# US 2020/0401918 A1 · Interestingness recommendations in a computing advice facility > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2020/0401918 A1 - Document ID: US20200401918A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 17/010,462 - Filed: 2020-09-02 - Published: 2020-12-24 - Earliest claimed: 2007-11-02 - Assignees: eBay Inc. - Applicants: eBay Inc. - Inventors: Thomas Pinckney; Christopher Dixon; Matthew Ryan Gattis - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20200401918A1 ## CPC - G06N 5/048: Fuzzy inferencing - G06F 16/2457: with adaptation to user needs - G06F 16/9535: Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation - G06N 20/00: Machine learning - G06Q 30/02: Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising - G06N: COMPUTING ARRANGEMENTS BASED ON SPECIFIC COMPUTATIONAL MODELS - G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N) - G06Q: INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES; SYSTEMS OR METHODS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR ## Abstract The present disclosure provides a recommendation to a user through a computer-based advice facility to rank search results by performing steps of receiving a search request from a user; retrieving a list of search results; ascertaining preferences of the user to create a taste and preference profile for the user; matching the user to other users with similar taste and preference profiles; and providing the search results to the user, wherein the search results are ranked according to the matched results selected by other users with similar taste and preference profiles. In embodiments, tastes and preferences of a user may be based on information inferred from a user's activity on a social network or augmented through other users that have a connection to the user through a social network. ## Claims ### Claim at position 1 -20. (canceled) ### Claim 21 A computer-implemented method comprising: receiving one or more search query terms submitted by a particular user; retrieving a list of search results based on the search query terms; accessing user preference profile information identifying one or more preferences of the particular user; ranking the list of search results, based on the user preference profile information, wherein a first search result matching the preferences of the particular user is ranked higher in the ranked list in comparison to a second search result that does not match the preferences of the particular user; and providing the ranked list of search results to the particular user. ### Claim 22 (depends on 21) The method of claim 21, further comprising: identifying the preferences of the particular user; and generating the user preference profile information identifying the preferences of the particular user. ### Claim 23 (depends on 21) The method of claim 21, wherein the preferences of the particular user are identified by analyzing user actions of the particular user on an online social network. ### Claim 24 (depends on 23) The method of claim 23, wherein the preferences of the particular user are identified based on other users that have a connection to the particular user through the online social network. ### Claim 25 (depends on 21) The method of claim 21, wherein the preferences of the particular user are identified based on previous search result selections of the particular user. ### Claim 26 (depends on 21) The method of claim 21, wherein the preferences of the particular user are identified by crawling, from a third party website, information describing the preferences of the particular user. ### Claim 27 (depends on 21) The method of claim 21, wherein the preferences of the particular user are identified from online sources indicating location-based behavior of the particular user. ### Claim 28 (depends on 21) The method of claim 21, wherein the search results describe at least one product. ### Claim 29 A non-transitory machine-readable storage medium comprising instructions that, when executed by one or more processors of a machine, cause the machine to perform operations comprising: receiving one or more search query terms submitted by a particular user; retrieving a list of search results based on the search query terms; accessing user preference profile information identifying one or more preferences of the particular user; ranking the list of search results, based on the user preference profile information, wherein a first search result matching the preferences of the particular user is ranked higher in the ranked list in comparison to a second search result that does not match the preferences of the particular user; and providing the ranked list of search results to the particular user. ### Claim 30 (depends on 29) The storage medium of claim 29, wherein the operations further comprise: identifying the preferences of the particular user; and generating the user preference profile information identifying the preferences of the particular user. ### Claim 31 (depends on 29) The storage medium of claim 29, wherein the preferences of the particular user are identified by analyzing user actions of the particular user on an online social network. ### Claim 32 (depends on 31) The storage medium of claim 31, wherein the preferences of the particular user are identified based on other users that have a connection to the particular user through the online social network. ### Claim 33 (depends on 29) The storage medium of claim 29, wherein the preferences of the particular user are identified based on previous search result selections of the particular user. ### Claim 34 (depends on 29) The storage medium of claim 29, wherein the preferences of the particular user are identified by crawling, from a third party website, information describing the preferences of the particular user. ### Claim 35 (depends on 29) The storage medium of claim 29, wherein the preferences of the particular user are identified from online sources indicating location-based behavior of the particular user. ### Claim 36 A system comprising: a machine including a memory and at least one processor; and a recommendation module, executable by the machine, configured to: receive one or more search query terms submitted by a particular user; retrieve a list of search results based on the search query terms; access user preference profile information identifying one or more preferences of the particular user; rank the list of search results, based on the user preference profile information, wherein a first search result matching the preferences of the particular user is ranked higher in the ranked list in comparison to a second search result that does not match the preferences of the particular user; and provide the ranked list of search results to the particular user. ### Claim 37 (depends on 36) The system of claim 36, wherein the recommendation module is further configured to: identify the preferences of the particular user; and generate the user preference profile information identifying the preferences of the particular user. ### Claim 38 (depends on 36) The system of claim 36, wherein the preferences of the particular user are identified by analyzing user actions of the particular user on an online social network. ### Claim 39 (depends on 38) The system of claim 38, wherein the preferences of the particular user are identified based on other users that have a connection to the particular user through the online social network. ### Claim 40 (depends on 36) The system of claim 36, wherein the preferences of the particular user are identified based on previous search result selections of the particular user.