WO2009079153A1

WO2009079153A1 - Interest-based product viewing, searching and advertising

Info

Publication number: WO2009079153A1
Application number: PCT/US2008/084175
Authority: WO
Inventors: Michael John Putnam; Jonathan Paul Oakes
Original assignee: Zeer, Inc.
Priority date: 2007-12-18
Filing date: 2008-11-20
Publication date: 2009-06-25

Abstract

Described is a method for determining product information and metadata from a database. A request for user-specific product information is received from a client device. The request includes a product identifier and is associated with at least one user interest. One or more infobits that are associated with the user interests are determined. An infobit is a limited quantity of information that can be displayed in a graphical context, a textual context, or a combined graphical and textual context, and which represents a product attribute or metadata associated with the user interest. A value is determined for each infobit and sent to the client device. The method enables delivery of information to the user that is personally relevant, such as product information that relates to the product needs, personal interests or personal beliefs of the user.

Description

INTEREST-BASED PRODUCT VIEWING, SEARCHING AND ADVERTISING

RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent

Application Serial No. 61/014,468, filed December 18, 2007, titled "Interest-Based Product Viewing, Searching and Advertising," the entirety of which is incorporated herein by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to product searching, product viewing and advertising. More particularly, the invention relates to interest-based methods for searching for products, viewing product information and generating product advertisements.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The wide range of products available to the public often makes it difficult for individual consumers to determine which product best satisfies their interests or fits their needs. For example, a consumer in a grocery store looking for a product in a given category (e.g., soup or cereal) sees multiple product manufacturers and a variety of product variations associated with a product type, such as ingredients, nutritional value, and special interest certification such as organic or Kosher. Although individual products may be provided with packaging or labeling that indicates the product type and brand, other product information may not be readily obtainable. For example, a product may be certified as organic, or as "heart healthy" but this information may not be displayed on the product package. Government standards for certain types of products such as food items and drugs specify a minimum of product information to accompany the product. Due to package size constraints and other limitations, it is generally not practical to include all known product information on product packaging. In other instances products may be viewed from vendor websites where additional information can be viewed but complete information might not be available. In addition, information that is valuable to one group of consumers may not be of interest to other consumers. Often a consumer is not able to find information that is personally relevant. Personally relevant information includes product information that relates to a person's product needs, personal interests or personal beliefs. Moreover, consumers would prefer to have personally relevant information available at a point of sale location so that a quick decision can be made as to whether or not to proceed with the purchase of a particular product.

Product manufacturers desire to target advertising to consumers who are most likely to consider purchasing their products. Advertising to the general public is often inefficient, especially when the product appeal is limited to a small population group. For example, people having food allergies may have a critical interest in avoiding food products with certain ingredients (e.g., peanuts). Providers of food products that do not include certain ingredients ideally target their advertising to such consumers; however, there is no efficient way to determine and access these consumers in a point of sale environment.

The present invention satisfies the needs identified above and provides additional advantages.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In one aspect, the invention features a method for determining product information and metadata from a database. The method includes receiving from a client device a request for user-specific product information. The request includes a product identifier and is associated with at least one user interest. At least one infobit associated with each of the user interests is determined and a value of each infobit is determined. The values of the infobits are sent to the client device.

In another aspect, the invention features a method for posting an advertisement to a mobile communications device. The method includes receiving from the mobile communications device a request for user-specific product information. The request includes a product identifier and is associated with at least one user interest. At least one infobit associated with each of the user interests is determined. A user-specific advertisement is determined in response to the infobits associated with the user interests. The user-specific advertisement is sent to the mobile communications device for display.

In yet another aspect, the invention features a computing system that includes a registry database, a product database and a server. The registry database is adapted to store at least one user interest for each user in a plurality of users. The product database stores product information for each product in a plurality of products. The server is in communication with the registry database and the product database, and is configured to receive a request from a client device for user-specific product information. The server determines at least one infobit for each user interest of a user of the client device based on the user interests of the user. The server also determines the values of the infobits that are associated with a product identified in the request from the client device according to the product information for the identified product.

