Determination of a user context and sending of a third party proposition

• US 10,021,153 B2
• Filed: 02/26/2015
• Issued: 07/10/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 02/26/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Eaton, Brook, Collin, Richard, Turvey, Simon
• Primary Examiner(s): Shin, Kyung H
• Application Number:
  US14/633,063
• Publication Number:
  US 20160255128A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,230 Days
• Field of Search: 70799901, 707E17109, 709229
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/3349 Reuse of stored results of previous queries
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/90328 using search space presentation or visualization, e.g. category or range presentation and selection
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/01 Input arrangements or combined input and output arrangements for interaction between user and computer G06F3/16 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/013 Eye tracking input arrangements G06F3/015 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1066 Session management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/403 Arrangements for multi-party communication, e.g. for conferences data switching systems for conference H04L12/18; arrangements for connecting several subscribers to a common circuit, i.e. affording conference facilities H04M3/56; television conferencing systems H04N7/15
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/53 using third party service providers

Abstract

A method comprising identifying a user account associated with a user, the user account referencing at least one third party user account associated with the user, receiving, by an apparatus from a separate apparatus, circumstantial information that is indicative of a user context of the user, determining the user context based on the circumstantial information, determining that the user context is classified by at least one user context classification that is associated with the third party user account, sending information indicative of the third party user account and the user context to a third party server, the third party server being associated with the third party user account, receiving a third party proposition from the third party server, and sending, to a user apparatus, the third party proposition in response to the receipt of the third party proposition is disclosed.

Claims

1. An apparatus, comprising:

at least one processor; and

at least one memory including computer program code, the memory and the computer program code configured to, working with the processor, cause the apparatus to perform at least the following;

identification of a user account associated with a user, the user account referencing at least one third party user account associated with the user;

receipt, (a) by the apparatus from a user apparatus, of circumstantial information comprising at least interaction information pertaining to a user interaction with a user application operative on the user apparatus, and (b) by the apparatus from a separate apparatus operating independently of the user apparatus operating the user application, of sensor information detected in an environment of the user, wherein the interaction information of the circumstantial information and the sensor information are indicative of a user context of the user;

determination of the user context based, at least in part, on at least the interaction information and the sensor information;

determination that the user context is classified by at least one user context classification that is associated with the third party user account;

sending, in response to the determination that the user context is classified by the user context classification that is associated with the third party user account, of information indicative of the third party user account and the user context to a third party server, the third party server being associated with the third party user account;

receipt of a third party proposition from the third party server in response to the sending of information indicative of the third party user account and the user context; and

sending, to the user apparatus, of the third party proposition in response to the receipt of the third party proposition, the user apparatus being operated by the user.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the memory includes computer program code configured to, working with the processor, cause the apparatus to perform preclusion of sending, to the third party server, of information indicative of at least one different third party user account that is associated with the user account.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the determination of the user context is based, at least in part, on at least the interaction information and the sensor information in relation to historical user context information.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the historical user context information comprises user context information associated with at least one of the user or another user.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the user account references another third party user account associated with the user, and the memory includes computer program code configured to, working with the processor, cause the apparatus to perform:

determination that the at least one user context classification fails to be associated with the other third party user account; and

preclusion of sending, in response to the determination that the at least one user context classification fails to be associated with the other third party user account, of information indicative of the other third party user account and the user context to another third party server, the other third party server being associated with the other third party user account.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the third party proposition correlates with the user context.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the memory includes computer program code configured to, working with the processor, cause the apparatus to perform:

determination of a different user context based, at least in part, on at least the interaction information and the sensor information;

determination that the different user context is classified by at least one user context classification that is associated with the third party user account;

sending, in response to the determination that the different user context is classified by the user context classification that is associated with the third party user account, of information indicative of the third party user account and the different user context to the third party server;

determination that the third party server failed to send any third party proposition in response to the sending of information indicative of the third party user account and the different user context; and

preclusion of sending, to the user apparatus, of any third party proposition from the third party server that correlates with the different user context in response to the determination that the third party server failed to send any third party proposition.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the user context comprises information indicative of at least one of an environmental condition, a user activity of the user, a separate apparatus operation of the separate apparatus, an application event associated with an application of the user apparatus, or an application event associated with an application of the separate apparatus.

