Method and medium for customizing the presentation of content displayed to a user

• US 7,698,173 B1
• Filed: 10/30/2007
• Issued: 04/13/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 05/29/1996
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AOL Inc. (Apollo Global Management, Inc.)
• Inventors: Luddy, William A., Burge, Gary L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Smith; Jeffrey A
• Assistant Examiner(s): ZIMMERMAN, MATTHEW E
• Application Number:
  US11/929,446
• Time in Patent Office: 896 Days
• Field of Search: 705/26, 705/27
• US Class Current: 705/26.5
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0621 Item configuration or customization
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0641 Shopping interfaces

Abstract

A system for customizing content and presentation of content for computer users is disclosed. The system monitors and records a user'"'"'s navigational choices to determine the user'"'"'s needs and preferences for subsequent computer displays. Displays are customized in accordance with the user'"'"'s needs and preferences. In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, an electronic marketing and shopping system accessible via the WWW is described. The shopping environment—including the opportunities presented to the shopper (content) and the appearance of the displays (presentation of content)—is customized according to the shopper'"'"'s preferences. The functions of data collection and display customization are performed automatically by the electronic shopping system. To customize the environment, various attributes of Web pages or other displays provided by participating merchants are modified as they are accessed by shoppers using the system.

Claims

1. A computer readable storage medium with stored instructions for performing when executed a method for customizing at a host computer displays for presenting products to a plurality of users accessing an online shopping site, comprising:

(a) collecting store visit data for said plurality of users, said store visit data;

(1) collected for a plurality of store sites visited by each of said plurality of users; and

(2) comprising data for a duration of each store visit and product data viewed during each store visit;

(b) analyzing said store visit data for each of said plurality of users to calculate a preferred number of presentation elements and preferred locations of presentation elements appearing on a computer display;

(c) analyzing said store visit data for each of said plurality of users to determine product content preferences;

(d) selecting a number of presentation elements for a computer display customized for each of said plurality of users according to said preferred number of presentation elements and said preferred locations of presentation elements;

(e) generating automatically a first computer display for a first user comprising a first preferred number of presentation elements selected and located on said display for said first user according to said first user'"'"'s preferred number and preferred locations of presentation elements appearing in a computer display, said presentation elements customized according to said first user'"'"'s preferred appearance of presentation elements

(f) adding product content to said first number of presentation elements selected and located on said display for said first user, said product content selected for said first user according to said first user'"'"'s product content preferences;

(g) generating automatically a second computer display for a second user comprising a second preferred number of presentation elements selected and located on said display for said second user according to said second user'"'"'s preferred number and preferred locations of presentation elements appearing in a computer display, said presentation elements customized according to said second user'"'"'s preferred appearance of presentation elements;

(h) adding product content to said second number of presentation elements selected and located on said display for said second user, said product content selected for said second user according to said second user'"'"'s product content preferences;

(i) transmitting said first computer display with said first preferred number of presentation elements and said content customized according to said first user'"'"'s preferences from said host computer to a first computer for display to said first user; and

(j) transmitting said second computer display with said second preferred number of presentation elements and content customized according to said second user'"'"'s preferences from said host computer to a second computer for display to said second user.

2. The computer readable medium of claim 1 wherein collecting store visit data further comprises collecting data for user navigational choices at said store sites, number of visits to said store sites, entry and exit times for said store sites, and content selections at said store sites.

3. The computer readable medium of claim 1 wherein said presentation elements are further customized according to user personal data.

4. The computer readable medium of claim 3 wherein said user personal data comprises age, sex, hobbies, and interests data.

5. The computer readable medium of claim 1 wherein said presentation elements are customized in said first computer display according to shape, colors, background, foreground colors, border colors, and fonts.

