System and method for retrieving and normalizing product information

• US 9,613,373 B2
• Filed: 06/29/2016
• Issued: 04/04/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 12/07/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: PayPal, Inc. (PayPal Holdings, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: PayPal, Inc. (PayPal Holdings, Inc.)
• Inventors: Robinette, IV, Fred Garfield, Clendinning, Kerry, McCartney, Michael, Mengerink, Matthew, Wilson, David J.
• Primary Examiner(s): AL HASHEMI, SANA A
• Application Number:
  US15/196,398
• Publication Number:
  US 20160328777A1
• Time in Patent Office: 279 Days
• Field of Search: 707607, 707609, 707687, 707705, 707790, 707813, 707821
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/211 Schema design and management
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2282 Tablespace storage structures; Management thereof
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/283 Multi-dimensional databases or data warehouses, e.g. MOLAP or ROLAP
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/284 Relational databases
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/83 Querying
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/95 Retrieval from the web
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0629 for generating comparisons
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0631 Item recommendations
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0641 Shopping interfaces

Abstract

Systems and a method for retrieving and normalizing product information are described. The system identifies a threshold overlap value defining a value of attribute overlap that triggers a merging of item records. The system accesses a first item record and a second item record stored in a network database, the first item record and the second item record each comprising one or more attributes. The system identifies at least one attribute that is common in both the first item record and the second item record. Finally, the system merges the first item record and second item record into a single item record in response to a level of the at least one attribute identified as being common transgressing the threshold overlap value.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

one or more processors and executable instructions accessible on a computer-readable medium that, when executed, cause the one or more processors to perform operations comprising;

identifying a threshold overlap value defining a value of attribute overlap that triggers a merging of item records;

accessing a first item record and a second item record stored in a network database, the first item record and the second item record each comprising one or more attributes;

identifying at least one attribute that is common in both the first item record and the second item record; and

merging the first item record and second item record into a single item record in response to a level of the at least one attribute identified as being common transgressing the threshold overlap value.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the network database is configured to store identifiers for items of each item record, the identifiers selected from a group consisting of a model number, a part number, and a stock keeping number.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the network database is configured to store information about attributes of an item of each item record.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the database is configured to be utilized in assigning a universal stock keeping number to each item of each item record.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the network database is contained in a server coupled to a distributed network.

14. The system of claim 4, wherein the network database comprises a relational database, relationships between the identifiers for the products being stored as a tuple.

15. The system of claim 7, wherein the distributed network is the Internet.

20. The system of claim 14, wherein the network database is controlled by Structured English Query Language.

2. A method comprising:

identifying a threshold overlap value defining a value of attribute overlap that triggers a merging of item records;

accessing a first item record and a second item record stored in a network database, the first item record and the second item record each comprising one or more attributes;

identifying at least one attribute that is common in both the first item record and the second item record; and

merging the first item record and second item record into a single item record in response to a level of the at least one attribute identified as being common transgressing the threshold overlap value.

8. The method of claim 2, further comprising storing an identifier for an item associated with the single item record, the identifier selected from a group consisting of a model number, a part number, and a stock keeping number.

9. The method of claim 2, further comprising storing information about attributes of the item associated with the single item record.

10. The method of claim 2, further comprising assigning a universal stock keeping number to the item associated with the single item record.

16. The method of claim 8, further comprising storing as a tuple, in the network database, a relationship between the identifier for the item associated with the single item record and an identifier for a different item.

17. The method of claim 9, further comprising transmitting the information to a third-party server, wherein the transmitted information contains the identifier.

3. A non-transitory machine-readable storage medium having embodied thereon instructions executable by one or more processors of a machine that cause the machine to perform operations comprising:

identifying a threshold overlap value defining a value of attribute overlap that triggers a merging of item records;

accessing a first item record and a second item record stored in a network database, the first item record and the second item record each comprising one or more attributes;

identifying at least one attribute that is common in both the first item record and the second item record; and

merging the first item record and second item record into a single item record in response to a level of the at least one attribute identified as being common transgressing the threshold overlap value.

11. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 3, further comprising storing an identifier for an item associated with the single item record, the identifier selected from a group consisting of a model number, a part number, and a stock keeping number.

12. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 3, further comprising storing information about attributes of the item associated with the single item record.

13. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 3, further comprising assigning a universal stock keeping number to the item associated with the single item record.

18. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 11, further comprising storing as a tuple, in the network database, a relationship between the identifier for the item associated with the single item record and an identifier for a different item.

19. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 12, further comprising transmitting the information to a third-party server, wherein the transmitted information contains the identifier.