System, method and computer program product for shared user tailoring of websites

• US 7,676,505 B2
• Filed: 01/27/2006
• Issued: 03/09/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 01/27/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: X Corp. (f/k/a Twitter, Inc.) (X Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Chess, David M, Yin, Jian, Segal, Alla, Whalley, Ian Nicholas
• Primary Examiner(s): Trujillo; James
• Assistant Examiner(s): SOMERS, MARC S
• Application Number:
  US11/340,968
• Publication Number:
  US 20070185927A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,502 Days
• Field of Search: 707/201
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/954 Navigation, e.g. using categorised browsing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/958 Organisation or management of web site content, e.g. publishing, maintaining pages or automatic linking
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99954 Version management

Abstract

Users create, share, and build collaboration communities around tailored versions of the functional pages of a web site, such as the pages used to select and purchase products, or the pages used to present course materials in an online-learning site. The tailored versions of the web site are stored at the common web site development web site or at another server side location. Users access the tailored versions to select a tailored version for their own use and/or modification.

Claims

1. A system for allowing collaborative user tailoring of websites, the system comprising:

a usage database;

a tailoring database;

at least two client devices for a plurality of users each checking if a user has selected an existing tailored version of a website and, if the user has selected the existing tailored version of the website, then loading design elements of the existing tailored version of the website from the tailoring database to form the selected existing tailored version of the website and, otherwise, creating a tailored version of the website by loading a set of default tailoring design elements from the tailoring database to form the created tailored version of the website;

the at least two client devices each modifying a functional organization of the user'"'"'s version of the website through one of a plurality of selectable options, comprising a thumbnail view, and a complete list displayed on a graphical user interface of the corresponding client device, each of the two client devices modifying a function of at least one page of the website, forming another tailored version of the website, wherein the at least two client devices are each further creating a version of the website by permitting a user to define and modify web pages and portlets, where portlets are Web-based design elements that request, receive, and display specialized information on the website, wherein the tailoring database stores the another tailored version of the website, wherein each of the at least two client devices permits the user to selectively publish the another tailored version of the website, making the another tailored version of the website available to other users;

for a plurality of site users, the at least two client devices each saving the tailored version of the website thus created or modified in the tailoring database;

for the plurality of site users, the at least two client devices each accessing and making use of the tailored version of the website thus saved;

wherein various tailored versions of the website which have been saved and made available are announced;

where multiple tailored versions of the website are available;

wherein at least one of the multiple tailored versions is a version of the website customized through an incorporation of functional elements through collaboration by the plurality of users,

wherein information regarding user evaluations and ratings of the tailored versions are stored in the usage database,

wherein each of the at least two client devices, after the user selects a tailored version, presents a plurality of website implementation options to a user on a graphical user interface of a client device, wherein the plurality of website implementation options comprises at least one filter, a thumbnail view, and a complete list displayed on a graphical user interface and permits modification of the tailored database;

wherein the tailoring database saves the modified implemented selected tailored version of the website as one of the plurality of tailored versions;

wherein the at least one filter is based on one of user ratings of the tailored versions of the website, past user modifications, and user selected criteria.

2. A system as in claim 1, further comprising

the at least two client devices creating or modifying at least one design element which is used within pages when creating the tailored versions of the website,

to save the at least one design element thus created or modified, and

to access and make use of the at least one design element thus saved in the creation or modifying of tailored versions of the website.

3. A system as in claim 1, wherein the at least two client devices each selects, in correspondence to at least one particular user of the website, a particular subset of the tailored versions of the website thus saved.

4. A system as in claim 3, wherein the at least two client devices each selects, in correspondence to at least that particular user of the website, the tailored versions of the website contained in that selected subset.

5. A system as in claim 4 where the subset of tailored versions recommended to that particular user or users is selected by the usage database responsive to a recorded usage pattern of that particular user.

6. A system as in claim 4 where the subset of tailored versions recommended to that particular user is selected by the usage database responsive to a user profile as stored in the system.

7. A systems as in claim 1, wherein a plurality of site users pay a fee for access to at least one of create and modify tailored versions of the website.

8. A system as in claim 1, wherein creating and modifying tailored versions of the website are available only to a website'"'"'s user who is in a premium subset of users.

9. A system as in claim 1, wherein individual one of the plurality of users who at least one of create and modify tailored versions of the website receive compensation.

10. A system as in claim 1 wherein users assign textual tags to selected ones of the tailored versions.

11. A system as in claim 1, wherein an author of a tailored version of the website is permitted to assign a version mark according to a user type for that author'"'"'s tailored version of the website.

12. A system as in claim 11, wherein the user type is one of skill level, personal style, cognitive style, and sensory capabilities.

13. A system as in claim 11, the version mark is combinable with user entered information, processor determined usage patterns of a user, and self-descriptions entered into user profiles.