In still another aspect, the invention features a computer- implemented apparatus for providing user-specific product information to a user of a system that includes a database containing at least one user interest for each user in a plurality of users, a database containing product information for each product in a plurality of products, and a processor in communication with the databases. The computer-implemented apparatus includes computer software for execution by the processor to perform the steps of: receiving from the client device a request for the user-specific product information, the request comprising a product identifier and being associated with at least one user interest; determining at least one infobit associated with each of the associated user interests; determining a value of each of the infobits; and sending the values of the infobits to the client device.

In yet another aspect, the invention features a computing system that includes a registry database adapted to store at least one user interest for each user in a plurality of users, a product database storing a plurality of product advertisements and a server. The server communicates with the registry and product databases, and is configured to receive a request from a mobile communications device for user-specific product information. The request includes a product identifier and is associated with at least one user interest of a user of the mobile communications device. The server determines at least one infobit associated with each of the user interests and determines a user-specific advertisement in response to the infobits associated with the user interests.

In still another aspect, the invention features a computer- implemented apparatus for providing a user-specific advertisement to a user of a system that includes a mobile communications device, a database containing at least one user interest for each user in a plurality of users, a database containing a plurality of product advertisements, and a processor in communication with the databases. The computer-implemented apparatus includes computer software for execution by the processor to perform the steps of: receiving from the mobile communications device a request for user-specific product information, the request comprising a product identifier and being associated with at least one user interest; determining at least one infobit associated with each user interest of the request; determining a user-specific advertisement from the plurality of product advertisements in response to the infobits associated with the user interests of the request; and sending the user-specific advertisement to the mobile communications device for display.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The above and further advantages of this invention may be better understood by referring to the following description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which like numerals indicate like structural elements and features in the various figures. For clarity, not every element may be labeled in every figure. The drawings are not necessarily to scale, emphasis instead being placed upon illustrating the principles of the invention. FIG. 1 illustrates a networked environment in which the methods of the invention can be practiced.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart of an embodiment of a web-based method for determining product information according to the invention.

FIG. 3 illustrates how infobits are determined for a particular product according to an embodiment of a method of the invention.

FIG. 4 graphically depicts the interrelationship between users, user interests, infobits and products. FIG. 5 is a flowchart of an embodiment of a mobile-based method for determining product information according to the invention.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart of an embodiment of a method for advertising according to the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Reference will now be made in detail to various embodiments of the invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying figures. Although the invention is described in conjunction with preferred embodiments, it is understood that these embodiments are not intended to limit the invention. On the contrary, the invention is intended to cover alternatives, modifications and equivalents, which may be included within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims. Furthermore, the following detailed description includes numerous specific details set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the present invention; however, it will be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art that the present invention can be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well-known methods, procedures, and components have not been described in detail so as not to unnecessarily obscure aspects of the present invention. At times, concepts disclosed in the description of embodiments of the present invention are made more readily apparent by reference to the figures.

