IP Library › Granted Patent US 8,396,892
Granted Patent B2
US 8,396,892 · App. 12/961,477 · Granted Mar 12, 2013

Method and system to transform unstructured information

Inventors: Josh Loftus (San Jose, CA); Venkat Sundaranatha (San Jose, CA); Louis Marcel Gino Monier (Menlo Park, CA); Jean-Michel Leon (Santa Clara, CA); Aditya Arora (Fremont, CA); Benjamin David Foster (Campbell, CA); Seema Shah (San Francisco, CA)
Assignee: eBay Inc.
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 8,396,892
App. No.
12/961,477
Granted
Mar 12, 2013
Kind
B2
Abstract

There is provided methods and systems to transform unstructured information into structured information. First, the system accesses a rule specifying a condition for assigning data to the data item, the condition based on the content of the data item, the assigned data to provide structure to the data item. Second, based on a detecting that the condition has been met, the system applies the rule to assign the assigned data to the data item. Third, the system stores, in a database, the data item and the assigned data as the data item structured information.

Claims (27)

1. A method of transforming a data item into data item structured information, the method comprising:

accessing, using a processor, a rule specifying a condition for assigning data to the data item, the condition based on the content of the data item, the assigned data to provide structure to the data item;

based on a detecting that the condition has been met, applying the rule to assign the assigned data to the data item; and

storing, in a database, the data item and the assigned data as the data item structured information.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the assigned data is an aspect-value pair or a domain-value pair.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the data item is a listing describing a product or a service.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the listing includes at least one of a title, a description, a category, and a data item identification number.

5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising storing, in a search index, the assignment of the assigned data to the data item, the storing including associating the assigned data with a data item identification number corresponding to the data item.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the accessing of the rule includes receiving the rule from a database as classification information or metadata information.

7. A system of transforming a data item into data item structured information, the system comprising:

a processor-implemented classification service engine to access a rule specifying a condition for assigning data to the data item, the condition based on the content of the data item, the assigned data to provide structure to the data item;

the classification service engine to, based on a detecting that the condition has been met, apply the rule to assign the assigned data to the data item; and

the classification service engine to store, in a database, the data item and the assigned data as the data item structured information.

8. The system of claim 7 , wherein the assigned data is an aspect-value pair or a domain-value pair.

9. The system of claim 7 , wherein the data item is a listing describing a product or a service.

10. The system of claim 9 , wherein the listing includes at least one of a title, a description, a category, and a data item identification number.

11. The system of claim 7 , wherein the classification service engine is further to store, in a search index, the assignment of the assigned data to the data item, the storing including associating the assigned data with a data item identification number corresponding to the data item.

12. The system of claim 7 , wherein the accessing of the rule includes receiving the rule from a database as classification information or metadata information.

13. A non-transitory machine-readable medium embodying a set of instructions that, when executed by a processor, causes the processor to perform operations comprising:

accessing a rule specifying a condition for assigning data to the data item, the condition based on the content of the data item, the assigned data to provide structure to the data item;

based on a detecting that the condition has been met, applying the rule to assign the assigned data to the data item; and

storing, in a database, the data item and the assigned data as the data item structured information.

14. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 13 , wherein the assigned data is an aspect-value pair or a domain-value pair.

15. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 13 , wherein the data item is a listing describing a product or a service.

16. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 15 , wherein the listing includes at least one of a title, a description, a category, and a data item identification number.

17. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 13 , the operations further comprising storing, in a search index, the assignment of the assigned data to the data item, the storing including associating the assigned data with a data item identification number corresponding to the data item.

18. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 13 , wherein the accessing of the rule includes receiving the rule from a database as classification information or metadata information.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Feb 6, 2015
From: LOFTUS, JOSH; SUNDARANATHA, VENKAT; MONIER, LOUIS MARCEL GINO; LEON, JEAN-MICHEL; ARORA, ADITYA; FOSTER, BENJAMIN DAVID; SHAH, SEEMA
To: EBAY INC.
Reel/Frame 034909/0879 →
Continuity (5)
Continuation 11703485 · Feb 7, 2007
Provisional Application 60743256 · Feb 9, 2006
Provisional Application 60781521 · Mar 10, 2006
Provisional Application 60745347 · Apr 21, 2006
Related Publication 20110082872A1 · Apr 7, 2011