Data display server, data display method and program thereof

• US 7,734,650 B2
• Filed: 01/05/2005
• Issued: 06/08/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 01/07/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Kamachi, Teruhisa, Naito, Taketo
• Primary Examiner(s): Breene; John E
• Assistant Examiner(s): GOFMAN, ALEX N
• Application Number:
  US11/028,584
• Publication Number:
  US 20050177584A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,980 Days
• Field of Search: 707/3, 707/7, 707/100, 707/103.R
• US Class Current: 707/791
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/38 Retrieval characterised by using metadata, e.g. metadata not derived from the content or metadata generated manually
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9038 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking

Abstract

The present invention relates to recommendation of items to a user for providing items more satisfying a user'"'"'s request on the basis of new association. The present invention provides a data display server connected to a user terminal, which includes a posting database for storing posting data posted through the user terminal, a reference data base for storing reference data, relational metadata generating means which generates relational metadata making association between two pieces of reference data, and a relational database for storing the relational metadata. According to the arrangement, tight linking between reference data is made possible so that items more suitable for a user'"'"'s preference can be recommended.

Claims

1. A data display server connected to a user terminal to display prescribed data in response to a request through said user terminal, said data display server comprising:

a posting database which holds posting data including (i) a posting message, a posting ID identifying the posting message, and an item data ID and (ii) responsive posting data including a responsive posting message, a posting ID identifying the responsive posting message, and an item data ID, said posting data having been posted through said user terminal;

a reference database which holds item data specified by the item data ID contained in said posting data and item data specified by the item data ID contained in said responsive posting data;

relational metadata generating means for extracting the item data ID one by one from the posting data and the responsive posting data according to a relationship between the posting data and the responsive posting data to generate relational metadata with the extracted item data IDs contained therein, said responsive posting data posted in response to the posting data posted by said user terminal;

a relational database which holds said generated relational metadata; and

relational data juxtaposing means for juxtaposing and displaying, on a display of said user terminal in response to an item data browsing request from the user, said item data and relational data associated with said item data by said relational metadata;

wherein said item data includes one or more pieces of information selected from a group comprising an item data name, an alias item data name, a model number, a manufacturer name, a category, a descriptive text, an image URL, a price, and a release date,

said relational data juxtaposing means displays said relational data in an order suited to a type of relationship to said item data,

said type of relationship to said item data is one or more relationships selected from a group comprising a way to use the item data, a function, an effect, a combination, similarity and a purchase history, and

said relational metadata associates the item data specified by the extracted item data IDs.

2. The data display server according to claim 1, wherein said relational metadata has a parameter on a degree of relevancy, and sets the degree of relevancy high depending on the number of pieces of relational metadata containing the item data IDs equal to each other.

3. The data display server according to claim 1, further comprising relation counting means for counting the relational metadata containing the item data IDs equal to each other.

4. The data display server according to claim 1, wherein said relational data juxtaposing means displays the above relational data preferentially in descending order of the degree of relevancy representing how strong said relational data bears a relationship with said item data.

5. The data display server according to claim 4, further comprising a user database in which user data is specified as personal information of the user, wherein:

a display order of said relational data is changed by making use of said user data.

6. A data display server connected to a user terminal to display prescribed data in response to a request through the user terminal, said data display server comprising:

a reference database that holds item data configured to be referred to by a user;

message creating means for permitting the user to create, through the user terminal, a message to be posted;

keyword input means for permitting the user to input, through the user terminal, a keyword of reference data about contents of the message;

item data retrieving means for retrieving the item data from the reference database by the keyword;

item data juxtaposing means for juxtaposing and displaying, on a display of the user terminal, one or more pieces of item data resulting from the retrieval;

item data selecting means for permitting the user to select, through the user terminal, the item data attached to posting data from the displayed item data;

posting means for permitting the user to post, through the user terminal, the posting data containing an item data ID of the item data selected by the item data selecting means;

a posting database that holds the posting data including (i) the posting message, a posting ID identifying the posting message, and the item data ID having been posted through the user terminal and (ii) responsive posting data including a responsive posting message, a posting ID identifying the responsive posting message, and an item data ID;

posting browsing means for displaying, on the display of the user terminal in response to a posting data browsing request from the user, the posting data and the item data specified by the item data ID contained in the posting data;

relational metadata generating means for extracting the item data ID one by one from the posting data and the responsive posting data according to a relationship between the posting data and the responsive posting data to generate relational metadata with the extracted item data IDs contained therein, said responsive posting data posted in response to the posting data posted by said user terminal; and

a relational database configured to hold said generated relational metadata;

wherein said item data is one or more pieces of information selected from a group comprising the item data ID, an item data name, an alias item data name, a model number, a manufacturer name, a category, a descriptive text, an image URL, a price, and a release date, said data display device further comprising

relational data juxtaposing means for juxtaposing and displaying, on a display of said user terminal in response to an item data browsing request from the user, said item data and relational data associated with said item data by said relational metadata

wherein said time of relationship to said item data includes one or more relationships selected from a group comprising a way to use the item data, a function, an effect, a combination, similarity and a purchase history, and

said relational metadata associates the item data specified by the extracted item data IDs.