Methods for product viewing, product searching and product advertising based on user interests are disclosed. The present invention also relates to an apparatus for performing the methods described herein. The apparatus can be specifically constructed for the intended purposes. Alternatively, the apparatus can be a general purpose computer activated or reconfigured by a computer program or program code stored in the computer and including instructions to practice a method of the invention. The computer program or program code can be stored in a computer usable storage medium, such as one or more floppy disks, optical disks, CD-ROMs, magnetic optical disks, read-only memories (ROMs), random access memories (RAMs] EPROMs, EEPROMs or any other media that can store instructions and is in communication with a computer system bus. Various embodiments and details are provided herein to illustrate and explain the present invention. It should be recognized that other embodiments not described herein are contemplated according to the principles of the invention. FIG. 1 illustrates a networked environment 10 in which the methods of the present invention may be practiced. As shown, different types of client devices communicate with a server 30 through a network 26. Client devices include, by way of example, personal computers (PCs) 14, personal digital assistants (PDAs) 18, web- enabled mobile phones 22 and other mobile networked devices. Other examples of client devices include gaming consoles, portable gaming devices, networked kiosk devices, wearable devices (e.g., head- mounted heads-up displays) and other mobile networked devices (e.g., iPhone and Danger Hiptop). The network 26 can include one or more subnetworks using various types of communications protocols and one or more servers using various types of access and information distribution methods. In some embodiments the network 26 includes the Internet. The server 30 is in communication with a user registry 34 and at least one database 38 as described in more detail below. In the following descriptions for two embodiments of a method for determining product information in accordance with the invention, the user is an individual having strong product related needs, interests and beliefs. Specifically, in these examples the user is allergic to wheat gluten (i.e., the user has Coeliac disorder) and has high cholesterol. The user prefers to purchase environmentally- friendly products. In addition, the user desires to maintain a kosher diet. Web-Based Product Searching

FIG. 2 shows a flowchart of an embodiment of a web-based method 100 for determining product information according to the invention. The web-based method 100 can be practiced by a user (e.g., potential buyer) that is seeking information about a product in order to determine if that product satisfies the user's personal needs and requirements. The method 100 also allows the user to obtain information provided by people who share one or more interests of the user.

In the web-based embodiment, the user accesses a website through the Internet to find product information and metadata. Initially, the user registers (step 104) with a product information service provider that manages the product information website. Registration can include the user supplying information such as a user identification (ID), password, email address and personal demographic information. The user also registers (step 108) user interests by selecting or otherwise indicating the user interests. In one embodiment, the user indicates the user interests by selecting from one or more lists of user interests shown in a graphical user interface on a webpage. Alternatively, or in combination, the user can identify these interests through a mobile phone interface, either using a mobile phone web browser, a software application on the mobile phone, or another method such as short messaging services (SMS). Alternatively, or in combination, the user can enter text to identify one or more user interests. In other embodiments, the registration process can be completed by other means such as by telephone registration or by mailing a registration form or similar document to the product information service provider to indicate user interests. In this example, the user interests are "wheat gluten allergy," "high cholesterol," "environmental protection" and "kosher." Each user interest is associated (step 1 12) with one or more "infobits." As used herein, an infobit is a limited quantity of information (i.e., a small "chunk of information) displayed in a graphical context, a textual context, or a combined graphical and textual context that represents a product attribute or metadata associated with the user interest. For example, the wheat gluten allergy interest is associated with two possible values to indicate "contains wheat gluten" or "wheat gluten free." For cholesterol, there are three possible values: "cholesterol free," "low cholesterol" and "reduced cholesterol." These values can correspond to Food and Drug Administration (FDA) requirements on labeling using the three designations. For the environmental protection interest, an infobit can be based on a certification from the Natural Resource Defense Council (NRDC) and have a value of "NRDC green rating," "NRDC yellow rating" or "NRDC red rating." The kosher infobit has a value of either "kosher" or "not kosher." Similarly, another kosher infobit can be an average product rating based on other website members who have indicated an interest in keeping kosher. In such an instance, the kosher infobit represents an opinion in contrast with a fact. FIG. 3 shows how infobits can be determined for a particular product. For a specific product (e.g., hot dogs), various product attributes (e.g., manufacturer/producer, ingredients, FDA allergies) can be determined from the product packaging. Additional metadata is determined from other sources and certification guidelines (e.g., the American Heart Association, NRDC, or Kosher Union). The product attributes and metadata are provided to automated analysis filters which generate the appropriate infobits for the product.

Referring again to FIG. 2, to search (step 1 16) for a particular product type that satisfies a user's interests, the user can browse by product category and can search by product name (step 120).

