Presenting items based on activity rates

• US 8,271,357 B2
• Filed: 12/11/2007
• Issued: 09/18/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/11/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: eBay Inc.
• Original Assignee: eBay Inc.
• Inventors: Mohan, Sunil
• Primary Examiner(s): ALLEN, WILLIAM J
• Application Number:
  US12/001,283
• Publication Number:
  US 20090150214A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,743 Days
• Field of Search: 705 261- 272, 705 144- 1473, 705/7.11, 705 729- 735, 707706-788
• US Class Current: 705/27.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0254 based on statistics
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0256 User search

Abstract

Apparatus, systems, and methods may operate to monitor an activity level associated with queries made in an online marketplace over a monitoring time period to provide an activity rate, and to determine that the activity rate has crossed a merchandising threshold rate. In response, a cluster of items or item groups associated with the queries may be presented on a display, perhaps in conjunction with a landing page merchandising promotion. Additional apparatus, system, and methods are disclosed.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

monitoring, using one or more processors, an activity level associated with queries made in an online marketplace over a monitoring time period to provide an activity rate;

determining that the activity rate has crossed a merchandising threshold rate; and

presenting a cluster of at least items or item groups associated with the queries on a display responsive to determining that the activity rate has crossed the merchandising threshold rate, the presenting comprising displaying the cluster of at least items or item groups in conjunction with at least one of increased prices or increased presentation frequency based on a determination that increased interest is indicated, the presenting comprising displaying the cluster of at least items or item groups in conjunction with at least one of decreased prices or decreased presentation frequency based on a determination that decreased interest is indicated, and the presenting comprising displaying a landing page including a plurality of images, each of the plurality of images corresponding to a different category of a common item associated with the cluster.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein presenting the cluster comprises:

displaying a landing page including the cluster on the display.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein determining that the activity rate has crossed the merchandising threshold rate comprises:

determining that the activity rate has crossed the merchandising threshold rate in a first direction, indicating the increased interest, or determining that the activity rate has crossed the merchandising threshold rate in a second direction, indicating the decreased interest.

4. The method of claim 1, comprising:

recording at least some of the queries associated with the activity rate based on a determination that the activity rate is greater than an increased interest rate threshold.

5. The method of claim 4, comprising:

terminating recording the queries based on a determination that when the activity rate falls below a reduced interest rate threshold.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein presenting the cluster comprises:

adding a merchandising module to another web site page in response to detecting a new query associated with the queries.

6. An apparatus, comprising:

a query reception module to receive queries associated with gathering information regarding items for sale or to be sold in an online marketplace;

a processor to monitor an activity level associated with the queries over a monitoring time period to provide an activity rate, and to determine that the activity rate has crossed a merchandising threshold rate; and

a display generation module to generate information related to displaying a cluster of at least items or item groups associated with the queries responsive to the processor determining that the activity rate has crossed the merchandising threshold rate, the display generation module configured to display the cluster of at least items or item groups in conjunction with at least one of increased prices or increased presentation frequency based on a determination that increased interest is indicated, the display generation module configured to display the cluster of at least items or item groups in conjunction with at least one of decreased prices or decreased presentation frequency based on a determination that decreased interest is indicated, and the display generation module configured to display a landing page including a plurality of images, each of the plurality of images corresponding to a different category of a common item associated with the cluster.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the processor and the query reception module are included in a single server.

8. The apparatus of claim 6, comprising:

a memory to store a data structure including terms from the queries associated with at least one of item titles, item descriptions, item categories, item attributes, or item tags.

9. A system, comprising:

a network of servers including a query reception module to receive queries associated with gathering information regarding items for sale or to be sold in an online marketplace, a processor to monitor an activity level associated with the queries over a monitoring time period to provide an activity rate, and to determine that the activity rate has crossed a merchandising threshold rate, and a display generation module to generate information related to displaying a cluster of at least items or item groups associated with the queries responsive to the processor determining that the activity rate has crossed the merchandising threshold rate, the display generation module configured to display the cluster of at least items or item groups in conjunction with at least one of increased prices or increased presentation frequency based on a determination that increased interest is indicated, and the display generation module configured to display the cluster of at least items or item groups in conjunction with at least one of decreased prices or decreased presentation frequency based on a determination that decreased interest is indicated, and the display generation module configured to display a landing page including a plurality of images, each of the plurality of images corresponding to a different category of a common item associated with the cluster; and

a client terminal to provide the queries and to display at least the items or item groups.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the query reception module is divided between the client terminal and the network of servers.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein the network comprises a global computer network.

12. A non-transitory machine-readable storage medium storing instructions, which when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform operations comprising:

monitoring an activity level associated with queries made in an online marketplace over a monitoring time period to provide an activity rate;

determining that the activity rate has crossed a merchandising threshold rate; and

presenting a cluster of at least items or item groups associated with the queries on a display responsive to determining that the activity rate has crossed the merchandising threshold rate, the presenting comprising displaying the cluster of at least items or item groups in conjunction with at least one of increased prices or increased presentation frequency based on a determination that increased interest is indicated, the presenting comprising displaying the cluster of at least items or item groups in conjunction with at least one of decreased prices or decreased presentation frequency based on a determination that decreased interest is indicated, and the presenting comprising displaying a landing page including a plurality of images, each of the plurality of images corresponding to a different category of a common item associated with the cluster.

13. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 12, wherein the instructions, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform operations comprising:

receiving a presentation factor to weight an order of presentation of the items or item groups in the cluster.

14. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 12, wherein the instructions, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform operations comprising:

presenting a visual slider mechanism to select individual ones of the items or item groups.

15. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 12, wherein the instructions, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform operations comprising:

forecasting a future activity rate based on the activity rate and at least one of a time of day, a day in the week, a calendar period, or an overall site activity level.

16. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the instructions, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform operations comprising:

recording the queries non-continuously, at periodic intervals for selected time periods.

17. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein the instructions, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform operations comprising:

presenting the cluster of the items or item groups derived from viewing activity associated with the queries.