Method of updating interests

• US 7,493,372 B2
• Filed: 11/16/2001
• Issued: 02/17/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 11/20/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: British Telecommunications PLC (BT Group PLC)
• Original Assignee: British Telecommunications PLC (BT Group PLC)
• Inventors: Loffler, Alexander, Polaine, Matthew J, O'Donoghue, John J, Bowskill, Jeremy M, Titmuss, Richard J, Crabtree, Ian B
• Primary Examiner(s): Hu; Jinsong
• Application Number:
  US10/399,974
• Publication Number:
  US 20040039814A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,650 Days
• Field of Search: 709/217, 705/27, 707/10, 379/201.2
• US Class Current: 709/217
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9538 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99935 Query augmenting and refining, e.g. inexact access

Abstract

A method of changing a user profile involves the system suggesting a change which includes one or more selection choices representative of the suggested change. The user makes one or more selections which results in temporal modification of the user profile. The method further involves monitoring user action in respect of the temporal modification, and, in accordance with the user action satisfying predetermined criteria, permanently changing the user profile based on the user selections.

Claims

1. A method of changing a profile representing subject matter of interest to a user, the profile including a plurality of sets of subject-related data, the method including:

(i) suggesting a change to contents of the profile to the user, which suggestion includes one or more selection choices representative of the suggested change,

(ii) receiving at least one selection choice from the user,

(iii) asking the user for permission to temporally modify the user profile in accordance with the at least one selection choice received from the user;

(iv) monitoring user action in respect of the temporal modification in accordance with the user agreeing to temporally modify the user profile, and, if the user action satisfies predetermined criteria,

(v) permanently changing the profile in accordance with the or each selection choice.

2. A method according to claim 1, in which (iv) includes:

presenting the user with at least one further selection choice,

receiving the or each further selection choice, and

comparing the or each further selection choice with the predetermined criteria.

3. A method according to claim 2, in which the or each further selection choice comprises affirmation of the one or more selection choices representative of the suggested change in (i).

4. A method according to claim 1, in which (iv) includes counting a number of times the user accesses information relating to the selection choice, and comparing the said number with a threshold number.

5. A method according to claim 1, in which (iv) includes observing patterns of user access relating to the selection choice, and comparing the observed pattern with one or more predetermined patterns.

6. A method according to claim 1, in which (iv) occurs with a frequency that is configurable by the user.

7. A method according to claim 1, further comprising performing at least one of comparative analysis and/or cluster analysis between profiles of two or more users, and receiving output therefrom, which output provides at least one of the selection choices representative of the suggested change.

8. A method according to claim 7, further comprising evaluating confidence values associated with the output from the comparative analysis and/or cluster analysis, and in which (i) is performed in dependence on the evaluated confidence values associated therewith.

9. A method according to claim 7, further comprising comparing the output with a list of changes that are deemed not to be relevant to the user, and, if any of the selection choices in the output matches any on the list, discarding the matching selection choices from the output.

10. A computer tangible storage medium containing a computer program, or a suite of computer programs, comprising a set of instructions to cause a computer, or a suite of computers, to perform (i)-(v) according to claim 1.

11. A method of changing a user profile representing subject matter of interest to a user, the user profile including a plurality of sets of subject-related data, the method including:

(i) suggesting a change to contents of the profile to the user, which suggestion includes at least one selection choice representative of the suggested change;

(ii) receiving from the user at least one selection choice;

(iii) asking the user for permission to temporally modify the user profile in accordance with the at least one selection choice received from the user;

(iv) monitoring user action in respect of the temporal modification, in accordance with the user agreeing to temporally modify the user profile, and

(v) requesting permission from the user to permanently modify the user profile in accordance with the at least one selection choice received from the user.

12. A method according to claim 11, in which (iv) includes:

(vi) presenting the user with at least one further selection choice;

(vii) receiving the at least one further selection choice; and

(viii) comparing the at least one further selection choice with predetermined criteria.

13. A method according to claim 12, in which (viii) includes counting a number of times the user accesses information relating to the selection choice, and comparing the said number with a threshold number.

14. A method according to claim 12, in which (viii) includes observing patterns of user access relating to the selection choice, and comparing the observed pattern with one or more predetermined patterns.

15. A method according to claim 12, in which (viii) occurs with a frequency that is configurable by the user.

16. A method according to claim 11, further comprising performing at least one of comparative analysis and/or cluster analysis between profiles of two or more users, and receiving output therefrom, which output provides the at least one selection choice representative of the suggested change.

17. A method according to claim 16, further comprising evaluating confidence values associated with the output from the comparative analysis and/or cluster analysis, and in which (i) is performed in dependence on the evaluated confidence values associated therewith.

18. A method according to claim 16, further comprising comparing the output with a list of changes that are deemed not to be relevant to the user, and, if the at least one selection choice in the output matches any on the list, discarding the matching selection choices from the output.

19. A computer tangible storage medium containing a computer program, or a suite of computer programs, comprising a set of instructions to cause a computer, or a suite of computers, to perform (i)-(v) according to claim 11.