Expert system recommendations optimizing consumer selections of product options

• US 8,407,106 B1
• Filed: 03/06/2012
• Issued: 03/26/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 06/19/2002
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Expert Logic Holdings, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Expert Logic Holdings, Inc.
• Inventors: Saad, Ihab L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hu, Kang
• Application Number:
  US13/413,340
• Time in Patent Office: 385 Days
• Field of Search: 434/350, 434/318, 705/14, 705/26, 705 261- 272, 704/270
• US Class Current: 705/26.7
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0631 Item recommendations
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 5/00 Electrically-operated educational appliances working with questions and answers G09B7/00; simulators G09B9/00; advertising or displaying in general G09F
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 7/00 Electrically-operated teaching apparatus or devices working with questions and answers mechanically operated G09B3/00; computing arrangements G06F

Abstract

Systems and methods for making recommendations to a consumer, including, accessing a first and a second consumer profile database; allowing a consumer to request information regarding a product from a product database; selecting all products in the product database; removing all of the products that are not included in a similar product area with the requested product; establishing an initial product recommendation value for each remaining selected products; transforming the initial product recommendation value for each of the remaining selected products based on a comparison of the subjective product evaluation information and at least some consumer profile information and/or supplemental consumer profile information to produce a final recommendation value for each of the remaining selected products; creating a ranked list of the remaining selected products by each remaining selected product'"'"'s final recommendation value; and displaying data regarding the ranked list of the remaining selected products to the consumer.

Claims

1. A method for recommending one or more products to a consumer, comprising:

accessing a product profile database in a computer accessible medium, wherein said product profile database contains at least some product information for each product, wherein said product information includes at least some inherent product information and at least some subjective product evaluation information, wherein said subjective product evaluation information includes at least some information that is different from said inherent product information in said product profile database, and wherein said subjective product evaluation information includes information gained from a subjective evaluation of each product'"'"'s suitability for specific consumers;

accessing at least one first consumer profile database in a computer accessible medium, wherein said first consumer profile database contains at least some consumer profile information;

accessing at least one second consumer profile database in a computer accessible medium, wherein said second consumer profile database contains at least some previously stored, supplemental consumer profile information for said specific consumer, wherein said supplemental consumer profile information includes at least some consumer profile information that is different from said consumer profile information in said first consumer profile database;

allowing a consumer to request, via a computer, information regarding a specific product from said product profile database;

selecting, via a computer processor, all products in said product profile database, regardless of said product requested by said consumer;

removing from said selected products, via said computer processor, all of said products that are not included in a similar product area with said product requested by said consumer;

establishing an initial product recommendation value for each of said remaining selected products based on said inherent product information;

transforming said initial product recommendation value for each of said remaining selected products based on a comparison of said subjective product evaluation information and at least some consumer profile information and/or supplemental consumer profile information for said specific consumer to produce a final recommendation value for each of said remaining selected products;

creating a ranked list of said remaining selected products by ranking said remaining selected products by each remaining selected product'"'"'s final recommendation value;

transforming data regarding at least a portion of said ranked list of said remaining selected products into at least one displayable representation of said data regarding said ranked list of said remaining selected products; and

displaying at least a portion of said at least one displayable representation of said data regarding said ranked list of said remaining selected products to said consumer.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein two or more of said product profile database, said at least one first consumer profile database, and said at least one second consumer profile database are contained within a single database.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

removing, if said consumer profile information for said specific consumer indicates that said specific consumer wants products that contain other content with an indicated other preference, via said computer processor, all of said remaining selected products that do not match said indicated other preference, wherein information regarding said indicated other preference is included in said consumer profile information or said supplemental consumer profile information, and wherein information regarding said other content of each product is included in said inherent product information or said subjective product evaluation information.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said inherent product information includes one or more of each product'"'"'s name or title, manufacturer, distributor, supplier, price, availability, at least one product keyword, and the like.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein said subjective evaluation of each product'"'"'s suitability for a specific consumer is based on certain evaluation criteria by which one or more products are to be evaluated.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein at least some of said consumer profile information and at least some of said product information contain similar types of information, such that at least certain characteristics of said products may be matched to at least certain characteristics of said consumer.

7. A method for recommending specific services to a consumer, comprising:

accessing a service profile database in a computer accessible medium, wherein said service profile database contains at least some service information for each service, wherein said service information includes at least some inherent service information and at least some subjective service evaluation information, wherein said subjective service evaluation information includes at least some information that is different from said inherent service information in said service profile database, and wherein said subjective service evaluation information includes information gained from a subjective evaluation of each service'"'"'s suitability for specific consumers;

accessing at least one first consumer profile database in a computer accessible medium, wherein said first consumer profile database contains at least some consumer profile information;

accessing at least one second consumer profile database in a computer accessible medium, wherein said second consumer profile database contains at least some previously stored, supplemental consumer profile information for said specific consumer, wherein said supplemental consumer profile information includes at least some consumer profile information that is different from said consumer profile information in said first consumer profile database;

allowing a consumer to request, via a computer, information regarding a specific service from said service profile database;

selecting, via a computer processor, all services in said service profile database, regardless of said service requested by said consumer;

removing from said selected services, via said computer processor, all of said services that are not included in a similar service area with said service requested by said consumer;

establishing an initial service recommendation value for each of said remaining selected services based on said inherent service information;

transforming said initial service recommendation value for each of said remaining selected services based on a comparison of said subjective service evaluation information and at least some consumer profile information and/or supplemental consumer profile information for said specific consumer to produce a final service recommendation value for each of said remaining selected services;

creating a ranked list of said remaining selected services by ranking said remaining selected services by each remaining selected service'"'"'s final service recommendation value;

transforming data regarding at least a portion of said ranked list of said remaining selected services into at least one displayable representation of said data regarding said ranked list of said remaining selected services; and

displaying at least a portion of said at least one displayable representation of said data regarding said ranked list of said remaining selected services to said consumer.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein two or more of said service profile database, said at least one first consumer profile database, and said at least one second consumer profile database are contained within a single database.

9. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

removing, if said consumer profile information for said specific consumer indicates that said specific consumer wants services that contain other content with an indicated other preference, via said computer processor, all of said remaining selected services that do not match said indicated other preference, wherein information regarding said indicated other preference is included in said consumer profile information or said supplemental consumer profile information, and wherein information regarding said other content of each service is included in said inherent service information or said subjective service evaluation information.

10. A method of claim 7, wherein said inherent service information includes one or more of each service'"'"'s name or title, manufacturer, distributor, supplier, price, availability, at least one service keyword, and the like.

11. The method of claim 7, wherein said subjective evaluation of each service'"'"'s suitability for a specific consumer is based on certain evaluation criteria by which one or more services are to be evaluated.

12. The method of claim 7, wherein at least some of said consumer profile information and at least some of said service information contain similar types of information, such that at least certain characteristics of said services may be matched to at least certain characteristics of said consumer.