SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR DYNAMICALLY GENERATING AND MANAGING AN ONLINE CONTEXT-DRIVEN INTERACTIVE SOCIAL NETWORK

• US 20080189621A1
• Filed: 04/07/2008
• Published: 08/07/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 11/03/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: OneRiot, Inc. (WalMart Inc.)
• Original Assignee: OneRiot, Inc. (WalMart Inc.)
• Inventors: Newcomb, Peter, Reich, Robert
• Application Number:
  US12/098,772
• Publication Number:
  US 20080189621A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/751
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising

Abstract

A system and method for calculating recommendations for a user is described. One embodiment includes a method for identifying users that are performing actions related to actions performed by a primary user, the method comprising: identifying an action performed by the primary user; identifying secondary users who performed the action; identifying actions performed by the secondary users; selecting a relevant action included in the identified actions performed the secondary users; identifying at least one secondary user that recently performed the selected relevant action; identify the action currently being performed by the identified secondary user; and providing a recommendation to user, the recommendation including an indication of the identified secondary user and the identified action.

Claims

1. A method for identifying secondary users that are performing Web-navigational actions related to Web-navigational actions performed by a primary user, the method comprising:

identifying at least one Web-navigational primary-user action, wherein the at least one primary-user action has been performed by the primary user;

identifying a plurality of secondary-user actions, wherein the plurality of Web-navigational secondary-user actions are Web-navigational actions performed by at least one of the secondary users in conjunction with the at least one of the Web-navigational primary-user actions that is also performed by at least one of the secondary users;

identifying a plurality of secondary users that have performed at least one of the identified plurality of Web-navigational secondary-user actions;

collecting explicit Web-navigational actions performed by the secondary user;

collecting implicit Web-navigational actions performed by the secondary user;

calculating correlations between the explicit Web-navigational actions and the implicit Web-navigational actions;

wherein identifying the plurality of secondary-user Web-navigational actions comprises identifying the plurality of Web-navigational secondary-user actions based on the calculated correlations;

providing a recommendation to the primary user, the recommendation including an identification of at least one of the plurality of secondary users; and

thereby enabling the primary user and the identified at least one of the plurality of secondary users to participate in an on-line community associated with the at least one primary-user action or at least on of the plurality of secondary-user actions.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining at least one Web-navigational action performed by the at least one of the plurality of secondary users;

wherein the recommendation further includes an indication of the determined at least one action.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

collecting Web-navigational actions performed by the secondary users; and

calculating correlations between the collected Web-navigational actions;

wherein identifying the plurality of Web-navigational secondary-user actions comprises identifying the plurality of Web-navigational secondary-user actions based on the calculated correlations.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the collected Web-navigational actions comprise an earlier Web-navigational action and a later Web-navigational action and wherein calculating correlations between the collected Web-navigational actions comprises:

determining the importance of the earlier Web-navigational action;

determining the importance of the later Web-navigational action; and

calculating the correlation between the earlier Web-navigational action and the later Web-navigational action based on the determined importance of the earlier Web-navigational action and the determined importance of the later Web-navigational action.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the collected explicit Web-navigational action comprises an earlier explicit Web-navigational action and wherein the collected implicit Web-navigational action comprises a later implicit Web-navigational action and wherein calculating correlations comprises:

determining the importance of the earlier explicit Web-navigational action;

determining the importance of the later implicit Web-navigational action; and

calculating the correlation between the earlier explicit Web-navigational action and the later implicit Web-navigational action based on the determined importance of the earlier explicit Web-navigational action and the determined importance of the later implicit Web-navigational action.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining the recency with which each of the plurality of secondary users performed the identified plurality of Web-navigational secondary-user actions; and

selecting the at least one of the plurality of Web-navigational secondary users for the recommendation based on the determined recency.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining the frequency with which each of the plurality of secondary users performed the identified plurality of Web-navigational secondary-user actions; and

selecting the at least one of the plurality of secondary users for the recommendation based on the determined frequency.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one Web-navigational primary-user action comprises at least one of an explicit Web-navigational action and an implicit Web-navigational action corresponding to the explicit action.

9. A system for identifying secondary users that are performing actions related to actions performed by a primary user, the system comprising:

a computer system;

a storage device in communication with the computer system;

a plurality of instructions stored on the storage device, the plurality of instructions configured to cause the computer system to;

identify at least one primary-user action, wherein the at least one primary-user action has been performed by the primary user;

collecting explicit actions performed by the secondary user;

collecting implicit actions performed by the secondary user;

calculating correlations between the explicit actions and the implicit actions;

identify a plurality of secondary-user actions, wherein the plurality of secondary-user actions are actions performed by at least one of the secondary users in conjunction with the at least one of the primary-user and wherein identifying the plurality of secondary-user actions comprises identifying the plurality of secondary-user actions based on the calculated correlations;

identify a plurality of secondary users that have performed at least one of the identified plurality of secondary-user actions;

collect explicit Web-navigational actions performed by the secondary user;

collect implicit Web-navigational actions performed by the secondary user;

calculate correlations between the explicit Web-navigational actions and the implicit Web-navigational actions;

wherein identifying the plurality of secondary-user Web-navigational actions comprises identifying the plurality of Web-navigational secondary-user actions based on the calculated correlations;

provide a recommendation to the primary user, the recommendation including an identification of at least one of the plurality of secondary users;

thereby enabling the primary user and the identified at least on of the plurality of secondary users to participate in an on-line community associated with the at least one primary-user action or at least one of the plurality of secondary user actions;

wherein identifying the plurality of secondary-user actions comprises identifying the plurality of secondary-user actions based on the calculated correlations.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the instructions are further configured to:

determine at least one action performed by the at least one of the plurality of secondary users;

wherein the recommendation further includes an indication of the determined action.

11. A method for identifying secondary users that are performing Web-navigational actions related to Web-navigational actions performed by a primary user, the method comprising:

identifying at least one Web-navigational primary-user action, wherein the at least one primary-user action has been performed by the primary user;

identifying a plurality of secondary-user actions, wherein the plurality of Web-navigational secondary-user actions are Web-navigational actions performed by at least one of the secondary users in conjunction with the at least one of the Web-navigational primary-user actions that is also performed by at least one of the secondary users;

identifying a plurality of secondary users that have performed at least one of the identified plurality of Web-navigational secondary-user actions;

determining the recency with which each of the plurality of secondary users performed the identified plurality of Web-navigational secondary-user actions;

selecting at least one of the plurality of Web-navigational secondary users for a recommendation based on the determined recency;

providing the recommendation to the primary user, the recommendation including an identification of at least one of the plurality of secondary users; and

thereby enabling the primary user and the identified at least one of the plurality of secondary users to participate in an on-line community associated with the at least one primary-user action or at least on of the plurality of secondary-user actions.