URL rescue by identifying information related to an item referenced in an invalid URL

• US 9,584,580 B2
• Filed: 03/14/2013
• Issued: 02/28/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 06/24/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Inventors: Brundage, Michael L., Williams, Sarah E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Torgrimson, Tyler
• Application Number:
  US13/829,970
• Publication Number:
  US 20130204981A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,447 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9566 URL specific, e.g. using aliases, detecting broken or misspelled links
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]

Abstract

A server system is disclosed that is capable of providing responsive content to a user when a request for an invalid URL is received. In a preferred embodiment, the server system implements multiple rescue strategies for attempting to rescue the invalid URL. One such rescue strategy involves repairing the URL by correcting for encoding errors, such as errors introduced by some web clients. Another rescue strategy involves determining that the URL contains an obsolete or outdated item identifier (e.g., product identifier) that renders the URL invalid, and returning information regarding one or more related items to the user. Another rescue strategy involves mining the invalid URL for one or more text strings reflective of the type of content desired, and then using the one or more text strings to execute a keyword search to identify content to provide to the user. The various rescue strategies may be attempted in sequence according to a hierarchy.

Claims

1. A system capable of rescuing invalid URLs included in URL request messages, the system comprising:

a data repository that stores product relationship data that maps product identifiers of past products to product identifiers of replacement or superseding products; and

a server system comprising one or more computing devices, said server system providing access to an electronic catalog that includes product detail pages that include descriptions of corresponding products available for purchase or rental, said server system programmed to respond to a request from a user device for an invalid URL by a process that comprises;

detecting that the invalid URL is for a product detail page that no longer exists in the electronic catalog, said detecting comprising extracting a product identifier of a first product from the invalid URL, and determining that the first product is no longer available in the electronic catalog;

identifying, based on the data repository of product relationship data that maps product identifiers of past products to product identifiers of replacement or superseding products, a second product that is a substitute or replacement for the first product; and

sending to the user device a product detail page for the second product, said product detail page for the second product including a description of the second product and having a URL that includes a product identifier of the second product.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the server system, in responding to the request for the invalid URL, is additionally programmed to redirect the user device to the URL of the product detail page for the second product.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the server system, in responding to the request for the invalid URL, is additionally programmed to supplement the product detail page for the second product, for transmission to the user device, with a notification of a relationship between the first product and the second product.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the second product supersedes the first product.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the first product is a discontinued product.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the product identifier of the first product is included in the invalid URL as a value portion of a name-value pair.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the server system is programmed to implement a plurality of URL rescue methods, and to attempt the URL rescue methods in sequence according to a prioritized order.

8. A computer-implemented method for rescuing invalid URLs included in URL request messages from user devices, the method comprising:

by a computing system that comprises one or more computing devices;

receiving, from a user device, a URL request message that specifies an invalid URL, the invalid URL corresponding in format to a URL of a product page of an electronic catalog but containing an identifier of a first product that is not available in the electronic catalog, wherein product pages of the electronic catalog describe corresponding products that are available for purchase or rental;

determining that the invalid URL is for a product page that previously existed, but which no longer exists, in the electronic catalog;

in response to the URL request message, identifying, based on a data repository of product relationship data that maps product identifiers of past products to product identifiers of replacement or superseding products, a second product that is a replacement or substitute for the first product, wherein identifying the second product comprises extracting a product identifier of the first product from the invalid URL and using the extracted product identifier to look up a product identifier of the second product; and

transmitting a product page for the second product to the user device at least partly in response to the URL request message, said product page for the second product including a description of the second product and having a URL that includes the product identifier of the second product.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising redirecting the user device to the URL of the product page for the second product.

10. The method of claim 8, further comprising supplementing the product page for the second product, for transmission to the user device, with a notification of a relationship between the first product and the second product.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the second product supersedes the first product.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein the first product is a discontinued product.

13. The method of claim 8, wherein the product identifier of the first product is included in the invalid URL as a value portion of a name-value pair.

14. Non-transitory computer storage having stored thereon executable program code that directs a server system to perform a process that comprises:

determining that a URL request message received from a user device specifies an invalid URL corresponding to a catalog page that no longer exists in an electronic catalog, the invalid URL corresponding in format to a URL of an item page of the electronic catalog but containing an item identifier of an unavailable first item, wherein the electronic catalog includes item pages that describe corresponding items that are available for purchase or rental;

in response to the URL request message, identifying, based on the item identifier of the first item and item relationship data that maps item identifiers of past items to item identifiers of replacement or superseding items, a second item that is a replacement or substitute for the first item; and

transmitting an item page for the second item to the user device at least partly in response to the URL request message, said item page for the second item describing the second item and having a URL that includes an item identifier of the second item.

15. The non-transitory computer storage of claim 14, wherein the process further comprises redirecting the user device to the URL of the item page for the second item.

16. The non-transitory computer storage of claim 14, wherein the process further comprises supplementing the item page for the second item, for transmission to the user device, with a notification of a relationship between the first item and the second item.

17. The non-transitory computer storage of claim 14, wherein the second item supersedes the first item.

18. The non-transitory computer storage of claim 14, wherein the first item is a discontinued item.

19. The non-transitory computer storage of claim 14, wherein the item identifier of the first item is included in the invalid URL as a value portion of a name-value pair.

20. The non-transitory computer storage of claim 14, wherein the process further comprises supplementing the item page for the second item, for transmission to the user device, with messaging reflective of a type of URL rescue strategy used to identify the item page for the second item.

21. The non-transitory computer storage of claim 14, wherein the items include products.

22. The non-transitory computer storage of claim 14, wherein the items include services.

23. The non-transitory computer storage of claim 14, wherein the electronic catalog includes item pages that describe corresponding items that are available for purchase.