Providing additional information related to a vague term in a message

• US 10,091,147 B2
• Filed: 12/08/2016
• Issued: 10/02/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 12/31/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Tomkins, Andrew, Ravikumar, Shanmugasundaram, Agarwal, Shalini, Yang, MyLinh, Pang, Bo, Li, Mark Yinan
• Primary Examiner(s): Shin, Kyung H
• Application Number:
  US15/373,284
• Publication Number:
  US 20170093765A1
• Time in Patent Office: 663 Days
• Field of Search: 707999003, 707765, 707733, 455466, 4554141, 4554563
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/24578 using ranking
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/68 Retrieval characterised by using metadata, e.g. metadata not derived from the content or metadata generated manually
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/232 Orthographic correction, e.g. spell checking or vowelisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/00 User-to-user messaging in packet-switching networks, transmitted according to store-and-forward or real-time protocols, e.g. e-mail
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/04 Real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/063 Content adaptation, e.g. replacement of unsuitable content
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/216 Handling conversation history, e.g. grouping of messages in sessions or threads
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/52 for supporting social networking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/14 Short messaging services, e.g. short message services [SMS] or unstructured supplementary service data [USSD]

Abstract

Methods and apparatus related to providing additional information related to a vague term in a message. For example, in some implementations, one or more messages sent by a sender and received by one or more recipients may be identified, a vague term in the message may be identified, a user-restricted database may be identified that is associated with the sender or a recipient, and additional information related to the vague term may be determined from the user-restricted database. A vague term is a term which may have multiple meanings and that can be clarified with additional information. In some implementations, user-restricted databases may include additional information that is associated with the user that may be utilized to replace the vague term with a clarified term. In some implementations, a user-restricted database may be utilized to identify additional information in another database that may be utilized to clarify the vague term.

Claims

1. A method implemented by one or more processors, comprising:

identifying a message formulated by a user via a computing device of the user, the message being provided for presentation to;

at least a first additional user via a first additional computing device, and a second additional user via a second additional computing device;

determining that at least one term included in the message is a vague term;

based on the message, formulated by the user, being provided for presentation to the first additional user;

identifying user-restricted content associated with the first additional user, wherein the user-restricted content is personal to the first additional user, and wherein access to the user-restricted content is limitable by the first additional user, and

using the user-restricted content associated with the first additional user to determine additional information that is related to the vague term, wherein the additional information comprises one or more of;

a date, a location, an address, and an identity of an entity; and

providing the additional information for presentation with the message, including providing the additional information for presentation to both;

the first additional user via the first additional computing device, and

the second additional user via the second additional computing device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein determining that the term is a vague term comprises:

identifying multiple entities that are associated with the vague term in a database.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein using the user-restricted content associated with the first additional user to determine the additional information that is related to the vague term comprises:

selecting a subset of the multiple entities based on the user-restricted content; and

determining the additional information based on the selected subset.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein selecting the subset comprises selecting a given entity of the multiple entities for inclusion in the subset based on the user-restricted content indicating one or more computer-based actions performed by the first additional user and associated with the given entity.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the multiple entities are restaurants.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

identifying an entity that is associated with the vague term, wherein the determining additional information includes;

determining, from the user-restricted content, a second entity that is related to the entity, and

determining at least some of the additional information based on the second entity.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

identifying an entity that is associated with the vague term, wherein the determining, based on the user-restricted content, additional information includes;

determining a property of the entity from the user-restricted content, and

determining at least some of the additional information based on the property.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the vague term includes a word that is a reference to the first additional user and an additional word, and wherein the user-restricted content is used in determining the additional information that is related to the vague term based on the user-restricted content being associated with the first additional user and based on the first additional user being referenced by the word of the vague term.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the message is part of a message trail of messages.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the additional information consists of the address.

11. A system, comprising:

memory storing instructions;

one or more processors executing the instructions stored in the memory to;

identify a message formulated by a user via a computing device of the user, the message being provided for presentation to;

at least a first additional user via a first additional computing device, and a second additional user via a second additional computing device;

determine that at least one term included in the message is a vague term;

based on the message, formulated by the user, being provided for presentation to the first additional user;

identify user-restricted content associated with the first additional user, wherein the user-restricted content is personal to the first additional user, and wherein access to the user-restricted content is limitable by the first additional user, and

use the user-restricted content associated with the first additional user to determine additional information that is related to the vague term wherein the additional information comprises one or more of;

a date, a location, an address, and an identity of an entity; and

provide the additional information for presentation with the message, wherein in providing the additional information, one or more of the processors are to provide the additional information for presentation to both;

the first additional user via the first additional computing device, and

the second additional user via the second additional computing device.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein in determining that the term is a vague term, one or more of the processors are to:

identify multiple entities that are associated with the vague term in a database.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein in using the user-restricted content associated with the first additional user to determine the additional information that is related to the vague term, one or more of the processors are to:

select a subset of the multiple entities based on the user-restricted content; and

determine the additional information based on the selected subset.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein in selecting the subset, one or more of the processors are to:

select a given entity of the multiple entities for inclusion in the subset based on the user-restricted content indicating one or more computer-based actions performed by the first additional user and associated with the given entity.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein the multiple entities are restaurants.

16. The system of claim 11, wherein in executing the instructions one or more of the processors are further to:

identify an entity that is associated with the vague term, and wherein in determining additional information one or more of the processors are to;

determine, from the user-restricted content, a second entity that is related to the entity, and

determine at least some of the additional information based on the second entity.

17. The system of claim 11, wherein in executing the instructions one or more of the processors are further to:

identify an entity that is associated with the vague term, and

wherein in determining additional information based on the user-restricted content, information, one or more of the processors are to;

determine a property of the entity from the user-restricted content, and

determine at least some of the additional information based on the property.

18. The system of claim 11, wherein the vague term includes a word that is a reference to the first additional user and an additional word, and wherein the user-restricted content is used in determining the additional information that is related to the vague term based on the user-restricted content being associated with the first additional user and based on the first additional user being referenced by the word of the vague term.

19. The system of claim 11, wherein the message is part of a message trail of messages.

20. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing instructions executable by a processor, the instructions including instructions to:

identify a message formulated by a user via a computing device of the user, the message being provided for presentation to;

at least a first additional user via a first additional computing device, and a second additional user via a second additional computing device;

determine that at least one term included in the message is a vague term;

based on the message, formulated by the user, being provided for presentation to the first additional user;

identify user-restricted content associated with the first additional user, wherein the user-restricted content is personal to the first additional user, and wherein access to the user-restricted content is limitable by the first additional user, and

use the user-restricted content associated with the first additional user to determine additional information that is related to the vague term wherein the additional information comprises one or more of;

a date, a location, an address, and an identity of an entity; and

provide the additional information for presentation with the message, including instructions to provide the additional information for presentation to both;

the first additional user via the first additional computing device, and

the second additional user via the second additional computing device.