The discussion below is merely provided for general background information and is not intended to be used as an aid in determining the scope of the claimed subject matter.
The World Wide Web is a large and growing source of information. Typically, information is found using one of two access modes: search and recommendation. Using a search technique, a user queries a database, receives a list of results, and selects from the list to view the information. In contrast, using a recommendation technique, a user is presented with a set of recommended documents from which they can pick the information of interest. The source of the recommended information can either be manually generated (for example, by another who likes similar information) or automatically using techniques such as user data mining, collaborative filtering or social networking.
The search technique for obtaining information is a more powerful method for finding information a user is specifically interested in. However, the recommendation technique is much more useful when the user would rather review information in a less active role. For instance, using this technique, the user may move from one topic of information to another and then to another based on recommended documents. However, the recommended documents could also include those providing yet further details about the current information being reviewed. In this manner, the user can selectively delve deeper into the current subject of information. In either case, the user is not actively searching for content using queries as described above, but rather is allowed to be “surprised” with the interesting information that is either automatically recommended or manually collated by another.
USPTO Backgrounds
USPTO Backgrounds