User matching method, apparatus, and system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10384136-B2
Application number	US-201414229502-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 28, 2014
Priority date	Aug 28, 2013
Publication date	Aug 20, 2019
Grant date	Aug 20, 2019

Abstract

A method includes: storing, via at least one processor, intrinsic service elements and environmental elements in at least one storage medium on a user-by-user basis; receiving, from a first plurality of users, requests for a service over at least one network; selecting, in response to receiving the requests, a second plurality of users from the first plurality of users based on the intrinsic service elements; and matching at least two users among the second plurality of users based on the environmental elements.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method, comprising:
receiving, via at least one processor from a first plurality of users, requests for a networked service over at least one network;
selecting, via the at least one processor in response to receiving the requests, a second plurality of users from the first plurality of users based on intrinsic service elements stored in association with the first plurality of users;
matching, via the at least one processor according to a first scheme, users among the second plurality of users to form a first group of users based on environmental elements stored in association with the second plurality of users;
matching, via the at least one processor according to a second scheme different from the first scheme, users among the second plurality of users to form a second group of users based on the environmental elements; and
providing, via the at least one processor, a session of the networked service between the first group of users and the second group of users.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein:
the intrinsic service elements are stored on a user-by-user basis; and
the intrinsic service element of a user comprises information associated with at least one of a reception time of a request of the user, an option of the networked service set in association with the user, and a skill score set for the user according to a service process of the user.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein:
the environmental elements are stored on a user-by-user basis; and
the environmental element of a user comprises information associated with at least one of a nationality of the user, a race of the user, a gender of the user, an age of the user, a current access location of the user, a residential place of the user, a main access time of the user, a main access day of the user, a service start date of the user, a service use period of the user, an alma mater of the user, and a language of the user.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein matching users among the second plurality of users to form the first group of users or the second group of users based on the environmental elements stored in association with the second plurality of users comprises:
determining environment weights with respect to pairs of users based on the environmental elements, each pair of users comprising the same reference user and a respectively different user from the second plurality of users;
selecting a user pair from the pairs of users based on the environment weights; and
matching the reference user to the respectively different user of the user pair.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein:
the environmental elements are stored on a user-by-user basis;
each environmental element comprises one or more items; and
determining an environment weight with respect to pairs of users based on the environment elements comprises:
determining, for each of the one or more items, an individual environmental element item weight based on a comparison of corresponding items associated with each user of a pair of users; and
determining the environment weights based on the individual environmental element item weights.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein:
the comparison corresponds to an inter-user difference in values of the corresponding items; and
each value is established based on a determined valuation scheme of a corresponding item.

7. The method of claim 4 , wherein matching the users among the second plurality of users into the first group of users or the second group of users based on the environmental elements stored in association with the second plurality of users further comprises:
determining an average environment weight between the reference user and the respectively different user of the user pair; and
matching another user with the reference user and the respectively different user based on the average environment weight.

8. The method of claim 4 , further comprising:
selecting one or more items of the environmental elements based on a service option set for each of the users of the second plurality of users,
wherein the environment weights are determined based on the one or more items.

9. At least one non-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprising one or more instructions that, when executed, are configured to implement the method of claim 1 .

10. A file distribution system configured to distribute, to a terminal, an installation file that, when executed by the terminal, is configured to install an application on the terminal, the application being configured to implement the method of claim 1 .

11. A file distribution system, comprising:
a storage configured to store an installation file for an application; and
a transmitter configured to transmit the installation file to a user terminal in response to reception of a request associated with the user terminal,
wherein the application is configured to control the user terminal to receive a networked service via a server, and
wherein the server is configured to:
receive, from a first plurality of users, requests for the networked service over at least one network;
select, in response to reception of the requests, a second plurality of users from the first plurality of users based on intrinsic service elements stored in association with the first plurality of users;
match, according to a first scheme, users among the second plurality of users to form a first group of users based on environmental elements stored in association with the second plurality of users;
match, according to a second scheme different from the first scheme, users among the second plurality of users to form a second group of users based on the environmental elements; and
provide a session of the networked service between the first group of users and the second group of users.

12. A system configured to provide a networked service to users over at least one network, the system comprising:
at least one storage configured to store, on a user-by-user basis, intrinsic service elements and environmental elements; and
at least one processor configured to:
receive, via the at least one network, requests for the networked service from a first plurality of the users;
select, in response to reception of the requests, a second plurality of the users from the first plurality of the users based on the intrinsic service elements;
match, according to a first scheme, users of the second plurality of the users to form a first group of users based on the environmental elements;
match, according to a second scheme different from the first scheme, users of the second plurality of users to form a second group of users based on the environmental elements; and
provide, over the at least one network, a session of the networked service between the first group of users and the second group of users.

13. The system of claim 12 , wherein the intrinsic service element of a user of the second plurality of the users comprises information corresponding to at least one of a reception time of a request of the user, an option of the networked service set in association with the user, and a skill score set for the user according to a service process of the user.

14. The system of claim 12 , wherein the environmental element of a user of the second plurality of the users comprises information corresponding to at least one of a nationality of the user, a race of the user, a gender of the user, an age of the user, a current access location of the user, a residential place of the user, a main access time of the user, a main access day of the user, a service start date of the user, a service use period of the user,

Assignees

• Nhn Entertainment Corp
• Nhn Corp

Inventors

• Chae Sebyoung
• Oh Guiun

Classifications

• A63F13/798 Primary

  for assessing skills or for ranking players, e.g. for generating a hall of fame · CPC title

• A63F13/795 Primary

  for finding other players; for building a team; for providing a buddy list · CPC title

• G06Q30/02

  Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising · CPC title

• G06F16/244

  Grouping and aggregation · CPC title

• G06Q50/10

  Services · CPC title