Method and system for computerized searching and matching multimedia objects using emotional preference

1. A method for acquiring an emotional code of a user comprising the steps of:

(a) creating multimedia object of an entity;

(b) presenting a plurality of said multimedia objects to a user for selection through an end-user system, said end-user system comprising a computer;

(c) obtaining at least one user selected multimedia objects presented to said user in (b) as a user response through said end-user system, said selection revealing said user's emotional preference;

(d) categorizing said user responses into categories by a first computer application; and

(e) assigning category label to each category, said category label being an emotional code in machine-readable language,

whereby said user's emotional preference is digitally characterized and conveyed to a second computer application, and wherein said second computer application performs its operation of matching based on the interpretation of said emotional code.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein said multimedia objects are digital images.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein said multimedia objects are attached with a plurality of keywords, said keywords describing the human feeling towards said multimedia object.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein said categorizing step further comprising the steps of:

(a) retrieving said user responses from said user;

(b) tallying up the number of occurrences of each keyword on a list of keywords, said list of keywords aggregated from said multimedia objects said user selected.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein said expert system is a rule-based expert system that captures psychology expertise in categorizing said user based on said user responses.

6. The method of claim 4 , wherein said expert system is a neural network classification system that classifies said user responses into said categories.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein said categorizing step further comprising the steps of:

(a) retrieving said user responses from said plurality of users;

(b) invoking a cluster analysis module to categorize said plurality of user responses into at least one cluster; and

(c) assigning said category label to each said cluster.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein said invoking step invokes a statistical clustering module to generate a cluster mean parameter and a cluster variance parameter for each said cluster, said cluster mean parameter being a multi-dimensional vector defining the cluster center, and said cluster variance parameter being a multi-dimensional matrix.

9. The method of claim 1 further comprising associating said emotional codes to an entity, said associating step comprising:

(a) obtaining an entity multimedia object of said entity;

(b) choosing a plurality of representative multimedia objects, each representative multimedia object pre-selected to represent a broad category of human emotion;

(c) pre-assigning at least one said emotional code to each of a plurality of representative multimedia objects;

(d) displaying said plurality of representative multimedia objects and said entity multimedia object on a display device for a second user to operate;

(e) requesting said second user to select among said plurality of representative multimedia objects a first representative multimedia object that is most similar to said entity multimedia object; and

(f) assigning said emotional code pre-assigned to said first representative multimedia object to said entity.

10. The method of claim 9 further comprising a search step for an enterprise to present a filtered plurality of entities to a third user when said third user reveals his emotional code to said enterprise, said search step further comprising the steps of:

(a) defining a peripheral region using said third user's emotional code, said peripheral region centered around said third user's emotional code;

(b) selecting a plurality of said entities having emotional code falling within said peripheral region;

(c) presenting said plurality of said entities from step (b) to said third user as said filtered plurality of entities,

such that irrelevant entities whose emotional code does not remotely match said third user's emotional code will not be presented to said third user.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein the extent of said peripheral region is determined by multiplying a proportional constant with a cluster variance, said cluster variance obtained from a statistical clustering module that is invoked during said categorizing step to categorize said plurality user responses into at least one cluster.

12. A computer system for acquiring a emotional code of a user comprising:

(a) a profiling server comprising a first data processing device comprising a first central processor unit, first memory storage devices, a first network interface device and an input interface, said profiling server further:

I. capturing the emotional preferences from a plurality of users using said input interface while they are responding to survey questions;

II. generating emotional codes from said emotional preferences; and

III. generating a plurality of representative multimedia objects each associated with at least one said emotional codes;

(b) an enterprise system comprising a second data processing device comprising a second central processor unit, a second network interface device and second memory storage devices, said enterprise system receiving said representative multimedia objects via said second network interface device from said profile server though said first network interface device, and assigning entity emotional codes to a plurality of entity multimedia objects, said entity multimedia object representing an entity offered by an enterprise, and said entity multimedia object inherits at least one said emotional code from said representative multimedia object;

(c) an end-user system comprising a third data processing device comprising a third central processor unit, a third network interface device and third memory storage devices, said end-user system receiving user emotional code of said user via said third network interface device from said profile server though said first network interface device, said user emotional code being said emotional code describing said emotional preferences of said user; and

(d) a search and match engine comprising a fourth network interface device, said search and match engine receiving said user emotional code via said fourth network interface device from said end-user system though said third network interface device and said entity emotional code from said enterprise system though said second network interface device, said search and match engine further retrieves a plurality of said entity multimedia object of which entity emotional codes proximate said user emotional code and present to said end-user system,

whereby those entity multimedia objects whose entity emotional codes are not proximate from said user emotional code are filtered out and not presented to said user for selection.

13. The computer system in claim 12 , wherein said profiling server further comprising:

(a) a cataloguing system to conduct emotional surveys to capture said emotional preferences, to categorize the results of said emotional surveys into categories, and to assign said emotional codes to said categories;

(b) a toolbox for customizing said emotional surveys; and

(c) a search engine optimization system for providing said search and match engine the capability of matching using said emotional codes.

14. The computer system in claim 13 , wherein said cataloguing system further comprising:

(a) a survey module to send said emotional surveys to said users and collect said results of said emotional surveys from said users;

(b) a plurality of databases for storing and providing relevant information of said emotional surveys; and

(c) an analysis module to receive said results of said emotional surveys from said survey module and to categorize said results into categories, said analysis module further assigning category label to each category, said category label being an emotional code in said machine-readable language.

15. The computer system of claim 12 , wherein said second data processing device and said search and match engine is the same device.

16. The computer system of claim 12 , wherein said first data processing device and said search and match engine is the same device.

17. The computer system of claim 12 , wherein said end user system runs an Internet browser application and said emotion code is transmitted to said end user system in the form of a computer cookie file.