Responding to requests for data

• US 7,684,996 B2
• Filed: 04/26/2006
• Issued: 03/23/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 04/14/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Richards, Ted
• Primary Examiner(s): Ouellette; Jonathan
• Application Number:
  US11/412,817
• Publication Number:
  US 20060190293A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,427 Days
• Field of Search: 705/1
• US Class Current: 705/1.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0277 Online advertisement

Abstract

A user information item is associated with a data set selected by a user for delivery over an electronic network. The user'"'"'s present and previous data selections are analyzed to identify a user information category related to at least one of these data selections, and the user information item is chosen from the identified user information category. User information items can be combined or associated with a video, animation or multimedia data set selected by a user for delivery over an electronic network.

Claims

1. A method of responding to a request, the method comprising the steps of:

establishing a plurality of categories of potential requests;

associating a plurality of sets of data with each of the categories;

in response to receipt of a request for a data selection from a user, analyzing the request and assigning the request to one of the categories based on a subject matter in the data requested,

relating one of the categories to the request according to the assignment,

preparing a response by automatically selecting, by a computer, a plurality of information items from the related category and automatically deleting, by the computer, a given information item from the plurality of information items if the given information item has already been combined with an earlier data selection requested by the user;

combining at least two sets of data from the related category including at least the data requested by the request into a combined data set; and

delivering the combined data set over a network.

2. The method according to claim 1 wherein said categories are selected from the group consisting of news, music and technology.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the combined data set is combined in a single data base and downloaded from the single database.

4. A method of responding to a request, the method comprising the steps of:

establishing a plurality of categories of potential data content requests;

associating a plurality of sets of user information data items with each of the categories;

archiving successive requests for data content from a requester;

in response to receipt of a new request for data content from the same requester, analyzing the new request with respect to the archived requests and assigning the new request to one of the categories based on a subject matter in the data requested,

relating one of the categories to an archived request and the same or a different category to the new request according to the assignment of the new request,

selecting a group of at least two user information data items from the related categories;

automatically determining, by a computer, a number of times each of the group of selected user information data items has been combined with data content for the same requester;

automatically deleting, by the computer, any selected user information data items that have been combined with data content for the same user at least a threshold number of times from the selected group; and

preparing a response by combining at least the group of user information data items from the at least one related category with data content requested by the same requester or at least the group of user information data from each of at least two related categories with data content requested by the same requester into a combined data set; and

delivering the combined data set to a device of the same requester.

5. The method according to claim 4 wherein said categories are selected from the group consisting of news, music and technology.

6. The method of claim 4 wherein the step of archiving successive requests further comprises:

weighting the archived requests such that more recent requests are given greater importance.

7. A system for responding to a request, the system comprising:

a store for data organized in a plurality of categories each including a plurality of sets of user information data items and data content that can be requested by a user;

means, responsive to receipt of a request for data content from the user, for analyzing the request and assigning the request to one of the categories based on a subject matter in the data content requested, relating one of the categories to the request, selecting a set of user information data items from the related one of the categories to be combined with data content requested by the user, counting the number of times a user information data item has been combined with data content in response to requests for data content received from the user, and preparing a response by combining at least a set of user information data items from the related category that has been combined with data content requested by the user less than the number counted by the counting means with the data requested by the user in a combined data set; and

means for delivering the combined data set to a user device.

8. The system according to claim 7 wherein said categories are selected from the group consisting of news, music and technology.

9. A system for responding to a request, the system comprising:

a store for data organized in a plurality of categories each including a plurality of sets of data;

means for archiving successive requests from a given requester; and

means responsive to receipt of a new request from the same requester for analyzing the new request and assigning the new request to one of the categories based on a subject matter in the data requested, relating one of the categories to an archived request and the same or a different category to the new request according to the assignment of the new request, selecting a group of at least two user information data items from the related categories, determining a number of times each of the group of selected user information data items has been combined with data content for the same requester, deleting any selected user information data items that have been combined with data content for the same user at least a threshold number of time from the selected group, and preparing a response by combining at least two sets of data from at least one related category or at least one set of data from each of at least two related categories into a combined data set; and

means for delivering the combined data set to a device of the same requester.

10. The system according to claim 9 wherein said categories are selected from the group consisting of news, music and technology.

11. The system of claim 9 wherein the means for archiving further comprises:

means for weighting the archived requests such that more recent requests are given greater importance.