WO2009099873A1

WO2009099873A1 - Interest-based product information filtering

Info

Publication number: WO2009099873A1
Application number: PCT/US2009/032367
Authority: WO
Inventors: Keith John Wright; Michael John Putnam
Original assignee: Zeer, Inc.
Priority date: 2008-02-07
Filing date: 2009-01-29
Publication date: 2009-08-13

Abstract

Described is a method for providing a value of an infobit for a product to a user. The value of the infobit represents information relevant to the user, including at least one attribute of the product, metadata for the product, or a combination of at least one attribute and metadata. According to the method, product data for the product are determined in response to a request from the user for the value of the infobit for a particular product. The product data are indexed according to a product key included in the request that uniquely identifies the product according to a product provider. The product data are filtered according to at least one filter defined for the infobit. The value for the infobit is determined based on the filtered product data and transmitted to a client device for display to the user.

Description

INTEREST-BASED PRODUCT INFORMATION FILTERING

RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application Serial No. 61 /026,872, filed February 7, 2008, titled

"Interest-Based Product Information Filtering," the entirety of which is incorporated herein by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to providing product information that is relevant to users. More particularly, the invention relates to methods for filtering product information according to user interests.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The wide range of products available to the public often makes it difficult for 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 product descriptions on vendor websites can include additional information; however, complete information may 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 often 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. International patent application no. PCT/US2008/084175 describes a method for determining product information and metadata from a database. The method includes determining one or more infobits that are relevant to the user's interests and determining the values of those infobits. 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. Infobit values are sent to a client device for viewing by the user.

Due to the large and growing number of products available to consumers, there is a need for efficiently defining infobits and determining their values. The present invention satisfies this need and provides additional advantages.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In one aspect, the invention features a method for providing a value of an infobit for a product to a user. The value of the infobit represents at least one of an attribute of the product and metadata for the product relevant to the user. According to the method, product data for a product are determined in response to a request from a user for a value of an infobit for a product. The product data are indexed according to a product key included in the request that uniquely identifies the product according to a product provider. The product data are filtered according to at least one filter defined for the infobit. A value for the infobit is determined based on the filtered product data and the value is transmitted to the user. In another aspect, the invention features a computer- implemented apparatus for providing a value of an infobit for a product to a user of a system that includes a database storing product information for a plurality of products and a processor in communication with the database. The value of the infobit represents at least one of an attribute of the product and metadata for the product relevant to the user. The computer-implemented apparatus includes computer software for execution by the processor to perform the steps of: determining product data for a product where the product data are indexed according to a product key that uniquely identifies the product according to a product provider; filtering the product data identified for the product key according to an infobit having a value to be displayed to the user; determining the value of the infobit based on the filtered product data; and transmitting the value of the infobit to a client device for display to the user.

In yet another aspect, the invention features a computing system for providing to a user a value of an infobit that represents at least one of an attribute of a product and metadata for the product relevant to the user. The computing system includes a database storing product information for a plurality of products and a server in communication with the database. The server is adapted for communication with a client device to receive a request for a value of an infobit for a product. The request includes a product key that uniquely identifies the product according to a product provider. The server determines product data from the database based on the product key and filters the product data according to the infobit. The server also determines the value of the infobit based on the filtered product data and transmits the value of the infobit to a client device for display to a user.

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 a user determines product information from a database.

FIG. 2 is a categorical illustration of the components utilized in an embodiment of a method for generating an infobit having a value representing an attribute of a product or metadata for the product according to the invention.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart representation of an embodiment of a method for generating an infobit having a value that represents an attribute of a product or metadata for the product according to the invention.

