Inferring user preferences from an internet based social interactive construct

• US 9,251,471 B2
• Filed: 01/15/2015
• Issued: 02/02/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 11/02/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: eBay Inc.
• Original Assignee: eBay Inc.
• Inventors: Pinckney, Thomas, Dixon, Christopher, Gattis, Matthew Ryan
• Primary Examiner(s): Holmes, Michael B
• Application Number:
  US14/598,153
• Publication Number:
  US 20150127587A1
• Time in Patent Office: 383 Days
• Field of Search: 706/11
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06N 20/00 Machine learning
• CPC Class Codes: G06N 5/04 Inference or reasoning models
• CPC Class Codes: G06N 5/048 Fuzzy inferencing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0631 Item recommendations
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking

Abstract

In embodiments of the present invention improved capabilities are described for a computer program product embodied in a computer readable medium that, when executing on one or more computers, helps determine an unknown user'"'"'s preferences through the use of internet based social interactive graphical representations on a computer facility by performing the steps of (1) ascertaining preferences of a plurality of users who are part of an internet based social interactive construct, wherein the plurality of users become a plurality of known users; (2) determining the internet based social interactive graphical representation for the plurality of known users; and (3) inferring the preferences of an unknown user present in the interact based social interactive graphical representation of the plurality of known users based on the interrelationships between the unknown user and the plurality of known users within the graphical representation.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

identifying preferences of a plurality of followers of a first user on an online social network;

identifying preferences of a particular user;

comparing the preferences of the particular user and the preferences of the followers;

determining, using one or more hardware processors, that the particular user is similar to the followers, based on a correspondence between the preferences of the particular user and the preferences of followers; and

prompting the particular user to follow the first user via the online social network.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

notifying the particular user that the followers of the first user are similar to the particular user.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the particular user is a new user of the online social network.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the preferences of the particular user are identified based on search result selections of the first user.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the preferences of the particular user are identified by analyzing user actions of the particular user on the online social network.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the preferences of the particular user are identified by crawling, from a third party website, information describing the preferences of the particular user.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the preferences of the particular user are identified from online sources indicating location-based behavior of the particular user.

8. A system comprising:

a computer facility, comprising one or more hardware processors, configured to;

identify preferences of a plurality of followers of a first user on an online social network;

identify preferences of a particular user;

compare the preferences of the particular user and the preferences of the followers;

determine that the particular user is similar to the followers, based on a correspondence between the preferences of the particular user and the preferences of followers; and

prompt the particular user to follow the first user via the online social network.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the computer facility is further configured to:

notify the particular user that the followers of the first user are similar to the particular user.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein the particular user is a new user of the online social network.

11. The system of claim 8, wherein the preferences of the particular user are identified based on search result selections of the first user.

12. The system of claim 8, wherein the preferences of the particular user are identified by analyzing user actions of the particular user on the online social network.

13. The system of claim 8, wherein the preferences of the particular user are identified by crawling, from a third party website, information describing the preferences of the particular user.

14. The system of claim 8, wherein the preferences of the particular user are identified from online sources indicating location-based behavior of the particular user.

15. A non-transitory machine-readable storage medium comprising instructions that, when executed by one or more processors of a machine, cause the machine to perform operations comprising:

identifying preferences of a plurality of followers of a first user on an online social network;

identifying preferences of a particular user;

comparing the preferences of the particular user and the preferences of the followers;

determining that the particular user is similar to the followers, based on a correspondence between the preferences of the particular user and the preferences of followers; and

prompting the particular user to follow the first user via the online social network.

16. The storage medium of claim 15, wherein the operations further comprise:

notifying the particular user that the followers of the first user are similar to the particular user.

17. The storage medium of claim 15, wherein the particular user is a new user of the online social network.

18. The storage medium of claim 15, wherein the preferences of the particular user are identified based on search result selections of the first user.

19. The storage medium of claim 15, wherein the preferences of the particular user are identified by analyzing user actions of the particular user on the online social network.

20. The storage medium of claim 15, wherein the preferences of the particular user are identified by crawling, from a third party website, information describing the preferences of the particular user.