Method for providing information and recommendations based on user activity

• US 8,452,653 B1
• Filed: 06/30/2003
• Issued: 05/28/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Personal Data Network Corporation
• Original Assignee: Personal Data Network Corporation
• Inventors: Gottfurcht, Elliot A., Gottfurcht, Grant E., Dunn, Shawn C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Alvarez, Raquel
• Application Number:
  US10/611,097
• Time in Patent Office: 3,620 Days
• Field of Search: 705/14.23, 705/14.25, 705/14.36, 705/14.38, 705/14.49, 705/14.51, 705/14.53, 705/14.66, 705/14.67
• US Class Current: 705/14.25
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/435 Filtering based on additional data, e.g. user or group profiles
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/105 involving programming of a portable memory device, e.g. IC cards, "electronic purses"
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3576 Multiple memory zones on card
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0224 based on user history
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0631 Item recommendations
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 10/60 for patient-specific data, e.g. for electronic patient records
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 20/10 relating to drugs or medications, e.g. for ensuring correct administration to patients
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 20/30 relating to physical therapies or activities, e.g. physiotherapy, acupressure or exercising
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 20/60 relating to nutrition control, e.g. diets
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 70/40 relating to drugs, e.g. their side effects or intended usage

Abstract

A method for providing recommendations to a user based on user activity. A plurality of activity data tracking a plurality of activities of a user is obtained. The activity data may be obtained over a wide area network such as the internet or downloaded from a data card which stores activity data whenever the user participates in an activity. The activity data is either stored on the data card or transmitted over the network whenever the user uses a card when participating in any activity such as when making a purchase of goods, paying for services, watching television, etc. The activity data is processed to identify a plurality of user patterns. The user patterns are used to form a user profile and may include user habit data. Recommendations specific to the user based on the user patterns are then created for and provided to the user. The recommendations are provided to a user when the user logs onto a computer network such as the internet. The recommendations may also be provided by electronic mail, electronic pager or other methods. The recommendations are provided by various data analysis techniques including rule based inference engines and other forms of artificial intelligence.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

recording activity data by a portable user device on a transportable recordable medium (TRM) coupled to the user device, the recording being in response to user participation in an activity;

transferring the activity data by the user device to a profiler across a network, the profiler storing a user controlled profile including the activity data;

displaying the activity data and user selectable options for the user controlled profile through the user device; and

initiating a monetary transaction through the user device based on one of the plurality of recommendations; and

receiving a plurality of recommendations for a user at the user device inferred from the activity data by a user selected profiling program.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

sliding the TRM through a TRM reader when paying for goods, services, and entertainment.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein transferring comprises:

transferring the activity data over the network to the profiler responsive to sliding.

4. The method of claim 2 further comprising:

recording the activity data on the TRM via a TRM reader/writer when paying for goods, services, and entertainment.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein transferring comprises:

transferring the activity data from a TRM over the network to the profiler via a personal computing device.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the personal computing device is a cellular phone.

7. The method of claim 4 further comprising:

recording the activity data on the TRM via a TRM reader/writer when watching television, paying for transportation, placing telephone calls, and driving a vehicle.

8. The method of claim 2 further comprising:

sliding the TRM through a TRM reader when doing at least one of the following;

watching television, paying for transportation, placing telephone calls, or driving a vehicle.

9. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

invoking a monetary transaction;

presenting the TRM when a payment is requested;

authenticating access rights to the TRM;

selecting an account derived from a financial data on the TRM; and

consenting to the monetary transaction.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein selecting the account comprises:

choosing among accounts from at least two different financial entities.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein authenticating comprises:

entering a personal identification number (PIN) into the user device.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein the user controlled profile has security and access settings controlled by a user.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the activity data is a universal product code (UPC).

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of recommendations include alternate locations for purchasing an item.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

displaying alternate locations that are geographically relevant to a user.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the alternate locations are determined based on user preferences.

17. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving the activity data through scanning of a bar code.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of recommendations include a comparison of prices for an item at local stores.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of recommendations include a price for an item at an on-line store.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

providing an interface to initiate purchase of the item through the user device.