Potential products of interest are displayed (step 124) and the user selects (step 128) the product of interest from the displayed products. In an alternative search, certain product categories are searched by one or more infobits (step 132). For example, the user can search for paper towels that have an "NRDC green rating" or for sausages that are "kosher." Products having infobits with values the same as the search criteria, or within a specified range, are displayed (step 136) and the user selects (step 140) a particular product from the displayed products.

According to either of the search techniques described above, information and infobit values for the selected product are displayed (step 144) to the user. For example, if the user browses to a webpage for Amy's Rice Crust Spinach Pizza, she will see the following infobits: "wheat gluten free," "cholesterol free" and "kosher." Thus the user sees the information she cares about most when she needs it most.

Users of the product information service can discuss and rate each product on the website. When a user registers a particular interest, the user can also have general discussions within that interest community. Discussions about products can be made within the context of an interest to allow users to filter (step 148) product discussions by interest. For example, if the user is looking at Amy's Rice Crust Spinach Pizza, she can filter all of the product discussion to show (step 152) only items relevant to the kosher interest.

FIG. 4 graphically depicts the interrelationship between users, user interests, infobits and products. In a wide-scale implementation of a product information service implementing the method 100 of FIG. 2 or other methods as described below, there can be a large number (e.g., millions) of users. There may be thousands of defined user interests, only a small number of which are associated with a typical user. Each defined infobit can be associated with a number of user interests. Each product type (e.g., cereals, home theater products, cholesterol reducing drugs) is typically associated with a number of infobits. Under each product type there can be a large number of products. The total number of products in the database of the product information service can be large (e.g., millions). One user can have many interests and each interest can have many infobits. One product type can have many relevant infobits. Thus, when one user is viewing one product, many infobits associated with the user's interest may be displayed. This display generally is different for another user, customized to their expressed interests.

Mobile Product Searching

FIG. 5 shows a flowchart of an embodiment of a mobile device based method 200 for determining product information according to the invention. In this embodiment, the user utilizes a mobile communications device such as a cell phone, personal digital assistant (PDA) or hand-held computing device with web browsing capability. The user wishes to access the product information similar to that obtainable according to the web-based product searching technique described above. However, the user wants to retrieve this information while she is shopping, along with reviews and comments about products from other service subscribers to make informed product purchase decisions in a point-of-sale environment. The user registers (step 204) when subscribing to the product information service and enters or selects (step 208) user interests. Steps 204 and 208 generally need to be performed only once by the user although the user may occasionally want to update (i.e., add or delete) interests over time. If the user has previously registered for the web-based service, the previously selected interests and infobits are synchronized (i.e., "merged") (step 212) with the newly selected interests and infobits.

In one example, the user goes to a store to buy paper towels. The user prefers paper towels that are environmentally-friendly. While in the store, the user picks up a package of Acme Brand paper towels, surveys the package for information and notes that there is no information relating to environmental protection. The user then decides to use the mobile version of the product information service.

To request the desired product information, a product identifier for Acme brand paper towels is entered (step 216(a)) into the user's mobile communications device, for example, by typing on a device keypad. The product identifier can be a Universal Product Code (UPC) number, an electronic product code (EPC) number or other identifier that uniquely identifies the product type and can be entered using the device keyboard. Alternatively, the mobile communications device can be equipped with an image acquisition device for capturing an image of (i.e., "scanning") a barcode that encodes the product identifier in machine-readable format. In this alternative, the acquired image data are analyzed to determine the product identifier. Instead of a barcode, the product identifier can be encoded in other formats such as a two- dimensional data image (e.g., a Data Matrix code or a QR code) that can be imaged and analyzed by the mobile communications device.

