Computer services for assisting users in locating and evaluating items in an electronic catalog based on actions performed by members of specific user communities
US6963850B1 · kind B1 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Aug 19, 1999 |
| Grant date | Nov 8, 2005 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Aug 19, 2019 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG06Q50/01
- WIPO fieldIT methods for management
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A Web based system provides informational services for assisting customers in selecting products or other types of items from an electronic catalog of a merchant. Users of the system can create and join user communities, such as communities based on user hobbies, localities, professions, and organizations. The system also supports implicit membership communities that are based on email addresses (e.g., all users having a “nasa.com” email address), shipping/billing addresses, and other known user information. Using purchase history data collected for online users, the system automatically identifies and generates lists of the most popular items (and/or items that are becoming popular) within particular communities, and makes such information available to users for viewing. For example, in the context of an online book store users of the nasa.com community may automatically be presented a Web page which lists the bestselling book titles among nasa.com users, or may be sent email notifications of purchase events or hotselling books within the community. Another feature involves automatically notifying users interested in particular products of other users (preferably other members of …
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.