Inferring user preferences from an internet based social interactive construct

• US 9,754,308 B2
• Filed: 05/09/2016
• Issued: 09/05/2017
• 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:
  US15/149,549
• Publication Number:
  US 20160253738A1
• Time in Patent Office: 484 Days
• Field of Search: 706 11
• 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 internet 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 system comprising:

one or more hardware processors in networked communication with a social network and a location service; and

a recommendation module, executable by the one or more hardware processors, configured to perform operations comprising;

receiving social graph information from the social network, the social graph information including a first user in a first-degree connection with a second user;

requesting location behavior information of the second user from the location service, the location behavior information identifies that the second user is in proximity with one or more of a product and a service;

identifying a preference of the second user based on the location behavior information, the preference is for the one or more of the product and the service; and

providing a recommendation for the one or more of the product and the service based on the identifying.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the recommendation module is further configured to generate a user preference profile for the first user, the user preference profile including the identified preference of the second user.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the identified preference of the second user includes at least one of personal information and topical information related to interactions of the one or more users.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the recommendation module is further configured to perform operations comprising targeting advertising to the first user based on the identified preference of the second user.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the identified preference of the second user is used to share reviews with the first user.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the identified preference of the second user is used to aid in ranking search results for the first user.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the location behavior information further includes time information associated with the proximity of the second user to the one or more of the product and service.

8. A computer-implemented comprising:

receiving, by one or more hardware processors in networked communication with a social network and a location service, social graph information from the social network, the social graph information including a first user in a first-degree connection with a second user;

requesting, by the one or more hardware processors, location behavior information of the second user from the location service, the location behavior information identifies that the second user is in proximity with one or more of a product and a service;

identifying, by the one or more hardware processors, a preference of the second user based on the location behavior information, the preference is for the one or more of the product and the service; and

providing, by the one or more hardware processors, a recommendation for the one or more of the product and the service based on the identifying.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising generating a user preference profile for the first user, the user preference profile including the identified preference of the second user.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the identified preference of the second user includes at least one of personal information and topical information related to interactions of the one or more users.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the recommendation module is further configured to perform operations comprising advertising to the first user based on the identified preference of the second user.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein the identified preference of the second user is used to share reviews with the first user.

13. The method of claim 8, wherein the identified preference of the second user is used to aid in ranking search results for the first user.

14. The method of claim 8, wherein the location behavior information further includes time information associated with the proximity of the second user to the one or more of the product and service.

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:

receiving, by the machine in networked communication with a social network and a location service, social graph information from the social network, the social graph information including a first user in a first-degree connection with a second user;

requesting location behavior information of the second user from the location service, the location behavior information identifies that the second user is in proximity with one or more of a product and a service;

identifying a preference of the second user based on the location behavior information, the preference is for the one or more of the product and the service; and

providing a recommendation for the one or more of the product and the service based on the identifying.

16. The storage medium of claim 15, wherein the instructions further cause the machine to perform operations comprising generating a user preference profile for the first user, the user preference profile including the identified preference of the second user.

17. The storage medium of claim 15, wherein the identified preference of the second user includes at least one of personal information and topical information related to interactions of the one or more users.

18. The storage medium of claim 15, wherein the recommendation module is further configured to perform operations comprising targeting advertising to the first user based on the identified preference of the second user.

19. The storage medium of claim 15, wherein the preference of the second user is used to share reviews with the first user.

20. The storage medium of claim 15, wherein the location behavior information further includes time information associated with the proximity of the second user to the one or more of the product and service.