic can be served.

Claims

1. A method for providing information via a public network to a user, the method comprising the steps of:

identifying the user;

acquiring data from each site searched or visited by the user during each session of a plurality of sessions via the public network, said acquired data comprising content of each site searched or visited during each said session;

for each said site searched or visited for each said session;

parsing the acquired data to identify session attributes for each site searched or visited and associating a session weight with each said session attribute of each site searched or visited, wherein the session attributes for each site searched or visited are derived from keywords consisting of section headings and bolded words in the acquired data of each site searched or visited, and wherein each session weight of each site searched or visited is derived from the time spent by the user in each site searched or visited or from a frequency of visits by the user to each site searched or visited;

specifying user profile attributes for the user;

providing a mapping that associates each session attribute with a corresponding user profile attribute;

for each user profile attribute;

determining a user profile weight derived from session weights associated with session attributes corresponding to the user set profile attribute in accordance with said mapping;

generating a user profile pertaining to the user, said user profile including one or more attribute records, each attribute record of said one or more attribute records comprising;

a user profile attribute of said user profile attributes, the user profile weight associated with the user profile attribute, and the session weights associated with the user profile attribute; and

providing information obtained via the network to said user based on said user profile.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said step of identifying said user includes one or more of the steps of:

acquiring fingerprints of the user;

acquiring a retinal pattern of the user; and

acquiring a voice pattern of the user.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said providing information step comprises directing advertising to the user based on the user profile.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising recording said keywords.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein said recording said keywords comprises storing said keywords in a cache.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein said user profile attributes are selected from the group consisting of economic stratum, age group, sex, educational background, occupation, religious background, personal technical interests, and combinations thereof.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein said user profile attributes comprise personal special interests.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein said user profile is continuously updated with usage of the public network by the user.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein said step of identifying said user includes identifying a demographic grouping to which said user belongs, wherein said identifying said demographic grouping includes capturing a video image of a portion of the body of said user, and wherein said portion of the body of said user includes the head of the user.

10. A server system for providing information via a public network to a user, comprising:

means for identifying the user;

means for acquiring data from each site searched or visited by the user during each session of a plurality of sessions via the public network, said acquired data comprising content of each site searched or visited during each said session;

for each said site searched or visited for each said session;

means for parsing the acquired data to identify session attributes for each site searched or visited and associating a session weight with each said session attribute of each site searched or visited, wherein the session attributes for each site searched or visited are derived from keywords consisting of section headings and bolded words in the acquired data of each site searched or visited, and wherein each session weight of each site searched or visited is derived from the time spent by the user in each site searched or visited or from a frequency of visits by the user to each site searched or visited;

means for specifying user profile attributes for the user;

means for providing a mapping that associates each session attribute with a corresponding user profile attribute;

for each user profile attribute;

means for determining a user profile weight derived from session weights associated with session attributes corresponding to the user profile attribute in accordance with said mapping;

means for generating a user profile pertaining to the user, said user profile including one or more attribute records, each attribute record of said one or more attribute records comprising;

a user profile attribute of said user profile attributes, the user profile weight associated with the user profile attribute, and the session weights associated with the user profile attribute; and

means for providing information obtained via the network to said user based on said user profile.

11. The server system of claim 10, wherein said means for identifying includes means for identifying a demographic grouping to which said user belongs, wherein said means for identifying said demographic grouping includes means for capturing a video image of a portion of the body of said user, and wherein said portion of the body of said user includes the head of the user.

12. The server system of claim 10, further comprising means for recording said keywords.

13. The server system of claim 12, wherein said means for recording said keywords comprises means for storing said keywords in a cache.

14. The server system of claim 10, wherein said user profile attributes are selected from the group consisting of economic stratum, age group, sex, educational background, occupation, religious background, personal technical interests, and combinations thereof.

15. A computer program product comprising a computer usable medium having a computer readable program code embodied therein, said computer readable program code comprising an algorithm adapted to implement a method for providing information via a public network to a user, said method comprising the steps of:

identifying the user;

acquiring data from each site searched or visited by the user during each session of a plurality of sessions via the public network, said acquired data comprising content of each site searched or visited during each said session;

for each said site searched or visited for each said session;

parsing the acquired data to identify session attributes for each site searched or visited and associating a session weight with each said session attribute of each site searched or visited, wherein the session attributes for each site searched or visited are derived from keywords consisting of section headings and bolded words in the acquired data of each site searched or visited, and wherein each session weight of each site searched or visited is derived from the time spent by the user in each site searched or visited or from a frequency of visits by the user to each site searched or visited;

specifying user profile attributes for the user;

providing a mapping that associates each session attribute with a corresponding user profile attribute;

for each user profile attribute;

determining a user profile weight derived from session weights associated with session attributes corresponding to the user profile attribute in accordance with said mapping;

generating a user profile pertaining to the user, said user profile including one or more attribute records, each attribute record of said one or more attribute records comprising;

a user profile attribute of said user profile attributes, the user profile weight associated with the user profile attribute, and the session weights associated with the user profile attribute; and

providing information obtained via the network to said user based on said user profile.

16. The computer program product of claim 15, said method further comprising recording said keywords.

17. The computer program product of claim 16, wherein said recording said keywords comprises storing said keywords in a cache.

18. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein said user profile attributes are selected from the group consisting of economic stratum, age group, sex, educational background, occupation, religious background, personal technical interests, and combinations thereof.

19. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein said step of identifying said user includes identifying a demographic grouping to which said user belongs, wherein said identifying said demographic grouping includes capturing a video image of a portion of the body of said user, and wherein said portion of the body of said user includes the head of the user.