Method and apparatus for providing a user traffic weighted search
AssigneeAT&T Intellectual Property I, L.P.
InventorJoseph B. Weinman, Jr.
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A method and apparatus for providing a user traffic weighted search in a network are disclosed. For example, the method receives a query from a customer and determines whether the customer has opted-in for a service for traffic data monitoring. The method then provides one or more search results to the customer in response to the query, where the one or more search results are prioritized in accordance with collected user usage data if the customer has opted-in for the service for traffic data monitoring.
Claims18
A method for providing a search result in a network, comprising:
- receiving, via a processor, a query from a customer, wherein the query comprises a usage parameter specified by the customer, wherein the usage parameter comprises a parameter associated with an amount of time spent by a visitor visiting a web site, wherein the customer and the visitor are different entities;
- determining, via the processor, whether the customer has opted-in for a service for traffic data monitoring, wherein a network service provider of the service for traffic data monitoring provides an incentive to the customer who has opted-in for the service for traffic data monitoring;
- and
- providing, via the processor, the search result to the customer in response to the query, where the search result is prioritized in accordance with collected user usage data and the usage parameter specified by the customer when the customer has opted-in for the service for traffic data monitoring.
A tangible computer-readable medium storing a plurality of instructions which, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform operations for providing a search result in a network, the operations comprising:
- receiving a query from a customer, wherein the query comprises a usage parameter specified by the customer, wherein the usage parameter comprises a parameter associated with an amount of time spent by a visitor visiting a web site, wherein the customer and the visitor are different entities;
- determining whether the customer has opted-in for a service for traffic data monitoring, wherein a network service provider of the service for traffic data monitoring provides an incentive to the customer who has opted-in for the service for traffic data monitoring;
- and
- providing the search result to the customer in response to the query, where the search result is prioritized in accordance with collected user usage data and the usage parameter specified by the customer when the customer has opted-in for the service for traffic data monitoring.
A method for providing a search result in a network, comprising:
- receiving, via a processor, a query from a user, wherein the query comprises a usage parameter specified by the user, wherein the usage parameter comprises a parameter associated with an amount of time spent by a visitor visiting a web site, wherein the user and the visitor are different entities;
- and
- providing, via the processor, the search result to the user in response to the query, where the search result is prioritized in accordance with collected user usage data derived from a plurality of other users other than the user who have provided a first preference associated with opting-in for traffic data monitoring and the usage parameter specified by the user, wherein a network service provider provides an incentive to the plurality of other users who have provided the first preference associated with opting-in for traffic data monitoring.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.