Systems, Devices and Methods for Consumer Segmentation

• US 20080167891A1
• Filed: 12/17/2007
• Published: 07/10/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 12/18/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: University of Virginia Patent Foundation (University of Virginia)
• Original Assignee: University of Virginia Patent Foundation (University of Virginia)
• Inventors: Garson, Arthur, Kinzie, Mable B., Cohn, Wendy F., Lyman, Jason A.
• Application Number:
  US11/958,000
• Publication Number:
  US 20080167891A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising

Abstract

The selection and delivery of information to consumers is improved by a method and system for developing consolidated information and consumer classes. Consolidated classes permit direct matching of efficient packages of information to consumers. Consolidated classes also permit the identification and delivery of information to both consumers who actively seek information and consumers who do not actively seek information.

Claims

1. A method for optimizing the selection and delivery of communications comprising the activities of:

identifying a plurality of clusters of factor values possessed by a population;

producing recommendations for factor values;

assigning one or more said recommendations to each of the said clusters based on the factor values of said clusters;

assessing the ability of one or more communications to satisfy said recommendations;

assigning said communications to one or more of said plurality of clusters based on the assessments of said communications to meet the recommendations which were assigned to each cluster;

surveying a consumer with a set of questions which elicit personal factor values of said consumer to obtain said consumer'"'"'s set of personal factor values;

assigning said consumer to one of said plurality of clusters based on said consumer'"'"'s set of personal factor values; and

matching said consumer with the communications which are assigned to the same cluster as said consumer.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said method is a computerized method.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said method is at least partially a computer-assisted method.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the factor values are numerical.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the numerical factor values are scaled to finite ranges of numerical values.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the identification of a plurality of clusters of factor values comprises the activities of:

identifying factors relevant to the knowledge and behavior of a population;

aggregating a plurality of sets of personal factor values belonging to a representative sample of said population; and

identifying a plurality of clusters of the said sets of personal factor values from said aggregation.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the aggregation of a plurality of sets of personal factor values comprises the activities of:

producing a set of questions which elicit a set of personal factor values from a person within a representative sample of said population; and

surveying a plurality of persons within a representative sample of said population with said set of questions to obtain a plurality of sets of personal factor values.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the aggregation of a plurality of sets of personal factor values comprises the activity of obtaining a plurality of sets of personal factor values from data concerning a representative sample of said population.

9. A system for optimizing the selection and delivery of communications comprising:

a device configured to identify a plurality of clusters of factor values possessed by a population;

a decision-maker which produces recommendations for factor values;

a device configured to assign one or more said recommendations to each of said clusters based on the factor values of said clusters;

a decision-maker which assesses the ability of one or more communications to satisfy said recommendations;

a device configured to assign said communications to one or more of said plurality of clusters based on the assessments of said communications to meet the recommendations which were assigned to each cluster;

a device configured to use a set of questions which elicit a set of personal factor values for a consumer to obtain said consumer'"'"'s set of personal factor values;

a device configured to assign said consumer to one of the said plurality of clusters based on said consumer'"'"'s set of personal factor values; and

a device configured to match said consumer with the communications which are assigned to the same cluster as said consumer.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein said system comprises a computer processor.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein the factor values are numerical.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the numerical factor values are scaled to finite ranges of numerical values.

13. The system of claim 9, wherein the device configured to identify a plurality of clusters of factor values comprises:

a decision-maker which identifies factors relevant to the knowledge and behavior of a population;

a device configured to aggregate a plurality of sets of personal factor values belonging to a representative sample of said population; and

a device configured to identify a plurality of clusters of the said sets of personal factor values from the said aggregation.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the device configured to aggregate a plurality of sets of personal factor values comprises:

a decision-maker which produces a set of questions which elicit a set of personal factor values from a person within a representative sample of said population; and

a device configured to use said set of questions to obtain a plurality of sets of personal factor values from a plurality of persons within a representative sample of said population.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein the device configured to aggregate a plurality of sets of personal factor values comprises a device configured to obtain a plurality of sets of personal factor values from data concerning a representative sample of said population.