6. A method for customizing displays of products for each user accessing an online shopping site, comprising:

(a) storing in at least one database;

(i) user preference data for a plurality of users related to preferences for appearance of computer displays comprising products;

(ii) store visit data for said plurality of users, said store visit data;

(1) collected for a plurality of store sites visited by said plurality of users; and

(2) comprising data for a duration of each store visit and product data viewed during each store visit;

(iii) product data for a plurality of products from a plurality of merchants available for purchase at said online shopping site;

(iv) presentation attributes for a plurality of presentation elements of a computer display customized for each of said plurality of users according to user preferences for appearance of computer displays comprising products, said presentation elements for displaying said plurality of products on said computer display;

(b) generating automatically at a computer customized computer displays for each of said plurality of users by;

(i) analyzing said store visit data to determine for a first user a preferred number and preferred locations of presentation elements appearing on a computer display;

(ii) generating a first computer display for said first user interested in a first plurality of products, said first computer display comprising said first plurality of products in said preferred number of presentation elements and preferred locations as customized according to said first user'"'"'s user preference data regarding appearance of computer displays comprising products; and

(iii) determining for a second user a preferred number and preferred locations of presentation elements appearing on a computer display;

(iv) generating a second computer display for said second user interested in a second plurality of products, said second computer display comprising said second plurality of products in said preferred number of presentation elements and preferred locations as customized according to said second user'"'"'s user preference data regarding appearance of computer displays comprising products;

(c) sending said first computer display to a first computer for presentation to said first user; and

(d) sending said second computer display to a second computer for presentation to said second user.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein storing in said at least one database store visit data for said plurality of users comprises storing data related to user navigational choices for said store sites, number of visits to said store sites, entry and exit times for said store sites, and content selections from said store sites.

8. The method of claim 6 wherein customizing said presentation elements further comprises customizing said at least one presentation element according to user personal data.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein said user personal data comprises age, sex, hobbies, and interests data.

10. The method of claim 6 wherein customizing said presentation elements comprises customizing said presentation elements according to shape, colors, background, foreground colors, border color, and fonts.

11. The method of claim 6 further comprising modifying said first computer display by customizing additional presentation elements with additional products, said additional presentation elements customized according said first user'"'"'s preferred appearance of computer displays comprising products.

12. A computerized method for customizing displays of products for each user accessing an online shopping site, comprising:

(a) defining at a computer a plurality of presentation elements for displaying content on a computer display, said presentation elements customizable according to user preferences for appearance of computer displays comprising content;

(b) storing in a database content for a plurality of products, said content for use in said presentation elements;

(c) collecting at said computer navigational choices of a plurality of users at a plurality of store sites of said online shopping site;

(d) analyzing at said computer said navigational choices of said plurality of users to determine user preferences for content and for appearance of computer displays comprising content, said preferences for appearance comprising;

(i) preferences for a preferred number of presentation elements and

(ii) preferred locations of presentation elements appearing on a computer display;

(e) generating at said computer customized computer displays for each of said plurality of users by;

(i) selecting a preferred number of presentation elements consistent with said user'"'"'s preferences for appearance of computer displays comprising content;

(ii) arranging said preferred number of presentation elements in preferred locations consistent with said user'"'"'s preferences for appearance of computer displays comprising content;

(iii) selecting content consistent with said user'"'"'s preferences for content; and

(iv) combining said preferred number of presentation elements arranged in said preferred locations and said selected content to create a computer display for each of said users customized according to said user'"'"'s preferences for content and for appearance of computer displays comprising content; and

(f) sending to each user'"'"'s computer said computer display customized for said user.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein collecting at said computer navigational choices of a plurality of users comprises monitoring frequency of visits, times of visits, lengths of visits, content viewed, content purchased, and order in which content descriptions are visited.

14. The method of claim 12 further comprising analyzing personal data for each of said plurality of users to determine user preferences for content and for appearance of computer displays comprising content.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein said personal data comprises age, sex, hobbies, and interests data.

16. The method of claim 12 wherein selecting presentation elements consistent with said user'"'"'s preferences for appearance of computer displays comprising content comprises selecting presentation elements according to preferences for shape, colors, background, foreground colors, border colors, and fonts.