9. A method comprising:

identifying a user account associated with a user, the user account referencing at least one third party user account associated with the user;

receiving, (a) by an apparatus from a user apparatus, of circumstantial information comprising at least interaction information pertaining to a user interaction with a user application operative on the user apparatus, and (b) by the apparatus from a separate apparatus operating independently of the user apparatus operating the user application, of sensor information detected in an environment of the user, wherein the circumstantial information and the sensor information are indicative of a user context of the user;

determining the user context based, at least in part, on at least the interaction information and the sensor information;

determining that the user context is classified by at least one user context classification that is associated with the third party user account;

sending, in response to the determination that the user context is classified by the user context classification that is associated with the third party user account, information indicative of the third party user account and the user context to a third party server, the third party server being associated with the third party user account;

receiving a third party proposition from the third party server in response to the sending of information indicative of the third party user account and the user context; and

sending, to the user apparatus, the third party proposition in response to the receipt of the third party proposition, the user apparatus being operated by the user.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the separate apparatus is the user apparatus.

11. The method of claim 9, further comprising precluding sending, to the third party server, of information indicative of at least one different third party user account that is associated with the user account.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein the determination of the user context is based, at least in part, on the at least the interaction information and the sensor information in relation to historical user context information.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the historical user context information comprises user context information associated with at least one of the user or another user.

14. The method of claim 9, wherein the user account references another third party user account associated with the user, and further comprising:

determining that the at least one user context classification fails to be associated with the other third party user account; and

precluding sending, in response to the determination that the at least one user context classification fails to be associated with the other third party user account, of information indicative of the other third party user account and the user context to another third party server, the other third party server being associated with the other third party user account.

15. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

determining a different user context based, at least in part, on at least the interaction information and the sensor information;

determining that the different user context is classified by at least one user context classification that is associated with the third party user account;

sending, in response to the determination that the different user context is classified by the user context classification that is associated with the third party user account, information indicative of the third party user account and the different user context to the third party server;

determining that the third party server failed to send any third party proposition in response to the sending of information indicative of the third party user account and the different user context; and

precluding sending, to the user apparatus, of any third party proposition from the third party server that correlates with the different user context in response to the determination that the third party server failed to send any third party proposition.

16. At least one non-transitory computer-readable medium encoded with instructions that, when executed by a processor, perform:

identification of a user account associated with a user, the user account referencing at least one third party user account associated with the user;

receipt, (a) by an apparatus from a user apparatus, of circumstantial information comprising at least interaction information pertaining to a user interaction with a user application operative on the user apparatus, and (b) by the apparatus from a separate apparatus operating independently of the user apparatus operating the user application, of sensor information detected in an environment of the user, wherein the interaction information of the circumstantial information and the sensor information are indicative of a user context of the user;

determination of the user context based, at least in part, on at least the interaction information and the sensor information;

determination that the user context is classified by at least one user context classification that is associated with the third party user account;

sending, in response to the determination that the user context is classified by the user context classification that is associated with the third party user account, of information indicative of the third party user account and the user context to a third party server, the third party server being associated with the third party user account;

receipt of a third party proposition from the third party server in response to the sending of information indicative of the third party user account and the user context; and

sending, to the user apparatus, of the third party proposition in response to the receipt of the third party proposition, the user apparatus being operated by the user.

17. The medium of claim 16, further encoded with instructions that, when executed by a processor, perform preclusion of sending, to the third party server, of information indicative of at least one different third party user account that is associated with the user account.

18. The medium of claim 16, wherein the user account references another third party user account associated with the user, and the medium is further encoded with instructions that, when executed by a processor, perform:

determination that the at least one user context classification fails to be associated with the other third party user account; and

preclusion of sending, in response to the determination that the at least one user context classification fails to be associated with the other third party user account, of information indicative of the other third party user account and the user context to another third party server, the other third party server being associated with the other third party user account.

19. The medium of claim 16, further encoded with instructions that, when executed by a processor, perform:

determination of a different user context based, at least in part, on the interaction information of the circumstantial information;

determination that the different user context is classified by at least one user context classification that is associated with the third party user account;

sending, in response to the determination that the different user context is classified by the user context classification that is associated with the third party user account, of information indicative of the third party user account and the different user context to the third party server;

determination that the third party server failed to send any third party proposition in response to the sending of information indicative of the third party user account and the different user context; and

preclusion of sending, to the user apparatus, of any third party proposition from the third party server that correlates with the different user context in response to the determination that the third party server failed to send any third party proposition.