System and method for generating an alternative product recommendation

• US 7,783,528 B2
• Filed: 05/06/2004
• Issued: 08/24/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 05/07/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: CBS Interactive Inc. (Paramount Global (f/k/a ViacomCBS Inc.))
• Original Assignee: CBS Interactive Inc. (Paramount Global (f/k/a ViacomCBS Inc.))
• Inventors: Musgrove, Timothy A., Walsh, Robin Hiroko
• Primary Examiner(s): Shah, Amee A
• Application Number:
  US10/839,700
• Publication Number:
  US 20050004880A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,301 Days
• Field of Search: 705/26, 705/27
• US Class Current: 705/26.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0253 During e-commerce, i.e. online transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0283 Price estimation or determination
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0633 Lists, e.g. purchase orders, compilation or processing
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 21/00 Speech or voice signal processing techniques to produce another audible or non-audible signal, e.g. visual or tactile, in order to modify its quality or its intelligibility G10L19/00 takes precedence

Abstract

A method and system for automatically generating a naturally reading narrative product summary including assertions about a selected product. In one embodiment, the method includes the steps of determining at least one attribute associated with the selected product, selecting an alternative product, retrieving assertion models to describe the product and to recommend an alternative product in a natural manner, and generating a naturally reading narrative by combining the attribute and the selected alternative product with the retrieved assertion models such that the generated narrative includes a recommendation of the selected alternative product. A system is provided for implementing the described method.

Claims

1. A method implemented by a computer, the computer comprising in a computer readable storage medium including one or more computer readable instructions stored thereon that, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to perform the method to automatically generate a naturally reading narrative product summary including assertions about a specific product selected by a user, said method comprising:

receiving the selection of the specific product from the user, the specific product associated with a plurality of attributes;

determining at least one attribute of the plurality of attributes for comparison for the specific product selected by the user;

selecting a comparable product based on the at least one attribute, the comparable product being the product having a high value rating for the at least one attribute; and

generating the naturally reading narrative product summary including assertions about the specific product selected by the user and a recommendation of the comparable product.

2. The method of claim 1, further including the step of determining an attribute rank of said user selected product and said selected comparable product, wherein said selected comparable product has an attribute rank that is the same as said user selected product for said at least one attribute.

3. The method of claim 1, further including the step of determining an attribute rank of said selected product and said selected comparable product, wherein said selected comparable product has an attribute rank that is higher than said selected product for said at least one attribute.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said selected comparable product has a price that is the same as a price of said user selected product.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein said user selected product has a primary scenario that is the same as a primary scenario of said selected comparable product.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein said selected comparable product has a price within a predetermined near-price margin of said user selected product.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein said selected comparable product is ranked within a predetermined near-rank margin of said user selected product.

8. A computer program product comprising a computer readable medium including one or more computer readable instructions stored thereon that, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to automatically generate a naturally reading narrative product summary including assertions about a specific product selected by a user, said computer readable instructions comprising:

instructions for receiving the selection of the specific product from the user, the specific product associated with a plurality of attributes;

instructions for determining at least one attribute of the plurality of attributes for comparison for the specific product selected by the user and selecting a comparable product based on the at least one attribute, the comparable product being the product having a high value rating for the at least one attribute; and

instructions for generating the naturally reading narrative product summary including assertions about the specific product selected by the user and a recommendation of the comparable product.

9. The computer program product of claim 8, further comprising instructions for determining an attribute rank of said user selected product and said comparable product, said selected comparable product having an attribute rank that is the same as the attribute rank of said user selected product for said at least one attribute.

10. The product summary generator of claim 8, wherein said product attribute module determines an attribute rank of said selected product and said selected comparable product, said selected comparable product having an attribute rank that is higher than said selected product for said at least one attribute.

11. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein said selected comparable product has a price that is the same as a price of said user selected product.

12. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein said user selected product has a primary scenario that is the same as a primary scenario of said selected comparable product.

13. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein said selected comparable product has a price within a predetermined near-price margin of said user selected product.

14. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein said selected comparable product is ranked within a predetermined near-rank margin of said user selected product.