FIG. 4 is a graphical representation indicating how multiple filters can be combined to create an infobit. FIG. 5 is a flowchart representation of an embodiment of a method for a user to create an infobit 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, one of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate 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. The present invention relates to a method for providing a value of an infobit for a product to a user. The value represents metadata for a product and/ or one or more attributes of the product that are relevant to the user. 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, readonly 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 a user may determine product information from a database as disclosed in PCT Patent Application No. PCT/US2008/084175, titled "Interest- Based Product Viewing, Searching and Advertising," the contents of which are incorporated by reference herein. Various 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 typically includes one or more processors and memory, and communicates with a user registry 34 and at least one database 38. FIG. 2 is a categorical illustration of the components and concepts utilized in an embodiment of the method of the invention. User interactions through a client device result in the display on the device of one or more infobit values that relate to a given product. The infobit values convey information that is relevant to the user's particular interests. As illustrated, the infobits indicate whether the product is heart healthy, contains peanuts and is favorably regarded by a certain user community. Infobit values are determined by applying filters to information stored in one or more databases. The stored information can be derived from a variety of data sources and information services, and may also be derived from user-generated content.

By way of example, a user may have a severe peanut allergy. Consequently, the user is interested in knowing whether or not products being considered for purchase contain peanuts. The user provides a request for information regarding a particular product. The request can include entering a Universal Product Code (UPC) number, scanning the product barcode with a camera (e.g., a cell phone or PDA camera), or typing in at least a portion of the product name, brand or manufacturer. In response, a "peanut allergy infobit" is transmitted to and displayed on the user's client device. The displayed infobit has the appropriate value for the product, such as "Contains Peanuts" or "Peanut Safe."

FIG. 3 shows a flowchart of an embodiment of a method 100 for generating infobits having values that represent attributes of products and/ or metadata for the product relevant to a user. Initially, data sources that include product information are collected (step 110). Data sources can include licensed databases that are maintained in their entirety, user-generated content such as product rankings, and opinions regarding products. Data sources can also include information services which send particular pieces of information on demand. For example, an information service can employ a web service technology such as Extensible Markup Language Remote Procedure Call (XML-RPC) or Simple Object Access Protocol (SOAP).

The data are combined and indexed (step 120) by one or more product keys. For example, the product key can be a UPC or electronic product code (EPC) number that uniquely identifies a particular product such as a packaging variation (e.g., certain size, weight or volume) of a product from a certain distributor or manufacturer (i.e., a product provider). Alternatively, the product key can be a unique key generated specifically for use with a system providing the infobit values. Related product data can be quickly and efficiently determined from the combined data sources using the unique product key.

To generate an infobit value for a particular product the related product data are filtered (step 130). In some embodiments a simple filtering process is used such as referring to a single data item gathered for the product. For example, there may be a database of Kosher or gluten-free products and the filter can be as simple as determining if corresponding data exists in the database.

In other embodiments the filter is more complex and may take into account multiple factors. For example, an infobit referred to as "Healthy Heart Recommended" can be created. The infobit is determined according to a combination of conditions:

Low Fat - less than 0.5 g of fat per serving of food

Low Cholesterol - less than 2 mg cholesterol per serving Low Sodium - less than 5 mg sodium per serving and no ingredient that is sodium chloride

High Fiber - containing more than 20% of the recommended daily value of dietary fiber

After the value of an infobit is determined by application of the filter, the value is transmitted to the user's client device and displayed (step 140) to the user. In the example above, if all four conditions are satisfied for a particular product request, the user sees a display of text indicating that the product is "Healthy Heart Recommended." Conversely, if one or more conditions are not met, no related text is displayed.

In another example, the result of filtering for peanut allergy information may be an infobit value that causes the display of either "Contains Peanuts" or "Peanut Safe" according to the ingredients of a particular food product. In the examples described above the infobits have binary values; however, the number of values for an infobit can be greater. For example, a cholesterol infobit can display values of "Cholesterol Free," "Low Cholesterol" and "High Cholesterol."

Application of Multiple Filters to a Product to Create One Infobit

Multiple filters can be combined to create an infobit as depicted in FIG. 4. Moreover, the filters can be of different types.

