Apparatus and method for recommending to an individual selective information contained within a computer network
AssigneeThe Regents of the University of California
InventorKenneth Y. Goldberg
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The method of the invention is executed by a computer under the control of a program stored in computer memory. The method includes the step of accumulating preference data for a set of individuals. The preference data is transformed from multi-dimensional data to lower-dimensional data using a principal component analysis. The lower-dimensional data is then converted into a recommendation map where predicted preference information for a selected individual is easily computed. Recommended content is then routed to the selected individual. The invention has been tested, by way of example, to recommend jokes to users based on their ratings of sample jokes.
Claims21
A method to recommend items to at least one user based upon data collected from N users where N>>1, the method executed by a computer under control of a program, the computer including a memory storing the program, the method comprising the following steps:
- (a) during an initial on-line phase, accumulating a database of preference patterns based upon input from N users, during which phase no recommendations are made;
- (b) during an initial off-line phase, processing the database accumulated at step (a) to identify a predictor set of items for all future users to rate and to transform high-dimensional preference patterns to lower-dimensional data, and converting said lower-dimensional data into a recommendation map;
- (c) during a second on-line phase:
- (i) collecting high-dimensional preference data for said new user;
- and
- (ii) generating recommendations for said new user based on data collected in step (c)(i) and based upon said recommendation map derived in one of step (b) and step (d);
- wherein time-consuming processing steps associated with step (b) and step (d) are avoided and effective magnitude of N is reduced;
- and
- (d) during subsequent off-line phases:
- processing said database of preference patterns based upon input from more than N users accumulated from step (a) and step (c)(i);
- transforming high-dimensional preference patterns to lower-dimensional data;
- and
- converting said lower-dimensional data into a recommendation map.
A computer readable memory storing a routine that upon execution directs a computer to function so as to recommend items to at least one user based upon data collected from N users where N>>1, the routine upon execution carrying out the following steps:
- (a) during an initial on-line phase, accumulating a database of preference patterns based upon input from N users, during which phase no recommendations are made;
- (b) during an initial off-line phase, processing the database accumulated at step (a) to identify a predictor set of items for all future users to rate and to transform high-dimensional preference patterns to lower-dimensional data, and converting said lower-dimensional data into a recommendation map;
- (c) during a second on-line phase:
- (i) collecting high-dimensional preference data for said new user;
- and
- (ii) generating recommendations for said new user based on data collected in step (c)(i) and based upon said recommendation map derived in one of step (b) and step (d);
- wherein time-consuming processing steps associated with step (b) and step (d) are avoided and effective magnitude of N is reduced;
- and
- (d) during subsequent off-line phases:
- processing said database of preference patterns based upon input from more than N users accumulated from step (a) and step (c)(i);
- transforming high-dimensional preference patterns to lower-dimensional data;
- and
- converting said lower-dimensional data into a recommendation map.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.