Systems and methods for customizing search results and recommendations

• US 9,881,332 B2
• Filed: 05/22/2014
• Issued: 01/30/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 05/22/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LogoMix Inc. (Deluxe Corp.)
• Original Assignee: LogoMix Inc. (Deluxe Corp.)
• Inventors: Bloem, Craig J., McMannis, Phillip M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Garg, Yogesh C
• Assistant Examiner(s): DURAISAMYGURUSAM, LALITH M
• Application Number:
  US14/285,061
• Publication Number:
  US 20150339754A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,349 Days
• Field of Search: 705 267
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0255 based on user history
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0631 Item recommendations

Abstract

A recommendation system can be configured to customize search results and/or recommendations of content (e.g., customized products, products, advertising, layouts, etc.) using online and/or offline activity captured on a user population. The system can be configured to customize the content returned to users to achieve specific behaviors and/or influence the current user'"'"'s behavior, responsive to modeling previous users. For example, the system can capture and aggregate user behavior/activity and score content based on the actions taken with respect to the content. In some examples, the scoring can be filtered or augmented by matching current user characteristics to characteristics of the previous users. The scoring can be generated independent of the language in which the activity/user behavior occurred. According to one embodiment, the system is configured to generate language independent models and utilize the language independent modeling to deliver customized content (e.g., recommendations and/or search results) without conventional constraints.

Claims

1. A system for customizing displayed content selections including displays for fabricating custom objects from the customized content selections, the system comprising:

at least one processor operatively connected to a memory;

a search component, executed by the at least one processor, configured to;

accept search selection in a user interface displayed to a user, and

display search results to the user in the user interface, wherein the user interface includes a plurality of displays screens with customized content associated with a step for fabricating a custom object, wherein the plurality of display screens include at least, a first display screen from which the search component receives user specification of descriptive information associated with selecting an image for customizing a plurality of products, a second display configured to display a plurality of images for customizing the plurality of products identified by the search component;

a modeling component, executed by the at least one processor, configured to score previous users'"'"' actions associated with content items displayed to the user, wherein the modeling component is further configured to;

emphasize user behavior associated with creation of the custom product based on scoring users action in the user interface relative to the step associated with fabricating the custom product;

assign a respective score to the previews of the custom product or to respective ones of the plurality of images, wherein the scores are assigned relative to steps taken towards the desired user action; and

index entered or automatically created search terms with the desired user action, wherein at least a portion of the index on the search terms is generated irrespective of meaning associated with the search terms; and

wherein the search component is further configured to;

identify search results based, at least in part, on respective action scores assigned to respective content items;

automatically generate a query responsive to user specification of the descriptive information for customizing the plurality of products in the user interface displayed to the a user, wherein the query is based on, at least in part, the descriptive information for the image for customizing the plurality of products;

execute the query to return at least search results of images for customizing products and identify the search results based, at least in part, on respective action scores assigned to respective images associated with the descriptive information; and

communicate the search results for display to the user in the user interface and respective display screen and customize the respective display screen according to modeling of a desired user action.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein the modeling component is configured execute scoring rules to assign an action value to a respective content item based on a prior user action, and associate the action value to the respective content item.

3. The system according to claim 2, wherein the scoring rules include a plurality of levels for categorizing previous users'"'"' actions, and the modeling component is configured to assign the action value based on a determined level associated with the user action.

4. The system according to claim 2, wherein the scoring rules generate relative scores, providing an increase in score for actions more proximate to a final step of creating a custom product relative to actions less proximate to creating the custom product.

5. The system according to claim 4, wherein the search component is configured to generate relevant results based at least in part on a highest action score associated with content items.

6. The system according to claim 2, further comprising a matching component, executed by the at least one processor, configured to match a current user'"'"'s characteristics to characteristics of prior users.

7. The system according to claim 6, wherein the matching component is configured to filter the previous users'"'"' actions scored by the modeling component responsive to matching the current user'"'"'s characteristics to prior users.

8. The system according to claim 1, wherein the search component is further configured to order the search results based on the previous users'"'"' actions.

9. The system according to claim 1, wherein the search component is configured to capture search selections responsive to a user adding a product to an online shopping cart.

10. The system according to claim 9, wherein the search results identified by the search component are displayed to the user as additional selection options for the online shopping cart.

11. The system according to claim 1, wherein the search component is configured to capture search selection responsive to a user navigating within an ecommerce website.

12. The system according to claim 11, wherein the search results identified by the search component are displayed to the user as additional selection options within the ecommerce site.

13. A computer implemented method for customizing displayed content selections including displays for fabricating custom objects from the customized content selections, the method comprising:

receiving from a user interface displayed to a user a search selection, the act of receiving including receiving from a first display screen user specification of descriptive information associated with selecting an image for customizing a plurality of products;

communicating search results for display to the user in the user interface including communicating the search results for display in a second display screen including a plurality of images for customizing the plurality of products obtained as search results responsive to user specification of descriptive information associated with selecting an image for customizing a plurality of products and ordered in the second display screen according to respective activity scores;

scoring, by a computer system, previous users'"'"' actions associated with content items displayed to the user, wherein the act of scoring includes;

emphasizing user behavior associated with creation of the custom product based on scoring users action in the user interface relative to the step associated with fabricating the custom product;

assigning a respective score to the previews of the custom product or to respective ones of the plurality of images, wherein the scores are assigned relative to steps taken towards the desired user action; and

indexing entered or automatically created search terms with the desired user action, wherein at least a portion of the index on the search terms is generated irrespective of meaning associated with the search terms; and

identifying, by the computer system, search results based, at least in part, on respective action scores assigned to respective content items, wherein the act of identifying the search results includes;

automatically generating, by a computer system, a query responsive to user specification of the descriptive information for customizing the plurality of products in the user interface displayed to the user, wherein the query is based on, at least in part, the descriptive information for the image for customizing the plurality of products;

executing, by the computer system, the query to return the search results of images for customizing products and identifying the search results based, at least in part, on respective action scores assigned to respective images associated with the descriptive information.

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein scoring includes an act of executing, by the computer system, scoring rules to assign an action value to a content item based on a prior user action with the content item.

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein scoring includes an act of executing, by the computer system, scoring rules to assign an action value to a content item based on determining a level to assign to the prior user action with the content item.

16. The method according to claim 14, wherein the scoring including adding the action value to any existing action value for the content item.

17. The method according to claim 16, wherein identifying, by the computer system relevant results to include in the search results based, at least in part, on highest respective action scores assigned to respective content items.

18. The method according to claim 14, further comprising matching, by the computer system, a current user'"'"'s characteristics to characteristics of prior users.

19. The method according to claim 18, wherein matching includes filtering the previous users'"'"' actions scored by the modeling component responsive to matching the current user'"'"'s characteristics to prior users.

20. The method according to claim 13, wherein the act of receiving from a user interface displayed to a user the search selection includes capturing the search selection responsive to a user adding a product to an online shopping cart.

21. The method according to claim 20, further comprising an act of displaying the search results as additional selection options within the online shopping cart.

22. The method according to claim 13, wherein the act of receiving from a user interface displayed to a user the search selection includes capturing the search selection responsive to a user navigating within an ecommerce website.

23. The method according to claim 22, wherein the search results identified by the search component are displayed to the user as additional selection options within the ecommerce site.