Information provision over a network based on a user's profile

A server system for providing information via a public network to a user, comprising:

• means for identifying the user;
• means for acquiring data from each site searched or visited by the user during each session of a plurality of sessions via the public network, said acquired data comprising content of each site searched or visited during each said session;
• for each said site searched or visited for each said session:
• means for parsing the acquired data to identify session attributes for each site searched or visited and associating a session weight with each said session attribute of each site searched or visited, wherein the session attributes for each site searched or visited are derived from keywords consisting of section headings and bolded words in the acquired data of each site searched or visited, and wherein each session weight of each site searched or visited is derived from the time spent by the user in each site searched or visited or from a frequency of visits by the user to each site searched or visited;
• means for specifying user profile attributes for the user;
• means for providing a mapping that associates each session attribute with a corresponding user profile attribute;
• for each user profile attribute:
• means for determining a user profile weight derived from session weights associated with session attributes corresponding to the user profile attribute in accordance with said mapping;
• means for generating a user profile pertaining to the user, said user profile including one or more attribute records, each attribute record of said one or more attribute records comprising:
• a user profile attribute of said user profile attributes, the user profile weight associated with the user profile attribute, and the session weights associated with the user profile attribute;
• and
• means for providing information obtained via the network to said user based on said user profile.

A computer program product comprising a computer usable medium having a computer readable program code embodied therein, said computer readable program code comprising an algorithm adapted to implement a method for providing information via a public network to a user, said method comprising the steps of:

• identifying the user;
• acquiring data from each site searched or visited by the user during each session of a plurality of sessions via the public network, said acquired data comprising content of each site searched or visited during each said session;
• for each said site searched or visited for each said session:
• parsing the acquired data to identify session attributes for each site searched or visited and associating a session weight with each said session attribute of each site searched or visited, wherein the session attributes for each site searched or visited are derived from keywords consisting of section headings and bolded words in the acquired data of each site searched or visited, and wherein each session weight of each site searched or visited is derived from the time spent by the user in each site searched or visited or from a frequency of visits by the user to each site searched or visited;
• specifying user profile attributes for the user;
• providing a mapping that associates each session attribute with a corresponding user profile attribute;
• for each user profile attribute:
• determining a user profile weight derived from session weights associated with session attributes corresponding to the user profile attribute in accordance with said mapping;
• generating a user profile pertaining to the user, said user profile including one or more attribute records, each attribute record of said one or more attribute records comprising:
• a user profile attribute of said user profile attributes, the user profile weight associated with the user profile attribute, and the session weights associated with the user profile attribute;
• and
• providing information obtained via the network to said user based on said user profile.