System and method for providing automobile marketing research information

• US 7,739,142 B2
• Filed: 05/17/2004
• Issued: 06/15/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 05/17/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: R2 Solutions LLC (Acacia Research Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Yahoo! Inc. (Apollo Global Management, Inc.)
• Inventors: Weyer, Larry, Mallon, Ken, Pham, Kay, Chand, Jagdish
• Primary Examiner(s): Jeanty; Romain
• Application Number:
  US10/847,838
• Publication Number:
  US 20050256755A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,220 Days
• Field of Search: 705/10
• US Class Current: 705/7.33
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0204 Market segmentation

Abstract

A system and method for providing customized reports regarding pre-sale auto interest is enclosed herein. The reports are configured to provide pre-sale marketing research information about potential shoppers of particular auto models. The reports are also configured to provide information about competitors'"'"' auto models. The reports are also configured to provide demographic and interest information of the potential shoppers of the particular auto models.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method of generating information on peoples'"'"' interest in different types of automobiles, the method comprising:

monitoring, using a server, computer user navigation of a multiplicity of users to identify indications of interest in specific automobile models by such monitored users;

producing, using the server, affinity data that indicate measures of respective paired associations between respective pairs of specific automobile models based upon at least a prescribed number of monitored users having indicated interest in the respective pairs of specific automobile models, wherein the affinity data includes a first measure of paired association of a first specific automobile model to a second specific automobile model and a second measure of paired association of the second specific automobile model to the first specific automobile model;

monitoring, using the server, computer user searches of a multiplicity of users to identify categories of information of interest to the monitored users;

correlating, using the server, categories of information with identified indications of interest in specific automobile models;

obtaining, using the server, demographic information concerning the multiplicity of monitored users;

correlating, using the server, demographic information with identified indications of interest in specific automobile models;

receiving, using the server, a user request for market information about at least one automobile model identified by a user making the request;

using the affinity data, by the server, to generate a measure of paired association between the at least one user identified automobile model and at least one other automobile model;

using the correlated categories, by the server, to identify at least one category correlated with the at least one user identified automobile model; and

using the correlated demographic information, by the server, to identify demographic information correlated with the at least one user identified automobile model.

2. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein the at least one other automobile model is identified by the user making the request.

3. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein monitoring computer user navigation includes monitoring computer user searches of the multiplicity of users.

4. The computer implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

uniquely identifying each of the multiplicity of users.

5. The computer implemented method of claim 4, wherein uniquely identifying each of the multiplicity of users includes registering each of the multiplicity of users.

6. A system for generating information on peoples'"'"' interest in different automobile models, the system comprising:

means for monitoring computer use of a plurality of users to identify indication of interest in specific automobile models by such monitored users;

means for monitoring computer user searches by the monitored users to identify categories of information of interest to the monitored users;

means for obtaining demographic information concerning the monitored users;

means for generating affinity data, demographic data, and interest data from the identified indications of interest in specific automobile models, identified categories of information of interest, and demographic information, wherein the affinity data comprises a first measure of paired association of a first specific automobile model to a second specific automobile model and a second measure of paired association of the second specific automobile model to the first specific automobile model; and

means for requesting automobile insight information about at least one automobile model, wherein the at least one automobile model is specified by a user interfacing with the means for requesting.

7. The system of claim 6, further comprising:

a server in communication with the means for generating and configured to correlate categories of information with identified indications of interest in specific automobile models.

8. The system of claim 6, further comprising:

a server in communication with the means for generating and configured to correlate demographic information with identified indications of interest in specific automobile models.

9. The system of claim 6, wherein the affinity data comprises measurements of respective paired associations between respective pairs of specific automobile models based on their both having been indicated to be of interest by at least the monitored users.

10. The system of claim 6, further comprising:

means for generating a measure of paired association between the at least one user identified automobile model and at least one other automobile model.

11. The system of claim 6, wherein the means for requesting automobile insight information includes means for requesting automobile insight information about a first automobile model, wherein the second automobile model is specified by the user.

12. A system, comprising:

a first server configured to generate a measure of paired association between an at least one automobile model and at least one other automobile model, at least one category information relating to the at least one automobile model, and demographic information relating to the at least one automobile model, wherein the at least one other automobile model comprises a first automobile model and a second automobile model, wherein the first automobile model, the second automobile model, and the at least one automobile model being different from each other, and wherein the at least one other automobile model is automatically selected by the first server when the user request for market information does not specify the at least one other automobile model;

a device in communication with the first server and configured to receive a user request for market information about the at least one automobile model and to present the market information from the first server; and

a database in communication with the first server and configured to store affinity data indicative of measures of respective paired associations between respective pairs of specific automobile models based on both of the specific automobile models having been indicated as being of interest by at least a prescribed number of monitored users, at least one category information for each of the specific automobile models, and demographic information for each of the specific automobile models.

13. The system of claim 12, further comprising:

at least one monitoring device in communication with the first server and configured to monitor computer use of a plurality of users over a prescribed period of time to identify indications of interest in the specific automobile models by the at least prescribed number of monitored users; and

a second server in communication with the database and configured to generate the affinity data based on the identified indications of interest in the specific automobile models at the at least one monitoring device.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein the user request for market information includes a request for a first automobile model, wherein the first automobile model, the at least one automobile model, and at least one other automobile model are different from each other.

15. The system of claim 12, wherein the market information includes the measure of paired association, at least one category information, and demographic information for each of the at least one automobile model, the first automobile model, and the second automobile model.

16. The system of claim 12, wherein the at least one category information comprises URL addresses of websites predetermined to be of a certain category.

17. The system of claim 12, wherein the at least one monitoring device is further configured to monitor computer user searches of the plurality of users to identify categories of information of interest to the at least prescribed number of monitored users, and obtain demographic information about the at least prescribed number of monitored users.

18. A computer-readable medium containing data structure for use by a remotely located computing device, the data structure comprising:

at least one record stored at a server computer comprising a specific automobile model identifier, a first measure of paired association of an automobile model represented by the specific automobile model identifier to at least one other automobile model, a second measure of paired association of the at least one other automobile model to the automobile model, at least one first category information for a first category correlated to the automobile model, and at least one demographic information correlated to the automobile model, wherein the first and second measures of paired association, at least one first category information, and at least one demographic information are obtained from monitoring a plurality of users at computing devices.

19. The computer-readable medium of claim 18, wherein the at least one record further comprises an affinity order between the automobile model and the at least one other automobile model.

20. The computer-readable medium of claim 18, wherein the at least one record further comprises at least one second category information of a second category correlated to the automobile model, wherein the first and second categories are different from each other.