Enabling a recommendation system to provide user-to-user recommendations

• US 20030149612A1
• Filed: 10/29/2002
• Published: 08/07/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 10/31/2001
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Stamm-Wilbrandt, Hermann, Gendner, Lars, Berghofer, Frank, Tsakonas, Michael
• Application Number:
  US10/282,778
• Publication Number:
  US 20030149612A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/10
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0201 Market modelling; Market analysis; Collecting market data

Abstract

A computerized method and corresponding means for rating an item within a recommendation system. In a recommendation scheme, each of a multitude of users U and each of a multitude of items I is included in a profile P(U,I) that comprises ratings. Based on the similarity between a given user and the multitude of users in terms of the ratings, a subset of users is selected who have interest similar to those of the given user.

Claims

1. A computerized method for recommending to a first user a set of recommended users, said method exploiting a recommendation scheme wherein for each of a pluralty of users U and for each of a multitude of items I a profile P(U,I) comprises at least a rating value, and said recommendation scheme comprising for each of said users U also a user-valued item I_U, each profile P(U,I_U) corresponding to a user U and its corresponding user-valued item I_U having a predefined rating value S, said method comprising the steps of:

determining from said recommendation scheme a subset of said pluralty of users as neighboring users N of said first user based on similarity between said first user and said plurality of users in terms of said ratings;

determining from said recommendation scheme as recommended items at least one item based on the similarity with said neighboring users N and based on the rating of the items of said neighboring users N; and

recommending user-valued items included in said recommended items as said recommended users.

2. The computerized method for recommending according to claim 1, wherein said recommendation scheme includes, for each object which can be rated by said users, an item.

3. The computerized method for recommending according to claim 1, wherein

said recommendation scheme includes, for each object which can be rated by said multitude of users, an item-valued user U_I, said item-valued user reflecting said object as a user within said multitude of users U;

and

said recommendation scheme includes a rating of at least a user U for an object, said object being reflected as item-valued user U_I, and said rating being included within a profile P(U_I,I_U), said profile corresponding to said item-valued user U_I and to said user-valued item I_U of said user U.

4. The computerized method for recommending according to claim 3, wherein said recommendation scheme includes a rating of at least a second user U2 of a third user U3 within a profile P(U2,I_U3), said profile corresponding to said second user U2 and a user-valued item I_U3 corresponding to said third user U3.

5. A data processing program for execution in a data processing system comprising software code portions for performing a method according to claim 1 when said program is run on said computer.

6. A computer program product stored on a computer usable medium, comprising computer readable program means for causing a computer to perform a method according to claim 1 when said program is run on said computer.