System and method for quickly mining association rules in databases

Patent 5794209 Issued on August 11, 1998. Estimated Expiration Date:

August 11, 2015. Estimated Expiration Date is calculated based on simple USPTO term provisions. It does not account for terminal disclaimers, term adjustments, failure to pay maintenance fees, or other factors which might affect the term of a patent.

Abstract Claims Description Full Text

Patent References

Intersystem data base sharing journal merge method
Patent #: 5151988
Issued on: 09/29/1992
Inventor: Yamagishi

Passive data collection system for market research data
Patent #: 5490060
Issued on: 02/06/1996
Inventor: Malec, et al.

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Issued on: 09/03/1996
Inventor: Goldring

Inventors

Application

No. 415006 filed on 03/31/1995

US Classes:

705/10, Market analysis, demand forecasting or surveying707/5, Query augmenting and refining (e.g., inexact access)709/200MISCELLANEOUS

Examiners

Primary: Cosimano, Edward R.
Assistant: Bainbridge, Barton L.

Attorney, Agent or Firm

Gray Cary Ware Freidenrich

International Class

G06F 017/60

Abstract

A system and method for discovering consumer purchasing tendencies includes a computer-implemented program which identifies consumer transaction itemsets that are stored in a database and which appear in the database a user-defined minimum number of times, referred to as minimum support. Then, the system discovers association rules in the itemsets by comparing the ratio of the number of times each of the large itemsets appears in the database to the number of times particular subsets of the itemset appear in the database. When the ratio exceeds a predetermined minimum confidence value, the system outputs an association rule which is representative of purchasing tendencies of consumers.

Other References

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