As an alternative to entering a product identifier, the user can enter (step 216(b)) the product name including brand, manufacturer or other identifying product information. In this instance, the product information service returns a set of products that are displayed in a text list, a graphic format, or a combined text and graphic format. The set of products includes potential matches for the entered product identifying information. The user then selects the desired product from the displayed set of product types. After entering the product identifier into the mobile communications device, either manually or by image acquisition, or after selecting the desired product type from the displayed list, one or more product databases are searched (step 224) for the corresponding product information. Matched product information, including user infobit values, is presented (step 228) to the user on the device display. For the paper towel example, the device display shows that the infobit for environmental protection is "NRDC red rating," meaning that the product is not judged to be "environmentally friendly" by the NRDC. Consequently, the user may decline to purchase Acme brand paper towels and to browse the paper towel product category using the mobile communications device to search for products having an "NRDC green rating" for the environmental protection infobit. The product information service responds by providing for display a list of products that have an "NRDC green rating" sorted according to an average rating by users of the product information service. Thus the user is better able to take action on her product-related interests and beliefs at the time when the user most needs this information.

The user can decide (step 236) to search for product information on a different product such as a different brand of paper towels in the example given above. In this instance, the subsequent search repeats steps 216 through 236 of the method 200.

Mobile Advertising

Optional step 232 in FIG. 5 indicates that an embodiment of a method 300 for mobile advertising according to the invention can be performed as shown in FIG. 6. The method 300 is well-adapted for use subsequent to a mobile product searching task as described above. The method 300 provides a benefit to a user seeking products consistent with the user's interest and a benefit to sellers targeting their advertisements to groups most likely to be interested in purchasing the seller's products. In the above mobile product searching example where the user declines to purchase Acme brand paper towels, an advertisement can be provided on the display of the mobile communications device from a company that offers a product (paper towels) that is similar to Acme Brand paper towels; however, the infobit for environmental protection for the advertised product is "NRDC green rating." Thus the user has the benefit of near real-time notification of a preferred alternative. Moreover, the seller of the environmentally-friendly paper towels has the benefit of placing an advertisement directly with a consumer who is likely very interested in the advertised product and who is in a position to make a quick decision regarding purchase of the advertised product.

Referring to FIG. 6, the method 300 for providing a mobile advertisement includes searching (step 304) one or more product databases for "best product matches" according to the user interests and infobits, and optionally according to viewer demographics. Once the "best products" are determined, one or more advertisements are served (step 308) to the mobile communications device and displayed (step 312). If multiple advertisements are served, they can be displayed according to a priority as described below.

Optionally, a coupon accompanying the advertisement is selected (step 316) by the user and displayed (step 320). In one alternative, the coupon is presented on the device display without user interaction and has the effect of an advertisement when first viewed by the user. Advantageously, the user receives the coupon near in time to a potential purchase of the associated product. In one embodiment, the coupon is displayed on the screen of the mobile device and includes a scannable code such as a UPC, Quick Response, or Datamatrix code. If the user decides to purchase the associated product, the mobile communications device is handed to checkout personnel at the point-of-sale for optical scanning (step 324) of the display or the user can position the display for scanning. In another embodiment this coupon or advertising information is communicated to the retailer using wireless (e.g., RF) or optical (e.g., infrared) communication.

Advertisers wishing to utilize the mobile advertising service described above can bid on advertisement scenarios. Each scenario consists of some combination of product categories (or subcategories), and user interests. For the alternative product advertised to the user in the example described above, the associated advertiser has bid a certain amount for advertisements. These advertisements are shown only to users who were searching for paper products that are environmentally- friendly.

The present invention contemplates an advertising bidding engine that allows various permutations of product categories and user interests. For example, a large household product company could bid on all paper products. Similarly, interest-specific and "special interest" companies, such as companies focusing on environmentally-friendly products can bid on all product searches associated with environmentally- friendly user interests. The bidding engine is configured to recognize that certain interests should not be applied to certain product categories. For example, an interest in "Peanut Allergy" is not applied to Paper Products. Table 1 shows an example of combinations of user interests and product categories. Combinations that do not make sense and therefore are not utilized are shown as "N/ A" (not applicable). Valid combinations are show as "Yes."