7. The data display server according to claim 6, further comprising:

item data display means for displaying the item data selected by said item data selecting means on a part of a posting display of said user terminal.

8. The data display server according to claim 6, wherein said relational metadata has a parameter on a degree of relevancy, and sets the degree of relevancy high depending on the number of pieces of relational metadata containing the item data IDs equal to each other.

9. The data display server according to claim 6, further comprising relation counting means for counting the relational metadata containing the item data IDs equal to each other.

10. The data display server according to claim 6, wherein said relational data is displayed in a descending order of a degree of relevancy representing how strong said relational data bears a relationship with said item data.

11. The data display server according to claim 10, further comprising a user database in which user data is specified as personal information of the user, wherein:

a display order of said relational data is changed by making use of said user data.

12. The data display server according to claim 11, wherein:

said relational data is displayed in an order suited to a type of relationship to said item data.

13. The data display server according to claim 6, wherein said item database also stores category data indicating a category of said item data.

14. The data display server according to claim 6, having a function of a bulletin board on which a plurality of users carry out information exchange via a network.

15. A data display method making use of a user terminal and a data display server connected to a network to display prescribed data in response to a request from said user terminal, said method comprising the steps of:

storing posting data including (i) a posting message, a posting ID identifying the posting message, and an item data ID, said posting data having been posted through said user terminal and (ii) responsive posting data including a responsive posting message, a posting ID identifying the responsive posting message, and an item data ID;

storing reference data specified by the item data ID contained in said posting data and item data specified by the item data ID contained in said responsive posting data;

when posting data having the item data ID specifying item data regarding contents of the posting message attached thereto is posted by said user terminal and the responsive posting data to which the item data ID is attached is posted in response thereto, extracting the item data ID one by one from the posting data and the responsive posting data according to a relationship between said posting data and said responsive posting data to generate relational metadata with said extracted item data IDs contained therein; and

juxtaposing and displaying, on a display of said user terminal, said item data and relational data associated with said item data by said relational metadata, in response to item data browsing request from the user;

wherein said item data is one or more pieces of information selected from a group comprising the item data ID, an item data name, an alias item data name, a model number, a manufacturer name, a category, a descriptive text, an image URL, a price, and a release date, wherein

said relational data is displayed in an order suited to a type of relationship to said item data, and

said relational metadata associates the item data specified by the extracted item data IDs.

16. The data display method according to claim 15, wherein, in said extracting step, a degree of relevancy of said relational metadata is set high depending on the number of pieces of relational metadata containing the item data IDs equal to each other.

17. The data display method according to claim 15, wherein said relational metadata represents a relational strength with a degree of relevancy based on the number of pieces of relational metadata, and a value obtained by counting the relational metadata having the item data IDs equal to each other is defined as the degree of relevancy.

18. The data display method according to claim 15, wherein said relational data is displayed in a descending order of the degree of relevancy indicating a relational strength to said item data.

19. A data display method making use of a user terminal and a data display server connected to a network to display prescribed data in response to a request from said user terminal, said method comprising the steps, performed by said data display server, of:

creating through said user terminal, a message to be posted;

inputting through said user terminal, a keyword of item data about contents of said message;

retrieving said item data from said keyword;

juxtaposing and displaying, on a display of the user terminal, one or more pieces of item data resulting from said retrieval;

selecting through said user terminal, item data to be attached to posting data from said displayed item data;

posting through said user terminal posting data containing an item data ID of the item data selected in said item data selecting step, the posting data including (i) the posting message, a posting ID identifying the posting message, and the item data ID having been posted through the user terminal and (ii) responsive posting data including a responsive posting message, a posting ID identifying the responsive posting message, and an item data ID;

displaying, on the display of said user terminal in response to a posting data browsing request from the user, said posting data and item data specified by the item data ID contained in said posting data; and

when the responsive posting data which is a reply to said posting data posted in said data display server exists, extracting the item data ID one by one from said posting data and said responsive posting data in accordance with a relationship between the posting data and the responsive posting data to generate relational metadata with said extracted item data IDs contained therein;

wherein said item data is one or more pieces of information selected from a group comprising the item data ID, an item data name, an alias item data name, a model number, a manufacturer name, a category, a descriptive text, an image URL, a price, and a release date, said method further comprising

juxtaposing and displaying on a display of said user terminal, said item data and relational data associated with said item data by said relational metadata, in response to an item data browsing request from the user, wherein

said relational metadata associates the item data specified by the extracted item data IDs.

20. The data display method according to claim 19, further comprising:

displaying the item data selected in said permitting the user to select step on a part of a posting display of said user terminal.

21. The data display method according to claim 19, wherein:

in said extracting step, the degree of relevancy is set high depending on the number of pieces of relational metadata containing the item data IDs equal to each other.

22. The data display method according to claim 19, wherein:

said relational metadata represents a relational strength with a degree of relevancy based on the number of pieces of relational metadata, and a value obtained by counting the relational metadata having the item data IDs equal to each other is defined as the degree of relevancy.

23. The data display method according to claim 19, wherein said relational data is displayed in a descending order of the degree of relevancy indicating a relational strength to said item data.

24. The data display method according to claim 19, wherein said relational data is displayed in an order suited to a type of relationship to said item data.