Hard Quantitative Attribute Filters A hard quantitative attribute filter can be used when a product attribute can be numerically measured to fit a quantitative description. For example, a quantitative attribute can be appropriate when the numerical value can be determined to be equal to a certain number, greater than the number, less than the number or within a defined range. An infobit value generated solely from a quantitative attribute filter does not change in time because the underlying product attribute data do not change. Meta-Data Quantitative Attribute Filters

A meta-data quantitative attribute filter can be used if metadata is available for the product. For example, the recommended daily value of dietary fiber contained in the product can be determined. In this example, a hard quantitative attribute, such as the number of grams of dietary fiber per serving, is pre-filtered according to the number of grams of dietary fiber recommended by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for one day. An infobit value derived using a meta-data quantitative attribute filter can change in time because the criteria defined for the meta-analysis can change.

Textual Attribute Filters

Textual attributes can be the basis for a filter. These attributes can be positive or negative. For example, if the text of a manufacturer's product description includes the words "Gluten Free," a Gluten Free infobit can display the value "Gluten Free." For the Heart Healthy Recommended example described above, the infobit would be "turned off if the text for the product ingredients includes the words "sodium chloride." Alternatively, a negative implementation of a textual attribute filter can be used. More specifically, the filter checks to determine that certain text is not included in the textual attributes of the product. For example, the allergy warning text associated with a product is determined not to include the words "contains peanuts" in order to display the infobit value "Peanut Safe."

Conditionally-Applied Filters

Additional logic can be employed to determine when certain filters are to be applied to product data. This logic can be appropriate when certain product data are not available over defined time intervals. By way of example, in the United States the Food Allergy Labeling and Consumer Protection Act of 2004 required that food products regulated by the FDA include allergen warnings. The regulation became effective on January 1 , 2006. Thus a negative textual attribute filter that screens for the warning "contains peanuts" might be applied only to product data acquired from packages available to the public on or after January 1 , 2006.

Two or more filters described above can be combined to generate other variants of filters. For example, metadata of product ratings made by consumers (e.g., star ratings ranging from one to five stars) can be averaged to obtain an average rating of all consumers using a website for the product. A conditional filter for a particular community (e.g., "Peanut Allergy community") can be applied to obtain the average rating based only on members of the community. A further conditional, time-based filter can be used to include only ratings entered during a specific time period such as the most recent week. For the example, the resulting infobit value might be "Average Peanut Allergy Rating Last Week: 3.5 stars."

Filter Expression Using a Single XML Configuration File According to an embodiment of the invention, multiple filters of different types are combined using a single XML configuration file. The following example relates to creation of a Tree Nut Allergy infobit. The infobit has three possible values: "Contains Tree Nuts," "Tree Nut Safe" and a null result to indicate that the infobit cannot be determined from the available data to have one of the other two values. The XML file achieves the goal of linking an infobit to a user related interest or need. In the example, the community of people with tree nut allergies is interested in the Tree Nut Allergy infobit, but they might also be interested in other related infobits. The following describes the XML filter and infobit definitions for the community:

<Group> <name>Tree Nut Allergy</name>

<evaluationType>CONTAINS_WARNING [ ! tree nut] ,

CONTAINS_WARNING [ ! treenut ] , CONTAINS_INGREDIENT [ ! walnut ] ,

CONTAINS_INGREDIENT [ ! pecan] , CONTAINS_INGREDIENT [ ! hazelnut] , CONTAINS_INGREDIENT [ ! filburt] , CONTAINS_INGREDIENT [! hickory nut] , CONTAINS_INGREDIENT [ ipistachio] ,

CONTAINS_INGREDIENT [ ! cashews ] , CONTAINS_INGREDIENT [ ! almond] ,

CONTAINS_INGREDIENT [ ! macadamia] ,

CONTAINS_INGREDIENT [ ! beechnut] , CONTAINS_INGREDIENT [ ibrazil nut], CONTAINS_INGREDIENT [! chestnut] , CONTAINS_NUTRIENT [ ! Pine

Nuts & Cashews ] </evaluationType>

<alternateText>Contains tree nuts</alternateText> </infoBit> </Group>

The < Group > tag surrounds the text defining the infobits for the Tree Nut Allergy community. The <infoBit> tag surrounds the text defining a single infobit, namely, the Tree Nut Allergy infobit having the three possible values described above. The <evaluationType> tag defines the type of filter being applied to the product data.

