US 7,483,871 B2 · Customized electronic newspapers and advertisements

Abstract

This invention relates to customized electronic identification of desirable objects, such as news articles, in an electronic media environment, and in particular to a system that automatically constructs both a “target profile” for each target object in the electronic media based, for example, on the frequency with which each word appears in an article relative to its overall frequency of use in all articles, as well as a “target profile interest summary” for each user, which target profile interest summary describes the user's interest level in various types of target objects. The system then evaluates the target profiles against the users' target profile interest summaries to generate a user-customized rank ordered listing of target objects most likely to be of interest to each user so that the user can select from among these potentially relevant target objects, which were automatically selected by this system from the plethora of target objects that are profiled on the electronic media. Users' target profile interest summaries can be used to efficiently organize the distribution of information in a large scale system consisting of many users interconnected by means of a communication network. Additionally, a cryptographically-based pseudonym proxy server is provided to ensure the privacy of a user's target profile interest summary, by giving the user control over the ability of third parties to access this summary and to identify or contact the user.

Claims22

Dependent claims

A method for providing a user with a customized electronic newspaper that is accessible via an electronic data transmission media, where said users are connected via user terminals and data communication connections on said electronic data transmission media to a server system which provides said user with access to a plurality of target object news articles and advertisements, said method comprising the steps of:

automatically generating separate target profiles for said plurality of target object news articles and advertisements that are accessible via said electronic data transmission media, each of said target profiles being generated automatically, by a computer system running a profile generation algorithm, from the contents of an associated one of said target object news articles and advertisements;
automatically generating at least one user target profile interest summary for a user at a user terminal, each said user target profile interest summary being generated from said target object profiles associated with said news articles and advertisements accessed by said user, such that the at least one user target profile interest summary is not generated based on input from the user;
determining automatically a correspondence between said at least one user target profile interest summary and said target profiles;
and
automatically creating a customized electronic newspaper for said user by presenting said user with a customized selection, as a function of said correspondence, of said plurality of target object news articles and advertisements.

2 more elements

A system for providing a user with a customized electronic newspaper that is accessible via an electronic data transmission media, where said users are connected via user terminals and data communication connections on said electronic data transmission media to a server system which provides said user with access to a plurality of target object news articles and advertisements, said system comprising:

means for automatically generating separate target profiles for said plurality of target object news articles and advertisements that are accessible via said electronic data transmission media, each of said target profiles being generated automatically, by a computer system running a profile generation algorithm, from the contents of an associated one of said target object news articles and advertisements;
means for automatically generating at least one user target profile interest summary for a user at a user terminal, each said user target profile interest summary being generated from said target object profiles associated with said news articles and advertisements accessed by said user, such that the at least one user target profile interest summary is not generated based on input from the user;
means for determining correspondence between said at least one user target profile interest summary and said target profiles;
and
means for automatically creating a customized electronic newspaper for said user by presenting said user with a customized selection, as a function of said correspondence, of said plurality of target object news articles and advertisements.

2 more elements

A method for providing a user with access to selected ones of a plurality of target object advertisements that are accessible via an electronic data transmission media, where said users are connected via user terminals and data communication connections on said electronic data transmission media to a server system which provides said user with access to a plurality of bulletin boards, said method comprising the steps of:

automatically generating target object profiles for target object advertisements that are accessible by said electronic data transmission media, each of said target object profiles being generated automatically, by a computer system running a profile generation algorithm, from the contents of an associated one of said target object advertisements;
automatically generating at least one user target profile summary for a user at a user terminal, each said user target profile interest summary being generated from said plurality of target object profiles associated with said target object advertisements accessed by said user, such that the at least one user target profile interest summary is not generated based on input from the user;
determining numerical interest values indicating degrees of correspondence between said at least one user target profile interest summary and said target object profiles;
and
generating a customized selection, as a function of said numerical interest values, of said plurality of target object advertisements.

2 more elements

A system for providing a user with access to selected ones of a plurality of target object advertisements that are accessible via an electronic data transmission media, where said users are connected via user terminals and data communication connections on said electronic data transmission media server system which provides said user with access to a plurality of bulletin boards, said method comprising:

means for automatically generating target object profiles for target object advertisements that are accessible by said electronic data transmission media, each of said target object profiles being generated automatically, by a computer system running a profile generation algorithm, from the contents of an associated one of said target object advertisements;
means for automatically generating at least one of said target object advertisements;
means for automatically generating at least one user target profile interest summary for a user at a user terminal, each said user target profile interest summary being generated from said plurality of target object profiles associated with said target object advertisements accessed by said user, such that the at least one user target profile interest summary is not generated based on input from the user;
means for determining numerical interest values indicating degrees of correspondence between said at least one user target profile interest summary and said target object profiles;
and
means for generating a customized selection, as a function of said numerical interest values, of said plurality of target object advertisements.

3 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Customized electronic newspapers and advertisements

Life of this patent

Customized electronic newspapers and advertisements

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims22