Patent ID: 8543518

Claim:
A computer-implemented method for deducing one or more user profile attributes using a shadow profile, the method comprising: extracting, at a computer, tagged data from source data, wherein the tagged data comprises label information associated with an actual profile for a user, and wherein the tagged data is associated with the user; preparing, at a computer, the tagged data by splitting the tagged data into datasets, including at least training data and test data; generating, at a computer, one or more individual models based on the tagged data, wherein the one or more individual models provide the ability to deduce attributes of a profile for the user; testing, at a computer, the one or more individual models using the test data to determine a confidence level representing the predicted accuracy of the individual model; generating, at a computer, a composite model based on the individual models, wherein the composite model comprises a combination of the individual models that are associated with the user and achieve a confidence level which is greater than a predefined threshold value; generating, at a computer, a plurality of values associated with a user profile attribute using the composite model; storing, at a computer, the plurality of values associated with a user profile attribute in a shadow profile associated with the user, wherein the shadow profile comprises a plurality of attributes, each attribute comprising at least one value and at least one confidence level; updating, at a computer, the at least one confidence level of the shadow profile based on new or modified label information associated with the actual profile; and exposing, at a computer, at least one attribute associated with a shadow profile to facilitate the selection of an advertisement to present to the user associated with the shadow profile.