Method and apparatus for creating a personalized question feed platform

• US 9,904,436 B2
• Filed: 07/19/2013
• Issued: 02/27/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 08/11/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Pearl.com LLC (JustAnswer LLC)
• Original Assignee: Pearl.com LLC (JustAnswer LLC)
• Inventors: Zadeh, Ashkan Gholam, Bierner, Gann
• Primary Examiner(s): Zeender, Ryan
• Assistant Examiner(s): ORTIZ ROMAN, DENISSE Y
• Application Number:
  US13/946,984
• Publication Number:
  US 20130311903A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,684 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0185 Product, service or business identity fraud
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0206 Price or cost determination based on market factors
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0207 Discounts or incentives, e.g. coupons or rebates
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0283 Price estimation or determination
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/12 Accounting
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/493 Interactive information services, e.g. directory enquiries ; Arrangements therefor, e.g. interactive voice response [IVR] systems or voice portals
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/51 Centralised call answering arrangements requiring operator intervention , e.g. call or contact centers for telemarketing

Abstract

Embodiments of the present invention further provide systems and methods for allowing users in an online consultation system to create, edit and follow information feeds related to a subject matter category, topic, person or a combination thereof.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method, comprising:

identifying a plurality of topics and categories from a plurality of sources, the plurality of sources including;

topic and category clusters for use with search engine optimization, and

implicitly extracted topics from historic question data;

scoring the plurality of topics and the plurality of categories;

creating a prefix tree, utilizing the scored plurality of topics and the scored plurality of categories;

receiving a selection of a saved question relevant to an Internet search engine query submitted by a visitor;

identifying and extracting a plurality of implicit topics within the saved question;

displaying the saved question, the plurality of implicit topics, and an explicit topic field to the visitor, utilizing a processor;

receiving from the visitor textual input indicating an explicit topic of interest in the explicit topic field;

setting a pointer to a beginning of the textual input;

setting an allowed category value to a predetermined setting;

identifying a plurality of topic prefixes within the textual input;

selecting a first topic prefix, the first topic prefix having a greatest length from the plurality of topic prefixes;

identifying from within the prefix tree one or more categories containing a match for the first topic prefix;

setting the pointer to the end of the first topic prefix within the textual input;

restricting the allowed category value to the one or more categories containing the match for the first topic prefix;

selecting a second topic prefix, the second topic prefix having a second greatest length from the plurality of topic prefixes;

identifying from within the prefix tree one or more matching topics for the second topic prefix within the one or more categories containing the match for the first topic prefix;

modifying the one or more matching topics by prepending all of the textual input prior to the pointer to each of one or more matching topics; and

displaying to the visitor a content feed consisting of the one or more modified matching topics, where the content feed includes questions previously submitted to the online consultation system that include the plurality of implicit topics as well as the one or more modified matching topics.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

allowing the visitor to modify the content feed by adding or deleting implicit topics of interest and explicit topics of interest.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

allowing the visitor to customize a font size of characters of the content feed, and the height and width of a display window of the content feed in order to display more or less of the content feed.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein an explicit topics of interest suggestion list displayed to the visitor is revised in real-time as the visitor inputs new characters.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

for each new character inputted by the visitor in spelling the explicit topic of interest in the explicit topic field, regenerating the explicit topics of interest suggestion list based on the new character.

6. An apparatus comprising one or more hardware processors for:

identifying a plurality of topics and categories from a plurality of sources, the plurality of sources including;

topic and category clusters for use with search engine optimization, and

implicitly extracted topics from historic question data;

scoring the plurality of topics and the plurality of categories;

creating a prefix tree, utilizing the scored plurality of topics and the scored plurality of categories;

receiving a selection of a saved question relevant to an Internet search engine query submitted by a visitor;

identifying and extracting a plurality of implicit topics within the saved question;

displaying the saved question, the plurality of implicit topics, and an explicit topic field to the visitor;

receiving from the visitor textual input indicating an explicit topic of interest in the explicit topic field;

setting a pointer to a beginning of the textual input;

setting an allowed category value to a predetermined setting;

identifying a plurality of topic prefixes within the textual input;

selecting a first topic prefix, the first topic prefix having a greatest length from the plurality of topic prefixes;

identifying from within the prefix tree one or more categories containing a match for the first topic prefix;

setting the pointer to the end of the first topic prefix within the textual input;

restricting the allowed category value to the one or more categories containing the match for the first topic prefix;

selecting a second topic prefix, the second topic prefix having a second greatest length from the plurality of topic prefixes;

identifying from within the prefix tree one or more matching topics for the second topic prefix within the one or more categories containing the match for the first topic prefix;

modifying the one or more matching topics by prepending all of the textual input prior to the pointer to each of one or more matching topics; and

displaying to the visitor a content feed consisting of the one or more modified matching topics, where the content feed includes questions previously submitted to the online consultation system that include the plurality of implicit topics as well as the one or more modified matching topics.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, further comprising one or more hardware processors for:

for each new character inputted by the visitor in spelling the explicit topic of interest in the explicit topic field, regenerating the explicit topics of interest suggestion list based on the new character.

8. A non-transitory machine-readable storage medium having embodied thereon instructions which when executed by at least one processor, causes a machine to perform operations comprising:

identifying a plurality of topics and categories from a plurality of sources, the plurality of sources including;

topic and category clusters for use with search engine optimization, and

implicitly extracted topics from historic question data;

scoring the plurality of topics and the plurality of categories;

creating a prefix tree, utilizing the scored plurality of topics and the scored plurality of categories;

receiving a selection of a saved question relevant to an Internet search engine query submitted by a visitor;

identifying and extracting a plurality of implicit topics within the saved question;

displaying the saved question, the plurality of implicit topics, and an explicit topic field to the visitor, utilizing a processor;

receiving from the visitor textual input indicating an explicit topic of interest in the explicit topic field;

setting a pointer to a beginning of the textual input;

setting an allowed category value to a predetermined setting;

identifying a plurality of topic prefixes within the textual input;

selecting a first topic prefix, the first topic prefix having a greatest length from the plurality of topic prefixes;

identifying from within the prefix tree one or more categories containing a match for the first topic prefix;

setting the pointer to the end of the first topic prefix within the textual input;

restricting the allowed category value to the one or more categories containing the match for the first topic prefix;

selecting a second topic prefix, the second topic prefix having a second greatest length from the plurality of topic prefixes;

identifying from within the prefix tree one or more matching topics for the second topic prefix within the one or more categories containing the match for the first topic prefix;

modifying the one or more matching topics by prepending all of the textual input prior to the pointer to each of one or more matching topics; and

displaying to the visitor a content feed consisting of the one or more modified matching topics, where the content feed includes questions previously submitted to the online consultation system that include the plurality of implicit topics as well as the one or more modified matching topics.

9. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 8, further having embodied thereon instructions which when executed by the at least one processor, causes the machine to perform operations comprising:

for each new character inputted by the visitor in spelling the explicit topic of interest in the explicit topic field, regenerating the explicit topics of interest suggestion list based on the new character.