US 7,793,213 B2Granted

Method and apparatus for delivering customized information according to a user's profile

AssigneeAbout, Inc.

InventorsElliot Shmukler, Joshua J. Schanker

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Abstract

A system for providing an individual user with customized information is described. The user provides the system with the user's preferences, including how often the user wants to receive information on products of interest. The system compares each user's preferences to a database to provide the user with notification of available products. The notification is individually prepared for each user by dynamically populating the notification with the necessary information as the notification is being sent to the individual. Thus, there is no need to first prepare the notification, store it, send it, and delete it. This approach reduces the need for more equipment as the number of needed notifications increases.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A computer-implemented method of automatically providing information regarding a plurality of items for sale from a plurality of vendors to a user at user-specified intervals, the method comprising:

receiving, from the plurality of vendors, product information associated with the plurality of items for sale;
classifying the plurality of items for sale based on at least the product information from the plurality of vendors by associating each item for sale with one or more classification codes that identify one or more attributes of the item for sale and whereby classification data is stored in a database;
updating the database based on the classification data associated with the plurality of items for sale;
comparing a user's stored profile data to classification data associated with the plurality of items for sale;
identifying one or more items of interest to the user from the plurality of items for sale associated with a plurality of vendor sites according to the user's stored profile data, wherein each item of interest is associated with a bargain list price and a bargain expiration date at which an offer for sale of the item of interest at the bargain list price expires;
organizing the identified one or more items of interest according to the user's stored profile data by ordering the identified one or more items of interest in an order from highest interest to lowest interest as a function of the user's stored profile data;
retrieving a document format for a document from the user's stored profile;
retrieving a template based on the document format;
establishing a connection with a mail server associated with an email address of the user;
transmitting the template to the mail server;
as the template is being transmitted to the mail server, filling fields in the template with the identified items of interest;
and
when the end of the template is reached, sending the document to the user,
wherein the document is solely stored on the mail server.

11 more elements

A method of automatically providing information regarding a plurality of items for sale from a plurality of vendors to a user at user-specified intervals, the method comprising:

under control of a client system:
displaying preference information to be selected by the user;
and
upon completion of preference selection by the user, sending the selected preference information to a first server system;
under control of the first server system:
receiving the selected preference information;
storing the selected preference information;
receiving, from the plurality of vendors, product information associated with the plurality of items for sale;
classifying the plurality of items for sale based on at least the product information from the plurality of vendors by associating each item for sale with one or more classification codes that identify one or more attributes of the item for sale and whereby classification data is stored in a database;
updating the database based on the classification data associated with the plurality of items for sale;
comparing the selected preference information to classification data associated with the plurality of items for sale associated with a plurality of vendor sites and determining one or more items of interest to the user, wherein each item of interest is associated with a bargain list price and a bargain expiration date at which an offer for sale of the item of interest at the bargain list price expires;
organizing the determined one or more items of interest in an order from highest interest to lowest interest as a function of the user's stored selected preference information;
retrieving a document format for a document from the stored selected preference information;
retrieving a template based on the document format;
establishing a connection with a mail server associated with an email address of the user;
transmitting the template to the mail server;
as the template is being transmitted to the mail server, filling fields in the template with the identified one or more items of interest;
and
when the end of the template is reached, sending the document to the client system,
wherein the document is solely stored on the mail server.

17 more elements

A computer program product comprising:

a computer-readable medium;
computer program instructions, wherein the computer program instructions, when executed by a computer, direct the computer to perform a method of automatically providing information to a user regarding a plurality of items for sale from a plurality of vendors at user-specified intervals, the method comprising:
receiving, from the plurality of vendors, product information associated with the plurality of items for sale;
classifying the plurality of items for sale based on at least the product information from the plurality of vendors by associating each item for sale with one or more classification codes that identify one or more attributes of the item for sale and whereby classification data is stored in a database;
updating the database based on the classification data associated with the plurality of items for sale;
comparing a user's stored profile data to classification data associated with the plurality of items for sale;
identifying one or more items of interest to the user from the plurality of items for sale associated with a plurality of vendor sites according to the user's stored profile data, wherein each item of interest is associated with a bargain list price and a bargain expiration date at which an offer for sale of the item of interest at the bargain list price expires;
organizing the identified one or more items of interest according to the user's stored profile data by ordering the identified one or more items of interest in an order from highest interest to lowest interest as a function of the user's stored profile data;
retrieving a document format for a document from the user's stored profile;
retrieving a template based on the document format;
establishing a connection with a mail server associated with an email address of the user;
transmitting the template to the mail server;
as the template is being transmitted to the mail server, filling fields in the template with the identified items of interest;
and
when the end of the template is reached, sending the document to the user,
wherein the document is solely stored on the mail server.

13 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 10/862,920Filed 7 Jun 2004 · continuation
Priority: 1 Jun 2000
Published: US 2005/0010857 A113 Jan 2005
Granted: 7 Sep 2010
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification8 codes

G06Q 30/02
Commerce: marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
G06F 16/9535
Querying, e.g. by the use of web search engines: search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation
G06F 40/186
Editing, e.g. inserting or deleting: templates
G06Q 10/107
Office automation; Time management: computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]

Family

Application09/585,511Parent of this continuation · filed 1 Jun 2000
US 2005/0010857 A1Pre-grant publication · published 13 Jan 2005
US 7,793,213 B2This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.

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