Method and system for categorizing items in both actual and virtual categories

• US 7,523,114 B2
• Filed: 12/08/2000
• Issued: 04/21/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 04/24/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: eBay Inc.
• Original Assignee: eBay Inc.
• Inventors: Seamon, Joseph
• Primary Examiner(s): Wong; Don
• Assistant Examiner(s): Thai; Hanh B
• Application Number:
  US09/733,767
• Publication Number:
  US 20020049763A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,056 Days
• Field of Search: 707100-103, 707 1- 10, 707/104.1
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/211 Schema design and management
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/284 Relational databases
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/954 Navigation, e.g. using categorised browsing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/955 using information identifiers, e.g. uniform resource locators [URL]
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99943 Generating database or data structure, e.g. via user interface
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 Object-oriented database structure processing

Abstract

A method of facilitating location of a data item describing, for example, a product or service that is the subject of on-line auction, commences with the presentation of a category navigation interface. The category navigation interface allows a user to navigate a “virtual” hierarchy of categories and to select a target virtual category of the virtual hierarchy. The target virtual category is then identified as being linked to an actual category, within an actual hierarchy of categories. Database items are classified only in terms of the real hierarchy of categories, and not the virtual hierarchy of categories. Having then identified an actual category to which the virtual category is mapped, data items of the real category are identified responsive to the user selection of the virtual category of the virtual hierarchy of categories.

Claims

1. A method of constructing category structures within a database, the method including:

defining in the database a first structure of categories as a first hierarchy of categories to classify a data item, the first structure of categories including at least a first category, the first category comprises a first category path defined in terms of the first structure of categories that are respectively associated with a first plurality of category identifiers;

defining in the database a second structure of categories as an alternative second hierarchy of categories to provide an alternative classification of the data item, the second structure including at least a second category, the second category comprises a second category path defined in terms of the second structure of categories that are respectively associated with a second plurality of category identifiers, the second category is associated with the first category; and

defining in the database the second category to point to the first category.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the first category is a leaf category of the first hierarchy of categories.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the second category is a leaf category of the second hierarchy of categories.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the defining of the second structure of categories includes defining the second hierarchy of categories such that navigation of the second hierarchy of categories to locate a plurality of data items classified as being attributed to the second category locates the plurality of data items classified as being attributed to the first category of categories of the first hierarchy of categories.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the data item is directly categorized as being within the first category of the first structure of categories and is indirectly categorized as being within the second category of the second structure of categories.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the definition of the first and second structures of categories includes defining a category table including a category record for each category of the first and second structures of categories, each category record within the category table including a category identifier, wherein a category record that describes the second category includes a category identifier of a category record for the first category.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the data item is a database record describing any one of a group consisting of products and services of a transaction facilitated by a network-based transaction facility.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the network-based transaction facility is a network-based auction facility.

9. The method of claim 1 including defining a third structure of categories to provide a further alternative classification of the data item, the third structure including at least a third category, wherein the third category is associated with the first category of the first structure of categories.

10. A method of facilitating location of a data item within a database, the method including:

facilitating user-navigation of a first category structure to select a first category;

identifying a second category of a second category structure as being linked to the first category of the first category structure, the first and second category structures comprising respective first and second hierarchies of categories in the database; and

identifying a plurality of data items of the second category responsive to the selection of the first category of the first category structure,

the first and second categories are defined by respective category paths of the first and second hierarchies of categories, the first category path including a first plurality of categories that are respectively associated with a first plurality of category identifiers and the second category path including a second plurality of categories that are respectively associated with a second plurality of category identifiers, and the data item is user-classifiable under the second category structure, the identification of the second category including accessing a category table including a first record describing the first category, the first record including a pointer to a second record within the category table describing the second category.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein the facilitating of the user navigation comprises presenting at least one user interface to display navigation information according to the first hierarchy of categories.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the presenting of the at least one user interface comprises generating at least one markup language document.

13. The method of claim 12 including providing, within the context of the markup language document, any one of a group of navigation aids consisting of a drop-down menu, a selection of check boxes, a selection of radio buttons, an embedded Java application and an embedded ActiveX control.

14. The method of claim 10 wherein the identifying of the plurality of data items comprises accessing an items table to identify at least a first record identifying the second category.

15. The method of claim 10 wherein the first and second categories comprise respective leaf categories of the first and second hierarchies of categories.

16. The method of claim 10 including communicating the identified plurality of data items within a markup language document transmitted over a network.

17. A machine-readable medium storing a sequence of instructions that, when executed by a machine, cause the machine to:

facilitate user-navigation of a first category structure to select a first category;

identify a second category of a second category structure as being linked to the first category of the first category structure, the first and second category structures comprising respective first and second hierarchies of categories; and

identify data items of the second category responsive to the selection of the first category of the first category structure,

the first and second categories are defined by respective category paths of the first and second hierarchies of categories, the first category path including a first plurality of categories that are respectively associated with a first plurality of category identifiers and the second category path including a second plurality of categories that are respectively associated with a second plurality of category identifiers, the data item is user-classifiable under the second category-structure, the identification of the second category comprises accessing a category table including a first record describing the first category, the first record further including a pointer to a second record within the category table, the second record describing the second category.

18. The machine-readable medium of claim 17, wherein the machine-readable medium is selected from a group consisting of solid-state memories, optical disks and magnetic disks.

19. A machine-readable storage medium storing a sequence of instructions that, when executed by a machine, cause the machine to:

define in a database a first structure of categories as a first hierarchy of categories to classify a data item, the first structure of categories includes at least a first category, the first category comprises a first category path defined in terms of the first structure of categories that are respectively associated with a first plurality of category identifiers;

define in the database a second structure of categories as an alternative second hierarchy of categories to provide an alternative classification of the data item, the second structure includes at least a second category, the second category comprises a second category path defined in terms of the second structure of categories that are respectively associated with a second plurality of category identifiers, the second category is associated with the first category; and

define in the database the second category to point to the first category.