Method and system for determining an internet user's interest level

• US 7,287,064 B1
• Filed: 11/20/2001
• Issued: 10/23/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 11/20/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Sprint Spectrum LP (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Original Assignee: Sprint Spectrum LP (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Inventors: Haldar, Debashis, McConnell, Von K.
• Primary Examiner(s): Avellino; Joseph E.
• Application Number:
  US09/998,304
• Time in Patent Office: 2,163 Days
• Field of Search: 709/202, 709/203, 709217-219, 709/225, 709/232, 707 1- 10
• US Class Current: 709/217
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation

Abstract

A method and system for measuring an Internet user'"'"'s level of interest in one or more subjects. For a given subject, web pages that are sent to the user are analyzed to determine how many keywords related to the given subject appear in the web pages. The keyword count is then used as a basis to establish a measure of the user'"'"'s interest level in the given subject. The analysis may take various forms and can be carried out over successive time periods, so as to regularly update a measure of the user'"'"'s interest level in the subject. Provided with a measure of the user'"'"'s interest level in a given subject, a service provider can then tailor services for the user accordingly.

Claims

1. A method of measuring and using an Internet user'"'"'s level of interest in a given subject the method comprising:

at a mobile-IP home agent configured to pass IP communications to a user, (i) establishing a count of web pages sent to the user that each contains at least a threshold number of keywords related to the given subject, wherein the threshold is non-zero, and (ii) establishing a count of keywords related to the given subject that appear in web pages sent to the user, wherein establishing the count of keywords includes;

for each web page sent to the user, establishing a capped page keyword count by counting instances of keywords related to the given subject matter that appear in the web page, wherein the capped page keyword count is capped such that its value is not greater than a predetermined maximum number of instances of keywords; and

summing the capped page keyword counts to establish the count of keywords, wherein the count of keywords is not greater than the count of web pages multiplied by the predetermined maximum number of keywords;

using the count of keywords as a basis to establish a measure of the user'"'"'s interest in the given subject; and

using the established measure of the user'"'"'s interest level as a basis to provide information to the user.

2. A method of measuring and using an Internet user'"'"'s interest level in a given subject, the method comprising:

at a mobile-IP home agent configured pass IP communications to a user, establishing for the user a total page count value, P, that represents a number of web pages sent to the user;

at the mobile-IP home agent, establishing for the user a subject-specific page count value, S, that represents a number web pages sent to the user that each contain at least a threshold number of keywords related to the given subject, wherein the threshold is non-zero;

at the mobile-IP home agent, establishing for the user a keyword count value, K, that represents a number of keywords related to the given subject that appear in web pages sent to the user, wherein establishing K includes;

for each web page sent to the user, establishing a capped page keyword count by counting instances of keywords related to the given subject matter that appear in the web page, wherein the capped page keyword count is capped such that its value is not greater than a predetermined maximum number of instances of keywords; and

summing the capped page keyword counts to establish the count of keywords, wherein the count of keywords is not greater than the count of web pages multiplied by the predetermined maximum number of keywords; and

at the mobile-IP home agent, using the values P, S and K, in combination, to establish a measure of the user'"'"'s interest level in the given subject; and

using the established measure of the user'"'"'s interest level as a basis to provide information to the user.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein using the values P, S and K, in combination, to establish a measure of the user'"'"'s interest level in the given subject comprises:

computing the measure as (K)(S)/(P).

4. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

performing the method over each of a number of successive periods of time, so as to establish respectively for each period of time a measure of the user'"'"'s interest level in the given subject; and

combining the respective measures of the user'"'"'s interest level over time to establish a composite measure of the user'"'"'s interest level in the given subject.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein combining the respective measures of the user'"'"'s interest level over time comprises:

adding the respective measures together.

6. The method of claim 4, further comprising maintaining a principal measure of the user'"'"'s interest level, based on past respective measures, wherein combining the respective measures of the user'"'"'s interest level over time comprises:

combining the principal measure with a new respective measure of the user'"'"'s interest level.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein combining the principal measure with the new respective measure comprises:

taking a weighted sum of the principal measure and the new respective measure.

8. The method of claim 2, further comprising normalizing the measure of the user'"'"'s interest level in the given subject.

9. A method of measuring and using an Internet user'"'"'s level of interest in a given subject, the method comprising:

establishing a count of web pages sent to a user that each contains at least a threshold number of keywords related to the given subject, wherein the threshold is non-zero;

establishing a keyword count that represents a number of keywords related to the given subject that appear in web pages sent to the user, wherein establishing the keyword count includes;

for each web page sent to the user, establishing a capped page keyword count by counting instances of keywords related to the given subject matter that appear in the web page, wherein the capped page keyword count is capped such that its value is not greater than a predetermined maximum number of instances of keywords; and

summing the capped page keyword counts to establish the keyword count, wherein the keyword count is not greater than the count of web pages multiplied by the predetermined maximum number of keywords; and

using the count of web pages and keyword count to establish a measure of the user'"'"'s interest in the given subject;

using the established measure of the user'"'"'s interest level as a basis to provide information to the user.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein using the count of web pages and keyword count to establish a measure of the user'"'"'s interest level in the given subject comprises:

computing the measure as the count of web pages multiplied by the keyword count.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the threshold number of keywords is 10 keywords.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein the threshold number of keywords is a single keyword.