The present invention relates to computer software used to build and manage an end-user menu system, and in particular, it relates to a refinement of an end-user access method identified as a content menu that records menu paths selected by end-users and generates end-user profiles.
U.S. Patent Documents
Knox, Richard. xe2x80x9cWhat in the World do they mean?xe2x80x94Science Prose mutating into unreadable jargonxe2x80x9d, Boston Globe, May 11, 1992, pp. 25, 28-29.
Zellweger, Paul. Web-based Sales: Defining the Cognitve Buyer. International Journal of Electronic Markets, Volume 7-3. Sep. 1997, pp. 10-14.
A common complaint with the World Wide Web is that content providers often know very little about their users. That is, little is known about end-users on the Web because they are able to view information in complete anonynmity. Yet, users of the Web are not a homogeneous group. Differences can be readily attributed to cognitive factors such as their content mastery or knowledge and understanding of the information found on a web site. Another such factor is word-usage where the preference for one word over another reflects a user""s background or experience.
In an interactive environment like the Web, links to information can easily represent these factors, especially when multiple link paths reach the same sought after object. For example, a novice path could have more detailed steps that help explain and instruct, while an expert path could reach the same information using more direct steps. In addition, specific words or terms in a link could represent different tell-tale characteristics that could signify differences among end-users seeking out the same thing.
Therefore, a network of hypertext links on the Web could represent end-user differences but until the disclosure of content menus_(Zellweger May 16, 1998 U.S. Pat. No. 5,630,125), there was no comprehensive way to build and maintain it. This prior disclosure teaches the art of a menu system based on an open hierarchical data structure. The approach is distinctive because its underlying structure allows multiple menu paths to reach the same information object. End-users navigate nested list menus derived from the structure to reach information at the end of a path. Prior disclosures by Zellweger also teach how to implement a content menu in a client server that enhances performance using hypertext files (May 16, 1998 U.S. Pat. No. 09/080,100), and Java applets (May 16, 1998 Ser. No. 09/080,102). However, none of these prior disclosures teach how to assign tags to menu topics, manage them, and use them to generate end-user profiles.
Prior attempts to identify end-user characteristics on the Web include Graber et. al. (U.S. Pat. No. 5,717,860 Feb. 10, 1998) that teach how to track end-user navigation from one Web site to another, and Damico et. al. (U.S. Pat. No. 5,819,285 Oct. 6, 1998) that teach how to assign and manage end-user identification numbers associated with predetermined marketing sources. However, these disclosures rely exclusively on navigating from one Web site to another and not navigating within the same Web site. Other attempts to identify end-user characteristics include Davis and Jain (U.S. Pat. No. 5,796,952 Aug. 18, 1998) that teach how to generate profiles based on how much time endusers spend with a downloaded file and what selections they make. However, none of this prior art teaches how to construct a succession of hypertext files that an end-user call navigate to find information and that a provider can use to generate end-user profiles.
Refinements brought about by the present invention transform the content menu into a powerful marketing research tool. Marketing professionals can analyze a target market according to customers"" knowledge and understanding of product content. Through a process called cognitive segmentation, marketers can now identify groups of customers according to amount of help or detail they need to find a product. With the refinements of the present invention they can assign tags to menu entries to track their menu selections, generate reports, and monitor this behavior over time. The net result is an empirical marketing tool that gives marketers hard numbers on who their customers are.
It is a general object of the present invention to provide a refinement of a content menu system that produces a comprehensive marketing research tool. Another object of the present invention is a management system to teach how to assign different types of tags (or coded values) to a menu object and use these tags to record selections in a menu path.
One object of the present invention is to provide a graphical user interface means that enables menu developers to navigate menu topics in an open hierarchical data structure and assign tags to them.
Another object of the present invention is to enable a menu developer to assign multiple tags to a single menu topic.
One object of the present invention is to supply a menu developer with a graphical user interface that summarizes coded values associated with a menu topic.
Another object of the present invention is to retrieve tags associated with menu selections in a direct menu path.
One object of the present invention is to store tap associated with a menu path in a format that facilitates reporting over different periods of time.
Another object of the present invention is to enable marketers to generate multiple reports, including ad-hoc capabilities.
One object of die present invention is to integrate software applications or components that enhance reporting capabilities.
The objects of the present invention are attained by providing the methods and apparatus of a menu management system that serves as a marketing research tool that can generate end-user profiles and report on these profiles over time. The system includes a graphical interface that enables developers to assign and manage tags associated with menu objects stored in the prior art of the open hierarchical data structure. The present invention also teaches how to retrieve these tags when end-users reach information at the end of a menu path and how to store them for reporting.