User segmentation to provide motivation to perform a resource saving tip

• US 10,171,603 B2
• Filed: 10/28/2014
• Issued: 01/01/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 05/12/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Opower, Inc. (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Opower, Inc. (Oracle Corporation)
• Inventors: Lin, Wayne, Rosen, Deena, Royer, David
• Primary Examiner(s): Keller, Michael A
• Application Number:
  US14/526,313
• Publication Number:
  US 20150326679A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,526 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0241 Advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/06 Energy or water supply
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/535 Tracking the activity of the user network monitoring arrangements H04L43/00; recording of computer activity G06F11/34
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/55 Push-based network services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/021 Services related to particular areas, e.g. point of interest [POI] services, venue services or geofences
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/08 User group management

Abstract

A computer-implemented method includes steps for identifying a plurality of similar users that are similar to a target user, and providing a notification to the target user, the notification comprising a suggested action for the target user. In certain aspects, a method of the subject technology can further include steps for providing comparison information to the target user, wherein the comparison information includes participation information regarding participation for the plurality of similar users, with respect to the suggested action.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented performed by a computer and at least a processor, the method comprising:

identifying, by at least the processor, a plurality of similar users that are similar to a target user;

providing, by at least the processor by electronic communication, a notification related to energy consumption to the target user, the notification comprising a suggested action for the target user;

determining, by at least the processor, participation information indicative of participation of the plurality of similar users in the suggested action;

determining, by at least the processor, a level of effectiveness for each representation of a plurality of representations of the participation information, including a first level of effectiveness for a first representation of the participation information;

selecting for presentation to the target user the first representation of the participation information, as an optimal representation, from the plurality of representations of the participation information based upon a determination, by at least the processor, that the first level of effectiveness is higher than levels of effectiveness for one or more other representations of the participation information; and

providing, by at least the processor via an electronic communication channel, comparison information to the target user by electronic communication, wherein the comparison information includes the optimal representation of the participation information;

wherein the first representation is indicative of a percentage of the plurality of similar users determined to participate in the suggested action based upon the participation information; and

wherein the method further comprises at least one of;

determining a second representation of the plurality of representations, wherein the second representation is indicative of a number of the plurality of similar users determined to participate in the suggested action based upon the participation information;

or

determining a third representation of the plurality of representations, wherein the third representation is indicative of a proportion of the plurality of similar users determined to participate in the suggested action based upon the participation information.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

generating a list of suggested actions;

receiving an indication, from the target user, of refusal to participate in a second suggested action of the list of suggested actions; and

in response to receiving the indication of refusal, removing the second suggested action from the list of suggested actions.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the notification is generated with a plurality of selectable options that comprise (i) a first selectable option indicative of agreement to participate in the suggested action, and (ii) a second selectable option indicative of refusal to participate in the suggested action.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

selecting, from a database, a plurality of suggested actions for conserving energy usage;

wherein the participation information is determined for each of the plurality of suggested actions from data from the similar users wherein the data indicates whether the similar users are performing each of the plurality of suggested actions;

generating, by at least the processor, a quantitative indication comprising a percentage or a total number of the plurality of similar users that are performing each of the suggested actions;

selecting, by at least the processor, one or more suggested actions from the plurality of suggested actions that have the quantitative indication greater than a threshold value; and

generating the notification by including the one or more suggested actions in the notification provided to the target user.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the plurality of similar users are selected from users that comprise a similar geographic location as the target user.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the plurality of similar users are selected from users that comprise a common social-networking group as the target user.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the plurality of similar users are selected from users that comprise a similar economic circumstance as the target user.