In this example three filters are applied to the product data:

CONTAINS_WARNING - a textual attribute filter that is applied in a negative manner to check that the allergen warning for the product does not contain the words "treenut" or "tree nut" in the WARNING text field of the food product data.

CONTAINSJNGREDIENT - a textual attribute filter that is applied to the INGREDIENT text field of the food product data.

CONTAINS_NUTRIENT - a textual attribute filter that is applied to the NUTRIENT text field of the food product data. XML Expressions that Resolve to an Infobit

In complex instances, multiple logical tests using multiple filters are applied to create a single infobit value. The following XML file example describes a "Fat Free" infobit associated with the Health Hearts community:

<Group>

<name>Healthy Hearts</name>

<infoBit> <evaluationType>EXPRESSION [ 'Total Fat' < 0.5 : QUANTITY : Fat Free] </evaluationType>

</infoBit> </Group>

In this example the term "SsIt;" translates to a less than symbol

"<" in the Java computer programming language. The "Fat Free" infobit is generated by the above XML expression within the <evaluationType> tags.

During execution of the computer program instructions, "EXPRESSION" indicates that a hard quantitative attribute filter is applied. Through programming conventions, any text located between single quotes is interpreted as a nutrient type. The text " Total Fat' " is effectively replaced with the corresponding quantitative attribute value for the product. As an example, if the product were a particular brand and size of pizza, the " Total Fat' " text might resolve to a value of 23. The text is then evaluated as a logical expression " 23 < 0.5 " with a result of FALSE. Thus the text "Fat Free" at the end of the expression is not displayed. In a complementary example in which the " Total Fat' " text resolves to a value of 0.2, the evaluation of the corresponding logical expression " 0.2 < 0.5 " yields a result of TRUE and the text "Fat Free" is displayed. Filters can be configured in various ways. In the preceding example, the configuration value "QUANTITY" was used. An alternative value "PERCENTAGE" can also be used. By accommodating a configuration value, program execution knows whether to interpret the associated value as a unit of measure (e.g., grams) or a percentage (e.g., percentage of FDA recommended daily value (%RDV)).

Infobit configuration can be extended to a variety of product categories, product interests and associated infobits. For example, an infobit relating to automobile safety can be used to indicate whether a car is "Safe" or "Not Safe." The infobit can be based on different types of safety rating data. One type may be crash ratings (e.g., a five star rating scale) where the configuration is denoted as "STAR RATING" and ratings that exceed 4.5 are interpreted to be "Very Safe." Another type of safety rating data can be ratings made by consumers and the configuration may be denoted as "CUSTOMER RECOMMENDATION." For example, if more than 95% of car owners recommend the safety of a car, the car is interpreted to be "Very Safe." The following XML expressions are configured according to the example:

EXPRESSION [ 'Safety Rating' > 4.5: STAR RATING: Very safe] EXPRESSION [ ^ΛSafety Rating' > 95:CUSTOMER RECOMMENDATION : Very safe]

Infobits can also be configured by a user. A "Low Fat" infobit using FDA prescribed values may describe a food product as "Low Fat" if the product contains 3 grams or less of total fat per serving; however, a user can configure their own "Low Fat" infobit. For instance, a user may only want the infobit to indicate a "Low Fat" value if the product contains 2 grams or less of total fat per serving. Another example of a configurable infobit is a "Percentage RDV" infobit. FDA percentage RDV data is usually based on a 2,000 calorie per day diet. A user can set a desired value of 1 ,800 calories per day, for example, if the user is dieting. Thus the value of the infobit is normalized to the user's lower caloric intake goal.

