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New Amazon Patents on Content Personalization

Posted by chrisd on from the if-you-are-not-cmdrtaco-click-here dept.

theodp writes "Defending its decision to concoct recommendations to steer customers to buy items at Amazon's new Apparel Store, a spokeswoman said Amazon "felt it would be evident to people that since the store was so new, we wouldn't have the transaction history to create database similarities." But in this just-published patent applicaton, Amazon earlier told the USPTO it's able to use product viewing histories to determine the similarity or relatedness between products for which little or no purchase history data exists. So which claim should you believe?"

9 of 88 comments (clear)

  1. new slogan... by acehole · · Score: 4, Funny

    'Amazon.com - we don't make a profit so we'll take yours instead' (Patent Pending)

    --
    Be you Admins? nay, we are but lusers!
  2. "People who wear clothes buy..." by shoppa · · Score: 5, Funny
    Whenever I've visited Amazon in the past month or so they've been pushing their apparel store on me, with recommendations wrapped in:
    People who wear clothes buy...
    Clearly, the've been able to assume from my past book purchases that I wear clothes! Quick, patent it!
    1. Re:"People who wear clothes buy..." by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

      Mmmm, perhaps who hasn't money for buying clothes hasn't money for books as well.

      An Amazon line like "People who eat fried bananas while skating on sundays buy..." would have been more convincing.

  3. Prior Art? Sounds just like by TotallyAmazed · · Score: 2, Funny

    this [google.com]. IOW you select/search for something the server says "other people who searched for $xyz also searched for ..." Amazon's doing the same thing. "Other people who bought 'HowToGetRidiculousPatents' also purchased 'Honest Business Practices by Microsoft'."

  4. Re:Yes, you can predict from books & cds to cl by RebelTycoon · · Score: 5, Funny

    Isn't it obvious that if I buy a book about God and Spirtuality that I am also interested in Anal Sex, which would mean that I am also interested in ...

    Assless Leather Chaps

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    Tournament Management Online &

  5. Amazon: Public Servant :-\ by lazylion · · Score: 2, Funny

    Clearly, they have now learned enough of the horrors of so called, "Business Process Patents" that now they are patenting idiotic business practices which they never intend to implement as a public service so no other sleazy company can do so, thus saving us all therefrom.

    er.. ..right?

  6. In other news... by TotallyAmazed · · Score: 3, Funny

    Amazon patented "How to generate buzz & free publicity on SlashDot" Forget Amazon's patents... I want to be Pattin' an Amazon!!

  7. Re:alternatives... by tswinzig · · Score: 3, Funny

    for those of you who (like me) dislikes amazons use of patents, show it by buying your books elsewhere. two good examples of elsewhere are

    And for those of you who, like me, love shopping at Amazon.com, but hate patents, please boycott the US Patent Office.

    I, for one, refuse to patent anything.

    --

    "And like that ... he's gone."
  8. This explains so much... by 3ryon · · Score: 4, Funny

    This explains why, when I view a book like The Selfish Gene (on evolutionary biology) Amazon gives me a recommendation like this:

    People who bought The Selfish Gene also bought:
    1. Clean Underwear from Target.

    No, I am not kidding.

    --
    Kind thoughts do not change the world