Method and system providing user with personalized recommendations by electronic-mail based upon the determined interests of the user pertain to the theme and concepts of the categorized document

• US 7,158,986 B1
• Filed: 07/27/1999
• Issued: 01/02/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 07/27/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Quest Software, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Mailfrontier Incorporated A Wholly Owned Subsidiary of Sonicwall Incorporated
• Inventors: Waterhouse, Steven, Oliver, Jonathan, Buntine, Wray, Baxter, Rohan
• Primary Examiner(s): CHANNAVAJJALA, SRIRAMA T
• Application Number:
  US09/361,678
• Time in Patent Office: 2,716 Days
• Field of Search: 707 1- 7, 707/10, 707100-1041, 707200-201, 715/500.1, 715/501.1, 715510-513, 709218-224, 709/203, 705 1- 2, 705/10, 705 26- 27, 713200-202, 379 9324- 9325, 379/100.08
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/337 Profile generation, learning or modification
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99931 Database or file accessing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99943 Generating database or data structure, e.g. via user interface

Abstract

Systems and methods for providing a user with personalized recommendations of accessing electronic-mail at an electronic-mail document server are provided. Recommendations may be based on determined interests of the user based on the theme or concept of a previously categorized document, the previously categorized document having been previously accessed by the user.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for creating a personalized display of electronic-mail documents for a user, comprising the steps of:

creating a database entry in a database, the entry including a user ID for each user of a client document server, wherein the client document server is coupled to an electronic-mail client;

tracking requests by the user for access to at least one document on the client document server, wherein the requests are tracked using a tracking module;

storing, in the database, information regarding each document requested by the user, the information regarding each document comprising information obtained from textual analysis of each of the requested documents;

analyzing the stored information including the information obtained from textual analysis of each document requested by the user to construct a profile of the user, wherein the profile of the user is associated with the user ID and wherein analyzing the stored information comprises;

parsing a set of stored information including information regarding at least one document viewed by the user; and

determining at least one common theme or concept of the set of stored information;

determining interests of the user based on at least the user profile, the determination being made by at least one recommendation software application; and

providing the user with electronic mail notifications comprising recommendation information with regard to viewing additional documents on the client document server, wherein the recommendation information notifications are generated based upon at least the determined interests of the user.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the recommendation information is further based on an inference of whether the user intends to view an additional document on the client document server.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the recommendation information is further based upon analysis of advertisements, products, animations, graphic displays, sound files, applets, or services identified in the additional documents on the client document server.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the stored information comprises keywords identified in the client document accessed by the user.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the stored information comprises a Web site identified in the client document accessed by the user.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the stored information comprises an embedded HTML link identified in the client document accessed by the user.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of categorizing at least one additional document on the client document server according to the at least one common theme or concept determined from the set of stored information.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising the step of recommending to the user the at least one categorized document, wherein the recommendation is generated by the at least one recommendation software application.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the analyzing step further comprises the step of using a first filter to extract select content from information obtained from each user requested and textually analyzed document.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising the step of using a second filter to extract structure information from within the extracted content.

11. An electronic-mail document analysis method comprising the steps of:

receiving internal content information of at least one document accessed by a user;

determining at least one theme or concept of the at least one document accessed by the user;

grouping the at least one document accessed by the user into at least one folder on a client document server according to at least one theme or concept of the at least one document, wherein the client document server is coupled to an electronic-mail client;

summarizing the at least one folder by extracting at least one keyword representing the at least one theme or concept of the at least one document grouped into the folder;

deriving a user profile corresponding to the user based on the at least one theme or concept of the folder; and

utilizing the profile to generate personalized recommendations for the user, wherein the personalized recommendations are presented on a Web page that is accessed using a link Provided in an electronic-mail message, the personalized recommendations corresponding to additional documents on the client document server to be viewed by the user.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising the step of modifying the user'"'"'s profile in accordance with instructions provided by the user.

13. The method of claim 11, further comprising the step of configuring the Web page to maintain the look and feel of the client'"'"'s document server as accessed via the electronic-mail client.

14. A method of using a computer to customize electronic-mail document information provided to a user over an electronic network, comprising the steps of:

tracking requests by a user of a client document server for at least a first requested document on the client document server, wherein the client document server is coupled to an electronic-mail client;

extracting filtered content from the at least first requested document;

analyzing the filtered content of the at least first requested document;

determining, from the analyzed filtered content, at least one theme or concept of the at least first requested document;

clustering the at least first requested document into at least one folder according to the at least one theme or concept identified in the at least first requested document;

constructing a profile of the user from the analyzed content;

determining, based on the user profile, the interests of the user;

categorizing at least a second document according to the at least one theme or concept of the at least one folder; and

determining whether to recommend to the user that the user view the at least second categorized document; and

providing the user with recommendation information by electronic-mail based upon the determined interests of the user as the determined interests of the user pertain to the at least one theme or concept of the at least second categorized document.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising the steps of:

summarizing the at least one folder to extract at least one keyword representing the theme or concept of the folder; and

searching the at least second document for the at least one keyword to categorize the at least second document.

16. A system for creating a personalized display of electronic-mail documents for a user, comprising:

means for tracking requests by a user of a client document server for at least one document on the client document server, wherein the client document server is coupled to an electronic-mail client;

means for extracting filtered content from the requested document;

means for analyzing the filtered content of the at least one requested document;

means for determining at least one theme or concept of at least a first requested document based on, at least, the analysis of the filtered content of the at least one requested document;

means for clustering the at least first requested document into at least one folder according to the theme or concept of the document;

means for constructing a profile of the user from the analyzed content;

means for determining, based on the user profile, the interests of the user;

means for categorizing at least a second document according to the at least one theme or concept of the at least one folder; and

means for recommending to the user that the user access the at least second categorized document based on the at least one theme or concept of the at least one folder; and

means for providing the user with recommendation information by electronic-mail based upon the determined interests of the user, as the determined interests of the user pertain to the at least one theme or concept of the at least second categorized document, wherein the recommendation information comprises an indication of whether the user should access another document on the client document server.

17. The system of claim 16, further comprising:

means for summarizing the at least one folder to extract at least one keyword representing the theme or concept of the folder; and

means for searching the at least second document for the at least one keyword to categorize the at least second document.

18. A system for providing personalized electronic-mail document information to a user, comprising:

an electronic-mail client coupled to at least one computing device, the at least one computing device comprising a memory device having embodied therein software instructions relating to the management of at least one electronic document viewed by the user via the electronic-mail client;

a processor in communication with the memory device, the processor configured to execute the software instructions to perform a method comprising;

extracting filtered content from the at least first viewed document;

analyzing the filtered content of the at least first viewed document;

determining at least one theme or concept of the at least first viewed document;

clustering the at least first requested document into at least one folder according to the at least one theme or concept in the document;

constructing a profile of the user from the analyzed content;

determining the interests of the user based on the user profile;

categorizing at least a second document according to the at least one theme or concept of the at least one folder; and

recommending to the user by electronic-mail that the user access the at least second categorized document, wherein the recommendation is based on the at least one theme or concept of the second categorized document.