Personalized promotion of new content

• US 7,376,588 B1
• Filed: 05/03/2001
• Issued: 05/20/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 02/28/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Amazon.com, Inc.
• Inventors: Gregov, Andrej, Linden, Greg, York, Jeremy Charles, Smith, Brent, Petersen, Josh
• Primary Examiner(s): HAQ, NAEEM U
• Application Number:
  US09/848,608
• Time in Patent Office: 2,574 Days
• Field of Search: 705/26, 705/27
• US Class Current: 705/27.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0603 Catalogue ordering
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0633 Lists, e.g. purchase orders, compilation or processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0641 Shopping interfaces

Abstract

A facility for presenting information about new items, such as new items available via a web site is described. The facility receives a request for information submitted on behalf of an identified user. In processing the request, the facility accesses a set of items having effective times. The facility performs a first filtering process to eliminate items of the set whose effective times indicate that the items are not new. The facility performs a second filtering process to eliminate items of the set in which the user likely has a low level of interest. Subsequent to both the first and second filterings, the facility presents to the user information about each of at least a portion of the filtered items.

Claims

1. A method in a computing system for displaying to an identified user information about new products among an inventory of products, each product of the inventory having an availability date on which the product is first available for purchase, comprising:

automatically defining a range of dates, such that products whose availability dates fall within the range qualify as new products;

subsetting the inventory of products to those products having an availability date on which the product is first available for purchase falling within the defined date range;

from among the subsetted inventory, automatically selecting products for display based upon predicted level of interest to the user; and

adding information about the selected products to a display.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the selecting is performed for products in each of a plurality of product categories.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising selecting the plurality of product categories from a multiplicity of product categories based upon indications of interest by the user in the selected product categories.

4. The method of claim 2 wherein the adding causes information about each selected product to be added in a section identifying the product category of the product.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising ordering the product category sections in the display in accordance with information indicating the user'"'"'s level of interest in each of the product categories.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein products are selected for display based upon specific interests of the user.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein products are selected for display based upon sales rankings of the products.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein at least a portion of the products among the inventory have availability dates based upon dates on which the products were released.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein at least a portion of the products among the inventory have availability dates based upon dates on which the products were published.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein at least a portion of the products among the inventory have availability dates based upon dates on which the products arrived.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising defining the range to begin on a date that is a predetermined length of time before a current date.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising defining the range to begin on a date that is 6 weeks before a current date.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising defining the range to begin on a date selected based on a date on which product information was last displayed to the user.

14. The method of claim 1, further comprising defining the range to begin on a date on which product information was last displayed to the user.

15. The method of claim 1, further comprising defining the range to end on a date that is a predetermined length of time after a current date.

16. The method of claim 1, further comprising defining the range to end on a date that is 3 weeks after a current date.

17. The method of claim 1 wherein the method is performed in response to a display request originating with the user.

18. The method of claim 1 wherein the adding is performed in response to a display request originating with the user.

19. The method of claim 1 wherein the adding is performed in response to a HTTP request originating with the user.

20. The method of claim 1 wherein the subsetting, selecting, and adding are also performed with respect to articles among an inventory of articles, such that information about new articles is displayed to the user.

21. The method of claim 20 wherein the subsetting of articles is performed based upon information indicating whether the user has purchased products associated with each article.

22. The method of claim 1 wherein the subsetting, selecting, and adding are also performed with respect to product recommendations among a supply of product recommendations, such that information about new product recommendations is displayed to the user.

23. The method of claim 1 wherein the subsetting, selecting, and adding are also performed with respect to announcements among a supply of announcements, such that information about new announcements is displayed to the user.

24. A computer-readable medium whose contents cause a computing system to display to an identified user information about new products among an inventory of products, each product of the inventory having an availability date on which the product is first available for purchase, by:

automatically defining a range of dates, such that products whose availability dates fall within the range qualify as new products;

subsetting the inventory of products to those products having an availability date on which the product is first available for purchase falling within the defined date range;

from among the subsetted inventory, automatically selecting products for display based upon information relating to the user; and

adding information about the selected products to a display.

25. A method in a computing system for presenting information about new content on a web site among an inventory of content on the web site, each instance of content of the inventory having an availability date on which the instance of content is first available on the web site, comprising:

automatically defining a range of dates, such that instances of content whose availability dates fall within the range qualify as new instances of content;

subsetting the inventory of content to those instances of content having an availability date on which an instance of content is first available on the web site falling within the defined date range;

from among the subsetted inventory, automatically selecting instances of content for display based upon information relating to the user; and

adding information about the selected instances of content to a display.

26. The method of claim 25 wherein at least a portion of the instances of content among the inventory have availability dates based upon dates on which the content instance was completed.

27. The method of claim 25 wherein at least a portion of the instances of content among the inventory have availability dates based upon dates on which the content instance was received.

28. The method of claim 25 wherein at least a portion of the instances of content among the inventory have availability dates based upon dates on which the content instance was released.

29. The method of claim 25 wherein at least a portion of the instances of content among the inventory have availability dates based upon dates upon which associated events occur.