Saved Search Inventory Mapping With Event-Driven Item Alerts
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing search technologies consume excessive computing resources and fail to provide real-time notifications to users about items listed in specific categories or by specific sellers, leading to inefficient searches and potential loss of scarce items.
Innovation Solution
A hierarchical data structure is used to dynamically associate users with interests, enabling real-time inventory mapping and notifications by leveraging behavioral data and configurable triggers.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a batch job is scheduled to scan inventory and send notifications, then notifications are sent to users, but computing resources are excessively consumed and real-time notification is not achieved
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates indexes and establishes event subscriptions in advance for inventory items and user searches. When items are added or modified, events are published immediately and matched against subscribed searches, eliminating the need for periodic batch scanning while ensuring real-time notification delivery.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical batch scanning approach with an event-driven architecture using pub/sub messaging. Instead of actively querying inventory databases periodically, the system subscribes to inventory change events and passively receives notifications when items are added or modified, significantly reducing computing resource consumption.
2Loss of time
If batch scanning is used to find matches for saved searches, then notifications are sent, but real-time notification capability is lost and scarce items may be missed
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements continuous monitoring through event subscriptions that remain active at all times. When inventory items are added or modified, events are published continuously and immediately matched against user subscriptions, ensuring no time delays and preventing loss of scarce items while they are available.
Solution Approach 2:
The system establishes a feedback loop where inventory changes trigger events that are immediately published and matched against user search subscriptions. This real-time feedback mechanism ensures users are notified instantly when items matching their saved searches become available, eliminating delays inherent in batch processing.
3Productivity
If millions of saved searches are monitored using batch jobs, then all users receive notifications, but system complexity and resource usage increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the system into independent components: inventory item indexes, event publishers, event subscribers, and notification services. Each component operates independently and scales separately, allowing the system to handle millions of saved searches without proportionally increasing overall complexity. Event subscriptions are maintained per-user and per-search, enabling granular management.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a universal event subscription mechanism that can handle any number of saved searches across any number of users through a standardized interface. The same event publishing and subscription infrastructure serves all notification needs, whether for a single user or millions of users, eliminating the need for separate batch processing logic for each user or search.
Data Source
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AI summary
A hierarchical data structure is leveraged to provide real-time inventory mapping and notification. Behavioral data is received from a user indicating an interest in a category or in a seller. The behavioral data may correspond to the user saving a search comprising one or more keywords or to the user following the seller. The user is dynamically associated with the interest in the hierarchical data structure. Upon detecting a configurable trigger, item data corresponding to an item in an inventory of items is retrieved. The configurable trigger may be the item corresponding to the category or seller being listed in an inventory, an incentive being provided for the item by the seller, or the item being identified as a fit for another item associated with the user. In aspects, the item data is communicated to the user in real-time.