System to generate an aggregate interest indication with respect to an information item

• US 8,706,567 B2
• Filed: 04/30/2009
• Issued: 04/22/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/04/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: PayPal, Inc. (PayPal Holdings, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: eBay Inc.
• Inventors: Nash, Adam
• Primary Examiner(s): Rosen, Nicholas D
• Application Number:
  US12/433,602
• Publication Number:
  US 20090282026A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,818 Days
• Field of Search: 705/26.8, 705/500, 705/26.62
• US Class Current: 705/26.8
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/00 Commerce
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0617 Representative agent
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0625 Directed, with specific intent or strategy
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0633 Lists, e.g. purchase orders, compilation or processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0641 Shopping interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/02 Banking, e.g. interest calculation or account maintenance credit or loans G06Q40/03
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 99/00 Subject matter not provided for in other groups of this subclass

Abstract

A method is provided to publish a list of top ranked listings. The method may include configuring a database to store a plurality of listings published over a network. An interest indication may be received from a user for a listing in the plurality of listings. An interest indication data structure may be created and stored that associates the user with the listing. Also, the top ranked listings may be identified from the plurality of listings based on the number of stored interest indication data structures for each listing. Further, the list of the top ranked listings may be published.

Claims

1. A computer system including:

a processor;

a database configured to store a plurality of listings published over a network;

a machine-readable medium with instructions stored thereon which when executed by the processor cause the computer system to;

receive an interest indication from a user for a listing in the plurality of listings, the interest indication flagging the listing to monitor the listing for subsequent activity;

create and store an interest indication data structure indicating the user has flagged the listing to monitor the listing for subsequent activity and associate the interest indication data structure with the listing;

generate a ranking for the listing based on the number of stored interest indication data structures associated with monitoring the listing for subsequent activity;

identify top ranked listings from the plurality of listings based on one or more stored interest indication data structures associated with monitoring listings for subsequent activity; and

publish a list of the top ranked listings.

2. The computer system of claim 1, wherein executing the instructions by the processor causes the computer system to:

perform a count of interest indication data structures with respect to a number of listings published over the network.

3. The computer system of claim 2, wherein executing the instructions by the processor causes the computer system to:

store an interest indication value for each listing, wherein the interest indication value is derived from the count of interest indication data structures for a listing.

4. The computer system of claim 3, wherein identifying top ranked listing from the plurality of listings based on one more interest indication structures includes:

ranking the plurality of listings based on the stored indication value for each of the plurality of listings.

5. A computer system including:

a processor;

a database configured to store a plurality of listings published over a network;

a machine-readable medium with instructions stored thereon which when executed by the processor cause the computer system to;

receive an interest indication from a user for a listing in the plurality of listings, the interest indication flagging the listing to monitor the listing for subsequent activity;

create and store an interest indication data structure indicating the user has flagged the listing to monitor the listing for subsequent activity and associate the interest indication data structure with the listing;

create a ranking for the listing based on the number of stored interest indication data structures associated with monitoring the listing for subsequent activity;

receive a search request including interest indication criteria associated with listings monitored for subsequent activity;

identify one or more listings that satisfy the interest indication criteria; and

publish a list of the one or more listings.

6. The computer system of claim 5, wherein executing the instructions by the processor causes the computer system to:

perform a count of interest indication data structures with respect to a number of listings published over the network.

7. The computer system of claim 6, wherein executing the instructions by the processor causes the computer system to:

store an interest indication value for each listing, wherein the interest indication value is derived from the count of interest indication data structures for a listing.

8. The computer system of claim 7, wherein the interest indication criterion includes a threshold interest indication value.

9. The computer system of claim 5, wherein the search request includes additional criteria, the additional criteria including a category of listing.

10. The computer system of claim 5, wherein the search request includes additional criteria, the additional criteria including a price threshold.

11. A computer-implemented method, the method including:

configuring, using at least one computing system, a database to store a plurality of listings published over a network;

receiving, using the least one computing system, an interest indication from a user for a listing in the plurality of listings, the interest indication flagging the listing to monitor the listing for subsequent activity;

creating and storing, using the at least one computing system, an interest indication data structure indicating the user has flagged the listing to monitor the listing for subsequent activity and associating the interest indication data structure with the listing;

generating a ranking for the listing based on the number of stored interest indication data structures associated with monitoring the listing for subsequent activity;

identifying, using the at least one computing system, top ranked listings from the plurality of listings based on the number of stored interest indication data structures for each listing associated with monitoring each listing for subsequent activity; and

publishing, using the at least one computing system, a list of the top ranked listings.

12. The computer-implemented method of claim 11, further including:

performing a count of interest indication data structures with respect to a number of listings published over the network.

13. The computer-implemented method of claim 12, further including:

storing an interest indication value for each listing, wherein the interest indication value is derived from the count of interest indication data structures for a listing.

14. The computer-implemented method of claim 11, wherein creating and storing an interest indication data structure associating the user and the listing includes:

storing the interest indication data structure in a relational database.

15. The computer-implemented method of claim 11, wherein identifying top ranked listing from the plurality of listings based on the number of stored interest indication data structures for each listing includes:

identifying active listings published over the network within a specified time period.

16. The computer-implemented method of claim 15, further including:

creating a hash-map for a category of listing.

17. The computer-implemented method of claim 16, further including:

filtering the top ranked listings based on the category of listing to identify top ranked listings for the category; and

adding the top ranked listing for the category to the hash-map.

18. A non-transitory machine-readable medium embodying instructions which, when executed by a machine, cause the machine to execute a method including:

configuring a database to store a plurality of listings published over a network;

receiving an interest indication from a user for a listing in the plurality of listings, the interest indication flagging the listing to monitor the listing for subsequent activity;

creating and storing an interest indication data structure indicating the user has flagged the listing to monitor the listing for subsequent activity and associating the interest indication data structure with the listing;

generating a ranking for the listing based on the number of stored interest indication data structures associated with monitoring the listing for subsequent activity;

identifying top ranked listings from the plurality of listings based on the number of stored interest indication data structures for each listing associated with monitoring each listing for subsequent activity; and

publishing a list of the top ranked listings.

19. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 18, where the method which the machine is caused to executes includes:

performing a count of interest indication data structures with respect to a number of listings published over the network.

20. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 18, where the method which the machine is caused to executes includes:

storing an interest indication value for each listing, wherein the interest indication value is derived from the count of interest indication data structures for a listing.