In yet another configurable infobit example, a user can create an infobit intended to indicate whether a musical recording or collection of musical recordings (e.g., an album) should be interpreted as "Good Music." The user can set a threshold value of 4.5 stars for a 5 star rating range while a different user can configure their own "Good Music" infobit with a different value (e.g., 4 star threshold value) . User generated infobits can be created, in which users connect to their own data sources, either uploaded directly to our service, or via connections to other data services through the Web or other technologies. In these instances users create, select and apply a variety of filters of the types described above in addition to other types.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart representation of an embodiment of a method 200 for a user to create an infobit. The illustrated example 200 is used to generate an infobit that indicates a carbon footprint for automobiles. The user selects (step 210) cars as the appropriate product category. The user then selects (step 220) a data source that includes the average carbon dioxide emissions of various car models. A user-defined filter is created (step 230) for application to the data so that the emissions are expressed in thousands of pounds of carbon dioxide per year. This expression can be provided as a simple "Carbon Footprint for Cars" infobit.

The user may publish (step 240) the infobit. A published infobit is available for access by other users. In the present example, a user can examine a specific car model on a client device (e.g., mobile phone) and see a display of the carbon footprint (e.g., "24K pounds CO₂ Carbon Footprint"). Infobits can be associated with images or icons that indicate the value of the infobit. For example, a "Gluten Free" infobit may include the following XML inserted in the infobit definition file:

<image>GlutenFree . jpg</image>

<alternateImage>ContainsGluten . jpg</alternatelmage>

Thus a jpeg image corresponding to the image name GlutenFree.jpg is displayed on the user's client device. The image is a symbol or other graphical representation used to indicate that there is no wheat gluten in the product. An alternative image ContainsGluten.jpg is used to indicate that the product includes wheat gluten.

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 providing a value of an infobit for a product to a user, the value of the infobit representing at least one of an attribute of the product and metadata for the product relevant to the user, the method comprising: determining product data for a product in response to a request from a user for a value of an infobit for a product, the product data being indexed according to a product key included in the request that uniquely identifies the product according to a product provider; filtering the product data according to at least one filter defined for the infobit; determining a value for the infobit based on the filtered product data; and transmitting the value of the infobit to the user.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising generating the request for the value of the infobit.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising displaying the value of the infobit to the user.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the product key comprises a Universal Product Code.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the product key comprises an Electronic Product Code.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the filters for the infobit are defined in an Extensible Markup Language (XML) configuration file.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the filtering comprises an application of a quantitative attribute filter.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the filtering comprises an application of a textual attribute filter.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the filtering comprises an application of at least one conditionally-applied filter.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein displaying the infobit comprises displaying an image representing the value of the infobit.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein the infobit is configured by a user according to at least one user-defined parameter.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein the product key further identifies the product according to a packaging variation.

13. A computer-implemented apparatus for providing a value of an infobit for a product to a user of a system including a database storing product information for a plurality of products and a processor in communication with the database, the value of the infobit representing at least one of an attribute of the product and metadata for the product relevant to the user, the computer-implemented apparatus comprising computer software for execution by the processor to perform the steps of: determining product data for a product, the product data being indexed according to a product key that uniquely identifies the product according to a product provider; filtering the product data identified for the product key according to an infobit having a value to be displayed to the user; determining the value of the infobit based on the filtered product data; and transmitting the value of the infobit to a client device for display to the user.

14. The computer-implemented apparatus of claim 13 wherein the computer software for execution by the processor further comprises the step of determining the product key from a request for a value of the infobit received from the client device.

15. The computer-implemented apparatus of claim 13 wherein the filtering of the product data comprises execution of an Extensible Markup Language (XML) configuration file.

16. The computer-implemented apparatus of claim 13 wherein the product key further identifies the product according to a packaging variation.

17. A computing system for providing to a user a value of an infobit that represents at least one of an attribute of a product and metadata for the product relevant to the user, the computing system comprising: a database storing product information for a plurality of products; and a server in communication with the database and adapted for communication with a client device to receive a request for a value of an infobit for a product, the request comprising a product key that uniquely identifies the product according to a product provider, the server determining product data from the database based on the product key, filtering the product data according to the infobit, determining the value of the infobit based on the filtered product data and transmitting the value of the infobit to a client device for display to a user.