Table 1 Scenarios and advertisement bidding and pricing can be extended to include other factors such as contexts (e.g., geographic location), economic information (e.g., annual income, credit rating) and demographic information of the user (e.g., age and gender). For example, a company promoting lactose-free ice cream in Florida to retirees might bid only on advertisements to be provided to users over the age of 60 residing in Florida that search for ice cream and having a "Lactose Intolerant" interest.

While the invention has been shown and described with reference to specific embodiments, it should be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and detail may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

What is claimed is:

Claims

1. A method for determining product information and metadata from a database, the method comprising: receiving from a client device a request for user-specific product information, the request comprising a product identifier and being associated with at least one user interest; determining at least one infobit associated with each of the user interests; determining a value of each of the infobits; and sending the values of the infobits to the client device.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising sending product information for a product defined by the product identifier to the client device.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising sending at least one product discussion from another user having a common user interest for a product defined by the product identifier to the client device.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising generating the request for user-specific product information.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein generating the request comprises entering the product identifier into a mobile communications device.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein entering the product identifier comprises obtaining an image having an encoded product identifier.

7. The method of claim 4 wherein generating the request comprises selecting an entry from a display of potential products of interest.

8. A method for posting an advertisement to a mobile Communications device, the method comprising: receiving from the mobile communications device a request for user-specific product information, the request comprising a product identifier and being associated with at least one user interest; determining at least one infobit associated with each of the user interests; determining a user-specific advertisement in response to the infobits associated with the user interests; and sending the user-specific advertisement to the mobile communications device for display.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein the user-specific advertisement comprises a coupon for presentation on a display of the mobile communications device.

10. A computing system, comprising: a registry database adapted to store at least one user interest for each user in a plurality of users; a product database storing product information for each product in a plurality of products; and a server in communication with the registry and product databases and being configured to receive a request from a client device for user-specific product information, the server determining at least one infobit for each user interest of a user of the client device based on the user interests of the user, the server determining the values of the infobits that are associated with a product identified in the request from the client device according to the product information for the identified product.

11. The computing system of claim 10 wherein the server sends the values determined for the infobits associated with the identified product to the client device for presentation to the user.

12. The computing system of claim 10 wherein the server presents a webpage to the client device and wherein the request for user-specific information product information is provided by a user entry in the webpage.

13. A computer-implemented apparatus for providing user-specific product information to a user of a system including a database containing at least one user interest for each user in a plurality of users, a database containing product information for each product in a plurality of products, and a processor in communication with the databases, the computer-implemented apparatus comprising computer software for execution by the processor to perform the steps of: receiving from the client device a request for the user-specific product information, the request comprising a product identifier and being associated with at least one user interest; determining at least one infobit associated with each of the associated user interests; determining a value of each of the infobits; and sending the values of the infobits to the client device.

14. The computer-implemented apparatus of claim 13 further configured to send product information for a product defined by the product identifier to a client device for presentation to the user.

15. A computing system, comprising: a registry database adapted to store at least one user interest for each user in a plurality of users; a product database storing a plurality of product advertisements; and a server in communication with the registry and product databases and being configured to receive a request from a mobile communications device for user-specific product information, the request comprising a product identifier and being associated with at least one user interest of a user of the mobile communications device, the server determining at least one infobit associated with each of the user interests and determining a user-specific advertisement in response to the infobits associated with the user interests.

16. The computing system of claim 15 wherein the server is further configured to send the user-specific advertisement to the mobile communications device for display to the user.

17. A computer-implemented apparatus for providing a user-specific advertisement to a user of a system including a mobile communications device, a database containing at least one user interest for each user in a plurality of users, a database containing a plurality of product advertisements, and a processor in communication with the databases, the computer-implemented apparatus comprising computer software for execution by the processor to perform the steps of: receiving from the mobile communications device a request for user-specific product information, the request comprising a product identifier and being associated with at least one user interest; determining at least one infobit associated with each user interest of the request; determining a user-specific advertisement from the plurality of product advertisements in response to the infobits associated with the user interests of the request; and sending the user-specific advertisement to the mobile communications device for display.