8. A system comprising:

at least one processor; and

a memory device including instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to;

identify a comparison set of users for a target user;

calculate participation information for the comparison set of users with respect to a suggested action for the target user;

determine a level of effectiveness for each representation of a plurality of representations of the participation information, including a first level of effectiveness for a first representation of the participation information;

select for presentation to the target user the first representation of the participation information, as an optimal representation, from the plurality of representations of the participation information;

generate and provide, via an electronic communication channel, a notification related to energy consumption to the target user, the notification comprising (i) the suggested action for the target user, (ii) the first representation of the participation information for the comparison set of users, and (iii) a plurality of selectable options corresponding to participation in the suggested action by the target user; and

receive a selection of at least one of the selectable options from the target user;

wherein the first representation is indicative of a number of the comparison set of users determined to participate in the suggested action based upon the participation information; and

wherein the instructions further cause the at least one processor to at least one of;

determine a second representation of the plurality of representations, wherein the second representation is indicative of a percentage of the comparison set of users determined to participate in the suggested action based upon the participation information;

or

determine a third representation of the plurality of representations, wherein the third representation is indicative of a proportion of the comparison set of users determined to participate in the suggested action based upon the participation information.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the instructions further cause the at least one processor to:

determine information about participation in the suggested action by the target user based on the selection of the at least one of the selectable options.

10. The system of claim 8 wherein the plurality of selectable options comprises:

a first selectable option corresponding to a first decision regarding participation in the suggested action by the target user; and

a second selectable option corresponding to a second decision regarding participation in the suggested action by the target user.

11. The system of claim 8 wherein the notification is given a priority value in relation to other notifications according to at least one of the number, the percentage or the proportion of the comparison set of users that perform the suggested action.

12. The system of claim 8, wherein the instructions further cause the at least one processor to:

provide a second notification to the target user, the second notification comprising a second suggested action for the target user.

13. The system of claim 8 wherein the comparison set of users are selected from users that comprise a similar geographic location as the target user.

14. The system of claim 8 wherein the comparison set of users are selected from users that comprise a common social-networking group as the target user.

15. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium including instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to:

identify a comparison set of users for a target user;

provide a notification related to energy consumption to the target user, the notification comprising a suggested action for the target user;

determine participation information indicative of participation of the comparison set of users in the suggested action;

determine a level of effectiveness for each representation of a plurality of representations of the participation information, including a first level of effectiveness for a first representation of the participation information;

select for presentation to the target user the first representation of the participation information, as an optimal representation, from the plurality of representations of the participation information; and

provide the first representation of the comparison information to the target user;

wherein the first representation is indicative of a proportion of the comparison set of users determined to participate in the suggested action based upon the participation information; and

wherein the instructions further cause the processor to at least one of;

determine a second representation of the plurality of representations, wherein the second representation is indicative of a number of the comparison set of users determined to participate in the suggested action based upon the participation information;

or

determine a third representation of the plurality of representations, wherein the third representation is indicative of a percentage of the comparison set of users determined to participate in the suggested action based upon the participation information.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, the notification further comprising a plurality of selectable options comprising (i) a first selectable option indicative of agreement to participate in the suggested action, and (ii) a second selectable option indicative of refusal to participate in the suggested action, wherein the instructions further cause the processor to:

determine information about participation in the suggested action by the target user based on a selection of the first selectable option or the second selectable option.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 15 wherein the notification is given a priority value in relation to other notifications according to at least one of the proportion, the number or the percentage of the comparison set of users that perform the suggested action.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 15 wherein the comparison set of users are selected from users that comprise one or more of a similar geographic location, common social-networking group, or economic circumstance as the target user.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 15 further comprising instructions that when executed by the processor cause the processor to:

select, from a database, a plurality of suggested actions for conserving energy usage;

wherein the participation information is determined for each of the plurality of suggested actions from data from the comparison set of similar users wherein the data indicates whether the similar users are performing each of the plurality of suggested actions;

generate a quantitative indication comprising a percentage or a total number of the comparison set of similar users that are performing each of the suggested actions;

select one or more suggested actions from the plurality of suggested actions that have the quantitative indication greater than a threshold value; and

generate the notification by including the selected one or more suggested actions in the notification provided to the target user.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the instructions further cause the processor to:

provide a second notification to the target user, the second notification comprising a second suggested action for the target user.