Suggested item category systems and methods

• US 8,473,360 B2
• Filed: 09/17/2010
• Issued: 06/25/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 12/22/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: eBay Inc.
• Original Assignee: eBay Inc.
• Inventors: Bolivar, Alvaro
• Primary Examiner(s): ZURITA, JAMES H
• Application Number:
  US12/884,776
• Publication Number:
  US 20110071917A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,012 Days
• Field of Search: 705/26, 705/27, 705/26.1, 705/27.1
• US Class Current: 705/26.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0623 Item investigation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0641 Shopping interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/08 Auctions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/04 Trading; Exchange, e.g. stocks, commodities, derivatives or currency exchange

Abstract

Apparatus, systems, and methods may operate to offer items for sale, wherein at least some of the items for sale have been matched to item categories and/or item attributes. The categories and attributes may be derived from token weights determined in accordance with a ratio of a total number of the items for sale and the number of items for sale that are associated with a common token. Additional activities may include locating some of the items for sale associated with the common token by executing a navigation application. Additional apparatus, methods, and systems are disclosed.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

at least one application server machine having at least one processor and being configured to host a search component to locate items for sale; and

a database component operatively coupled to the search component, the database component including the items for sale, at least some of the items for sale having been matched to item categories or attributes, the item categories or attributes having been derived from at least one token weight, the at least one token weight having been determined in accordance with a ratio of a total number of the items for sale and a number of the items for sale that are associated with a common token.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a web server to receive a request identifying at least one of the items for sale.

3. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

an application program interface server to receive a request identifying at least one of the items for sale.

4. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

at least one category suggestion application, to match a portion of the items for sale to the item categories and/or attributes.

5. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a token weight assignment module to assign the at least one token weight.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the database component her comprises:

a category listing tree that comprises main categories and sub-categories.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the search component comprises:

a search engine component.

8. A method, comprising:

offering, by a server machine having at least one processor, items for sale, at least some, of the items for sale having been matched to item categories or item attributes, the item categories or item attributes having been derived from at least one token weight, the at least one token weight having been determined in accordance with a ratio of a total number of the items for sale and a number of the items tier sale that are associated with a common token; and

locating, by the server machine, at least one of the items for sale associated with the common token by executing a navigation application.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the at least one token weight is determined by calculating a logarithm of the ratio.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the at least one token weight is determined from the number of items for sale having a title that includes the common token.

11. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

ranking a portion of the items for sale using a token sum of corresponding item identifications; and

determining a number of the item categories or the item attributes associated with highest-ranked number of the portion of the items for sale.

12. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

receiving a selection of a sales category included in the item categories, or at least one attribute included in the item attributes.

13. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

matching a portion of the items for sale to the item categories according to a seller site identity.

14. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

conducting an on-line auction of at east a portion of the items for sale within a network-based commerce system.

15. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

displaying at least some of the item categories or item attributes; and

receiving seller selections of displayed ones of the item categories or the item attributes.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the displayed ones are ranked in histogram format.

17. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

ranking the displayed ones prior to publishing the displayed ones to a display.

18. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having instructions stored thereon which, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to perform operations comprising:

offering items for sale, at least some of the items for sale having been matched to item categories or item attributes, the item categories or attributes having been derived from at least one token weight, the at least one token weight having been determined in accordance with a ratio of a total number of the items for sale and a number of the items for sale that are associated with a common token; and

locating at least one of the items for sale by executing a navigation application.

19. The medium of claim 18, wherein the instructions, when executed by the computer, cause the computer to perform:

publishing at least some of a plurality of the item categories or the item attributes in a ranked histogram format.

20. The medium of claim 18, further comprising:

receiving a selection of matching ones of the item categories or the item attributes from a network interface.