Adjusting a ranking of information content of a software application based on feedback from a user

• US 10,019,988 B1
• Filed: 06/23/2016
• Issued: 07/10/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 06/23/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intuit, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Intuit, Inc.
• Inventors: Chan, Raymond, Podgorny, Igor A., Indyk, Benjamin
• Primary Examiner(s): Singh, Satwant
• Application Number:
  US15/191,256
• Time in Patent Office: 747 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/24575 using context
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/24578 using ranking
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/683 using metadata automatically derived from the content
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/08 Speech classification or search
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/26 Speech to text systems G10L15/08 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 25/63 for estimating an emotional state
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 25/72 for transmitting results of analysis

Abstract

Techniques are disclosed for adjusting a ranking of information content of a software application based on feedback from a user. One embodiment presented herein includes a method comprising receiving, at a computing device, an audio stream comprising audio of the user, the audio being indicative of feedback related to information content. The method further comprises analyzing the audio stream for paralinguistic information to determine an attribute of the user. The method further comprises adjusting a ranking of the information content based on at least one of the feedback and additional feedback and the determined attribute of the user.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for adjusting a ranking of information content of a software application based on feedback from a user, the method comprising:

receiving, at a computing device, an audio stream comprising audio of the user, the audio being indicative of feedback related to information content;

analyzing, by the computing device, the audio stream for paralinguistic information to determine an attribute of the user;

adjusting, by the commuting device, a ranking of the information content with respect to a plurality of information content based on at least one of the feedback and additional feedback and the determined attribute of the user, wherein the plurality of information content includes the information content;

receiving, at the computing device, a query from a second user after adjusting the ranking of the information content;

identifying, by the computing device, based on information included in the query, the plurality of information content as related to the query, the plurality of information content being for output by at least one of the computing device or a second computing device; and

causing, by the computing device, at least one of the computing device or the second computing device to output the plurality of information content in order of the adjusted ranking as part of a user interface.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the attribute of the user comprises at least one of:

gender of the user, age of the user, ethnicity of the user, and emotional state of the user.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining whether the at least one of the feedback and additional feedback and the attribute of the user correlate or not, and wherein adjusting the ranking is based on whether the at least one of the feedback and additional feedback and the attribute of the user correlate or not.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the ranking is adjusted if the at least one of the feedback and additional feedback and the attribute of the user correlate, and the ranking is not adjusted if the at least one of the feedback and additional feedback and the attribute of the user do not correlate.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein a weighting of the at least one of the feedback and additional feedback for adjusting the ranking is higher if the at least one of the feedback and additional feedback and the attribute of the user correlate than if the at least one of the feedback and additional feedback and the attribute of the user do not correlate.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising identifying the feedback in the audio stream by performing speech recognition.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving the additional feedback, wherein the additional feedback comprises a non-audio based feedback; and

determining whether the additional feedback and the attribute of the user correlate or not, and wherein adjusting the ranking is based on whether the additional feedback and the attribute of the user correlate or not.

8. A computing device for adjusting a ranking of information content of a software application based on feedback from a user, the computing device comprising:

a memory; and

a processor configured to;

receive an audio stream comprising audio of the user, the audio being indicative of feedback related to information content;

analyze the audio stream for paralinguistic information to determine an attribute of the user;

adjust a ranking of the information content with respect to a plurality of information content based on at least one of the feedback and additional feedback and the determined attribute of the user, wherein the plurality of information content includes the information content;

receive a query from a second user after adjusting the ranking of the information content;

identify based on information included in the query, the plurality of information content as related to query, the plurality of information content being for output by at least one of the computing device or a second computing device; and

cause at least one of the computing device or the second computing device to output the plurality of information content in order of the adjusted ranking as part of a user interface.

9. The computing device of claim 8, wherein the attribute of the user comprises at least one of:

gender of the user, age of the user, ethnicity of the user, and emotional state of the user.

10. The computing device of claim 8, wherein the processor is further configured to determine whether the at least one of the feedback and additional feedback and the attribute of the user correlate or not, and wherein adjusting the ranking is based on whether the at least one of the feedback and additional feedback and the attribute of the user correlate or not.

11. The computing device of claim 10, wherein the ranking is adjusted if the at least one of the feedback and additional feedback and the attribute of the user correlate, and the ranking is not adjusted if the at least one of the feedback and additional feedback and the attribute of the user do not correlate.

12. The computing device of claim 10, wherein a weighting of the at least one of the feedback and additional feedback for adjusting the ranking is higher if the at least one of the feedback and additional feedback and the attribute of the user correlate than if the at least one of the feedback and additional feedback and the attribute of the user do not correlate.

13. The computing device of claim 8, wherein the processor is further configured to identify the feedback in the audio stream by performing speech recognition.

14. The computing device of claim 8, wherein the processor is further configured to:

receive the additional feedback, wherein the additional feedback comprises a non-audio based feedback; and

determine whether the additional feedback and the attribute of the user correlate or not, and wherein adjusting the ranking is based on whether the additional feedback and the attribute of the user correlate or not.

15. A computing device for adjusting a ranking of information content of a software application based on feedback from a user, the computing device comprising:

means for receiving an audio stream comprising audio of the user, the audio being indicative of feedback related to information content;

means for analyzing the audio stream for paralinguistic information to determine an attribute of the user;

means for adjusting a ranking of the information content with respect to a plurality of information content based on at least one of the feedback and additional feedback and the determined attribute of the user, wherein the plurality of information content includes the information content;

means for receiving a query from a second user after adjusting the ranking of the information content;

means for identifying based on information included in the query, the plurality of information content as related to the query, the plurality of information content being for output by at least one of the computing device or a second computing device; and

means for causing at least one of the computing device or the second computing device to output the plurality of information content in order of the adjusted ranking as part of a user interface.

16. The computing device of claim 15, wherein the attribute of the user comprises at least one of:

gender of the user, age of the user, ethnicity of the user, and emotional state of the user.

17. The computing device of claim 15, further comprising:

means receiving the additional feedback, wherein the additional feedback comprises a non-audio based feedback; and

means for determining whether the additional feedback and the attribute of the user correlate or not, and wherein adjusting the ranking is based on whether the additional feedback and the attribute of the user correlate or not.

18. A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising instructions that when executed by a computing device cause the computing device to perform a method for adjusting a ranking of information content of a software application based on feedback from a user, the method comprising:

receiving, at a computing device, an audio stream comprising audio of the user, the audio being indicative of feedback related to information content;

analyzing, by the computing device, the audio stream for paralinguistic information to determine an attribute of the user;

adjusting, by the computing device, a ranking of the information content with respect to a plurality of information content based on at least one of the feedback and additional feedback and the determined attribute of the user, wherein the plurality of information content includes the information content;

receiving, at the computing device, a query from a second user after adjusting the ranking of the information content;

identifying, by the computing device, based on information included in the query, the plurality of information content as related to the query, the plurality of information content being for output by at least one of the computing device or a second computing device; and

causing, by the computing device, at least one of the computing device or the second computing device to output the plurality of information content in order of the adjusted ranking as part of a user interface.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 18, wherein the attribute of the user comprises at least one of:

gender of the user, age of the user, ethnicity of the user, and emotional state of the user.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 18, wherein the method further comprises:

receiving the additional feedback, wherein the additional feedback comprises a non-audio based feedback; and

determining whether additional feedback and the attribute of the user correlate or not, and wherein adjusting the ranking is based on whether the additional feedback and the attribute of the user correlate or not.