21. The method of claim 1, wherein the activity data is transferred to the profiler to generate a web query.

22. The method of claim 1 wherein the activity data is recorded on the TRM by the user device, and wherein the plurality of recommendations are displayed by the user device.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the user device is any one of a cellular telephone, a portable computer, an electronic personal organizer, desktop computer or dedicated Internet device.

24. The method of claim 1, wherein the user selected profiling program is any one of a bot, an inference engine or a neural network.

25. A computer-readable medium having instructions stored therein, which when executed cause a computer to perform a set of operations comprising:

recording activity data by a portable user device on a transportable recordable medium (TRM) coupled to the user device, the recording being in response to user participation in an activity;

transferring the activity data at the user device to a profiler across a network, the profiler storing a user controlled profile including the activity data;

displaying the activity data and user selectable options for the user controlled profile through the user device; and

initiating a monetary transaction through the user device based on one of the plurality of recommendations; and

receiving a plurality of recommendations by the user device inferred from the activity data by a user selected profiling program.

26. The computer-readable medium of claim 25 further comprising:

sliding the TRM through a TRM reader when paying for goods, services, and entertainment.

27. The computer-readable medium of claim 26 wherein transferring comprises:

transferring the activity data over the network to the profiler responsive to sliding.

28. The computer-readable medium of claim 26 having further instructions stored therein which when executed cause the computer to perform a further set of operations comprising:

recording the activity data on the TRM via a TRM reader/writer when paying for goods, services, and entertainment.

29. The computer-readable medium of claim 28 wherein transferring comprises:

transferring the activity data from a TRM over the network to the profiler via a personal computing device.

30. The computer-readable medium of claim 29, wherein the personal computing device is a cellular phone.

31. The computer-readable medium of claim 28 having further instructions stored therein which when executed cause the computer to perform a further set of operations comprising:

recording the activity data on the TRM via a TRM reader/writer when watching television, paying for transportation, placing telephone calls, and driving a vehicle.

32. The computer-readable medium of claim 26 having further instructions stored therein which when executed cause the computer to perform a further set of operations comprising:

sliding the TRM through a TRM reader when doing at least one of the following;

watching television, paying for transportation, placing telephone calls, or driving a vehicle.

33. The computer-readable medium of claim 25 having further instructions stored therein which when executed cause the computer to perform a further set of operations comprising:

invoking a monetary transaction;

presenting the TRM when a payment is requested;

authenticating access rights to the TRM;

selecting an account derived from a financial data on the TRM; and

consenting to the monetary transaction.

34. The computer-readable medium of claim 33 wherein selecting the account comprises:

choosing among accounts from at least two different financial entities.

35. The computer-readable medium of claim 34 wherein authenticating comprises:

entering a personal identification number (PIN) into the user device.

36. The computer-readable medium of claim 33, wherein the user controlled profile has security and access settings controlled by a user.

37. The computer-readable medium of claim 25, wherein the activity data is a universal product code (UPC).

38. The computer-readable medium of claim 25, wherein the plurality of recommendations include alternate locations for purchasing an item.

39. The computer-readable medium of claim 38, having further instructions stored therein which when executed cause the computer to perform a further set of operations comprising:

displaying alternate locations that are geographically relevant to a user.

40. The computer-readable medium of claim 38, wherein the alternate locations are determined based on user preferences.

41. The computer-readable medium of claim 25, having further instructions stored therein which when executed cause the computer to perform a further set of operations comprising:

receiving the activity data through scanning of a bar code.

42. The computer-readable medium of claim 25, wherein the plurality of recommendations include a comparison of prices for an item at local stores.

43. The computer-readable medium of claim 25, wherein the plurality of recommendations include a price for an item at an on-line store.

44. The computer-readable medium of claim 43, having further instructions stored therein which when executed cause the computer to perform a further set of operations comprising:

providing an interface to initiate purchase of the item through the user device.

45. The computer-readable medium of claim 25, wherein the activity data is transferred to the profiler to generate a web query.

46. The computer-readable medium of claim 25, wherein activity data is recorded on the TRM by the user device, and wherein the plurality of recommendations are displayed by the user device.

47. The computer-readable medium of claim 46, wherein the user device is any one of a cellular telephone, a portable computer, an electronic personal organizer, desktop computer or dedicated Internet device.

48. The computer-readable medium of claim 25, wherein the user selected profiling program is any one of a bot, an inference engine or a neural network.