MAINTAINING STATE TRANSITION DATA FOR A PLURALITY OF USERS, MODELING, DETECTING, AND PREDICTING USER STATES AND BEHAVIOR

Mechanisms model, detect, and predict user behavior as a user navigates the Web. In one embodiment, mechanisms model user behavior using predictive models, such as discrete Markov processes, where the user's behavior transitions between a finite number of states. The user's behavior state may not be directly observable (e.g., a user does not proactively indicate what behavior state he is in). Thus, the behavior state of a user is usually only indirectly observable. Mechanisms use predictive models, such as hidden Markov models, to predict the transitions in the user's behavior states.